this is what a mother looks like....

What a mother looks like....
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

a little mother's day photo of me nursing in front of the computer....

the BAG

the BAG
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

What seems like forever ago, the time before Nate came, I made a bag. It was intended to be The Nappy Bag by Amy Butler, but my adversion to getting through an actual pattern took me away from it to go on my own bagging adventure, to some mixed results. On my way to the induction and following birth of my second son, I was feverishly sewing up the bag, mere minutes before we left for the hospital. It made me feel good knowing it was coming along.
I wanted the bag big, to stash all those incidentals that having two kids require you carry; drinks, coats, snacks, balls, diapers, change of cloths, a bit of craft and the sling.....so I needed it to be roomy, yet lightweight. Here is the result....
I love the bag....its different & can handle all the things that I need to carry, but I think it might be too big....sometimes when I am wearing Nate in the sling, with the bag slung around back, people think I have two children...& really, its soo big, I could truly fit 3 Nate's in the there. It size has made it an object of jest.
Honestly, things do get lost in there.....like my phone, or heaven forbid the keys.....so I am debating, whether to scale down this one, or just make one a bit smaller? I was impressed that I pulled that one off, with only a few alterations towards the end.....& this BIG bag does have its place sometimes....
I also whipped up a changing pad....

But I think that the bag needs to stick around...we all know that I think big = beautiful...

Cinco de Milo

Cinco de Milo
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

& you catch me every day
little one
with your unfailing adventure,
your curiousity
& your ability to make me smile.

getting on the ball

Originally uploaded by zavodk.

These little lovelies are from the "Bend the Rules Sewing" Book by Amy Karol. They are quite simple to make and also its so nice to see Nate in them!
I really enjoy the calendar one. Its made from a vintage tea towel, circa 1978....I made sure his November is on there. I am excited to make more of them. There simplicity adds to my "speed demon" sewing side. In Amy's Book she lists the different sewing types. I believe I identify with the speed demon. I like quality, fair enough, but I enjoy swing something simple, that moves along quickly and have lots to show at the end of a session.....

post-y

So I thought I might keth-up & play along with some post-ness....lets see if I get all them all in, minus the 2 that I have already missed...perhaps I will make them up in June.

We are hectic getting ready for Milo's Birthday Party today...there is hummus to be made & a cake to be decorated.....a shirt to be appliqued...

hopefully the rain will hold till tomorrow!

spring

Originally uploaded by zavodk.

Pennsylvania springs are amazing.....they stretch long & lazy......its been truly fantastic, I had even forgotten about magnolias! How?! & Pink Dogwoods....just delicious....this photo, I am not quite sure what kinda of flowering tree it is......
Have actually been crafting lately. Here is proof....

This is the fort keys flag....designed & made last friday by Milo & I for his almost finished fort....he loves his fort, it even has a fort "deck" so its great for playing pirate ship.....Milo is quite the inspiration these days.
I need to make him an appliqued shirt for his birthday. I better get on it, its almost here....

the friday archives

Feeling a bit posty today and when I stumbled upon the friday archive at loobylu I felt the need to participate and perhaps set myself at least a weekly goal.  Its not been to hard for me either, to unearth the archives, because they happen to be sitting beside my desk for another project....bully for me, hmm

So this poem, titled For Chris is an old but goody, I say circa 2001

enjoy my sweets!

For Chris

I think about the cold too often,

my feet chill in the kitchen & I hate to wear socks,

they keep sticking to the carpet with static electricity--like glue.

Its raining & I can't stop thinking about what it feels like to be a bird,

as I scrunch, I wonder about flying

in the cold night sky

then I remember motorcycle rides in the fall

when the cold air would blow up my polyester uniform

& blast my supple virginity,

like the bird.

I think of summer to often

& I am in want of humidity,

in want of green fields that pull me to the earth

with tumbles and earthworms and grass tickling my thighs

I want warm kisses at the closest darkest moments of the night

when you hear the crickets rumble in insatiable torment

from the trees

& fans vibrate on window sills

& that moment when bodies bring connection & disconection

and your floating in warm damp sheets

& the moon calls with a wan on your insides,

bringing you discontent.

Once on a beach in New Hampshire

I found sweetness,

but it fell in the ocean & swam away from me

like a salmon upstream

expecting to mare against the current.

tis the season, folks

wallpaper
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

Yes, indeed, its spring! Which means its my favorite season.....the tag sale season! We kicked off the season with the a sweet find....a dollhouse! A three-story dollhouse, with electricity and wallpaper, a fire place and all sorts of sweet goodies adorning the walls, even curtains! Very excited for the coming furniture making and people making. Its definitely a girl-hood fantasy fulfilled.



Also had a wonderful find this weekend. A child's sewing machine circa 1974....its works, I am just looking for a bobbin case....I am happy to say that Milo is pretty impatient about getting that machine up and running. He loves to sew, boy after my own heart.

fabric row, philadelphia

fabric row, philadelphia
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

Last week, while on a search to replicate a certain favorite garment, it took me and a crafting cohort to Philly's famous Fabric Row.
One of the things that I love about this city is its murals. Started by the Anti-Graffiti Network it has truly marked the city with rare gems. I am always stumbling upon new murals and it thrills me. I was happy to find a flickr group of them as well.
As for the fabric, I did find something that hopefully will work in the cotton/poly broadcloth variety....lets hope it pays off.
As for Fabric Row, I was remiss to forget how wonderful it truly is...The last time I went was to pick fabric for my wedding dress, this was before I entered the world of sewing on my own. What a community...if one store didn't have what I was looking for they sent me to another.....& there was even a store for millenary supplies....wonder of wonders!  It oozed of old world & South 

Philly & was definitely an authentic shopping experience.  It also was great to support local shops!

As for crafting with Milo...we made felt balls this week....

the sling

the walk home
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

This post has been a long time coming.....the sling....
Purchased in the fall of 2003 when I was about one month pregnant, definitely the 1st purchase I made for the coming baby. Our friend Callie had taken me to the much loved Common Gorund Fair in Unity, Maine. I was walking through one of the stands and found a sweet and lovely woman totting her little baby around in this fantastic pouch. Mom and baby looked so happy and content, I had to purchase one. They sold me. When I brought it home that night, Chris tried it on and put his "Chris Doll" in it, we were so excited to use it! We brought it with us to Milo's birth and all that happened in that saga, we were able to do the one thing we wanted which was to walk Milo home in the sling....which is the lovely title picture with Chris here.....
The sling than became a constant.....truly a third arm. It went with us everywhere, all over Portland, airports, grocery stores, the beach, to Philly and more. If I didn't have the sling I felt lost....awkward...

The next year Chris and I toted Milo up to the Fair and were very happy to see Amber who I purchased the sling from the previous year. I am so happy to have this photo!
We toted Milo around in it till he was almost 2 yrs. old and by that point he would walk most places. I was sad to tuck it away in the closet but hoped one day to pull it out for our next little one.

In the meantime, my friend had a little lovely & she borrowed the sling for a while....& than I needed to get it back when I had Nate...it was like a homecoming. I love this sling & Nate loves it too....

I went online to try and find Amber yesterday so that I could buy my dear friend a sling of her own and I was digging up photos for her gallery on the website. It is featured in so many of our favorite pictures and has become such a part of the memories of our babies. It feels like a heirloom to me, some fabric that I hope to pass down or use with my grandchildren one day....
We chose to use a sling for different reasons...convenience and ease but most importantly to keep our little ones right up near our body and hearts....where our little ones should be....it just feels so very right.....

Bunny ears

Bunny ears
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

hey look, can you believe it....something crafty! that i made!!!! & actually photographed!!!! I made them last year....but it still counts!
I have been crafting recently & do have some photographic evidence to show.....
the bibs....


happy easter! must go & finish the potato salad, yum!

just because

Originally uploaded by zavodk.

oh dear me....I could not help myself from posting this photo....he is to me, like chocolate in human form....I simply can't get enough of his plump little self!

uke, my friend

uke, my friend
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

So I promised a post of a new friend I recently acquired. I would like to meet Uke, short for ukulele. He & I have already worked our way through a plucky rendition of Twinkle. Twinkle Little Star....& feel that we have much more love to come...
This has all come from Nate's great love of music. He really enjoys singing & musicing of all sorts. I've made a plethora of great but forgotten songs for him. Lucky for me his name rhymes with so many fine words. I hear that he love dates & does not like to be late....tis fate I do believe...
stay tuned....no pun intended!

a winter escape

Last week an opportunity arose for the children and I to escape to the wilds of Delaware. We left on Monday afternoon to go and visit Nana and Poppy. It was a lovely trip, we went beaching in 75 degree weather....

and slinging...

and thrifting (we acquired a lovely plate, white to the knee tube socks and 2 inspiring books....one is a photo history of ships and the other is a Mother's Almanac from the mid-seventies)

sand collecting...

hanging with poppy

a bit of music-ing

and one self portrait

fun was had by all.....and I aquired a new friend....which will be revealed soon!

catching up

For Christmas this year, my love got me a gift certificate for my online wet dream
its been heavenly legs ever since. The quality is superb, I am happy to report...I found them linked from one of my favorite clothes bloggers here at Some Girls Wander
Here is a bit of a crafting report from the holidays...better late than never, I say...

The hat was made by Milo for Nate. He sewed it on the machine, with a little help from me. He loves using the snippers. Nate looked awfully cute in it as well....The elf clogs were made by me, pattern courtesy of all sorts. I unfortunately did not get a photo of him decked out in his gear.....but that only means more elf clogs for next year!
Next up were some fun favorites that didn't make it out in time for Christmas, but have finally made it to there respective families in Maine.
I would like to introduce the Aguiar and Leavitt families. I had such fun with Milo making these little people. Modeled after our friend's families and complete with a little case embroidered with their names. I had thought to make the pouch into the shape of a home, perhaps in the future. I was feeling a bit pressed for time, as usual.


And last, but certainly not least the little man himself. He has recently found his hands and started drooling everywhere. Hands in mouth when he can get them there...or he uses me as a chew toy.....if Nate is anything like Milo teeth are sure to be here soon....
He is quite a pleasure, as always.

Tedyuscung

tedyuscung
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

Whilst hiking last week in Fairmount Park in the Wissahickon Valley, we stumbled upon the "Indian on the Hill" To locals here he is known as Tedyuscung, but as the handy placard noted, he is a nameless indian watching his tribe push westward for less populated lands (aka William Penn tricked them out of there land.)
It was a banner day finding him....along the trail back the crick (Philly speak for creek) there are many such landmarks; the red covered bridge, devil's pool, the falls.....
I had searched for him before, but I think my mistake than was searching in the summer while the foliage was much denser. In the winter (if you could call it that) it was much easier.
All is well here in small child land. I still can't believe I have 2. Whoosh.
At the moment the baby calls me forth to nurse and its quite hard to blog one-handed. The boy is somewhere in the house, I am sure up to no-good at all. He is angry that I commandeered his seat to write this blog post. I had to mention that it was "our" chair not "his chair"....
Happy Friday!

speechless

Rachel Brice in the Blue Mountains dancing to Beirut's Prenzlauerberg.

enjoying the weather

Originally uploaded by zavodk.

This past week it was in the 60's here in Philly and we celebrated with hike's a plenty. It was amazing to be out enjoying the sunshine and it gave me an opportunity to photograph Nathaniel in lovely outdoor lighting...yippee!
One of our goals this year is to hike early & often. Its sadly exciting to be enjoying a mild winter. Last year was brutal....snow and ice, living in a small Maine town with snowstorms into April.....so this year I will happily great the warm weather even if it doesn't necessarily feel, "right"....
Crafting Update:
Even though I haven't posted a craft sincec October, I have been crafting abundantly....for Halloween this year, Milo requested a green dragon....and this is what I came up with....

The pants, lord help me, were my first time sewing with a jersey fabric...there was much cursing involved, finally after discovering the right tension-stitch combination...it went ok....
the rest were an "ikea hack" of sorts, the patches on the shirt and pants are from ikea cushions and the head & tail were a stuffed dragon that I cut apart. I opened up the head of the dragon and added a stretchy gusset made from the excess sleeves of the shirt to keep the head on...it was a good gamble b/c he actually kept it on. For the tail I just attached a fabric belt and tied it around his waist, it had a nice effect of puffing up, making the tail stick out...twas cute. I was all up for giving him the wings....but he didn't want them.
All in all, I thought it was a charming costume....he definitely pulls off a dragon's behavior perfectly!

getting on with it and more Xmas fun...

Originally uploaded by zavodk.

Big plans, my friends, I've had big plans for the holiday gift making....and I am only a smidgen there, with not much to show in the photo department. Only photos of this little nugget....
Being a Mom of two if pretty amazing, and I am loving that little Nate. Milo is the one who has been testing my parental prowess of late. He is three and testing boundaries at every turn. Nate's been a dream....thank goodness, even Milo thinks so.
Looking forward to showing of some goodies very soon. Hope everyone out there is having a wonderful holiday season....

this is a photo of Nate with the "Lucia Girls" Zoe and Cece, sisters and the daughters of a very old friend of mine name Juno. They were in a festival this year, Lucia Fest at the Old Swedes Church here in Philly.....twas lovely!

Nathaniel

DSC02820.JPG
Originally uploaded by zavodk.

I was very excited and pleased to welcome in our new little, Nathaniel Charles on November 5th....exactly three and a half years younger than Milo, born with a bit less difficulty and weighed 9lbs 130z. 21 inches long...
ah, sweet love, falling for another prince all over again......