Now I See...

Bea has taken an interest in cutting with scissors recently. She holds her scissors in an odd way but gets the job done with a surprising amount of efficiency for one so young. I've attempted to show her the proper way to hold her scissors but she takes little notice. She responds to my motherly prompts by saying, "mommy, I do it myself!" How do I explain the intricacies of muscle memory to a two year old? She will learn in her own way and in her own time. 

My grandmother, Bea's namesake, was an avid user of scissors too! As a precocious four year old she asked the department store Santa for a pair of grown up scissors for Christmas. The Santa replied, "wouldn't you rather have a doll?" My grandmother's response, "I would like scissors please, grown up scissors!" To her parents credit my grandmother unwrapped a pair of grown up scissors that Christmas. She clearly remembers spending hours snuggled up in her room cutting out paper dolls through a harsh Boston winter. The interesting thing is, my grandmother is left handed but was forced to write and to cut with her right hand. Miraculously she somehow retained her joy for using scissors even with the wrong hand! 

My daughter and grandmother's penchant for scissors got me thinking about my own education and how I soak up information. Young children learn best by seeing and for some of us that never changes. I am an extremely visual person. After that last sentence I'm also extremely sure I've watched too many Charlie and Lola's! School was a misery to be endured throughout most of my childhood. Its tough to listen when all you really want to do is look. 

Years after my official education came to an end my visual curiosity began to fuel and feed my learning. Whether it was Job's Triumph in a dark corner of Notre Dame Cathedral, a fork formed by David Millar or a colorful dragon on a Schumacher fabric. Lots of people look but less of us see. This is what my eyes have been resting their gaze on this week...

I can see these flowery rays of sunshine out my kitchen window. They are quietly telling winter that it is time to move on, though winter seems to have taken little notice...

While winter and spring continue their struggle outside we pretend that spring is in full bloom inside. Pastel colours have arrived at our table...

Choo choo...

Though not finished, the dining room is coming into focus and we couldn't be happier! 

My new favourite space...Our little hidden office is such a happy space to orchestrate our family life from. Our weekly chores like paying the bills, surfing the net, planning out the weekly menu etc seem a bit less 'chore' like these days...

There are three classes of people: those who see. 

Those who see when they are shown. 

Those who do not see.

~ Leonardo da Vinci 

Comfort & Joy...

The birth of our daughter two years ago changed things for MC and I. We see the world differently whether we're taking in current events, visiting friends, talking with our own parents or even decorating the house. Once you've viewed the world through the lense of a parent there is simply no going back. It seems that every decision is made in the glow of a different light. Even how we choose to decorate our little Victorian terrace. 

I'm not sure we understood the importance of a house feeling 'warm' until we became Bea's parents. We strove more for look than feel. Placing so much emphasis on 'look' seems silly to me now. When I think back over my life, the houses that are etched in my memory and heart are warm homes not picture perfect houses. Some may have different words for warm like welcoming, authentic or inviting. I like the word warm because its something I strive to be figuratively and literally! Sometimes I'm successful and other times, well, not so much. 

We've begun a few projects in our house to warm it up a bit... Bea has moved into a new BIG girl room which she is really proud of. Now she says things like, "mommy, would you like to come into my big girl room and play with me?" We've also started a dining room project, in a bid for more storage space, which is stretching my decorative muscle! As it comes together these are a few snippets...

Bea's new big girl room has bookshelves that she adores. She can see all her books and their sweet characters from floor to ceiling. She spends ages perusing her books and looking at all the lovely covers. Her books have taken on a new role in her room and in her life. She can't help but be enticed by all the wonderful covers calling to her...     

 

A cozy spot is beginning to take shape by her bookshelves. When Bea's not on the move I hope it will beckon her to sit down, snuggle up and read on for years to come..

The last time I was in London for a girl's day out I picked up a vintage print ABC poster at Liberty's. The cute and yet oh so educational print was being sold as wrapping paper! It was too nice to be torn to bits by a present opener so I framed it instead!    

I stumbled across these cheerful towels which helped us say goodbye to Bea's baby towels and hello to her big girl butterfly towels! I look forward to seeing the real ones flying past my window in a few months time.  

The beginning of something good is taking shape in our dining room. Though it doesn't look very dining roomish! This naturally lit nook will soon become our hidden office. Yeppy! 

Ah! There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. ~ Jane Austen

I Spy...

February is the time of year when we are reminded of who and what we love. This is 'who and what' I love and this was our week...

Bea has a bug eye kaleidoscope that she LOVES. When we can't find something that we've been looking for Bea will pick up her 'bug eye' and go looking for it. 

There has been lots of scooting around the house while winter does its thing outside. The other day while I was up in the attic I found my first pair of ballet shoes that almost fit Bea. She loves dancing to Yo-Yo Ma's A Butterfly's Day Out and Meyer: 1B...

The father-daughter relationship that is flourishing before me is fabulous and sweet. I love it...

Everyday activities seem to capture Bea's attention and imagination. Doing the dishes becomes an exploration of sorts. Lights, camera, water, bubbles, cafetiere, coffee grinds and action...

I've always kept our dish soap in glass bottles. I can't stand looking at the regular plastic bottles that soaps are sold in. MC brought home some old lab bottles that I love, so labish...

Peppa Pig has been a huge hit in our house! Good friends gave Bea a Peppa Pig set. Listening in on Bea's play with these loveable creatures is so entertaining! Peppa practicing sharing on her swing. 

Projects are getting underway in our house so we've been quite busy. Bea and I did manage to make some heart bunting for Valentine's Day. 

Where there is love there is life. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Poetry in Motion...

 If you were banished to a desert island and could only have the complete works of Shakespeare, the Bible and one song to keep you company, which song would you chose? That's a difficult question to answer and the premise of a much loved BBC radio program Desert Island Discs. A recent guest on the popular program was Mary Berry. I enjoyed listening to the interview and the chosen soundtrack to her life. She said something that resonated with me. She described her family as not the sort that "were sat in some corner with the knees bent reading." This living legend in the world of baking had a busy outdoors family. If her children weren't kept busy then they were getting into trouble. Mary Berry was describing my family!

The vast branches of both our family trees are littered with kin that were by nature not 'sitters'. Oh the stories I could tell! The family trend continues...I run 15-20 miles a week and that's not including the miles I run chasing after Bea! MC is on his bike at least a few times a week. When darkness and ice cast their winter spell he can be found on his turbo trainer in our little kitchen spinning away. We are constantly in motion. I'm swinging my crossed leg as I type. 

It comes as no surprise, via nature or nurture, that Bea is not a 'sitter'. I was scared of our daughter being like us, being constantly in motion. I worried about her struggling in school or irritating her teachers because she might not sit still. In other places our family energy might inspire less than desirable recommendations. My worry and anxiety subsided when a party of sport visited this small island. 

This past summer the Olympics rolled into town and we soaked up as much sport as we could. We attended the men's Olympic road race. As road side spectators we were surrounded by people like us. People that loved sport and motion. It's nice when kindred spirits hang out. 

The London Olympics was a reminder of how important sport is in our family life and the positive side of well practiced, constant and determined movement. Sitting on the roadside cheering on the athletes with MC and Bea is something I'll never forget. We were in our element. Bea still shouts, "GO G.B." from time to time when we're watching other sports!

Wiggo and Team GB riding past...

Hey we're sitting! For about 5 seconds....

Bea and I recently started attending a music and dance class for little ones. She LOVES moving to the music and singing. The other parents comment on how happy she is and how much energy she has. I laugh and say, "yes, she doesn't come from a family of sitters." I revel in Bea's joy for life and her energy. Like many children she seems happiest when she is running, twirling, skipping, jumping and marching by divine right. When I see her smiling face as she moves forward I'm reminded of the feeling that I have when I run. Our family is a wealth of energy in forward motion, long may it continue...

Bea gearing up for a run with mom...

Scooting...

Twirling at the seaside...

"I don't even know what I was running for - I guess I just felt like it." 

~ Holden Caulfield from the Catcher in the Rye via The Guardian

Sliding Doors...

My parents always said, believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. Things aren't always as they seem. My life on the other side of the pond has been a living testament to that! I can't tell you how often I hear one country 'observing' another and think to myself, "dude, you've got it all wrong." Its odd how we draw imaginary cultural borders on the maps in our heads and then fence ourselves in with them.  

If my eye caught a glimpse of the picture below I'd think, 'cool room, I like the wine rack. What's up with the strange lookin' stroller?' But pictures don't always tell the truth, or maybe I should say, they don't always tell the WHOLE truth. Before hopping the pond I would peruse glossy mags of 'European' homes. All that otherness seemed so sophisticated at the time. I can report back that many houses in Europe really do have lots of character which is hard to replicate. But having said that...I would give up a lot to have just ONE decent storage space in our house! All that character can't hide our junk! 

What I love about our dining room...

Our vintage Champagne riddling rack

Our reclaimed laboratory pendant lights

Refocus the lens...This is our reality too...

The dining room needs to function as two rooms. A play room/office by day and a dining room by night. Dysfunction junction is the state of our dining room these days! But I have hope and a plan...

...I stumbled across this gem of inspiration (pictured below). I think you know where I'm going with this...Sliding doors may just be the answer I've been looking for! We're in the planning stage of installing sliding doors in front of the wall that the Ladderax shelves, sunburst mirror and vintage riddling rack are on. Storage shelves will be built into the alcoves on either side of the not so usable fire place. One side will be our office space and the other side will be toy and craft storage. 

Most of Bea's toys will have a special 'home' of their own soon. I look forward to the day when I can lovingly tuck the toys into their baskets and say goodnight as I slide the doors shut on another great day of creative play. What are the storage solutions that work best in your home? 

Every wall is a door. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lobsters and Daffodils

Some days go by slowly but the years seem to roll along quickly. This month marks an end to an era in our family. Most of our meals take place at the bar in our kitchen. Like so many families around the world, our kitchen is the heart of our home. Everyone ends up in the kitchen morning, noon and night! Since Bea was a few months old she has sat in the Lobster for most of her meals. I can't say enough good things about this highchair! Bea is fast approaching the maximum weight for the chair. Sniff sniff... We will be adding a third bar stool in the not so distant future. Before we do, I wanted to remember our girl in her first chair at our table. 

Bea & MC 'chatting' 

We thought she was sooo big

Bea drank her first tea (95% milk 5% decaf Earl Grey) in her 'big girl' tea cup the other day. Being a true Brit she loved it and asked for a second cup. Her tea was accompanied by a Scottish shortbread biscuit. BTW, espresso cups are perfect for little tea drinkers. 

Enjoying her 'oh so white with none'

Our kitchen bar is decorated with more than just lobsters...This pitcher was a Christmas gift from mom. This past week I filled it with these sunny cheerful daffodils. Does it seem weird to have daffos in January? Well, when I saw them at the shop I thought so, but I couldn't help but bring them home! 
  

So life's not all flowers and lobsters... I find that I always need pens and paper in the kitchen for writing notes or lists or random thoughts that enter my brain. I repurposed a creamer and toast rack to house my favorite pens and paper. The lunch note cards go in MC's packed lunches from time to time. I can't wait to do this for Bea when she heads off to school! 

   

You do not like them.

So you say. 

Try them! Try them!

And you may. 

Try them and you may I say.

~Dr. Suess 

Welcomed Guests

Some of Bea's friends aren't invisible but they do require a serious dose of imagination to bring them to life! Our daughter's 'friends' are two pairs of salt and pepper shakers. One pair are snow people. Frosty and Frostina if you're lucky enough to be on a first name bases! The other pair are Santa and Mrs. Claus. Bea has been enchanted with these breakable figures since they appeared on our Holiday scene in December. After Christmas we decided to pack away Santa and spouse, thinking that would somehow cushion the blow! Bea was distraught when she realised that Santa and Mrs Claus were gone. We tried to explain that they were heading back to the North Pole to prepare for next Christmas. A few days later Bea fell down and bumped her knee. When I asked if she wanted mommy to kiss her hurt knee she tearfully answered, "I need Mrs Claus to kiss it!" That's when I decided it wouldn't hurt if Christmas lived on for a bit longer in our house.

At first I was a little panicked that our daughter had chosen Publix salt and pepper shakers to be her best buddies! Am I gonna have to travel with these things! I can just imagine having to explain these characters to airport security! But on the other hand... I'm THRILLED to see Bea's creative mind at work. Her imaginative play is thriving and her story lines with these jolly Christmas characters are lovely. She knows to be gentle when handling them. When our 'real' friends come over to play Bea and I place our jolly bunch on a high shelf where they will be safe. When she tucks them into their little bed at night she is sweet and caring and it warms my heart.

Sharing her chocolate with Frostina

Mrs Claus telling Bea something...

This past week we had a good helping of snow. Santa, Mrs. Claus, Frosty and Frostina are strictly forbidden from leaving the house. They were able to watch while MC and Bea made a snowman in the backyard/garden. Bea waved to them every once in a while...

Watching Bea and MC play in the snow

MC & Bea trying to eat falling snow 

"I'll play it first and tell you what it is later" ~ Miles Davis