Sun Spots comments: 132

Spring sunshine. It's so nice. We had such a nice weekend! Short but very sweet. Amelia adores her grandparents who held and played with her non-stop for three days straight. So sweet. Andy made corned beef and cabbage for us. He's the most non-Irish Irish person I know. We listen to Irish music the entire month of March. There is a lot of Pogues and Flogging Molly playing. He makes corned beef and cabbage in my dad's old cast-iron pot every year. He buys us all shamrock swag. I love how much he loves things.

Remember the quilt I started for Amelia a few weeks back? I had it finished by BumbleBee Quilting and picked it up on Saturday morning. I absolutely love it! The way I did this was ridiculously easy. I bought many (I'd have to count how many, but maybe thirty or more?) 1/8 yard pieces of random fabrics from several different local fabric stores. I just picked stuff that I liked. I had no particular color scheme in mind, but I wanted it to feel sweet and subtle and mellow and pretty. My colors wound up being peaches, pinks, inky blues like her eyes, pale grays, vanilla creams, aquas, a few saffron yellows, a few nutmeg browns, an orchid. Most of the prints are tiny calicos, small polka dots, tiny ginghams, and a few baby animals mixed in. To make it, I trimmed the 1/8-yard strips to 4" wide, trimmed off the selvedges, and then cut the strips randomly into rectangles. The rectangle lengths weren't measured. Then I started sewing the short ends of the rectangles together until I had a pieced strip that was vaguely 54" long (I put two pieces of tape on my sewing table, which is just a bit longer than 54", and just laid the strip out between the tape pieces to measure it). I sewed the strips together until the quilt top was about 54" across, and then I trimmed the pieced edges until they were all even. It was so fast. Only half the measuring. I am definitely going to make another one for her bed with the leftoever fabric (this one is more of a throw). Rectangles go so much faster than squares. I don't have much time to do stuff like this anymore, so fast is key! And I also think the rectangles let the fabric print show better, which I've always wanted in my quilts. There are so many beautiful fabrics out there. If the pieces are too small you just can't see the fabric prints, you know? I love looking at the individual patches in quilts, picking out favorites. I love how dated the patches get, timestamping the quilt even without a label.

My darling peachy-pink girl! I love how she loves everything, too. She just loves everything. She inspires me. Every moment. She's teaching me.

Good Morning comments: 158

Sunshine! Eeeeeeeeeeeeee! It's the sun!!! That's exciting. I think we will go for a walk this morning. Things are blooming out there and we are missing them. I think we need to get out there and see some spring, stat!

Thank you for all of your incredibly nice and always generous and always gentle comments this week, and always, always. It's been a really busy and really tiring and really good week! All of the bunny kits will be at the post office by tomorrow, and I just couldn't be happier with how everything went (aside from the selling-out-too-fast part, which gave me a stomach ache). I'm really proud of this kit and the work we did on it, and I owe a HUGE and enormous thank you to Greta for everything that she did to make this happen right now. She is just utterly awesome, and keeps things running around here in an incredibly smooth yet seemingly effortless way. I am just beyond lucky and am so grateful for her. Thank you, dear G.

We will keep you posted on when another batch of bunny kits will be available, and again, I really am sorry that it won't be before Easter.

Andy's parents get into town tomorrow night for the weekend and if this sunshine holds . . . oh, wouldn't that be great! I had this memory the other night of what it's like to have the windows open at night. Remember that? How good it is to breathe fresh air? Spring. Spring in the woods. Spring in the yard. Spring in the garden. Spring in the park. Spring in the Gorge. Spring at the tulip farm. Spring is coming. I really, really cannot wait!

This baby girl. My sweet sunshine. I can hardly wait for her to wake up every morning. Dearest, sweetest, funniest, nicest, happiest, most lovely, adorable, wonderful, dearest dearest creature in all the world. Oh my stars. I adore her so. Still just . . . wow . . . I don't know.

Love.

I wish you a really great weekend in every way! Xoxoxoxo

Rain Rain comments: 165

A storm is moving in! I'm excited, even though it will only rain here. No snow. It's been a very mild winter, without even that much rain. I'm so jealous of the snow everyone has had these past few weeks out east and in the Midwest. At least it's really blustery here, and rain is streaking the windows, and my baby girl is sleeping peacefully after a long morning of rolling over! She learned how to do this yesterday. It's just so incredible to be able to watch these things. It was so beautiful and cool. She was so pleased and proud. I got a little choked up. She is a genius!!! ;)

I'm determined to grow houseplants. These are the easy-to-grow types, I hope. I PRAY. I can't tell you how many times I have redone this window. Everything I try to grow here eventually croaks. Any advice is very appreciated! I figured these succulenty ones would be good for someone like me. But I don't even know how often to water them? (Window faces west.)

***Her dress. Her sweater. Her book. Her quilt. The log cabin quilt. And her hat was from this Etsy shop. :) I'm meaning to write a post about Amelia's clothes. I'll do that sometime.

Hearts and Flowers comments: 105

Isn't that just the sweetest little bunny print? I got it here.

Wishing you a most lovely and wonderful weekend, dear friends. I feel like I'm just now finally getting organized again. That feels good. Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo :)

***The lasagna recipe is in the previous post ;)

Catching Up comments: 216

Ahhhh. Feeling much better, thank you! Much better. I finally feel like doing something other than whining and drinking Sprite for dinner. Actually, what sounded good was just a Big-Gulp sized cup of Airborne with ice. Bah.

And — glory! — the cabinets are done. Yesterday. Today I'm playing catch-up. Paying bills. Changing sheets. Finishing painting the stairwell? Vacuuming. Getting some drawer-divider things so I can start putting stuff in the new drawers and cabinets. I'm looking forward to all of it. Spring cleaning's coming early this year.

Alas, not in the back yard. It's kind of a wreck. Stuff is sprouting through the gunk — we planted stuff — bulbs — I don't remember what. Allium, I hope!

Amelia turned sixteen-weeks-old over the weekend. It seems utterly impossible that that much time has passed already. She is so big and luscious and beautiful and funny and sweet and wonderful. She is so easy-going and laid-back; I still just cannot believe anyone on earth is just like this. My mellow yellow. She is such a cool person. Her infancy has been nothing short of complete delight. And it's going, as everyone said, so fast. But every new day is so much better than the one before. Our three days a week alone together are long — when Andy's at work (yes, he's an R.N.), morning starts at about 5 a.m. and the day doesn't end for me until her bedtime, around 8 p.m. Andy gets home around 8:30. She naps a little during the day, but she sleeps through the entire night, no problem. I think I'm finding a good rhythm during the days, though. Starting to get the hang. We've been managing really well lately, especially now that the weather is getting a bit nicer and we can easily walk up to the grocery store and stuff like that (and now that construction is over and we can actually leave the house). Not that I'm not exhausted at the end of the day. I am! But it's a good, honest, awesome kind of exhaustion. The days just feel so good to me now. Her happiness (and ours) is so straightforward, and filled with joy and sweetness and ease that I am encouraged, and so grateful, and nothing seems too hard then.

Now, wallpaper. People! Do you see how pretty it is? How can it possibly be chosen. Someone said that vintage wallpaper has nasty stuff in it. That stands to reason, but I'd never heard it before, so thank you. I'll probably pass on it. The swatches on the table are vintage. The swatches hanging on the wall are actually new, they just look old. From Fabrics and Papers. The one I like is the last one I thought I'd like. Can you guess? I still have a few more samples coming from other places. I want to wallpaper about fifty things now.

Finished Bernadette! I liked it (though I have to admit, I liked the first half better than the second half)! Next up is Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods. Of course I had to get that one! Thank you again for all of these. I'm really looking forward to them!

Do you see Greta up there with all of that Liberty? I am drooling!!! We have ten different ten-yard lengths here right now. I want to roll around in it. But none of it is for me!!! Liberty torture.

***Forgot to say: Here is my Pinterest board with some more wallpapers (and some of these).

Morning Muffin comments: 189

Egads, *THANK YOU* for all of the book suggestions! Thank you thank you. That is seriously exciting. I have read a lot of the ones that you suggested (you know me well!), but there were a ton of them I have never heard of that sound awesome. This is thrilling! Thank you!

Were fighting colds here. Blaaaaaah. I've lost my voice and am speaking in whispercroak. Lots of hot tea, hot and sour take-out soup, more blueberry streusel muffins, a hot bath for me. I'm really enjoying these muffins in the morning, I must say. I think this muffinmaking will be my "thing." Like how some people are good at sports and some people are funny and some people have great hair? I'm going to always have muffins in the house. Yeah.

Construction on the window seat is almost finished. It is gorgeous but I won't deny that it's been a loooooong couple of weeks with people coming and going and saws whirring and things banging and the front door opening and closing and people clomping up and down stairs and the dear, poor puppers patrolling (and barking) throughout the day. Doors and drawers go on and in on Monday and then, hallelujah, some quiet. Yes, please. Ready. Then I can obsess about the pillow for the window seat, and the wallpaper (some more).

Miss Amelia P. takes it all in stride and wakes up every morning with the biggest, brightest, most beautiful smile you can imagine. Always happy. Made of sunshine, this girl. Dearest darling! Lights my world. Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Ah, remodeling. comments: 187

Oh, it's loud. And messy. It will be worth it, I know. But right now the house is a total mess. Because everything that was in the guest room is now in the other rooms. And the other rooms were full (at least, they were as full as I like them to be). Now they're fuller. One more week and it will be done. It's looking good. I know we'll be happy. But I won't deny that I will be THRILLED when it's finished, in part just because it's finished!

I baked muffins and then froze a bunch of them for my breakfasts. It's amazing that the thawed muffins taste pretty much every bit as good as they did the first day. These are blueberry streusel muffins. They are delicious. Yum. Saved me this week, seriously. They and my little milk frother thing, for tea lattes. I've been quite happily fed.

So many bunnerses! I love them. Possibly more than anything I've ever made. Yes, we will be doing kits! Almost everything is ordered and on its way. I'm hoping the kits will be finished a couple of weeks before Easter, but Easter falls on March 31 this year. That's early. So I can't promise, but we'll definitely try. The bunners above is not wearing Liberty, but the kits will have Liberty. We're thinking you'll have ten different dress fabrics to choose from! Because I couldn't possibly have picked just one. You know how bunnerses multiply. (And yes, there will be yarn included for the capelet, and the felt and pattern for boots, etc.) I'll keep you posted, and thank you so much for your enthusiasm! That made me very, very happy. Thank you.

I love all my little girls, furry and non-furry, so.

New Year Start comments: 318

Thank you so much for all of the New Year's greetings! We had a very, nice quiet (embarrassingly quiet; we didn't even stay awake until midnight) new year! I made a pancake. Amelia rocked her new bouncy seat. Our dear friends and neighbors had us for dinner at their lovely house on New Year's Day. I made a bunny (I named her Marjorie) for Amelia (I don't have a pattern for her because I made it up. But maybe I'll write a pattern. I have a few changes in mind, anyway!). I made seafood chowder yesterday in my new stock pot (an awesome Christmas gift from Andy's parents) and it was really good! I find that it's Friday already, and that is startling. My birthday is on Monday. What kind of birthday cake do you think I should I make?

Merry Bright comments: 244

*** Wishing you all a peaceful and joyous Christmas, filled with everything and everyone you love. ***

With much love and best wishes from us here,
The Paulson Family: Andy, Alicia, Amelia, Clover Meadow, and the Queen Bee

Winter Wonder comments: 159

Oh, snow! Thank you, thank you Brother North-wind!!! A million small blessings, falling on my face in the front yard, in the morning light. The most beautiful thing to wake up to.

[Pirouette, and flourish.]

All gone now, but nevermind. It was glorious.

There's a very small, very adorable baby dressed in a pale pink kimono onesie and oatmeal-colored tights lying between my legs under a crocheted blanket here on the chaise lounge. She's looking up out the big windows and talking to herself and kicking me in the stomach, which is one of my favorite things. She has long conversations with me and with herself and with the sky as she kicks and makes funny faces and balls up her fists and shoots out her arms and laughs at little things only she understands. We've been here for hours and hours today, wrapped in quilts and corgi and bottles and cups of tea. Sometimes she suddenly sleeps, or requests her bottle, but mostly we talk, and look, and sometimes I watch Christmas movies and surf Pinterest for ideas for window seats and her big-girl room (extremely fun). The furnace kicks on and goes off again. The sun comes out and disappears. The UPS man comes and goes, causing the poor puppers to lose her mind with anticipation. He often stops at our house, and brings her a treat; when he goes to someone else's (his truck is quite distinctive, so we know the second he turns onto our block) she can hardly believe her ears. We spent the weekend at parties, one ours, one our neighbors' for us, surrounded by friends and families. In the wake of such a long, sad week, it felt good to stick together and stay close to everyone we love. Under the evergreen boughs and the Christmas lights, listening to the old carols, remembering my dad and the ones who aren't here anymore, I held my baby girl in my warm arms and kissed her big pink cheeks and told her all sorts of things I wanted her to know. About good people. About snow. About good things. About joy. About love. Always about love.