Thrifted

Many thanks to someone extra special who sent me the sweetest Mother's Day card with some $ to buy something for me.   Finally I spent it. <3  Thank you, xoxo.

Shown is one of a 9 panel hand embroidered table cloth. A little Jane Austen and all those hand embroidered pot holders. 

Seasons

I must admit, summer wears me out. Not only do I have the added pressure of the garden/produce (pressure that I've created for myself) in addition to the housework (that I'm failing miserably at) and the animals (some poop could definitely be scooped), but also every festival you can think of is in the thick of summer!  And of course I'm a working mama, so that too. I'm trying to be diligent, but the truth is, it's hard to do everything well.

I need to remember I live in a place where there are seasons and it's okay that this is the season of cramming in warm weather fun. It's okay I didn't sweep/clear the clutter/grocery shop because memories were being made. Before I know it, it will be fall and our routine will steadily be in gear. Then winter and then spring.  There is plenty of time ahead for a tidy house.

Image result for born imaginative winter

For now, I'm going to ignore my house, tend my gardens, make memories with my kids. The housework will be there next season, but the opportunity to take a dip in the Atlantic will not.

Two toddlers, one mama made dress.

This dress I made for Audra when she was tiny. And now it's Anna-Kate's. 
 And here's Audra in it all those years ago. (More pics here http://www.bornimaginative.com/2014/04/itch-to-stitch-dress-4.html )
 
Back to Anna-Kate.
 And the two sisters.
While you're at it, if you want to see more mama made dresses, here's the 12 month challenge I did for myself when Audra was tiny. I ought to do it again. http://www.bornimaginative.com/2015/01/itch-to-stitch-12-months-12-dresses.html

Dates

Very thankful that my husband's job change has led to more family time than we ever have had before. (We used to have only 2 days off a MONTH together, now we have much more.) So today I did something I never get a chance to do. I had a solo date with Audra. 

We did all of her favorite things.

We went to the library and I read her whatever she wanted me to, with no waiting in between books.

We went out for ice cream.

We saw the kitties at the shelter.

She dressed up in whatever remotely old fashioned stuff she could find at the thrift shop, she roamed around and talked to people in full costume AND fully in character.

We went to the beach, just the two of us.  She wanted to play 'stranded on the island', so we did.  She was the mother, I was the child. I was to call her 'mother dear'. She collected clam shells for our meals.  We're thankful we were rescued.

On a scale of 10, my date with her was a 12! 

Of course, I let her take home her thrifted dress (with puffed sleeves) and her long gloves. $8.00 for the set.


And of course I picked up some treasures for the crew. Books, Peter Rabbit puppet paperdolls.  Bible Outburst (which Adrian is amazing at). $6.00

Flower Challenge

One quirk about me is I always have flowers on the table. I treat myself in the winter and grow my own in the summer.  Audra is my fellow floral lover.  She keeps our vases in steady supply.  Audra and I challenged ourselves to share our flowers more often this year. We're aiming for 10 times and we're going to try to remember to keep track. 

The first round went to the nursing home. (It's so easy to arrange at the nursing home because the two we have gone to have had a whole collection of vases you can use there).  We left with ten tables looking summery.
 (In her mama made skirt <3)


And the next share went to a co-worker.

We have more to do, Audra is game!

Raspberries!

Raspberries! It's been a couple of weeks of EAT ALL YOU WANT raspberries.  A very good place to be.




Thrifted

Vintage hangers, terracotta pot, two candle holders (for old fashioned play), rubber spatula and brand new table tennis, still in the package $7.00
Plus more samplers for a quarter a piece.

Handmade

My neighbor brought this baby doll handmade set as a gift to Audra's birthday, apologizing that she had no time to get to the store (her husband has been sick) so her only gift was something she whipped up quickly.  She promised to get tot the store soon..  Umm...this is 100x better than anything you'd find at Walmart, thank you, Nam!



A quick dip

As a kid I remember asking for a pool.

My dad: "You have a camp on the St. Lawrence River. We're not getting a pool." 

And he'd bring us almost daily when it was hot for a quick dip.

Fast forward to decades later...

My kids: "Mama, can we get a pool?"

Me: "We live in a coastal town. You can swim in the ocean. We're not getting a pool."

And so we take advantage in the summer.

We're here multiple times a week.

And I finally brought my camera.

We usually go in the late afternoon, when the tourists who do beach days have left. It's quite frequent we have the beach to ourselves. 

I pinch myself that this is our home sweet home.  These kids are mighty lucky that the ocean is their "pool".









Respite



This girl has an eye for natual beauty. I just love how she can create a whimsical, peaceful and decorative place for respite anywhere. 

Such a good reminder of the possibilities for us all.

Garden 2018 Update 5



Garden 2018 update 1
Update 2
Update 3
Update 4

Well, it's growing!  Weeds and all.  This year I was doing pretty well with weeds for some time and then...BOOM.  It's harvest time. I typically get about a half hour of gardening in between after my kids go to bed and when it gets dark. I just am not able to harvest and weed in that short time.  Oh well. I have harvested nearly 80 pounds of produce thus far, so that's not too bad. I can see pretty quickly that this size garden isn't big enough to feed five of us hungry hippos year round.  In years past, I'd pick a big bowl of beans and we'd eat half, I'd freeze half. And now my kids eat the other half before I can preserve it.  Except for raspberries, I suppose. We cannot eat two pounds of raspberries day after day I have found.  I have happily been putting them in the freezer!  Anyway, welcome to the jungle.

 So close to fully bloomed zinnias!  Maybe tomorrow!
 Cosmos just starting.
 Corn is a good hideout for cats, I suppose.
 Pulling off by the pound
 First homegrown cherries, ever!  Made some jam with them.

Finally pulled some rhubarb in for the freezer.

 Pulled off the first zucchini and tomatoes.

Meals look a lot like this lately.  And yes, my kids eat this stuff. Impressive, some think. I'd argue that they eat it because they grew it.  Thankful for this homegrown life.






Thrifted

Toothbrush holder, vintage Christmas Tablecloth, vintage water picture, John Deere shirt for Anna-Kate (Adrian insisted), vintage spoon and measuring spoons, four Christmas bird prints. $6.50

And some more quarter needleworks.

Handmade


A dear friend of ours was turning 9. Since her mama is one of my very close friends, I knew that this sweet girl has been asking for some old fashioned clothes. So I made a little something for her and she was mighty surprised. Word has it that she has hardly taken it off since her birthday. She and Audra have enjoyed dressing the part and playing in the old fashioned area together. Love these little girls and their imaginations.  Happy Birthday, Lucy.

Audra's 6th Birthday Re-cap


 She wanted an old fashioned party. We got out the fine china for BLTs, chips and fruit salad. Aprons were the attire.
 Missing some loved ones, but a fine time she had.

 Cake is a frozen andes mint type cake.  Chocolate on bottom, mint chip in the middle, chocolate on top, chocolate fudge and whipped cream topped.



 Anna-Kate ate a chunk and signed 'more' for another round.

 She got some great new clothes, dresses and such. Folks who love her certainly spoiled her.  The top item is this typewriter, thrifted for $10.00.  I hear the tap tap tap allllllll the live long day, even at 5am. She loves it.




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