The Artful Parent

A Fancy Braid

Maia has been asking for a fancy braided hairdo and we finally had the time to create one after a bath last weekend. She surprised me with her patience as I spiraled a french braid around her head.

Raspberry Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I'm a bit obsessed right now. With raspberries, lemon zest, and cream cheese. All wrapped up in a delicious and addictive coffee cake. Perfect for breakfast, second breakfast (um, should I admit to a third breakfast?), after-school snack, and dessert.

I've been baking and tweaking this raspberry lemon cream cheese coffee cake three times in the past week.

It was so good. And it just kept getting better.

It all started with this coffee cake by Pinch of Yum (my new favorite cooking blog!).

A Chalkboard Masterpiece

Daphne is really coming into her own as an artist. At two and a half, she's no longer simply joining in on her sister's art activities or engaging in those that I initiate, but rather taking the lead more and more.

I'm sure you know how happy that makes me!

Yesterday, while I was rearranging and cleaning the living room in preparation for the photoshoot for the cover of my book (yay!), Daphne created a chalkboard masterpiece.

Flower Stained Glass

We brought a bit of the garden inside a few days ago, making another flower stained glass window—this time for the kitchen door. As before we used flower petals and contact paper. Super easy! And flowery beautiful, of course.

Sometimes we like our bouquets two dimensional.

I also like how it provides a level of privacy yet lets in more light than a curtain to our otherwise windowless kitchen.

I had this set up as a simple after school project to do with Maia and Daphne.

Thank You

I want to say a big thank you for all of your kind and thoughtful comments yesterday. I so appreciate them and you. Thank you.

I was surprised by how many of you thanked me for my brief and passing mention of depression. For being honest, as many of you put it. Which makes me feel dishonest, because it may have been the first time I've mentioned it but certainly not the first time I've felt it. It's been a rather hard fall/winter/spring for me although I've been able to keep my head up for the most part. It's not the first time I've danced with depression, either. I've been trying to outsmart, outread, and outthink it off and on since my teens. Not always successfully. Last time I really went under for a while. I know how hard it can be and it sounds like many of you do, too.

Thankful

Hello, my friends. I'm here. Sorry for the temporary halt in blog posts. I've had a little tussle with depression and illness and some medication that my body didn't care for, but have finally made my way back to the computer.

I think it's time for a (brief) thankful list.

I am thankful for...

My girls, who remind me every day of what's important

A garden to work in and care for

Flowers blooming all around me

Books and all the many amazing people who write them

The promise of long summer days to come

How about you? What are you thankful for?

A Two-Kid Wood Collage

Maia and Daphne created this wood collage yesterday, working on it off and on all day long. Maia was home sick from school and spent a lot of time on the sofa "sick bed," but also quite a bit of time gluing wood bits to a largish (2 feet by 2 feet) piece of wood alongside her sister.

The wood bits are from the DSS box I blogged about here. And the black wood is actually the old chalkboard from Maia's room. Together they make quite a minimalist yet striking artwork.

Making Garden Wish Flags

We made a new set of garden wish flags this past week, as part of our plan to increase the magic of our gardening space, and hung them in the backyard. These flags carry our wishes and hopes for the garden and for the gardening season. Let's hope they do the trick!

We first made garden wish flags a couple years ago (and blogged about them here) and absolutely loved them all season long. However I didn't hold on to them, figuring that they were best made fresh each year. We made a different kind last year, using the glue batik method. They were pretty awesome, but sadly we used the wrong kind of paint and they never made it out to the garden.

This year we went back to the good old fabric crayons for our wish flags.

Baking Cherry Hand Pies with the Kids

The girls and I baked these cherry hand pies a few days ago. So, so good! I was reminded about hand pies when I came across Amy Karol's rhubarb hand pies on pinterest the other day. We've made blueberry hand pies (inspired by her Angry Chicken post), and I would so love to make the rhubarb ones just as soon as I see rhubarb for sale, but hadn't attempted a cherry version until now.

Stacking Rivet Rings by Heart & Stone Jewelry (A Giveaway!)

Heart & Stone Jewelry, one of my new blog sponsors, is offering a set of two women's rivet rings as a giveaway to one lucky winner.

The rivet rings are made to order by owner and jewelry designer, Julie Booras, out of recycled sterling silver. You can have your children's (or other loved one's) names stamped onto the rings or even a date or special message.

Click here for more information on Julie's rivet rings.

A set of these rings would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift! Modern, classy, and very personal.