Hello....Is Anyone Still Out There?

Hello old friend. Yes, I know it has been awhile. Where have I been?

Well, knitting my fingers off, getting ready for several big events like the Latah Variety Market and the congo opening, coding and stocking products on the home site until my eyes go blurry, and generally staying a little too busy. It is paying off, however. The day of the variety fair was gloomy with a steady drizzle of rain all day, but our supportive community braved it and we had a good time anyway. The congo is really coming along, and I think our opening on the 15th will prove to be an awesome collaboration between some of my favorite local mamas. And the knitting? Well, I've knitted up three pairs of longies, a soaker, a nursing necklace, and two newborn sleepsacks in the last three weeks. One more soaker and one more nursing necklace and my part in the congo will be fulfilled.

To fill you in completely on our whereabouts and activities and life would take me the better part of the afternoon, so I'm giving you a photo montage instead, with some of the fun and creative and best times of the past few weeks. Enjoy.

:the projects:








:some things i'm especially excited about:
:a sneaky peek at our congo design:

:the pink is back in my hair:

:my new ridiculously cute a.girl bag:




:the family fun times at the fair:
:daddy participating in the logging show:

:aidyn enjoying the rides:



:my blue eyes, so beautiful she takes my breath away:

:watching brother:


:ely modeling for the fall stocking:






:relaxing at home:






:enjoying fall:

Must Raves!

Some things from my week that I loved so much I had to rave about them:

1. The new line of bags we're selling exclusively from a local designer who has become extremely popular in recent months. We met Alicia of A. Girl bags at the Latah Creek Fair and hit it off. She liked what we were doing so much she decided that instead of opening her own website, which was her plan, she would retail through us. And, even better, she's designing a diaper bag to go with her regular line that will include a changing pad and small mama clutch! She uses the Amy Butler fabrics for everything she does, and she's absolutely brilliant!

2. My new cleaning products! Tired of the smell of vinegar while I was cleaning, but unwilling to go back to chemical laden store varieties, I invested into the cleaning products of a local company (also at the fair), Maid Naturally. All natural ingredients that clean just as well, at the same price, but smell so good you almost want to eat them! Even better is that they are marketed as a "spa treatment" for your home, and named as such! My favorite is the Aromatherapy Cleanser (an all purpose cleaner) in Clary Sage and Vanilla, followed closely by their Mint Glass Toner (for glass and mirrors) and Massage Oil (for stainless steel, leather, and wood) in Lavender and Vanilla. My home has never smelled so sweet! I went from charmed to completely sold when their Citrus Home Exfoliator took off the burn rings on my glass stove top that even the famed magic erasers had left behind. Warning: I threw away my mop because it smells so good I intend to hand wash my floors from now on. Yes, it's that good.

3. The harvest coming in from our garden. Many peas and beans, bags of zucchini, and several carrots, like this little guy, are making their way from the dirt into the sweet little hands and mouths of Sharkbait and the Bean, who have a whole new outlook on where the food they eat is coming from.

4. Ravelry! It's a knit community online that, right now at least, must be joined by invitation. I signed up ages ago and forgot about it, then meandered over a few weeks ago to check what was taking so long and found out my invitation was sent months ago and went to my junk folder. Oh the lost months! Well, I'm on now and making up for lost time! It's so amazing to find people who share my obsession with their needles!

5. My husband. He watched our kids both days last weekend while mommy worked, cleaned up numerous times (including a heaping sink of dishes that I was dreading touching), and even cooked his yummy friend rice for dinner once! Even better, he stood up to his family in a matter that has been tearing us all apart lately and pretty much singlehandly, through a great deal of pain and negativity, brought his family back together again to face their problems together anew. I've never been prouder than I was watching the man, who still seems so much a boy to me, face the accusations and anger of his entire family calmly and without excuse, and come out on top with a new respect from them...and me.

A Rainy Morning

I love the rain. Night before last we had a thunderstorm, one of the dry, wind whipping ones that gives you a charge as you see the huge streaks of lightening and hear the crack and rumble of the answering thunder. The clouds that have been threatening since then finally broke this morning and the rain is drizzling down. There's a happy sadness to rain that I adore. On days like today I feel a sort of melancholy, a mellow and reflective mood that somehow also fills me with joy as I look forward to cuddling up with a big mug of tea and my knitting, and sharing time wrapped in a blanket with two warm little bodies while we read Aidyn's dinosaur book for what must be the 1,762nd time. Today has me looking at the calendar and realizing in shock that the summer is drawing to a close again.

I can't really say which season is my favorite. I love both spring and fall equally I think, because they both hold promise. Spring means new life, fresh earth, and warmth as the sun chases the last of winter away. But fall holds a different kind of promise that is so enticing to me. We move past the too hot days and humid nights, past pool parties and BBQs and mowing the lawn into something much more reserved and peaceful. To me, fall promises a break from the full swing of summer, a time to rest, a time to cuddle, and a time to savor the fruits of the spring. Around this time of year I begin my fall cleaning, readying our home for a long winter indoors. Soon the flowerbeds will be cleaned out and bedded down for the impending winter, and the last of my garden's produce will be taken in. The leaves that have already begun to turn yellow will lay in a carpet on the ground, and in no time at all, we'll be waking up to frost on the ground.

I love that my walks in the neighborhood with the kids will see us returning with hands full of the treasures that fall leaves strewn on the ground - gold and brown leaves, little rocks and sticks, and acorn caps. I love that I will be able to pull out my sweaters and jeans, and leave blankets here and there around the house ready to be cuddled in at a moment's notice. We'll be able to journey to our nearby farming community and join in the harvest festivals, enjoying caramel apples and steaming mugs of cider while stocking up on squash and potatoes and onions and corn and choosing pumpkins for carving. Our home will come alive with fall colors and the decorations that precede the holiday season.

What I love most is that fall, even as it dims a bright summer, makes everything so much more clear and crisp. The blankets in the morning seem that much more cozy, and it's a glorious feeling to wake up in a warm cocoon and burrow in a little deeper for just a few more minutes. The coffee in the morning tastes even better, and the casseroles and stews that roll out of my kitchen as I start using my oven again even richer. Family comes to the forefront as I begin creating and scheming for the holidays, and love seems closer as more time is spent together indoors.

Winter seems to last so long, summer is a blur of color of fun, and spring brings new starts and a fresh breath. Fall is subtle, bringing deep colors and heady flavors, and allowing us to step back and slow down. It's a different kind of joy than the others, but a complete and utter contentment kind of joy that I just can't get enough of.

Swirling Leaves Outside my Window

Well, my mother left this morning. Horrible depressing and happily relieving at the same time. I'm not sure when I'll get to see her again (probably not until next spring or summer), which is the sad part, but it is nice to have the house to myself again.

I am loving fall! Each season does something for me, but fall holds a special place in my heart. The slowly falling temperatures that mean I can pull out my comfortable sweaters and turn the heat on inside. The crisp air outside that seems to snap. The riot of reds and golds as the trees put on their best fall colors, and the crunch the leaves make as the kids and I play in them. The smell of casseroles and baked goods wafting from my oven. The palpable feeling of the holidays approaching fast, and the joy and happiness they bring. Nothing makes me happier these days than sitting on the couch with a nice hot cup of tea or coffee, my computer or a good book handy, and the kids playing happily on the floor at my feet.

Today the kids and I spent a happy aternoon doing just that. They are getting so entertaining! We color and wrestle and watch cartoons and read and before I know it, my day is past and it's time to start dinner. I love it!

With my mom gone, I should be back to regular postings now. Here's hoping you're loving your fall as much as I am!