Friday, December 31, 2010
this moment...
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
home
After more than a week traveling and Christmas-ing-we are finally home and getting ready to work on a new winter rhythm. Preparing for the 'event' with the little boys was fun. The anticipating, the crafting, the waiting, the potential of being on the naughty list, all brought us a December full of fun.
We first traveled to Nathan's family home for 2 Christmas gatherings and present giving (and getting). We were lucky with the weather (especially as it came it as we were leaving) and the boys really enjoyed the quiet and party time we had there.
We first traveled to Nathan's family home for 2 Christmas gatherings and present giving (and getting). We were lucky with the weather (especially as it came it as we were leaving) and the boys really enjoyed the quiet and party time we had there.
We came home for a brief 24 hours for Christmas Eve service and for Santa to arrive. The boys decided to (again) put an apple out for Santa instead of cookies. "Something healthier" for him was their reason. Carrots were for the reindeer although Mason ate most of them before he went to bed. Christmas morning we opened our presents and played for a while before heading to my parent's house for a couple of days.
When we arrived at my parent's house, my brothers and sister-in-law were ready for some Christmas fun. They all spoiled my boys. It was fun! I think my youngest brother, Brandon, was quite jealous of what he gave Mason. He really wanted it for himself.
We spent the rest of the week snuggling, watching movies, playing with the new toys, building with playdough and gingerbread.
It was a great Christmas. Now we get to work on doing things like remembering how to take naps and sleep through the night...and finding a place for everything new we got. I think I need an addition to the home for all the fun dress-up clothes we acquired. Mason should be able to remain in "character"- daily.
(But I am a little glad and sad it is over.)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
this moment...
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Happy Weekend to you! 
Christmas programs
Today was quite a busy day. With the treat of a stomach virus possibly stopping all things in motion, we managed to get through it.
I had my Mom's Group Christmas brunch at the Allerton's Mansion in town. It was lovely as ever with the grounds all covered in a perfect white blanket and statues looking as though they were slumbering in the snow. The fellowship and meal was very sweet and a bit chilly but so nice to end the first semester in a tranquil, easy morning.
This evening the boys had a their school program. Reagan's class was cows and Mason's class was sweet little men ( I think!) . Reagan had a line to memorize and lots of songs to sing. He still doesn't understand that his little line was funny and that people were not laughing at him in a bad way. How does one explain that? 4 of his 11 classmates were out sick tonight so their herd was quite small.
Mason was so nervous before he had to 'preform' - it was quite cute. He was confused about the fake baby Jesus lying in a basket. As soon as I went to get him, he confided to me that it was all wrong. The baby was supposed to be real and in a manger with straw and hay, not a basket.
It went really well and was very cute.
If you would like to see them perform, you can see Reagan here and Mason here. I do warn you though...I did not inherit my mother's ability to video tape well. Motion sickness may occur. Watch at your own risk.
I had my Mom's Group Christmas brunch at the Allerton's Mansion in town. It was lovely as ever with the grounds all covered in a perfect white blanket and statues looking as though they were slumbering in the snow. The fellowship and meal was very sweet and a bit chilly but so nice to end the first semester in a tranquil, easy morning.
This evening the boys had a their school program. Reagan's class was cows and Mason's class was sweet little men ( I think!) . Reagan had a line to memorize and lots of songs to sing. He still doesn't understand that his little line was funny and that people were not laughing at him in a bad way. How does one explain that? 4 of his 11 classmates were out sick tonight so their herd was quite small.
Mason was so nervous before he had to 'preform' - it was quite cute. He was confused about the fake baby Jesus lying in a basket. As soon as I went to get him, he confided to me that it was all wrong. The baby was supposed to be real and in a manger with straw and hay, not a basket.
It went really well and was very cute.
If you would like to see them perform, you can see Reagan here and Mason here. I do warn you though...I did not inherit my mother's ability to video tape well. Motion sickness may occur. Watch at your own risk.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Yarn Along Wednesday
I have so many things I can actually blog about but since they are gifts for people who might actually read this, I can't even share how excited I am about them! I've learned that lesson when I blogged about making my Nana a special sweater - only to have her email me asking if she was the "Nana" I was referring to!
Last week I was working on an hourglass sweater. I finished it in 7 days. I knitted every spare chance I had and having an awful cold and a sweet husband, I was able to finish it with time to spare. After assessing my Christmas inventory, I've decided, at the last minute again, that something else is needed. I'm currently working on a Baktus in Malabrigo sock yarn. It should be easily wearable and cozy. This is my third Lacy Baktus and I do like how fast and versatile they are.
Because I am knitting like a crazy fool (nothing really new here), I'm not reading any current 'print' novels. I'm still devoring books on Ipod though. I am going to start reading, Painting With Children, since my two oldest love to paint and ask to do it all the time. Even though I highly encourage free lance artistry, I think a little more guidance might be nice. They are currently really enjoying some new winter books I added to my basket. The Tomten and The Tomten and the Fox. They are fantastic! So magical without being in your face about it and leaving lots for the imagination and questions. I had to get them since they are what Elizabeth Zimmerman based my favorite sweater, the Tomten, from. It was quite fitting since I've knitted three of them!
Happy Knitting and Reading!
Last week I was working on an hourglass sweater. I finished it in 7 days. I knitted every spare chance I had and having an awful cold and a sweet husband, I was able to finish it with time to spare. After assessing my Christmas inventory, I've decided, at the last minute again, that something else is needed. I'm currently working on a Baktus in Malabrigo sock yarn. It should be easily wearable and cozy. This is my third Lacy Baktus and I do like how fast and versatile they are.
Because I am knitting like a crazy fool (nothing really new here), I'm not reading any current 'print' novels. I'm still devoring books on Ipod though. I am going to start reading, Painting With Children, since my two oldest love to paint and ask to do it all the time. Even though I highly encourage free lance artistry, I think a little more guidance might be nice. They are currently really enjoying some new winter books I added to my basket. The Tomten and The Tomten and the Fox. They are fantastic! So magical without being in your face about it and leaving lots for the imagination and questions. I had to get them since they are what Elizabeth Zimmerman based my favorite sweater, the Tomten, from. It was quite fitting since I've knitted three of them!
Happy Knitting and Reading!
Friday, December 10, 2010
this moment...
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Yarn Along Wednesday
Participating in Yarn Along Wednesday again...
With the holiday approaching, I've been frantically knitting holiday gifts. Last week I started another Milo for a friend and finished it in a couple days. Then my oldest needed a pair of mittens -stat- as the temperature was not reaching above 10 and I had forgotten to make him a pair. He really wanted white mittens like how Baba made in The Mitten but I convinced him brown ones would work for now. Now I am working on a last minute sweater, The Hourglass Sweater, from appropriately Last Minute Gifts. I guess I'm reading that too now!
With the holiday approaching, I've been frantically knitting holiday gifts. Last week I started another Milo for a friend and finished it in a couple days. Then my oldest needed a pair of mittens -stat- as the temperature was not reaching above 10 and I had forgotten to make him a pair. He really wanted white mittens like how Baba made in The Mitten but I convinced him brown ones would work for now. Now I am working on a last minute sweater, The Hourglass Sweater, from appropriately Last Minute Gifts. I guess I'm reading that too now!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Santa Train
In our small, utterly wonderful little town, we have a train museum. As we drive to preschool every day, we get to pass all of the parked wagon, engines, caboose, breakdown trains... and they interest my boys daily.
But, come December, one of those trains turns into a special train. Santa's train. This is our second year of the Santa Train and it was just as much fun as last years'. You are given a ticket that gets punched by a conductor, a sack lunch, and a visit from Santa. We cruise at walking speed through town and back and watch out the windows, squeal, scream, laugh, and eat. It is pretty magical!
But, come December, one of those trains turns into a special train. Santa's train. This is our second year of the Santa Train and it was just as much fun as last years'. You are given a ticket that gets punched by a conductor, a sack lunch, and a visit from Santa. We cruise at walking speed through town and back and watch out the windows, squeal, scream, laugh, and eat. It is pretty magical!
Friday, December 3, 2010
this moment...
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Happy Weekend to you and yours!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Yarn Along Wednesday
On my needles this week is another Milo vest for a secret person. I dyed the yarn up last weekend and have only done the gauge swatch so far. I hope to get some good progress on it tonight. In the last 2 weeks, I've knitted 5 pairs of fingerless mitts for Christmas gifts! As fast as those are to knit, I think I am looking forward to a break from them! I also hope to finish my Annabel sweater that has been nagging me to be finished.
Reading wise, I am not currently reading anything but listening to random old audiobooks on my iphone while I trim the house. My children are starting The Advent Book tonight thanks to my BFF suggestion. They are really excited to read it and discover what is behind each door. This is our first year of doing advent as a family. I wanted to wait until they were old enough to appreciate the ritual of it. Plus, our Elf, Mr. Armstrong, has come to watch over us and fly back to Santa each night. I love the addition of another pair of eyes to see who is naughty and nice!
Happy knitting and reading on Yarn Along Wednesday!
Reading wise, I am not currently reading anything but listening to random old audiobooks on my iphone while I trim the house. My children are starting The Advent Book tonight thanks to my BFF suggestion. They are really excited to read it and discover what is behind each door. This is our first year of doing advent as a family. I wanted to wait until they were old enough to appreciate the ritual of it. Plus, our Elf, Mr. Armstrong, has come to watch over us and fly back to Santa each night. I love the addition of another pair of eyes to see who is naughty and nice!
Happy knitting and reading on Yarn Along Wednesday!
Monday, November 29, 2010
handy
Our little family has been quite busy it seems lately. With the end of fall, Thanksgiving, and the beginning of the Christmas season, we have been blessed with lots of fun things to do.
I've kept our older ones particularly busy with lots of handwork as we work on making our Christmas gifts. Since Logan is the 3rd baby boy in 4 years, he really needs nothing. The boys decided to make him some little people that he can 'chew' on. I bought some peg people from Casey's and some milk paint, and beeswax polish and they went to work. They had lots of fun working on them and enjoyed making something special for their baby. It was also a great weekend project - bonus for me!
making Thanksgiving gift bags for class: mulsin bags, homemade playdough, ring pop, gummies, and a cookie cutter.
and of course, the best...the last bit of warm weather play!
I've kept our older ones particularly busy with lots of handwork as we work on making our Christmas gifts. Since Logan is the 3rd baby boy in 4 years, he really needs nothing. The boys decided to make him some little people that he can 'chew' on. I bought some peg people from Casey's and some milk paint, and beeswax polish and they went to work. They had lots of fun working on them and enjoyed making something special for their baby. It was also a great weekend project - bonus for me!
We also worked on things wooly - which is the norm here! Both of the boys dyed yarn for their teachers so I can make them some mitts for their presents. They were sneaky, which was fun for them, and found out their favorite colors and then I made the dye solution and they painted it on.
and of course, the best...the last bit of warm weather play!
Friday, November 19, 2010
this moment...
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Have a wonderful weekend! via Soulemama
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Yarn Along Wednesday
Participating in the weekly Yarn Along with Small Things...
This week I am starting to frantically work on Christmas gifts. I don't know why I've waited so long to start them. I have a hard time doing multiple projects at once. I am getting better at that since some knitting can be tedious. Right now I am working on mitts based on the pattern Albina Armwarmers. They are my second pair so far this week. My first pair turned out so cute that I couldn't wait to do another one. This time I modified the cuff so it is a bit less bulky. I do love knitting with handspun yarn. I really look forward to learning how to do that someday. The Annabel sweater from last week is finished but I don't think it is long enough so I'm waiting for yarn to come. The Pogona that I'm slowly working on looks no different -darn sock yarn.
In reading, I've finally picked up Radical Homemakers. It is interesting and quite outside my comfort zone. I'm used to reading words like dither, verily, Mr. Darcy, blood feuds and not "We have come to believe that the viability of the corporate world is integral to our social and individual progress." It is good though and I'm sure it will teach me something and ultimately make me feel guilty for not doing x, y, or z. I just finished listening to the audiobook At Last Comes Love- which is a sweet historical romance. My children are enjoying Harry Potter and have been very excited to start reading our Christmas books since I just rearranged them and have them organized in a special basket.
This week I am starting to frantically work on Christmas gifts. I don't know why I've waited so long to start them. I have a hard time doing multiple projects at once. I am getting better at that since some knitting can be tedious. Right now I am working on mitts based on the pattern Albina Armwarmers. They are my second pair so far this week. My first pair turned out so cute that I couldn't wait to do another one. This time I modified the cuff so it is a bit less bulky. I do love knitting with handspun yarn. I really look forward to learning how to do that someday. The Annabel sweater from last week is finished but I don't think it is long enough so I'm waiting for yarn to come. The Pogona that I'm slowly working on looks no different -darn sock yarn.
In reading, I've finally picked up Radical Homemakers. It is interesting and quite outside my comfort zone. I'm used to reading words like dither, verily, Mr. Darcy, blood feuds and not "We have come to believe that the viability of the corporate world is integral to our social and individual progress." It is good though and I'm sure it will teach me something and ultimately make me feel guilty for not doing x, y, or z. I just finished listening to the audiobook At Last Comes Love- which is a sweet historical romance. My children are enjoying Harry Potter and have been very excited to start reading our Christmas books since I just rearranged them and have them organized in a special basket.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Last stocking today!
My last stocking on my Hyena Cart Store is today at 12:00! I put up some really super deals on superwash fiber. Reagan dyed it all and choose his own color combination inspired by his artwork.
Friday, November 12, 2010
this moment...
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Have a wonderful weekend via Soulemama
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Yarn Along Wednesday
this week's Yarn Along... my link isn't working!
Participating in a yarn along!
This week I am still slowly working on my Annabel sweater. It is taking forever. With a sick (again) baby, it seems my time is very limited lately.
We just finished reading The Magic Treehouse's Dinosaurs Before Dark. I've started reading aloud chapter books from the witching hours of 6:45-7:45. So far it has seemed to help keep the chaos down and the kids selecting more independent toys/activities to play with while they listen. Logan wants to be too busy to sit in my lap and read so I like doing this for him too. Anything Dinosaurs works for my crew. They really want me to start reading Harry Potter to them. I can't wait either but I think they are too young to understand that yet but we will try a chapter tonight. I'm listening to the audiobook Crave by J.R. Ward. I usually like her books and her series but so far I'm not a fan of this one. I'll need to find something new soon as I can't go a day without listening to something!
Participating in a yarn along!
This week I am still slowly working on my Annabel sweater. It is taking forever. With a sick (again) baby, it seems my time is very limited lately.
We just finished reading The Magic Treehouse's Dinosaurs Before Dark. I've started reading aloud chapter books from the witching hours of 6:45-7:45. So far it has seemed to help keep the chaos down and the kids selecting more independent toys/activities to play with while they listen. Logan wants to be too busy to sit in my lap and read so I like doing this for him too. Anything Dinosaurs works for my crew. They really want me to start reading Harry Potter to them. I can't wait either but I think they are too young to understand that yet but we will try a chapter tonight. I'm listening to the audiobook Crave by J.R. Ward. I usually like her books and her series but so far I'm not a fan of this one. I'll need to find something new soon as I can't go a day without listening to something!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A favorite toy
With the holiday season approaching, toys are on the mind. They are mostly on the minds of my children. I am constantly told all of the wonderful things they might like. Constantly. I hope they start to get the message of "it is not all about them" soon, or Santa is not going to be as fun as he (she) could be.
But...I do want to share a favorite thing in our house. Capes. They aren't really even that. Just silk retangles that Reagan and I dyed one afternoon to add to our make believe basket. They are so much fun. I can't believe how much they are used and by how many kids they have been used by. We've taken them to BBQs, used them when we didn't have 'girl' dress up clothes, and when a herd of boys were over playing. They are used almost daily at our house. Our neighbors will often drive by and see at least one boy hanging from a tree house with a cape on.
They are super cheap and easy to dye. We dyed them with professional grade dyes because I have them since they are the same as what I use to dye wool. Kool Aid will work too though!
Perfect stocking stuffers or something to do during those long winter days ahead.
But...I do want to share a favorite thing in our house. Capes. They aren't really even that. Just silk retangles that Reagan and I dyed one afternoon to add to our make believe basket. They are so much fun. I can't believe how much they are used and by how many kids they have been used by. We've taken them to BBQs, used them when we didn't have 'girl' dress up clothes, and when a herd of boys were over playing. They are used almost daily at our house. Our neighbors will often drive by and see at least one boy hanging from a tree house with a cape on.
They are super cheap and easy to dye. We dyed them with professional grade dyes because I have them since they are the same as what I use to dye wool. Kool Aid will work too though!
Perfect stocking stuffers or something to do during those long winter days ahead.
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