Birdlife

Toby decided to be a good friend to the birds this year by putting up a few bird feeders. It didn't take long before a couple feathered visitors told their buddies about all the free food, cause there has been so much avian activity! It's been great to see the nuthatches, juncos, woodpeckers, chickadees and titmouses (titmice?). Of course, the squirrels are turning up, too, which means we have a ball quietly creeping out to the deck, having a big ole' shout, and watching them jump a mile and scurry off. I'd be tempted to think that they would learn their lesson, but they don't seem to. No bother - we like the entertainment they provide.

 

 

None of us were quite prepared for this handsome fellow, though. I wouldn't have thought that he'd come to visit our feeders, though perhaps he had his eye on some of our visitors?

 We're not sure what kind of bird of prey he his, some kind of hawk, we're guessing. Regardless, it's always so cool seeing one perched up high, regally surveying his domain. Always gives me a thrill.

How it is

I may be the kind of mom that makes her kids eat oatmeal...

...but I'm also the kind of mom that lets them eat it with a scoop of ice cream.

I'm not all bad, then.

The Shirt Smock

A good sturdy apron, really. whose pattern is found in this book.

 Perfect for all around coverage, and a nice big pocket for carrying around all the little tchotkies little girls "need". A single button fastening on the back means they can get it on and off pretty independently.

Two happy customers. Worth it.

Meet "Emily"

You know your children have reached a new stage of creativity when they begin making things with no help at all!

With instructions from this book, Abigail made herself a sock doll:

 Yarn hair, button eyes and a drawn nose and mouth completes the face. The book suggests ways to embroider facial features, but I think Abi was keen to complete the project.

I have it on good authority that some sock-doll clothes are currently in the works...

Everyday Madness

I took all 6 kids food shopping last week. It's not as crazy as it sounds, though I wouldn't exactly call it a sane decision, either. First we went to Aldi, and we did fairly well. With one shopping cart for Dan, Ellie and Caleb in his car seat, all the food went into a second cart. There were a couple of hang ups at first, with taking up room and getting in other shoppers' way, and of course the spilling of sour cream on the floor, but we got into a pretty good groove. We were in and out in less than an hour. Not too shabby.
We had another stop to make at Giant, though, and this proved to be just that bit too much for them. No crying, screaming or temper tantrums - that's not our style. No, my kids go the other way - they make everything into a game, and not just a normal, don't-step-on-the-cracks kind of game, but a let's-race-down-the-aisles-and-hurdle-the-displays kind of game. Today, there was hiding in the shopping cart (not a successful game, as it happens), running and sliding down the aisle, and shooting boxes of sandwich bags into the cart (okay, so that was me).
Of course, once these games begin, it's hard to know where they end, so there was also climbing through the van, under and over the bench seats, not to mention a small biting episode (and not the child you'd think, either).
All that said, this crew of mine can really work well together. We got the shopping done, van unloaded and groceries put away with no bloodshed! Plus, fun was had. How often do I get to say that about a shopping trip? I call that a win.

Finallly!

It's taken a while, but there are finally a couple (for now) of things in the shop:

 A couple of Puerperium Cardigans in brown (above) and black (below) cotton.

Perfect for any new babies on your shopping list (hint, hint).

Did you know...

...that you can use almost any kitchen appliance as a dry/wet erase board? As long as your kitchen isn't fitted out in chrome or stainless steel, you can use a dry or wet erase marker on your microwave, fridge, dishwasher, oven, etc. Write brief cooking instructions, phone messages, the day's meal plan or just a quick note. Cool beans, right?

Ways with an old sweater

Since the Christmas season has officially begun, that tends to mean that there are a few people out there trying to pull together some creative gifts on not a lot of money. Can I help?
Chances are, you or someone in your home have a sweater that's no longer in circulation. Maybe it's small, been run through the dryer, has a hole, or simply doesn't speak to you anymore. Before chucking it or running it over to Goodwill, perhaps you can repurpose it? Here's a few ideas:

Way 1 - a skirt

Pretty easy, this one. Cut a sweater off under the arms, fold over the top and sew to make a casing, and insert elastic. Cute over leggings, and warm!

Way 2 - fingerless gloves

 

Again, easy. Again, a great gift. Cut off a section of sweater that's large enough to wrap around a hand and sew up the seam, leaving a small hole for the thumb. You can hem or otherwise finish the cut end if you think it might unravel.

 

Way 3 - hats

  Had some trouble getting a photo on this one, but this website has easy instructions for how to get it done. Really good for manly gifts - it's not too hard to find a nice men's sweater to cut up, and almost all men wear winter hats, right?

 

Way 4 - baby pants

Photo from makebabystuff.com

I've made a number of pants and shorts for my kids from old t-shirts, and making warm woolen leggings from a sweater is really just the same song, different verse. This website makes them from the sleeves, which is a nice touch.
 

Way 5 - sleep sack

Photo from Rhythm of the Home

Construction is the same a for a hat, basically. Great gift for a new baby.

Need some more ideas? Check out http://tipnut.com/make-sweaters/.

You're welcome.

Thankful

It's about 4:30am, and I've just finished feeding the baby. I woke, not to his crying, but to the knowledge that my husband was changing his diaper. Right there are two things to be thankful for.

I went to bed last night with this delightful sense of having so much and being so happy. Our lives are full and busy and loud and chaotic and good and I love it. I am struck with a profound sense of gratitude for all the goodness God has poured out on my life.

1 Thessalonians 5:18  Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus

I think we must not only give thanks for the good and the not-so-good, knowing they are gifts from a sovereign God, but we must also give thanks for the details, the moments that we are in at any given time, lest we presume upon God's goodness and assume that we deserve the good we have or fail to see Him in the circumstances we would not choose for ourselves. I can thank Him for:

• the familiar nighttime sounds of my home
• my son's smile when he catches me watching him
• seeing my girls write in their prayer journals and the knowledge that they are praying for people
• filling my gas tank for less than $75(!)
• the knowledge that though I don't care for Dan's new hair cut, it'll grow back (ahem)
• the feel of lovely yarn in my hands
• my husband bringing me coffee in my favorite mug

Details, to be sure. Perhaps inconsequential to most, but these are the details and the moments that make up the life that I am so thankful for.

When you sit down to your turkey this afternoon and give thanks, don't forget what our Pilgrim forefathers remembered - whether your times are fat with blessing or feeling a little lean, all our thanks and praise can and should only go to Him, the Giver of all good gifts. How can we be properly thankful without One to direct our thanks to?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

The Schoolroom

I am well aware that our family is very blessed to have a house big enough that we have a schoolroom separate from the rest of the house. Most homeschoolers have a living room or dining room that is pulling double duty, and while we've done that and will probably do so again sometime in the future, we are grateful to have this dedicated space for all things "school".

May I show you around, mess and all?

 

Please, do come in...

We were able to pick up the two desk-and-chair sets for free when our church school closed, and the big desk and white board are items Toby found going spare at work. 

 

The pull-out couch was a freebie from a friend (thanks again, Danielle!), and is perfect for our guests when they visit.

 

I have big plans for turning those closets into useful work spaces, but that's going to have to wait for now...

 

A couple clever ideas: Toby mounted the white board on batons to give a gap between the board and the wall for storing a variety of maps that are mounted onto thick display board. If you're short on wall space and like your maps or whatnot, this could be helpful.

 

Another clever thing he did was mount an old plastic tub next to it, up high, for the dry erase markers and eraser. Some families may not need such things, but for us, storing the markers on the board's marker tray puts them within reach of Daniel. Need I say more?

 

My last clever idea was to record the kids' school assignments on schedule sheets, stick them in clear, plastic sleeves, and mount them on the wall near my desk. This is helping them to grow in self-government a little, rather than depending on me to tell them each little thing they have to do for each assignment, and they can check off when they've finished something with a dry erase marker. Then they (and I) can see at a glace whether they are done their work for the day.

 

 

The room is by no means perfect (the closets are an issue and I need to figure a better way to store toys and crafts), but it has been a great blessing and really goes a long way toward making our homeschool work that little better. I'll take that, any day.