Remember our hummingbirds?

Well look at that, it's already mid-april and I haven't blogged in weeks! oops! It's easy to fall out of the habit of blogging, taking photos, writing posts. I've changed jobs which led to a substantial decrease in the time I spend on the computer, but excuses aside I really do miss this little blog of mine. 

A few updates are in order, and the first one that I owe you is on our little hummingbird hatchlings! 

Just as I was starting to feel anxious that there might be something wrong, that they were taking too long to hatch, that their momma had seen me creeping about and abandoned them, nature proved me wrong with the sight of two fuzzy, motionless, winged little babies. Over the next two weeks they grew so quickly. I could see their beaks getting longer and starting to hang over the side of the nest, then their little heads popped up with their wide and watchful eyes. They started to get so cramped in their tiny nest that their momma would perch in a different tree and watch them from afar because she didn't fit with them anymore. She was a good little momma, always buzzing around the yard eating it all up and then returning to her little babes to feed, feed, feed. 

They developed distinct 'personalities' (I use that word cautiously) and tendencies. One little guy would be tucked down into the nest, snuggled up tight and facing away from our house, while the other was much more mobile. It would always be turning around, rearranging its wings, and repositioning itself almost on top of the other bird. 

They have been out of the nest for about two weeks now. It happened one day when we gave a friend a ride to LA. In the morning as we were leaving we all noticed that they were perched on the branch next to the nest and I had a feeling that they were getting brave and starting to explore, but I was still surprised and concerned when we got back that evening and they were nowhere to be seen. I even checked the ground under the nest to make sure that no one had fallen. But of course they are fine and we even get visits from one of them and we are almost sure it is the more mobile, alert one from the nest. It still has brown feathers where the adults have iridescent blue or green ones and it is very brave with us. It gets very close and perches on one of the bean trellises in the garden. The whole experience was a treat every day and I missed them for about a week after they had flown. 

Here they are as little hatchlings! If you try you can see a little wing on the left and a little head on the right. 

And here they are getting bigger. They blend in really well (duh) but I tried to make them a little easier to see.. find the beaks and you will find the birds. 

Garden Growing

Our seedlings made their debut a few weeks ago in their little planters on our kitchen table and some of them are finally ready to make the transition to the garden beds. So far the hardest parts about being gardners have been waiting for the indoor seedlings to sprout and knowing when they are strong enough to be planted outside. The tomatoes and basil are still so teeny tiny and frail that we think they might not be doing so well, especially in comparison to the sunflowers, peppers, and squash which sprouted out of the soil overnight like little green arms and have grown inches in a matter of days. 

Our strawberries and snap peas were starters that we bought so they are looking pretty robust! Sadly our first little berry was a bird snack for somebirdy else so we will have to wait to taste the next one. The sweet peas, romaine, parsley, spinach, and beets are all sprouting on their own little schedule so honestly we just water and wait. There's lots of wondering if this little shoot is a beet or a weed, and if this little sprout is lettuce or a volunteer from the last garden... it's so much fun and the suspense is killing me! 

I haven't gardened in a really long time and it has been such a special way for me to reconnect to my childhood and specifically to memories of my Grandma Jackie. It's also pretty much me and Joey's favorite hobby together lately and such a fun learning process. There is a wealth of gardening knowledge out there but sometimes all that learning the right way to do things is exhausting and you just have to put some seeds in the ground and trust the planet to do what it does. 

Dog Sleepover

I miss my furry friend. His nose, his ears, his high pitched whine. I miss having him around all the time and he misses me too! So Joey and I invited Marley over for a sleepover at our new house and it was such a blast that we are going to make it a weekly thing. Here are a few of the highlights: 

He loved our HUGE yard so much that he spent all of his time either running around it like a maniac or crying at the door to be let back out. Not pictured: we attached Joey's bike light to his collar so we wouldn't lose him into the dark abyss, and it made us laugh to see this blinking red light darting around the yard. 

We did lots of ear scratching and gazing into each others' eyes. 

No sleepover is complete without a little gossip. Marley mostly listens. 

Such a sweet face. He's like a deer and a fox at the same time. 

P.S. Sorry for the grainy photos! My iPhone + our dark little hobbit house make for some difficult lighting. 

Little House Living: the living room

Decorating a tiny space and making it feel cozy is not really a challenge, it's the staying organized part that is hard. With two lives worth of stuff to fit into one small space, I knew we would have to get creative. Having a piece of furniture or area of the house that only serves one purpose is for mansion dwellers. We needed more uses for less things. My favorite piece of multi-functional furniture we have is our couch. Joey built it for us out of shipping palettes and a futon mattress and we love it! Bonus: we use the slots underneath as a book shelf. And that little table to the left of it is a brass-topped beauty that I found at a garage sale. Now it holds a lamp, some candles, fairy cards, gemstones, and some coasters while also hiding the baskets below it. Which brings me to baskets: the best and most attractive way to hide your belongings in a small space. These ones hold my weaving materials and other fiber bits, our terra cotta and stone clay collection, and extra boxes of tissue. The ones under our bed hold my makeup (the bathroom is a story for a different day) and all my extra purses/scarves/tapestries, and a bunch of Joey's things. I always find good ones at Ikea or Cost Plus World Market.

And now if you will direct your attention to the area just above the side table... this weekend I hand-dyed curtains! Two out of three of them were a success (not bad for my first try) and this little gauzy one is my favorite. I went for an ombre effect using a deep blue and then I folded over the top leaving the rough edge exposed and made some little golden stitches. The dying was a mess and not as easy as I had hoped, but I might try again.