Valentine's Day

(A little girl in my class has the same shoes as I do. Adorable.)

My first Valentine's Day party with my first very own classroom of children was a success! Filled with sweets, crafts, glitter, red paint, and giggles.

Tonight Trevor made us a heart-shaped pizza, poured some sparkling wine, and bought fresh cannolis for desert. All complete with some daffodils in a jar on the table. (A hint of the Spring to come).

I hope all of you had a wonderful day filled with love and kindness.

Happy Valentine's Day!

<3

Getting Organized

Today I had the bug to start focusing on A Sailor Woman Sews again. I went to Staples and purchased a few things from the new Martha Stewart home office collection and created a custom mini-binder for my business. I love the vibrant red color! Trevor noticed the abundance of red on the coffee table this evening and snapped a photo.

I can post a few photos of the adorable organization inside the binder later. Hopefully this will motivate me to get back into sewing some new items for my Etsy shop! Hey, I'll take any excuse to get some new stationary :)

blabla

I just found out about these today. Blabla is a company that makes these adorable, funny dolls and finger puppets with fair trade artisans in Peru. These would be such sweet gifts for new parents or a child you know. I'd love some for my classroom (or myself :)

Photos from blablakids.com

I Love Mail!

After my trip home to Florida, it was tough returning to work after nearly a week of sun and sailing. Although, it's hard to stay grumpy once I walk in the door of my classroom and am engulfed by hugs from 3 and 4 year olds :)

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a package in the mail on Tuesday. Did you know that I absolutely love mail? I LOVE recieving and sending letters, cards, and packages! Even when I return home to visit my family, my first instinct when I get out of the car in the driveway is to check our mailbox. Anyhow, I'd totally forgotten about an order I'd placed on Etsy a while back that was shipped from Hong Kong. It was thrilling to come home from a long day at work to an unusual package with tons of international stamps. (I'll post a photo of the package soon too, I can't help it!)

I ordered a new camera strap from iMo Shop on Etsy. I carry my camera with me a lot and thought it would be fun to have a cute strap to make it even more personal and unique. I went with this one. It's extremely well-made and comfortable to wear. It fits my Nikon3000 DSLR perfectly. Maybe now I'll stand out a little in the sea of black Nikons and Canons.

(Photos from iMo Shop on Etsy)

Do you carry a camera? What kind? I've also been considering a new camera bag eventually. There are some cute ones on Etsy. Any recommendations?

Home for the Holidays

Finally...some photos from my visit to St. Augustine this Christmas. It was not only the first time I'd been home in a year, but also the first time my family and I had been sailing since 2001.

Sailing was once a big part of my life. Throughout my childhood my family and I would go sailing every weekend and cruise to the Bahamas every summer. As years passed, I suppose we outgrew our 27' Catalina and my dad and I made the last cruise to the islands on our own.

Mom and I in the cabin on her wedding day. She and my dad were married on our sailboat, Momi.

Mom and I on Opus, our dinghy that transported us between the boat and shore.

Me at probably 3 years old. It must have been a chilly FL winter :)


Mom and my younger brother, Jonathan.

Since then, our sailboat, Momi, was somewhat abandoned. About a year ago my dad sold Momi and began the search for his new dream sailboat. Just a week before I arrived home for the holiday, my parents sailed home their new (well, new to us) 36' Catalina named Moondance. It was so special to, once again, go sailing with my family. We all felt the nostalgia welling up in our hearts as we hoisted the sails and I sat up on the forward deck, just like old times. Here are a few photos from our various outings on the boat.

It was amazing to return to my salty roots after so many years! I am taking another trip to St. Augustine this Wednesday and look forward to a couple more outings on Moondance with my family!

ESP Handmade

Hello all! How were your holidays? Mine were fantastic and I'll have many photos coming soon. But before I get into all that, I am so excited to share something with you.

While I was home in dear St. Augustine, FL I got to see my best friend Emily Pinto. It had been a year since I'd seen her, which felt crazy because we used to live together in college and see each other nearly every day. Since college she's been living in Guatemala, volunteering, and traveling around Central America. While in Guatemala she pursued her goal to design and produce a line of accessories. The result was ESP Handmade, a collection of beautiful scarves, bags, and jewelry made by the indigenous back strap loom weavers in Guatemala. While at college and visiting in Guatemala last year, Emily developed and interest in and volunteered with Trama Textiles, an organization of women who weave textiles with traditional back strap looms. Emily chose this special organization to make many of her products. A purchase from ESP Handmade is not only a beautiful handmade piece, but it also supports a group of talented women in Guatemala who work hard to support their families.

That is why I couldn't resist purchasing this gorgeous bag from ESP Handmade while I was home. I think the description on the website is best:

Our Antiqua weekender bags are crafted with genuine leather and cotton fabric from traditional Mayan 'huipiles' - a blouse that is worn by indigenous women in Guatemala and heavily decorated with embroidered designs. Each bag features short handles as well as a strap that can be worn across the body for greater convenience. Fully lined with perfect proportions (21"x16") as well as exterior and interior pockets to keep important items like your passport handy!

My Antigua weekender has quickly become my go-to bag for carry-on luggage to FL and weekend trips to Newport. I couldn't be more proud of my friend for starting such an amazing company! Everyone should visit her website to see all the other products. Also, check out the ESP Facebook page...I know you'll like it :)

Emily and I, 2010

Santa's Scout in Miss Kat's Preschool Class

So today while my class was outside on the playground with my assistants I stayed inside to hide our Elf on the Shelf (who is named Ralphie, by the way). He decided to perch himself in one of the kids' stockings hung on our "fireplace."

When we came inside the kids were busy hanging up their coats when one little boy named Ethan called my attention to the elf. "What do you mean? What elf?" I said.

"That one over there!" he pointed to the fireplace with our stockings and in less than a minute the word had spread and all the kids rushed over to the dramatic play center.

Isabel was most excited of all because she has an elf at her house. She quickly explained that we couldn't touch him because he'd lose his magic.

As the children ate their lunch I read the letter from Santa addressed to our class and the Elf on the Shelf story. They all sat in silence, wide-eyed. The rest of the afternoon they would occasionally remind a friend that "Ralphie the elf is watching us...he's going to tell Santa everything we do. We better be good."

They can't wait to see where he winds up tomorrow morning!

(I wish I could share photos I took of the kids first discovering the elf but for the children's protection it's best that I don't.)