Hi.

Hi there...yes every thing's fine.
Right after I wrote that last post me and the entire fam came down with the plague! 3 weeks of misery.
It was during that time, while I was too sick to care about the computer, I realized how much time I HAD been spending on computer. So, since then, I've seriously cut down on my blog time.

I'm pretty sure this will be at least a long term, if not permanent, change... and felt like you all deserved at least a quick explanation.

Back into the sunshine....

New Hat...Off to Finland...

Kai Models a New hat style which was the brilliant idea of a sweet customer in Finland. She ordered a Whimsy hat in a "girly, but not too girly" stripe and requested ear flaps and ties. She left the color/design up to me and this is what I came up with.
All I have to say is thank goodness for my customers and their great taste. This is my absolute favorite hat of all time....and it never would have come to be without the magical process of working with a customer to come up with the perfect product for them.

Thrift Score...

On one of my Thrift Store trips I found this Great Catherineholm Enamelware Dutch oven with the lid! It's a beauty...made in Norway in the 60's. This is the Lotus pattern in Green/White. Love this stuff almost as much as my vintage Pyrex.

Christmas Gifts Revealed...

Here are the Capes and hats I made the boys for the holidays this year....

The flashlights from Santa complete the ensemble.

I hadn't really intended them as a 'set'...

so funny.


More gift photo's coming soon.

Our Small Box Life...

I've started a new blog...a place to delve a bit deeper into our goals to change our family's consumer ways. It's called...Our Small Box Life.

An excerpt from my first post:

The goal here is to explore the process of adjusting the course of our suburban middle class life from the status quo...to that of a more socially and environmentally responsible family.


To move from the Big Box to the small box.



Can a single income, middle class, family of four, afford, monetarily, to transition all of our purchases from conventional big box stores...with their, at times, unethically obtained low prices...to smaller, local 'small box' stores?

We aren't a family that can afford to just begin shopping at Whole Foods and buying all organic, free trade cotton clothes at full price.

But, can we afford ethically not to?


We have gradually burdened ourselves with a budget which is based on spending habits that weren't taking into consideration the impact of an immediate gratification, disposable goods, American dream lifestyle. This means our mortgage, monthly bills, grocery budget and discretionary spending are set up accommodate the cost of cheap, mass farmed, low quality, produce and disposable, unimaginative, big-box, clothing.

We'll have to be creative in order to live the life we know we need to.


The plan is for this blog to document all of the changes we make, big and small, as we slowly replace the old life, and all it's burdens, with the new. Any discoveries about things which are helpful or harmful I'll post here for your consideration.

Hat Happy...

(Me in my Pixie hat)

(Our Friend Hanna in her Acorn hat)

(Our Lucia in her Pixie Hat with her sweet baby Hanna in her Acorn hat)

(Me , Kai (He dresses himself!..I had nothing to do with that) and Luke in our hats)



So...
I've been hat Crazy over here. The Whimsy hats are a constant,
but now I've taught myself to Crochet
and the hat production has picked up a bit

I'm really focused on (obsessed with) pointy topped hats...
I just love that Elfin, Woodland Nymph, Forest Fairy look.

If you glance up at that top photo of me you'll notice I have some pixie in me.

As you might imagine when we're all out and about in our hats we get quite a bit of attention.
Lucky for me my boys love to wear their hats...never been hat yanker offers.
I don't know what I'd do..