A Post Worth Sharing ...

This is terrible ... I have no time or energy to blog these days. Sorry :(

My time is being taken up by this and this. Oh yeah, and this!

However, I do want to share an amazing post with you all regarding making your own toys for children. I have decided that Santa is only bringing handmade toys this year, so this post was a big help.

Thank you Amy.

Love,
Jodi

Holding On to Summer.

We, like many of you, are doing all we can to hold on to the last days of summer here in the U.S.

We are wading in our pools ...
We are painting outdoors (some of us paint naked) ...
We are sharing quiet moments under the trees with our new puppy ...
We are eating outdoors as much as possible ...
And we are basking in the glow of the sun as often as we can ...

Soon, the colors will change, the birds will leave, and we will bunker down for winter. But for now, we are continuing to enjoy every last moment of summer in Maine.

Have you ever been to Maine in summer? If not, you really should. No life should be lived without experiencing the beauty, abundance and simplicity of Maine. Come on over, there are still a few days of summer left! But if you miss it, there is always fall! Did I mention that no life should be lived without experiencing Maine in Autumn ?

Love,
Jodi

Coming Soon ... My Sewing Room!

Lots of work to do ... but I will be back tomorrow :)

Love,
Jodi

Antiquing With Bobo.

On Tuesday, Isaac, Meg and I spent the day shopping with Grandma Bobo (my Mom). It was a real treat. We went to Pizza Hut (Daddy came too), Downtown Bangor (where Meg bought a Webkin), the Antique Store (see above & below), and the Farmer's Market (more about that later).

How many people can take their 2-year old to an antique store? I can! Isaac and Meg just love antiquing ... because, of course, there are so many unique treasures to be found. Isaac loves to walk around looking at various items while exclaiming, "Mama. that niiiice!" And Meg truly appreciates the beauty and history of older objects. She has her heart set on an old wicker baby buggy that is just $2,200.00!

And I just love when I take the kids into a higher-end antique store like this one. The clerks all give me the hairy eyeball as though I have some kind of nerve to bring kids into the store. But I have full confidence that the kids will be respectful ... and they always are. So, I ignore the stares and carry on with pride.

No one bought anything on this trip to the antique store ... but we wanted to :) Meaghan loved anything to do with babies, Isaac loved the above mirror (notice that he is checking out his tongue?), Mom had her heart set on an old hoosier, and I ooohed and ahhhed over all sorts of things that my Mom thought of as downright ugly (but I am certain many of you would appreciate).

Have a Great Weekend!

Love,

Jodi

3rd ANNUAL DOG DAY.

This past Saturday was a special treat for both Isaac and his new puppy, Chase. They attended their first "outing" together ... to the "Downtown Dog Day" in Bangor. There were SO many dogs there. It was somewhat overwhelming for the puppy and me, but Isaac thought it was wonderful. Every time that someone would stop to pat Chase, Isaac would beam with pride and share in the patting.

He also decided (very firmly I might add) that he was going to be the one to hold his puppy's leash. This was new for both of them. And all went fairly well.

Except for when Chase wouldn't do what Isaac wanted ...

And Isaac began to get frustrated ...

So, Mommy took over. And Isaac found an opportunity to dance & sing instead ...

It was a short but sweet outing with our Chase. I was quite surprised to see that there were many Australian Shepherds there. I have always thought of them as somewhat rare, but I am finding that they are becoming quite popular. Most folks I talked to about them stated that the breed is simply the best family dog. I agree. So does Isaac :)

Love,
Jodi