SouleMama

her studio

Our sweet Adelaide turned seven yesterday.

 

I wrote that sentence nearly half an hour ago and here I still sit. At a loss for words, and wandering in my mind, once again, to these years that seem to be whizzing by before my very eyes. It really was just yesterday that she joined us, wasn't it? Yesterday and seven years ago. Here she stands before us, a sassy and loud (to us), quiet and shy (to others), funny, creative, strong, and thoughtful seven year old.

Yesterday was full of her favorite things and people - her bestest friend and closest cousin, her sheep and chickens, and apple cake. By evening, she was wandering the tidepools and running on the paths at the shore, giggling with the ones she loves. It was just right.

On her birthday eve, by the softest light we could manage so as to not wake her, Steve and I did our late night birthday elving in her bedroom. Rearranging all but the bed she was sleeping in (okay, we moved it just a few inches), we moved out a few old and not-quite-right-anymore things and in one new table.

I've been watching over the past months as her creativity has exploded - both figuratively and literally. It was time, we decided, for her to have her very own work space. A place where she can leave an art project in progress all day or all week without worry of little (or big) brothers disturbing it, a sewing machine she can have access to whenever she'd like (without Mama hovering and worrying about the 'fancy' machine). 

We decided to dedicate one of the family sewing machines (it's this one) to her use (the boys have another one in their 'barn recording studio' that they use. All good hip-hop artists and breakdancers make their own clothes, you know?) A search at a local flea market turned up this great retro kitchen table, just right for her room, I thought. A few more thrifted and gathered bits and bobs, some fresh new supplies (scissors! sewing is all about the sharp scissors, I say), a Mamamade pincushion (tutorial here)...and my little girl got herself a bedroom studio overnight.

She was a very surprised and very happy seven year old girl upon waking. She got right to work making things for all the people she would see on her birthday. Late last night, she and Ezra sat on the other side of the table from each other working on the comic book they've been creating together. This morning, she poked her head into my studio, with an "I need some elastic for my studio!". And right now, as I write these words, I can hear the gentle hum of the machine above me. Keep going, girl....

July 4

H a p p y  I n d e p e n d e n c e  D a y ! 

(I'll see you back here on Friday for {this moment}!)

her birthday book

My littlest lady got herself a very special book for her very special first birthday. Just like the one her big sister got on her first birthday (that I documented in The Creative Family), and was and continues to be adored to this day, six years later (my how time flies). 

Had I been a bit more on top of the ball, there would be many photographs documenting the process of the making of said book to share with you on this here blog of mine. But alas, this in-progress photograph is all I have. And this is rather telling, for the project came together - I must confess - on the eve of her birthday. What can I say? Inspiration struck. Mama love hit. Sentimentally reigned Queen. Whatever the reason, this little fabric book was the happy result.

Thankfully, I'm raising a bunch of last-minute nellies. Or rather, siblings who love their baby sister so much that they'll drop everything the night before to 'make some art' or 'write a poem' or 'tell me a story' to include in her book. With pride, and glee, and excitement - because truly, they adore this baby girl. 

The stories they wrote, the poems they penned, the art they drew? Goodness, it made my Mama heart happy. SO much love.

The construction of the book itself is based loosely on Adelaide's. Each 'page' is two pieces of fabric with a single layer of batting in the middle. All of the fabric comes from Charlotte Lyon's Walnut Hill collection. I love this collection - so sweet and warm, and just perfect, I thought, as a comfy background to the story we wanted to tell without taking over the story.

The photographs and drawings were printed onto printer fabric sheets, and simply because I ran out of that, the text is printed with an iron-on transfer fabric that I happened to have a bit of. Had I had enough of the fabric photo paper, I would have preferred to do it all that way. 

The trickiest part of making the book was keeping straight which pieces of fabric ended up as which pages in the book, and which photographs and text belonged on them. It helped enormously to create a mock book with pieces of paper to follow as I went along in the construction of it all.

The little miss loves her book. Love, love, loves it. I wasn't certain she would, given that board books in general hold little interest for her at the moment. But put a few pictures of the people (and animals) she loves on some soft and touchable fabric? Yes, please. Put down anywhere in the house, she'll soon find her way to the coffee table where this book lives, and begin clapping and pointing until there is an audience nearby to read to. Thank goodness, for this youngest baby of five, that there is always an audience. 

Sweet pea. We love her so.

annabel edrie

And with the passing of another day, my baby girl completed her very first spin around the sun. 

We celebrated with a dinner as quiet and lovely as she is. There was lily of the valley, and lilacs - flowers that will forever remind me of that sweet season in which she was born, and of herself as well. She is a happy girl, this baby of ours, pure sweetness and light. 

There was a little bit of sewing for her birthday - a crown, of course (there's a pattern in my first book, The Creative Family), and a new dress (the smocked sundress from Weekend Sewing). She ate a favorite 'first birthday cake' (Gracie's Yellow Cake from Feeding the Whole Family). And there were all the regular birthday traditions that now have a life of their own with the help of older siblings who remember to hang the banner, and find the cake topper, and clip the photographs. And on and on and year after year, we celebrate one another this way.

I am not all that far into my parenting journey in the grand scheme of a whole lifetime, but this dozen years has not passed without teaching me the most important lesson of them all. The days can be long, the years most certainly short. Hold them close and love them. Oh, I do. I really, really do.

a day in the life

On a recent day in December, on a day much like any other day this year, I watched as Calvin rose earlier than anyone else in the house to take care of his chickens. He opened the coop, changed the water, freshened the food, brought them scraps, and gave the bedding a stir. Coming back in, with his littlest brother just toddling into the kitchen, Calvin made them both breakfast. There was some reading after that in front of the fire, and a game of chess with his other brother. At midday, he volunteered to help his Papa butcher the remaining turkeys, taking breaks here and there to work in his treehouse, and target practice on a bale of hay with his handmade bow and arrow. As evening neared, we left the house...stopping first at the local natural foods store where he sells his eggs. Proceeding into the city, my little guy joined his friends backstage and donned his black tights, ballet slippers and stage makeup and danced his way onto the stage.

In between those moments, I am certain that he also held the baby while I took a shower, likely knit a row or two on his scarf, probably 'polished' his Converse (yes, really), may have made his little sister an orange fleece hat, and definitely listened to some hip-hop.

As his Mama, I will confess that at times, he is (and always has been) hard to keep up with. He's ambitious, precocious, confident, oh-so passionate, and oh my, does he have plans. He's never been "bored" for a moment, and there is nothing this boy believes to be impossible. 

I recently overheard Calvin telling Harper "how" to ski downhill. It all boiled down to trying really hard, falling down, and getting back up to try really hard again. Simple as that. And just exactly how I've seen this growing young man of mine live his days - success and disappointment alike. His days are full...and lived fully. It's a blessing to watch.

Happy eleventh birthday, Calvin Guthrie.

Keep dreaming big. (I know you will.)

greeting twenty-twelve

The concept of time, and calendars is a funny one to talk about with little ones. Little ones who pay no attention to such things as clocks and calendars. "There's no beginning OR end of it, Mom. That's just in our minds." Ezra likes to say, in one way or another, often.

It really is one for the adults, isn't it? For we do pay attention to those things - we are ever so aware of the ticking of the clock, the passing of the years...more and more so, I am finding, with each one that goes by. I suppose that's why New Years Eve and New Years Day really are becoming my favorite days of the year... A day to stop, reflect, celebrate, let go, exhale...followed by a proverbial clean slate, deep breath, and refocus.

We gave a hearty goodbye to 2011 this weekend, surrounded by old friends and new ones, good food and fire, and so many children running through my house that my heart nearly burst with the blessing of it. We celebrated all day long with the house full of people...but as the night wore on, each guest slowly trailed out, or fell asleep, until I found myself washing dishes and listening to the radio with my love in a quiet, dark and messy kitchen when the new year arrived.

It was just the way to end such a year as 2011.

The following morning the coals were smouldered as the sky brightened. And thus we greet a new year - a deep breath, and the promise of new adventure, exciting work, and freshly-set intentions. 

I do love beginnings. Even - perhaps especially - the ones we create in our minds. 

Happy New Year to you and yours! 

Holiday Handmades

My making this holiday season was a little bit all over the crafty map. A little of this, a little of that - it was so pleasant working my way through December like that! A little bit of soapmaking (a full and proper post coming about that after the new year), of course some Peppermint Bark, a touch of quilting (patchwork pillows, much like these), and even a little bit of painting.

Added to the crafty mix this year were two new projects. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we made monogram mugs, following Design Mom's tutorial, as hot cocoa mugs for all the nieces and nephews on my list. This was such a satisfying project - we gathered assorted white mugs at thrift shops, and these pens were a breeze to use. I traced the initials, the kids filled the shapes in, and wrote a little note to the recipients on the bottom of the mug. We then stuffed them with our favorite hot chocolate (Lake Champlain Chocolate is so yummy), and some vanilla marshmallows. 

The second 'new' project this year was button covered hairbands, with tools found here. Oh my, is this ever an addictive thing of crafty goodness! While I kept it to hairbands this time around, my mind did wander to the forthcoming winter days of making barrettes, magnets, and just fabric buttons. Could entire knitting projects be designed around specific fabric buttons? Oh yes, I think they could. And will be.

~ ~ ~

Did you do much making this holiday season? Any favorite new projects? Do share!

Things I Love (about the holidays this year)

:: napping babies on their great grandparents bed.

:: ruffle bum tights (I can't resist the awesome ridiculousness).

:: the way our Solstice traditions, twelve years strong, have taken root and grown with our family until they stand strongly on their own. 

:: a new tradition added to our solstice fire, embraced by all (inspired a little bit by Pixie Cambell's releasing bundle). 

:: simplicity in our days, a quieter holiday than usual.

:: the bee theme my love ran with this gifting season (I think he had a little fun at one of our favorite new-to-Portland shops, The Honey Exchange).

:: tucking a bit of evergreen onto each and every bundle I wrapped.

::a baby bonnet remembered just in time to wear before it fits no longer.

:: supporting makers and creators of lovely things when I was unable to make and create quite as much as I wanted to give.

:: the idea of baby sharing Mama's stocking for her first Christmas.

:: the thought of all the other mothers all over the world wearing child-made jewelry on the very same day.

:: being given permission to 'make myself at home' in someone else's kitchen. 

:: a whole lot of time unplugged.

:: my mother-in-law - even though she gave my child a megaphone (!).

:: my mother and father - even though they gave my other child a microphone.

:: cousins sneaking off into all corners of their grandparent's house for top-secret projects.

:: watching each of my little ones slip handmade sibling gifts under the tree with pride.

:: a warm and sunny Solstice day, followed by the winter gift of snow in time for Christmas.

~ ~ ~ 

Those are some of the little things I'll remember most about this holiday season.

And you? What are your favorite little things that made up your special days?

i want to linger here

....in the land of child-made jewels and glittery roof-topped house, minty candies and laughing family, surprises and silliness, singing with joy, and gratituous displays of generosity.

As these special days of the year pass us by, I find myself wanting to hold on just a litle bit longer. I want to linger in the love and light, and etch in my mind the memory of those faces, voices and the hearts behind them in this moment of each of their lives.

This morning, I'm grateful for photographs - the ones on my hard drive and the ones in my heart - that help me linger in it all just a little bit longer. I hope you're finding ways to linger this week, too. Moving slowly, as we're able. Holding on, as we can. Noticing, embracing, lingering...

merry, merry

Oh, we're in the thick of the merry-making right now -  moments full of clay, dough, sticky pine cones,tape (oh the tape!), doors closing with giggles, anticipation and excitement. The days are darkening, the light is coming and celebrations of all kinds, by everyone, are all around us. Magical days, these are.

To fully embrace these days, I'm signing off from this space for the next five days. I'll see you again on Monday!

Until then, I wish you light and peace, and treasured moments spent with those you love!

the pace of paperwhites

~ ~ ~
Thank you for all of your print and book orders! I'll be closing up the shop in an hour or so, and will reopen with the few prints that are left, and the regular stock of books after the holidays.
~ ~ ~ 

It's a delicate and constant journey, this attempt at simple living, isn't it? Especially in the midst of the not-always-so-"simple" details that make up our days with five little ones. Especially in the midst of homeschooling or homesteading or trying to make a living doing what you love. Especially in the midst of trying to keep track of seven human beings worth of wool socks on cold mornings like today, just for one silly, but true little example. At times like that "simple" can sometimes seem like a far-off distant concept or even a laughable dream.

And yet, it's here, really, within us all when we look for it, and something we all feel harmony and peace from when the balance is walked well. 

I've been thinking about that a lot this holiday season, as our family has grown just a little bit more this year; as we've learned from years past where perhaps we did too much; and as our children grow, and with them, our own traditions take root and stand firmly on their own. I've been thinking a lot about meaningful simplicity as we balance just how much we take on, give out, let in during this could-be-busy season. 

One day in late October, I found myself alone with Annabel, waiting for our ballet boys. Feeling a little melancholic about the winding-down days of our own garden, I decided to wander in a nearby garden nursery. In the greenhouse, with babe on my chest, I walked the aisles. The paperwhites were there, and I bought more than I ever have before. It felt a little indulgent, to be honest. I took them up to the counter to pay before I had time to change my mind.

In recent days, those little bulbs have become such a source of light for me. As we determine just what we do in our days this holiday season, I've been checking in - in my mind and with my eyes - with those growing little flowers, as a metaphor for so many other things in our lives and hearts. Are we noticing them? Is our pace one at which we can watch those flowers grow? 

The first round of those planted bulbs live in every room of the house, and this morning are just about to burst forth with flowers. I'm certain it will happen by lunchtime.

It feels like magic. It is, really. How lucky we all are to notice.

simple & special

I'm a big fan of plans, to-do lists, and goals. I make a whole lot of all of them. They keep me on task, they help me dream big, and they play a big part in making good things happen in my life. 

I'm an equally big fan of ditching the plan, shortening the to-do list, and shifting goals. When the time is right, when these things are called for, it's exactly what saves sanity and brings harmony to our days, and hearts.

With six days until Solstice and ten now until Christmas, I find myself in that place. That place of a little bit of a reality check. That place where I look with honest eyes at the calendar and the lists, and into the eyes of my little ones as well as my very own heart (and my need for sleep) - and somehow, the meeting of all these things together determines my course of action going forth.

Because I am quite certain that Annabel will not mind in the least if her handmade stocking arrives on her second Christmas rather than her first. And I think Ezra will be okay if the second sleeve on his handknit sweater is finished by New Years instead of Solstice. That it's okay if all those other totes of holiday decorations stay right where they are in the barn this year, unopened. And that it doesn't matter if all those niece and nephew gifts I'm working on arrive in paper bags instead of the intended handmade ones.  And on. And on. And on....

What do I know to be true, what I do believe with all of my heart really matters... is that these little ones of mine have a calm and present Mama. That we experience the joy and wonder and magic of this marvelous time of year...together. That our moments are meaningful and full of love. That I stay true to our perpetual holiday goal of Simple and Special. (Simple is special.)

Today, I think we'll string popcorn and cranberries. Or maybe we'll do nothing but sit in front of the fire and read Christmas Trolls over and over again. We'll see. 

bringing in the tree

With each and every walk in our woods, I feel as though we are making a layer of memories of place. These new memories are laid upon other layers (and layers upon layers) from the past, which we can only dream about and imagine, for they are not ours to remember. They belong to the other spirits who have passed this way.

On this day, I felt all of that...and joy and gratitude, wonder and love, and the beginnings of a new tradition.

It might have been my favorite walk yet.

december favorites

Oh, the crafting that's happening here that I just can't show you! It's the curse of the December blogger - so much going on, nothing I can tell you about. Yet, anyway. (If you're not one of my nieces or nephews, click here to see just what's going on in the photo above.)

(And if you're one of those sweet Mamas who email me asking how I get any crafting done, look above. There's a chess game I'm moderating, a baby in a high chair just out of the frame, and a harmonica on the table for, you know, harmonica playing. Sometimes it's peaceful meditative knitting stitch by stitch and sometimes it's 'squeezing in a project before dinner' with a whole lotta other things going on. A meditation of a different sort. Fun just the same, though.)

So while I can't tell you what we're doing right now, one of the joys of being a blogger who's seen a few Decembers (six, to be precise), is that I can show you once again what we did last year...and the year before that... and...well, here are some of my (randomly collected) December Favorites:

bread bags

fabric gift bags

granola

lip balm

yo-yo garland

button frame

stuffed art

fabric wreath

gingerbread mobile 

gratitude banner

our favorite wintry books

my little elf

front row seat

I share these in hopes that they might inspire some of the making and giving, living and loving happening in your holiday homes too. Happy Elving days to you and yours!

beginnings

I took a walk around the woods of our house yesterday, with baby on back and clippers in hand, and boys running all around me. I just wanted to see what I could find. Where were those red berries again? That's right...by the rock wall in the back pasture. I clipped some things, and we talked about ballet and chess and holiday traditions. The air was fresh and the baby was oh-so-giggly back there. I knew the green I saw on the ground would soon be covered for a very long time, and I noticed everything I could.

My intention was simple - I just wanted a little walk, and a gentle ease on into the holiday merry making. I thought I'd gather a few handfuls and start with something little - a swag for the door, some pots of greenery for the entryway, a simple vase for the dinner table. Which is just what I did. Simple.

My intention was not clear, however, to the boys around me, who were quite shocked to discover that I wasn't decorating the WHOLE entire house with ALL the decorations before dinner time. They gave me a not-so-silent "huh!", then disappeared from my sight. In and out, to workshop and back, from woods to bedroom they went, bringing their sister into the mix upon her return home from horseback riding. In the kitchen, making dinner with babe still on my back, I heard lots of "don't look!" followed by, "we'll sweep it all up when we're done. Promise!" 

And so it was that before dinnertime, four children were quite happy to announce that they each had a "tree" in their bedroom. And really, that's even better of a beginning than I ever intended.

{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.

. . . . . . . .

9.11.11

9.11.01

Twenty-four years old, with a new husband and an eight month old baby boy in my life. We had a little TV in that tiny apartment, but we were listening to the radio when we heard. We turned on the television to watch, like so much of the rest of the world did that day. And then we turned it off. Not knowing what else to do, we did what felt normal and comfortable - Steve put Calvin in the sling and we walked. We met up with neighbors and friends - a beautiful family with a boy Calvin's age. Equally dazed and wandering, we all clung to each other that day. They've long since moved away, but are forever in my heart for many reasons. Especially on this day, I think about them. About how the six of us spent that awful day in September together - watching, listening, crying, wondering, and holding our baby boys extra close. We walked slowly - time feeling surreal - up and down the shore where we were living. New parents, all of us, we looked at the sturdy, giggling baby boys in front of us - and they suddenly appeared so very fragile in the knowledge of what was happening in New York and DC.  What was happening felt so far away - so far from what we were experiencing right in front of us, but the hurt in our hearts felt as close as anything.

9.11.05

All through that pregnancy, I remember saying, "As long as she isn't born on September 11th. Please don't let it be September 11th." Who wants a birthdate marked with such horror and sadness, I thought? On that day, we were on day four after my water had broken. For days, we had done everything we could to bring labor on, and our little girl out, and that medical clock was beginning to tick on how much longer we could try. That afternoon, all those wishes - and many more - came true as we met Adelaide Margaret Soule. It was, in the end, a beautiful birth. A peaceful birth, surrounded by family and love. Filling out birth certificate papers in the early hours of the evening, with my baby girl on my chest and a house full of those who greeted her, I realized the date. A wave of emotion arrived, and left, and in its wake, I smiled another, quieter "Happy Birthday, baby girl."

9.11.11

My baby girl turned six today. We spent the day at home, quietly and simply, just the way she likes it. Surrounded by cousins and siblings, she ran laughing from pasture to pasture, animal to animal, stopping to climb each tree she passed. We had egg races, the boys shared stories they wrote for her, and there was apple pie for all. A day of celebration just right for sweet, complicated, sassy, beautiful Adelaide.

I was so very wrong six years ago, worrying about this date and the weight that could place on her life, on her special days. To her - as it should be - her birthday is simply the most wonderful day of the year. For the adults closest to her, her birthdate, it turns out, is a beautiful gift. For on this day, we will never, of course, forget what happened. We never should, and we never could. But amidst the sadness of that day, and the imagined pain for so many people, we have this in front of us. A bright and shining, giggling little girl dancing by, picking up every caterpillar that's in her path, and singing a made-up song all the while.

The fullness of life she embodies - that any dancing six year old or giggling seven month old embodies - fills me with peace and hope, and certainly so much love. Peace, hope and love on any day are beautiful feelings we could all use more of...but especially, I dare say, on this day.

Happy Birthday, baby girl. And, thank you.

on papas day

This morning, Father's Day, is one of the very few days of the year when I rise earlier than Steve. With  a baby on my chest and four bigger ones at my side, we began our Mother's Day/Father's Day/Birthday tradition of a sleep-in and breakfast in bed. As we all scurried about baking and making, and doing Papa's morning chores with the animals and around the house, I realized that five of us (well Annabel, too) were doing the work of just this one man. And yet somehow - I never see him 'scurrying'. It always appears as a calm, steady glide instead.

Amidst our scurrying, in the moment of glass breaking, babies crying, bacon burning, children whining, siblings squabbling, and a tired Mama about ready to burst....the words of that man sounded in my head - "everything's all right" and "they just need you to love them." It's as simple as that. He makes it simple like that.

And once again, in that moment, as happens in many moments of every single day, I felt full of gratitude for this man I have by my side, fathering as he does, with so much love.

Wishing a very Happy Father's Day to Steve, my sweet Dad, and all the Papas out there!

 

eggs, naturally

I'm rather fond of seeing our eggs au naturel - there's such variation in color with each one, and oh those great big and white duck eggs! But my little ones have been noticing the calendar and changing season and asking when, oh, when Mama are we going to dye eggs?

Of course! We did so this weekend, and we kept it simple, as that always works best when all six of us are planning on doing the same thing. I hard boiled the eggs. We did some coloring (with beeswax crayons) on them, and some elastics were applied. And we dyed with what we had on hand - lots of beets, some turmeric, coffee (onions are great too), and a little bit of this dye for the blue (because I couldn't part with my last bags of frozen blueberries). (Generally speaking, 2 cups of dye matter, 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, all boiled together for 15 minutes or so. Then cool. Or not, if you're too impatient to wait, as we all clearly were.) Some we just dipped, some we soaked for a long time, some we double dipped. And then we set them all out to cool. (The ones we planned on eating will be kept in the fridge, others decided theirs are decorative only.)

Oh, and the fabric strips are just sheets of muslin, torn into long strips. We dyed those just the same way as the eggs, in anticipation of a little spring May Day maypole celebration. I love how vibrant the colors are on the fabric! It's going to be one colorful maypole....

If you're looking for more Spring & Easter egg goodness, some links for you today:

These watercolor easter eggs are lovely.

Stephanie's elastics inspired us.

Mother Earth News has a good tutorial for natural egg dyeing.

Martha's recipe is also quite simple.

These eggs are gorgeous too.

These, too, are the colors of spring!

Knitted Gifts

Happy New Year!

And now it's time for a little holiday gifting recap, yes?

There was very little holiday sewing besides all the family sewing which I shared with you during our Elving week. I did manage to make this bag above for Gram from the kids with their artwork on the pockets (using sew-in fabric sheets - like these). The kids love when their art finds its way onto fabric like this - it's been a while since I've done it so I forgot all about that fun.

There was, however, a great deal of knitting. A lot of the December knits (and everything in today's post) came from the beautifully-timed arrival of More Last Minute Knitted Gifts (which I talked about here). It's such a wonderful book - like the first - and it was most definitely my go-to this holiday season. Above is the Big Lace Scarf, knit for my mom. (Ravelry link for details.) I love how airy, yet heavy and warm this scarf turned out to be. And that it knit up in a double feature late-night viewing of It's A Wonderful Life and Emmit Otter's Jugband Christmas....well, that was pretty sweet too. (Just because I knit it quickly doesn't mean I love you any less, Mama.)

The Family Rib Hat was a last-minute addition to Steve's stocking (yes, yes...I was feeling a little guilty about the sweater that wasn't under the tree. But the others sweaters made it! And they're coming later this week). Simple, sweet, easy and quick. (Ravelry link for details.)

And, the Elf Hats. Oh, the Elf Hats! (Ravelry link for details.) What a perfect little gift they were and so slick to knit up. What baby doesn't look adorable as an elf? They all do, of course. Which is why I made six - for the under six year-old gaggle of cousins on one side of the family. (The  older boys wouldn't go for it - I tried.) These were all knit with Quince & Co's Puffin, which was close enough to the gauge to make it work (when it doubt, I went a size larger for the hats.)

And this is what you get when you try to corral said cousins for a photo with the hats on Christmas morning. Perfectly accurate, I say. Love.

home for the holidays

This past week has been magical in the most lovely and simple ways. There wasn't anything extra fancy, and in fact, there was a lot less of everything than there has been in years past. How is it that no one even noticed the absence of those (always there) solstice jammies (flannel cut out but abandoned in exchange for earlier Mama bedtimes last week)? I do not know, but it's true. And true of a lot of other things too.  I say it all the time, and yet, I still find myself in need of reminding that we - big and little people together - need so very little to bring us great joy and fulfillment. Keeping things simple and slow, we create sweet and special. It's always true.

There was some traveling out just a bit last week as we shared in the merriment with those we love nearby, but home is where we mostly were. And, oh how good it felt to simply be here, at home, together. Celebrating the returning light, each other - including the little one giving me a kick every so often, and loving this space we're getting to know for our first holiday season here. Some of the sights of our simple and celebratory family days at home this week...

And now - this week - I hope we can linger just a little bit longer in this still and quiet time of no classes or appointments and schedules. Our first real blizzard of the year blew into town last night (and is still going!), and I'm thinking that with a house full of leftovers, happily entertained children and adults with a few new special treats, and a pile of wood keeping us warm enough...well, it's going to be another lovely one.

I hope yours will be too!

A Week of Elving : Wednesday

The kids just remembered these trees Calvin began making a few years ago, and has made every holiday since. They're a favorite this time of year for all manner of kid decorating and pretend play. A simple little bit of rolled self-hardening clay, with cut greens stuck into the base. Voila. A wintry forest! Want a snowy forest or a fabulously vintagey blue retro forest? A little bit of glue and glitter and you're good to go. Happy Forests.

{2009}

A few years ago, we made the switch to all-fabric gift bags. I will confess that I had a little bit of hesitation about it - we've always loved making, decorating, and giving wrapping paper from recycled paper, kid art, or stamped and painted paper bags. I worried for a moment that we would miss that. But the gift giving goes so nicely with these bags, I really fell in love with them. I love all the  pretty bundles sitting under the tree, they're fun to wrap, and lovely to give. And the best parts of all, of course, are that not only did I have no post-holiday paper clean up (besides folding and packing them away), but this year...the wrapping is all set and ready to go!

We've made some additions to the gift-bag stash this year - to replace those that we gave away, to make more of the sizes I used most of all, and to make one small improvement. Last year, I 'tied' the fabric bundles closed with scrap yarn, which was fine. But this year, I've begun making them with ribbon ties already attached. No waste at all! No scissors or tape needed! Very exciting.

The bags are as simple to make as can be - I don't bother with gussets or drawstrings or anything like that, and there are no measurements necessary, really. Which means that it's a perfectly fun and successful child-friendly and beginner sewing project too. Essentially, this is what we do:

Fabric Gift Bags
Cut a long rectangle of fabric, double the 'end' size you would like it to be, plus two inches or so. Fold fabric right sides together (the short way), and stitch a seam 1/2" from the edge of each side. (If I'm doing this alone and feeling extra detail-y, or know they'll be gifted outside of our house, I make french seams.) Press seams open. Fold open end fabric over towards the inside 1/2" or so and press. Fold again another 1" and press. Edgestitch this fold all the way around the top opening. Turn bag right side out. Cut two long lengths of ribbon (twill tape, grossgrain, anything will work) and place in the center of one side of the opening. Place each ribbon on either side of the center, (fold over if you're worried about fraying or want a more finished look), each with the 'tail' of the ribbon headed in an opposite direction (see second photo above). Stitch securely in place through the two ribbons and one side of the bag's fabric (a straight zig zag would work here, or make a 'square' with your stitches around the edges of the ribbon). Trim threads, pack gift, wrap and tie and gift!

While our stash is well-supplemented now, I'm currently working on a pile to give as a gift for a ecologically-minded family (with no sewers...yet!) for their own holiday gift-giving stash.

And the birch bark gift tags? Those are new this year, with just a paper punch at the top. This bark all came from our firewood stash and fire-starting pile, which is right where it will go when we're done with them. (Remember if you're using birch bark to only peel it off trees that are already down. It's an important protective layer of 'skin' for the living trees.)

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Join us all week long here as I share some of the simple, handmade family gifts we're making in this wonderfully full time of Elving (& Giving)!

A Week of Elving : Tuesday

The Elving continues! I'm particularly enamoured with Adelaide's recent discovery. After being frustrated by cutting out small circles of white paper, she had a lightbulb moment that cotton balls really make the best "snow 'of all. And what is that you say, dear friends and family? You have no snow in your neck of the woods? No worries, Adelaide is planning on mailing her snow to everyone on her list.

(I must remember to buy more cotton balls.)

Meanwhile, I'm making clothes for the Elves. I made my first Pointy Elf Hat from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts in just under an hour yesterday. Which has me thinking that there's time still to make some for a whole lot more little elves on my list. The first one was knit with what I had on hand - two strands of worsted held together, and it worked. Searching for a slightly more affordable option (in mass elf quantities, that is) to the yarn listed in the book, I've landed with Quince & Co.'s Puffin for the rest of them. I cannot wait to dive in (half of two sleeves to go on a certain sweater, and then I can!).

And lastly, today's edible gift from the Elves. A bit healthier than yesterday's option, but oh, just as tasty I promise you (really). This is THE granola that we have been making every single week, for soooo many years now. It's from the wonderful, favorite book Feeding The Whole Family by Cynthia Lair. It's in the first edition of the book, but the second edition includes a replacement granola recipe (which we love and make too...but this one always holds as our favorite). Eaten with milk or fruit and honey, or in yogurt, or just by the fistful, I wonder how many pounds of this my family ingests each year. A lot.

Though I make this year round, and often give it as a gift for any ocassion (housewarming! new baby! get well soon! just because!), I am giving it as a holiday gift this year to some folks too. Paired with the book the recipe comes from, I think it makes a wonderful gift for families - especially new or young families; or those who are just setting out on a healthier lifestyle path; or for those who I know are mindful of the sugar intake of their littles; or neighbors with busy mornings. Okay, for a whole lot of people, this granola, I think, makes a lovely gift.

So many of you have asked me for this recipe over the years, but it wasn't mine to share! I'm so pleased that Cynthia so graciously gave me permission to share it here with you today (she also mentioned that there's a video and recipe on her site for the second granola recipe - Maple Nut Granola. Check it out here, along with all the other good stuff offered on her site Cookus Interruptus).

Without further adieu...THE granola we love, eat and gift:

Nut & Seed Granola
from Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods by Cynthia Lair (shared with permission)

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt
1/3 cup cold-pressed vegetable oil (we like to use coconut, though all wet ingredients need to be at room temperature to do so)
1/3 cup brown rice syrup or maple syrup
1/4 cup apple or orange juice (in a pinch, most other juices have worked for us too)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 300degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, seeds, almonds, flour, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In a separate bowl, combine oil, syrup, juice and extracts. Slowly pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients, using a spatula to fold and evenly coat the dry mixture with the wet. Spread on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan and bake. Turn granola every 15 or 20 minutes so that it toasts evenly. Bake until granola is dry and golden (45-60 minutes). Store in an air tight jar.

I always double the recipe (I have four children. I double everything), which fills a one gallon jar and lasts us almost one week. For making and sharing as a gift, a double batch fits nicely inside two half-gallon mason jars.

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Join us all week long here as I share some of the simple, handmade family gifts we're making in this wonderfully full time of Elving (& Giving)!

 

A Week of Elving : Monday

We're very busy "elving" around here. (Oh yes, that's a verb.) At your house too? Goodness, I love this last hoorah of non-stop making just as much as the parties and the celebration days themselves. Day and night, it seems, there is glue and and yarn and chocolate and beeswax and fabric and oh-so-many-things in progress and covering every single work surface to be found in every room of this house. I never quite know these days - when I turn a corner and spy little ones conspiring - if I'll hear "you can't come in here!" or "we need your help!"

The Elving is good.

There are a few things that are becoming 'classics' around the holidays for us that I'm beginning to not imagine a holiday without. Peppermint Bark? Oh, that's one of them. Yesterday, we made all the teacher gifts to be gifted in the next couple of days. Because if there's anyone that deserves the yumminess of Peppermint Bark, surely it's the magical people who wrangle a room full of wriggling children into dancing, horseback riding, or otherwise learning in something resembling unison. 

I use the fabulous Bon Apetit recipe passed on by Molly. I usually double the batch, which fills eight half-quart mason jars, and leaves plenty of bits and end pieces for the bakers to enjoy. (I store them in the refrigerator until gift giving time.)

Another pepperminty gift that is making a repeat appearance this year is Peppermint Lip Balm. The kids love making this as much as we love using it. Once you have all the ingredients and supplies on hand, it's such a fast, affordable and easy thing to whip up, and I think, a great stocking stuffer or little gift addition. It's yummy and good on the lips. I get as many of the ingredients locally as I can, and whatever I can't find is from the wonderful Mountain Rose Herbs (the containers are there). (The perfectly-sized stickers are from Paper-Source.)

I began making this a few years ago with an original recipe from Organic Body Care Recipes: 175 Homemade Herbal Formulas for Glowing Skin & a Vibrant Self by Stephanie Tourles. I highly recommend this book for simple recipes and formulas if you're interested in making your own body care products. We've tweaked and adapted it a bit to meet our own favorite flavors and needs as such...

Peppermint Lip Balm

8 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
3 Tablespoons Beeswax
1.5 Tablespoons Raw Honey
30 drops Peppermint essential oil
(if you want color) 1/2 stick of natural lipstick (I like Jane Iredale and Josie Moran)

Place oil, beeswax and honey in a double boiler (or heatproof bowl resting on top of a small saucepan of simmering water). (As a side note, I picked up an extra double boiler thrifting that I use just for beeswax crafts, which really makes cleanup easier.) Heat gently until everything has melted.

Remove mixture from heat, and add peppermint oil and lipstick. Stir until blended.

Place the pan or bowl in a larger bowl full of cold water. Stir quickly until the mixture begins to change in consistency (it will become thicker).

Pour mixture into containers, place covers on, and let sit to cool and set up.

(fills approximately one dozen 1/2 oz tins)

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Join us all week long here as I share some of the simple, handmade family gifts we're making in this wonderfully full time of Elving (& Giving)!

 

with thanks for this season of joy

A little thing I'm learning about traditions is that - just as important as instilling and nurturing them - is recongizing when it's time to let them go, or at least for them to change. For a few years, our Advent Stockings were a most welcome, fun and growing tradition in our home. And then, somewhere along the way...they became trickier for this Mama to manage...and something about that didn't feel right. I did change up 'how' we did the calendar, and included more activities, prompts or poetry and just generally less "stuff". But even with those changes, after a while, in our house, anyway, it just began to feel like too much in the midst of a holiday season of a lot.

(I'm totally speaking as a mama to these particular four little ones, and maybe someday we'll do the stockings again! I know it's a lovely tradition that many enjoy year after year. For some great ideas, check out: shim + sons has some great ideas this year, I really love Ali's too, and Grace shared a wonderful PDF idea list recently.)

In an effort to keep my mind and our days even more simple, slow and sweet around the holidays, one year, it just didn't go up. The kids were so much less attached to the whole thing than I had thought - I think there was one little conversation about it and then they moved on, while I felt like a weight had been lifted.

The thing I miss most about the advent stockings though, was the marking of days - the daily rhythm, ritual and reminder of this magical holiday season that we are in the midst of. For that's the point of the advent to begin with.

So this year, we're trying something new. A Gratitude Advent of sorts. For this season, like every other season, there is so very much for us to be grateful for, and joys and special people to remind ourselves of every day. The idea was to hang one newly family-chosen 'gratitude' on the garland each day leading up to Solstice, at which point I thought it would be lovely to burn the entire thing - bark and all - in our Solstice fire.

I was so pleased when the kids instantly loved this idea (though they were horrified at the thought of burning it in the end, so maybe we'll skip that). Quickly on the first evening our 'one' family Gratitude turned into six individual gratitudes. While my original idea was lovely and all, I dare say, who would say 'no' to MORE gratitude? Exactly. I anticipate this garland will be mighty heavy by the end of this month.. Or maybe another will be made. The rules I set out with originally have changed...and it's for the better, of course.

The gratitudes are written on a piece of birch bark with either marker or paint. (The birchbark had been removed from cut firewood earlier this season and was gathering in a tall, flattened stack in our woodshed - it makes a wonderful firestarter). With a paper punch and some twine, we're hanging them from the 'garland' (some linen and wooden beads). Adelaide added the pinecone touch. (And hanging the whole shebang on the doorway-missing-trim? Oh, you can bet that was a strategic plan - a Mama's note to self of gratitude, indeed.)

Taking a moment after dinner each night as family to think about, share with each other and write down our gratitudes this holiday season is already a ritual that I am most treasuring. Whether it becomes a yearly 'tradition' or not, I don't know. I love it so right now - we all do. And it's  become one of the very things I am most grateful for this holiday season....among trees, flowers, cows, friends,  yarn, wood, food and home. And a growing string of other things, too.

into the season

 

The holiday boxes are open, with their various handmade, vintage, kid-made, traditional-and-not contents being placed here and there throughout this house. I really am not certain who is more excited this year, as the kids pull out each little thing and remember everything they do about it, and as I am reminded with the search for a place for each and every little thing that we are here. This is and will be a beautiful season full of the celebration of light all around us, of that I am certain. And now, here we are, upon it...

Wishing you too, much joy and child-like excitement as this season begins!

on Thanksgiving

(There will be no {this moment} post tomorrow, but for those of you not celebrating Thanksgiving or those who just want to keep with the weekly rhythm, please leave your {this moment} link in today's post!)

(I assure you he was within a safety-arms reach of both Mama and Papa!)

Wishing you joy and merriment in your kitchen and around your table today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

simply, softly, gently

Still, our walks here are of the meandering, discovering sort. We're finding new things each time amidst the slowly-growing-familiar landscape. On this particular wander....we found water, the last of the falling leaves, a tall grove of pine, evidence of the fairies, and peace.

I'm wishing you a week that involves some time (found or created) for bit of walking yourself.  Just one simple little walk if that's what's to be had. And that on that walk, you too find some things that surprise and comfort you.

...and may we all enter this beautiful season of busy days with soft, simple and gentle steps.

two year old toes

 

In just a few short days, these tiny little toes and the not-so-tiny (but always tiny) tow-headed little boy attached to them will turn two. Two!

  (eight weeks old)

I just finished this pair of socks for him. (He likes to try them on as I go.) I used the Most Basic Kids Sock (pattern available for free on Ravelry). The yarn is Classic Elite Yarns Alpaca Sox, and it's the very same skein I used for the pixie hat I made right after he was born, and seen above. Oh goodness. Time.

In my heart it was just yesterday that Harper entered our family and our hearts, quietly and quickly nestling right in as though he had always been right there, right here. With us. In the middle of us. And that's the thing about this little boy, this fourth baby of mine. Sometimes I think it is he who holds the heart of everyone in the family, as he is so very doted upon and loved and adored and spoken up for by each and every one of us. Just like that very first day he was born. Just like today.

He is a boy of few words (why speak when there are so many to do it for you?), and such shyness outside of the world of the six of us. When one of us is away from the rest, he knows it instantly and wants to know just when they are coming back. He is the happiest when we are all together. When he can run from one set of arms to the other to the other to the other and to the other...and giggle, and bat his sweet eyelashes, and smile his sheepish grins. I think he knows we love him.

A whole lot we love him.

halloween & home & the rhythm of family

Halloween costumes aren't just meant for halloween night, are they? Why, all weekend long these sillies impressed me (and themselves) with what they could pull together from the dress up pile for each other. Good fun on the trick-or-treat and party circuit...and at home. Anytime and all the time.

I recently did a little interview all about HOME, and what that means to me, with the lovely Meaghan at The Happiest Mom. It was a treat to think about, and and honor to be there. Check it out when you have a moment.

Oh! And I realize there's a little something in there that I don't think we've shared here yet. Which is that my third book, written together with Steve (hooray!), is to be released by Trumpeter in August of 2011, and titled The Rhythm of Family. (More on that soon!)

Welcome November, Hello Monday! Have a lovely day, all...