Still here...

we had the stomach bug this last week and are just trying to get things back on track. I will post soon! I do have a new session to share here so you can check out a few photo's from the session.

DEADLINE!

Ok, so I though noone would participate, so I am moving the deadline to Friday and instead of 5 pictures, take 2. This book is awesome and remember, everyone is a winner ;) So get busy with you domesticity! Do something creative in the kitchen, make something, etc... We are all artists, we just have to find what motivates our creative side! Don't be shy and remember it's just for fun!

lunches...

I love packing lunch for Bella! She is such a good eater (always has been) and so therefore I enjoy packing healthy bento's for her everyday. On occasion she decides she would like to eat at school so I get to sleep a few minutes later in the morning and forgo my normal lunch packing routine. She loved "chicken with the bone" or what we call chicken legs and the little mini salad bar fit for miniature vegetarians in the making. It really is tiny and surreal! Although the chicken legs are tantalizing to her taste buds at first, she quickly decides she likes her mommy made lunches which tickles me pink :) So, here is a look at a few typical lunches for Bella. I do get more interesting with lunches, but hey I don't have time to take pictures and do a gourmet style lunch, so this is what you get this evening.




As if I haven't exposed you enough to our weirdness, here is a typical breakfast in the Vaught house. MARMITE! YUM! It's a British thing and I knocked it, but once I tried it I was hooked. It's loaded with vitamins too which was a bonus for me when the kids decided they liked it too. Just so you know, it's a gummy, gooey, dark brown paste that smells pretty bad in the jar. But on toast with butter it takes the cake!

Circa 1960...

This was such a great year! Here's a look at my highschool sweetheart. Gee wiz he was handesome!
Want to play? Go to Year Book Yourself

the farm.

Last weekend we visited granny and papa Bob. He has bladder cancer and has been going through radiation for the last few weeks and seems to be doing great for a 90 year old man! During our visit we took the kids to the farm my granny grew up on. I love it there. It is so peaceful and really encourages me to be more simple and enjoy the things in life that matter. It makes me want to grow a garden, sew a quilt, cook everything from my garden and be with family. My great uncle Jimmy (who always wears overalls) still lives there. He game me some treasures before we left including some old blacks and whites, a rusted out gingerbread man cookie cutter from the 40's, my great grandfather Mos's pay stub from 1948 and a bill of sale for the milk they used to sell. He also gave me some okra that I'm going to fry up this weekend. Funny b/c I don't fry anything so I'll have to do some research before I fry it! He walked up to the barn where there is 100 year old barn wood that they want us to take. It's beautiful and I have a few ideas for it ;) Like, ummm...wood floors! I think I convinced Tristan, right honey? So, we had fun. Poor Bella walked through a nest of fire ants and has the stings all over her feet to prove it. Never wear flip flops to a farm ;)

Also on that trip, granny gave me some treasures as well, one of them being a quilt made by my great, great Aunt Serene. It has motivated me to sew a quilt which I'm planning my design right now! I'm so excited! I'm going to make one for both the kids, the quilt top that is. I just need someone to finish the backing and embroidering so let me know if you know of someone. Ok, so now for the pics....

Domesticity...

Not domestic. That's what my artistic side has been up too lately.


I ordered this wonderful book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity: Stitching, Baking, Nature, Art & the Comforts of Home, the other day that ha set my muse on fire. And just to get you all motivated, I am having a contest for all of you in the blogospehere. Here are the rules:

1. Take 5 photos of what domesticity means to you. Remember, domesticity is NOT about daily mundane chores. It's more about the art of being domesticated. How do you reflect your creativity in your home, cooking, etc...

2. The deadline is Monday, September 15th at noon.

3. The prize is a copy of The Gentle Art of Domesticity.

4. You have to post the 5 photos on your blog if you have one. If you don't, you can e-mail me the photos at anvaught@cox.net

5. Leave a comment with your blog so I can check it out!

6. Everyone that participates is a winner (hint, hint)!

Don't worry about "how good" the photos look. It's more about you and your style!

Have fun! Here are some examples of things in my home that make me happy and the art of my domesticity to get you going:

This chair was $15 and my wonderful hubby upholstered it for me! I love it!

These are photos from Flossy's room :)



I have also been reminiscing lately and ordered the whole series of My So Called Life. I have been watching it every night (almost) since. I remember relating to that show so well in high school. Oh and Jordan Catalono is and still is such a cutie ;) I had a huge crush on him! I also had to share a pic of the cute collar that I bought for Fiona on Etsy. What dog doesn't look Divine in red damask?

Oh my son...how much you brighten my day. Never mind the pounding pain in my head at the end of the day. I look back and say "mommy can't stay up and play!" Three years have gone by and while the first 2.5 years were hard, I can't imagine a day without your kind heart, your cheeky grin and your big eyes looking at me saying "I love you mama". It makes the world go round for me and being a mother is bigger than life itself. I can't imagine the day when my chicks will leave the nest.

I have missed having my Bella at home during the day, bossing Ro around, helping me fold washcloths, begging to watch a movie, secretly watching her sing in her room or play with her barbies in a high pitched voice. I know, though, that the time has come for her to spread her wings a little and I am embracing that. Just like I have embraced Ro turning 3. I know the next year will be filled with growth spurts and growing pains and thinking ahead is bitter sweet.

I never want to forget moments like today though. We were getting ready to meet daddy for lunch and Jude was sitting on the potty. I kept hearing the toilet flush so I anxiously ran into the bathroom gritting my teeth. I had reason to when I looked down and saw that he "tinkled" all over his pants (due to poor aim) and while sitting there was consistently and precisely flushing the potty with the end of the toilet paper in the bowl. It went something like this: one flush, the roll of toilet paper rolls a little releasing more tp into the toilet...next flush, more toilet paper rolls down, etc..etc... What amazes me is that it never broke (the trail of tp that is).

The next unforgettable moment happened when we were at Target. A nice older lady was explaining to me how wonderful the Method floor cleaner is. The next thing I know, Jude is laughing hysterically at himself. I glanced down at his shirt to see a soaking wet shirt that smelled like citrus. Well...citrus with about 30 other chemicals in it. Is febreeze furniture polish organic? I freaked and was out of wipees so I drug him away, with the old lady still talking mind you, to the nearest wipes which were across the store by the diapers, saying don't put your hands in your mouth over and over again. I ripped open a package of those suckers and wiped him down, making him wear his shirt unbuttoned the rest of the trip. Now, his brand new Small Paul shirt (awesomely discounted from $40 to $10) smelled like well...you can imagine.

So, that again was part of our day in a nutshell. What would I do without days like this? Well...life would be pretty boring for me and I wouldn't laugh enough. Thank you baby boy, for making me laugh at the little things :) Now I'm off to pick up my other muse from k-gartin and I'm bursting inside to see her and smooch her! It's my favorite part of the day. Pictures to post later!

In a nutshell...

I'm still here :) I took a little blog break for the last few weeks due to the overload I have been experiencing. I seem to start projects all at once instead of one at a time, so my house has been chaos. We are in the process of finishing up the kids rooms, the playroom and the office. Pictures to follow (in a later post). Not to mention the demands of kindergartin ;) We have just been busy...

Last Thursday we went to Celeste's gallery opening at the Stonehouse Gallery. It was beautiful and there were so many amazing artists there and so much I wanted to buy.

Sunday we had family over for some awesome chicken curry, salad and granola bread (Harvest Bread Co.). Trisan's parents are moving to a town about 2 hours from Boston this month so we wanted to get everyone together before they left. It was alot of fun and the kids really enjoyed playing with their cousins.



Stella spent the night ad the girls had fun staying up late reading in the tent!




Isabella came home from school today with some amazing art! She must get it from Aunt Celeste ;) The art teacher at school is wonderful and he is teaching the kindergardener's how to draw things, for example flowers. Isabella drew a sunflower, a bouquet and some tulips wih a remarkable resemblance to the actual flowers!!! She has always been very artistic, but I was really impressed with her flowers.

I spent the after school hours putting together B's new bunk bed. I am pretty good with a drill. It's empowering using one ;) So, that's about it in a nutshell...