If there is one thing that I can thank our last long brutal winter for, it is the utter desperate compulsion I have had to get outside at least once a day, under all circumstances, so long as the temperature is 30+ degrees.
And we've been out. A lot. Looking at this compilation of photos, you might think we cover a lot of ground on our walks. Sometimes we do. But 30 of the 32 photos below were taken within two blocks of our house.
One of the most amazing gifts that toddlers give you is forcing you to slow down - waaaaay down - and observe every square foot around you.
Weeds. Pinecones. Pebbles. Tiny divots and crevices filled with water. Tree bark. Moss. Bugs (we're talking every, single, tiny red ant).
And when May comes, flowers. Oh, the flowers. I observe and obsess over the flowers around me to begin with - but I find that I see so much more when I am looking with Colin's little curious eyes in mind. For instance, the color variations in the tiny wild daisies everywhere - some are hot pink!
I learn which spots in the sidewalk and in people's driveways collect the best rain puddles, and how truly awesome it is that you can see yourself, the trees above, and even an airplane flying overhead in its reflection.
Colin is also trying to get me to believe that sometimes you just have to lay down in puddles to fully appreciate them - I am not so convinced. But I do know that the neighbors who don't edge the sidewalks in front of their homes harbor the best millipedes and roly poly bugs (or armadillidiidae, for any of you bug nerds out there) under the tufts of grass that hang over the cement.
(Unrelated to our walks, I have also learned that 10 free minutes on the hammock at the tail end of baby's nap time is better than none at all, and who cares if a big tacky plastic turtle is staring at you while you savor that time. I sure don't.)
I have never felt more connected to the natural beauty around me since moving to Buffalo from Maine nearly twelve years ago.
I'm so thankful to this little boy for slowing me down long enough to take it all in.
The gold yellow painted wallpaper with popcorn-like texture is now gone. Gone!!
I almost wish we could keep the walls in this stripped down, textured look - but it has a fuzzy surface now and doesn't look so good in person. It will be stripped further, sanded, and painted.
Sully always finds the sun, even if it is in a corner littered with scraped wallpaper remnants and paint chips. Behind him, the one last gold surface in the sun room.
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Sully's perch during dinner time. I've been trying to snap a photo of this for a long time but he always looks away.
Surely from the shame - so naughty.
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Picking fabrics for a "follow the lines" quilt for the little guy coming in September. Scenes from my favorite (a fabric from Japan) below:
A loss in translation, but it sounds so profound.
Makes perfect sense to me (and to Sully & Otto).
This one, not so much.
This one made me laugh out loud.
"Good travel."
"Let's enjoy every day with us." Words to live by.
Bonus - this fabric can serve as a teachable moment in grammar in later years.
Another contender - Alexander Henry's "Animal Kingdom." Even though the quirky Japanese fabric charmed the pants off me, I think this one might be better for the follow the lines quilt.
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Mantel top in progress. Scraped and slathered with wood filler, waiting to be sanded.
With the walls no longer deep red, its easier to appreciate the reflective sunlight coming through the beveled glass windows.
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Sunset on the Niagara River.
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The bump looks like a mountain here. I wonder if Sully has any idea what's in there?
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Birthday toes, preceded by an hour long facial with scalp, head, neck, shoulders, upper back, arms and hands massage - all by the lovely Annette at Fix Salon. Heaven - thank you Evan.
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After the deluxe facial and pedicure, a shopping trip to Chic and Sweet clothing and accessories boutique. A Happy Friday indeed.
I bought a Living Social voucher back in December, before I knew I was pregnant. It expires on Monday, so I used the whole voucher on accessories: a few pairs of earrings, a vibrant scarf and three long beaded necklaces. Sometimes being forced to have a limited focus is a good thing.
{Bad blogger alert} A highlight not pictured: wrapping up a fun filled Friday with a fantastic dinner with girlfriends at Jewel of India, newly opened in my neighborhood this week. So, so, SO good.
I am shamelessly borrowing this idea from one of my favorite blogs, Reading My Tea Leaves - a weekly feature summing up the little highlights of my week (or, at least those that were captured on my iPhone). I like that it is a way to pull together all of the random things that inspired me to snap a photo during the week, no matter how profound or mundane.
If you have not checked out Erin's blog, you should do so now.
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Azalea branches budding in the yard brought in to brighten up the bathroom.
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Sully is no dummy - if I were his size this is exactly the place I would want to curl up for a nap - buried in down pillows.
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Otto's own moment of bliss. If I panned out you would see that he is napping on top of the back cushion of an oversized chaise, all by himself. Yes, he fancies himself a king, and admittedly we don't do much to dispel the notion.
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Progress in the sunroom - goodbye gold! Its a very slow work in progress, but little by little the living room and sunroom are transforming, shedding their old, unfortunate, "what were they thinking?" McDonald's red and gold identity.
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This page from Bringing Nature Home on the three foundational elements of a natural, wild arrangement. Game changer!
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The long lasting dubium - I think I bought the stems almost two weeks ago, but I just got around to making this arrangement today.
And last, but certainly not least, finally feeling ready to make this announcement to the world at large:
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At almost 20 weeks along, we are due to have our first child in September. And I have definitely popped. :)
So I'm not doing so well on one of my 2012 resolutions - to blog more. Much more.
I've let Dear Frances' 1 year anniversary pass by without a mention, and now, Valentine's Day. How will I ever make up for missing both an anniversary AND Valentine's day, all in less than one month? I'm such a bad boyfriend.
How about a very tardy farewell to 2011, a year in review - including some things that should have been posted about, but were not. Maybe that will count for something.
2011 started out with a trip to Toronto that was pure magic. In fact, over a year later, I still owe a post on that.
Dear Frances was born on January 21. That month I sewed baby booties and welcomed my niece Emily into the world, watching my baby brother turn into a father, and my parents turn into glowing grandparents.
In 2011 I made pickles, lemonade, and my grandmother's whoopee pies - all for the first time ever (yes, ever).
I broke a treasure from Bar Harbor, but acquired many others.
I checked out the Brooklyn Flea for the first time during a visit to the city and was totally overwhelmed. All I left with was McClure's pickles and hotdogs from Asia Dog in my tummy.
I enjoyed the view of snow on hydrangeas from my newly put together sunroom, which quickly became my favorite spot in the house.
I acquired several antique mirrors and discovered the dangers of liquid mercury as a result (be careful with antique mirrors made in the 1860s and before - they are plated with mercury, which as I found out the hard way, can come detached from the glass and bead up into a million hazardous balls of liquid mercury if the mirror is jostled in any way!).
I finally scanned old family photos, asked a million questions about them, and felt a burning desire to one day write a book about all the stories.
I went on a fantastically fun trip to Florida where, lounging poolside, I got a call that informed me that I would be losing my job of four years in a couple of months due to funding cuts beyond my employer's control. I panicked, then promised myself I'd make the most of whatever time I would have "off"- an unpaid vacation of unknown duration (aren't I clever?).
I discovered Menne Nursery and proceeded to collect and kill several beautiful plants as a result.
Now a mere shadow of its former grandiose self. No more flowers, and only a tiny amount of foliage.
Gardenias - dead and gone. :(
Maidenhair fern - met the same fate. This is the most painful loss.
This may have been my favorite houseplant, ever.
Another fern, now gone. On a positive note, the little succulent on the left is still alive!
I trained for the Toronto Half Marathon and drew strength from a perfect stranger when things got rough around mile 8.
Our last supper before the Toronto Half Marathon: House Cured Meats platter at the Black Hoof Cafe.
They had a lavender whipped "lardo" spread that sounds disgusting,
but was the most silky buttery delicate thing I've ever spread on bread.
I hosted a baby shower and discovered the joys of toddler bath time and toddler/dog bonding.
In one particularly classy weekend in April, I welcomed a muscle car into my marriage and threw myself a hotdog birthday party, inspired by aforementioned Asia Dog. Evan finished his DJ booth in the rumpus room, and we hosted several impromptu dance parties.
At the end of May, I said goodbye to my job, and hello to my Mom and Grandmother for a long weekend in Buffalo. I got to see my Grandmother experience Niagara Falls for the first time, made her macaroni and cheese recipe with my mom under her supervision, and dug around in the garden with her. It was magic.
I brought Mom and Grammy back to Maine and stayed for two glorious weeks (see pictorial review here and here.)
I revisited rivers in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for the first time in over a decade. Immediately began scheming for how we could afford an old rundown farmhouse somewhere in the White Mountains, recent unemployment be damned.
I visited an old friend from college and marveled at how much more we have in common now than we had back then. I rode on a vintage motorcycle with my dad. I melted repeatedly in the presence of my niece. I relaxed in my parents' small backyard oasis, surrounded by Solomon's seal, ferns and a crackling summer fire. I rescued a turtle with my Auntie and celebrated my best friend's birthday with her.
I returned from that trip, and a couple of weeks later traveled to a place that could not be more opposite from New England: Las Vegas. The highlights of the trip were seeing old friends renew their wedding vows in a delightfully cheesy chapel after 10 years of marriage - Elvis presiding of course - and trying escargot for the first time, with fancy french cocktails, watching the Bellagio water fountain show across the street.
In July, I fell head over heels for one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen - Lake Skaneatelas - and coveted this cottage on it so badly it made my heart hurt.
Can you imagine??
I spent a blissfully relaxing, no cost vacation at Sylvan Beach, NY surrendering myself to fruity tropical cocktails and the creepy yet delightfully rundown amusement park nearby.
Sweet prizes!
Bliss.
I got a new bicycle, named her Violet and rode her 20 miles up the Seaway Trail and back.
In August, I visited Cape Cod for the first time and fell in love with Quivet Neck Beach. I got over my college induced aversion to rum and enjoyed my first Dark & Stormy with cousins-in-laws that I adore. I ate the best s'more of my life (look at the size of that marshmallow!).
I finally made it to my father's family's annual get together for the first time since they started three years ago and had a blast catching up with family that I hadn't seen in years. Also in August, we welcomed a new addition to the family - a rescue dog from Ohio named James Bond, who we promptly re-Christened Otto.
Shortly thereafter, I got bit by a spider - which doesn't sound terribly noteworthy, but it actually made my life miserable for a solid three weeks and left me with a serious spider neurosis bordering on arachnophobia - not to mention a bright pink quarter-sized scar on my leg. Do not do a google image search for "spider bite" - it's the stuff of nightmares. No joke. I got off easy, apparently.
I explored Zoar Valley - my favorite place to swim in Western New York, hands down - and dreamed of one day having a camp along the river one day (just add it to my growing collection of waterside fantasy homes).
I chased this small gorgeous butterfly around my yard, until it finally stopped for a rest, and I could snap about 100 photos. Its wingspan was maybe 3/4 of an inch across. Tiny, delicate and insanely intricate.
I visited New England in the fall for the first time in years and years and vowed to make it an annual tradition. I had a meal at the Burning Tree restaurant in Bar Harbor that made me obsessed with preserved lemons and Moroccan spices.
My Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister-in-Law and Niece all came to visit us in Buffalo for a long weekend in October, which was such a treat. I joined a murder of crows for Halloween - my most favorite costume to date.
In November my tortured Blackberry finally died, setting me free to cross over to the world of iPhone and Instagram - finally!
In December, we hunted for a Christmas tree on a friend's family farm in the land of windmills. The farm borders the same creek that runs through Zoar Valley. I begged with no uncertain desperation to come back to camp there next summer.
Windmills - video is not for the easily carsick. :)
I spent a very peaceful, content Christmas in Buffalo, cooking up a storm for just Evan and I. I rang in the New Year with a new dress in a beautifully renovated Buffalo landmark.
2011 was a year of ups and downs, but mostly ups - a lot of travel and time with family and friends for which I am endlessly grateful for. I remain hopeful and excited to see what 2012 brings ... there are some big changes on the horizon which I am sure I'll share here in due time.
Happy 2012, dear friends - I hope it's started off well for all of you!
xoxo
Amanda
PS - and happy belated Valentine's Day! I was not on the ball enough to live up to this post from last year. As I did last February, I will leave you with a few stunning flower arrangements by the brilliant Amy Merrick, whose dreamy website you must check out, now.
Colin is also trying to get me to believe that sometimes you just have to lay down in puddles to fully appreciate them - I am not so convinced. But I do know that the neighbors who don't edge the sidewalks in front of their homes harbor the best millipedes and roly poly bugs (or armadillidiidae, for any of you bug nerds out there) under the tufts of grass that hang over the cement. 
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