{Please Note: Not a lot of sewing has been done, I’ve got two skirts, cute corduroy jackets and lovely village frocks to make, but not a lot of sewing time. I’m also thinking about finding a place for a sew-cial and lessons…so there will be mroe soon, I promise!!!! I’m also working on ideas for a few embroidery projects in my sketchbook, so it’s comeing, I just know it!}
Sunday the weather here in Seattle was just amazing, so we decided to play outside. We started at the West Seattle Farmer’s Market (sorry, no pics, what was I thinking!). What an incredible place, woah! I think we’ll be heading back every possible Sunday, it’s open year round.
Then, we found our way to, a lovely beach front in with an amazing view of Puget Sound.
It was a little chilly, Iz was wrapped up in her cozy blanket…
Today was the first day at Iz’s new school. It’s a really amazing place with such wonderful teachers. I’m so glad the first day of school is here. Our move to Seattle has left us without a routine, and while I tried to maintain our old one as much as possible, it just wasn’t possible. And so frustrating. Iz not falling asleep until 2AM, me in tears trying to be patient (and not being so patient some of the time…ugh). She so tired that she’s back to biting and scratching and hitting (just me mind you…). I totally feel for her. Her whole life has changed, she’s waiting for Daddy and Cinnamon (the cat) to join us (you can see Rob’s progress on his or on ), she hardly has any of her own stuff here (it’s all in boxes/storage, besides – there’s no room). She’s got a new “sister” – in the best friend way, and is totally missing her friends. (Gracie May, Henry, Ava Rose, Zosha, Emmett and Nate – we need to arrange a phone call!) But man, this is so hard. I know she’s ready for school, I’m just super eager for a routine again. Routines seem to make it all ok. (ps, Scooby and Stretchy Thingy stayed in the car today)
This is Amy, one of Iz’s teachers, Hi Amy! Amy is super crafty, I’m trying to get her to blog too. She makes such amazing clothes, bags, you name it.
This is Whitney, one of Iz’s teachers too. She’s way cool and has a degree in environmental education. I love that. She also hails from Massachusetts and is so glad to be in Seattle too.
Iz is making art. There are lots of art stations in her room and there is an open studio (pic below) that she spends the morning in. Who wouldn’t want to spend the morning in studio?
Iz’s bin that holds her water bottle, the ever famous change of clothes and stuff from the day. She made this picture for her bin, but insisted that we take it home at the end of the day.
Here’s Iz in the studio. Lots of color, paper, markers paint. YUM!
Iz’s name card. Little Miss Otter. (or is that a sea lion?)
Oh, and her lunch! I got her a , and it has to be the greatest thing ever! The containers really help me plan her lunch. (ok, I just did day 2, but seriously, the boxes really help me organize and you know how I LOVE that). Day one she got spinach quiche (the crustiest parts, I took the other half in my lunch), , almonds, seaweed wrapped rice crackers, apples, strawberries and cheddar cut into the shape of animals (I went to and got the sweetest set!). We made her lunch bag out of a thrifted tennis skirt and thrifted sweaters that I felted for insulation (the lead-in-vinyl thirng freaked me out a bit). More pictures of that later.
I started my new today. Just wonderful, but so strange since I’ve been focusing on Iz so much and all her first day stuff. It’s a lovely place with lovely things (oh my you should see these documents, just breathtaking….). I did get lost in the neighborhood trying to get back in time for pick-up and needless to say I was super late. But what wonderful people let me know it was all ok and that they were there for me and Iz if we needed them. All these friendly faces and warm places help to make Iz and my life a bit brighter, helping me realize that perhaps we are getting settled a bit, and soon, there won’t be biting, hitting, scratching, stomping, screaming.
Ok, so I’m going to write more about that those last few words…bear with me:
Let me first say that I completely understand that these changes are stressful and this is the end result. The frustration, anger and tears come pouring out. This is her exploding. While I consider myself patient, I didn’t flinch when she bit me, or hit me or scratched me and while I remained calm, at one moment I snapped and raised my voice (ever so slightly of course). I feel so bad, and so angry and so frustrated. I miss Rob and the cat too. I miss my old car (the Volvo now has a new owner – sniff sniff!), I miss my gardens, I miss friends. I totally get it, I haven’t been sleeping either which makes it all a bit hard. And then I think well if I’m in a good place she’ll be in a good place too. Right? Am I projecting all my stress on her? Is this just something we need to settle into and we’ll find our groove and rock on? I think so. We just need to get through the right now. At least lunch is made for tomorrow – have a look:
I haven’t checked and counted the days that we’ve been here (in Seattle that is…), but it’s been a few weeks and we are meeting new friends, catching up with old friends and visiting some really fun places. We’ve had a few nights of tears and missing our old home, but when morning comes and play begins, we stash those feelings for a wee bit.
My little butterfly!
Flamingos
Sitting on Flamingo nests.
Gorilla Statue Love
This little pup wandered into our lives one day, just walked right up to the front door. We took care of it for a few days before we took it to the vet, then to the shelter to await his new home. Iz cried as we left him at the shelter, she loved this little pup so, so much.
We made Dutch Babies one morning. yum.
It’s been just lovely, the weather is different from what I remember, the storms now include thunder and lightening and this one ended with a rainbow.
Izzy crawled until she was 18 months. The day she got up on two legs didn’t see walking it saw running. She was a little speed demon crawling and running was no different. We run and run, chasing each other all over the back yard. Running is fun and all but what really caught my eye was a couple months after she started to run she started to dance and did arabesque. I said to Zanne “Did we name her right or what?” We found a small not far from us and enrolled her. At age three kids don’t do ballet they do creative dance. It is more about learning numbers and beat and working together etc. But they also learn the foundations of what could be to come if they stay with it.
I have been dancing since I was 5 when I took tap. It wasn’t until I started classical ballet at 16 that I really understood how much I could express with my body. Fresh off seeing and in I found a ballet school in Watertown, NY, and was in love. The idea of being on stage dancing was not only fascinating but it became everything I wanted to do. Unfortunately it never came to be, but now Izzy and I go to the same dance school and will be performing together at the schools recital in June.
I wonder all the time what Iz will remember. What will she tell her kids, grandkids about her life and experiences? What will she cherish? Being a parent has really opened my eyes to things I wouldn’t have seen before. The wonderful little things that she might comment on, or want to hold or wear or read or listen too. I love these fresh experiences.
I gave Iz a canvas with a hoop attached, a tapestry needle with some floss (she picks the colors) and look what we’ve been doing:
I can’t tell you how excited I am. All three of us sitting together and working on stitches. We all have embroidery projects going and it’s been really, really fun. We share stitches, I taught Rob the French knot, Rob helps Iz tie a knot and she picks all the colors. She’s only 3 and already we can sit and sew together.
This is from our walk this weekend. It’s our usual walk, out the door, turn left down the road and walk to the bridge and look at the water. It’s quite beautiful, and all 3 of us just soak it up. At least this weekend we could go for a walk, it’s warming up a bit. We’ve all been sunk in Feb Funk these past few weeks. Eager for spring and ready to be outside all day long. Fresh air and sun is good for Feb Funk.
We’ve been talking since October about giving Iz her Great Aunt Carol’s doll house, first for Christmas and then for her birthday. Well, we finally did it. In celebration of February. There will be more pictures later as we paint the whole thing, redecorate and start furnishing. I’m quite excited about making rugs. And did you know that Ikea has doll furniture? Of course – we’ll have to update the phone (we won’t we’ll leave it there, it’s just too cool for school). Iz is thrilled with it. The cat loves it and has slept in all 8 rooms already.
I’m almost finished with another pair of PJs for Iz. She’s going to see Friday night for a . I’ll be popping in the buttons, holes and waistband. She loves them. Fresh PJs to beat that Feb Funk.
I’ve been thinking a lot about meal planning. It’s not coming to me too quickly. Slowly but surely. Saturday we made tacos. It was perfect. Fresh veggies, ground and browned veggie protein crumbles (doesn’t that sound delish?), yummy taco shells and taco sauce. Iz loved it, but decided she’d need another since the first crumbled in her hands. I love our sushi roll nights, and taco night will certainly be added to the monthly meal planning. Any tips on the meal planning?
Then, yesterday, I heard funny noises outside the kitchen. I thought there was a large critter in the new part of the house, but couldn’t find anything. I walked outside and found one of these calling loudly. It flew away as I took a step near it. I went inside to get the camera, and when I came back, there were 2. Sitting on the pool. Looking for food? water? I thought they were turkey vultures, but everything I find says the white head means they are from Africa. Anybody recognize them?
We visit our almost every Saturday. Usually we stop in after ballet and run into friends, so it turns into a social event as well. The kids room has so many wonderful books, books on tape, magazines and toys, we can stay for many hours. Iz has reached the point where she’ll sit and read books (after taking all the furniture out of the doll house and lining up all the toy animals in pairs). I loved going to when I was little. We would go there for story hour, special events, and just to fill our bags with books. has a pretty incredible . An amazing collection. When I was in college, I loved spending time there.
I want Iz to appreciate the library too. I think she already does. It’s special to go to the library. She already knows the stacks and heads to the right places each week.
This is what we brought home last week.
I loved this book. I’ve always admired Coco Chanel, so this book was really for me. I was able to share with Iz some fashion magic.
This was certainly the favorite this week. It’s excellent. Iz loved the animals, the story. We read it about 10 times every day. There’s a great web site for the book too : and check out ! Iz wants to go back to the library and get this book! Might have to become a permanent member of our own library! I love that she remembers her fave books.
And of course Stellaluna. I love this story. I think this is the second time I’ve checked it out of the library. Wasn’t big on Iz’s list, but maybe next time.
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