Amabellen

Little Paul

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:00 PDT

Harry's brother, Paul, came for a visit this evening. Okay, so we're not sure if this sweet little pup is actually Harry's brother. Half-brother—maybe. Honorary brother—for sure! The girls fell in love with Paul. They were barely willing to share him with big brother Harry. Our friends, Hillary and Matt, generously let the girls pamper their puppy, even allowing Amabel and Ellen to snuggle Paul up in a doll bed. I knew the girls would be excited...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Springing

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:00:00 PDT

The world all around us is coming alive. Amabel came in this morning saying, "It smells so good outside. Mama, you have to come out and just smell." Today we finished listening to The Secret Garden as an audiobook—and what wonderful timing. Amabel and I were amazed to learn that the story was written over 100 years ago. It is truly a timeless classic. I love Dicken's use of the Yorkshire word "wick" to tell Mary that the garden is still alive and well....

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Meet the Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:53:00 PDT

We brought home eight chicks this week! Amabel and Ellen have been getting to know their babies (they just hatched on Monday!), watching them, snuggling them, and naming them. We have two Barred Rock chicks: Fuzzy and Sleepy; Two Isa Brown chicks: Cheepa and Isa; Two Australorp chicks: Star and Pingu; And two Buff Orpington chicks: Ling and Ting. Harry is both curious and puzzled. On one hand, he already seems protective of the little balls of...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Get Real: Learning at Home

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:26:00 PDT

I recently read a series of blog posts titled "Get Real: Learning at Home" including a particularly moving piece by Heather Fontenot, co-founder of the online magazine, Rhythm of the Home. I like this idea of "getting real" about certain topics on the blog, especially because we all know that the world we create on our blogs is not "real" life. Not one bit. Real life is much messier, much louder, and much more wonderful than life on the blog. But I still like it here....

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

An Unhurried Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:48:00 PDT

This slow spring has primed us to be grateful—ever so grateful—for each gradual change as it happens outside. New birds visiting the feeder. Spring peepers! Shy bulbs peeking up out of the earth. Swelling buds on sleepy trees. In a month, the grasses in front of our house will be up to Ellen's shoulders. The shrubs and vines and trees will be thick with leaves; it will be a virtual jungle for little people. But today, the meadow belongs to them....

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Spring at Last

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:35:00 PDT

What a joy to be outside in the sunshine and warmth this afternoon! The girls took off their hats; Ellen spotted a robin; Harry rolled around on the dry grass and pine needles; Amabel said she never wanted to go inside again; And we all admired our garden bed full of garlic shoots . . . spring at last!

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

A Little More Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:39:00 PDT

Did I forget to mention our ice storm last weekend? It was a beautiful, magical world outside with all those delicate spring buds encased in ice!

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Water and the Future of the Great Lakes

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:25:00 PDT

I'm posting from work today, hoping to get the word out about our upcoming speaker event! If you are local (or even if you live far away!), I hope you'll take a look at the Leelanau Conservancy website where you can learn more about our speaker series. I've been working closely with the speakers, panelists, and other participating organizations, and I'm very grateful for the enthusiasm shown by so many people as we coordinate all the pieces of this event! Here on my...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Maple Sugaring

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:54:00 PDT

My brother-in-law, Aric, let me follow him around last week as he collected sap from his beautiful forested land. His enthusiasm for tapping trees and making syrup this year has truly buoyed me through these final weeks of late winter/early spring. What wonderful motivation to get outside! Inspired by Aric, and recent sugaring posts from Amanda and Nate, I asked if I could take a few photos. And not only did Aric let me take photos (and humor my requests to bring jars of...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Blackbird Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:49:00 PDT

On Tuesday afternoons for the past two months, Ellen and I took a mother and child yoga class while Amabel enjoyed a mixed-media clay class. Our teachers at Blackbird Arts were fantastic and the classes were a highlight of our especially wintery winter. Not only did we appreciate the warm, welcoming creative art and studio spaces—we also made wonderful new friends and renewed a couple of friendships! Each week after our yoga class with other mamas and little ones,...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Dirt

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:44:00 PDT

It's still white outside. Very white. But this week, in celebration of the first day of spring, we had to seek out some dirt (and make a few messes in the process!). First, there was a little kitchen table project: tiny inside gardens with wheatgrass seed, cherry twig trees, and a few other surprises thrown in for good measure. And then today we had an adventure to our dear friend's greenhouse. Tucked behind a mountain of snow is a secret balmy world—the...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Another Adventure on the Ice

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:51:00 PDT

Watching Amabel ice skating on North Lake Leelanau was breathtaking. A slight thaw and then refreeze—combined with just enough wind to blow the snow off patches of ice—made for excellent conditions. Ice skating on the lake yesterday was particularly magical after reading a beautiful book: Twelve Kinds of Ice written by Ellen Bryan Obed and illustrated by Barbara McClintock. If you have children who love to skate (or if you are an adult who loves to skate!), we...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Mid-March Weather Report 2013 :: 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:16:00 PDT

Today, Wednesday, March 13, 2013: Sunshine, 28 degrees, blowing and drifting snow, mountain climbing, and a sled dog ride. Last year, Wednesday, March 14, 2012: Sunshine, 70 degrees, chocolate ice cream, and a mud bath!

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Meet Rosalind

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:19:00 PDT

First Skye, now Rosalind! A friend asked about all the doll making going on over here recently, and I explained to her that sewing dolls is a new thing for me. For a long time I was very intimidated by the idea. But after making my first two dolls in December, I realized that it wasn't as difficult as I'd thought. And once Amabel and Ellen watched me make a doll from start to finish, they took an interest in the whole process and wanted to be involved. A doll really...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

The Sled Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:56:00 PST

The sled dog is making progress! He now eagerly pulls both girls down a hill and across level ground. I usually stay out in front. But sometimes I can't keep up. (Ask Amabel to tell you about the "sled dog incident" from this morning!) Harry takes his responsibility quite seriously: looking after the girls is his favorite job. But, don't worry—we don't work him too hard!

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Meet Skye

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:43:00 PST

Meet Skye Penderwick: the newest doll to join our family and a character in our current favorite series of chapter books, The Penderwicks. Since Skye was finished yesterday morning, she has not left Ellen's side. We started her last weekend, using this pattern from Hillary Lang's shop. I find it quite humorous to look back at the lovely pictures in Hillary's pattern, because our Skye looks so very different from Hillary's dolls . . . but I'm getting ahead of myself....

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Dreaming of Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 03:00:00 PST

Be sure to visit the newest edition of Rhythm of the Home this week if you are dreaming of spring! I am so pleased to be joining the wonderful contributors there again, writing about Rebirth.

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

On the Ice

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:45:00 PST

Our neighbor, Mike, loves to fish. He has been wanting to show Amabel and Ellen his ice shanty—waiting to find the perch (or for the perch to find him). And early this week we got a phone call: the fish had arrived! We all suited up and ventured out on the ice (for those interested, we were out on North Lake Leelanau). It was late afternoon and the light was fading behind already thick clouds. But deep below, in the hole inside the shanty, the water was a...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Green Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:38:00 PST

Do you remember our magic beans from last fall? Here they are, dried and wrinkled now. Not quite so vibrant, but full of magic just the same. Full of possibility for the season ahead. It isn't even March yet, but I have a confession to make. I bought some potting soil yesterday. The owner of the plant shop had to bundle up, venture out into the cold, and pull it off a snow-covered pallet. I lugged the big bag of frozen earth back to the car, with Amabel...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Dear Jenny :: Work and Play

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:00:00 PST

I just never know what I'll find tucked into a corner; on a shelf top; in a desk drawer; or set up all over the floor. There was a lemonade stand in Amabel's room this morning after a performance of the Wizard of Oz. Although to be precise, I should say that it was actually a rehearsal for the Wizard of Oz. And a failed rehearsal, because Amabel abandoned the idea after trying in vain to get Ellen to memorize lyrics from the scarecrow's song ("I could while away...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Saturday Sunshine

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:18:00 PST

We've been blessed with two gloriously sunny Saturday mornings in a row (and snow every single day in between). I think it's almost impossible to take the sun for granted when it hasn't made an appearance for a whole week! Thanks to all the snow we've had this winter, Amabel is getting lots of practice on skis, and she is becoming very good at going up and down hills. Watching her learn to ski has been one of my great joys this season. Not only is she growing...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

At the Kitchen Table

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 07:13:00 PST

Our kitchen table has been a busy place this week with Valentines's Day around the corner and the release of Alphabet Glue: Volume Eleven! There is so much to love in this issue, but the very first thing to jump out at us was the foldable file cabinets project. After much debate over who they wanted to make these for (which dolls would it be?), Amabel and Ellen decided that we should make our file boxes and folders even smaller than Annie's pattern. So, we printed out the...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

The Way Back Home

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 08:53:00 PST

If I could have taken you along on a glorious morning ski yesterday, this is what we would have seen together, gliding through peaceful acres of orchards on our way back home.

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Ice Skating :: Finding Balance

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:11:00 PST

There was a layer of snow on top of the ice rink on Friday morning. I shoveled some off to make a slick patch for Amabel and then realized that Ellen was much happier "skating" on a couple of inches of fluff. I left more than half the rink covered with a layer of padding for Ellen. She grinned at me and toddled off on her own. Amabel, on the other hand, spent most of her time on the patch of slick ice: "breaking the speed limit," turning, going backwards, and...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.

Space on the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Zane) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 03:30:00 PST

Part of my work this winter involves coordinating speaker events—helping to bring experts to Leelanau County who will talk about our water. Water in the Great Lakes. There has been quite a buzz about lake levels this year: Lake Michigan water levels recently matched a record low set in 1964. In some places along our peninsula this simply looks like a whole lot more beach. In other places this looks like mucky, rocky shoreline stretching out for hundreds of feet, causing...

- Please click on the title of this post for the complete post and accompanying photographs at Amabellen.