Honoring our bellies - Weekending

Things are getting back to normal around here. We are back in Cologne, Aaron is alive and kicking as usual, only I am still fighting a cold still but our energy levels are definatly reloaded. Just about in time to do some last baby preparation activities.
When I was very pregnant with Aaron my friends daughter painted a wonderful dragon on my belly so we wanted to keep up that painting tradition and came back together for it again today. Only today we had a few more participants.

I absolutly adore the coloring pencils we used this time. They are Aarons normal pencils he uses to draw with a lot on paper. Giving them a little water turns them into water colors though. Size and shape are perfect for little (and big) hands, they never break and last forever. Genius, really! ( And I am not getting any money for saying this ;-) ) For belly painting you just dip the top in water and off you go! Just wipe it off with a wet cloth any time from the skin and if any color got into our clothes just give them a normal wash. No mess what so ever!

I hope you recognize the beautiful butterfly on my belly. Aaron got a fire brigade because he loves the "tutatata" as he calles the blue light hooter nowadays. My friends daughter wanted a flower herself and her brother (and my godson) asked for a monster truck... I tell you we had a very busy and funny sunday afternoon. How has been your weekend?

Joing Amanda from "the habit of being" for weekending

{this moment}

Joining Soulemama today for (this moment): A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Sunday of Plenty

Some days just feel so much larger than others, larger as in so much more stuff fits into that day than into an average one. I really don't know how that happens. If it all depends on the way you start your day? Possibly starting the day with freshly bakes scones helps? What do you think?

A walk after breakfast with some brought in lilacs (?) might also do the trick...

A day like that certainly needs a lot of yarn, yummy colors, maybe some dyeing even, no harm in that!

Definately giving some extra special moment to your enlarged day will be having a good chat with your Papa under a blanket without Mama to see you. Papa needs lots and lots of soccer on telly on a day like that and some running during Aarons nap time.

Mama needs this:

Yes! Enjoying my new spinning wheel, at the balcony, so much! With a cute little boy discovering his toes showing out of his new summer shoes, how weird...

And anyway, sunday living at the balcony, never to be underestimated! Ooops, there's been a road accident... (no hurt feelings here, we have done the chalk drawings way earlier, I don' think he even recognized that stickmann, so it just looks a bit evil in the picture).

Some late spring seeding of Physalis... (late, since I forgot the seeds in the freezer. Because on the package it said to give them two weeks of frost, it might have been a few more, I hope they survived...)

Of course a day like that needs good, fresh food. We had some asparagus-potato salat with chives, olive oil and a little salt. Sooooo yummy!

Knitting? Sure there has been a wee bit of that too. (Never mind my toe nails need some up doing...)

But even a day full of plenty like that comes to an end. Too bad I can't take my wheel to bed with me, so here it is once more. I am so in love :-)

How has been your weekend? I hope to see you over at Amandas for Weekending!

Edit: happyly joing in Woolly Wednesday this month too. 

{this moment}

Some time back, Soulemama came up with this wonderful tradition:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - 

{this moment}

Some time back, Soulemama came up with this wonderful tradition:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -

{this moment}

Some time back, Soulemama came up with this wonderful tradition:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - 

Bean Bag Tutorial

It all started this very rainy sunday afternoon with a very messy box full of elastic tapes, ribbons and bindings that was waiting to be sorted one day. The box and most of its contents were  thrifted goods I had collected over the years. Next to the box was this driftwood branch, it all came together when I read Mayas post from a few weeks ago. How simple and helpful! Even the plain idea of fixing the open ends with a pin had never ever crossed my mind before... oh my... Thank you Maya!

And may I use the opportunity and introduce you to my favorite pin cushion? It was part of a thrifted basket full of sewing stuff and knitting needles which I bought for 1,50 Euro last year, I was the luckiest girl of the day! I keep imagining the story of an old lady who made it when she was still a little girl, oh if only pin cushions could talk...

Anyway, sorting and organizing my ribbons I remembered the felt bean bag tutorial I saw via Pinterest the other day and within a few minutes I found myself making my, or rather Aarons own bean bags from fabric scraps and some of the never used ribbons. It is as simple as it could be:

Design yourself a pattern that looks simular to this one. Choose two pieces of fabric and track the pattern with a magic marker. Cut, fold (should probably be done even as the very first step but I am very lazy when it comes to ironing), lay right sides together and pin.

Sew along the round edge leaving the straight side open. Secure beginning and end.

Turn inside out and fold the straight edges to the inside.

Choose some ribbons or long pieces of fabric or yarn. Tie a knot in one end. Fill the bag with beans, or popcorn mais ( if you find your shelfs without beans on a sunday afternoon, like me)

Stick the tied ribbons into the beans and secure the bag with pins.

Sew up and down the opening a couple of times in small stitches to make sure the ribbons get really fixed strongly to the bag.

Enjoy your bean bag. If you make three or four with the same weight they can also be great for juggling.

{this moment}

Some time back, Soulemama came up with this wonderful tradition:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - 

First Art

Inspired by this book, we continued to check out the kitchen shelfs today and came up with something very amazing: aluminium foil. We had a blast! There is so much to do with this stuff, wrapping, squeezing, rolling, picking, hiding, throwing, covering, sculpturing...

Did you know you acctually see light through aluminium foil? I didn't. 

And for those of you who might get stomache pain to see the waste of such very hard to recycle material, I know, I though about it too. But then again, its a one time experience for him, I will not let him play with stuff like that everyday. Most of what we played with can be reused in the kitchen ( I need it to cover my baking because our oven is not working quite right). 

First Art - the book I was talking about gives lots and lots of ideas for art experiences with toddlers and twos. I am going to show you all of what we play out in the next month, it so much fun!

Edit: Aaron rarely tries to take objects into his mouth, still I had to supervise all his actions in this project carefully as there where small pieces of foil everywhere. So please make sure to be extra cautious!