Merrick's first time

Put 2 babies with 2 colours of homemade finger paint and this is what you get:

The cutest mess in the world!

Mariann enjoyed seeing her brother paint with her! She was as thrilled as me!


Oh, the discovery!


Of course, Mariann is a big girl and took care of taking the paint brushes.











oh, the noises! the feelings!

It was one of those days after one of those nights. Very little sleep for me and Merrick. The poor boy coughs and coughs... And kept asking for milk, of course! Then no one wanted to eat... After trying to force-feed Mariann some pudding.. well, I gave up and passed on activity time. Usually Mariann paints by herself at the kitchen table, but the later being a mess, we headed to the bathroom. Merrick was more then overdue trying his hand at painting! I'm just sad I didn't have a canvas around for him like I did with Mariann. I need to re-stock those.

...And looking at the pictures... I'm glad my bathroom looks cleaner than it really is! ahah!

Blue eyes baby? Yes please!

Ostara Egg Hunt

 

I meant to write this post sooner, but both my babies are sick, like... I-went-to-the-hospital-to-make-sure-they-are-okay sick (it's the first time I do in almost 3 years of parenthood!). Imagine Mariann falling asleep every where at any time of the day! Poor little things.

So here's the stuff Mariann found in her eggs on Monday (we had to go to an anniversary mass Sunday...) along with chocolate chicks and eggs and bunnies.

felt, pipe cleaner and bead flower girl

Baby sprout in with their beds (because they are still in bed here!)

Star child, idea taken from ecomilf

Daffodil Baby

Monkey See, Monkey do! number 2

 

I did this painting last week, it's a 8x11 vague representation of the Leo constellation. 

Of course, while I painted, Mariann wanted to paint as well. 

And this is what she came up with:

She said it was a Lobster with stars. Of course! I can see it.

Right now, I AM: Enjoying my camera back!

 

right now, I AM: was initiated by Lisa from Earth Mama. 

Go check her awesome photography!

Intense debate

Mariann, around 9 month old, Photoshop edit.

I've installed it 2-3 weeks ago, and thought it didn't work. But now I'm receiving comments both via blogger and intense debate. So, I guess some of you see it, some of you don't. I don't. Which one do you see?

I have a Shamrock Tattoo

 

I don't have a better picture. But it's there, right on my left hip.
My smallest, isolated tattoo.

I got it as a "friendship" tattoo when I was 17. It was my second tattoo and the girl's first (how she was shacking!).  As it often arrives with friendship tattoo, I lost contact with that girl now. I know what's she up to and all, but I deliberately went in another direction in life. Do I regret my shamrock tattoo? Absolutely not.

Any tattoos is a bookmark of your life. I was it this crazy abusive relationship, falling in love with another guy, and playing mommy with that girl. Because she had a very f*cked up life, I'll spare you the details. But it led to very low self-esteem and emotional addiction... I tried to be there to spare her some problems, and it ended up not really safe for me in the end.

Fast forward 4 years and I'm still the very same person that will give a hand and try to spare every one's feeling. But now, I take account of mine, too. How much healthier! I'm very pleased of how much I grew in those years, and glad I have what I ultimately wanted earlier then I thought!

So today, while I did nothing green except dressing Merrick in it (Mariann doesn't have any green piece of clothing...)  I'll think about those time all I was doing was drinking beer and listening to Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphy. Because that's the only explanation for the choice of design, I'm not Irish at all!

Being Real.

I use my real name online. Andréann. It's simple, quite unique in the English blogsphere, and, well. It is me. It's my birthname. My real name ends with a "e", but I took it off when I was 8, when I took off my father's last name as well. My mom's name ends with an "e", and she took it off to. The little girl that I was back then wanted to do the same, because it was oh so cool and unique. (And I won't write my name with an e anytime soon!) I also use my children real names.

I tried to come up with a cool nickname several times, for forums or such (like Maman Tattoo for craftster, or Zombie Strawberries for Heavenly Hair) But I always come back to using my real name. I don't think it's by lack of imagination, thought. 

It feels better to me. I blog to show off what I do and what my kids do. I don't mean I don't understand why some people use only initials for their kids' name and even paste hearts on the face when they post pics. I do. But as long as I feel somehow safe around here, I'll stick with our names.

What is very real right now is how stressed I am about the future. We. Don't. Know. what's next. (by next, I mean July)

(It's a car.)

Papa is applying to med school. Three of them. He can be accepted to all of them, or none at all. Scenario 1: He's accepted right away (meaning we know where we go in May) we look for a house there. Scenario 2: He's put on the waiting list (meaning we know where we go mid-July) we moved to our old place and wait. (Yeah, there is lots of waiting involved in this) Scenario 3: He's refused and he choose some other career (engineering, he says) and we're back to square one as to where we go.

I'll emphases the where: Either we have 3 months to look around for a house or appart 3, 7 or 8h of car away from where we are now, or we have a month. I know it will be a lot stressful for us. Just overall looking to buy our first house is stressful... And we'll have such a short time frame to do so! And where? What neighbourhood? Will the place's school commission will be okay with homeschooling? Will I be able to buy the healthiest food for my kids there? Will we actually stay there long? Or do we go back here? What if Papa doesn't like med school at all and we all have to go back? What if I end up hating the place?....

Oh well, I'm glad I've vented out a bit.
please tell me looking for a house is not that stressful!
and I'll try to believe you.

Chicks and Daffodil Fairy

I did some chicks out of a very fluffy yellow polyester fabric I found once in a thrift store. The eggs are felted. I followed instruction by Nicole from Frontier Dreams that she published in Rhythm of the Home. It was very fun to do! You can't really see but the opening is blanket stitched. I plan on making some more eggs to hide more treasures in them.

I guess you could make the chicks with felt too. I didn't draw the pattern, but if one of you ask for it, I will post it :)

And this is my daffodil fairy!

Nothing that special, very easy to do! So easy, I was able to free-hand draw at the computer the shape you'd need to cut in order to make one yourself.

Just paint the head and dress yellow, let dry and pop the petal over! No sewing!

Really, I'm posting this for Wulf. ahah! Else I would have waited for my camera to come back. I really hope I have it by the equinox! So here's to my biggest fan ;) and better pictures to come someday.... Oh, I need to start making that Hen, too! Who would have let so many eggs every where in our house??

I will add this to the Sewing Bee. I thought I would share some practical sewing or a little dress this week.. but no. I haven't touched the sewing machine. At. All. (it makes me a little sad...)

Monkey Hat for the boy

 

Made my little one a monkey hat, but it ended up a tad too small, I started another one.

I have someone I can give it to, at least! 

Preparing Ostara

It snowed all weekend. And not lightly; It's still snowing, they forecast snow until tomorrow after-noon and there's around 20 cm that felt so far, around 15 other cm to come!

Maybe you wouldn't say it looks like spring's coming. But I do. In Québec, we have that last winter storm. That one where the thick, heavy snow stick to branches. And it's what's happening right now, so yay!

oh my.. look at those chubby arms!

Ostara is the name some pagans uses for Spring equinox. I love to use it, as I love using fancy names...ahah, not really. It separates  the equinox celebration from Easter. And I love the Sabbath of Ostara. You can read my post from last year about what it means to me.

And now, Mariann is old enough for an egg hunt! I'm thrilled! ahah. It won't be anything overwhelming... Not many eggs (as I try having them all felted by me). With little plaything and piece of chocolate she will most definitely enjoy. I have a daffodil fairy done in the same fashion as the Snow Drop fairy. I will make some chicks with plushy yellow fabric, pompom bunnies, lambs, finger puppets, those kind of things. She will also have a felted horse, should I find my pattern, and maybe a plush hen, if I find the right fabric in my stash. It will be our main activity, along with some colourful baking, for the day. I don't like planning a busy day on a Sabbath day.

We won't decorate real eggs, but I'll draw huge ones in a paper for Mariann to paint over, and we'll proudly hang it somewhere. I might even do a banner like the one we did for Valentine's day, with colourful eggs, flowers and butterfly.

As for meal, we'll have an omelette. Mariann loves cracking eggs! With lots of leafy greens to accompagne it. I think I'll try blowing one or two and decorate it for myself when my daugther will be in bed. It's kind of selfish but I haven't done that in ages! I'll just let her play (break...) it in the morning...ahah!

Do you do something to highlight the Spring equinox at home?

Picture less moments of the week & right now

Merrick started crying with pain yesterday. He woke up often tonight and he needs so much comfort, he's nursing all the time and took back the pacifier he rejected around solstice, when he started teething. Right now, I am sitting with him, Mariann right next to us. She's singing him Brahms's lullaby and giving sweet kisses from the tip of her lips. I'm glad to have such an empathetic little girl.

It's usually the time we do yoga together...we'll have to skip it. He's got 8 teeth already! People can't believe he's teething again. But they have short memories, because Mariann did the same.

~~~

This week we went out 3 times, stroller and all. It felt really good. Not that the weather was warmer.. But, it is March. Maybe it's in my head but the sun was shinning brighter. And you can get babies out in the cold, if you dress them well. Wearing them appears to be a bonus, too!

I have so many pictures in my head, that I wasn't able to take.

I've shown Mariann how to bath her baby yesterday. It would have make pretty pictures! We took a plastic basket and thrown the blue play silk in it for water. She used a felt ice cream bowl (pink!) as a soap. She kept adding water, from her play kitchen tap, to the basket with her teapot. It was very cute to see. And she didn't miss any corner. So now Victoria is cleaner than clean!


But we are all pretty tired. I can't wait for Papa' break week to come!

A dress for Victoria

So my last bits of the very first fat quarter matching set I bought last year is finally used. It served well. And now Victoria needed her own version.
It's been cut for  a week (no pattern), and finally did it last Friday. I tend to prepare tons of projects and get sewing when Papa doesn't mind. Because, most of the time he's studying, and, well, my machine is right next to his desk. Apparently, it's annoying. Phfff.

Mariann loves the new addition to Victoria's wardrobe. I do, too.

 

Else on my sewing table; a longsleeve shirt that got shortsleeved, as Papa's arm are too big for the sleeve. And I kept the sleeve to make pants for Merrrick.

So this is what I have for this week's Sewing Bee.

Appearance

Becoming a mother softened my appearance. By soften I mean: I took out my ear plugs (9/16) [because my lobs get very loose; the plugs fall out in bed; hazard for co-sleeping baby] I stopped getting pierced and tattooed often; I needed all my antibodies for babies growing inside me and it takes forever to heal when you breastfeed. And I had to dress more normally... Because plaid mini skirt and muffin tops are just gross! And the many band t-shirts I own are still way too small! I've also stopped attaching synthetic dreadlocks to my hair. It's heavy and I grew out hating synthetic stuff.

But right now, I feel the need to go back to an alternative look. I feel the need for people to know that I might not have just the regular opinions on things. I want to reflect openmindness. I actually want to deter all those that wouldn't want to talk to me because of the way I look. Because I honestly feel I wouldn't want to talk to them anyway, if they don't want to talk to me. Is that rude?

I want the outside to reflect the inside. I want to get stared at. I want to get questions. I want to mark people and inspired them to look different as well.
I want to see if people can get past my look and try to know me for who I am.

I've finished my cowl, yay!

As some of you might have read it in the last posts, we have a place we go to in the afternoon where old ladies rock your babies while you drink a coffee with other moms, chit chatting. We've been going to that place for 5 months now and we have a group of regular that is getting to know each other pretty well. From that time I've been "soft-looking". They know we have very little plastic in our home, that we cloth diaper, co-sleep, that I had my pregnancies followed by midwifes, that I don't want to put my daughter at daycare and doesn't intend to go to work. I didn't drop the "homeschool" bomb yet- the subject never came.

But yesterday I've put back horns in my ears. Those, so you get the idea. They are kind of heavy and loud. And I have my newly dreadlocked hairs tied back. And you know what?

ravelry note

I actually saw a difference. I had less "talking time" allowed, so to say. You know when people looks away when you are speaking to them, as to seek for another conversation they could slip into?

It always hurts my feeling a bit, but that's what I wanted, right?
I got my answer.

joining Ginny once again, in a late fashion...

Yarn along; omg 2 projects!

I began a cowl on Monday. I'm really exited about it! So far it's the biggest yarn I worked with, and I love it. I'm confident I'll actually have it done before snow melts (ahah!) so I'll wear it a little before it gets warm. I bet I will be able to simply wear it over a shirt when spring nights get chilly, too.
ravelry note here for pattern & etc.

The book I found it right in the same alle as I found my yarn! It was calling for me! It is "Basiques pour petites filles" I bet you can find it in English somewhere near you. I'm trying to find an english amazon listing for it but I can't... Oh! I found a blog post that peeks into the book!

And.. The piece de résistance... (not really) A vest for Merrick!

 

ravelry note here

I really really miss my camera. I'm so materialist!

Of course I'm joining Ginny and the little gang today.

My time.

I've meant to write since ... I don't know when. But every time I've started typing... someone (s) needed me.

(2h15 later...)

So after bath time and feeding time, which, like usual, I helplessly fall asleep in bed with Merrick, a load in the washer and today's dishes cleaned and drying, here I am back to post.


But let me warn you; this post won't contain any cute picture. I still wonder if I'm going to put any picture at all. Seems like I can't get good picture out of the old camera my in-laws lent me. So I have ordinary pictures of a vest I did for Merrick and a beginning of a cowl for tomorrow's yarn along, and underexposed pictures of a little dress for Victoria (the doll) for the sewing bee.

I actually found one that I liked enough... Seems like I can't post without a picture after all....

I was considering blogging and reading blogs as time for myself... But I wonder now. I feel it's actually eating up my time. And I start wondering why I actually blog. Does any one read me? 

Or is it solely for myself?

I love taking pictures and show them. Their subject is mainly my children. But I started feeling uncomfortable posting them, as much as I like it (?). 

And then I love sharing what I did, what I'm learning. The vest I did for Merrick is far from being to nicest thing on earth... But I did it! I actually took some yarn and made a piece of clothing with it! It doesn't matter that it was a doll pattern and ended up so big I stopped halfway. And I really feel like showing you. 

(oh, that would be the cue for Feed me!)

Fortunately, I mainly make and do stuff for my number one fan, Mariann. She gets exited about any toy I make her. The Fairy House and the snow drop fée I made for my friend Danni's February Fairy is so far a big hit for her, even if none of you commented. She wears any little dresses, even those that was not so well made.

(back from another feed)

 
This post is getting pretty chaotic. Can't seem to classify my ideas tonight.

Merrick is eating so much! Every two hours, maybe more often. Literally draining me! Doesn't really show that he eats solid 3 times a day.

And that cold! Can it just stop? I went outdoor today. Dressed the kids pretty well and all. It snowed yesterday and it was really good cardio to run around with my jogging stroller, a baby on my back. Every one I met smiled with compassion. Several ladies (and I'm talking of about 8) actually said something. "I find you very good to do that." "Omg you're so loaded!" and "It's not always easy". Yeah, it wasn't that easy, but I needed to walk and shake up a bit.

I think I'm going to stop here and continue my cowl. Because I'm actually crocheting something for myself right now. How thrilling?