Friday Favorites

1. Vintage Pink Notions by dearmachine
2. With a Cherry on Top from SinnersSaintsSweets
3. Sweet Green earrings by PoleStar
4. red cream stripe toddler hat from sweetbabydolly

I can hear William fussing in his pack n play--slowly waking up from his morning nap--so this will be a short post! We're presently sitting pretty under a foot of white fluffy snow. I have two sticks of butter out on the counter ready to be made into cookies and a huge craving for really good hot chocolate. It's a good way to move into the weekend if you ask me!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Quiet Post

Quiet post ~

Red Grapes

I'm watching the snow fall heavily outside my window. It's coming down at a slant. And the weatherman tells me that there's ice underneath all the fluffy stuff. Not, I gather, the best day to do my massive mission of errands across town. Darn it! That's all I was thinking about last night, or rather, this morning, when I couldn't fall back asleep after his 2AM bottle. I was going to go to IKEA first, get a highchair and some rugs, stop over at Micheal's for some craft stuff I desperately need, then drop the car off at the corner repair shop for an oil change. I was then going to go over to the hardware store to get a lamp fixed and buy a toaster (our old one died over the weekend--amazing how often we used that thing!). But now, I'm going to watch the snow, listen to my Pink Martini station on Pandora and pray he's a good napper today!

Hope you're safe and warm and cozy this morning!

XOXO,
Jewels

PS The red grapes are from this weekend--the afternoon light hit the bowl of fruit and suddenly they seemed like jewels!

William's Walk

Down Germantown Avenue, after you pass the antique store and before you make it to the school yard entrance are a set of blue doors--faded and pealing, but truly, a beautiful set of blue doors. I don't know what lies inside that small stone building, or whether the doors get regular use, but they seem magical to me!

Happy Monday, dearies!

XOXO,
Jewels

Friday Favorites

1. Iced Tea 3 Pack by fallcreekfibers
2. Woodsmen by f2images
3. Queen Annes Lace Hand Embroidery from Waterrose
4. Ruffle necklace in plum by prettythingsbymeg

Finally--Friday! Wishing you all a marvelous weekend!

XOXO,
Jewels

I love you

I have to remember that these nights are rare--the nights when the sweet babe doesn't want to go back to sleep after his 2AM bottle. When he spends half the time crying for his nuk and the other half fussing because it's in his mouth. I'm sure I can blame it on Teething (yup, with a capital "T")--that second little bugger is about to burst onto the scene. Andrew is much better at keeping calm and loving in the middle of the night. I, on the other hand, have to keep reminding myself to take it slow, to be gentle and soothing, that he's not doing this to torture me, even though it feels like it after two and a half hours of bleary-eyed frustration. Crying and feeling sorry for myself, truly, has never helped the situation. So, instead of crawling back into my warm bed and sleeping till the sun rises, I'm reminding myself of a profound truth: I love you, sweet baby William. Even when you're being a royal pain, I love you!

The Trusty List

So, lacking the skills to organize my thoughts in a coherent fashion this morning, I'm going to rely on the trusty List function! My Monday morning thoughts:

1. I went on a Me Date yesterday and saw The King's Speech--absolutely marvelous film. The humor, the dialog, the history, the cinematography were all beyond excellent.
2. I totally destroyed two old pillows from my bedroom and used the filling for two new tapestry cushions for my couch. Not sure if you're supposed to do that, but I did. They turned out... lumpy, but nice.
3. New Years resolution #37: try to take a photograph a day. Then use them in blog posts! See above.
4. Icebox Shortbread is delicious and versatile: 2 Cups flour, 1 Cup sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of vanilla, 2 sticks of butter. Combine with anything that sounds yummy (like orange zest and cranberries or cocoa powder and almonds--see above). Bake at 350 for approximately 12 minutes. Delicious!
5. Baby Otter has: two teeth, the ability to sit on his own, knack for giggling at his mama for absolutely no reason other than she looks funny.

Friday Favorites

1. Lovebirds from AliciaBock
2. Little Box of Valentine's Day Cookies from whimsyandspice
3. Cotton Candy Rainbow fingerless mittens from RainbowMittens
4. Best Friend--Wool Bunny from bubyNoa

Because I can't help myself: a reintroduction to my Friday Favorites. There are too many delectable items out and there's no point in me hoarding them all in my Favorites folder on my Etsy account.

Today is my third day without a sinus headache. I think I was going on week number 3 of chronic sinus pressure before I got wise and started downing gallons of water and moving the humidifier into our bedroom. More than anything it was annoying. There's nothing more discouraging than waking up and wondering if you were going to have to drug yourself up to get through the day. I hate feeling crummy. Granted, no one likes feeling crummy, but what goes through my clogged, congested brain when I feel so awful I don't want to leave the couch? "I've got laundry to do, dishes to wash, and a baby to feed, gosh darn it!" Priorities get shifted very quickly and you press on, amazingly enough! So, I'm going to go fill up my Nalgeen bottle, again, contemplate an order to Whimsy and Spice and finish the laundry!

Have a wondrous weekend!
Jewels

Blog lovin'

Good evening! I rarely post this late in the day, but the little one just went down for a nap and my sinus-clearing tea is steeping (more on that tomorrow!) I recently received the i love your blog award from the ever lovely Cindy at quaint handmade. I haven't done one of these in ages! Here we go:

1. why did you create the blog?
It started out as a place to promote my shop but quickly evolved into a special spot where I collect pretty things, images of my life and little diddies about the happenings in my world.

2. what kind of blogs do you follow?
I'm smitten with pretty blogs. Simple ones, too. I find it inspiring to follow blogs where the authors are not only finding their own voice, but are also using their photography skills, meager or not, to show us their world. I love that!

3. favorite makeup brand?
Estee Lauder

4. favorite clothing brand?
Anything from Anthropologie

5. your indispensable makeup product?
God bless concealer. This mama needs it!

6. your favorite colour?
Magenta

7. your perfume?
I wore perfume everyday till I became pregnant last year--hello super-duper sense of smell. I can't figure out where I buried all my bottles of scent.

8. your favorite film?
Oh dear, just one? Persuasion or Sense and Sensibility.

9. what country would you like to visit and why?
I would love to go to Istanbul or Morocco.

10. make-up the last question and answer it yourself: what would you write on your wall so you could remember it every day?
"It's all about perspective. And kindness."

The rules require that I bestow this award of love unto 10 others, so if you want to play along, consider yourselves recipients - Joyce, Krissy, Emily, Erin, Kate, Courtney, Lotta, Barb, Caroline and You, too!

Monday

Happy Monday to you all!

Good

For any of you new to the Red Otter blog, the topic of motherhood has been a sensitive one. William arrived almost six and a half months ago. It wasn't an easy transition. Still isn't at times. But, it's getting better. Like with any relationship, the more time you invest, the better it gets. I feel this incredible surge of joy just looking at these photos. Remembering how I was feeling under the weather last weekend and he just snuggled up. It was better than any drug. I'm not sure I can describe it, but this little person, this adorable bundle of energy pulls me through the day. I want to be someone he's proud of. I want to show him the magic of the world--help him explore and discover. I still struggle with being a stay-at-home mom. It was never something I aspired to and finding validation for what I'm doing, what I'm sacrificing, is difficult. I realize it's about perspective, that some mothers would give anything to be at home with their babies, but I have to keep reminding myself how fortunate I am. Oh, the lessons I'm learning! I feel like I'm perpetually being stretched, that my ideas of what is successful, accomplished, productive are forever being refined. I have to say, though, I know it's good, I feel it in my bones. That what I'm learning, what we're learning together, what we have to explore ahead--it's good!