Braille Trail

We had a lovely weekend. Did you? On Saturday we drove up into the mountains to check out the Braille Trail, a trail made especially for the visually impaired. We told the girls we were going for a little hike in the forest. Cordelia was totally in the know and happy, Elise was screaming, "We're going to the forest!" When I asked her what a forest is, she was stumped. She knew soon enough. We coasted through the trees and up into the beautiful forest that is just beyond our community. It was awesome! The girls had a blast, Eric went rogue and wandered through the hills taking photos.  We stopped by a little creek. We took our sweet time...or rather the girls took their sweet time and we were happy to watch and encourage.












Where's Eric?





When we finished the trail we decided to continue on through the mountains, so our adventure ended up spanning much of the day and it was such a beautiful treat to explore our own backyard and take in the beauty of our state.

Mom School

Cordelia is out of preschool for the summer, sure it was just a total of 6 hours a week, but she loved it. With a little less going on in our lives I was looking to include a bit more structure into our days. So, in a effort to keep the learning going I have started MOM SCHOOL. This is also an attempt on my part to see if home school might be a possibility for us in the future. Yesterday was day one. Cordelia was very excited about the whole thing. I had gotten her jazzed up about it the night before. I picked up a couple of curriculum books and workbooks to help guide me and give me some new ideas.

Yesterday morning, after breakfast and blogging we dove right in. For day one we focused on the body. We had "morning circle," and spent a few hours trying to cover the subject in several different ways. My personal favorite was when we traced her form on a sheet of paper and I had her color it. The first thing she drew in....poop and potty. That's my girl, we're earthy up in here.



Enthusiasm never waned. We read books, we did exercises, we had a great time.  Elise was into it too...in her own special baby way. I think day one was a huge success. Cordelia was eager to start up again today. So I had better get to it. Have you ever tried anything like this? Any recommendations?

Makeover

Last night we had about an hour until the girls were to go down for bed. We had played, read, rolled around on the floor, etc. We needed something new to do. I was standing in front of the mirror with Elise
(she happens to find herself mesmerizing) when it hit me. I needed a makeover and I needed it fast.

I hurried down to the kitchen where Cordelia was finishing up a project with Eric. I asked her if she'd like to do my makeup. She was thrilled at the prospect as she has quite a fascination with makeup.

We went up to the bathroom and I let her follow her heart. When she was done she declared that I looked like a conductor(?). Here is my new look...





When is the last time you updated your look?

Tea...er...uh...Soy Milk Party

Yesterday I was exhausted. Several nights with little sleep had left me red eyed and tired. I wanted to pass out in a heap of exhaustion, but I had two little ladies who needed some time and attention. I was faced with two options 1) Give in and call it "movie day" 2) Buck up and be a mom. I opted for the second choice.



So, I picked myself up by my bootstraps (I was technically shoeless) and got to it. I decided that the best choice was to just have some fun. So I set up a little tea party, soy milk and cookies, for us gals.





Cordelia took care of the guest list (Elise, Minnie Mouse and Foofa)







We used accents and good manners, with the exception of the time Cordelia sucked soy milk straight from the spout of the tea pot.



Later we hit up the library, took a walk, ran some errands and had a dinner indoor picnic. Then I passed out at 9pm!

How was your day?

A Strange Dream

I don't think there is any way around it, the weather has been hot here. Very hot. The whole town has an added vibe of eerie-ness with the thick layer of smoke that has settled over our community. While we aren't dealing with fires in the same sense that Colorado is we are still paying the price for a mild winter and an early spring. There have been a few rather large fires around our community, leaving the town in a strange golden haze.

Cordelia asked me why the sky looked "kinda dumpy" yesterday and I tried my best to explain smoke to her...not sure how well I communicated that idea. Anyway, the heat and the haze have left everything with a strange dream-like quality. I have a bit of that feeling like I just can't quite wake from a dream. Very unusual mood going on here in Wyoming.



Yesterday evening, in an attempt to cool down and clear our heads we decided to head up to the waterfall for a quick look around. So we all piled into The Kraken --Cordelia has taken to calling it "Daddy's girl truck"-- and took ourselves up above the layer of smoke that seems to have settled in snugly over our community. Rising above the town the sun was slanting in golden rays through the smoke and adding to the beautiful dreamy mood.

We parked the car in the shade of pine trees and hopped out. The air was instantly cooler, even though we were only 10 minutes from home. We could hear Garden Creek and feel its cool. So nice. Interestingly there was some odd photo shoot going on...something involving a girl dressed like Lara Croft Tomb Raider and carrying a bejeweled skull. Now that made the whole day seem even more like a bizarre dream!

We made our way up the short trail to the waterfall, stopping regularly as Cordelia picked up one rock and then switched it out for another.





The moon hung over the cliff edge, winking at us from a zillion miles away. The water cooled us down and muddied little feet.



A quick trip up and back, but just enough to shake us from what seemed like a day of sleep walking.





Is it hot and/or smokey where you are?

When it looks like this....

When it looks like this outside it is time to...



Watch the flakes accumulate on sidewalks that just melted off yesterday, knowing that this recent storm will surely melt away in the next few days. Late season snowstorms like this aren't really a big deal, the days are longer, the snow melts quickly---receding to the shadowy corners to lurk and brood (I am big on animating the inanimate, snow probably doesn't actually brood).

Take a trip to the library for toddler story time. We haven't been in quite some time and I think Cordelia will enjoy it. Always a little awkward to be in a room full of women and babies. I am not sure why. Although I think the most awkward thing is to be in a room full of pregnant women. Do you know what I am talking about? Makes me very uneasy and I am a pregnant woman. Probably won't be the case at library time anyway.

Drink some hot chocolate soy milk. I drink fortified soy milk, it has Omega 3s and I pretend that the hot chocolate soy milk is purely for fetal brain development.


Go out on the porch and contemplate a romp in the snow, deciding to snooze inside instead. OK, that was just Bumblebee. She stood on our covered patio and then sighed before coming in and harrumphing (apparently spell check agrees that is an actual word) into her bed.

Deliver freshly baked cookies to friends around town, before the roads get bad. I cannot be trapped in this house with a mountain of chocolate chip cookies, even if they are vegan they aren't exactly a health food and I have a wicked sweet tooth.


Admire the green growing things that promise spring will soon be here. I will surely admire a gardening book or two while Cordelia plays at some point in the day.

Art and work during nap time. I have a final touch on a piece for the show that opens Thursday and then I am all set. I will also check in on my students and do a little work.

What do you do with yourself on snow days?

***Don't forget to leave a comment here with your gender guess and a chance to win the giveaway!

Make Something Every Day

I seem to have inadvertently developed something of a personal mantra. I am not sure how or when it started, but I find myself repeating the mantra "make something every day." I wake up and first thing I do is plan what I am going to make....that doesn't include breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Some days it is easier than others to fit in time to make stuff. People often ask me how I find time to do so much, but the truth is that I don't find time anywhere I have to make it, fit it in where I can. I do have a lot going on in my life between motherhood, my job, working on Wyoming Rose with my mother, preparing for two art shows in the next two month, and 90 gajillion (an exact count) other things I have going on.

I try and combine my efforts where possible. For instance, yesterday Cordelia and I made vegan brownies together. A little bit of quality time with the girl and a little time for making.


She was an enthusiastic helper.



When it was nap time I worked on my lesson plan and then sat down to do a little crocheting for Wyoming Rose. We had a big order from a retailer (!) last week and have been working to fill that order. I finished up a cowl, a baby hat and I later worked in a few others while we spent family time together.



Now don't get me wrong, there are days when I get to the end of the day and the only thing that I have made is a big mess, but at least I made something...or at least that is what I tell myself. I guess I just don't feel like a day has been worth much if I haven't made something, anything.

So, today I plan to finish up some more crochet stuff, possibly dig into some jewelry making and hopefully work on a piece or two for my show in March. I am feeling ambitious.

Do you have a personal mantra?

Something to Make You Smile

Trip to North Carolina: Travel Day

Hello. We just returned last night from a long weekend in North Carolina. My brother Ben and his wife Sara, along with their animals are all living in North Carolina. We decided to end our summer travels with some air travel.

Our trip began on Thursday afternoon in Wyoming. Eric got out of work a bit early. We dropped Bumblebee off to stay with my parents and we drove down to Denver. Our town does have a small airport but it is often significantly cheaper to fly out of Denver. So we got to the city just in time for dinner at WATERCOURSE. I ate a bowl of tomato coconut curry soup, mashed potatoes and gravy, and (yes there is still more) a Donna Lee---a wrap with yummy seitan. I was completely stuffed by the time we left, it was awesome.

We went to our hotel near the airport and called it a night. The following morning we made our way to DIA (Denver International Airport).

Inside Denver International Airport

I was the lucky one to get selected for a random screening. My hands tested positive for some mystery substance. I ended up in the private area getting a very personal pat down. I will never put on hand lotion before a flight again!

Anyway, a small setback, but we were left with plenty of time to catch our flight, Cordelia's first flight.

Entertaining Cordelia before the flight

We boarded our first flight as parents. We found ourselves toting a bag full of toddler entertainment and gate-checking a car seat. We had no idea what to expect from our girl. We had 4 flights in just a few days.

Looking out the window while headed to Atlanta (Smogville)

She did so well! No cries, no whining. She was amazing! She looked out the window, napped, watched videos, played with toys. We looked around at the other parents who were struggling and felt a mixture of sympathy and just a smidgen of smugness.

On the plane

Cordelia and I on the flight from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham Airport

We landed at the Raleigh-Durham Airport around dinner time. Ben picked us up, looking as handsome as ever. It was so good to see him. Sara was back at their place preparing us a feast!

We drove through the trees. North Carolina, at least where we were, was heavily wooded and fairly hilly. We got to their cute place, it felt like we were in the middle of the forest, though we were right in Chapel Hill. We greeted Sara and the animals. Their pooch Jrake (as in J RAKE) was so funny and sweet with Cordelia who can be a bit intense with her animal affection.

After dinner we all took a short walk though the forest. Jrake ran in literal circles around Cordelia who was laughing hysterically.

Jrake and Cordelia

Jrake as a blur and Cordelia

We walked and talked. We listened to the cicadas and looked for frogs and blue lizards. The air was humid, but not hot, a beautiful end to a travel day.

Ben, Sara and I

Have you ever been to North Carolina?