Happy Friday all!

This is my effort to bring back Happy Site Friday. It’s been a while.

My weekend is filled with filling tall trash cans with stuff that I don’t want to move, and cleaning out storage bins in the basement. Oh, and do some laundry…maybe. We are moving in a week!

This is my list of distractions when the boredom is just too much:

* This girl’s room was featured a while back here and I am in love.  Her blog is amazing and check it out here.

* Listening to this song is sunshine to my soul right now: I am transformed to a dancing fool.

* Loving this rocker and wishing it fit in the budget right now

*  This article on getting back to the orderly way with kids. It will happen someday…I just know it.

* This art piece. I had an imaginary friend, did you?

* This print makes me miss living back East. And her art gives me warm happy chills…have you read her books?

* Tell me you aren’t transformed when you see this. I can’t wait for summer.

Happy Friday everyone! My weekend is filled with filling tall trash cans with stuff that I don’t want to move,and cleaning out storage to get ready for the move.

What’s making you smile this weekend?

xo

sarah

Meet the cradle.

It is almost done with….for now. And I don’t think it’s has ever had a proper introduction.

When I was pregnant with Addie, I was gifted this handmade cradle from a dear family from back home. It was built by a dear friend of mine, painted white by my mother with a hand sewn skirt, and shipped out to her first grand-daughter Addie. I painted a lion (Aslan to be precise) laying in a garden of flowers,  just days before my first child was born. The Narnia books have always meant a lot to my husband and I, and this we felt represented so much of what we hoped for our little girl.

Since her birth, each of my babies have spent their first few months here. They have all loved being swaddled, and so it has done just fine. Ella is now over 8 months old, and is growing out of it quite quickly, but since we are just days away from moving….she will have to wait a bit more for her big girl crib. In the mean time, this cradle has served us so well and so I’m saying “Good-bye old friend. I hope to see you again some time soon.”

It’s my bit of magic in the nursery.

This is the play by play at our house:

7:00 pm: Put the kids to bed.

7:30 Flop on the couch.

7:30:01 Feel the wave of exhaustion hit.

7:31 Snuggle my husband and chat pretending like the day is over.

7:50 Kiss him goodbye as he leaves to go work on the new house (tonight it was ripping up sicko-grosso bathroom flooring).

7:51 Ignore the pile of laundry and dishes.

7:52 Make myself some tea (tonight it was Bengal spice mixed with milk and honey)

8:00 Start drawing.

But since the exhaustion is still present from a day of crazy moving-ness, I warm up. A lot. And I love it. Because then I get excited like a little kid who gets to stay up all night and read. It’s just me. On the couch. All night. Drawing. The book is nearly done…but I still spend time doodling to get my hands warm. And my eyes engaged. Here’s highlights from tonight’s warm up.  Nothing special…but the time I get to doodle with no references, no deadlines and no reasons always excite me. Like waking with no destination. It feels good.

The greatest part about getting a new house is getting to finally design new spaces.

The first room we’re working on: The art studio.

Since I am working on the book, and timing is critical, we are getting right from the start so that things aren’t messy and chaotic like most things tend to be when moving in.

I am so excited to have a room just for art. Like really excited.

We chose a room in the basement for the studio, close to the family play area so that it’s close to the kids. It’s a basic standard room: 10×13 feet I think. Closet, one ceiling fixture and one south facing window.

But the room had really junk carpet, smoke stains on the wall, and sliding closet doors without bottom tracks and heavy metal band stickers on the doors. Nice.

So, for a bargain priced makeover:

1. Ripped up the carpet to expose the concrete foundation. Perfect for an art studio! Carpet is so hard to clean with messy art happening, hardwood is too pricey and laminate still came up to about $500. And with cement underneath, it would have been hard to put in a hard flooring anyways. Solution? We’re painting the cement a bright white. I can’t wait! It’s going to be stunning. And so easy to clean. And white. I love white.

2. Took off the sliding closet doors. They were junk, wobbly, marked up and covered in heavy metal band stickers not to mention they just covered up a really great closet space. This will allow for a bit more room for furniture, and exposed storage to motivate me to keep it tidy and organized! And, curtains will add a splash of color.

3.  Paint: Haven’t chosen it just yet…you’ll see by mid week what we chose. But for one of the walls, I’ll be putting up chalkboard paint so that the kids can create and draw in there too. It’s so important for me to have a studio where the kids feel welcome. Addie most always draws at my feet when I work. But since the space is so small, we are utilizing the wall space for the kids to create.

4. Light fixture: I’ll be putting in full spectrum bulbs, but haven’t decided on a fixture yet. If any of you have good suggestions for good studio lighting with a fun design statement, please share!

5. Furniture: This will be a mix of what I have plus a bit of new. More on that in another post.

I’ll keep you posted on the progress! My amazing husband has been working on this since I am illustrating in the evenings. He spent at least 10 hours prepping the floor for paint: ripping up the carpet, pulling up nails, patching holes, scraping up carpet glue and oil stains….the man is amazing. I love him! And I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

Conversations with a just turned 4 year old.

Ian: Mom, close your eyes and come here.

Me: I cover my eyes, hold his hand and walk across the room. I love these games.

Ian: Open!

Me: I open my eyes.

Ian: See, this is my art!

Me: ART. Junk as art. I love this. Cool Ian, tell me about it.

Ian: See, everything is balancing and it won’t fall down!

Me: Ok. That is art.

Balance. He’s got it down. I’m still figuring it out.  Real slow.

*My favorite part: See that Mr. Incredible’s figure hanging for dear life on that rope over there? That’s me. But it’s all good. There is a Fisher Price fire engine just on the other side. Pretty good planning for a 4 year old.

CELEBRATION TIME!

Oh wow. In my hand I am holding keys to a new house!  A yard. A front door. Trees. Our own kitchen. Our FIRST house.

Granted, it’s an older home. And needs a lot of TLC. But we have a lot of love goin’ on….

We spent the weekend ripping up flooring, chair rails, cleaning, prepping….

Well, my husband did 99% of it. He’s super hot covered in dust and using power tools.

And I have a new golden key on my keyring. It’s surreal.

And so folks….TIME TO PARTY!

BUY 2 GET 1 FREE THIS WEEK

Yep. Everything. Cards. Journals. Prints.

Every Party Has Rules:

1. Purchase TWO items and place them in your cart. TWO items. 2. Deux. Dos.

2. Mention the 3rd item in the “message to seller” box at the time of purchase.

3. Again. DO NOT PURCHASE THE THIRD ITEM.

4. The third item must be LESS than or EQUAL to the other items purchased.

5. If you order MORE than 2 items, you will still only qualify for ONE free item.

6. SALE ENDS FRIDAY NIGHT 10pm MST.

And to keep on with the festivities…..

We have a NEW item in the shop!

Now offering LARGER GICLEE PRINTS

Size 11×14 inches on Any image in the shop! Horray!!!

(Picture above is only 8×10 but the matte is 11×14 in. to give you an idea)

I am really excited to offer this new size….I hope you enjoy!

So click HERE to do a bit of shopping. Have fun!

I’m signing off to go let the roofers in…and the plumber…and the drywall people….

It’s a party every where!

Cheers!

The fact that we are moving to a house, a perminent dwelling, a place we won’t move from in less than a year, gives me the design bug. Bad. Like really bad. I lay awake at night designing the house, the studio, the kid’s rooms…I even have the halls figured out.

It’s a curse really….but I love it.

And I don’t even have the keys yet. Tomorrow, folks. Tomorrow I will be a home owner!

The big “decision” we are figuring out in our house right now, is who gets to sleep with whom and where. Addie and Ian have been together since infancy, and surprisingly want their own rooms in this new house. But, that leaves Ella having to sleep with a big kid, and I just don’t know if I am ready to have her disturbed by the nightly ritual of getting out of bed 32 times for urgent demands like “another story”, “bedtime snack” or “I’m scared of the dark” incidences. Truthfully, I don’t think they could sleep apart…they have grown up as twins really, and miss each other after 5 minutes of being separated. So….since we haven’t decided yet, I have been designing up a few alternatives.

This is what I have so far for a possible Boy/Girl or Gender Neutral Room. Addie is for sure a girly girl, and Ian is my 1960’s school boy. The colors match up just right, and I am loving the color going on.

Here’s the round up:

(Left to right)

1. Vintage Map

2. Favorite room from blog land here.

3. Anthropologie quilt I found on Craigslist ($40 thank you very much)

4. Room Seven Inspiration

5. Image here.

6. Le Balloon print available in the shop

7. Via kikiandpolly.com from Bloesom home tours here.

8. Le Petit Prince: a fav. book and design inspiration

9. Designs from Shinzi Katoh

10. Summer Tea Party Print available in the shop

11. Red chair found here.

I’m having a ball scouting out Craigslist, my local classifieds, and second hand stores. I’ll let you know if this is what we go for…or if we end up going with the girls room/boys room idea. Personally, they only have so much longer until they really won’t want to be together…I want to keep them together for as long as I can.

And so far, I’ve convinced them to stay together with this design:) I’m a tricky one, I am.

Off to the paint store….!

Reading chapter books to your 3-8 year olds is a great way to get them to use their imaginations and to more advanced vocabulary. But with the advanced vocab, can sometimes come advanced content (sorry…I am not interested in emotionally scarring my 4 year olds by reading about vampires) or they simply have plots that can’t capture the attention of preschool age kids. Sometimes it’s a matter of not having enough pictures intertwined in the chapters to keep them turning pages with you.

So, thank you so much for your recommendations! We have read some of these, and can attest to our children being completely interested even though they are considered for Middle Grade Readers.

I have learned to never underestimate the reading comprehension of your children! Just last night, my just turned 4 year old…who has such a hard time sitting down to read…was completely wrapped up in Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder…and even went to dress for the part of the hunter boys to get in the mood. I watched his eyes widen as he listened (there weren’t any pictures to look at) and felt like I was catching a magical moment where he was making the connection between the words and the images in his own mind. Pure Magic!

So….here folks is the list you put together!  Feel free to add to it, and I’ll edit them in.

CHAPTER BOOKS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN (Ages 3-8 for read-aloud)

The mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Ramona Books by Beverly Cleary

Emily’s Runaway Imagination Beverly Cleary

Ralf S. Mouse books by Beverly Cleary

Mercy Watson series by kate dicamillo

Tale of Despereaux by Kate dicamillo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate dicamillo

Because of Wynn Dixie byKate Dicamillo

Catwings books by Ursula K. LeGuin

Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black

Just So Storiesby Rudyard Kipling

The Henry books by DB Johnson

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  by C.S. Lewis

The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Halibut Jackson by David Lucas.

Paddington Bear by Michael Bond

The Adventures of Olga da Polga By Michael Bond

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine

Freddy Anniversary Collection by WalterBrooks

Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl

Matilda Ronald Dahl

James and the Giant Peach by Ronald Dahl

The Ordinary Princess By M.M. Kaye

Wizard of Oz books by L. Frank Baum

Junie B Jones Series by Barbara Park

Captain Underpants Series by Dav Pilkey

The Cricket in Times Square George Seldon

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson

The Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren

Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet

No Flying in the House by Betty Brock

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

The Littles by John Peterson

Pippi Longstocking Astrid Lindgren

The Boxcar Children Gertrude Chandler Warner

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Swiss Family Robinson Johann D. Wyss

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Little Women Louisa May Alcott

Winnie the Pooh A.A. Milne

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs

Elves and Fairies Annie R. Rentoul and Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

Peter Pan J.M. barry

Alice in wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Enid Blyton Goodnight Stories

The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Famous Five by Enid Blyton

Secret Seven by Enid Blyton

Anything by Thornton BURGESS

Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker

Far Flung Adventures series

Milly-Molly-Mandy Joyce Lankester Brisley

The Alfie Books by Shirley Hughes

Jip and Janneke by Annie M.G. Schmidt

The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail(and an Even Smaller Ant) by Avi

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweilerby E.L. Konigsburg

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling

Grayson by Lynne Cox

Half Magic by Edward Eager.
Indian in the Cupboard series by Lynn Reid Banks

The Trumpet of the Swanby E.B. White.

A Necklace of Raindropsby Joan Aiken

The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong

I don’t know about you…but I’m heading to the Library today! Enjoy!

Bedtime is has always had the same routine:

Bath, pajamas, brush teeth, prayers, dad’s made up story (either a watered down Hercules/Greek Mythology story, or Sherlock Holmes) followed by a book or two, and then “Mommy’s secret thing” (a combination of back scratch, and massage where I go through head to toe saying “Your head is asleep, your back is asleep…”) and then a “made up lullaby”( I have to sing new words to a made up tune every night).

Can you tell our kids keep us on our toes? We’re making up songs, stories and melodies fresh every night!  It’s good practice and we love it.  But every so often, Ken wants a break from his made up stories (he is a history teacher, and so his days are already filled with storytelling) and so we decided about a year ago to introduce more chapter books to the routine. We have gone through most of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, Lion Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlotte’s Web, and a few others. But I will be honest, and say that finding books for a newly turned 5 and 4 year old is hard!

We had to skip the end of Lion Witch and the Wardrobe…or at least paraphrase…and Kenneth decided to postpone Harry Potter after the first chapter (He got a bit excited on that one).

So, we have been on a quest to find good chapter books for Preschool age children, and we found this great book at the library this month:

Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Jill  Barton.

It’s about a princess who wants a pet pig more than anything else, and gets to know some really fun characters a long the way.

This was a hit. I think they read it in just a couple nights. The best part, was that it was perfect for my boy and my girl: a dirty pig, a funny pig keeper and a stubborn princess. You can’t go wrong. The illustrations are great too!

Do you have other big kid books for pre-K kids you love to read? It’s a narrow category for sure…and we are always on the quest for more! Please share and I’d love to put together a list to share!

Happy Weekend everyone, and happy reading!

Can you get any cuter than this?

Nope. Sorry. She’s the top of my can’t-handle-it-any-more-she’s-so-cute meter. In fact, she broke the meter.

She is my happy baby, and I couldn’t be more lucky to have a baby with such an easy temperment with all that is going on right now…she just kinda rolls with the punches.  Rolls being the key word.  I hear the 3rd baby is like that. She has no choice, I guess. Life is such right now that “crazy” becomes her “normal.”

She’s making it really hard for me to get off the floor/couch/bed and do something productive like….oh….housework or packing.  Smooching her is about all I do around here (Well…besides illustrating the book, mothering 3 kids and trying to move in a couple weeks).  Ella is a pretty good distraction.  And I don’t really mind!

Happy Tuesday!

Oh, and thanks for all your congratulations on the house! This is really such a big deal for us since we have been living out of boxes it seems like for so long. We finally feel like we are “settling” here in Utah, not just temporary residents. It’s a good feeling.