Mother's Day

There is a home not far from where I live that boasts of 4 beautiful cherry trees lining its sidewalk. Every spring they shower their petals upon the sidewalk below, creating the most beautiful pink carpet. This Mother's Day I wanted to gift my mother and mother-in-law something different, so last Monday when Abigail arrived home from school I told her she could put her homework off and get fancy, because we were going to have a photoshoot under the cherry trees.

We walked a few blocks from where we parked, and then the girls just seemed to know what to do - they began running and playing in the fallen petals.

We were only there for 20 minutes, but they are 20 minutes I will never forget. Instead of the typical Monday afternoon grumpy-ness, filled with whining, bickering, tedious domestic decision-making and BS, I was able to live in the moment with my girls and revel in the beauty and joy of this time that I have with them. This brief time when they will still hold my hand across the street and allow me to pick leaves from their hair.

There are just a few years left before they realize that I cannot fix everything that breaks in their lives, before they begin to push away on their own and begin the metamorphasis into the talented and brilliant women they are destined to be.

After a few minutes I realized that the people sitting in their cars waiting for the light to change were smiling and waving at us, as if they recognized this special, spontaneous and unscripted moment for what it was.

The absolute best Mother's Day gift I could have hoped for.

(If you'd like to see all 30 photos from thos shoot, you can view them here on my Flickr page.)

A Friday...

This past Friday it was a balmy 68 degrees here in Jersey, so my mother and I ventured into Haddonfield to visit my favorite yarn shop and choose a luscious fiber for her birthday present.

We had chickens in tow.

Since little legs were agreeable, we strolled for a while, enjoying the sunshine and wandering in and out of shops. Haddonfield is a lovely, historic town full of quaint shops and cafes, and one of my favorite places.

Here's a tiny peek:

That's my mom. Isn't she lovely?

As for the yarn, my mother chose a gorgeous German superwash merino in the colors of the sea. It is made by a company I have never heard of before and according to the shop owner, it is often overlooked. It is spun with aloe and jojoba to soften your hands as you work. Those sneaky, considerate Germans. It is truly the Mercedes of merino fibers, with a Mercedes price-tag to boot, but worth every penny.

I hope she is pleased. I'll be sure to reveal the finished product here!

As for other new work, I have a few pieces to show you on Monday. I have been working on my Spring line, I plan to have many more pieces available than last Spring.

Be well, stay warm, and have a wonderful week!

xxx

Calling All Divas....

I have something new for you. A new design in bold colors to match your soul. I am pleased to introduce

The Queen of Hearts Cowl:

I like to offer something for everyone in my shop, and this something is for a particular woman.

She owns the room before she enters it.

She speaks before she thinks and offers no apology.

She know what she wants and exactly how to get it.

She lives in the moment and never looks back.

She has grasped life by the croquet balls, so to speak. (sorry)

She understands the power of a black pencil skirt paired with stiletto boots.

She knows the casual grace of leggings and ballet flats.

Crocheted in my very favorite herringbone stitch, this piece is warm, weighty, and waiting to grace the neck and shoulders of the Queen who claims it.

Appearing in the shop later this evening!

A Few Good Things...

The morning's first cup of tea

The last patch of sunlight


Lunch with my best girl


Road trip daydreaming



A new family member

And one more good thing that I have yet to document in photos: I am leaving this morning to spend a weekend at the Jersey shore with 8 fantastic ladies. I'm looking forward to good friends, good food, good spirits, and lots of laughs. Our house sits right on the beach, I can hardly wait. We've been planning this trip for months, but I am definitely going to miss Chad and my girls.

And this face:

See you all on the other side, have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

Making Time...

Most mornings, I feel like a crazy chicken. In between the "Eat-your-breakfast's" and "Hurry!-The-bus-is-coming!'s", I don't really have time to wake up properly and consider the day ahead. It doesn't help that I am the exact opposite of a morning person and better left alone until my second cup of coffee is in my hand.

During the holiday season when I was at my busiest, I gave myself an extra hour or two to work on orders and wake up way before the regularly scheduled morning insanity began. It was hard at first, but then I realized that I really needed that quiet time to allow my thoughts to unfold naturally, instead of abruptly slamming the door on them while making breakfasts, preparing lunches, and hustling people out the door. My day got off to a much better start, and I was not rushed, nor did I rush my kids or become exasperated with my husband (who is very much a morning person). Taking the time to welcome the morning more slowly (and alone), made me 100% nicer to be around.

After Christmas break I decided to stick to my early morning schedule and use that extra hour to take Rock for a walk. We walk down into the center of our little town, taking a route we have taken many times before, but never before the town is awake.

Being alone is something I had taken for granted until we started a family, and then that liberating sensation of having time to myself was a distant memory for several years. The girls are older now and I can spare an hour of sleep a few nights a week. Taking the dog for a 3-mile walk sounds like a silly, simple thing, maybe even a chore, but that quiet time alone helps to feed my soul. When I return home I feel like a new person and I greet my family with the love they deserve. My whole day is better. I am more patient. I can tackle new designs with additional clarity and enthusiasm. I have more fun with my kids. What it boils down to is this: If I make the time to take better care of myself, then I will be a better woman, mother, wife, daughter, friend, etc.

Duh.

It's a simple, semmingly obvious concept, but I had become stuck in a rut, dragging myself through every day by the collar of my pajamas. It wasn't until I opened my shop that I started to un-stick myself and realize that I have the power to wrap my hands around my life and make it what I want it to be. Towards the end of 2010 I really started to get it together, and now I can't wait to see what lies ahead in 2011.

Less talking. More doing.

More living. Less worrying.


Every morning as I head back to my home the sun rises, lifting the curtain between.

Now is the time.

This is the year.

Let us begin.

Just in Case You Were Wondering...

This is the look I get when I am being The Most Boring Human in The World.

This over-abundance of wintery weather has cramped our style, and Bubba Jones is a little bored.

Hope you all are having a wonderful night!

XOXO

Snow day!

Schools were closed yesterday after our area received several inches of snow. We lounged around until mid-afternoon, then bundled the kids up and headed to my Mom and Dad's to go sledding. My parents just happen to live on one of the best sledding hills in my little hometown.

See that Thundertube in the above photo? It is 24 years old, and still going strong!

When I thought no one was looking I zoomed down the hill on my trusty Thundertube, hit the Ramp of Death, and almost catapulted into a pine tree. My 6-year-old saw the whole thing and laughed about it the rest of night.

How do you spend your snow days?