Photos from Ella's Birthday Weekend

Happy 2nd Birthday to My Sweetheart Ella

You are the sweetest, funniest, silliest most precocious little girl I know.

I love you with all my heart and always will.

Happy 2nd Birthday Ella Josephine!

My Little Dollface

What can I say about this group of photos?
NOTHING
because I am just laughing my head off
looking at this kid!!!
WHAT A HAM!
(And she knows it!)

A Little Piece of Heaven at Sandy Beach

We are lucky that about 20 miles away from us there is a nice lake called Crystal Lake. We were able to head out there yesterday and spend the afternoon at Sandy Beach. I love it because it is very clean, the water is warm and there are areas marked off "deep" and "shallow" so there is a great area for James and Ella.










Needless to say, this is our new beachy spot. Close to home, not too far of a drive, close parking, and it only cost us $5 to park. A good deal all around. I can't wait to head back!

Welcome to the Bouncy House!

Come on in!


Have a blast!

Shake your sillies out!

Dance around!

Make a goofy face!

Smile and smile and smile!

See you later! Come back soon!

Announcing a New Blog Adventure!

Over the last three years this blog has gone through many changes. It began as Tutta la Storia, meaning "The Whole Story." But then I lost my Mom and for a while felt like I lost myself, and so I needed a respite, and something new, and so then I started over with Under A Shady Tree. It has always been a blog most about my little family, with some snippets of baking, crafting and antiquing thrown in.

Over the last few months I have really felt a need to give my creative pursuits a new home all their own. I have also recognized that many of those pursuits have a common theme--that of "vintage." To me vintage refers to anything 50 to 100 years old, and antique refers to anything 100+ years old. Retro is less than 50 years old. While my heart adores aspects of each of those areas, it truly lies in the vintage world the most.


So here I am, introducing a new blogging adventure, Vintage Pollyanna! Go take a look. The current post is about how the new blog pays homage to my parents and the shop that they had in Bath, Maine for nearly 20 years. I hope you'll become a regular visitor as I share my vintage adventures in baking, crafting, collecting and design.

Meanwhile, family life will continue as it has here Under the Shady Tree. If you want to see photos of some crazy-cute kiddos, pop over here. If you have a hankering for some vintage treasures, hop over to Vintage Pollyanna. In any case, I hope you'll continue to read.

Best,

Allison

Spin Art Day!

James has a good friend named Hayden that he plays with. One day James came home from a playdate with a really neat painting. He told me he had done "Spin Art" at Hayden's house. For his birthday, Hayden gave James a Spin Art set. Today we used it because even though it is nice out, the kids are both running little fevers. This was a fun activity for James while Ella napped.

I love how each painting comes out a bit different. I also love the EASY CLEAN UP!

Thanks Hayden! (And Hayden's mom, Ivy!!)

Where Have I Been?

Wow! Summer is already half-way over and I have been loving my new, "no-commitment" philosophy that I adopted at the start of it. I decided not to enroll the kids in any summer classes, story-times, camps or anything that would be a regular commitment so that we would keep our days loose and wide open. The result has been spur-of-the-moment bike rides, trips to amusement parks, visits to friends' houses and impromptu fun projects of all kinds. Mostly it has meant that we have been so R-E-L-A-X-E-D. Ahhhhh . . . .

It has also meant that I have been enjoying playing with photo editing, both on Picnik and with Adobe Photoshop, and creating effects like these:


We have had some great play dates with my friend Katie and her girl Alexa:


I have enjoyed sewing, sewing and sewing like crazy! This headband was made by Flannery, but I am going to get her to show me how to do it (even if it means I have to kidnap her and chain her to my sewing machine to do it) ha ha ha . . .


Oh yes--and James has been enjoying his new pursuit--that of hermit crab husbandry.


And Ella? She is her crazy self, as usual. I posted on Facebook a few days ago:

"My Ella is a bull in a china shop. She whips food at her brother, laughs like a barmaid at her own farts, pinches her mother and screams like a banshee. But those curls! And that grin! And those cheeks! And that laugh! I ♥ my girl!"

On deck for today? Sewing a ruffle shirt for a friend, some Spin Art, courtesy of James' friend Hayden (a gift for James' birthday). Oh yes--and the invites for Ella' birthday party--which will be a Lemonade and Sunshine Social!!!