cookie mania, almost over...

just love this boy & his brother, 2 of little bits favorite friends of all time!
and mama's too!

then there is this guys, keeping it real in his gifted reindeer snow suit!

the fun continues as our sweet friends arrive with decorating sugars in hand

The playschool children making a batch of sugar cookies as presents

Sometimes i take a step back and i have to laugh! My social life really revolves around the children in my life! I know I am their teacher, but often they just feel like my friends! Those little/big eyes watching how things are done, and taking it all in.

Kids have always been my favorite people. I'll be telling my  husband at the end of a long day: "You won't believe what so and so said to so and so" and actually he chuckles a bit but he understands because he is a teacher of small children too.

They have such pure magic!

I have credited my little sister, 10 years my younger, here before with sparking my absolute love of children and I will so mention it here again. Thanks girl!

I relished in this last Spring during egg dyeing season and here it is again creeping up on me during cookie making season, they JOY, the CHEER! The willingness of little ones to do and create things they love over and over with such WONDER! We had about 4 good days of cookie making between playschool, dear friends, aunties, Nana's and Papa's (late night cookie monster he is!)

Above are some of the results!

I hope that your season was full of as much sweetness as ours was, edible or otherwise,

and may the WONDER of childhood never leave us~ !

What are some of your favorite childhood traditions or memories, what are the current ones you love to do or make with the littles in your house?

michaelmas festivities}

i awoke to find this beautiful light over the story table i created the night before, right over michael...



our dragon bread ready for the over...he got much much bigger! the children we delighted with that!

I'll be a knight for Michael, too,

And polish my crown to a golden hue.

Ask the gnomes the iron to mine,

Iron from the stars, from the earth, so fine,

To bring to the blacksmith, who with his might

Will make me a sword, so strong, so bright.

new(s)

i just got some really exciting mail over the weekend! furniture and some little treasures from my friends over at bella luna toys! be sure to check out sarah's waldorf inspired blog!
finally it feels like our little space is really coming together, last on the list some lazure painting...peach blossom anyone?
i'm working on a tutorial for the painting to be posted in the coming weeks!
my love, as you may know by reading, has determined himself the cook and me the handyman. i am cool with this. i kinda loathe the market trips because i always get distracted...as camille would say "by the cute little chevre in the tiny wooden box" and forget the eggs, milk and bread. i also always spend too much...so it is a big relief that alex has taken over the bulk of shopping, organizing the pantry and cookin' our dinners!!! likewise i am basking in the glory of my hardware store gift certificate left over from my birthday (thanks mom!) and getting all my tools in order.
this is the long way of saying these things arrived in a flat box and i put them together whilst my beloved napped on a full belly.
cheers!

new for school

as little bits and i will be attending our local waldorf school one day a week (and hoping to fill our own home class!) i have undertaken the simple task of making her her "school clothes". in my day school clothes were defined as the things your mama made you in late august for your birthday and a mix of things from 2 grandma's. and actually that was quite an eclectic mix.
think calico sewn up with tiny hand stitched peter pan collars meets sears' and penny's denim and jackets with a pinch of nordstom's or filene's thrown in for good measure. patten leather shoes, buster browns, smocked dresses with my brothers hand me down corduroy pants.
it explains a fair amount about my current style!
well here i am constructing my little one's clothes mostly from thrifted felted sweaters (the mosey way!) and also setting about sewing up a few simple dresses and maybe 1 cozy jacket if i get to it...
here's the new dress to add to the pants from last week...
little fabric cut out's inspired by my new friend simone!

something really exciting is happening...

any of you who know us know we have been conflicted for quite some time...about where to live that is.
our dear sweet town of belfast holds such a huge place in our hearts, but the truth is the job market just was not sustainable there.
the move was more than bittersweet- it was up nights sobbing.
but as we settled in and as alex got into the rhythm of his teaching job--summers off included!...we have decided to stick it out for a while.
a decision i thought would never escape my lips!
but the even more exciting part for me is that i have a chance to have my own in-home nursery/kindergarten program based on the lifeways waldorf training!
i am beyond excited!