Books! What are you reading?

Arty, Theo and I had a pretty strong library game before the Coronavirus swept through. Almost weekly! We even managed to get to a few of the story times where kids ran through the library with abandon and I’d get to catch up with friends. Arty and Theo couldn’t even really sit up on their own then. They would either sleep through the whole thing or just watch with the cutest, incredulous expressions. I wonder what their generation’s version of library story time will look like? Each family sitting 6 feet apart? Hopping in on Zoom? We shall see.

Our library offers digital books through an app called Libby. I finally located my library card (Dusty found it underneath the couch cushion!) and was able to get it set up. Here are the two I’ve read so far:

• Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Novel by Mark Haddon

Currently working on:

• Unsheltered: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver

Arty and Theo’s favorite books right now are:

Peek a Who by Nina Laden
The babies stare at the art in the book with such intensity!

Happy Bug Day by Mudpuppy with art from Andy Warhol
A Personify Shop find I had bought years ago. It’s so good and we’re thinking of having a bug themed birthday party!!

The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Dan Hanna
Theo loves this one. I think it’s the blubs and the kissy fest we have at the end.

Read anything good lately?

Tuesdays and Shade Gardens

Dusty is outside working on a fire pit and I’m stealing a few moments to write. We’ve really leaned into our yard this spring. Building raised beds, planting flowers everywhere - I even transplanted a hosta. That last one is something I thought I’d never do. I have a hard time with shade plants. They seem so… boring? I’m not sure if it’s the pandemic, or maternal wisdom (lol) but lately I’ve been finding value and delight in things I never thought twice about before.

The babies are finishing up their morning nap and I just spent the last thirty minutes working on a graphic design project. The thirty minutes before that was spent on chicken research.

I’ll be waking the babies up soon. We’ll eat lunch at the table and then we will bathe them. We’ll probably video chat with the grandparents somewhere in there. Then I’ll nurse them, we’ll play with them, walk around outside, and get them ready for afternoon naps.

Our lives definitely have a certain rhythm. No splashy display of flowers to be found at the moment, but there’s a gentle beauty to it for sure. Like hostas - just look at that leaf variegation!

Plant all the flowers!

The garden is in. For the most part. Dusty built me two raised beds upfront. In them we have tomatoes, peppers, kale, lettuce, melons, nasturtiums, basil, noodle beans, okra and cucumbers. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a practice year - I will probably harvest more knowledge than food. I am most looking forward to tomato sandwhiches. I couldn’t eat tomatoes last year because it gave the babies such bad diaper rash. (Eek! Poor babes!) I might still be breastfeeding over the summer, but I’m hoping the boys will be able to enjoy the spoils of a Georgian garden with me.

I’m laughing about our basil. I bought seeds for Emily Basil because I have a sweet cousin named Emily. Then a friend send me seeds for Lemon Basil. My cousin’s last name is Lemmon! So even though she is in Nashville, I have a little reminder of her here. Haha. I love that gardens have a way of making us feel loved like that. I look at all the cuttings and bits from my parent’s garden, gifts from neighbors seed swaps growing. It is just a happy sight to look out and see how nature connects us.

Living in this shelter in place can be very lonely, but I marvel at the ways we remain connected.

I don’t have too much faith in the melons, but we will see! Again, telling myself that they are just for fun and for learning. I planted flowers intermixed with the veggies - zinnias, calendula, chamomile, and marigolds. If not super productive, I’m hoping it will be beautiful.

Enjoy this spring coloring sheet. Also if you have a moment, would you leave a comment? It would be so nice to hear from you! It often feels like I’m typing out anonymously into the internet. Haha. Hugs! Have a wonderful week!

Our first Easter with Arty and Theo

Just me or are holidays like 10x more fun with kids? The Easter Bunny brought a basket of new board books, and puff filled eggs. (Great for shaking!) We had a sweet morning. How was yours?

Enjoy this little Easter coloring page!

Butterflies and Bright Skies

Love the way this one turned out. If you’re interested in seeing a time lapse of the process, head over to my Instagram, @madsbeaulieu!

Rise and Shine (and Shelter in Place) Coloring Page

This weekend was a nice one. The weather was so beautiful. Perfect temperatures for playing outside with the babies, going on walks, beers on the porch, and tending to the garden. We made breakfast for dinner, one of our favorites. The shelter in place order hasn’t changed much for us - we’re still home and keeping to ourselves. I make a once a week trip to the grocery store, but honestly I bet we could skip this week. Dreaming of my garden harvest already. :)

Have you attempted sewing your own face mask yet? I am thinking about it. We don’t have a sewing machine (or an iron), so it might just take me a bit longer. I really love this tutorial by Erin Phraner. (I met her at a past job, and she is so nice!) Rise and shine and seize the week, my friends! Let me know what you’re up to in the comments.

Sushi Coloring Page for a Sunny Sunday

What foods are you missing? We don’t eat out at restaurants much, so I can’t say much has changed for us. But we do every so often splurge on sushi. It was our first date night after having the kids. (It’s been six months since my last sushi!) Sushi is one of those beautiful, colorful foods - which makes it’s the perfect food to color. Enjoy!

Love your Downtown: Reformation Brewery Coloring Page

We love our downtown. Our brewery, our yoga studio, our pie shop. Okay, there not really ours… but they feel like ours because that’s how welcomed we feel. Woodstock has been kind to us. I’m going to feature a few of our downtown Woodstock businesses and ways you can support them while we face coronavirus as a community.

Reformation is open for pickup and they are currently working to raise funds for staff affected by COVDI-19. Consider buying a gift card for later or swinging by one of their locations (Woodstock, Smyrna, + Canton) for some tasty beer!

Strawberry Spring Coloring Sheet

Spring is here! I think we may have one more frost coming, but really it’s quite nice out. Bright sun, plenty of outdoor chores to keep you busy - it eases the sting of Shelter in Place just a little. How are y’all doing? Enjoy this coloring sheet and get outside if you can!