When the white feet of dancers beat across the stage
the sound is like the wings of birds at dawn, fluttering,
and when the feathery light bodies rise en pointe, spinning
like the wind across a lake, the sight is romance, uttering.
Variation on a Theme by D. H. Lawrence
David Ira Rottenberg from Soldiers of Beauty
Watch Amalie dance. She glows with joy, flying free upon tiny feet. She thrills to the sound of applause, shining in the spotlight. See her sweet delight in a miniature bouquet from her most ardent fans, Mommy and Daddy, on this special night. Dance with joy, my darling little girl,
Kisses,
Mommy
Twirl! Swirl!
Tiny ballet shoes pranced and danced.
Slide! Glide!
Little tutu’s bobbed and bounced.
Presented for your viewing pleasure are this year’s Nutcracker Ballerinas, in all their winter glory.
Excited chatter rises as the four-year olds, otherwise known as the Candy Canes, take their seats.
Only to die down into pre-performance nerves.
Ah, but it’s worth the thrill of being on stage!
My very own sweet candy cane, Amalie!
One performance down, one to go! A star’s life is a busy one! 
Every year, Chris and I go a-questing for the Perfect Christmas Tree.
Truth be told, I am the instigator of this quest, as Chris is dragged along, probably secretly dreaming of the Perfect Bike Ride. The search for the Perfect Tree can throw me into a frenzy of eyeballing, shaking, and stroking any tree that might be The One. This search can take hours, beginning with selecting the Perfect Tree Farm, because, yes, we cut our own fresh tree. For those of you that are silently gasping at the waste of a good tree, let me assure you that the farms we go to cut high enough on the trunk that the tree regenerates itself.
One year, I insisted on a Silvertip Tree. The lovely Silvertip has nice sturdy branches, that are well spaced, allowing room for our collection of ornaments. Unfortunately, in a warm clime such as California, Silvertip are prone to aphids. The aphid secretly coupled in the elegantly decorated tree, until masses of insects started falling off, crystalized in hardened drops of sap. No more Silvertips for us.
The following year I decided only a Balsam Fir would do. Balsam Firs do grow in California. Waaaaay high up in the mountains. Hours of driving later, near to dusk, we finally found the Perfect Tree Farm that grew Balsam Firs. Chris, who had done the driving, took on a distinctly Scrooge-like appearance, insisting that I find the Perfect Tree before the sun fully set, so that we could be home before midnight. Needless to say, that was the first and last year we bought a Balsam Fir.
Two years ago we purchased a White Fir, seduced by a discount coupon that came in the mail. Apparently, many other budget minded people were seduced as well, and by the second year, few perfect trees were left, and those were marked up considerably. Exhausted from hours of searching in the chill rain, and fearing that the Scrooge would be a permanent addition to Chris’s personality, I selected a Not Perfect Tree. After bringing it home, the tree leaned drunkenly in the stand, and refused to look symmetrical regardless of which way it was turned. It also vengefully began dropping needles shortly after being decorated, ignorant of the honor bestowed upon it.
This year we tried a new Perfect Tree Farm. The back entrance was right next to Amalie’s favorite Apple Farm, and we planned on letting her go on a pony ride and eat donuts after selecting the Perfect Tree.
The morning dawned crisp and clear. We packed into the SUV and drove up to the Perfect Tree Farm. After being directed into the correct stand of White Firs, we began the search, Amalie riding high on Chris’s shoulders.
“How about this one?” I suggested, thrilled that I found The Perfect Tree so soon. “Mmmm, maybe. Let’s keep looking.” suggested Chris, not quite ready to choose one. “This one?” he said, pointing to another. “No, it’s too bushy.” I replied. “This one?”, he said, but no that one wasn’t right either. “Over there! Go over there!” shouted Amalie, getting into the game. Hours later, Chris had disappeared, and the Scrooge was back. Perhaps having a four-year old riding on your shoulders and dictating where you must go wasn’t all that much fun! Finally, we all agreed on The Perfect Tree. A nice tree cutter cut it down for us.
Then it was up to the Scrooge to get it tied down to the roof of the SUV. Sadly, the Scrooge struggles with the art of tree tying every year, and this year was no exception. Giving even the orignal Ebeneezer Scrooge a run for his money in the grumpiness department, Chris declared the tree firmly tied down. Amalie enjoyed her pony ride and an apple donut for lunch, as it was much too late to get her home for a healthy lunch. The rest of the day and the next morning, my mom, Amalie and I decorated the Perfect Tree, the Scrooge beating a hasty retreat for a mood enhancing bike ride.
That evening as we sat by a roaring fire, Chris declared that it was indeed, the Perfect Tree.
Next year I’m going plastic.
Meet Ava Rosemeyer.
Isn’t she beautiful? Look at those tender eyes, that precious smile.
She is gone.
Gone. Here no more.
A pang tears at me when I type those words.
She is the child of Sheye Rosemeyer, a wonderful blogger and photographer.
Lost to a baking hot Australian summer day, in just 30 minutes. I can only imagine the anguish the Rosemeyer family struggles with each and every day.
I so wish I could help, and in this tiny way, maybe I can. Sheye made this postcard to help prevent tragedies such as the one she is living through.
Read it.
Teach it.
And live.
Sunday morning was spent on one of our favorite fall activities. Apple Hill, as the area is known, boasts numerous apple farms.
Although the Big People go for the delicious apple pies and fresh picked apples, Amalie lives for the pony rides.
Groaning shelves of apple preserves tempts the cook, and hot apple donuts, paired with apple cider makes for a delish breakfast.
When Amalie is a bit older, we will cave in to her demands to climb into the leafy branches of the apple trees and pick her very own apples.
Loaded down with all kinds of apple goodies, we make our way back home. But before we go, here’s a dandelion wish for you!
I’ve been sick.
The seasonal flu struck me down for a week, and then the next week has been spent trying to catch up. So, let me catch you up on all the happenings here.
First of all, the fair I had a booth in…well, lets just say it was a bust. My only consolation is that it wasn’t me. None of the vendors sold much, and that’s because hardly anyone came to the fair. I would say there was a serious lack of advertising. The good thing that came out of it is that I have some new items to restock the Etsy shop with. I love this cute Aroma Tote!
Then came the Studio 49 Fiber Retreat. That was fun. Except I started to come down with the flu on the drive up there, and then spent the rest of the weekend ill. I certainly hope I didn’t infect anyone.
Saturday, I mustered a bit of energy and took Amalie to Old Folsom, and had a gelato with her at our favorite hang out, The Black Rooster.
While I was hiding out at home, fall began to make an appearance. I love fall. In California, fall is a slow process. Trees gradually shed their tired, olive-green colors and assume the festive yellows, pink, reds, and oranges of fall. Rather than all turning at once, different varieties of trees take their turns. Nut trees shed their leaves and leave the ripe fruits hanging from bare branches. Hopefully I can enjoy the rest of the season without getting sick again!
I couldn’t leave you with out this adorable picture of Amalie…
Saturday I drove down to Dixon California for the annual Lambtown Festival.
Lambtown is a festival that is all about the fiber arts. Located in Dixon CA, the fairground is a well maintained site for a festival. There are sheep herding contests, sheep shearing contests, angora bunnies, and alpaca on display.
Many contests take place at Lambtown, including fleece, alpaca, and angora judging.
Below is an angora shearing demonstration.
Judges sort through fleece entered in the competition.
Participants in the Sheep To Shawl Competition.
Completed projects can be entered in contests as well. My friend Sarah took first, second and third places in the hand spun yarn competition. Another friend of mine won prizes for her hand spun and knit socks, and jacket. I was so thrilled for their success!
Lambtown has a nice Market, where many booths offer all kinds of goodies to tempt the spinner and knitter. Kristine and Adriann from A Verb For Keeping Warm were there. They offer exceptional fiber and yarn, dyed with all natural dyes. They’re an amazing, talented and delightful team!
I purchased a yummy cormo fleece from Sue Reuser
( Cormo Sheep @ Wool Farm). The fleece is from a cormo sheep named Goldie won 4th place in a judging. I’m going to be spinning a number of un-dyed skeins and selling them in my Etsy shop, Enchanted. Handspun blanks (as they are called) are wonderful for creative people wanting to dye their own yarn.
Look at all the amazing bins of fleece Sue displayed!
Also at the fair was Carolina Homespun. I purchased some more bobbins and a super speed flyer from them.
Below is a photo of some gorgeous hand carved spindles available for sale.
I couldn’t resist the opportunity to purchase a Chinchilla blended fiber. I’ve never spun chinchilla before. The owner (I didn’t catch her name) was there with her chinchillas. She was really sweet, and so were her cute chinchillas!
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Loaded down with my goodies and a cold lemon aide, I made my way back to the car. Perhaps next year I’ll participate in a contest or two!
On Sunday, we celebrated Amalie’s 4th birthday. Being the craft loving person that I am, I made all the decorations. Except the balloons of course!
Some of my ideas came from The Party Dress, a wonderful blog I found recently. Just looking at that blog makes me want to throw more parties!
I filled the vintage candy jars with sugared almonds in pink, lavender, and yellow layers. Goody boxes that I made and filled with stickers from The Paper Peddler, and delicious scented bath fizzes from Sassy Scrubs n Such, were an idea from a book titled Great Parties. It had the box template inside, so all I had to do was make a copy and enlarge it to the size I wanted. I stamped the boxes with stamps from Terbear Collectibles, and found satin ribbon on clearance from Michaels to tie them on with.
I baked lots of cupcakes, lemon, and chocolate with strawberry frosting at Amalie’s request. Recipies can be found at Epicurious. They were SO yummy! I would be amiss if I didn’t tell you that Chris made a self serve taco bar, with warm bread slices, home made hummus, a platter of pickled condiments, fruit kabobs with honey yogurt dipping sauce, and home made pigs-in-a-blanket. Didn’t I mention he likes to cook?
Look at this adorable pot with it’s little sheep! You can get him, and other cuties at The Plushie Foundry.
However, I think the best part was when Julie, with Nature’s Critters arrived. She gave a wonderful, fun and informative performance with the most unusual, and interesting animals. The kids were so excited! They could hold the animals (and insects!) if they wanted to. I’ll show you a few of my favorite pictures.
Aren’t Samantha and the Hedgehog cute?
Amalie with a huge snake!
And her favorite, a tree frog!
Wow, did we ever have a great time! Now, wonder what I will do for Amalie’s 5th birthday party?
Amalie appeared from her afternoon nap mysteriously naked.
Without a word, she padded to her easel, and pulled out her paints. She painted. She evaluated. Once in a while she would hug herself with delight. At last the master piece was completed. “Look Mama! A wainbow!” If only I could be so natural, so spontaneous. If only my dreams spurred me straight to the easel, a painting awaiting birth. I’m afraid those days are over for me (what if the UPS man rang the door?!), but I certainly do enjoy them vicariously through my daughter.
Here’s a cute picture of her dressed in her tutu, ready to leave for ballet class.
Sometimes when I am questing about on ebay for vintage fabric, I run across vintage clothing.
It’s easy for me to pass up the highly coveted christening gowns, and silken baby bonnets. But the little torn and tattered frocks, with no bidders, those I can’t pass by. They tell a story you see, one that I can almost hear. The whispering of gentle days gone by, the laughter of children playing croquet on the lawn, or the gentle splashing of floating boats across the pond, are a siren call I can’t resist.
As my needle and thread repair the little frock, I dream it will live again, and share wonderful new times with my own little girl.
