Blog a la Cart

Penny and The Pitcher of Hot Chocolate

It was negative 10 degrees outside this morning when James and I awoke. WELCOME WINTER!

Sunny is home from school, again, so James took the “morning shift” and stayed home from work with her. We’ve been reading Charlotte’s Web to the girls at night, and Sunny, inspired by Wilbur’s slop in the book, thought it would be fitting if she made Penelope a pitcher full of hot chocolate to help warm her up given the conditions. James filmed Penny’s reaction to this hot, sugary treat. I’d say that she enjoyed it, despite the frigid temps.

Gladdy, The Nursemaid II

Since returning to Vermont, Sunny has been rocking a low-grade fever a la her baby sister while in South Carolina. She’s been in and out of school all week, as one infection turned into conjunctivitis and weeeee! Isn’t January fun!?!

On the upside, Gladdy has once again taken up the mantle as best nursemaid chez Cart. On Tuesday, I was downstairs working while (I thought) Sunny was resting in her bed, only to hear great giggles and squeals emanating from above. I soon discovered Gladdy dressed up in headbands and necklaces and blankets, happily thumping her tail, while Sunny cackled with delight on the floor of her room. Later, when Sunny finally did settle down for a nap, I lifted Gladdy up into the top bunk of the bunk bed so that she could keep close tabs on her human while she rested.

We just adore this dog so. I have never lived with such a snuggly fur babe, and it is truly heartwarming.

When she’s not snuggled up in one of our laps, she’s usually monitoring the flow of the house from her perch on the stairs. Such a funny spot to rest, and yet, it’s so apt given her personality.

Currently Gawking

A powerful start to my day. And thanks to teenagers no less. I hope my daughters’ find their voice at such a young age. (Thanks to Auntie Kimmy for the hat tip!)

Katy’s Sweater

My big “goals” of our vacation in South Carolina included finishing this month’s book club novel (The Peripheral by William Gibson – Sci-fi isn’t usually my thing, but I enjoyed the wild ride of this story, despite being completely confused for the first 100 pages) and completing this baby sweater for a friend’s daughter’s 1st birthday party the day after our return. With the extra yarn, I whipped up another gnome hat, and finally caught some images of the hat on a child to showcase the adorableness of the pattern. It’s a gudun.

Katy’s family has two kitty cats, so I couldn’t resist using these two cat buttons from my grandmother’s stash of buttons for her cardigan. My girls love their cardigans from Ann Mae, so I decided to give the pattern a try in two tones of purple (perfect for her Eph/Eph parents). I’ll definitely be making this sweater again. It’s a simple, top-down design and can be worn for years (while it gets shorter, we’ve found it makes a great extra layer through all seasons). Admittedly, working it two colors made it trickier (and the inside looks a hot mess because of it), but I love how it made the details pop.

Details about the gnome hat and the cardigan on my Ravelry.

Sleigh Bells

The kids were sad to leave their grandparents and South Carolina, but the promise of a friend’s birthday party and sleigh ride (turned hay ride due to lack of snow) eased the blow of our return north. On Saturday morning, we bundled up in our winter best, and ventured to one of the most beautiful pieces of property in our community for a horse drawn carriage ride through the woods. We stopped to sip hot coco in a wood stove-heated cabin tucked away in the forest, snuggled with a goldie named Bear, and celebrated Katy.

New Year’s // 2014-15

Whenever I wander around my in-laws’ property in South Carolina I’m struck by a familiar smell. Perhaps it’s the wet pine needles, the moist air, the earth, the foliage. Whatever it is, that smell transports me back to childhood days spent at my grandparents’ home in Chapel Hill, NC. The Carolinas have an essence about them. A sense of familiarity and calm. A sense of home, although it’s never been one for me (however close I came to attending UNC for college, and instead opted for the colder climes of The Berkshires).

Regardless, I like how I feel when I’m in the Carolinas.

This visit was quiet and relaxing. While the weather was cool, we spent a great deal of time outdoors, swimming in the pool, exploring the property, building bon fires, biking, and searching for pine cones. We napped every day. We ate meals at home. We spent that quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s taking advantage of the lack of schedule and demands. I found myself taking extended walks, wrapped up in that comforting Carolina smell, sun soaked, and hooked on Serial (I plowed through all 12 episodes in three days). It was the perfect retreat before diving into the new year. Here are a few favorites that capture the heart of the trip.

Lazy Days

The quiet before the storm of the work/school week ahead.

It’s been a glorious two weeks of family and fun, celebration and love, travel and adventure and blown bed times and play. And lots of just being. Together. How grateful I am for that.

On Sunday, we did nothing but lounge. And nap. And watch movies. And read stories. And knit. And snuggle. And wood stove bathe. While James and I both acknowledged that we’d go positively batty if this is what life looked like for us on a regular basis, we appreciated a day of nothingness before transitioning back to the hum of daily life.

I may finally hop in the shower and change into a fresh pair of pajamas (given that it is now 6pm on Sunday). Here’s to a wonderful holiday season! What fine memories were made.

1/52

“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015.”

Sunny: Mermaid and her mermaid hair. 50 degrees and grey weather could not keep her out of the water.
Kaki: She was the most confident I’ve ever seen her in the water during our visit to South Carolina. I look forward to teaching her to swim this year!

More details about The 52 Project here. To view all the portraits in the series visit here.

The 52 Project // 2014

Steeped in nostalgia and reflection of the past 52 weeks, I revisited all of 2014 and 2013’s portraits, grateful to have kept up with this project as it is always so interesting and lovely to go back and see them in progression. In selecting my favorite five portraits of each of the girls, I noticed that, no surprise, the images that I chose were almost entirely captured outside (in the one indoor shot I chose, Sunny is bathed in sunlight near a window). It’s a combination of things that makes these images sing. Technically, my photography (like most photography) is 10,000 times better out in natural sunlight. But I also love my children immersed in the world around them, outdoors, in nature, in the water, with food pulled from the garden, dancing with leaves… these are the images that I want to define their memories when they reflect on their childhoods. I want those moments to be at the fore of their thoughts.

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My favorite portraits of Courtland in 2014. Interestingly, three of the five images were taken in the Poconos at James’ favorite place in the entire world. I seem to have captured the magic of the place in his youngest daughter this past year.

My favorite portraits of Addison in 2014. Her portraits were from a broader sampling of the year, from winter, to spring, to summer, to fall. Cyclic, like this project. And our lives. While their limbs grow longer, their minds more complicated, there’s a rhythm to our family and these portraits like the world around us.

In the spirit of my first post of 2015, I hope that I can be more experimental and fresh with my images in this new year. Try using the camera differently, shooting from angles I wouldn’t normally take, or in light that wouldn’t usually appeal, and create more interesting, dynamic and compelling portraits. Some may fail. But others may have that special something (like that image of Courtland coated in red lipstick in the woods) that tell a greater story and keep me coming back time and time again.

2015

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.

So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

-Neil Gaiman

2014 was one of my favorite years to date. While the larger world often felt scary and disheartening, overwhelming and cruel, my nuclear family was a constant reminder of joy, and hope, and love, and potential.

The magic of everyday moments. The beauty in simplicity.

And I want more of that.

I had illustrator Lydia Mba create a new blog header for 2015 capturing the spirit of these images and moments that best reflect our 2014 on Cartwheel Farm. They remind me of the cover of a children’s fairytale. James and I have dreamed of writing a children’s book series about our life in Vermont, so perhaps this is just the inspiration we need…

Here’s wishing you a 2015 of love and magic!

For more of Lydia’s work and to hire her, visit www.lydiamba.com