Mommy and Avery went to the farm

We had a gorgeous warm and sunny day on Tuesday, so Avery and I went to visit my best friend Jen in her new (old) house. She, her husband and her son, Walker have moved into the original farmhouse built in the 1700's of the family farm- Maplewood Farm in Portsmouth, RI.

We tromped through the fields and picked red potatoes, sunflowers, wildflowers and pumpkins. Avery and Walker took turns pulling a wagon filled with all our goodies. We also explored a deserted deer den, visited Aunt Judy and daydreamed about building a tree fort in one of the many trees in Walker's new backyard. A perfect fall afternoon!

A Must Read!

Just found this great post over on Hazelnut Cottage- the perfect post for us aspiring artists/busy moms!

http://hazelnutcottage.typepad.com/hazelnut_cottage_design/2009/10/the-indie-artistetsy-moms-guide-to-maintaining-sanity-thought-1-be-kind-to-yourself.html

I am taking her advice, and I won't beat myself up about the fact that I have nothing of value to add, but I just wanted to share this link!

Six years ago today

39 weeks pregnant with the baby we'd been praying for, trying for for 3 years. I had a doctor's appointment, fingers crossed that there was some progress, but I came home and reported to Ed "no change". He was working the 11-8 shift so we had time to have breakfast together before he left- I made fried eggs sandwiches. "I'm gonna go lay down, I don't feel so hot, maybe I shouldn't have eaten eggs" I told him. He kissed me and left for work. I napped until around 2, still not feeling so hot, I called the doctor, told her my symptoms and she said I should go take a non-stress test at the hospital. I told her I'd wait for Austin to get home off the bus and then head over. 3:45 and Austin is off the bus. I had packed a backpack full of crayons, paper, juiceboxes and his favorite collection of Dr. Seuss to help him stay occupied while we waited around at the hospital. Quickly we discovered the reason for my "upset stomach". Apparently I'd gone into labor within minutes of leaving my doctor's appointment that morning and was already at 8cm!

I called Ed and told him to come to the hospital, I was being checked in. He asked "should I finish my shift?" LOL! Not unless you want your son to be born before you get here! (Silly man!)

And so together, my brave little Aussie and I waited for Papa (and Aidan) to arrive. Aus kept me company by reading "Horton Hears a Who". "Such a good big brother he's going to be!" I thought to myself (and so he is). Papa arrived and gave kisses all around, Nana arrived and took Austin home for some dinner and relaxing time- they'd come back when the baby was born- Then at 10:17pm Aidan Michael Beaulieu joined our family.
Darling, sweet Aidan with your glowing blue eyes and infectious giggle. You make our lives so much richer, so much sillier and so filled with happiness. I love you more than the moon and the stars in the sky, my big boy! Happy 6th birthday! Love, Your Mama

I'm Embracing Autumn

Okay well not really but making the best of it! I am a beach girl, that's the plain and simple of it- I hate cold weather, I hate sniffles and shorter hours of daylight. New England is not the place for me from October to May!

That being said, I am trying to put up my brave face and greet the chilly weather looking fabulously stylish. I treated myself today to a bit of shopping for some pretty new clothes appropriate for cool weather. Have a looksie:

Finally found a pair of flat leather boots (everything in the stores seem to have death heels on them!) from Piperlime and they're on sale right now!

Then last night my new Soul-Flower fall catalog arrived so I had to do a little shopping from there as well- If you've never shopped them, Soul Flower is really cool, they are eco friendly, sell Fair Trade items and I love the uniqueness of their pieces!
Here is a taste of what I bought from them:










And then good old Gap and Old Navy- I found this dress in my local store on sale for $4.50, so I got it in brown and navy blue.


The tights are from gap.com and I think they'll be cute with my new boots and the dresses above!

The Neighborhood Phantom!

If you live in a neighborhood with easy to walk streets and lots of families, this is a cute little thing to do with your kids!



Good Evening!

You've just been haunted by the Neighborhood Phantom!

Since this is the time for goblins and bats, for Halloween spirits, for ghosts and cats, for weird happenings and witches' brew, these are the things that I wish for you...

May the only spirit you chance to meet be the spirit of love and friends warm and sweet. May the only goblin that comes your way be this Neighborhood Phantom you must give away.

"T'is much better to give than to receive" goes the old verse and something this easy won't empty your purse. It's your turn to pass along a treat and a BOO because now the Neighborhood Phantom is little old YOU!

So by this time in 3 days, pick three friends sweet, and give to them each a Halloween treat. You have only 3 days- so you'll need to hurry- Leave a treat on the doorstep, ring the bell and then scurry!

Signed, The Phantom

The phantom visited us on Saturday evening and I went to the dollar store this afternoon to gather some goodies for the phantom to deliver to three other families. The boys had a ball picking out what to give and which houses to drop them off at!

Full instructions and printable versions of the phantom and the poem are available at www.time4felt.com

Happy Halloween!

The Beaulieu family got into the Halloween spirit yesterday and decked the house with punkins o plenty and even a "pooky pider"! (as Avery calls it) Happy Halloween everyone!

Where Have I Been?

The other day I posted this picture on FLICKR:

It shows some sachets I made to sell at The Shops at Fabian House. Tara commented over there, "Take a moment and blog all your new crafty goings on will you? :)" Even the smiley face emoticon could not sooth the harsh reality that I have been a horrible bloggy partner! I popped over here today to post, and it took me three clicks on "older posts" to come to my last entry, posted exactly 2 months ago.

Holy Cow! I had no idea I was THAT bad! I knew I was living a little bit of a whirlwind life, but 2 months???? I feel as if I have been spiraling out of control, and I need to regroup and try to get back to normal! So I will post here a little summary of what has been going on and what I have worked on, and hopefully turn over a new leaf and get back to posting!

My younger son started high school this fall at a school which is a bit of a commute for us. (Translation: On the worst traffic days I have spent 4 hours in the car!) We have spent a ton of time together in the car. He is playing Freshman Football, which has really changed our family's routines since we got back from vacation in August. I should probably work on a feature about meals that fit into our crazy schedule. I'll have to get some pointers from Tara on food photography- her photos are so great when she blogs recipes. (Notice me kissing up to Tara in hopes she will forgive my blog neglect!)

Since last spring I have been selling my items from I corner I rent within The Shops at Fabian House. I also sell some of Tara's sea glass jewelry and some quilts and fiber art items from a partnership with my friend Karen, which we call Chickadee Friends Studio. I work at least one day a week in the shop, which works out well since it is near my son's school. The shop has a really cool mix of antiques, handcrafted items, and even a vegetarian cafe in the back! They serve a fabulous cup of coffee, and I am definitely addicted.




I am still most definitely making stuff nearly daily. I do not always take photos, especially if it is something that will go into the shop, and not online. Often I take quick photos on my keyboard or on the work table, just to post some photos to show Tara on FLICKR or others on Facebook. I will try to do better, maybe my next post needs to be about time management for football moms who taxi kids.