Little Quiver

Knit Swaddle Sock Tutorial

2012-02-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

Andrea said:
"So, I just came across your blog with this post. Beautiful pictures! It looks as though you do a lot of knitting. would you be willing/able to create a post with instructions on how to make that blue blanket thing. A friend of mine said it is a tube? Anyway, I have baby number 4 coming in May and I'd love to make him something similar. My favorite part is the way the edges curl. I love it! Thanks for considering!!"

Thank-you so much! This post is for you Andrea! I love requests.

My favorite baby tool/item this time around is this little swaddle sock. We've often seen adorable knit tubes that photographers use. For newborns,these are more than cute, they are extremely practical. Especially for small babies, like mine. It's great for that awkward stage where they swim in every type of clothing!

I didn't actually follow any patterns, but I will try to convey how it is made. It is a tube, without any increases or decreases. I did crochet a string to use as a draw string in the bottom of it - however, I quickly stopped using it and just took it out. Babies, we all know, like to be warm - this could be worn over just a diaper, or a onsie, or clothing for extra coziness.

The secret to the curling edges, Andrea, is a loose cast on and a very loose cast off. If it is too tight a cast on/cast off, it won't curl the same.

Yarn: Whatever you like. Preferable something that is soft, natural, and washes well. I chose cotton, think it is 3-ply.

Cast on 58 loosely onto size 4.5 mm Double Pointed Needles OR Circular Needles (it is much faster and easier on circular, but I did them on DPNs because that is what I had in this size - but sometimes stitches slip off of the DPNs)

Knit every row in the round approx. 19-20 inches OR however long you'd like it! Cast off Loosely.

If you want the drawstring closure, crochet a 20 inch or so chord. Using the crochet hook, weave the chord in and out every inch or so, round the bottom of the swaddle sock. Enjoy.

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{this moment}

2012-02-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

{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. -SouleMama

Rhythm of our Day

2012-02-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Life, after the newest member of our family has joined us, is just starting to feel normal again. We are just beginning to feel a nice rhythm in our days finally.

Since we started a Waldorf inspired approach in our homeschooling almost a year ago, our school days are so much more peaceful. The way you would imagine they should be. After breakfast, (this may happen before or after beds are made/children dressed depending how early we are up), there is chores. After chores we have family devotions/Worship/music/song/dance/listening prayer. Then we move into their main lesson. I love the character building in the stories we read together during these lessons.

I love the patience the children have learned and enjoy colouring, and colouring, and colouring. In most Waldorf approaches, children create their own text books. There is a lot of copy work - and as creative as it seems - they are required to copy my drawings (which are really so simple, any adult can do it with the guidance they give in the curriculum) as well as their school work before they can freelance away. Of course they definitely can take some creative liberties as well. Like many alternative educational approaches, Waldorf embraces "better a little late, than too early!"

Even the 2 1/2 year old takes her main lesson time quite seriously, while she works on her drawings. Of course she does not have any copy work yet. Baby may be sleeping, or bouncing on my knee, or nursing during this time. The rest of the day can be a bit of a blur still for me. Some snacks, some lunch, some play, more chores, some outdoor time, a time when I read to them, Selah reads to me, and their own quiet time on beds with books ::nothing else:: (mama's sanity time), and if we can squeeze it in, some handwork time. Selah's still working on her doll wig, amongst some other projects, Joash, 4, is winding yarn for me off of the swift. That's where we are currently at...little by little we create a bit more rhythm, a bit more rhyme to our reasons.

What's your favorite tool to help with the structure of your day?

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Pin-Etiquette rhymes with Conneticut! A Covert Pin-Etiquette Tip!

2012-01-31T19:04:00.000-08:00

It's the big buz these days. It's Pintastic, It's Pinterest!

Now the many hours that have been spent chatting and surfing on facebook, diminish a little as their "interest" turns toward "pinterest"! I, myself am not a very good facebook friend. Unfortunately I just don't have the time, or I guess make the time. Pinterest is a nice for an unwinding time; it's motivating, envisioning and sometimes thrilling.

In the celebration of this I wanted to share a tip on proper pinning. This covert tip is not even revealed on the Pin Etiquette page! Pinners have told me that they actually only pin things directly from Pinterest - I'm of that group most of my pinning time. If you are all to familiar with this site, you know the destinations pins take you to as well either; 1. the website it originated from or 2. a photo that the owner pinned. Lovely. There are many pins where the image is self explanatory. However there are pins that take us to tutorials, recipes and much more. Many of us have eagerly gone to the expected destination only to find a dead end.

One of the most peculiar destinations is when you arrive at a blog, where instead of the intended blog post, the entire blog is pinned. So the pin that you search for may be buried 6 months ago in posts, 3 days ago, or perhaps years...."nobody knows!" I don't know enough about web and software construction to know whether or not Pinterest can eventually remedy this. So for now we, pinners have to take it into our own hands! What shall we do? When we come across something pintastic on a blog, we must open up the individual post and pin the post. You can tell by looking at the url. If it ends in .com/ we have the entire blog, what we want to see is .com/name-or-date-of-the-post or something like that. Simply clicking on the heading of the post usually takes us to the url we want to pin! Of course I should ad, if one's blog has stipulated for all to see that they would like you to ask permission before pinning - that is a very good idea. Most of time they are more than happy that you did, and will grant you your wish!

Happy pinning and looking forward to following Your next pin!

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I am Blessed...Belated Christmas...

2012-01-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

Blessed...

Or Bliss...

I'm still in that newborn-honeymoon-stage...I'm about to find out that he has exceeded the newborn-poundage at my midwife appt. this afternoon. (Here is my pilot cap project)

This was the first Christmas for us that I could tell on people's faces "this is it right?" All children act up, but we have been grateful so far that we've been able to take all our children to a restaurant without the drama that can sometimes follow. Having worked in the restaurant business, I recall the "oh no here comes a table with children" reactions from servers.

Yes, this is me, Thanks to Miss B (sorry I had to do that!)
Our church puts on Bethlehem Live each year. We have somewhere between 5000-6000 move through our modest gymnasium, transformed into the town of Bethlehem. Israel was one of a few babies who played that main role. He preformed for over 2000 audience members.

This, I will never forget :: I could not understand why so many of the teens and children from the school tours KNEW his name. I mean, not the name Baby Jesus, but my baby's name, Israel. Until it finally occurred to me what they were actually saying -"It's Real, It's Real!" - sounds like "Israel"! For more of Miss B's great photography you will just have to stop by her website!

Over the holidays, one extended family member looked me in the eyes and told me how blessed I was with these children, as she described the pain in their own family of pregnancy loss. I looked at her (knowingly from my own experience), and said, "you are so right (with tears in my eyes), we may not have a lot of money but we are blessed with these precious gems!" My heart goes out to the many Mamas that I know, and do not know, those that I've met through this blog, or through Above Rubies who've experienced this painful thing of loss. My 100 year old Grandmother-In-Law just passed away, just days before she'd mentioned seeing a vision of her daughter that she lost (due to pregnancy loss) in heaven, waiting for her. It warms my heart that we have children waiting for us in heaven!

Better late than never - Merry Christmas! (smile)

Little House Birthday Blessing

2011-12-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

Looking for a theme for our oldest birthday child, we decided on a "Little House on the Prairie" birthday party. I'm not much of a specialist in any particular area, so experimentation is the name of the game - especially when it comes to cake making and decorating! (The links take you to past attempts). But we did have fun between the peanut butter puffs, butter cream icing, and pretzels!

Some arrived dressed for the occasion, braids and all!

I had scoured the internet for "Little House Paper-dolls", but to no avail! I decided to set my own hand at making my own, and they actually turned out nicer than what I did come across online. So, once I can scan it, and make it into a down-loadable pdf file, I'll make it available for a free download on my blog, for those interested!

We made butter, by shaking up 35% cream, in a mason jar. (Alot of shaking, while the adults helped). They scrubbed and washed some (clean) cloth diapers on an old fashioned wash board. Coloured their paper-dolls. Ate cake. Played. Watched and episode of Little House on the Prairie. Opened gifts.

And finished off sporting their new "Dear-Friend-Kelly-Made" Bonnets! (Thank-you, Thank-you Kelly!) Once her website is up and running - I will link to her dear handmades!

We didn't send them home with treat bags, partially because I'm not a huge fan. Nope, instead each pioneer girl left with her paper-doll, some butter and a bonnet.

Seven on the seventh! Bonne Fete Ma Belle, my extra set of arms, the other little mother!

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Birthstory: The Israel Story

2011-11-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

That rosy, content, face of a newly fed baby rests on my lap while I type. We welcomed little Israel, 6 lbs, 14 oz. this past November 18th, born in my bedroom at 2 minutes past noon. Surrounded by 2 dear midwives, my husband at my side, my 7 year old daughter and her "sibling support", 16 year old Amy. There is no comparable feeling of relief than when you've just birthed a baby. What an extreme emotional sensation I shared with the 100's of 1000's of other women who also birthed on this day across the world. Going from that intense war physically, mentally and emotionally to it being over...over...over, and this healthy baby resting on my abdomen, chord still pulsating, the midwife is giving him a massage seconds after he is born. I greet him, laughing, crying seconds before, now laughing, welcoming him, and minutes later he has his first breastfeed.

He nurses like a pro. Like he's been practicing this for many months. It's hard to believe that this little one, my smallest of my 4 babies, was my hardest homebirth so far. My waters, with my first 3 did not break without the help of a midwife just prior to baby being born or while I was pushing baby out. I had always wondered what it would have been like to start labour with the breaking of my membranes. Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. And now that I've experienced it, I don't recommend it.

It was my due date, Thursday November 17th, and my excited Selah, 7, had been saying all day, "I hope it's tonight, God, please let it be tonight". I gently reminded Selah, that I usually start labouring in the morning, and that that is more convenient than labouring all night. But as chance would have it, that evening, it was between 7 and 8pm when I realized, with one hard contraction that my waters had broken. By 8:00 I texted my husband, who was at a church meeting. My midwife had told me to give her a heads up, when contractions were 10 minutes apart, so I did. She'd come over when contractions got to 5 minutes apart. Rene stayed for the meeting, because contractions were not close enough together for him to come rushing home.

My husband and Amy arrived about 10ish. The midwives both showed up somewhere around 11pm. And my contractions were all over the place, without consistency, yet more intense than I had ever felt before. By midnight I was sure I was in transition, and felt like pushing. I'm told that with posterior babies, that's how it is - you just feel some relief with pushing far earlier than it's time to push. Only one of my babies was actually born posterior, but the other 3, I am sure I also laboured with them in posterior position, because of the back labour. When my midwife checked to see if it was indeed time to push Israel, she said, Nope, that his head is not in the right place and I was far from fully dilated. I was shocked. I should know by now the sensation of transition - the "I can't do this anymore", "I'm done". This continued for another 10 hours. Exhausted by morning, my husband and midwives talked about the 18 hour antibiotics, 24 hr. mark induction at the hospital and choices as such.

When I heard, I marched to my room, and said out loud to myself "I'm having this baby by noon!" Not that I'm against hospitals, many women have wonderful experiences, but I knew I was a prime candidate for intervention, with the membranes rupturing before labour, dysfunctional labour, primed for induction, and I was hardly managing as it was. I had a little cry, called up 2 like minded Mama friends, who prayed with me over the phone. Following that, on my midwifes recommendation I took the lemon verbena cocktail at around 10am. The contractions picked up a little, especially in intensity, but not in consistency. My brilliant husband called our Chiropractor. We were desperate, and he would do a house call. If I've ever been on the fence about chiropractors - I am NOT anymore. What I experienced was amazing. I don't typically enjoy adjustments - I just know it's good for our immune system and that it is preventative. Immediately after the adjustment to my sacroiliac, lower spine, neck and lower spine again, I felt a surge of fresh energy. My husband said, "let's use that, and don't sit down". So staying vertical, contractions immediately became back to back, and endorphins were finally kicking in to manage those contractions. Just 45 minutes after that adjustment, Israel was born.

Is there any other time in a woman's life where she feels as savage and ungraceful as when she is pushing a baby out? It is not the time to worry about what you look like. As baby's head was crowning his heart rate plummeted and my midwife said loudly and firmly that I needed to push the baby out now (which I had never experienced with my previous 3 births). With my pushing history, this was going to be interesting. But I was on the home lap, sprinting to the finish line, and with all the power I could muster, he came out with the chord bunched up on his shoulder, causing the drop in heart rate. And he is beautiful, healthy and strong. His name is Israel Chets (pronounced Sh-ay). He has a 2 year old mother who dotes on him all the time, a 7 year old mother who truly is a great help to this mother, while his brother, is eager to show him his tribal fighting dance!

Handmade Birthday Gift Giving

2011-11-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

I was so grateful for all your kind words, thoughtful mothers, on my last blog post! I do find these seasons, although short, some of the most surreal times in of life!

Last weekend our 2 year old daughter was invited to a 3 year old girlfriend's birthday. Now, some families may not appreciate homemade gifts as much as others - but I knew this family enough to know that they would be just fine with the choice....plus, it satisfies my own toy-convictions!

My new favorite site is PINTEREST! It's been around, but I'm not always on the web-ball as to what is the latest and greatest. This site is the greatest though! I'll probably search EVERYTHING here before I do another Google search again. The problem one could run into is the possibility of pinning and pinning, but not doing.

So, searching for a birthday gift idea, I came across this and thus was my inspiration for the Mama and Baby in sling and house-purse. If you are on Pinterest, let me know, I'd love to follow You Too!

Pre-Labor....Labor of LOVE?

2011-11-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

Officially the one week count down has started. I've been fooled before, with periods of false OR pre-labor....I remember clearly when Elousia's labor began, thinking, "OH YA, This is how it feels!". This will be my 5th labor experience, with our 4th living child. Some kind folks often ask if it's my first - I'm not really sure how to respond, but sheepishly tell them it's my 4th (not ashamed - just not sure how to tell them)...their response usually has to do with telling me that I'll know what to expect, like I'm some sort of pro at this birthing thing. "Ya, Right!?!" Ya, the rose-colored memory of my past 3 homebirths, kind of blocks my true memory of how it all began...and can I really manage it this time???

Thanks to Kelly who took these photos, she encouraged me by telling me it wasn't until her sixth labor that she kind of felt like she had a grasp on it....That is the second Mama to tell me that (said in a sing-song voice: "ya, it was about my sixth or seventh that I felt like I could manage this!") Well that's just peachy, I'm a few short of that! Now, I shouldn't be so negative, I love birth, I love pregnancy, I'm devastated by losses.

It's just the "is this it?", nope, "is this it?" syndrome, that drives me nutty! I'm in the zone. I'm distracted. I have a one track mind. If I could just tell the world around me to quiet down and go find something to do, while I focus on what I want to focus on - That would be great!

I had hoped to get into the new birthing center in our city with this birth, for something different. Yes, the above photo shows one of the birthing rooms! Lots of space, large tub for laboring OR waterbirth, bathroom equipped with shower nozzles everywhere to address that back labor, nice wood ladder for dangling off of or pushing...so many lovelies that my home currently does not have...not to mention SPACE! If you are a local, and you are thinking that you want to go with this, I should let you know that a midwife is mandatory over a doctor, because there is no intervention or pain medication available here. It's just like a homebirth...away from home. Alas, they are not open for births until after Nov. 22. For us, now, it's a race against time to compile the birth supplies and prepare my own space! I'll let you know what the final outcome is!

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For the love of Dress-Up!

2011-10-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

I love dress-up!
Some things that I am pondering right now....

These days my goal is to be more disciplined with homeschooling, with the baby due in about 3 weeks....a little break from the regular routine for a couple of weeks after baby arrives will be nice.

This week I added Squaw Vine to my pregnancy tea, hoping it will contribute to a sooner and smoother labor. And nesting has begun.

I met a lovely lady through Kijiji who graciously sold me AND posted to me her prefold diapers. I'm selling my old variety of diapers, and working towards just prefolds and similar stock so that it stacks and packs nicely!

A brief follow up on my week of kcwc? It was a week full to the brim of activity! And I got less sewn than I had hoped. The sewing area, however, is now ready for sewing and that is a great accomplishment in itself.

On the list was a baby quilt (which I am sorry that I have no photos of that yet, but it should be about half done this week), a nightgown for my oldest, made from vintage linens and a 2nd hand pinny or apron.

I did manage to crochet a baby hat or two...no pics I'm afraid, so here is one from another year, and Elousia's vintage coat with added wool felted leaves covering a stain.

There are some gorgeous lovelies on Elsie Marley's kcwc flicker group!

:: October 2011 kcwc ::

2011-10-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

Thank-you to Jenny from Peas n Carrots (my new Above Rubies friend and Waldorf Inspired homeschooler!), for introducing me to the Kid's Clothing Week Challenge at Elsie Marley's Blog! This is just the motivation I need. From Oct. 10-17 the challenge is to sew for one hour a day towards my children's projects.
It just so happens that I'm starting my first attempt this week at a Real quilt. As in, an expert quilting friend, Joyce, is walking me through, starting from the basics, and ending with a crib or throw quilt for this fourth baby, arriving in approximately 5 or 6 weeks.
There are few art disciplines that I really got my hands on the basics other than maybe music and dance....when it comes to the fine arts, fiber arts, hands-on-art, I tend to hack my way through it. Sometimes the results are pleasing, and many times not so pleasing. I learned most of what I know of knitting and crocheting from Youtube videos and other online resources. So, (or should I say "Sew"), I'm excited about Joyce bringing me to the basics of quilting!
Other projects for this week will include some upcycled creations toward's some children's clothing items that have been in the procrastination basket, I mean project basket for a while.
Today my KCWC accomplishment was preparing my work space and washing fabric to prepare it to SEW!

Indian Summer September Moments

2011-10-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

::Harvested Basil in the bath tub::

:: A day of exploring limestone cliffs at Steep Rock - If you want to exercise your adrenalin.....bringing young children to this outdoor adventure is an excellent way::

:: A day at Memere and Pepere's::

::Breathing in the colours of Fall::

How do you eat your Eggplant?

2011-09-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

"Do you crunch them very slowly or eat them very fast?" (from the old Smarties commercial)

A while back eggplant was on the menu for a week. I needed some inspiration, so I posted on old 'facebook', the question, "How do you eat your eggplant?" And I received some egg-cellent dish ideas!

Thanks to some lovely facebook friends, I'd like to share some of their offerings with you. Hope they inspire you as much as they inspired me!

In no particular order, here they are:

~ "Grilled on the barbie with a soya sauce/teryaki sauce...mmmmm AND eggplant curry is to die for!!!" Patsy
~ "Eggplant salsa type thing!" Tami
~ "Eggplant parmesana with homemade tomato sauce all the way...mmmmm!" Adrienne
~ "Cubed, roasted with garlic, onions, peppers, and basically whatever veggies are on hand (tomatoes, carrots, potato, etc.)!" Miranda
~ "I've dehydrated it before in slices with a nut dip on it. In Nigeria, they are called Garden Eggs." Kamla
~ "Fried with lots of garlic:)" Ricky
~ "With tomatoes and lots of curry , onions and garlic with injera." Kelly
~ "Eggplant brushetta!" Angela

There you have it! Some Egg-stravagant eggplant goodness! We had barbecued eggplant burgers with fresh homemade buns and marinated eggplant skewers another day.

In other news, I am quite behind in my blog posts, and have much to share....I had a lovely birthday earlier this month. Yes, I'm 35 now, and my salt and pepper hair is starting to show. Born on Labour Day (for my fellow Canadians) or Labor Day (for my American friends)....I have often said...."and my life has been ironic ever since".

You can expect an upcoming post featuring some lovely birthday blessings from a few dear friends....For a preview, you can see right here some loveliness, coming from Sweet Coralee!

Beauty in Beet Leaves...

2011-09-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

The Words of the Kevin Prosch song "Kiss the Son" rehearse in my mind and heart a lot these days:
(If you scroll down to the end of this post, you can press play and listen to the song, for your convenience).

When you've been broken, broken to pieces
And you heart begins to faint, 'cause you don't understand
When there is nothing to reap from the ashes
And you can't even walk into the fields of grace

But I bow down and kiss the Son
I bow down and kiss the Son

When the rock falls, falls upon you
And you get ground to dust, no music for the pain
You open the windows, the windows of Heaven
and then you open me and crush me like a rose

But I bow down and kiss the Son
Oh, I bow down and kiss the Son

Let the praise of the Lord be in my mouth
Let the praise of the Lord be in my mouth
Thou you slay me I will trust you Lord

Ya, I bow down and kiss the Son....

In this season of bringing in garden harvest, and crushing it, drying it, freezing it, processing it....feels familiar to the season of my heart. No, there is no loss of life - I have so much to be grateful for...

After investing our hearts and our prayers for the past six months into a change in vocation, location and lifestyle for our family the door was closed. We move on......

I will trust Him...

Therapy is....

2011-08-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Kneading dough...
Reading with my children...
Meditating on a Psalm of comfort...
The days my husband has off from work...
Watching my children play together outside happily...
Drinking a good homemade caffè breve in a beautiful mug..
The smell of one of my children during a hug - smells like heaven...
Listening in the dim lamp light to my husband read to our children...
Sipping a cup of herbal and dried fruit tea at the end of a long day...
Knitting with wood/bamboo needles with inspiring and natural yarn...
Being outside and taking in the sky, feeling the wind and breathing in...
Early in the morning, while the family sleeps, the fresh quiet air in my lungs...
Enjoying the sand under my feet at the beach - and finding sea glass treasures...
The smell of Lavender Oil on my linens, in our hair, in the bath - not meaning to rhyme - but everywhere...

These are a few of my favorite things... What are yours?

{this moment}

2011-08-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

"{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. ", Soule Mama

Where the Wild things Grow

2011-08-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is year 2 of working a shared garden space. Which is a huge blessing to us. We are unable to garden at our home in the city, besides the pots of greens, some herbs, and a bean tee pee on our front steps, house plants and the occasional batch of sprouts and homeschooling plant experiments....Keeps our hands in the dirt at least a bit on a regular basis.

About 1/2 hour outside the city some dear friends offered for us to share their large garden space, so we share in the work as much as we can.

If you've read past posts you'll know about my little obsession with wild weeds! It's just so fascinating to me how we pull out these "troublesome" weeds - which in many cases are edible, medicinal and power packed with nutrients. Just to name a few that get yanked out on a regular basis; Lambs Quarters, Plantain, Dandelion and there is so much more!

This weekend after some weeding (snacking on some of that too), we spaced the beets and I'm currently dehydrating batches of beet greens to use for soups, salads, and beet-green-chips (which the 'littles' love). I'm hoping to pickle this first batch of beets - pickled beets and pregnancy go hand in hand for me!

Back to the edible weeds. Mon amour and I discuss how perhaps the art of eating weeds faded when folks became less dependent on the land and chose more "palatable" foods. Plantain has often peaked my curiosity. Chew it a apply it to bee stings and other skin ailments, steam it like spinach, or eat the baby greens in salad....this is well known information. But the seeds - I have read, soaked in water, become a little gelatinous like chia seeds or flax seeds....I'm thinking that there my be some Omega 3s in there.

So we got ourselves some tall plantain stems that grow near rivers, brought them home - shucks, they weren't brown like the should be when you harvest them in the fall....but then I read that some folks fry up the seed pods in butter anytime of the year - so I thought, I'm sure they could be tasty dried out in the oven under 150. We gave it a try - Lovely! Delicious! Nice on salad, it has a nutty taste like hemp seed!

Any wild weed revelations or recipes stirring up in your home? I'd love to hear about it!

A Couple of Comfy Corners of a Cottage

2011-07-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

It's a tiny little cottage, but it's been in the family for 4-5 generations....so it's special.

Nana's little touches all around make it inviting and restful!

I tried to capture the shadow on the cottage kitchen wall of the clothes line and a dragon fly on the screed door - a little strange - but there was beauty in that moment!

Every room contains some marks of my Great Grandparents who ran a popular cafe at the beach sum 70 years ago.

Playing, playing and playing....

Every Mama likes Quiet Time! Something that my own Mama instilled in me, "every child no matter what age needs to have some Quiet Time Play each day, so Mama can too!" - she would say. When I was little it was called "F.O.B. time" ; Feet On Bed! We've been calling it Quiet Play ON your OWN bed....Hey, sometimes they end up falling asleep, good thing they are on their beds.

Of course we are at the beach EVERY day, rain or shine. This year we've started the tradition of matching up cottage weeks with the beach swimming lessons.

This vintage beach town has so much cute - appeal. This year they painted the below block some "currant" colors like taupe, egg-plant and black....I didn't bother taking a picture, because I already had this one - and I love to remember the colorful-vintage look it did have!

Papa works most of the time, when we are the beach, but he does commute. Which is so nice! I feel some how connected to all those women who spent their summers with their children at this beach in the early 1900's while their men commuted on the "Daddy Train"!

That's it - glimpses of our week living at the beach! Wish it was longer....

In the mood for a chocolate milk shake for BREAKFAST?

2011-07-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

I am!

That's right a real chocolate milk shake. Ooops, there isn't any milk - but there is store bought kefir in it. I'm outta step in making kefir these days, and need to come upon some fresh culture to culture it. SO the store bought stuff is A LOT more sweeter (than I would recommend).....

A blender stuffed with fresh frozen spinach later, we added....

~freshly picked strawberries from a local, non-spray, natural farm
~ yogurt scraped in from the bottom of the jar
~a pour of the flavored kefir
~whey protein powder
~1 heaping spoon of organic (just peanuts) peanut butter
~and the dark wonderful ingredient, Cocoa, 2 Tbsp.

Chocolaty Goodness!

This is all part of my pregnancy-health-initiative. Apparently my midwife was a little alarmed to tell me that I had gained twice the amount of weight than I did in my last pregnancy by 17 weeks. I think if we took an average from ALL my pregnancies, not just my last in which I gained the least amount - I'm really probably ok. BUT, I thought I'd be a little more conscious of the flour-y/grain-y goodness type foods at certain meals. So HELLO spinach-protien-chocolate shakes!

No Mice Transformed into Prancing White Horses....

2011-07-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago today....

We got ready....

Little ballet dancers danced at the family farm...

We got married!

Joyeux Anniversaire Mon Amour!

First Feeling of Fascinating Felting

2011-06-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

Thank-you to artist friend Tammy, for spending some of her Arts Day with us, teaching and guiding us through our first felting lesson! I really should have started shooting the moment she dumped her beautiful colourful array of wool rovings...but of course my mind wasn't there.

I'm surprised by how hidden this handwork seems to be to the general public. At times when I've mentioned felting to other crafters, I'm met with a blank stare, like they are imagining me cutting out pieces of craft felt from Michel's Craft store and doing something with that!

Tammy graciously led us through molding our balls of roving in warm soapy water, on a blustery day. It is a patient activity and young ones are there a minute, gone a minute, back for a minute, gone to play for another. We did end up throwing them in the clothes dryer later in the day, after Tammy had rinsed the soap out.

The children played quite thoroughly with their felt balls until Joash's got thrown deep into the Day Lilies which should bloom soon - we'll have a better search after they've bloomed.

My dear Mother picked up a large bag of raw wool from a thrift shop, it appears that it must have sat in someones attic for an eternity, and felted itself into dreadlocks of wool. Tammy confirmed my suspicion that it may be not the best wool to work with. But since it is what I have right now - and I'm still very much in the novice stage of felt works...we are going to work with it some.

I'm carding it a little at a time and we'll see where that takes us. Technically we should be doing a little handwork each day (amongst homeschooling), so we'll play with this for now.

Here is a great story about a sheep to a little boy's sweater, written by Farm Mama. The works of wool have been around for centuries. We see their glimmers in fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty, Mother Holle, The Six Swans and many other heart warming tales. It is amazing to me to consider how involved people were in thriving to survive. People historically were producers not just consumers like they are today. Waking up some of those sleeping skills will continue to be a passion of mine!

These shoes are one of my favorite felt creations from Etsy seller Bure Bure, and her blog. Yes, Felt is back!

Experimental Essential Oils Project

2011-06-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

Last night we were admiring our dying Peonies my neighbor had picked for us...their lemony-rose-lily smell, addictive. One of my daughters expressed her wish to somehow hold on to the smell. So our spontaneous project today, was inspired by this wish.

Living in the Canadian Prairies, my dream of growing a field of lavender and then harvesting it for both the dry herb and distilling it into an essential oil, may be far fetched. But I can simplify my dream for the time being.
We harvested the Peony petals and filled an 8 ounce mason jar, and in line with my lavender fantasy, we filled a second jar with Lavender leaves from the large pot outside (that husband dear got me for Mama's Day).

One day I do hope to actually keep a garden/herb prep/homemade remedy journal. It is a good idea, for now some labels will have to suffice. We used Grapeseed Oil, although Sweet Almond Oil would probably be a better choice.

Filling the jars first with the petals and leaves, we then covered them with the oil, making sure they were all under the oil. We shook them and will intend to shake them daily (one of daughter's joyful tasks) for the next 3 weeks - keeping them from sunlight. Yes, a dark bottle would be nice....but this is simpler, I don't have to deal with a tiny opening to get the leaves in or out!

Straining it will be the last step in our experiment. If this turns out positively I may just be reporting back with a new Peony-Wild Rose Deodorant story!

::Any links to herbal oils/essential oil making in the comments are welcome::

Waldorf School at Home

2011-06-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

I should have assumed that we would be a little backwards.
My parents had strong opinions about the education system....which of course would effect my views. Academics this year have not been the enjoyable part of school at home, by any measure. Some folk would say that we unschool....but I needed something more.
I took the plunge and bought a used Christopherus Waldorf curriculum....after doing some research, this seemed to be in high demand.

We've been at it for 3 or 4 weeks and I am sold! The day and rhythm is much more peaceful and everything ties together. The activities and academics are not isolated external lessons that are disconnected from their emotional selves. It just seems a lot more wholesome. I was impressed to see my 6 year old daughter's drive to wind an entire skein of wool into a large ball in a single afternoon for handwork.

She may not read as early as some of her other schooled and homeschooled peers, but the loving words of mature mother's who've raised responsible deep feeling people, have encouraged me not to make external academics our main focus. The issues we face in society are so rooted in the heart....why would I not want to take concentrated interest in cultivating their hearts, creativity and a discerning compassionate mind?

::~::

It's never easy saying Good-bye

2011-05-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

This week, we said Good-Bye, with breaking hearts....I'm still emotional as I write this. Dogs have been in apart of my life, most of my life. But by far, this special one (due to the love, care, and direction of mon amour, my husband), was dearest to me as well as her sister, Nikki (whom we lost 1 1/2 years earlier). They were Belgium Shepherds, the most beautiful, family dogs you could ever have (in my biased opinion).

Soleil, (sun in French), was all black. She reminded me of the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, but she was gentle despite her appearance. She was 15 1/2, outliving her lifespan by 2 1/2 years. Before we had children, these were our babies, they went where ever we went. Hiking, they carried their own backpacks from time to time. They LOVED retrieving, especially in the water, and they loved cuddling on our bed with us before the babies came.

They brought so much color to our lives. So many times, when they would blow there soft soft coat (1-2 times a year), I contemplated getting it spun. Some folks would find that a little weird, although they wouldn't if it was as common as spun sheep's wool.

We made crayon blocks this week to work on blending color in some of our homeschool activities. Our first blending exercise we chose was to fill the page in a rainbow color sequence. Rainbow day, as it turned out, was an emotional rainy day with tears for losing Soleil.

I confess I get very sappy when it comes to losing our pet friends. You can talk to my brother, he made me play a song over and over, that I wrote for our childhood dog, Sparky, called (are you ready for this?) "Angel in disguise". Yes, sappy indeed, but true.

Missing you and loving you Soleil!

Some Sweetness from Mother's Day

2011-05-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

I guess you could say I am passionate about reclaiming Motherhood as one of the most important roles of our nation. It is a creative, innovative, nurturing role to play. It is so rewarding and so tiring sometimes too. God Bless the Mothers, the Mothers who mother us, but do not have children of their own, the foster Mothers, the Mothers who have laid their lives down for their children in a war torn country, the Mothers of sick children...and the list goes on.

Lavender. Lavender has so many healing and calming qualities. It is one of the most versatile oils, safe for children and pregnant Mamas. One of my dreams one day is to plant a whole field of lavender. Then dry it for teas, sachets, and more, and hopeful also make some essential oil out of it as well.

In our growing zone, it could be an interesting experiment. So for now (until I have that field), I will be more than satisfied with my pot of lavender. It is a perennial of course, but I am not sure how perennials do in pots all year long. If anyone has insight about this, I am listening.

After a nice afternoon with my In-Laws, celebrating the day, we headed to Little Italy (in our city) to this Mama's favorite Gelati spot. I never tire of Cacaopat (super dark chocolate Italian icecream).

One area that our children are a little deprived in is candy. I think some folks think that we over monitor the candy gifts of friends and family. But we closed this day with a little trek to Sugar Mountain. It was our children's first time in a candy store, and it will be saved for the very rare occasions. If was fun to see the vintage candy like Popeye cigarettes, fizzy candy, toffee and all the rest. A "Sweet" day indeed.