Out of Hibernation!

Okay, so I have been absent for a while.  Hibernating is more like it! 

When winter set in, I did not want to do anything except curl up and enjoy warm places.  The Christmas gifts where finished, all the socks and sweaters were completed on time! (Though no everything was mailed out in the most timely of manners.)

School has continued to plod along.  The children are learning, and tonight, for the first time, Caleb read a book to himself!  You bet I am proud of him. 

Almost equally exciting: today, things began to melt!  Hooray!  Okay.  It will still be months (and months) before the snow is gone, but something melting is better than nothing melting… 

Okay, so plastic toys melting is not better,  but back to the good news:

Spring is on its way, and will begin to make an appearance before long!  Birds will arrive, and bits of green will show up, despite the snow.  Until then, my boys will continue to ski and sled whenever they have the chance.

Pay It Forward

I have joined a little challenge to ‘pay it forward‘ (PIF).  This challenge is like a reverse chain letter.  One person sends out a homemade gifts to three people, those three then make their own gifts, and sent them out to three others.  The best part about the reversal is that you choose to be part of it, rather than it being forced on you.   

12/05/2008

Last night, Manny brought the mail home, and my ‘pay it forward’ gift had arrived!  It is this cute little wreath ornament, made of strips of fabric.  The kids all loved it, and wanted to play with it.  After each had a turn to hold it (and lose it), I tracked it down, and gave it a place of honor in the entry way. Thank You!!!

This made me realize that a homemade gift could be anything…     I had been limiting my thoughts to sewn/knitted/crocheted items, but now I have lots of ideas. 

The guidelines are as follows:

I would like 3 people to participate in my PIF challenge. In turn you must agree to post your PIF challenge on your blog and send homemade gifts to *3* people who sign up. You have 365 days to make and send your gifts. If more than 3 people sign up, I will draw names from a hat. If you do not think you can make and send 3 gifts within a year’s time, please don’t sign up.

Please leave a comment.

In the meantime, I am going to figure out what I want to give!  I figured out what I am giving!

Projects in Progress

Trying to get done, before Christmas…

PJ’s

Benjamin recently informed me that his pajamas were all getting too small, and he didn’t think he could wait until Christmas for a new pair.  I disagreed with him, but searched my stash for suitable fabric anyway.  He saw this striped fabric, and thought it would be perfect. 

We took a day, made the pattern, and the pajamas.  He is one of the happiest, proudest little boys I know–with very warm pajamas.

Growing up, I loved making my own patterns, and now I get to pass this knowledge and enjoyment along to my children!

Firewood

  

For months now, they have been gathering, cutting, splitting and stacking it.  Today they finished.  All of our firewood for the year is ready to use!

At first it was slow going, but, as they say, “practice makes perfect.”  Manny and the boys soon worked out a system to efficiently handle the work.  They set up two splitting stumps, and Benjamin manned one while Adam manned the other. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manny split one log after another, while the boys gathered the split wood and kept the stumps ready.  They hauled the wood by hand, in wheelbarrows, the tractor bucket, and finally, in their cozy coupes.

Everyone got involved, and it often became a contest.  They loved to see who could haul the most. Daniel and Caleb competed against each other, hauling wood as fast as they could; while Adam and Benjamin also sought to out work each other, and together, out-do Manny.  In the end, everyone won, as the last of the wood was stacked away in the garage this morning.  We will all be warm this winter.

Socks–I’m Learning!

I knit my swatch, checked my gage, reviewed my patterns, and began on a pair of socks for Manny.  At first, everything looked great, but after about ten rows, they began looking a little small.  Twenty rows…really small.  I put them away, thinking I would check them out, compared to Manny’s leg, when he got home…

As the day progressed, I knew they would not fit him.  I would either have to rip them out, and start over, or make them for someone else.  That evening, Manny tried my beginnings on, and sure enough, they would not even go over his heal.  He smiled, and said, “Thank you Honey, for thinking of me, but these had better be for Benjamin.”  I couldn’t have of agreed more. 

So what went wrong?  First of all, the patterns I have are obviously made for very skinny men.  Second, they are designed to be 7″ socks, not the knee socks, my husband loves.  Third, my gage was off.  I guess, from here on out, I will have to knit in a round to make my gage, for round knitting.  I didn’t know my knitting changed that much from flat to round.  Oh well.  Benjamin loves them…he would wear them all the time, if I wasn’t making him wait until winter to use them; and starting over would not have been all that bad.  Just more learning experience.  Think of it as a class, where you don’t necessarily produce something you really want, but you come away with the skills to make what ever you want. 

A Sweater for Baby

This afternoon, as I was finishing Gideons sweater, I was filled with joy.  It marked a major accomplishment for me.  I have always wanted to clothe my children in little homemade garments, but, in the past there has been little need for this, as my mother-in-law has always given the children clothing for every occasion.  However, as the weather started to turn cool a few weeks ago, the idea for making this sweater came, and I could not resist; especially, knowing the jacket my other children have used is quite worn.

Gideon was playing with a newly completed dishcloth…pulling it over his head, wrapping it under his chin, thoroughly enjoying it.  He looked so sweet in the off-white yarn, I lost no time in measuring him, and casting on the beginning stitches.

When beginning this sweater, my goal was to make something soft and warm for the crisp fall days ahead.  To that purpose I outlined it with a garter stitched boarder.  I wanted it roomy, for easy layering and lots of moving.  It is all those things, and much, much more.

When I cast off the last stitch and cut the thread, Gideon was there, cuddling with it.  When I brought up the buttons, looking for something to compliment it, he was there, digging, and finding too. The final decision was made by him, after I had narrowed it down to two choices.

The yarn is Peaches & Creme worsted weight cotton, colour 4 Ecru, that I bought at Wal-Mart.  It is made in the USA.  The buttons are vintage metal with a crest on them.  They were passed on to me by my great aunt Beverly, who either rescued them from an old garment or bought them at a second hand store.  The pattern is 100% my own.

I Choose to Smile

This morning we woke up late.  The school bus went by, reminding me that public school had begun, and I still hadn’t gotten my letter of intent off to the school board.  The babies misadventures had me feeling like an old Green Jelly song that my brother loved to act out…so I went on a hunt for things to smile about.  Here are 10.

 1.  Baby prayers.  Every time I put Gideon to bed he says “Thank You Lord, Bebe;” and pats his chest.  This is his own prayer, though, how I thank God for him.

 

1.   2.  This sunny face.

 

 3.  Reading The Hobbit to the boys, and their enjoyment of it.

 

4.  Caleb, his style and intent dedication to all that he does.

5.  Daniel’s plea of “Pwease Mommy, go find my blanket.  It is lost out side.”

6.  Friend who call from the store, just to see if you need something.

7.  Teaching my children.

8.  Delicious snow peas.

9.  Willing, hard working boys, who know they are helping the family, as they stack firewood for winter.

 

 

10.  Last, but far from least:  Baby kisses.  They are so sincer.

Cherry-Apple Jelly

Last week the boys and I spent three hours picking cherries at a friends’ house.  Then we spent part of the next three days pitting and canning.  We put up 10 quarts for pie making, candied one quart for minced meat, and made a couple of pies to eat right away.  There is nothing like “instant” gratification to keep boys working!  Hoever, we still had lots of cherries left…so we made jelly.  No pitting involved!

This is just the jelly!

My reciepe came from ”The Rocky Mountain Berry Book”, and was intended for chokecherries and crab apples, but they won’t be ready for another month, at least.

This is the Way…

 …We wash our clothes, so early in the morning.”

When I was in college, a classmate usually washed her clothes by hand, claiming it was just as easy [as using a machine] and much quicker.  She had grown up on a homestead, without electricity, and wash day was a family favorite, as everyone pitched in to get the laundry done.  My sister took the same rout, while in college.

These thoughts came back to me the other day, as I stood, surveying mounds of laundry.  I had gotten behind, and it would take two long days of babysitting the washing machine, just to catch up.

“That’s it!”  I declared to the boys.  “We are going to wash this mess by hand.”  And we did.  I washed, rinsed and wrung out the clothing, while the boys hung them on the line.  It took us three hours, but we washed all of our clothing, bedding and towels.  The hardest part was stinging extra line (we had to find something to make do with), so it all could get dry.  The best part, (besides only three hours) was watering the trees with the left over water. 

This method worked so well, later in the week I hand washed the diapers.  Today we tackled a weeks worth, again. This time it only took us two hours, plus drying time, to get everything washed folded and put away!  I am seriously considering a hand crank wringer to add to my operation, and clothes line in the basement, for winter time use.

 

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