Eckenrode Family

Morning, Noon & Night

Over at a blog I love named Beauty that Moves she is doing a series called morning, noon & night and I thought I’d join in.

Staying Cool

The weather finally feels like summer. With the temperatures close to 90 we have been near or in the water nearly every day.

Here is a picture of Miles at this same water park 3 years ago!

 

Summer Weekend

We’ve had a very summery weekend with the temperatures reaching 90 degrees, a trip to the farmer’s market, 2 trips to the pool and time spent in air-conditioning. Tim bought extra tomatoes and green beans at the farmer’s market and did some canning this weekend. He canned a salsa that will be very welcome in February. I imagine biting into that chip with salsa on it and being transported immediately back to this day. He also canned some green beans with potatoes and ham which I know we’ll also enjoy very much come winter.

What I'm Lovin' Right Now

::  My copy of Handmade Home which arrived in the mail yesterday. I’ve only gotten the chance to glance through it so far but I can tell it’s full of goodness. I’m hoping the ideas in this book help me to make my hobbies less expensive by repurposing old materials.
::  The relationship that grows daily between my boys and the neighbor boy that is 2 doors down. This 4 year old shares my sons’ love of dress-up and the two of them make quite a sweet pair when they’re together.


::  My two year old’s love for this same neighbor boy.
::  The incredible affectionate personality that grows bigger in this boy by the day. He kisses like he hasn’t seen you in long time and he hugs with all of his being like a wizened grandmother.
This moment from our week :

Miles and Ben love the man that lives next door and thought they saw him leaving the house one morning. He turns around and they realize it’s not him.

Miles – Who’s that mom?

Me – The neighbor's roommate.

Mile – What’s roommate mean?

Me – It’s when two people live together.

Miles – So, are we roommates?

Me – No, we’re family.

Garments

I saw this plaid material made into pants at a local kids store and I remembered it from Sew to Speak. I’d seen this material before but didn’t think much of it until I saw them as little boy pants. So, I went to Sew to Speak, got the material and made a pair for the boys.

While I was at it I used up this polka dot Japanese material that I’ve had sitting around for awhile. I discovered that I had just enough to make them into pants to fit Ben.
You’ll have to take my word for it when I say they look really cute on the boys. They are not much for modeling clothes for me these days. I had to beg and barter to get them to try them on to make sure they fit. So, in the meantime, the clothes line is much more cooperative.

I also finally decided to take the extra step to add a tag with the sizes for future references.
While I was at it I made this shirt from one of Heather Ross’ Far Far Away print. I’ve only made one other shirt pattern before and that one didn’t turn out too well. Since I know this pattern so well (simplicity 3835), and I know it is a quick project I decided to go with it again. From start to finish this shirt probably takes less than 2 hours.


I love making pants for little ones because it is an instant gratification kind of project. I am about to attempt my first queen sized quilt made out of The Good Folks line for our bed. That is about as opposite from an instant gratification project as you can get. Hopefully I’ll be posting about this finished quilt before the end of the year!

I Think They'll Be Handy

We had one of the hotest days of the summer. We spent all day at the pool Sunday, then came home and played in the sprinkler. I was cleaning up the kitchen when I saw the joy Ben was taking in the hose. I had to stop what I was doing and go outside to watch.
Miles picked this watermelon out at the farmer's market. Lugging it back to the car I was reminded of what it's like to be pregnant - not fun.


Miles spent hours outside drawing on the sidewalks. He drew a rainbow and Brandon's family.
Tim and the boys made birdhouses for House Wrens. Miles and Ben took to the hammer instantly. It was as if they'd been waiting all of their lives to be handed a hammer. It's definitely in the blood.
 
 
 
 

I Still Love You

In the car I overheard this conversation following a brief argument between Miles and Ben:

Ben: I don’t like you Moes (Miles).

Miles: That’s ok, but I still love you.

Green Garbage Project

When I read about the couple doing the Green Garbage Project I was inspired. Ever since I heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch I haven’t looked at garbage in quite the same way. As a human being and especially an American I feel responsible for the damage that our trash is doing to the marine life, the earth and then ultimately to ourselves through our food sources.
Every time I see a piece of trash along the road I am reminded of this garbage patch in the ocean. It is impossible to ignore and it’s so refreshing and hopeful to see individuals like this and this making the change on a personal level. It has inspired me to make a change in my life and my family’s lives.

Steps we already take as a family include:

::  Recycling
::  A bit of composting although we could make a lot of improvement in this area
::  Making a lot of our food homemade, thereby eliminating packaging
::  Making a large portion of the gifts we give, eliminating packaging
::  Giving gifts in either reusable bags or wrapping in fabric
::  Making soap
::  Making some of our clothing and bags
::  Shopping at Costco and in bulk where we eliminate a lot of the packaging we would by shopping in smaller quantities
::  Trying to eliminate plastic from our kitchen. Storing leftovers in glass jars.
::  Giving our dog our table scraps
::  Using cloth napkins
::  All banking online, eliminating paper waste
::  Bring our own bags to stores.
Goals for our family:

::  Be more conscious of packaging when buying products
::  Strive to make more of the products we use on a regular basis
::  Talk to the kids about waste, making them aware of this issue and making these steps habit to them.
::  Explore the option of repurposing materials. This is one of the focuses of Amanda Blake Soule’s latest book, “Handmade Home” which I’m eagerly awaiting.

Two Important Things in the Life of a Boy: Weapons and Worms

 

Finding Our Wings

He’s only 4, yet I can already feel the pull away from me, outward toward the world. He sees life beyond our homes’ four walls and he knows it can be exciting and fun and full of adventure. He only briefly hesitates to let me leave him at preschool now and some days there is no hesitation at all. He looks forward to the time he’ll spend with his friends and without me. It feels strange and a bit scary not to be there with him all the time – to see the interactions he has with the other kids when I’m not around. It’s a leap of faith on both of our parts.
What happens when he gets his feelings hurt? I guess he’s learned to suck it up and move on. I still feel pretty confident that in these scary and unknown moments, he still thinks of me. I am moving out of the center of his universe. I can feel that he is beginning to get his own identity apart from me. At the same time that he is discovering his identity, I can feel a need to reinvent myself and find this new person that motherhood has changed. When you’re in the trenches of diaper changing and the constant demands of babies, it is all consuming. That phase has begun to dissipate and I’ve found that I am a new, changed person emerging on the other end. I feel like I have more confidence in myself. After all, I’ve birthed two beautiful human beings and I’ve brought them to the point where they are comfortable enough to explore the world for brief moments without me. This feels like a huge accomplishment! This journey of discovering who we are is one that we are taking together, yet separately. We are finding our wings in these new roles and encouraging each other along the way. I pick them up when they fall or have tears and they turn to me and say “I love you” or take the next step in their development and we both know we’ll be ok and this journey is an exciting one.