Short Moves

Oh sweet summer,

How I love you.

 

 

Few things make me happier

than a naked baby on a swing.

 

Cheeky.

 

This is our last month is this old house.

This 103 year old house that we love.

 

This yard with 2 apple trees and 3 swings.

 

This house that was the first

 home to 3 little girls.

 

This garden that feeds them all summer

 on strawberries, blackberries,

huckleberries, thimbleberries

& a meager crop of blueberries.

What can I say?

We like our berries.



 

(New shorts for the shortest Shorty.

 

 

With awesome buttons from sweet Carla.)

 

I have such mixed emotions about saying goodbye

to our home.

 

Just like this pivotal text:

"Baby happy, Baby Sad"

it really captures it all:

 

This feels like the end of a chapter

in our little world.

 

Meet boy, add cat, add house, add dog,

add 3 girls.

Finished building family.

On to the next adventure.

See you on the other side.

 

We are literally moving around the corner,

so though there will be some punctuation

that marks this new chapter.

There will be lots of chances to look back

as we look ahead.

 

So I'm going to focus on the happy things coming.

Whatever they are.

 

We have the chance to build in new ways.

A new garden,

that we can stand beside and watch blossom

as all the Little's leap ahead.

 

 

Already, it's moving in hyper speed.

And I get that there are no breaks.

Only little feet trying on larger shoes.

 

It feels like a big step,

not a little one.

It's time to take inventory and pack up

 the things that matter

 

And leave behind the things

that no longer fit us.

The us that is now 5.

Wow, that happened fast.

 



 

Better hug those who we want close.



 

And peak over the shoulder just briefly.

 

Because, we're on the move.

Both roads taken require shorts

 

At our house we always have time for a good book.

 

 

Especially in the summer.

 

 

And this, the littlest of the Little's, is meditating on

bravery in her new duds.

 

 

 

This bum, in these new shorts,

follows the big sisters everywhere.

 

One sister is timid and one is fearless.

 

It can be a bit confounding which way to roll.

 

 

Sometimes it needs profound consideration.

Some experimentation and careful observation.

 

Until this little Yu figures out her own hybrid

 

 Or just decides to follow Nu's lead and

leap down life's stairs head first.

 

 

Her biggest sister Pu would counsel

"Stairs, stairs why must you go both up and down,

and be made of slivers, and be full of threat and beguiling mystery?!?

Oh stairs you betwixt and enrage me."
 

 Only this counsel would be in sonnet form.

Or the length of War and Peace.

Or delivered in a concerned and high pitched dog whistle shriek.
Or all three.

 

And by then it might be time to smell the flowers.

 

 

Fall into the flowers.

Or get stung by Killer Bees.

Depending on your world view.

 

It's a lot to assess when you're not yet 2.

 

I think she's got a solid handle on the situation.

 

This little minx is definitely doing long division

 on the inside of her diaper in the thick of night.

 

 

These sweet Echino purple shorts were made

with the ever brilliant Dana's new shorts pattern.

As always it's awesome, detailed, colourful and inspiring.

It made even, me who doesn't want to make stuff,

sew cute little kid shorts.

 

 

 

More than one pair...

 

What are you up to?

  

Pre Valentines Giveaway

With Valentines approaching I stitched up a few of these.

 

 

And then I started thinking...

 

 

 

Why not spread the love?

 

 

Maybe there is someone out there

feeling a litte blue,

and these little hoops will give them a little cheer?

 

Especially because...

Valentine's can be such a contrived-weird-fake holiday.

 

 

If miss interpreted it can be full of

Hallmark and million dollar roses.

 

But,

 at the end of the day it's all about the love man.

 

So I've decided to spread it around.

 

On V-Day

I'm going to attach these to the tree in front of our house.

 

With this sign.

 

 

 

It's my hope someone will take a little

crafty treasure and either keep it for themselves

if they need/ want the love.

 

Or, alternately they will pass it on to

someone they love,

who could use it.

 

I imagine someone getting out of the doghouse

because they brought a heart gifty
 for the sweetie,or the Grannie, or the mail carrier.

 

What I like about this most, is people can choose if they want some treats.

No catch, no rules, no need to reciprocate.

 

Free love.

Random act of kindness.

Silly or significant.

Or perhaps the best parts of both.

Maybe just a shot of hope into the ether.

 

Maybe it's a dog house of their own design.

Maybe this little idea will catch on.

 

So on V-Day look around.

Maybe you  and I are neighbours.

 

Maybe I'll stick some others up around the hood.

 

And in the spirit of spreading around some good:

 

If you faithful reader would like some love,

then who deserves it more than you for chiming
 in here every so often  ?

 

Leave a quick hello and any goodness you want to pass on

either by thought or action

in the comments at the end of this post

and I'll enter you in a giveaway.
I'll pick a name from a hat and

I'll send the winner a little heart shaped love in the post.

Giveaway ends Feb 12.

Maybe that will give me time to get it in the mail to you?

No guarantees, but I'll try and break a sweat.

 

 

I think this is a ritual I may want to repeat.

 

 

 



More Little Ladies

Guess who's back in town?

 

A few more back up singers for my grrrl band.

(pattern from Retromama)

I cut out all these pieces almost a year
and a half ago now.
A babymoon and C-section bed rest project.
 

 

I was foolishly thinking about doing them for last Xmas.

 

And then suddenly this December I remembered

all these sweet little bits and pieces.

 

I would need a team of robots to make these again.

 

But they sure are sweet.

 

Maybe that's the next step...

build a team of ROBOTS!!!!