Knitting….

I've been wanting to learn to knit for quite sometime. Most of the women I've met in this area knit. Of course we've got to find something to do indoors for winter here as subzero temps are very common for winter. Brrrrr…..

So I looked through tons of knitting books and even tried to learn from them……

My oldest daughter tried to teach me……..

no luck. I just didn't quite get it.

Who'd of thought those little sticks would be so intimidating?

And then at our homeschool co-op I mention my blunders….

That's where Deb comes in……

"Come sit, I'll show you" she says…

She shows me how to cast on and knits the first row for me….

"Now you do it".

I goof it all up.

She laughs and shows me again…. going super slow this time….

And then a few minutes later I have 3 rows done.

Their bumpy. Their too tight.

But I knit.

Now I just have to get started as soon as I get home so I don't forget.

That very day I get a wonderful present from my mom. She knew I had wanted to learn to knit and so she and a few of her "knitter" friends went and picked out a bag, needles, yarn and a book for me. A perfect birthday gift. I love it!

So I get started with this lovely wool and I cast on by myself! Woo-hoo. And then I get bored with knitting every row…… so I figure out how to purl. It's going to be a scarf. It's bumpy and uneven and I love every little stitch of it.

What next? A hat? A sweater? My friend Theresa makes the most lovely little mittens…. I don't think I'm ready for mittens!

But over the next few weeks as our kids practice theater 2 evenings a week for their homeschool co-op…… a few of us moms meet to knit. The dad's keep the littlest ones and we knit and talk and talk and knit. It's so lovely to feel this connection to the women around me. Homeschoolers, mothers, knitters.

Awesome.

A boy & his toast.

"I tose & bubba, doe cuk"

translation: I want toast & butter, don't cut!

He likes to hold the whole piece of bread in his little hand…..

which of course ensures that he has tose & bubba ear to ear when he's finished!

everyday…..

toast and butter…..

sometimes when we're lucky enough to have a ripe avocado in the house, he gets avocado toast. That is a heavenly little treat.

1 piece of toast. Spread lightly with butter. Smear on ripe avocado. Add a few drops of lemon. YUM. (I put a little salt on mine too)

"Cago tose good mom"………. (avocado toast good mom)

too cute

Doe a Deer

We were enjoying the site of birds at the bird feeder when suddenly they all flew away…. and in walked this Whitetail Deer. We have seen several deer eating apples in our yard near the tree line, but we hadn't had one get this close to the house before…

(photo by Joe)

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(photo by Joe)

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(photo by Joe)

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We watched her, at least I assume it is a her, eat birdseed from the ground…. and when she looked up at us; there were seeds stuck to her nose!

Then I snuck out the backdoor with the camera and took these photos of her walking through our yard.

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(photo by me)

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(photo by me)

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(photo by me)

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She was very tolerant of my curiosity and when she tired of me, she walked back into the woods. What a wonderful winter visit!

Lovin’ It

Little things that make me smile……

1.My Bathroom Sink

2. The cat that helps with computer research….

3. Embroidery done by the girls.

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I hope your weekend is full of little moments that make you smile.

The Art of Baking

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We love baking. We bake a lot around here. One of daddo's favorites to make with the kiddos is naan. It's a flatbread, like pita, and so heavenly warm out of the oven with a little garlic butter or dipped in homemade hummus. Yum!

Lucky for us there are lots of helpers in the kitchen that also love to bake. I hope our kids grow up to love food as much as we do and I hope they especially appreciate the creative process of making it.

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Nature Bag!

I made another bag!

This is our nature bag. We needed something big enough to hold our beloved field guides ….. and a picnic lunch….. and someone's jacket when they got hot….. and the toy someone wanted to bring but no longer wants to carry……

And this was born!

The top is too big (the other half of the buckle is hiding under it) but when it's full of random kid items it will be perfect! I love it! I didn't use a pattern, I just tried to in-vision a messenger bag and this is what I got.

The inside is a red cotton lining, the outside s a heavy duty canvas that will for sure hold up to being drug along the forest floor by a wee one that insists on carrying it! My machine didn't particularly like sewing this heavy duty canvas stuff (time for a new one honey?) but it turned out really well.

Here are some of our favorite field guides. These are the ones we are using right now on our winter walks. You can find a good assortment in my book shoppe.

These particular field guides are laminated so they really hold up to kid usage and they don't even mind being ~oops~ dropped in the mud/water because they wipe up easily.

Having guides makes nature outings even more fun for kids, especially the older ones. They seem to especially enjoy identifying what they've found.

I hope this inspires you to enjoy some nature in your life 🙂

Resolutions

Okay, so here is one resolution I stuck with…

1. Organize sewing supplies and create lovely sewing corner.

Have you visited Soulemama's flickr account? Her studio would make any sewer drool…. it certainly inspired my cleaning and organizing! I *wish* I had a room of my own for sewing, but our bedroom is where it's at for now….. and my sweet husband does not mind the mess that comes along with it at times.

But over Christmas I quickly began to realize that, well, my stuff was a disaster! I needed to get it organized so I could find things easier and clean up quicker too…

and I needed to downsize my scrapbook stash, which I rarely use,

and make more room for my sewing stuff, which I use all the time now!

Sound like a big project? It was.

Here are pictures of my sewing area right after Christmas. (remember I created lots of groovy stuff) Both sewing machine and serger were living on the desk top since my fabric had completely taken over their previous home on the bottom shelf of the big cabinet…. eek!

The embarrassing before photos:

*yes I am hanging my head in shame*

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And after the cleaning frenzy…..

Who knew that corner was so big?

Martha Stewart would be so proud!

All my fabric is organized into these boxes.

Ribbon in Jars, Buttons in Jars oh I love it!

I put the fabric in sideways so I could still see it all when I took the lid off the box.

I love this thread holder…. it's my personal little rainbow 🙂

And look! My sewing friends have a place to live now!

I used some depression glass I had in storage to organize my little things,

so pretty to look at. And I'm happy they are no longer sitting in a box collecting dust.

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Best of all, My daughter wanted me to make an apron like mine for her friend's birthday and I was able to get to everything SO much easier. The project was a breeze and clean up was too. Yeah-hoo for my little sewing corner 🙂 And the apron was a big hit at the party.

(Apron + kid cookbook = great gift)

I hope you all have a creative little spot in you home.

Inspired by a Stamp :)

My friend Jena gave me the cutest handmade set of coasters and a matching trivet for Christmas. (Blogged here.)

I loved the stamps and was inspired to make this bag. I used drapery upholstery for the outside and lined it in light cotton. The handles are wool. The applique was made using iron on applique paper and a zigzag stitch. Though far from perfect, it's certainly cute! Jena & I tried it out and decided it needed to be slightly different in shape with longer handles. Momma's need to be able to throw a bag on their shoulder when they scoop up a wee one…… so back to the drawing board it is.

Hope you do something creative this weekend 🙂

Fabric Find

Are there any other Heather Ross addicts out there?

I found this on ebay for $7.95 a yard this week! Woo-hoo! I love being able to have a saved search on ebay. It saves me the hassle of looking. I was stoked to get this fabric, as it is also out of print. I love VW's….. we've had 4 in the past 12 years…. two of them Westfalia buses. I am looking forward to making some fun summer time clothes with it!! Little boy shirts and girlie skirts 🙂 Oh and maybe some totes too. Fun fun fun!

A close-up of my favorite part. The laundry line!

Waiting and Watching

These last couple of weeks have been a blur of holidays and a daddo who is always coming or going. In. Out. Here. Gone. In the midst of it all we are (not so) patiently waiting for the news of our next move. We should know by the end of the month…..

But the days are s-l-o-w-l-y creeping by and as much as we would like to not be anxious…. we are.

With each move a million worries enter our hearts….

It's so easy to get caught up in the midst of it all….. and then comes the moment of clarity. The inner Buddha voice that reminds me "You are where you need to Be………… so just, BE".

Deep Breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

I am where I need to be. I always have been. Even if at the moment, I didn't know it.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Breathe.

Here is a photo of our dog, watching for Daddo to come home. He does this all evening, every evening, when he is away. Last night, for some reason, I looked at him and was impressed by his meditative stance. Patiently waiting.

Now I'll try to do the same.