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8 kids 4 and under= 1 tired Mama.
My husband and older daughter got back from the movies after the festivities had ended, and suggested we go through a walk in the woods.
It was a great way to end our day, but my feet are hurting! It was a good day.
Good Nite!
I’ve been tagged. Tagg-ed by two wonderfully gorgeous ladies, Lisa of Blozulfog and Jenny of Jenny on the Spot to join in on the Holiday fun
of entering a contest!
To enter, all I have to do is fill out this List of sorts… So if you’ll join me, I will show you my list.
Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme:
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.
1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
- A pincushion (For the past 5 years, I have been using a tube sock bunched and stretched over a mason jar).
- A Calendar (Old fashioned paper calendar with giant squares, so that I can write everything my brain cannot hold).
- I would love love love a new digital camera so that I can record for my Blog a little bit better.
- Truly to have a year without sickness or sadness for my family- and friends- and well, while I am wishing, for the world. I think everyone needs a year off. That’s not too much to ask- right?
- Erik the Viking DVD- cause It’s. Just. Funny.
2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
A mug my 10 year old made at school. It’s beautiful.
3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
Kid’s Jacket from a pattern (I am not so good with the patterns).
4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
A Bright Red Radio.
5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
- A stick of Butter (the 4 year old has a butter problem)
- She also wants Kisses and Hugs (Oh how I am enjoying the simplicity of a 4 year old’s wishes)
- Art Supplies (My 10 year old LOVES to create)
- She also wants a Sewing Machine of her own (The wishes get more expensive as they get older)
6. What is your favorite holiday food?
Home made cranberry jelly. I can eat that stuff alone with a spoon. Yum.
7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
Just about everything.
All the Men in our lives will be getting Handmade Boxer shorts (I hope they don’t read this). I have also started a tradition with my kids to make each of them a flannel nightgown every year. I have made some other kids pants and flannel PJ bottoms. Whew- I’ve been busy.
8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
Hands down- White Christmas. What a dreamy movie.
9. Favorite holiday song?
Oddly enough- the same. White Christmas.
10. Favorite holiday pastime?
Personalizing our Christmas cards, Seriously. I love it.
So here it goes. Thanks for joining me.
Now it’s my turn to tag.
You’re it!
Today I found myself thinking of things that I am truly thankful for, but they are less obvious than the ones I think of all of the time.
- I am thankful for my daughter having a meltdown of sorts. It means she is on the mend.
- I am thankful for her mood swings. It means she is growing up.
- I am thankful for the ability to heal.
- I am thankful for dishes to wash, and laundry to do, and a floor to scrub.
- I am thankful for a roof over our heads.
- I am thankful there are still foods I can eat.
- I am thankful for my sewing machine…. (I couldn’t leave it out).
- I am thankful we know how to make do with what we have.
- I am thankful we want for very little, even though there is much to want.
- I am thankful to be called “Mom”.
- I am thankful for my children and their very different personalities, and their knack for keeping my wits sharp.
- I am thankful for my husband’s sense of humor.
- I am thankful for appreciating many of these things all of the time, not only once a year.
I hope you all had a wonderfully Happy Thanksgiving with many things to be Thankful for!
Still have that flu bug in the house, but the temperatures have gone down from scary 103 to 100.
To keep us (me and the non-temperature having child) from going stir crazy,
I kept us busy with projects.
One of them was inspired by a post I saw on Craftzine. Sonya Nimri has a project to use up those egg cartons (that I accumulate rapidly)! Yay!
I took her idea and tweeked it a bit to make it my own.
First, we tore up and painted the egg holder parts of the carton with watercolors.
Next I cut toilet paper rolls in half and we decorated them with markers.
I then glued all the “petals” together with white glue, and my little one squirted glitter glue into the centers.
Here’s another picture, because I think they are so pretty.
I hot glued the flowers (once dried) onto the toilet paper tubes.
And now we have lovely -easy- napkin rings! Since we have been in the house a few days- and will be a few more- we needed something a bit special to dress up our Thanksgiving. I think these do the trick!
The next project I did was for ME. MY. SANITY.
I needed to sew. I needed a break from washing my hands obsessively (and the kids’) and from making food and drinks and clearing food and drinks and laundry. Mountains of laundry.
I have found that when I am in a state of needing time to sew, I should take it.
I made these colorful birthday banners. I wanted something bright to look at. Something to take my mind off the worry that comes with having the little ones home, not feeling well.
Plus, it is practical. Although they are really to help celebrate our almost 4 year old’s birthday this weekend (we’ll see about that), I put them up now to enjoy.
Now, onto that laundry….
We have a nasty flu in the house now. My older daughter brought it home with her yesterday. My younger one has a bad cold…so far.
I don’t like when they’re sick. It is so easy to take their health for granted and get swept up in the day to day busy-ness.
Colds and Flu’s Stop .You. Where .You. Are. No more errands. No more school. Just rest.
So I will be house-bound for the next few days, and will be resisting the urge to get sick myself.
Between making soups and warm drinks for everyone, I will be trying to finish up some things I want to get done for Christmas and Birthdays.
One of the projects is a Quilt for our almost 4 year old.
I think she is going to love this blueberry fabric!
Nourishing our bodies and creativity this week.
I hope all of you are well!
The Second Annual Shorewoods Holiday Craft Fair will be happening in Hansville
Saturday December 5th, 9am until 4pm
and
Sunday December 6th, 11am until 3pm.
Come on down and support local crafters….
Noggin’ Toppers and Big Bagel will be there with bells on.
(Big bagel will be there selling bagels ONLY on Saturday December 5th. Pre-orders are suggested.)
Hope to see you all there!
Today I had a few extra children in the house (try 5), and I wanted to do something crafty with them. Since we won’t see them for the upcoming holiday, we decided to make a Thanksgiving craft.
I don’t know where I originally got the idea (it is usually done late at night while perusing Blogs). Sorry.
If you have the Blog info, please let me know and I can give credit where credit is due.
Anyhow, back to the 6 children in the house and our temporary insanity quest for crafty goodness.
Turkey crowns!
I wish I had more pictures because they all came out so great, but let’s face it, me, another Mom and 6 children- we were out numbered by little people wielding glue sticks. I was lucky to get 2 pictures.
What I really love about this was the unique personalities that shone through each and every one. We all had the same components, but the way they were assembled and decorated reflected on each child’s individual creativity.
On another creative note, our oldest Daughter just started knitting again. I can’t even tell you how happy that makes me.
I don’t knit. I do ,however admire those who can. I really am enjoying the fact that I can not help her one little bit on this because I get to see how she learns from others and how she works it out for herself. It is a safe independence.A way for her to assert herself as an individual in a healthy way. Plus, I get to see something without actually having to do it (as well as NOT getting sucked into all the different choices of yarn! I already have quite the fabric habit, I don’t need another).
This is her knitting while I read to her.
I am loving these moments of individuality and creative exploration!
Rain rain all the time. This is our life right now.
Along with the cold dampness, is….coffee.
Lots and lots of coffee (and warm drinks for the kids).
…And sew so much sewing!
Reading has always been a big deal in our house. We read to our girls every night. We have done this since our almost 10 year old was 2. Now she reads. A lot. All of the time. Everything.
Which is a great thing, mostly, but can be challenging when trying to find something she hasn’t read and something that is appropriate for her to read. She is in 4th grade but reads at an 11th grade level. Huge problem.
It isn’t a problem, however, finding picture books that we absolutely love to read with our almost 4 year old. Love picture books. Simpler times. Beautiful pictures. *sigh*
There’s almost nothing better than curling up with a good book (especially on a chilly day).
I’d like to share a few of our favorites with you.
- Bear Stays up for Christmas by Karma Wilson- Excellent cozy Christmas book with great illustrations ( all of her Bear books are wonderful).
- That’s Papa’s Way by Kate Banks- Sweet Father-Daughter book.
- Don’t you Feel Well Sam? by Any Hest- Another sweet bear book with comforting illustrations. You’ll notice I do have a thing for pretty pictures-…and Bears.
- Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton- A classic that my husband read as a child, and now shares with our daughter (and she absolutely adores it).
- Happy Birthday Davy by Brigette Weninger- Very charming sweet book (all the books in the series are great). A wonderful read even if it isn’t your Birthday.
- Toot and Puddle: A present for Toot - by Holly Hobbie- We love those pigs. Lovely illustrations lure you into their world at Woodcock Pocket. All of the books in the series are very good.
- Elizabeti’s Doll by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen- Simple story about a little girl wanting to nurture someone when her Mother has another baby.
- Hush Little Baby by Sylvia Long- A new twist on a classic song. the author felt the original lacked something and sent the wrong message, so she wrote it over. It is brilliant.
- The Quilt maker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau- By far, one of my all time favorite books. It has not only stunning illustrations (you know how important that is to me), but a moving tale of being unselfish and giving. A must read for EVERYONE.
That is it (for now). I limited myself. It is difficult narrow down our favorites with so many wonderful books available… But I think this is a good start.
I’d love to hear some of your favorites!
I can’t even begin to tell you how much I like to decoupage. With just a little glue and water, you can transform any object into something different.
I am still creating for parties, and I needed something to hold sticks (to craft with at one of the parties). My husband (as a Chef) has left over thick cardboard
tubes from the cellophane wrap at work.
It is sturdy and really perfect for what I need… but could use a bit of dressing up.
Hmmmm. Oh what to do?
Decoupage to the rescue!
I had my girls tear pieces from one of the many catalogs that seem to be pouring into this house daily- UGH.
We then glued them onto the tube.
That’s it.
Perfect vase for sticks- and it was lots of busy creative work for the kids!
It also fits into the theme of the party which is Crafting with Nature and Keeping it Green.
Love it.
Thanks to those who entered my very first challenge.
Because I liked both ideas,
There are two winners.
In first place:
greensullivan- Ooooh I want to win one! But only the first idea is mine, I gave credit to Andi on the second idea.
and in second place:
Lora Shelley- Mmmm…. well first thought/worst thought is to glue on a string from one bottom to the another and play telephone.
Or … you could put a giant pom pom on top (to make a head). With the yogurt upside down. Wrap with ribbon or fabric to make angels or ornaments for the X-mas tree. Or just dolls, use pipe cleaners for arms and legs.
OK I didn’t give this too much thought.
If they weren’t children and you could trust them with razor blades and x-actos. They could be cut into various sized rings (bracelets). Wrap with ribbon and sparkles and voila! Instant jewelry!
Ok that’s all I got. It’s late.
Whatever you end up doing it’s going to be great.
Congratulations, Ladies!
I hear this little word all day long in many different tones and used with different inflections and volumes.
“Mom.”
“Mama.”
“Mother.” *purses lips*
The dreaded, ” Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom!”
Short and direct, “Ma!”
“But Mom…” (????)
The ever repetitive, ” Momomomomomomomomomomomom.”
The angelic, “Mooom“ *flutters eyelashes*
The sweet, still sleepy, “Mommy” * whispers*
These are the notes of Motherhood. This is the symphony of my life, and I am enjoying the music.
There are highs and lows but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Sometimes I can plug my ears, but mostly I have learned to sing along.
There is, truly, no other place I’d rather be right now.
Such an incredible privilege. What an incredible journey.
As holidays and Birthdays draw nearer and nearer (seems by the hour), I have been preparing craft-wise for them. But while crafting my little heart out, I am trying to keep the environment in mind as well. I have been really conscious of how much waste there is in all of the packaging that products we use daily come in. And out of that how much we simply toss in the bin.
So with all of that in mind, I came up with this great little party favor for my daughter’s 4th Birthday party. She wanted a Polka Dot theme- easy enough.
I started with this…
Recognize it? Up until a few months ago, I was tossing these into the TRASH. Ugh. What a waste. I wonder how many of us actually do that? It makes me dizzy thinking about it.
Now, trying to redeem myself, I have transformed them into these cute favors…
I filled them with sesame candies (not really candies at all , but Don’t tell the kids!)
I just took a bit of fabric, glued it onto the tube, and tied one end with string. I filled them up, and then tied the other end closed. Done.
I am very pleased with the end result- and I am sure the kids are going to love them! Hopefully they will not just be tossed in the trash
afterwards, but saved and reused.
Now if I could only figure out what to do with all of this other stuff???
Hop on over to my friend Jenny’s Blog for a chance to win some Lego’s!!
Jenny on the Spot’s Lego Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win-
I know I am!!
With Thanksgiving approaching fast, we decided that we wanted to try out a New Old Cranberry Jelly recipe, that my oldest found in one of her favorite cookbooks- “The Little House Cookbook”, by Barbara M. Walker. In this book you’ll find recipes from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Classic stories. I highly recommend it, if you love the books as much as we do!
First, sort the good Cranberries
from the bad. This is an excellent task to keep little fingers busy. The book tells us that the good ones bounce and the bad ones don’t. Our little one especially enjoyed testing this theory out!
We didn’t photograph boiling and stirring with sugar and skipped right to the pretty mold.
After chilling in the mold for a few hours, we placed the bottom in a hot water bath to loosen it up. Then shook it gently out onto a plate. It was super easy and wonderfully delicious!
We tried it out with a Turkey breast, but I think this is a very versatile jelly that would go with lots of different foods!
Oh the comfort foods of Fall and Winter have begun! Not a moment too soon, too. The rains have also begun here, and if you have ever lived through a Washington winter you will be familiar with the kind of cold that gets into your bones, and makes it very difficult to warm up. There is something about the cold, dampness in the air that seems to settle in, and doesn’t want to leave. I think this cranberry Jelly (along with many other comfort foods) will aid us in ridding our poor bones of that chill.
Time to get cozy!
What are your foods of comfort and warmth?
1-Make a chime! Paint the yogurt cups w/ waterproof but non-toxic paint. Decorate with buttons, bobbles, fun trinkets. Drill hole into bottom (prolly a do ahead parent job). Take a string and attache a piece of wood (or other recycled plastic piece of something) to make a cross bar. Tie string through hole in top and let wood bar be inside cup. Wood needs to go side to side, not up and down. From wood stick add other strings and chime pieces. Can be buttons, shells, broken dishes, etc.
2-This is from Andi on website http://handmadedetroit.com/2007/02/01/craft-challenge-yogurt-cups/- If the yogurt containers are #6 plastic, you can use them in much the same way you would use commercial shrink plastic. You can cut it to shape with scissors, sand it, stamp on it with pigment inks, draw on it with sharpies, punch holes in it with a hole punch, etc. Once you’ve got it the way you want it, you can either use a heat gun or a toaster oven to shrink it. You can get some pretty interesting results and in many cases, food containers are available in colors that you can’t get from commercial shrink plastic.