Welcoming Hugo

Having a baby, welcoming a new member to the family, is such an epic event. Of course it touches, challenges, and changes everyone in the family as each person shifts into their new roles . . . big sister, mother of five, oldest of a large sibling group. All of my kids have been so helpful as I passed (again) through the demanding tasks of pregnancy, birth, and caring for a newborn. We are now six weeks in with this new little person, and somehow they feel like long and incredibly short weeks simultaneously. Life is nowhere near as “back to normal” as I wish it could be, but that will come. For now we try to enjoy each little breathtaking smile and soak up that glorious newness that Hugo shares so generously with us. Hugo Winchester, little chunk of a boy, 6 weeks old. Yeah, we like him.

Little Crafters

So I stumbled upon this adorable little book at the library (Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray) while scouring the shelves for ever more knitting pattern books (obsessed much?) and it reminded me of the big bag of embroidery thread I picked up at the thrift store ages ago for a quarter, or some other ridiculously low amount. I said "Wheee!" and checked it out and brought it home, along with the necessary accoutrement of needle work (things like needles, for example) and sat down with the children. I sent them ahead to pave the way to embroidered bliss, brave crafting soldiers that they are, and they triumphed indeed, overcoming pricked fingers and thighs.






Photos of finished works to come! Also, my own attempt at the art.

Mud Beach

A trip to the beach morphed my children into "mud monsters" this week. It was quite a terrifying experience.


Who knew the beach could be a bog? This goopy clayish 'sand' provided literally hours of entertainment for my disgusting children. And just a dip or two later . . .



and they were more or less clean.

Let's just keep soaking up these summer days. It is flying all too fast.