Evolution

I feel as if our play room is growing more and more inspired by natural materials and our quieter rhythm in this season of our lives.



Likewise, I can't get over the light in this room...it's so white and bright in the winter! I love to discover new things about our home, making it feel truly more like ours.

Our Upstairs Nature Table

A new month calls for a new nature table post! Okay, so it's almost the middle of the month but still! August is getting away from me--thanks in no small part to our little one taking his/her time arriving...but I digress. 

The upstairs hallway is unfinished, to say the least. It needs some major renovation--something that we are hiring out to professionals (soon I hope!) Nevertheless, we love this unfinished alder bookshelf that sits right outside of the play room and holds part of our enormous collection of books. On top of the bookshelf, Liam designed his very own nature table--out of reach of Isla and perfect for all of those little things that he wanted to keep special and safe. 

The Reading Nook

We finally finished the play room! At least, for now. I decided that the kids really needed a lounging/relaxing area (well, I needed a lounging area for when the baby arrives at least!) so we improvised this little reading nook. 

The ottoman was left in our basement by the previous owner of our house and was in very good condition. I originally wanted to re-upholster it in some fantastically whimsical fabric but it was in such great shape I couldn't bring myself to spend the money. A basically free redecoration is a-okay with me! 

The current favorite rotation of books is stored in this great cedar tool caddy, which was a part of their summer solstice gifts. I think this may become my go-to present in the future--it's simple, handmade by a local craftsman and environmentally friendly (he makes them out of cedar scrap leftover from outdoor furniture.) 

I'm happy with how this room has come together and I see it meeting our needs for quite a while. Quite a few more notes and resources can be found here, the play room Flickr set. 

A Visitor!

It seems as if butterflies have taken over. We received a visitor to the still blooming butterfly bush yesterday--a gorgeous, brand new Monarch. 

He stayed for literally hours, eating his fill. His wings were perfect--not even a tiny bit of fading or tearing, which is why we believe he was a newborn. That and his appetite! 

Both Liam and Isla were fascinated with this guy--he wasn't shy at all and practically hopped on my finger when I tried to get a little closer for pictures. 

This butterfly bush has been one of the greatest blessings of having our own home. It seems as if this little guy agrees! 

Sparklers and the Great Bug Search

Sparklers! What summer is complete without sparklers?

And searching for bugs out front. Apparently this has become a favorite activity for the second born. She loves any insects (but especially butterflies!) And to celebrate Rainbow Week, a better look at Isla doing her best impression of a rainbow baby! She loves this little tie shirt. 

First Harvest

We've been gathering herbs from the garden for months now but now we have our first fruit! A delicious green pepper. Liam was so proud to finally pick it. It's been getting quite large for a while but we wanted to make sure it was really and truly ready. 

We had it for lunch yesterday, just sliced up with fresh cucumbers and homemade garlic breadsticks and marinara sauce. It was so wonderful to finally eat something we grew ourselves (herbs notwithstanding!) Today we ventured out to one of our favorite farmers' markets for the Lavender Festival and managed to come home without any veggies or fruits at all--thanks in part to our garden, but mostly to the generosity of my grandparents' garden. We couldn't pass up a loaf of our favorite brick oven fired bread, however. 

Inspiration

Inspired by a favorite blog of mine, I am going to keep it simple today: 

Outside my window...

A soft cloud cover and a nice breeze. For Kentucky in July, anyways.

I am thinking...

About everything that still needs to be done before this little one arrives! I am 39 weeks pregnant today.

I am thankful for...

A beautiful, clean home and children who are willing to participate in quiet time today.

From the kitchen...

Curried lentils and rice for dinner. We made such a large batch this weekend that we have plenty leftover. And fortunately, it is delicious enough that you never get sick of it!

I am wearing...

Stretchy black yoga pants and a black maternity t-shirt. I will be happy to retire my maternity clothes very soon!

I am creating...

A peaceful, restful place to give birth to this baby. Candles, incense, a book I'm saving for labor, newborn diapers, blankets, clean sheets and towels. And lots and lots of lavender (my favorite.) 

I am going...

To have a nice, sugary iced mocha after dinner tonight. I've been looking forward to it! 

I am reading...

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in preparation for seeing the movie next week (maybe!)

I am praying...

That this baby arrives safely and that I have the strength and ability to make that happen.

I am hearing...

The sound of an older brother reading patiently to his little sister. It's wonderful and magical when siblings play together.

Around the house...

The ceiling fans are whirring, the freezer just kicked on and I'm contemplating a glass of lemonade before dinner. 

One of my favorite things...

This new incense that is burning right now. I think it's cedar wood...?

A few plans for the rest of the week...

A trip to the health food store and my grandparents' farm tomorrow, the farmers' market on Wednesday, a play date on Friday and lots and lots of hope for the newest member of our family to grace us with his/her presence. 

Out Front

Our front flower bed is flourishing! I can't complain at all.

Rose the Tomato Plant is gargantuan. Let's hope she bears fruit...soon?

Our magic mushroom is a whimsical addition added several weeks ago. It's a solar lantern that twinkles at night. Every evening before bed, Liam and Isla like to check on it. 

Our marigolds are also thriving.

And the sunflowers have arrived! It's an exciting time of year for us. Liam is especially excited since he grew these sunflowers from seed. 

A Very Monday Monday

This guy decided to stop and partake of our butterfly bush. Since he was so forthcoming with the proboscis and consistently flashing his wings, I couldn't help but learn more about him!

He is a great spangled fritillary, fairly common to our area but the first we've seen. I can't wait to have a butterfly-friendly garden so we can watch and learn even more about our flying friends. 

Liam was very excited to observe him for so long and used his best guess to match him to the butterfly magnets we have gracing our magnet board in the living room. A very close match! 

Water Play

Isla loves water play. I love having a backyard that works for water play! 

Of course, her brother was in on it as well.

Summer Tree

Is summer finally here? It sure feels like it! We spent most of the day outside, getting things in working order for our big gardening and landscaping plans. A truly spectacular thunderstorm cut our afternoon a little short, but the rain is still very appreciated by Rose the tomato plant and her leafy comrades. I can't wait to get our pepper plants and our herb garden in the ground! 

Saturday

It's been an interesting day. 

First, some flower cutting for Liam's NEW nature table, in the play room and completely different from our family nature table in our dining room.

And then, some planting and pulling, on everyone's part. Daddies are really good help for that kind of work.

Weeds

Our front yard flower bed is pretty overrun. The extremely rainy spring, coupled with the pregnancy and the general craziness of two little ones has not been good for my gardening karma. However! I have big plans for change, very soon. 

We just planted an heirloom tomato plant out front, named Rose (also the variety) and I just picked up a pineapple mint plant and a lavender bush today from the Northside Farmer's Market so I'm really excited to get those into the ground. Liam planted his sunflower seeds in a special place some weeks ago and they are already almost as tall as Isla! Plus, we have some little yellow flowers blooming and our big bush of...well, I'm not sure. It looks like lavender but smells like honeysuckle. Any rate, it's pretty and I really should weed and mulch to make sure everyone can appreciate it. 

My girl loves playing in the front flower bed, helping her brother water the flowers, digging in the dirt or even just picking a few stray blossoms. 

The Play Room

Sometimes I believe the play room is the most important room in the house. Goodness knows, it sees the most action (excepting the kitchen, of course.) Isla and Liam can and do play for hours on end. 

We're pretty devoted to our kids having the least toxic environment as possible. Equally important to us is fostering their imagination and giving them the opportunity for independent play with access to organized activities, costumes, play silks, and arts and crafts. I think our children really enjoy their play room and I know I enjoy being in there with them!