mama urchin

• The bunnies have moved. Last Wednesday we saw Mama Rabbit in the evening. Thursday evening we saw this little guy hopping around the front walk. He even hopped up onto the porch and looked into the window right at us. There was no way he and his siblings could fit in that nest anymore and sure enough, Friday we checked and they have definitely moved. They didn’t leave a forwarding address but my guess is they headed out back.
• You should go to the dentist more than once every four years. Youch! I had to have cavities filled today. Now I have a sore mouth and I’m grumpy.
• Kathy gave me a little peak into what’s been keeping her so busy recently and it looks to be really really good. Seriously though, would you expect anything less?
• I’ve been scouring craigslist for a polaroid instant camera but we didn’t even have one when I was little so I have no idea what kind I should want.
• Do you guys want a little how-to on the backpacks? They are so easy but I can take some step-by-step photos is you guys want.

Last evening we were driving home from my parents’ house and had to turn around three separate times because the roads were flooded and blocked by all manner of emergency vehicles. Two other times we only got through a flooded road because we drive a tank that is rated to ford streams up to a depth of 20″ without a snorkel — not my car in that photo. So yeah, it was kind of an intense end to a lovely Mother’s Day.

Today the rain continued and the temperatures reached a high of 45 degrees. Tristan wore his wool sweater he got for Christmas and Katie asked for a fire late this afternoon. May 12, that is the date, right?

The pillows from my bloggy birthday give-away are headed out today. Finally. Man, I am slow with the sending. These got held up with zipper issues. Why can you never find a zipper that is the right color and the right length? So there is one pillow where the zipper color is the best I could do and another where the zipper is way too long. Still, I think they’re pretty cute. Click through to flickr to see who gets which one and individual photos too. And here is a photo of my prop master — always ready to help me with the photography.

I feel a little out of the swing of things in this space. No real reason, I guess, just hazy, you know what I mean? I have a bunch of stuff to finish up this week though, we only have three weeks until preschool is out for the Summer. Seriously, Summer. Anyway, the garden was looking very purple-y this weekend. My grandmother loves purple. LOVES it. She always has, as long as I can remember. So all the purple got me thinking of her and this silk yarn — Posh Yarn’s Lisette — I scored when Vanessa recently destashed. I’m planning to make something lacy for my grandmother for Christmas with it. The yarn is aran weight, any suggestions? I’ve decided to dangle the yarn as a carrot in front of my nose for me to finish up all those things I need to do. Hopefully I can cast on by the end of the week. And speaking of carrots…

This is a quilt for some friends that had a baby at the end of last year. I wanted something soft so I made a huge log cabin from blue and green flannels. I backed it with minkee so it will be soft against the little guy whether it’s used as a play mat or a crib quilt. Wow, though, I need to get with the program on getting gifts made in a more timely manner.

And an update on the other babies. As of this morning I was fairly convinced that Mama Bunny had not returned since Sunday. So, while the urchins were at preschool we carefully pulled back the leaves and fluff and found that the babies were still there, doing well, and a little bothered that we were disturbing them. After some online research and some info from some of you I felt much better that they were doing fine — i.e. they hadn’t been abandoned/orphaned — and that a rabbit nest in the middle of the lawn is not that unusual. To be safe I moved a plastic Adirondack chair near the nest since someone walking to the front door from the street would probably step right on them. Then tonight as we were heading out after dinner we saw the Mama tending her kittens — did you know baby rabbits are called kittens? Unfortunately, she saw us too so she quickly hopped away but she was watching to see what we did so we just got in the car and drove off. Turns out, she’s a good mama after all.

This week Heather and Alicia are asking everyone to be their guest over at the Noticing Project. Alicia was one of my first real blogging friends and I’m really enjoying this new project of hers. And allowing us all to notice and share for a week is such a great idea.

Speaking of noticing, when Papa mowed the front lawn over the weekend he noticed a kind of weird looking clump of fur and leaves carefully arranged in the yard. He pulled it back to find this:

He thought at first they were baby mice but when he explained what he found to me — I wasn’t home before dark — I was pretty sure they were bunnies. The next day we looked at them again and they are bunnies, I’m sure. The problem is they are smack in the middle of our front yard with no bush or any type of cover around. I’ve had my nose pressed against the front windows for the last two days trying to catch a glimpse of Mama Rabbit. Stefan assures me she’s going back but I’m not entirely sure. So, in order to preserve my sanity I put a dandelion flower on top of the nest to see if it gets moved. Because seriously, I have my own babies to worry about.

On Thursday my trainer at the gym canceled our session and I was left to decide if we should go to the gym anyway or be lazy and stay home. Lazy won. So I decided the urchins and I would pull the weeds in the veggie garden to get it ready for planting — really, I need to get with it in the Autumn and put the garden to bed properly. Then I wouldn’t have all this Springtime cleanup to do. We got about half of the beds cleaned up before Tristan got stung by a bee and it was lunchtime.

After lunch while Tristan napped I tackled the overgrown lawn. The grass was amazingly high — as tall as Tristan in some places. It took me the entire rest of the day and at the end this is what I was left with:

So close. Stefan finished it on Friday night and yesterday he mowed the front lawn so we won’t be arrested by the grass police. The thing is you would think all that mowing would be tedious and boring but we had the best time outside all day. The urchins discovered fairy land under the willow tree and spent a lot of time hunting for roly polies I can already tell, this year it’s going to be easier with the urchins outside and I am so excited because after our sick-all-the-time-stuck-in-the-house-winter we need all the vitamin D we can get.

Tonight we took the igloo and the penguin plane out of the basket by the piano symbolically saying goodbye to Winter. We did all this while it was 40 degrees and hailing but we’re removing the Winter toys from the basket so we mean business! This basket is always available in the family room and holds some of the toys that are special or that hold seasonal interest — pretty much anything that I don’t want to get buried under all the other stuff. The empty basket, a trip to the toy store for a dinosaur or two to take for show and tell tomorrow, the fact that the Easter Bunny left many eggs with Spring animals inside, and a photo of a friend all prompted us to gather together the animals in one place. And of course, before we could tuck them all inside the basket they needed to line up for a parade, the dinosaurs watched the animals. Nothing can stay well-ordered in our house for long though. The parade formation was smashed to bits in no time at all.

Your sewing machine engines that is. Today I cut twelve fat quarters and packed them up to send. That can only mean one thing… the Virtual Quilting Bee is about to begin. My quilt is going to be first so I can be the guinea pig and work out any kinks in the system — as well as work out some participant nerves. So let’s talk about the quilt I’m hoping to have come March 1.

First off, the quilt is going to be for our playroom. This is where we spend a lot of time but the room is in our basement and it can be chilly down there in all seasons. My crafty area is in this room too so happily I’ll be able to keep a close eye on the finished quilt. As you can see the colors are bright — really bright — and the mood is fun. I love the idea of all of you making a quilt to wrap around my kids.

As for the actual quilt, I’m up for pretty much anything as long as it will tolerate the washing machine. I love patchwork and appliqué; I think freezer paper stenciling is gorgeous; I don’t mind crazy patterns and textures. As for what I’m sending the group: the fat quarters are a busy, busy print from IKEA and I also included a 10″x10″ square of squash colored chenille. I’m planning to use the same chenille for the back. So, be inspired friends, I cannot wait to see what you come up with.

I’m continuing my efforts to try and keep my house presentable should someone happen to stop by. Luckily, the person most likely to stop by with little warning is my mom and I figure, she changed my diapers and nursed me, she knows me and I know her. She does not get the glossy version of my life, she gets the real deal. But I would like the real deal to be more presentable on a regular basis, for her and everyone else too, but let’s be honest, I don’t want to do anymore housework — read: pick up more toys — than I already do. So, to that end I did a little re-arranging of our family room. Here’s the scene from my front door:

Clean, huh? So let’s say someone stopped by selling girl scout cookies — as actually happened the other night — I could invite them into the foyer instead of being rude and talking to them on the front porch. But what they wouldn’t see is this: