The Good, The Great, and The Wonderful

We've had some new discoveries and developments around here lately -- I thought I'd share a few....First, the Good: audio books!  Exploring the kids' section of our library last week, I found a bounty of free books on cd.  On days when we're mostly at home, I encourage about an hour of quiet playtime in lieu of a nap.  This time helps all of us recharge and gives me a much-needed break.  Audio books have begun to play a central role in this hour -- I love that they engage my son's imagination and unlike dvd's are completely guilt-free (for me -- I doubt S feels any guilt at all about watching a dvd.)  He prefers to listen using these enormous headphones - - perhaps it helps him to become more absorbed in the story.  At any rate, the audio books have been a fortuitous discovery.

Next, the Great: our other favorite library -- the toy library!  Silly us, we let our membership expire when baby A was born.  Life got full, we made do with what we had, and it's been 8 months or so since we visited.   Upon return, S was into a completely different world of toys....there were so many things we could have happily left with.  We chose two train sets and a beginner's scooter.   When we got home, S literally spent the whole day immersed in his new train sets -- not food, nor books, nor the urgent need for the bathroom could tear him away.  It was incredible.  As the week has gone on, the intensity has waned....but only slightly.  He now takes meal breaks (thankfully) but the trains are a huge hit.  Yay, toy library! 

 

Finally, the Wonderful: a new development for me.... My loving, supportive, DIY-competent husband has undertaken the project of turning our humble storage shed into a deluxe garden studio.  (Okay, I'm not sure exactly how "deluxe" it will be, but hey!  Garden studio!  With room to grow and upgrade as time goes on....)   He swears I'll be in there in the next few weeks.  I can't wait!  In-progress view below.

Will definitely post photo updates once I'm in.  Very exciting.

Inward Bound

In Nelson, we are having a truly spectacular autumn.   I love how this season refocuses our energy inward.  We spend more time indoors, and I notice myself yearning to rearrange, refurbish, re-purpose, and just generally improve our living areas. 

I've been taking a brief respite from Seedling pursuits to focus on some home and family projects - - trying to tackle a few of the items on my never-ending projects-I'd-like-to-do list.....First up, pillow friends.  I first saw this project in Amy Karol's "Bend the Rules With Sewing" -- so simple, so cute!  I used up some fabric scraps, some leftover textile paints, and voila: new friends (and yes, the car is pink -- no gender stereotypes here!)

Next, the creation of some fine art.  Our walls have been sadly bare for some time now -- we didn't move here with much, and I have a difficult time choosing and buying artworks worthy of display.    A few years ago, I found a pile of canvasses for a dollar each at a yard sale.  Seeing great potential, but without a vision, they've remained in storage for nearly three years.  I pulled them out recently to give them an undercoat of white.....

Then S worked his magic....

The end result -- artwork we are proud to display and love to look at....

Next up, I'm getting ready to tackle that pile of merino.  It's so gorgeous that I think I'm hesitating, waiting until my sewing skills vastly improve.  But, eh, that may be awhile -- and it's getting chilly!  So, simple merino projects to come....