Giving

Handspun Baby Shoes

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A lovely family from our church welcomed their second child, so the children and I took them dinner yesterday evening (well, afternoon, really…) Thought we’d include a little something for Baby Nicolas.   How about ribbon-tie baby shoes?  (Yes, I realize that’s a thumb in the bottom of the picture.  Please just ignore it.  I wasn’t up for photo-shopping.)

I know they aren’t the most practical gift, but there’s just something about baby booties – they are my favorite thing to knit, they make a good keepsake, and they’re small enough that I can utilize some of my spindle-spun yarn.

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These are a merino/mohair blend that was a dream to spin.  I love how setting the twist (scroll down toward the bottom) added a lot of loft to the yarn and brought out its mohair halo.  I purchased the roving at a Spin-In on the Central Oregon Coast over a year ago, and wish I had gotten more than 2 oz!  (The white accent yarn I spun from a mystery-breed sheepswool roving that Fredda at the Yaquina Fiber Arts Guild gave me).

There are a whole bunch of babies soon to be born at church and in our homeschool co-op, so there will be lots more bootie knitting in the coming weeks!

For the Moms in our life

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Some thrifted linens we sent my mother for Mother’s Day, amongst other things.

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And for my husband’s sister, mother, and grandmother, we made earrings (Firecracker picked out the beads), and coupons (from repurposed Starbucks gift cards sleeves my sister gave us for crafting) for things like babysitting, a morning at the zoo with the girls (lunch included), a tray of brownies, etc.  Also, some Martha Stewart craft paper for Grandma and the girls to create with together.

Mother’s Day

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No gift sweeter than the bluebell bouquet the girls gleaned from the backyard this afternoon.

Wishing you a blissfully happy Mother’s Day!

Candle Flame WIP

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(Apologies in advance, this is one of my wordier posts.)

Do you ever feel that God brings someone to your mind over and over again for a purpose?  I have been thinking a lot about a friend back on the coast (She’s the one who spun me this incredible yarn from her own sheep).  She doesn’t have e-mail or a phone, so quick communication isn’t possible.  Anyway, I made up my mind to get a care package together for her, and knowing that she loves shawls, I went on a Ravelry hunt for quick, comfy shawl pattern, and I came across  the Candle Flame Shawl.

I hope to have it finished in a week, get a package together (I’ll add in some homemade Raspberry-Lime jam, looseleaf tea, a pair or two of homemade earrings, this CD, and a few books I’ve been meaning to recommend to her.)  Spring and summer nights are often cold and damp on the coast, so maybe she’ll even get some use out of the shawl before the autumn.

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The yarn is a soft 100% natural undyed alpaca from Bolivia (I purchased several skeins for $2 total (score!) at an estate sale). It’s a heavy-worsted or aran weight, and is knitting up very nicely on size 9’s (I think it’ll look great once blocked).

If someone’s been on your heart and mind lately, I encourage you to send her a little something to let her know.  I know how uplifting it is for me when a friend from far away sends a little note (or thoroughly spoils me with an amazing package of handmade soap, tea, and TONS of yummy vegan cookies like the one I got this weekend from my old college roommate – totally made my month), and I know how blessed I am to be able to do just a little something for another woman.  In this age of e-mails and texting, the handwritten letter, the care package, these personal, thoughtful things can mean so much in a day of the life of a woman at home.

Wish I could do it more often.  As the girls grow older, I hope we can send off more together.

Helping Hands

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I keep finding these tucked in places around the house.  Little Hen’s Daisy Girl Scout Troop has been asked to do various tasks and things that “need to be done around the house” without being told, or asked, to contribute.  She was only supposed to do the project for a week, but she’s continued it, reusing her cards over and over.

I have come into the bathroom to find the counter and sink washed down, or entered the girls room to find a bed made without a reminder.  Here,  I came into the kitchen and found that a fresh table cloth had been put down, some art work laid out on it and this little note set on top.

She never brags and draws attention to what she’s done.  Only the note let’s me know.  It’s so sweet, really a blessing in my day.

Get well soon, my little Valentine

On top of the cold we are all battling, Firecracker has been throwing up all afternoon and evening.  Poor kiddo.  While she slept (for 3 hours!), her big sis suggested that we make her some get well/Valentine cards.   That’s my Little Hen, always thinking of ways to show her love and care for the sick, the sad, the lowly – especially when it’s someone in her family. 

A little pink, a little glitter, a little love note – that has to cheer a girl up, right?

The evening prescription was a dose of The Jungle Book and a back rub, and lots of being fussed over by a concerned big sister.   Get well soon, my little Valentine. 

Marshmallows

Homemade marshmallows we brought to the market Friday.  They are so light and special.  A real treat – handmade with love and far beyond anything bought at the store.  Wonderful dipped in dark chocolate, or melted into hot cocoa, or just as they are.   

Today we made another batch to give as Christmas gifts.   I know they made the rounds of various crafty mama blogs awhile ago, which is what inspired me to start making them in the first place – I have learned so many great crafts, and found so many great recipes from so many talented mamas!  You can find the recipe here.  (I also found out that you can substitute Kosher vegetarian gelatin in a 1:1 ratio for the regular gelatin in this recipe if that better suits your dietary needs.) 

Thes are so easy and so much fun for children to make (and enjoy!).  But oh, the clean up! 

And I didn’t even get shots of the powdered sugar clouds in my kitchen! 

On this unusually snow-covered, wintery day in the Pacific Northwest, we’re wishing you a mug of hot cocoa topped off with a big fluffy marshmallow!

Children’s Christmas Market

Our table at the Portland Homeschool Children’s Holiday Market, where our family sold homemade gift tags, peppermint bark, and marshmallows.  It was a wonderful venue for the girls to show off their projects, to raise money for various charities, and to network with other Portland homeschoolers.   

We raised $28 dollars for charity and sold nearly everything we brought (prices were kept low, so all children could participate in the buying as well as the selling –  $1 each, or 3 for $2).  We met lots of other great homeschooling/unschooling families.  The girls came home with tummies full of brownies and a bag full of homecrafted goodies they bought from the other kids at the market – fairy wands, playdoh, postcards, stationery, bean bags, chocolate lollipops. 

Many thanks to Lyla, who put on the event!!  There are future events in the works, and we will definitely attend again!

Repurposed Christmas Cards

This coming Friday, the kids and I are participating in the Portland Homeschool Children’s Holiday Market.  Several families are making crafts and baking goodies to sell at this fair, and all of our family’s proceeds will go to a few charities (Heifer International, OutsideIn, and the Oregon Humane Society). 

The girls are VERY excited about this whole project.  We had originally planned on only making homemade marshmallows, peppermint bark, and a few other easy holiday goodies that children their age could make on their own with only a little supervision (we’ll be making those later in the week).  

Over the weekend, Little Hen asked if she could make gift tags to sell, as well.  I think she was inspired by the few tags we had made together for a baby shower yesterday.   We have a big box of odd-sized cardstock in the attic, just for crafting, and I had saved all of last year’s Christmas cards. 

Throw in some glitter glue and you’ve got a craft a kindergartener can really take over and make her own.  I was really impressed with Little Hen’s precision with the glitter glue.  That girl’s got a steadier hand than I do and quite an eye for detail!   

Firecracker helped make a few, too!

 

By the end, Little Hen had made 57 cards, I made 4, and Firecracker made 3!  They really did the work largely by themselves while I fed the baby.  I helped fold the cardstock, cut out some shapes when the girls asked for help, and get the caps off the glitter glue.  And of course, I helped pick endless little Christmas card snippets out of the carpet…

Some of the finished cards, before Firecracker and I tied them up with ribbon in sets of 4:

 

I love how she knew just where to put the glitter glue – not over-done, a perfect accent.  This was a project she really got into – working for over an hour without interruption.  I have such admiraton for her ability to focus in on something that interests her!

Give Presence

 

With the Christmas season in full swing, I thought I’d give a little nod to Advent Conspiracy. 

I firmly believe in making Christmas simple, homemade, and reverent.  It is a struggle to fit our family’s vision of Christmas in with our extended family and the greater culture.  We made the decision to spend very little and to give homemade as much as possible.  As Christians, we believe that Christ gave his life, and we can at least give a little something personal – something that takes a little sacrifice and a little love – in order to remind ourselves of His great sacrifice for us.

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Advent Conspiracy has a greater vision – not the over used saying “Keep Christ in Christmas”, but something more substantial.  Actually give less junk so that you can save your money and your time for acts of mercy.  And let folks know why you aren’t participating in the ever-escalating orgy of spending and giving of junk that you don’t need.  It’s so that you can give to other who have true needs. 

$1 buys clean, safe drinking water for 1 person for 1 year. 

It’s a four-fold plan – buy less junk so you can 1)increase meaningful giving to those in need 2)give handmade, 3)give your time personally connecting with others and 4) spend the Christmas season reflecting on the priceless gift in the incarnation, sacrifice, and resurrection of Christ.