I wanted to save this until I got my camera fixed so you guys could really see how special this is, but I figure I could just send you over in my magic taxi so you could see Molly's for a better look.
I didn't even win the contest! Have you ever seen anything sweeter? She brought one for each of us. I just adore the variation ~ the cream-cap style & the blue baskets. Bayka & I searched all over for the perfect acorn for his "birthday necklace," & we found is beautiful long one, that's actual tricolored, from light brown, to black-brown, to grass green. Mahal's is hanging from our gnome house with Acorn Blue, our baby gnome swinging in it. (By the way, do please see Heather's blog about her book Weekend Sewing. It Will make you swoon & bite your sleeve in anticipation. I mention it because she says, "Gnomes are the new black!") And Mekhi has been wearing his little acorn necklace for the last three days, as it's so darn cute on him I can't bear to remove it. We put in a little tiny one & I've given it a couple of top stitches so he won't swallow it.
How sweet is Molly? And Avery & Aidan? They came by on Friday to share Bayka's birthday with us, so we all hopped in our Rhoade's Car & biked the 3 miles to our fabulous Oak Grove at the Arboreteum. I had bragged to her that we have 89 kinds of oaks, some of them giving fist-sized acorns. We were beat by the squirrels, though, it seems.
Not too shabby...
What's a Rhoade's Car? Well, I'm glad you asked! It's our 4-person bike, technically, but we were 7, with Molly & I pedaling with our littles on our laps & 3 kids in back. We've also managed to pack David, me, 2 grandparents & 3 kids & still go 28 miles. In our bike-friendly community, I've gone 5 weeks without getting into a car. It's a dream for the kids, & so helpful since the baby just hates his car seat. We're not ones to let our babies cry things out in the back of the car. We like to be there when they cry, & to listen to them, just like we want when we cry. It was a treat to find out that Molly also wore her babies & practiced long-term nursing. Not mention they're also a biking family. Her husband makes their own biodiesel, so whenever they want to go somewhere, he makes more!
We both expected the kids to be fairly stand-offish at first, but they all warmed up fairly quickly. By the time they left, brownies-in-hand, they had already run all over the house, trapping each other under the stairs, laughing, joyfully screaming, a wee bit of not-so-urgent crying. I love how kids play like that. They're full-out, right in the moment.
Molly ~ I'm so glad we were able to hook up ~ there's lots & lots of things for us to catch up on, & even more things for our families to make together. I'm looking forward to kids snowboarding, a couple of canning, sock-making & owl-sheet applique tutorials face-to-face, & maybe we can design something new inspired by that Resurrection Fern. I'll see you in November!
i'm so glad you all love your acorn necklaces! thanks to our little field trip (on the coolest bike EVER) our table is now full of unusual acorns - and i've given my husband a new assignment: a three wheeled rickshaw bike with electric motor. yes!
we definitely have lots more to do and learn together. can't wait!
Posted by: molly | October 13, 2008 at 04:17 PM
So fun you and Molly got together! I love Molly's blog! WOW what a cool bike too...sounds like he had a special b-day.
Posted by: Our Green Nest | October 15, 2008 at 10:10 AM