i said that :: 2010 rewind

well, it seems today is the last day of the year. in keeping with tradition below is a collection of the first sentence from the first inspired mama musings blog post of each month in 2010 ::

january
"one week in and so far the new year has been treating us right."

february
"snow!!"

march
"i hope you are having sunshine-y get outside and play weather in your neck of the woods!"

april
"we woke up early, anxious to see what the weather would bring."

may
"...our family grew by two {tiny} feet, our hearts grew two sizes {at least} and our love, collectively, could power the earth {and more}."

june
"spending our days snuggling, and babywearing, and helping."

july
"i have so much to share with you all..."

august
"we are just home from a short family road trip which took us through the beautiful idaho mountains, into montana where we spent some time on flathead lake and in missoula, and then to riggins idaho to play on the salmon river."

september
"brand new month, brand new happenings to post about ::"

october
"i know the calender says october but the weather tells another story, therefore i have been completely un-inspired to do anything autumn related."

november
"i started this post last night but after homework and dinner and bath time and bed it was forgotten and then remembered today, november two."

december
"inspired mama MAKES! will be making an appearence at the hip holiday craft market tomorrow."

♥ ♥ ♥

in short 2010 was a pretty great year for us. we anxiously awaited then welcomed our sweet baby boy, celebrated 10 years of marriage, had many birthdays to celebrate and just a whole lot of crazy family fun.

today has been spent talking about the how quickly the year past us by, pondering what 2011 has in store and of course making a few resolutions/goals/plans for our lives because there is always room for improvement, friends.

i am wishing you all happy and safe celebrating and look forward to spending time with you all here in the new year!
with much love,
erika

peace. love. happiness. and one big mess.

we went to bed early and couldn't wait for morning to arrive. everyone slept in until 9 AM. we talked and laughed and sang along with the radio as we opened our gifts. the kids took off the jammies they had slept in to put on brand new jammies. we played, ate, played some more, ate some more. there were brand new books to read at bedtime. then slumber, sweet slumber at the end of a long day.
today :: cleaning up. leftovers for lunch. a piece of chocolate, then another. playing, reading, making, listening, dancing.

happy sunday, friends! i hope your holiday was spectacular!
xoxo

elving!

how does a mama survive a day packed full of errand running with three little ones in tow - throw a bit of holiday elving into the schedule, that's how!

we packaged up this cute dolly and two coloring wallets when we set out this morning. each had a "free to a loving home" tag in their bag with the following message on the back ::
we are sending this sweet handmade toy out into the world hoping it finds a special child to live with.

happy holiday wishes,

from erika and her little elves~

the dolly was left at the library, next to the bike rack.

the blue spaceship coloring wallet was left at a city bus stop near an elementary school.

and the black apples and pears wallet was left near the entrance to the health and welfare department.

we had a ton of fun looking for places to drop the toys. we had a long discussion about helping others and how blessed our family is. we hope we made someone's day a little brighter. we completed our errand running without a single whine or complaint.
we can't wait to do it again!

our solstice

handmade gifts
{eye spy bags from mama}

treats to share
{chocolate pretzels}

last minute gift making
{mama made the gifts, tiny hand sorted the buttons}

and a candle light story time just before bed - J is for Jasmine, a kind of green tea...
{my whole food ABC's}

now we are looking forward to the longer days, celebrations with family and friends, and another handmade christmas.
happy solstice, friends!

winter happenings

tree trimming

taking a break at the winter garden a glow event to feed the baby

saying hello to prancer. we are old friends.

chatting with santa.
i am pretty sure he remembers us from last year. especially since my kids are still wearing the same cold weather gear from last winter {see link above}.
this year harper sat and talked with him. luca declined.

i participated in the very last craft show of the season yesterday. it was a lot of fun but a lot of work and i am welcoming a break. thank you to everyone who came to visit me! it makes me so happy to think about all of the toys that i lovingly handmade tucked away in stockings and under trees waiting to be discovered by excited little ones.

now we are busy planning our solstice celebration. so far it looks like it will include a made from scratch feast, a handmade gift exchange and a christmas light tour.

happy winter wishes, friends. enjoy your week!
erika

yay, it's your lucky day!

the winner of my giveaway is hilary who left the following comment ::
"Oh, the luxe yarn is so gorgeous and would knit up into the most daring little shawl..."
hilary, watch your inbox for a message from me so i can get your lovely luxe yarn on it's way to you. i can't wait to see what you create with it!

i loved reading each and every comment that was left for me this week. i think i have answered all of the questions that were asked either through e-mail or in the comments on the post that you inquired about... if i missed a question or two please let me know!

thanks again and again for visiting me for giveaway day - i have discovered some wonderful new blogs to read and met a few new friends as well.

wishing you all a happy weekend!
cheers!

oh hey, it's GiVeAwAy DaY!!!

welcome friends! here is what i have to offer you this fine giveaway day ::

so, i have blogged about the super rad new yarn subscriptions in the inspired mama MAKES! shop in recent weeks. have you checked them out yet? if not go take a quick peek.

first it was the inspired wooly yarn subscription with brand new colorways every month all on wool bases suitable for cloth diaper covers - these yarns are also fabulous for hats, mittens, scarves and other cold weather knits.

then, just last week, the inspired luxe yarn subscription made it's debut. with this club you can expect luxury fibers including merino, cashmere blends, silk and the like. this subscription was created with self indulgence in mind - go ahead, knit something and then KEEP IT FOR YOURSELF!

for this giveaway i am offering one lucky person a sample month from one of these wonderful yarn subscriptions - either 4 ounces of variegated wool and 2 ounces of a coordinating solid from the inspired wooly club or one luxury skein from the inspired luxe club.
to enter simply leave me a comment letting me know which subscription you would like to sample. and if you feel inclined i would love to hear what features you love or would love to see in a yarn subscription.

comments will close on the evening of friday december 17th and a winner will be chosen at random the following morning.

i will contact the winner via e-mail (so make sure you leave a way to contact you, okay?)

your yarn will be dyed after the giveaway ends and will ship the following week.

this giveaway is open to everyone - i am happy to ship internationally.

now that was fun, yes? so why let the good times end here? visit sew, mama, sew for a whole bunch more lovely giveaways!

good luck and happy day wishes to you!

the comments are now closed - i will be back tomorrow afternoon to announce the lucky winner! yayay!!

handmade workshop :: made by mama (and daddy) with love.

my local friends and i just completed another (our 4th, i believe) handmade toy swap.
{previous toy swaps}

here are a few photos of the mama and daddy made toys, though i could not even begin to capture with my camera the love and care that went into each and every handmade toy.

here is a run down of what was swapped ::
rubber stamp sets, wood tile memory games, wood cube puzzles, hula hoops, eye spy bags, wood blocks, wool felt balls, adorable stuffed creatures, crocheted fairies in their own wood fairy house, finger puppets, wool crowns, hand painted wood dolls, tutus, fairy wings, slime kits, teething rings, and taggie blankets.

i can't wait to play...

♥ happy handmade holidays, friends ♥

handmade workshop :: market and shop

the market was a whole lot of fun - great company, talented artists, exciting trades, the best coffee ever (not even kidding) and wonderful customers.

and, imM! shop news :: INSPIRED LUXE yarn subscriptions have just been listed! please stop by for a peek. the idea behind this yarn club is simple - knit something fabulous and keep it for yourself. just because you totally deserve it, yes?

handmade workshop :: market eve

inspired mama MAKES! will be making an appearance at the hip holiday craft market tomorrow. local friends, please do stop by and say hello! here are some of the sweet little goodies i have loving hand crafted just for this event ::

whimsical coloring wallets

learn to knit kits that include a handy little tote, a mini skein of hand painted wool yarn and a set of handmade knitting needles with fabric button caps to match the totes *swoon*.

so many adorable prints to choose from.

i have lots of super fun stocking stuffers too - book marks, rings, hair ties and wool felt flower headbands...

and how fun are these eye spy bags?! everyone in my house has enjoyed playing with them including my husband and my 20 year old brother.

i can't wait to send all of this handmade goodness off to loving homes.
handmade workshop ::2010 has begun!
happy weekend, friends.

oaky-oaks for luca

luca's adventures with food officially began this past thursday, thanksgiving day.
his first solid meal was organic, scrambled egg yokes - aka 'oaks' if you are hearing the story from harper. he completely and thoroughly enjoyed self feeding and may have even got a teaspoon or two of egg into his belly.

just look at this sweet little mess maker of mine *swoon*

i am a bit late with the well wishes but i do hope that you all had a lovely thanksgiving celebration!
from our table to yours, happiest holidays, friends. ♥

time flies

we love-ah, love-ah, LOVE you, baby brother ♥

bundled

luca has a new mama knit sweater to go with his new mama knit hat.

this is the caelum sweater knit with marr haven wool yarn in light gray with a wee bit of rainbow trim on the cuffs and waistband. the leftover rainbow yarn from his gnome hat.

up next... tiny mittens!

shelf life

new books... LoVe!!

i have had food on my mind quite a lot lately. first there is this challenge that inspired me in a big way. on november 1st, with the company of some local friends, i started my own food challenge based on what i read on the real food website. i have stumbled a couple times - i ate birthday cake at a friends house a week ago and then again when niko turned 15 on friday. i also ate homemade pizza that had white flour in the crust, again an offering from a friend. and i am having a heck of a time giving up the sweet, sugary peppermint syrup that peps up my morning coffee. but overall it is going well.

in addition to the wonderful real food my body has been enjoying i have also been drinking a quart of green smoothie a day. it isn't hard really, since i love them!! here are my current favorite green combinations ::

1 bunch of kale
1.5 cups strawberries
1.5 cups peaches
pinch of cinnamon
dash of vanilla
2 cups water

and

1 cup strawberries
2 frozen bananas
2 handfuls of spinach
2 cups of water

lately i have been buying frozen fruit, i am just very careful to avoid the varieties with liquid sugar added. each shopping day i peel a big bunch of bananas, cut them into to chunks and freeze them in a zip lock bag. they add just a bit more frostiness to our creations. harper likes a little splash of grape juice in his. i suspect it is the color of the juice that he likes more than anything.

local food is also consuming my thoughts recently. we have tossed the idea of backyard chickens around in the past but now the discussion is becoming more of a plan. i have been reading the backyard homestead while i sit and nurse the baby and am getting quite excited about our future egg bearing flock. there is also a chapter about bee keeping (tony said "no!") and how to raise goats (tony said "expletive NO!")

in the midst of all of my thinking and reading and blending and eating our little luca is ready to sample his very first solid food! i am still trying to decide what to start him on. it will likely be avocado or egg yolk and we will wait until later in the week to make sure daddy is home to join the fun. here are a few more fun luca stats ::
♥ he is now 6 months and 1 week old
♥ he just cut his 3rd tooth and the 4th is almost here
♥ he can sit unassisted and play with his toys

until next time...
life is delicious! go enjoy it, friends!

november one. er, two.

i started this post last night but after homework and dinner and bath time and bed it was forgotten and then remembered today, november two. here is what we've been up to ::

he went to his first homecoming dance and we learned the half winsor knot together thanks to youtube. no clip on ties for us thankyouverymuch!

they had a daddy-daughter date to the rain gutter regatta with her girl scout troop and lunch at mongolian bbq (her choice) after.

while they were at the regatta we attended the philharmonsters performance and had a whole lot of fun even though it was a bit crowded for harper's comfort.

niko attempted to play the trumpet at the instrument petting zoo.

luca didn't have a halloween costume but he was pretty festive anyway.

harper and esme were ready for tricks and treats at "ghouls at school".

and, i finished luca's little hat just in time for sunday evening, so he went out dressed as a rainbow gnome. you can find the adorable pattern here.

we had a wonderful october with lovely weather and plenty of fun with friends and family. now we are eagerly looking forward to whatever november has in store for us.

happy monday/tuesday, friends!