Say Goodbye to Winter Toboggan Fest

There's no doubt that we're tired of the snow, but what better way to say 'seeya later' than a big snowy hill, a toboggan, and some fantastic sunshine...
Unfortunately the first run down the hill ended in a big dump in the snow. The Bug was a bit traumatized and has some 'snow rash' to show for it. Oddly, this did not stop The Bee and he was up and down (a shorter run) and loving every minute of it.
Soon enough though, the kids all discovered that 'sledding' down the slopes on their bums was way more fun than the toboggan. They climbed and slid and ate snacks and ate snow and laughed their heads off throwing snowballs down the hill.
It was a perfect send-off to winter. Now we just need the sunshine to work it's magic this week and welcome spring!

Some Linky Love

I have a somewhat vague notion floating around in my head that someday I will make a quilt. There's a lot of quilting in my family. When I stumbled across Kellie's work I was in awe. Have you seen more beautiful quilting??
(except perhaps a quilt handmade by a loving grandma/mother/aunt especially for you)
Enter her giveaway!
(I want to win!!)

And this really grabbed my attention this morning. Struck a nerve perhaps??!!
Extraordinary photos, but I think the description hit it home.

Julie's work investigates "the need to simultaneously escape and connect." She says "We live in a culture where we are both 'child centered' and 'self-obsessed.' The struggle between living in the moment versus escaping to another reality is intense since these two opposites strive to dominate. The expectations of family life have never been more at odds with each other. "

thanks Spring Chick

oooh, I had to add this too. Wonderful!

Happy Weekend!

Baby Girl 22 Months

Oh my goodness this baby girl is not for the faint of heart!
And the 'terrible twos' are swirling over our heads and all around us like storm clouds a brewin'.
She is such a go-getter right now. She is getting much louder and more opinionated as time passes. I know this is part of the process, but wow. I am wondering if I ever had a calm, cooperative child or if I just imagined it all.
Not that it's all bad...

She is getting quite good at stringing a couple of words together. And it's quite fun when I ask her a question and she gives me an answer. Even something simple as 'do you want more' and she says 'yes'. I think it's quite satisfying for both of us.

She is bright and energetic and sassy. I find myself wondering how much of all this will remain as her personality and how much is simply this stage. I can see Sassy sticking around.
She is also sweet and loving. She is the first one to bring the boys a blanket or a toy if they are hurt. Or even if they're in time out. Not that they always appreciate it...

I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, and if you have spent any time with her you already know, but this child is the biggest mooch EVER. Oh she loves to eat. It's great at mealtime. She never complains and usually eats without a fuss (although not without a huge mess). But even if she still has food in one hand she always wants what someone else is having. Her favorite mooch opportunities are the other kids at playgroup and daddy's dinner plate. At least she's adventurous trying new food! (however embarrassing)

The one thing that often gets me (and saves her from being sent to live with gypsies) is just how beautiful she is. As all little kids are, at least to their parents. And it's not that I don't know she has kind of fuzzy weird hair, or she's sometimes snotty and gross. It's just the texture of her perfect baby skin, or the way her eyes light up, or the way her neck feels when you tickle her. Or how tiny she is, all little fingers and toes. You just want to breath it all in...
And then she digs her tiny little nails into your underarm and squeals with delight and runs away to hide!

So Smitten

Ok, here it is.
I've decided to do a bit more photography. Although I thought I'd try to focus more on grownups. Since I spend all my days with little people.
So this is what I'm thinking...So Smitten!

I'm still working out some details, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Since you all are my peeps and I couldn't keep it a secret!
And I have to say it has been SO FUN already. I'm not trying to get too busy because there's still all that grocery shopping and bums to wipe and vacuuming to do...
I'm also trying to keep So Smitten a little separate from twomittens simply for professionalism reasons. Not that everyone doesn't want to hear about how crazy I am...
(But you already know that)
Did I mention that I had fun doing this??!!

Little Thing

Just A Peak

More to share soon!

Chaos Theory

Creative chaos.
It's quite evident that I'm not any good at balancing my creative life with my everyday SAHM/housewiferly life.
All around me (in blogland and occasionally reality) are women who seem to write and photograph and sew and cook and publish books and create beauty with everything they touch. While also raising housefuls of kids and nurturing loving relationships.
My Creativity seems to fully compete with all the other things I'm supposed to be doing. My head is bursting with ideas and thoughts and energy while the laundry is waiting to be folded and toys are strewn from one end of the house to the other. And I should be going to the grocery store.
But it is such a force to be reckoned with. And the more attention I give it, the more it wants.
And I try to do all those other things. But the force will not be ignored.
So I try to keep it under control. Even when I want to throw all the clothes out the window and let the kids get their own lunch. And the force is threatening to burst out of my chest like that little alien head.
I try to control it but it generally ends in chaos.
I suspect my husband wishes he were married to one of those people who gets a rush out of tidiness and shiny silverware. Although I certainly have never given him reason to suspect that's what he'd be getting here!
I have such a difficult time managing both. If I ignore the force long enough it will subside. But then all you have is the housework. And who can live like that??!!

How do you manage your Creative Chaos?

Old Polaroid

Having some fun with this!

What's In Your Purse

Ok, I've been tagged by Mrs. M.
Ten things in my purse right now. And unlike Mrs. M, I only have one. I cannot manage more than one purse. Then everything is always in the 'other' bag.

1. A rock. It's pretty and white. And a little heavy.
2. Diapers
3. Piece of fabric
4. Stickers
5. Tide pen. I never use it. I always forget it's there.
6. Pretty Mac lipstick that my darling daughter recently got into and destroyed. Viva Glam V and Skew.
7. About 5 lipglosses.
8. Zoo passes.
9. Nikon Coolpix
10. Pig car

And yes, my husband did suggest I get a smaller purse for the rare occasion I leave the house without kids. For the rare event I don't need a 10lb bag to haul around.

I'm not going to tag anybody, but feel free to play along in comments or link to your list!

Daylight What?

Dear Daylight Savings Time,

As a childless person I used to think you were mildly amusing. With your extra light at dinner time. And your changing of all the clocks and time devices. Although there are always some I can't remember how to change. And the vcr that was supposed to change itself but then was always like an hour and 12 minutes off. One way or the other. But whatever. It's always on a Sunday right, so even if I'm an hour early for church because I totally forgot, I can just have a nap later. And hey, who doesn't like sunshine right?

BUT.
Now that I am a mother of 3 children, YOU SUCK. We don't run a totally tight ship around here, but bedtime is a BIG DEAL. And bedtime directly effects getting up time. And we tried keeping the kids up later (to their normal time) but our Early Bee got up at the new early anyway. And 'losing' an hour of sleep?? How about losing an hour of whining? Or an hour of laundry? Something I can really make the most of.
And who's hungry now, and what time is it really???
And why is it called 'springing ahead' when it is -24 and snowy with a windchill of -frozen penguins?!
So yes, we all enjoy more daylight. And we're all happy to think that spring might get here some day. But don't think I'm fooled into thinking that I will get that hour back in the fall.
Now excuse me while I go and try to figure out the clock on my toaster oven...

not your friend,
Mrs. Twomittens

Ode To Fleece

Images and patterns for cute little girl sundresses are taunting me. Pretty summer outfits are everywhere. The Babe has some already waiting in her closet. But the cruel reality is that we are stuck in the snow here, and it's going to be cold and ugly here for A LONG TIME still.
So what is a practical girl to do?
I've become fascinated with fleece. Sure it's soft and fuzzy, but it also requires no finished edges...even more fascinating...but what can you do with it other than making endless blankets and scarves?
Then I happened to pick up a copy of Bend The Rules Sewing at the store one day and saw 'The Wee Jacket'. And I knew I'd found gold.
This seems to be the perfect solution! I don't knit, but I have longed for some cute little sweaters to go over sweet little dresses.
You can literally fold your fabric in half, fold it again, to cut out your form. Then simply sew up the sides and underarm. Cut a hole for the head. In MINUTES. I then added a few embelishments, for fun and some ribbon to tie. DONE.
And then with the leftover fabric I sewed up a couple of simple pullovers. The Babe figured out how to take off her baby bag (she was getting too big for it anyway) so I've been trying to figure out a way to keep her cozy at night. I'm going to just slip one of these over her jammies to keep her snug in bed. Perfect!

Baby Girl 21 Months

Well it seems like boys boys boys around here lately, but believe me The Babe is not a wallflower. She pretty much runs the place!
One of her most favorite things lately, is getting dressed. Without any help. She gets upset if you try to help. Until she gets stuck. And then she gets upset until you untangle/help her again. And she is veery fashionable! The layered look is popular.
You can definitely tell that the two's are approaching. With a vengence. A little more headstrong. A little less cooperative. A few more meltdowns. But the entertainment factor is still pretty high. At least some of the time...
Most of the time though, she's a feisty, comical, sunny, bright, determined, sweet, sassy little thing.
She seems to be quite interested in the potty these days. It can be difficult to get a diaper on her. At least she likes to sit there. While chewing on her toothbrush. I think it's a good start.

She and daddy are BEST friends. She's always the first one to send him off to work or welcome him home at night with a greeting.
She's not deterred much by her brothers and does her best to keep up with them. She does a pretty good job too.
Most of all she's our little Miss Sunshine. With attitude. And we wouldn't want it any other way.

The Bee 4 Years

Oh my goodness this child is all about the drama. He creates it where none exists. His own drama follows him around. I've never seen anyone carry on like this boy. He loves to talk, although he can be quite shy. He likes to talk about everything. He's creative. He's smart. He's energetic. He likes to snuggle at bedtime. He likes to be independent. He's strong and has an excellent throwing arm. He throws stuff ALL THE TIME. He loves food. He's a happy carnivore and likes steak. He loves playing superheros and jumping off of things. He's loud. He gives the best hugs. If you tell him you love him, he will tell you he loves you too. He doesn't like the dark. He loves playing in the snow. He loves to interact with people (when he's not being shy). He's silly. He is helpful with his little sister. He argues with his little sister (the drama). He can be a delicate flower. He can be very helpful. He's very aware. He loves candy. Did I mention he's dramatic? He loves Spiderman. He likes to go places. He's exhausting. He can spot snacks on the top shelf. He's very happy when he's not terribly unhappy. He's wild and sweet and life is never dull with him around!