Lovely lovely Erin! Such a gorgeous capture of their special day, it was like being there. Maybe I'll see you at Ashwood's All Hallow's Walk? This year, I won't be shy and I'll introduce myself! XO Iris

Love this idea for sharing with others, Heather. As always, your place here and your ideas are a new source of inspiration. Thank you for throwing down the gauntlet (in an ever-so laid back way) for this Summer Studio Tour! I also had trouble with the code, but just used the image and added a link manually to this post. Hope that will work. Happy summer. Your lavender lemonade has me wondering what a lavender mojito would be like...methinks delicious! XO Iris

Your courage in sharing with us is an inspiration. Am I planting more kale this year, in anticipation of Green Smoothie delights? Yes, thanks to you. Do I return to be inspired by your pictures, your vision, your artistry? Yes, absolutely. Vermont is pretty great, but it's not for you, for now. I have to tell you that I was falling in love with your sweet home as you have shown us its wonders. I bet you have fallen a bit in love with it also. And one book recommendation for you: Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage and Preservation (Sharon Astyk). Really great ideas about taking locavore to the next level. A review is here: http://www.ethicurean.com/2009/11/18/independence-days/ Many blessings, Iris

That sweet little mouth is what gets me, with those dainty stitches! XO Iris

I think it is the sunlight on her hair, like a halo, that makes me feel like I am sitting right there at the table with you Tollipops! I LOVE breakfast food so much. Toast with butter...oatmeal...a perfectly poached egg...fruit...smoothies. My boys do a lot of austere boxed cereal during the week, sometimes oatmeal, and when our hens are laying...eggs! Two words: Flax meal. Ground up flax goodness that can be surreptitiously added to porridge, smoothies, even (sshhh!) cinnamon toast! XO Iris

Oh Heather--- Feel better soon! When I had the regular-garden-variety flu two years ago, my fever was up to 104 on the worst night...and I was the only adult handy so I had to figure out how to get it down on my own (b/c I believe that fevers are important in our illnesses and try to avoid tylenol, etc.). Cool cloths worked and visualization also, but I felt like I was about to die. It was fully three weeks before I was able to function normally again. And it wasn't just physical weakness, though that was part of it. My brain just wasn't up to speed for things like making breakfast and getting the kids out the door in the mornings. Multi-tasking just didn't work anymore! I hope hope hope that you regain your strength soon! And maybe take comfort in your sketch pad. Thanks for sharing those with us. Sending healing wishes your way!!! XO Iris

Absolutely breathtaking, Emily! I adore the color combination and the knee-sock length! I am awed. XO Iris

Oh Tollipop! I have a book recommendation, from your librarian-blogger friend in Maine: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. The description of bike-riding is what did it, as the 11 year-old heroine of this tale (Flavia deLuce, btw, a totally Tollipop-worthy name!) takes to her bike as a mode of transport to ferret out the clues of the mystery. A delicious, old-fashioned mystery story, perfect with a cup of tea, set in England in the 1950s. The heroine is a delight! Some libraries call it Young Adult, some call it Adult, you can decide for yourself! XO Iris

I really love getting into my bed each night. My room is a pretty green color (Ben Moore's Wales Green) that looks great in all lights. The view from my bed is a painting by my brother, a landscape from his time in Italy, of a very Tuscan countryside in summer. I also see two originals by my boys, one wet-on-wet watercolor from my younger son, and one watercolor landscape of winter by my older son. At right, I see the half curtains on the window next to my bed, and hopefully, some twinkly stars. This is a peaceful corner of the house, very uncluttered (I keep my eyes averted from my dresser top...). And I always feel happy to crawl into bed! What a great question! XO Iris

Hey Heather! I have been behind in my blog-reading...summer, you know? But I just caught up and just in time for the giveaway! I made a quinoa salad awhile back, your recipe, and posted about it and got one of the best comments on my blog, ever vis a vis the quinoa salad: my favorite is the Quinoa salad with peas and radishes, mint and cilantro - its similar to the rapture without having to disappear. I just loved that. It pretty much sums it up for me! Thanks, always, for sharing. XO Iris

Hi Heather--- Yes, please please enter me in your gorgeous giveaway. I loved getting to "meet" Emma! How cool. We had an auditory fireworks display tonight, really great, kind of Emperor's New Clothes...Totally foggy, but we could hear the booms and imagine our own favorites! I said to the kids I was ferrying on the way there: So it might be foggy and hard to see, and the reply was: That's OK, we'll just watch the fog! Love that attitude. XO Iris

Let's meet at Alewives when you visit later this summer!! Wouldn't that be dreamy? Your post is gorgeous, I love Lilly's skirt! Your rainy month has migrated here this year...Lucky you! XO Iris

Your cool rainy month has been stolen by Maine! I love these colors, your roses are gorgeous. Can we meet at Alewives later in the summer when you visit??? XO Iris

I loved Brooklyn, the writing and description really felt perfect for the moment where I was at... Working at a public library is such a great way to cheaply feed my fix for reading! I also echo the vote for The Thirteenth Tale, though it feels a little dark for summer reading, to me more of an autumn or winter book (very dark and stormy night-ish). I will warn you, also, that it was one of those books that I could barely put down, lots of momentum, "just one more chapter..." and laundry left by the wayside for a few days! I am enjoying The School of Essential Ingredients by Bauermeister, a novel, but great reading for foodies, and feels quite summery to me. It is about a chef who teaches cooking classes one night per month. It's told through various points of view, similar to The Guernsey Literary...book (also loved it, definitely a must read). what a fun post to read! I have added a few titles to my own list. XO Iris PS If you have a moment, check out my photography blog collaboration at http://unfurlingferns.wordpress.com/

Breathtaking, as usual. Reminds me of Hugo Cabret who, incidentally, had the same bday as Jonas!!!! I love it so much. I think we may need to talk about a new piece for me...When I SEE YOU! XO Iris

All I can say about that yarn is: Y U M :) Iris

Oh Heather! When I see you have a post in my Reader account, it's almost like opening the mailbox and finding a "REAL" letter! Yes, please, please enter me! Thank you! Have a great weekend, Iris

A friend offered this analogy, as she, like you resents homework as an intrusion on the important work of family life (chores, down-time, family conversation, meals, sleep). "Imagine if I sent Anders in to school with his laundry basket, and said to the teacher, 'Um, yes, Anders didn't quite complete his folding this morning, perhaps you could find a way to squeeze this into your day. Thanks ever so much!'" XO Iris PS GREAT diorama!

And I Facebooked about it too! :) Iris

I blogged about your giveaway! http://craftingmamalibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/06/loud-birds-are-still-awake.html XO Iris

Thrilling to see your babies on the pages of a glossy mag! Yay! But I am not surprised either. I love the fabrics as always...I was at Alewives buying some fabric for the first ever project meant to fit a person: PJ pants for my boys! I can't wait to someday visit that fun fabric mecca with YOU! XO Iris

Beautiful bags! I would certainly tote that with pride! I can't say that I find inspiration in lunch-making, however groovy the container I am filling...I find it a chore. Perhaps I need to re-examine the act of lunch-making, for as you say, there is nothing I love more than nourishing my family. Hm. Thanks for providing this food for thought (HA!). Have you read the Transition Handbook? Am LOVING it so far, so grassroots and bottom-up in its approach. There are some Youtube clips of Rob Hopkins doing interviews... XO iris

Hooray for Tollipop's hand-me-downs! Sign me up! Thank you! XO Iris