The truth about Germany's long dark winter is setting in.  It is not the kind of thing where there are days without sunlight because of the latitude, just weather.  The days are short and it is never sunny for an hour together, especially in winter.  The opposite of summer in Texas, jumping from heater to heated car rather than AC to AC.

Anyway, I thought is wasn't as bad as they say, but now I understand.  I am tired and listless, unmotivated to go outside or do anything inside.  The kids are different too.  The have not even built a snow man because there have just been too many cold days strung together and it isn't worth going out: the hats and gloves and boots and snow pants and zipping and then putting everything away later...

So they won't mind school tomorrow, right?

An Eifel summer closes out with one last picture of the fountain at the the carnival at the Pig Festival in Wittlitch. 

This week I went through a little self aware moment - group of days - wondering about many things developmental. Most of this began with a comment made by the therapists/ teachers of Thomas' Sweetpea class.

I was picking him up Tuesday last when it became clear Mikey (age 3) really needed to go to the bathroom. I asked one of the ladies to hold Tatya while I helped Mikey. As mom's know, 3 yo's need some assistance still in the bathroom department. I showed Mikey the little potty and the little stool in front of the sink. I took a new pair of underpants from his backpack and left him to negotiate the procedure for a minute.

When I went back to where the 3 ladies and the other toddlers sat in a circle on the rug singing the good bye for now song to oneanother, I saw the ladies exchange this look as if they were deciding whether or not to say something. I just raised my eyebrow, in an effort to say, "this is the nicest way I can possibly ask you what it is..."

The one holding Tatya, began.

"How old is this baby?"
"THERESA is 6 months almost seven."
"Oh. She's not sitting up very well on her own...does this concern you?"
"Not until just now..."

By then, Mikey emerged from the little boys and girls room with a shirt and red socks on, nothing more.
"Did you need some help in there, honey?"

So I helped him dress and wash and flush and toss with an audience of two palpably mobile and verbal little girls. Then,
I went back to the goodbye for now circle of goodness to collect my other two children and walk very slowly back to the car, as mother's of two year olds do.

I took the phone number "in case you wanted to have her evaluated." I didn't mention her surgery down there, or her upcoming sedated scan which will tell us if she needs another surgery to free her tailbone to determine if she will maintain use of her legs for the rest of her life...Thanks, Ladies at Stride Learning Center.

Here are some photos of Tatya sitting rather wobly, while playing with Rosie and Mikey on the sofa.

this is Winky from violastudio on Etsy. I love they idea of combining media, especially upcycling old clothes, and sweaters, vintage books and fabrics, embroidery and sewing made new. I have seen some really cute and inspiring crafts.

The idea is that I can somehow balance what I can handle making myself with what I buy hand made. Handmade baby things are the best, especially because it is still the time when I get to choose.

Right now I am looking for a "how to" on shrinky dinks made from recycled plastic berry containers and the other similar plastic "trash". You sand them then color them with pencils and bake at a low temperature.

I need the specifics though; the article I read said which # plastic; tempurature and duration in the oven...

more cute spring goodies

WILDFLOWER Seed Handmade Recycled Paper by ClaudiasCreations

Handmade Toys on Etsy - Wooden Rocking Motorcycle by mjbgifts

Day of Platitudes

Yesterday was a day in platitudes: making the bed became a symbolic gesture synopsized in one brief if/then idea; gardening the spirit of renewal. I feel the song on the radio like an adolescent and feel the season's change, a verge in my emotional being. This would be good, so in touch with the world around me, but I have learned that one thing leads to another for me.

There is no enjoying self awareness and emotional reactivity, even though with it comes energy and creativity, when, deep within my mind I know what follows. A certain gloom or absence of any emotion, tiredness, fatigue and lack of interest or pleasure in much of anything.

Child-rearing can be hard and full of small regrets, some of which become larger. I will say I regret losing my temper or raising my voice with Rosa and Mikey. I have this nagging belief that over time they will learn to try and judge the mood of their parent which a child should not have to do. I feel that at times I sound too harsh and of course there were better words to use, better ways.

Desiree is beautiful as is Wyoming.

sublime stiching - Jenny Hart is awesome

this Austin girl knows what she is doing and cool too.  Her site has patterns, books, calender of events, textiles and more.



Sublime Stitching | This ain't your gramma's embroidery!

While Mother Mary Prays

Blissfully, solemnly holding baby Jesus in her arms cast white porcelain Mother Mary prays over the button and bead flowers that my Rosa made for me at least four mothers days ago.  I think to myself that somewhere I have a digital photo, but I have over 13,000 poorly labeled digital images spanning two laptops and an external drive.  Why keep them if I cannot find them?  I go through this thought process often re: linens, art supplies, gift wrap and craft supplies, spices in the kitchen cabinet and even clothes in the closet.

Mothers' day is as good as any time to reexamine the goals I set out in the beginning of the year.  The simple list, as one reader commented, of not so simple tasks.  Almost to the halfway point I am ready to regroup and see how I am doing (there is a word for this...).

For Mikey, the robot

Kids Craft Weekly - Issue 70: the robot. Mikey loves the robot, pretends to be the robot, watches for the robot, and so it is safe to assume, he would love to make a robot. Although the ideas for gluing together 2d robots on cardboard are pretty, I am afraid my son will have to make something he can turn around and play with. Good thing #4 is the matchbox robot.

Cakie's birthday buildabear handmade

Along with the beuatiful spring decor, three bears theme, and too good to eat vegan cupcake recipe, rubyellen shares the how to build your own sweet handmade bear for kid's birthday party in her blog Cakies.

She shares photos of the celebration an provides her flickr link.

Just beautiful, rubyellen!

some really cool craft and kid blogs

First, story stones by The Crafty Crow. I like these because this is something the boys would love to make. They collect round rocks from the garden and cart them around the back with their Tonka trucks. I think they would like taking it a little further:

Redbird crafts gives all the details. Sweet story I am sure we have all experienced but this is a good solution to creative storytelling.

It reminds me also of this blog called decorating nature, sorry I couldn't find the link, but I wanted to mention this because similarly the artist takes and decorates an element from nature but leaves it there as decoration.

good morning to you four

Birthday Barbeque

The gorgeous weather that told us last week was the intro to spring here in did not hold. It was cold and damp for Tommy's birthday,but the boys were too sick to be going outside anyway. Runny nose and cough, fever, maybe flu (off topic: swine flu in the news started to freak me out last night). Uncle Jes came anyway from boulder, just in time to get out the door for Rosie's soccer game.

She looked like the Michelin Man with a jersey on over her white winter coat. She played awesome forward, but cried a bit after. She said it was because the coach wouldn't put her in defense. Why not I don't know, but she stopped crying when we stopped at the Coffee Cabin, our drive thru in the parking lot of the bike shop, where she ordered a strawberry Italian soda and felt better.

Anyway, Mike and Jes cooked the brisket while I did whatever takes up the whole day every day with very little to show for it, and we ate before the boys passed out with fatigue.

Tiny buds and blossoms have arrived in Cheyenne. Here is the view of our church, St. Marks, from the parking lot. This is near the side entrance which leads directly down to the nursery and up the the kitchen and large meeting room. I liked the blossoming tree, but although I imagined it some fruiting tree, I really have no idea what it is. There is another pretty blossom in the edge of the wrought iron fence, but I don't think my shot of that came out.



These other pictures are from the walk around with Cleo. All of these buds and flowers are in our block. I like the red buds against the whitish grey bark. I would also like to know what these blue flowers are. In many of the yards, like the bulbs, they have begun to emerge from underneath last year's dry growth.

Handmade Housewares on Etsy - Feathered Friends in Pink...Pillow by CoffeeAndCream

Rosie, what do you think of that?

this watercolor was made by Kim Toohey and submitted to Illustration Friday under the topic "fleeting". I can only guess how she did it, maybe from a high contrast photo of Blythe doll. I secretly love Blythe who has huge eyes which come in five colors, and she was only made for one year in the States, the year of my birth.

Back to the matter at hand, I don't want to be a copycat, but I have been wanting to do a stencil project with the kids, and something like this from a photo, projected and painted would work.

I love pretty birdies

Lovely custom ordered pillows for a little girl's room.  Coffee and Cream are trying to get sales going again, so check out this mother daughter team.  I think it's awesome, and I hope for the same closeness with my girls.