6 berries

Eleven!

2012-01-24T13:06:00.000-05:00

Not sure I'm ready for this. But those adventures, the ones I'm not quite ready for, are always my favorite.

Happy 11th Birthday to my beautiful girl! I love you.

Sharing My History

2012-01-18T10:32:00.000-05:00

I was able to spend some time this past weekend with some people and places I haven't seen in a very long time.

Sharing this piece of my history with my husband and kids meant so much to me and having them with me as we said goodbye was so very comforting.

It's been a little crazy over here. Two weekends in a row spent out of town means insane laundry piles, a struggle to re-establish a family/homeschooling rhythm and that the Christmas decorations are just now coming down. I want to take some time to absorb all that was this past weekend, to remember those bits of my childhood and, with a birthday coming I'm in a mad rush to put this place back together again. I will be back here soon, there is just a little too much life happening right now.

Chicago

2012-01-09T14:18:00.000-05:00

Good food, good beer, good friends.

It was our first weekend away without kids in a very, very long time and it was wonderful.

It helps to have some pretty terrific in-laws willing to entertain your kids while you're away.

So terrific in fact, that your kids, who you've missed terribly, even while having a blast, couldn't care less that you're there to pick them up and would in fact like to stay a little while longer please. (They did let me know they missed me when they asked to skip music class this morning because they hadn't seen me in like 3 whole days.)

In case you were wondering yes, those that wanted to did in fact skip class, spending some time to reconnect instead.

The Secret Agent Spy Kit

2012-01-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

This handmade, or rather hand assembled gift was my favorite. For my niece, the one who loves handmade, and her little brother we put together a spy kit.

The kids and I had so much fun finding trench coats, hats and sunglasses at thrift stores, and Pop pop's closet. Then, while taking the youngest on an emergency potty stop at the back of one of the stores, we happened upon the most perfect old suitcase. It even had a secret compartment!

It wasn't priced and the nice lady working in the store gave it to us for under $3.00. A steal, and perfect for all the gear. We hid our own secret missions in that compartment along with some purchased spy gear from Target.

I made a couple of felt mustaches and we printed some badges from the FBI's website for kids, added the directions and parts needed to make their very own periscope and, finished it off with a book full of fun ideas for kids wanting to be experts in the spy business.

I've heard that the spy games are a new favorite at my sister's house and rumor has it, the secret agents have even started recruiting the youngest members of the family.

The Handmade Gifts

2011-12-31T08:38:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful holiday and a fun time ringing in the new year and I hope all of you did too. I suppose I'm a little late to the party on the handmade holiday gift reveals but, here goes, via instagram.

Every year I drive myself a little crazy trying to make way too many gifts and usually spend most of Christmas eve and sometimes part of Christmas morning putting on the finishing touches. So, this year I gave myself a little gift. I promised myself to let go of any projects or shopping not done by Solstice.

Of course that didn't happen but, what did happen was that nothing new was started in the few days leading up to the cutoff day and all of those last minute, finishing touches were done bit by bit, and, for the most part, with time to spare. It made the whole process so much more enjoyable and I was able to let go and enjoy all of our celebrations.

So, just what did I get finished you ask?I did finish that little something I've been going on about.

Aprons for two of my nieces (pattern for sale soon) along with some glitter doh the kids helped me make and some fun patterned wood rolling pins.

My sister is a derby girl so for her little one I wanted to go a little punk with the apron and it turned out perfect. The other was made with some of the fabric I used on the ironing board cover but, the poor sweetie pie was sick so I couldn't get any pics of her wearing it. I'm so excited at how nice they turned out and, inspired by the apron I made using Meg's pattern, they're reversible!

I was also able to make the hat. He loves it. Pattern from Meg at Sew Liberated, I'm obviously a fan of her patterns. The fabric I used is from a ginormous stash I was given years ago by my cousin. she saved the samples of fabric that were discontinued when she was working as an interior designer for a furniture store then, passed them on to me. They were perfect for this sweet cap.

I didn't get all the handmades done that I'd hoped to and my own girls didn't get any from me but, there are always birthdays or rainy days or just for fun sewing days to work on the projects I had in mind for them. And I did help out with the projects that the kids made each other. I'll have a special post about those fun gifts soon, they all worked so very hard and thoughtfully on their gifts for each other. But, before that, there is one more handmade, or rather hand assembled gift I want to share.

Stay tuned for our Secret Spy Kit post, coming soon.

Oh, For the Love of Handmade

2011-12-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why I do this to myself every year but, here I go again. Way too many ideas and not nearly enough time to finish everything. I even added things to my hubby's to do list. I'm beginning to think I may have to trim down my to be made gift list, which stinks because that means adding to the need to be purchased gift list.

It seems cruel that my best ideas come during this busy time of year. Adorable and sweet wish lists from nieces, that have me thinking about making mad scientist lab coats, fleece pj's, and duct tape accessories, may be partially to blame. Not to mention finally giving in to the Pinterest craze.

Anyway, I'm hoping to have the finishing touches on my pattern done soon and will be offering an early release/not yet tested, discount for those interested in downloading. It's really a quick sew. My slow progress has been because of "just right" fabrics being sent from Japan and the fact that every small adjustment I make to the actual garment needs to be made to the pattern too. I forgot just how much time it takes to make a working pattern. And offering it for others to use? For sale? Even tougher.

How are your handmade plans going so far? Do you need to cut back or are you adding to the finished pile with vigor?

Bad Mommy

2011-12-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

Today I remembered before kids, living in the apartment, the walls were so thin, the way she yelled at her little boy. I'd thought she was so cruel and I knew I'd never yell like that.

Today I remembered, because I made mine cry and he yelled back at me. He told me I'd gone too far, been too cruel, yelled too loud.

Tonight I have a little more empathy for that mom, and I know I was wrong, today, and in the apartment.

Tonight I'm glad I said yes to that game of Payday and the extra chapter at story time. At least his memories of today won't all be bad.

And tomorrow, I'll breath deep, and I'll look in his eyes, and I'll remember, and I won't yell.

Totally in Love With. . .

2011-12-12T08:01:00.000-05:00

. . . My niece's Christmas wish list, found in my inbox this morning.

Homebrew Love

2011-12-09T16:26:00.000-05:00

His first attempt at a Belgian style brew. Look at the frothy, lacy head. I think lacy is my new favorite term for describing beer. I heard it for the first time last year at a beer class at Ann Arbor Brewing Company, a class about Belgian beers, and it describes the effect of the froth clinging to the side of the glass as you drink. So pretty and so yummy.

I wish I had more pictures to share but, beer brewing, and drinking, tend to happen in the later parts of the day when the light is just not that great.

There has been quite a bit of brewing happening lately. Friends and family (really the same thing around here) interested in learning to brew and my hub's interest in trying some new recipes means anyone visiting us is sure to be offered a pint upon arrival. I'm anxious to try the pumpkin spice myself, or maybe some of that cider he's got cooking. But, really, my favorite part is the way the house smells while making the wort, that sweet tea aroma filling the kitchen, and the time spent together while it does.

Red and Green

2011-12-07T14:18:00.000-05:00

Even our strawberry plants are playing along. Oh yeah, the snow. Gone. Hope there's more for Christmas.

Before the Holiday Making

2011-12-05T08:19:00.000-05:00

There were a few things I needed to finish before I started on the Holiday gifts this year. One was this pretty apron for my sister-in-law. Pattern from the very talented Meg at Sew Liberated. My s.i.l. requested one for her birthday. In June.

Oops, let that project slide a little too long. It's just tough to sit inside sewing when there is so much gardening and swimming and barbecuing to be done. So, I told myself that I could not sew one holiday gift before finishing this birthday gift.

Her favorite color is orange, and I happen to know she likes purple too but, I hadn't expected to find a cute fabric with both. This fabric in the top photo and the striped trim are both from Sugarsnap collection by Melissa Averinos. The orange butterfly is Monarch by Valori Wells designs.

And finishing this pretty apron has inspired me to finish a pattern of my own, in the works for some time now, that will also be the first of my home made holiday gifts this year. I hope to have my gifts made and the pattern available for sale soon.

Craft Gift Reveal Part 2

2011-12-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

My oldest and my baby girl each had an aunt and decided to work together, which was wonderful for me since they were able to do these crafts together without much help. We searched the internet and my 10 year old decided to try these sugar scrubs from Christine at Great Oak Circle. They chose to make the Vanilla Almond and Peppermint scrubs and, it was easier than baking cookies.

We decided to add some red sugar sprinkles to the peppermint scrub to give it a more pepperminty look. And, I did send a question to Christine about the amounts in the Vanilla Almond scrub. She got back to us right away with a great tip. She advised combining the dry ingredients, then adding the olive oil a little at a time to ensure it doesn't get too oily. I was lucky enough to be asked to test the scrubs, they both smell wonderful and my hands haven't been this soft and smooth in a long time.

Then, they made some lip balm using Renee's tutorial on Fimby. We'll be making more of this as soon as we can find some little tins. I'm pretty sure this will be going into every gift we give this year and we'll need plenty for ourselves too. We all loved it.

The boy had a favorite cousin for the exchange and he had no trouble at all deciding to create a series of 4 books for her. They were titled, Knights and Dragons, Ogres and Dungeons, Knights and Castles and Princesses and Princes, and they read like guides, "These are two knights fighting. They are training for battle school. They will be very, very tough knights and this castle has very, very sharp swords so they might always win the battle." Too cute.

He started writing books this way after watching How to Train Your Dragon and reading the book. I love that he wrote about one of his favorite subjects, but that he put a lot of thought into including things he thought his cousin (a teenage girl) would like too, it wasn't all swords and battles. At one point I heard him exclaim, "I need more glitter for my princess!" and couldn't help but smile. (That's her pet bird dragon that breathes fire and protects her, on her shoulder)

I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed the gifts we made, I know we had fun making them and we all loved the craft gifts we received. What an fun start to the crafting season, there is still so much more to be made in the next few weeks. So, what's on your holiday crafting to-do list?

Totally in Love With. . .

2011-11-30T09:08:00.001-05:00

. . .Snow!!!!

And, the fantastic feature on 686 brand snow jackets that extends the sleeves, meaning we don't have to buy a new jacket this year, too bad they can't do that with boots.

And big sisters who help littles get ready to go outside, and then, ride with them down the "big" hills.

And the way the sunshine makes it all look so sparkly.

And that we're able to be here, at home, together, to enjoy it all.

Craft Gift Reveal Part 1

2011-11-28T09:31:00.000-05:00

I started writing this craft reveal post and realized it was very long so, I've broken it into two separate posts. Today, the planter box and caramels and coming soon, the kid made books, sugar scrubs and lip balm.

My husband and I each drew one of his parents names so, we decided we'd make them a bigger, joint gift together, instead of our own smaller ones. Both of them had admired the beautiful garden boxes he built this summer so, we decided to use the scrap wood he had from those to make a smaller, deck box version. Then, I made a finish mixing mineral oil and beeswax, following the directions at this site. I love how it turned out, it deepened the natural color and really brought out the character in the wood. I'll be adding the finish to our own boxes.

My middle girl was determined to make some sort of sugary treat for her uncle, so it's a good thing he likes sugary treats almost as much as she does. We usually make chocolates at Christmas, some for gifts, some the kids sell to friends and family to earn a few dollars for recital costumes and other sports fees.

They do a lot of the work themselves, under my very close supervision to ensure clean hands and no spoon licking, well, not until the end at least. The candies I've made with the kids in the past basically consist of melting and pouring or mixing chocolate, nothing too complicated, so when my girl decided she wanted to attempt caramel I was a bit nervous.

I knew it would involve a thermometer and that timing would be important. I also knew there were lots of opportunities to mess it up. But, thanks to AmberLee's failproof Homemade Caramel recipe it was simple and stress free and so very delicious. It's fabulous, melt in your mouth yummy. This recipe is being added to the yearly candy making for sure.

Totally in Love With . . .

2011-11-25T11:23:00.000-05:00

. . . the way he wears his daddy's hat

All. day. long.

And the gift it has inspired me to make.

Pumpkin Fairy

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby girl wanted in on the tutorial fun her brother and sisters were having. She found a dress her big sisters had worn in a wedding when they were her age and decided she wanted to be a pumpkin fairy. This is what she had to say about her costume.

"My dress is orange. I got the dress from (my big sister) for Halloween. I love it so much. My wings are BIG, they are parent size. And I put sparkles on me. It's Halloween! BOO!"

Photo taken by my niece

Thanks for playing along with our very late and now out of season posts. We hope you find some inspiration for make believe fun. Or maybe even plans for next year's costumes? I know we've already started planning :)

Up next the craft gift exchange!

Iris the Goddess of the Rainbow Costume Tutorial

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

After spending some time with Rick Riordan's books about Greek gods, demigods and mythical beasts, the 10 year old decided she wanted to go as Iris. This is her tutorial.

You'll need:

Materials:

rainbow colored piece of fabric or shawl
some sort of headdress or crown
white fabric long enough to fit a round you (with extra)
string
sparkly ribbon

Utensils:

sewing Machine
sewing scissors
sewing needles
thread

Under Dress

The under dress is pretty simply what you need from the lists above are:

white fabric
string
sewing Machine
sewing scissors

(Mom note, the purpose of the under dress is simply to make sure nothing peeks out under the wrap dress, it's not really necessary for dress up play at home) Take the white fabric and measure it to fit a round you, make sure you have enough room to walk and it is about from your ankle to your armpits (I used about 1 yard ).

Cut the measurements straight up so when you sew it, it looks like a tube, like the shirt of The Pirate Girl costume, except it is a lot longer.
Sew the two ends together to make a tube.

Cut out arm holes and make a casing at the top like a pillowcase dress.
Cut the string in two pieces that can tie above your shoulders.
Thread the string in the casings.

The Rainbow Wrap

Take the rainbow fabric and hold your arms straight out with the fabric behind you.
Then, take your left arm and wrap the fabric around you to your right sholder. Have somebody hold it.
Then take your right arm and wrap the fabric around you to your left hip.
Take the piece on your right sholder across your back to your left hip and tie together.

Jewlery
Take the sparkly ribbon and cut to fit around your wrists and neck.
Add any jems or buttons.
Use velcro, hook and eye fasteners or just sew the ends together.

Finish it off
Add a pair of gold or silver wings, a pretty headress or crown and now your the Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris.

(All photos except the first and last were taken by my daughter, I'm still not sure how she managed since she's the one in those photos and I don't think she can work the timer?)

Pirate Girl Costume

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

The 9 year old saw a fancy pirate girl costume in a magazine, it cost around $50. I gave her a $10 limit on costume materials and access to my scrap fabric bin. This is her tutorial:

You'll need:

1 yard of knit skirt fabric (The black velour we had from previous costumes)
1yard of pirate skirt fabric (the scull and crossbows tulle we found at Jo-Ann's)
1/2 yard pirate shirt fabric (found once again at Jo-Ann's on sale)
scraps for the hat
Optional: eye patch (not pictured), fake dagger, (both found in target party supplies) scrap of fabric for sash, red hair dye

The Skirt
Pick out any color of stretchy knit fabric you would like. About one yard.
Then, cut it into 2 pieces. Smaller at the top, but bigger than your waist. (see photo)

Sew the sides together. Make sure not to sew the top or bottom.
Make a casing at the top for elastic or a belt. (here's easy waistband casing instructions from sewing.org)
Then, take a piratey net fabric, cut the same as the knit skirt and sew up the sides.
Sew the nety fabric to the knit skirt at the waist.
Put elastic or belt in.

The shirt
First pick out stretchy fabric
Wrap it around you and measure how big you need it.
Then you sew it together like a tube.
We took a tank top and used it to measure, then cut out the arms and the neck. Then, we cut the front to a point. (a V-neck)
Sew the shoulder straps together.
Keep trying it on to make sure it's right. (If you use a knit, like t-shirt fabric, it wont fray, so the edges don't need to be finished, which looks just perfect for a pirate)

Do rag/bandana hat
Take a piece of skirt fabric and tie it around your head.

The Knight Costume Tutorial

2011-11-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

"This would make a perfect tunic Mom! Can we make this into a tunic? Now!?" He says to me. I look up from the story I'm reading his little sister. He's holding a brand new pillow case from my new sheet set up to his chin as if it's a shirt he's considering wearing.

Wow, I think, he's right. "OK," I say, "but, not that pillowcase."

I'm always surprised at the things this boy comes up with, I never would have thought of turning an old pillowcase into a knight's tunic. This is his tutorial.
You will need:

A Pillowcase
Cardboard box
Fabric scraps
(Mommy note, you may also need some tin foil, heavy duty scissors or utility knife with parental supervision and a shield pattern to trace)

Pillowcase Tunic
Find a pillowcase and ask your mom if you can cut it up. Cut a hole for your head. Fold the pillowcase in half and then snip (gesturing with fingers snip snip snip)

Cut the arms. Fold again and snip just like the head. Cut the leg flaps
(Mommy note: If this will be used for dress up play after Halloween you may want to zigzag or serge around the raw edges so they won't fray or rip further.)

Shield Decoration
Take 2 pieces of fabric and cut them in the shape of a shield.
Then you take a sewing machine and sew the shield together. (Mommy note: right sides together, like a pillow, leave an opening or use some fusible webbing to create an iron on shield that wont fray).

Flip it right side out and then push your fingers so you have nice sharp edges. Well, they won't be that sharp, but they'll still be sharp.
Then, you put a dragon on it. You can color one with fabric markers if you want. If you don't, sew the dragon on with fabric (applique).

The original dragon sketch

And then sew the shield on (to the tunic). Be careful not to sew the back and front together.

The Helmet

Take a cardboard box and make sure it is not too fat.
Make the eye holes. Put the helmet on and mark the spot for the eyes, take scissors and cut eye holes and it might be a little hard. If it's too hard use sharper scissors. (Mommy note: ask for mom or dad's help)
Put tin foil on it and then you poke the eye holes through the tin foil.

Finish it off
Add a belt.
Yell out loud. AAAHHHH!

It's Never Too Late for Halloween Costumes, Is It?

2011-11-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

This and the following 4 posts were supposed to be published the weekend before Halloween, but life happened and it didn't get done. I was ready to scrap them, but so much work was put into them I just couldn't do it, even if I didn't get the best pics.

This year the kids came up with their costumes on their own. I was there to help with some of the problems and to rip out a few seams, but for the most part they made them. They put some time into making tutorials too and we think others would still love to add these costumes to their dress up collection so, for the next few days I have scheduled our Halloween costume tutorial posts, written and created by my not-so-little, littles.

Be sure to check back and see how these regular kids transformed into a Girl Pirate, a Noble Knight and Iris the Goddess of the Rainbow. (The sweet little pumpkin is hiding behind the knight)

No Dolls were Injured in the Making of this Post

2011-11-18T09:35:00.001-05:00

I can tell by the piles of laundry left unfolded, the stacks of books not returned to the shelves and the baby dolls abandoned and left to fend for themselves, the craft gift making has begun.

It's true, our yearly Thanksgiving craft gift exchange has us abandoning our usual chores in the hopes of finishing just a little earlier this year.

The supplies have been purchased, a few crafts are well under way, some of us have teamed up to work on bigger joint crafts, all in the hopes that this year we wont be putting the finishing touches on our projects as we walk out the door Thanksgiving morning or worse, showing up with a half completed gift with promises of finishing it later (it's happened)

In our house, we craft all year long and for Christmas we usually make at least a few of the gifts we give. So, because some of our gift giving is handmade anyway, we like to take the time for this exchange to try something new.

This year, we are attempting some body care treats and, if all goes well, a few of those will make their way into the Christmas gifts too. And, unable to sway my daughter to something more predictable, caramels. Yikes! I have scheduled some long overdue posts for the next few days so that we can focus on our crafts and I'll be back after Thanksgiving with photos, details and links to the recipes we're using. Enjoy your week, Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends and happy crafting.

Totally in Love With . . .

2011-11-16T14:13:00.000-05:00

. . . the new chalkboard wall

And the poems, with illustrations, that find their way onto it.

And the conversations they inspire, "This is like us homeschooling." Big kids, are pretty awesome.

A New Cover for the Ironing Board

2011-11-14T08:05:00.000-05:00

It's silly how happy this new ironing board cover makes me. I've never made one before, I've never really thought much of ironing boards, and spending time and money to recover one always seemed, well, silly.

This one will be hanging on a wall, within easy reach of the sewing table, and I thought it would be a fun opportunity to show off some pretty fabric. It was a lot tougher than I thought it'd be to choose and I'm surprised I chose this one actually, it's pinker than I usually like, but all those greens and browns, love it.

It was super quick and easy, I didn't do anything fancy and I'm pretty sure anyone could figure it out on their own, but quickly, here's what I did.

I traced the old cover, and by traced I mean I layed the old cover on top of my new fabric and cut, no pins or anything. I made it slightly wider than the original because it seemed to slide up on the sides at times. I had some bias tape laying around so I sewed that to the edge leaving a gap at the top, threaded the rope from the old cover through that with a large tapestry needle and pulled tight.

There you have it, started and finished quickly on a Saturday afternoon while the kids watched a movie and the hubs brewed some beer. Oh the beer, I'll have to tell you about the beer soon. I'm so glad he's back to brewing.

It's Late

2011-11-11T00:44:00.001-05:00

It's after midnight. I should be asleep, but silly me, having a cup of tea just before dinner. The first snow is covering the deck. The moon is full, it casts such an eerie light on everything. We've been sick. He's been working too much, early mornings, long days. I miss him.

He mentioned I needed to post something, I didn't think he followed.

Interest Led Learning

2011-10-28T18:10:00.000-04:00

This phrase says so much to me. It's the reason I sent my first two to a charter school instead of the local public school and why we eventually chose to homeschool. It's a concept I dreamed of when I sat through hours and hours of boring school as a kid myself, even then I knew it ~~could~~ should be better. And it's an idea I have to remind myself to follow when the doubts creep in. FIMBY's post today struck a cord with me. So, I thought I'd share one of our experiences with Interest Led Learning too. I've mentioned it before, here's the whole story.

By the time we started to homeschool, our two oldest had finished 2nd and 3rd grade at a public charter school. They both did well in almost every area, but after Christmas break of that last year, we were told we should consider holding back our 2nd grader because of her reading level and the impending MEAP test that kicks off 3rd grade. My daughter, wanting very badly to join her sister and cousin in the 3rd/4th grade class the next year, worked really, really hard and improve her scores. But, the toll that all that work had on her love for reading and the fact that she now saw herself as "stupid" crushed me. And, she still wasn't that great of a reader.

We knew by the end of that school year that our kids would not be going back and I chose, with much hesitation and self doubt, to not push the reading thing.

Her teachers, only hoping for the best for her, had instructed me to keep her working hard all summer. To be sure and keep up the pace they had set at school or she would surely fall behind by the beginning of the next school year. And, because 3rd grade transitions from learning to read, to reading to learn, if she did, she would struggle in all subjects.

But instead, she rode her bike and found bugs in the yard and chased her little brother and played on the swing set and took walks to see the horses and fought with her little brother and explored the beaches of Lake Michigan and not once, not even once did she pick up a book. I'll admit, this worried and shocked me. She was my fairytale girl, my one more chapter please mom, girl. She LOVED stories. But, that summer, she hardly even asked to be read to, her love for books and stories was smothered.

By the time fall rolled around and cousins and friends were heading off to school, and we weren't, I was understandably stressed. We would be moving soon and I had 4 kids home, 3 school age who should be doing something productive every day, right? And neither she or her younger brother were reading "at level."

The requests to be read to had returned at least, and I found myself reading out loud multiple times a day. So, I decided to try setting up times for my struggling reader, and the others, to read to me. We weren't very consistent, I didn't like nagging them to do something I thought should be enjoyable, and by the time we were settled in the new house I was the only one reading out loud.

I decided once again, with much hesitation and self doubt, to not push it.

My oldest joined a book club at the library that winter, they would read a novel, then meet once a month to discuss and do a craft. She loved it and her little sister decided she wanted to join too. We got her the book and, on her own, she decided to read a little of it to me each night. she worked her way through one chapter a page at a time, one page a day. It was slow and she was struggling.

One day she decided to figure out how many pages she'd have to read each day to finish in time for the meeting and when she did, she realized there was no way she could do it. I was worried this would discourage her, that she'd feel defeated and give up, well she did, on this book anyway. But then she started asking me questions.

How did her big sister read so fast? How could she learn to read faster? It wasn't about being better or smarter, she just wanted to finish a book.

I tried not to say too much, I pointed out how much her sister read, how she'd take a book to bed with her every night, how she'd come to the dinner table with one hoping to finish a chapter before Daddy told her to put it down. How much she "practiced" reading.

Well, that's all it took, that and some trial and error in finding the right books. She's particular about the types of stories she reads, she loves adventures and love stories, of course, but not dumbed down for her reading level. I realized large print with adequate line spacing made a huge difference in the beginning and Daddy introduced graphic novels.

Last night, my struggling reader, the one who barely passed 2nd grade, who didn't touch a book for 6 months, who still can't read out loud all that well, came downstairs (way past lights out time) to tell me with giggles and stutters and lots of "and um's" all about how Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets ended and wanting to know if it was the same in the movie.

On her own schedule, at her own pace, with the books she chose, she is now an avid reader.

Some of her favorites:

Sarah Plain and Tall and the rest of the series, these were the first chapter books she really got into and she still talks about them. Our library had two sets, one set was larger print and these worked well for her. These she would actually read to me, usually while I cooked dinner, because she liked them so much and wanted me to hear them :)
The Amulet series of graphic novels. She still loves to read graphic novels and makes sure to grab a couple on every trip to the library. I have a hard time reading them myself, but Daddy started reading these to her at first. Then, when she got tired of waiting for him to be home and ready to read, she started reading them herself.
The Ivy and Bean series. Large print, nicely spaced lines, but really great and interesting stories.
Emily Winsnap
The Thea Stilton books. I didn't enjoy reading these (most of these I'd start and she'd finish, then continue the series) but she loved the funky text and colorful pictures.

Totally in Love With . . .

2011-10-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

. . .the fact that he has to wear his football helmet and football P.J.'s to play 500 :)

A Walk in the Woods

2011-10-21T17:45:00.000-04:00

She walked the whole way, on her own. 2.5 miles without asking to be carried or whining that it was too far. She walked the whole way, on her own, at her own pace, stopping to examine fallen leaves, picking up random sticks to carry for a bit, never once worrying about keeping up with the other kids. I was busy enjoying some adult conversation with a friend, we tried to keep our pace somewhere between hers and the others, keeping an eye on everyone, worried she'd feel bad if she was left too far behind. When I finally realized that she was just fine strolling along behind all of us, I snapped this photo, and paid a little more attention to just what she was doing. After a crazy busy week rushing from one thing to the next, none of which was of any interest to her, she was soaking up all the Autumn a 4 year can, at her own pace.

I think it may have helped that my friend suggested we walk a bit earlier on this day so that my sweet girl wasn't trying to finish the hike at nap time. It's so nice to have good friends who consider things like naps :)

Totally in Love with . . .

2011-10-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

. . .The way she draws her people with bellybuttons, toes and punk hair, but no arms.

Math Fun for Boys (and Girls)

2011-10-14T13:44:00.000-04:00

I once read that boy's brains work in a different way than girls. I no longer have the article to refer to, of course, but I do remember one point in particle that basically said, while girls have a fairly consistent flow of blood to the brain whether active or resting, a boy's blood flow to the brain lessens while sitting still but, increases when they are active.

The point of the article seemed to be, boys are going to remember more and be thinking more clearly while being physically active. It suggested things like, getting a boy who had trouble communicating verbally, talking, while working with blocks or playing catch.

Now, whether or not physical activity actually does affect a boys ability to learn, any parent or teacher of boys has certainly witnessed the almost endless supply of active energy they posses. And, I have certainly noticed the benefits of giving, not just the boy, but all my kids plenty of active, hopefully outdoor, time.

Recently, while being begged to play catch for the millionth time (really) I was reminded of a game my dad used to play with us that combines my boys love of catch and my hope that he'll retain some basic math facts. It's called 500 and the rules are simple.

One person stands on the deck with a ball, we like to use a football, their job is to assign a value to each toss and yell it out as they throw the ball. The rest of the players stand below in a bunch and try to be the one to catch the ball. Whoever catches is awarded the points and adds (or subtracts) them to their total. First to 500 wins!

From what I've seen, every family has their own variations and there are endless possibilities, multiples, subtractions, surprises where the value of the toss isn't known until it's caught. My son loves this game and asks to play almost every day and even when there are a million things to do that feel more important than standing outside playing catch, I can tell myself it's all part of his education and I'm able to relax and have some fun.

A Fall Tour

2011-10-03T18:17:00.002-04:00

Mushrooms discovered along a deer trail leading from our yard. It appears the deer have been munching on some of these and pretty much all the wild apples that had fallen from the trees around them. The deer thankfully, however, did not disturb our garden even once this summer.

It's a good thing fall has such beautiful color, because I'm not really ready for summer to be over or for the cold wet months ahead. Although I am excited about our winter sports this year, with the youngest being old enough to join in.

The kids "secret" hide out tucked just behind the garden. I love that they have hide away, a place all their own. They take their friends and cousins back there, climb the trees and dream up BIG plans for a small castle in the branches.

One last little surprise in the garden. What a sweet bitty pumpkin. The kids have all claimed it as their own, but I don't think I'll be letting any of them carve up this little guy. Welcome fall.

Saying No

2011-09-29T08:49:00.000-04:00

I am usually one of those mom's who touts the benefits of saying yes more. Who has stories about the wonderful things that happen when I consider the requests from my kids to go to the beach or visit a friend or relative. Who can see all the learning that takes place when I say yes, I will help you build a catapult, sew a quilt, or get out the messy paints.

But, every once in a while, some pretty great stuff happens when I say no too. No, Mommy really doesn't feel like reading a story right now. No, I'm not cooking eggs for breakfast this morning. No, Mommy's not going to help you tie your shoes right now. No, I'm not in the mood for a big craft project today.

When I say no to my kids, even when it feels a bit cruel, (really who says no to a story!?) sometimes, it's just the encouragement they need to figure it out for themselves or work together without mom. And boy does it feel good to see them grow a little while doing it. Maybe I can look at it, not so much as saying no, but as, yes, you can do that all by yourself now.

Inspiration

2011-09-27T00:02:00.003-04:00

We finally made a trip to "our lake" last weekend. Camping under the stars, brrr the nights were chilly, at one of the many beautiful state parks along the coast of Lake Michigan. The water was cold, but that didn't stop our brave bunch from a quick swim and lots of running and splashing on the waters edge.

While there, we attended a festival and had front row spots for one of our favorite bands, Scythian. We even got to meet them after the show.

The kids showed up to their first music classes on Monday excited and inspired and, since bringing their instruments home, the music making has not ceased :)

A Few Homeschooling Links

2011-09-16T08:54:00.000-04:00

This time of year, whether we're homeschooling or not, always seems to take me away from this place. My mind is distracted I suppose, but I'm working on a few things and hope my absences will not be long or frequent. For now though, I'll give you a few of the homeschooling blogs I'm really enjoying.

Balancing Everything, Jessica usually has back to homeschool posts, but this year she's outdone herself. Lots of good stuff there.
Homespun Life is new to me. They unschool and I'm loving catching bits and pieces of how they school while browsing her archives.
Simple Homeschool is a great resource for a wide range of homeschool styles and the comments section is a the place to find lots of other homeschooling bloggers.
The archives at Yarns of the Heart have lots of great, useful links and ideas and Jena is so sweet, if you want some advice, especially on the late reader front, she's the homeschooling mom to ask.

OK, now back to the craziness that is September around here. I'll be back soon.

Not Back to School Bonfire

2011-09-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

As the cousins head off to school and the local playgrounds empty, even the happiest homeschoolers can feel like they're missing out on some of the fun. So while so many around us celebrate the excitement of heading off to school, we celebrate the freedoms of homeschooling.

Staying up late one more night for a not back to school bonfire, complete with shooting stars, because, we don't have to wake up early tomorrow. . . unless we really want to :-)

One of Those Days

2011-08-30T13:02:00.000-04:00

pretty weed in my yard

Today was supposed to be a nice productive day. A nature hike down a new trail we discovered, which would be some much needed exercise for mommy, and some quick errands to grab new school supplies. The start of a new, more routine, story time and with it, a new book or two. Figuring out a schedule that will get each kid to their sporting events and practices on time. A discussion with the kids about expectations, theirs and mine, for the next few months (in my mind an exciting conversation about what they're interested in learning about). And, with whatever time might be left over, some work in the garden filling in the holes left by the ending of our cucumbers, zucchini and squash.

Pumpkin love :) this ones a peanut pumpkin

Instead, I scratched the van and my brother-in-law's truck pulling out of the drive. The hike was a mosquito infested nightmare that ended shortly after it began. The van is acting weird, I hope it's not the transmission again. The kids are moody and grumpy and don't even want to sit still, let alone discuss interesting topics to study for the next few months. And I'm moody and grumpy because nothing is going the way I want it to today.

fairy tale pumpkin, my favorite

I'm thinking it's time to just scrap the day, crawl back in bed and start over. Maybe call it a beach day and embrace the last few bits of summer? And there's always the garden, it wont pick a fight with me or it's siblings and I'm pretty sure any damage I do to it I can fix without the help of a mechanic.

Treasures From Grandma's House

2011-08-23T13:51:00.000-04:00

I recently inherited some wonderful little treasures that belonged to my grandma. She passed away a long time ago, when I was in college. I don't think I would have appreciated them if I'd received them back then.

W.I.P.

So interesting

So excited to start this one. Our first and favorite read aloud chapter book was "The Wizard of Oz"

Funny, interesting, can't wait to dive in and see how things change (or how they don't)

Her luggage, with her initials still on it :)

Kitchen Table Makeover

2011-08-18T16:56:00.000-04:00

The "new" table

Before we moved, our kitchen table was in pretty bad shape. I would do everything I could to hide the mess that it had become and I cringed every evening when I tried to scrape off the mess from the day. Table cloths could only do so much and never stayed put anyway.

Kitchen table before

It is a nice sturdy table from a discount furniture store but, it is basically laminated plywood, so sanding and refinishing was out of the question. And the finish was peeling off in messy flakes creating grooves and gouges in the surface, so we couldn't just paint it either, at least not the top.

Kitchen chairs prepped for paint

Buying a new table was not even close to being in the budget anytime soon, but I just could not take it any longer. I decided we had to do something. I had seen my hubby and brother-in-law build a counter top for a kitchen remodel, and wondered if it would be possible to use the same technique to recover our table top.

Oooh so nice, no flaking finish

As it turns we could! I sanded and painted the chairs and legs of the table while my sweet man glued the laminate counter top material right over that ugly tabletop. He added a piece of wood to make a nice edge all around, cut the laminate to fit, and used the router to spiffy it up.

No marker yet has defeated this tabletop

Now we have a table that comes clean easily and looks so much better. And when the time comes for a new one, this will be an excellent craft table, because nothing the kids put on this table sticks.

Cursive Writing Homeschool Style

2011-08-13T09:19:00.002-04:00

Some recent family events have me remembering my grandparents long past, worrying about my one still with us and trying to think of ways to include my kids own grandparents a little more in our everyday lives.

We are very lucky to have both sets of grandparents living close by, but when life gets busy and schedules are hectic, or I just can't seem to get the laundry done or the house picked up, it can be hard to make regular visits. Lately though, I'm just a little more aware of the importance of carving out time just for grandmas and pop pops.

So when my girls told me they were interested in continuing handwriting lessons, like they had when they were in school, I knew just who to call. My mom has the most amazing handwriting, well I think so anyway, while my own handwriting is, well, lets just say that if you have a little lefty and she breaks her arm in first grade, don't let the teachers convince you to just have her learn her letters with her right hand.

The girls are loving the extra time with Meema, the boy too, when he decides to join them, and they are learning to write beautifully. And, of course lessons with Meema are more than just sitting and writing. There is pleasant conversation and the usual spoiling with treats that grandma's do so well. And even if the younger kids choose not to join in the writing exercises they are never completely left out.

I'm pretty sure we'll have no trouble coming up with more reasons to visit the kids grandparents on both sides. And oh what a wealth of experience and talent there is to tap into for our homeschooling needs. Quality bonding time, memories to cherish and learning valuable skills all the while, I love it. Of course, having more people share the work of teaching these little ones is a nice bonus for me too ;)

Adjustable Waistband Tutorial

2011-08-10T18:15:00.001-04:00

Finally! I have that little sewing tutorial ready for you. I think the greatest invention in kids clothing just might be the adjustable waistband. Nothing seems to fit my kids right without them, and even if they did, chances are, it wouldn't fit the next kid when it comes time to pass it on. Unfortunately not everyone has realized the wonderful benefits to this amazing new trend and every once in a while we run into regular old snap and zip pants.

So, late one night while I contemplated what to do with a really cute, hardly worn skirt from a sweet cousin, that did not fit anyone, I decided to add a little elastic. The skirt turned out really nice so, I thought I'd share what I did with you. This method works great for making adjustable waistbands or just adding regular elastic for a better fit.

You'll need

Fabric scissors.
Wide, soft, washable ribbon (bonus points if it matches the garment).
Elastic, button hole for adjustable waist (we scavenge elastic from outgrown pants that are too stained or ripped up to be handed down or donated, i.e. the boy's pants, but it's also sold at most fabric/craft stores like Joann's).
Buttons (make sue they fit the buttonholes in the elastic).
Matching thread
And of course the garment to be fitted.

Cut the ribbon so it will reach from one side seam to the other plus about 1/2 inch on each side (so 1 in. extra).

Tuck the extra 1/2 inch under then, roll that under a second time for a clean hem on the inside for the elastic to slide along, see picture below.

Baste to hold the fold. This should shorten the ribbon enough to fit the button right on the side seam. If you don't want your elastic adjustable just fold the ribbon under once, so it reaches just over each side seam.

Pin the ribbon in place. Start half an inch from the side seam to leave room for the button, or at the seam if your waistband will not be adjustable.

If you are using a slippery, silky ribbon, be sure to use plenty of pins to avoid slipping. Now, just sew across both sides of the ribbon leaving the ends at the side seams open. If you pinned well you should be able to put the ribbon face down on the machine and stitch right over the existing topstitch.

If your ribbon is narrower than the waistband of the garment center it between the top and bottom and follow inside the original topstitch about 1/4 inch or so. In this instance, the finished look will be like the picture below, the original stitch is the top (pink), the one attaching the ribbon is the bottom (brown).

For the adjustable waistband, add your buttons right at the side seams. Use that seam to hide your button thread. If there are no side seams, like these shorts, you should be able to slide the needle in and out of only one layer of fabric by pinching it where you're attaching the button, so the thread wont show through the right side of the garment.

Thread the elastic and button into place, or, if making non adjustable elastic waist, sew elastic and ribbon to the pants using the side seam as a guide to hide your stitch.

Your done, and look how fancy that ribbon inside looks. Of course, you'll use matching thread and it'll look even better.

A Simple Gift

2011-08-07T17:32:00.004-04:00

A photo my niece admired the day I took it (while she was picking a beautiful bouquet in my yard).

Another photo, of Meema's roses, to complete the set.

A couple of nice frames,

A pretty, and personal, gift for a 10 year old with a newly made over room. Flowers she knows, photos with memories attached, art to compliment her new decor. Simple. Perfect.

It also helps that she's a big fan of homemade gifts and her aunt's photos ;)

My Computer is Back

2011-08-05T09:00:00.003-04:00

Ahhh, that's better. It's so nice to have my computer up and running like new. What a crazy few weeks we've had here. Computer issues, car trouble, big car trouble, like, 2 transmissions on the same morning car trouble. Really!? How does that even happen? Luckily the truck was under warranty still so, hubby is back to work in style but, me, not so much. Still, amidst all the hassles and set backs we are truly enjoying our hot and humid Michigan summer with friends, old and new, and family and lots and lots of water.

Garden Update

2011-07-26T15:44:00.001-04:00

I am still without a real computer, but thought I could handle a quick garden update using the trusty, yet difficult to type on, tablet. So here is a little peek into our garden.

Things are looking good for the most part. We have harvested a few beans and learned we need to plant a lot more next year. Some peppers, zucchini and squash, and today our first cucumber. I've learned about homemade soap sprays and pest controlling garlic sprays and just how usefull they can be. We had some trouble with the cabbage butterfly and lost a few heads and some broccoli, but have replanted for fall and plan to transplant some mint, in pots, from my brothers garden which has been overrun by the butterfly repelling plant. But my favorite thing right now is watching those itty bitty melons growing a little bigger every day.

A Quick Hello

2011-07-23T19:29:00.000-04:00

Some technical difficulties have been making blogging nearly impossible. We are working to remedy the problem and hopefully I'll be back here soon. Meanwhile, a recent visit from a long lost friend has me reinspired and I can't wait to get the ball rolling on the blog and the etsy shop once again. Even though I am unable to post regularly, I am still working behind the scenes and will surely have some fun things for you when all the kinks are worked out. With our first year of homeschooling behind us and feeling much more at home in our new surroundings I feel optomistic about creating a family routine that allows me time for my own projects and very excited about what that could mean for me and my family in the future. I hope you'll come back soon to see how we're doing and please, let us know what you have been up to too.

Painting Therapy

2011-06-29T12:24:00.034-04:00

When big brother has a favorite cousin visiting, he tends to leave out his usual favorite playmate. The one who puts up with his tackling and rough housing.

I've tried to point it out to him, I've tried getting him to include her in their games, but when there is another boy around, he really doesn't want anything to do with his baby sister. I guess I get that, but I can't help feeling bad for the poor little girl who gets left out.

Luckily, all it takes to put a smile back on her face is some time with mommy painting.

The little green dishes were found at a garage sale. I wanted to buy the tall container (there used to be two) and the lady made me take these 6 little dishes too because they were part of the set. I didn't know at the time that they were little ash trays, (shh, the kids still don't) but they are just perfect for painting. And they even have a cute holder to stack them in for storage.

Garden work

2011-06-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

A new house means a new garden!

The house we moved into is a fairly new house so there is absolutely no landscaping and, while I do miss all of our plants and flowers, it's exciting to think of what we can create on this blank canvas. The current garden work however is not of the flowery, decorate the front of the house kind, but of the nourish my family kind.

We've attempted vegetable gardens in the past. We started with a few pepper plants filling in here and there when the landscaping, of the previous house, was new and looked so empty. A couple pumpkin plants along the walk to the house the year we couldn't decide on, or afford much of, anything to plant there and the price of the you-pick pumpkins seemed to be skyrocketing each fall.

Every spring we would get a little more serious about our planting as the kids got bigger and seemed to take a real interest in watching food grow, but most of what we planted was devoured by bunnies and some mischievous ground hogs.

Eventually we put up a small chicken wire fence with metal stakes and built a couple boxes for raised beds. We invested a bit of time and money into making a decent garden that, we hoped, would keep out the pesky, but small, pests we had. . . It didn't work. We were able to harvest at least a little of what we had planted, but between the rodents and the blight we didn't get much.

This year, with the lessons learned from the past, and some research, we are trying once again. This time our fence is a bit more serious and the beds a bit bigger.

We've learned about fertilizers and prepping the soil before planting and we are giving it a go once again, in a new neighborhood, with new pests.

Um, We're gonna need a bigger fence.

The World is almost filled with. . . Daisies?

2011-06-22T09:45:00.016-04:00

There are no dandelions in the new yard.

And, daisies just happen to be my favorite flower. What a nice surprise it was to see my back yard full of them. I do kinda miss all those little yellow fuzz balls though.

Welcome Summer!

2011-06-21T14:31:00.000-04:00

Learning to Love Reading Again

2011-06-17T16:51:00.001-04:00

When I see this,

I know that at least one of my homeschooling goals, a big one, has been achieved this year.

Welcome back my little reader, my lover of books, I missed you.

(A frustrating year in school last year left her less than enthusiastic about reading. These photos were actually taken in April and she's still going strong, reading most nights before bed and to me often)

Spring is

2011-06-01T13:12:00.001-04:00

Mud puddles and cousins,

Misty evening walks,

Misty Morning walks,

Tutus,

Homemade doughnuts from my oldest girl,

Ducks in the pond,

More mud,

Time with my boy exploring,

No more paper blinds,

Baseball,

And. . . Did I mention mud.

Hello

2011-04-29T08:37:00.003-04:00

I got my new camera! ~~Now if only I could find the inspiration for a new banner.~~ (I never have to look very far for inspiration, my own front porch usually works) For now just a quick hello. Our first year of little league has been very exciting and nerves are aflutter about some upcoming recitals. We have been doing our best to enjoy the emerging nice weather with hikes,

and picnics with home made peanut butter and jelly.

And by watching and learning about all the wildlife in our own backyard. There is a beautiful family of Sandhill Cranes that have lunch here every day. And a camera shy muskrat (we think) living in a mound in the center of the pond, not to mention what sound like at least a millions frogs.

Just doing our best to enjoy the season of mud.

School on the Road

2011-03-22T11:33:00.003-04:00

The hubs has had a few out of town jobs the last couple of weeks and so, we've been able to fully abuse the freedom homeschooling gives us and tag along. It has been fun checking out some parks and museums in cities we would not have otherwise visited.

The Children's museum in Flint was a hit with the littlest ones, but a bit of a disappointment to the older ones. It is a fairly small museum without much there to keep older kid's interest, but still very nice.

At one park, we discovered some naturally occurring whirlpools in a stream bringing up some great questions to explore, and inspiring us to find some fun experiments that we can't wait to try out. Not to mention a wonderful afternoon throwing stick and leaves into the water and watching them swirl and whirl and some even disappear down those little vortexes.

We visited a local art gallery in one town, my oldest really enjoyed seeing the works of some real artists. And we even ventured to the east coast of the state one day to explore the beautiful, still frozen shore of Lake Huron.

And to entertain us during all of that time in the car, we have been enjoying The Sister's Grimm series on audio disc. I'm am, of course, missing my camera terribly. All of these photos were taken with my phone and then touched up a bit. They don't do justice to the beautifully sunny days we enjoyed or the gorgeous Michigan scenery.

Catching Up

2011-03-04T08:00:00.005-05:00

Hi. I've started half a dozen blog posts, but just can't seem to finish them. I'm not sure why. We have been thoroughly enjoying our beautiful Michigan winter. I love the snow, especially with our new, amazing back yard. I feel so lucky to be here in this wonderful home. Seriously it's beyond perfect and I'm still not sure how we ended up here. There were so many variables, everything just fell together, or truthfully apart, perfectly and here we are. There is this great tiny stream out there that we hike to occasionally, it's breathtaking in the snow, but I doubt we'll be able to get to it come spring. I think it's mostly swamp all around in wet weather.

We had an amazing time on our annual snowboarding trip, thanks again mom and dad. This year we opted to go for an entire week and rent a big house so we could all hang out together. It was lots of fun and the kids are really becoming decent boarders, thanks to Unkie. He is so very patient with them. Not to mention quite talented. Since we got back the snowman/snow fort building has ceased and kicker construction has replaced it. Of course the kids are just as happy to ride their snowboards like sleds once in a while too.

Sadly though, I did not get many great photos and my camera met it's demise at the top of the mountain. Yes, not only did I unknowingly drop the camera, I then proceeded to jump on it a few times while strapped into my snowboard completely burying it in the snow and smashing the screen. It will still take photos, but they all have this one weird fuzzy spot off to the side and the viewfinder and screen are toast, so I have no idea what exactly I'm photographing. At least I have a decent phone for once so I'm not completely without a camera.

I hope to be back soon with a kitchen table makeover that we did before we started packing up last summer and maybe even a sewing tutorial, if I can figure out how to get some halfway decent photos.

A Day in the Life Deschooling

2011-01-14T19:19:00.003-05:00

WARNING: LONG, WORDY POST AHEAD
Even though we are just starting out on our homeschool journey and even though our routine is anything but routine, I thought I'd play along with Simple Homeschool's A Day in the Life.

So, a day in the life of a new to homeschooling, still deschooling gently, totally unorganized mama and her 4 amazing students. This is all new and fluid and actually changes from day to day, but I'll give you what I strive for, what, in my mind, would be a perfect day. Keep in mind, it rarely goes just like this, but we usually get either the start or end of the day down. We also have library day once a week and our extra curricular activities that mix up the schedule a bit.

We wake around 8 (or 9 or whenever), have breakfast, shower, dress.

Then we try to do something fun, preferably outside. I am really much, much better off, if I can get outside for a few minutes in the morning. We also try use this time to do something physical, the boy needs physical first thing in the morning. Lately that has meant shoveling and skating on our little ice rink or sliding down the hill on our snowboards. There are times we don't get to this until after lunch, but we make a real effort to get outside every day.

My oldest has decided she'd like to use this time to study nature, take pictures, look for small things to bring indoors, and she plans to start a nature journal to chronicle it. This is something I know will catch on with the other kids as well, she really is an amazing little leader and I love giving her the space to share her ideas with her siblings in her own way. I'm sure she'll have them all categorizing plant and animal species in no time.

Next we come inside and attempt some focused work. This is a fairly new addition to our routine, but seems to be just the amount of structure we were all craving. Lately the girls have been into math workbooks. We don't use an official curriculum yet, we're thinking Math-U-See maybe? But for now we refer to Home Learning Year by Year and use the workbooks you find at grocery or teacher stores.

I spend most of my energy during this time playing games with my son like Yahtzee or making him think his worksheets are games by using poker chips as counters to illustrate the problems. This is working for now and helping ease his anxieties about written math. (He's a bit of a perfectionist and gets frustrated with numbers not looking the way they should) Some days he's not in the mood and chooses other activities like working in his dinosaur book, lots of practice with letters and size comparisons and dino games mixed with dino facts, so fun.

We work for about an hour then break for a snack and some free time. We have lunch around 12:00 and then I try to get the kids focused on a project, one is knitting slippers, one's sewing a quilt and the boy is planning to build a catapult (yikes), or we'll work on a group art project or something having to do with whatever history topic we're studying. We finished up knights and medieval times (inspired by the boy's interest in knights and the girls' in princesses) just before the holidays. Now we've started reading Percy Jackson and there seems to be a strong desire to learn some Greek Mythology.

Sometime between 1:00 and 3:00 I start reading from whatever chapter book we've chosen, currently Percy Jackson as I mentioned, and this doubles as rest time for the 3yr old. She doesn't usually sleep, but she does lay quietly by us and just relaxes or plays quietly with her babies, tucking them in and changing their diapers. This is by far my favorite time of the day. I've never been big on the stories at bed time. Getting the kids in bed, for me, has always taken an amount of energy that is just non existent at that hour. I find myself anxious to finish and rushed when I read to them at night. Having story time earlier gives me the opportunity to really enjoy it, without wishing I was visiting with the hubs or worrying the kids wont be asleep at a decent hour. And if we feel like reading an extra chapter, a must when reading our current novel, we have the time. Read aloud time can last anywhere from 20min to an hour or more depending on our mood and schedule.

Reading time for the kids right now is not defined. My oldest prefers to read in bed at night, unless she's knitting and occasionally, like today, she'll find herself so engrossed in a book that she spends the entire day reading. She devours multiple books a week so I feel no need to require a specific reading time. We attempt to keep track of most of what she reads with a book journal where she writes the books and rates them, then has the option to write a few sentences or review if she feels inspired.

My second is still working out some issues created by the school environment and her reading. We have re-established a love for books, and have decided that for the time being, requiring her to read aloud to me is doing more harm than good. Instead she is currently reading Ella Enchanted on her own, while I read it on my own, then we have casual book discussions throughout the day. A nice way to reconnect and keep tabs on her reading skills without her feeling like it's an evaluation.

The boy is working on learning the basics through games and reading Bob books when he wants. We just borrowed Hooked on Phonics from the library and he really likes the characters and colorful pages and the fact that he can listen to the tape on his own. We'll see if the interest lasts, in the past he hasn't liked these formal programs for very long, but he does have a desire to learn to read.

They all read picture or science books independently, as the mood strikes, throughout the day. And both the older girls, and I, spend part of most days reading to their little brother and sister.

Around 4 or 5 or lately 6 we start dinner and everyone has a pre and post dinner chore, even the 3 year old. Daddy is usually home by dinnertime.

After dinner we go straight into clean up and bedtime routine, which in our house is short. Teeth, jammies, tucks and some cuddles when needed. If dinner is earlier, or on weekends, we might have time for a quick card game before bed.

Then my hubby and I have some time to ourselves to watch a movie, pick up the days clutter, finish dinner clean up, work on our own projects or head to bed early.

There are lots of other things the kids do on their own, when I'm not looking ;). Like writing songs and stories (a daily treat around here) drawing pictures. They have access to most art supplies so when the inspiration strikes they're off. And any work they, or I, deem important gets tossed into a file folder to be, hopefully, added to a yearbook later. Most of the day is spent doing whatever they want, and a lot of what they want ends up being really educational.

We are very relaxed with our schooling right now, I feel like we are just beginning to emerge from our deschooling. Like a routine is starting to form and expectations (mine and the kids) are becoming clearer. There have been signs that everyone is ready for a little more structure, but I'm so grateful we were able to spend the first part of this year truly deschooling and testing the unschooling waters. I know we will continue to have a somewhat relaxed, real world experience, style to our learning, but we need to work on our daily rhythms. We need just a little more predictability to our days and weeks. We all want to work on scheduling our time so we can accomplish the things we want to, in a reasonable amount of time, so that's what we plan to focus on for now.

Thank you Jamie, for this opportunity to share with other homeschoolers our experiences.

Shredding Season is Here!

2010-12-30T11:15:00.005-05:00

Our baby girl has inherited her big brother's mini board.

And she is rockin the mountain! Well, the sledding hill in the back yard anyway.

On the Solstice

2010-12-21T15:31:00.002-05:00

Trying to enjoy a little bit of daylight on the shortest day of the year.

I think we have a new favorite past time this winter. Our pond (really it's more of a swampy area) is not very large, and only a few inches deep, but it's just right for us.

Winter Wonderland!

2010-12-13T13:31:00.004-05:00

Things have been slow on the blog here, for a while.

We recently moved into a new house.

And after years of discussions and waiting for the right time, finally decided this was the year we start homeschooling.

Obviously, this has put my little etsy shop and my blog on the back burner for a while, I hope to change that soon.

But for now I'm just enjoying the beautiful new views out my back window,

Smiling at the littles attempts to make snowmen bigger than their Daddy,

And adventuring with my kids into our new uncharted surroundings,

We have been very grateful that the cold, wet weather held out for a little while this year. It made the move so much easier, but we were getting a little worried it might never come. Yesterday our worries were put to rest and now that we are cozy, settled and for the most part done moving, we are very excited to welcome this lovely scene.

Craft Gift Reveal, Sorry about the pictures

2010-12-02T12:22:00.000-05:00

The craft gifts were finished in the nick of time this year. Unfortunatley my camera battery died and I wasn't able to get pics of all the projects. And the pics I did get are grainy and dark because of poor light. Ugh.

My son, who drew his grandma's name, made this. He came up with the idea on his own, then he and I trekked into the still unfamiliar woods surrounding our new home to find the perfect branch. He worked with Daddy measuring, sawing, drilling and gluing. He was very proud and grandma loved this little guy.

The kids and I drove out to a farm for a fun beeswax candle making class recently. It was fun so I bought some supplies and I made some Candles that looked like little christmas trees for my sis-in-law, no pic of finished project, sorry. We also had a beeswax filled candle in a jar decorated with ripped tissue paper and mod podge from the youngest for her Auntie. Here's the work in progress.

A gorgouse scrapbook album for me from my middle girl. My mom and her trusty cricket helped her finish her secret project. It's full of fun pictures of me and my girl when she was so tiny. Wasn't that just yesterday?

One project that did not get photographed was the scarf my oldest daughter made for her cousin. She taught her self to knit, we visited a local yarn shop and made some new friends and then she worked for hours. It was so pretty and sweet and she worked so hard on it, finishing at grandma's while hiding behind a chair so her cousin couldn't see. Thankfully one of her aunts got a few shots of her working away and of the finished product so I'll have to get them from her. To finish off, some quickly made chocolate covered pretzles for a nephew from my hubby who was pretty short on time because of a busy workschedule and helping the boy with his project, but the nephew did not complain. Who doesn't love some home made chocolate covered pretzels right?

And now we move on to the Christmas gifts. How is your gift making going?

Turkey Time!

2010-11-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

And craft projects are frantically being finished.

I Think the Candy is Finally All Gone!

2010-11-06T06:17:00.001-04:00

Hope your Halloween was spooktacular. Now, time to come down from the sugar buzz.

Spaghetti Anyone!

2010-11-03T11:38:00.001-04:00

Someone decided she was going to help make dinner yesterday. When no one was looking my youngest dragged her stool to the counter (no easy task) and emptied bottle after bottle of spices into my spaghetti sauce.

When I found it, there were empty bottles all over the counter and a very large clump of garlic floating in my sauce. I debated pitching it, but decided I could make it palatable by adding more tomatoes, and tomatoe paste to the mixture. This morning I have two huge crock pots full of a very basil heavy spaghetti sauce. I guess we're stocked for winter.

School Days!

2010-10-13T09:25:00.004-04:00

School, around here, looks a little different than last year.

Our lives are full of new adventures right now!

Our Summer so Far

2010-08-23T10:28:00.009-04:00

Wow, I did not intend to be away from blogging for so long. Things got a little hectic around here and, being the inexperienced blogger that I am, I didn't realize how putting off posting a few times could so quickly turn into an epic absence. Well, to quickly catch you up, here is a snapshot, or snapshots, of our summer so far.

Tackling uncles in Grandma's front yard.

I say so far because there is still plenty of summer left to enjoy.

1st time 4-wheel rides thanks to some awesome, crazy (he let my 9 yr old drive!) friends.

I cling to summer for as long as humanly possible so you wont see me admitting it's late summer until most kids are back in school.

Checking the pressure in his tires. He's serious about his bike riding.

In fact I was quite shocked and disappointed the first year I sent my oldest off to school and realized just how much shorter our summers together were going to be.

Exploring our amazing Lake Michigan sand dunes while camping at the shore.

And it's not officially autumn, until I've picked my first apple and had to wear my jacket at least 5 days in a row. Yes, 5 days in a row, anything less could just be the freaky Michigan weather playing a trick on you. So even though we have all been enjoying the warm summer sun for a while now I think I still have time to wish everyone. . .

"Our Lake"

Happy Summer!

I'm choosing to completely ignore the fact that just days after posting this there is a very chilly breeze in the air and the humidity that has plagued us all summer seems to have dissipated. I'm pretending it's still far to hot to turn the oven on even though fresh biscuits with honey does sound pretty delicious and it's been months since we had some cookie dough to munch on. I guess Autumn may be just a tad closer than I'd like to admit. Still enjoying that sun though!

"The World is Almost Filled With Dandelions!"

2010-04-21T14:39:00.003-04:00

A favorite quote from my son last spring.

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring. We are buried, once again, in dandelions and loving it.

We are also taking walks to visit the horses who live nearby, playing in the mud, and truly loving the outdoors. Inspired by 5 Orange Potatoes Outdoor Challenge.

For more inspiration to get outdoors with kids:
The Magnifying Glass
Children Nature and You
Blue Yonder Ranch
The Boys Book of Survival
Last Child in the Woods
And don't forget your local parks and recreation sites.

If you have any that you'd like to add, let us know in the comments. We'd love to hear about them.

Happy Spring to you!

Today, He Wanted to be an Elephant!

2010-04-13T20:32:00.007-04:00

When I turned from the computer while checking e-mails this morning, I saw this little guy busily cutting, drawing and gluing. It was serious business.

Little sis was happy to play along.

He's a little irritated that I took the photos before the glue for the strap was dry, forcing him to hold it up to his face instead of wearing it as he intended.

Yay for Babywearing!

2010-04-12T13:48:00.002-04:00

If you haven't heard yet, you need to check out the great stories, pictures and giveaways, going on all week, to celebrate babywearing over at Clean! Here's a pic of my youngest in her Moby wrap on a hike that no stroller could have tackled.

I was slow to the babywearing crowd and didn't start until number two. I had lots of time for cuddling with number one, but when baby 2 showed up 18 months later, things got a little tougher. I started wearing her around the house so I could get things done and I was soon hooked. She slept better, cried less and we were able to bond in a way we never would have been able to if I didn't wear her. For my son I fashioned a home made sling with a large piece of fabric, he loved sleeping in there. And for my last baby I finally invested in a Moby wrap and loved it. It's comfy and soft and you can slip a sleepy baby out of it without waking them when you need to, plus it's the most affordable carrier that comfortably fit our big, strong daddy man. The most helpful time for me to wear my babies was at the grocery store. It's so much easier than carting around a big, heavy car seat and the babies slept the whole time so I could focus on getting the job done, not trying to find a discrete place to nurse. There was also a lot less toddler chasing because there was plenty of room for them to sit in the cart. If you spend time with a baby, plan to have a baby, or you just want to know what all this babywearing stuff is about you need to head over to Clean for the Babywearing Celebration.

Story Time Missed

2010-04-09T09:59:00.010-04:00

Someone stayed up too late last night and woke up too early this morning.

When I looked up after cleaning the morning mess and doing some laundry, I saw the picture above, she was waiting for me to come read her a story. I wish I'd stopped working long enough for her to drift off to sleep with her story.

Cowboy Vest Tutorial

2010-03-23T11:26:00.003-04:00

Howdy Pardner! The discovery of some long lost toys after cleaning the basement, has spurred a new interest for my son. Cowboys! We have borrowed books from the library about the rodeo, watched clips from old westerns with Daddy, learned about how cowboy hats are made, and then, we just had to have a cowboy costume of our very own.

Now we share our fairly simple vest with you here.

You'll need,

An old pair of pants you don't want any more.(or any other cowboy vest like fabric)
A t-shirt, tank top or vest, that fits the vest wearer well, to trace.
Matching thread.
Tracing pen or pencil.
Fabric Scissors.

If your pants haven't been used for another project already, like mine, you should be able to use a side seam as the seam in the middle back of the vest. Use the t-shirt as a guide for the vest. Pay particular attention to the neck line and arm holes. I traced the arm holes at the seam where the sleeves are attached with a pencil first, making dots as I lifted the sleeve, then cut along the dotted line.

You need to do this for the front and back, folding the shirt one way then the other to trace it, since the neckline for the front and back are different.

Now, sew the two back pieces together, if you weren't able to use the side seam of your pants. Then you sew the side seams of the vest from the armholes, down. Your vest is basically done here, you can try it on and make any adjustments.

To make fringes make a small zigzag around the armhole where you want the fringes to stop then snip snip snip. You can make more fringes in the same way on the bottom and around the front and neck of the vest if you want. Or attach ribbon that is fringed like this.

The front may require some shaping since we traced it from a t-shirt meant to be closed all the way to the neck. Just trim away a nice curve from the front middle to the shoulders to make it lay flat. I had my son put the vest on then just cut away along the line that the fabric folded at. (Um, it's probably safer to mark the line then take off the vest to cut it, I don't want to be responsible for any boo boo's.)

My son wanted all fringes removed so I cut them off the arms and rolled all raw edges under then I used a decorative stitch to hem them.

And there you have it, the 6 Berries Cowboy/Cowgirl Vest (because of course little sissy will be needing one soon, maybe pink, definitely fringed.)

A quick update: My son has since moved on to dinosaurs, as I mentioned before. Wouldn't you know it, I actually invest a little time into a costume and today, I have to beg him to try it on for one last photo shoot. The mustache was all it took to convince him though. I made it out of felt and a piece of soft elastic last year and it just goes so well with this cowboy outfit. Don't you think?

A Wallet

2010-03-16T10:07:00.001-04:00

I found that little pirate something I was looking for.

Remember the Toddler Purse? Well I thought that I would attempt to make a wallet version for my son.

I still have lots of pirate fabric laying around so I figured I'd use some of that.

The end result is okay, but I'm not completely satisfied. Still, the fabrics look pretty cute together and I like the black zipper, button and buckle. And how about the X marks the spot lace up.

I need to tweak the pattern a bit, the way it folded up didn't work quite how I'd imagined it and it's a little bulky.

My son, however, has no complaints about this one (other than it took far longer to finish than he would have liked).

But, all those pockets are just perfect for hiding his oh so important tiny treasures.

Dinosaurs Have Taken Over the Garden

2010-03-14T14:01:00.000-04:00

And story time and TV time, we're basically living and breathing everything dinosaurs right now. Thank you Netflix, we love you. The pirates, however are not completely forgotten and I have a little something I want to share, but can't find it to get a photo. And we did have a quick obsession with cowboys last week, I'm working on a little tutorial for you. Super simple nothing fancy, but my son loves it and yours might too so check back soon.

I'm Open for Business

2010-03-02T11:43:00.008-05:00

Well I did it. My first items up for sale. The shop is officially open!

Just a few bunnies to start with, but more to come. I will have some "boy" looking ones, but a certain nephew has asked the Easter Bunny to purchase one for his Easter basket this year and I need to see which one he wants before I post them for sale.

Stop by and see if you might want to give one of these critters a good home. I think my nephew's got the right idea, they would make great Easter gifts don't you think.

My kids will be very sad to see them go, but know that some other little kid will love them as much as they do, and that makes them feel better.

It seems to be tough for them to let a hand made by mommy item leave the house, even if it's a gift for one of their friends or cousins.

It feel good to know my kids enjoy the things I make, I just have to be sure they get some hand-mades of their own.

Making the Most of Michigan Winter

2010-02-25T11:09:00.011-05:00

By spending some time finding inspiration in the creativity of others. .

. . . Having some one on one time with my son and the snow! (See the shadows! The sun has, thankfully, been a frequent visitor this winter.). . .

. . .Making a wine bag for the wine and cheese basket my daughter's class is putting together for the annual school fundraiser (It's reversible). . .

. . .Finding some unexpected alone time with my baby girl and finishing a cute little skirt she's been waiting for. . .

. . . And finally preparing for the grand opening of my little etsy shop!

It may not end up being very grand, but at least it will be open.

Ahoy, Me Hearties!

2010-02-10T13:40:00.001-05:00

Have you seen this yet?
Dana Made It and Made by Rae are celebrating the boy this month and boy are there some great projects over there. I'm loving it! This bowtie may be making an appearance this summer at some weddings we will be attending. And oh the pirate love!

Well, in celebration of the month of the boy we have our own boy project in the works here. Pirates are pretty big around these parts right now. Pirate costumes, Pirate books, pirate quilts in the making (sneak peek above, more to come soon), pirate speak, "Belay that swab and get ye to ye room! It needs to be cleaned," and of course pirate treasure maps!

To make ours we opted to print this free coloring page map instead of drawing our own, like mommy wanted. My boy decided it just wasn't authentic looking enough so he wanted to age it a bit. I've done this using coffee before, but as we don't drink coffee in our house, and the only tea we have at the moment is green tea, we decided to give balsamic vinegar a try (his idea). Rip the edges before staining to create the illusion of burnt edges, or you could actually burn the edges if you're feeling daring.

I would not recommend the vinegar if you don't have to. Coffee would work much better, but after a few days, yes days, of drying, the stickiness disappeared and the map was ready for some crickling. Now it looks like a real authentic pirate map don't you think?

All we need now, is some hidden treasure!

Some Holiday Show and Tell

2010-01-12T08:32:00.001-05:00

A few of the homemade gifts given this Christmas. To start with a new All Better Buddy. I received a phone call a few weeks ago from a very sweet little 2 year old who had just gotten a small boo boo. In her soft and sad little two year old voice she told me that for Christmas she needed her very own Buddy.

My adorable little niece tends to be a bit accident prone. She always seems to be bumping into tables and tripping over her toys. She borrows her big sister's All Better Bunny whenever she gets hurt, but thought she really should have her very own. I decided instead of a bunny, however, she should have a little bear. You see she first fell in love with her sister's All Better Buddy over the summer when she received more than her fair share of bee stings and who better to ward off a bee sting than a cuddly little bear.

These little guys were last minute additions to gifts that I mistakenly thought included the puppets. They were so, so much fun to put together, but took a little more time than I had expected and so, had me finishing up Christmas day just minutes before being attached to the gifts.

It really was fun putting these together and I'm sure I'll be making a few more soon.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-05T10:14:00.005-05:00

My camera is MIA, left at my brothers after an exciting holiday visit including lots of sledding, yummy hot cocoa, board games and little ones staying up way too late. But I just couldn't leave those Christmas bags up any longer so I thought I'd show you a couple of things I'm considering for the new year.

I've never taken part in Amy Karol's Tie One On, but it always looks like so much fun. The theme this time is black and white and I have been planning a black and white apron for months. Now I have some extra motivation and a deadline to make it.

This sounds like another way to motivate myself to do some things I've been wanting to. Hip Mountain Mama is challenging readers to make one change each month from January 1st to April 22 (Earth day) that will have a positive effect on the environment. There are a lot of things I've been wanting to start doing and have just not been motivated to implement them. Maybe joining this group will help me get started.

I also have great plans to be more organized this year and have started by giving myself a quit housework and start sewing time so that I can have some items to sell in my shop soon (only a year after opening, sigh). I have also given myself a quit working and go to bed time so I can wake up and get the girls off to school with only minor whining (from me, not the girls). I have been working out some exciting plans to help my kids get involved in the housework and complete some of their chores with less nagging from me and Daddy. I hope to be able to share this here after it's been thoroughly tested. We'll see how this all works out, I've learned by now that any hard set rules, plans and schedules are soon challenged by the ever changing needs of kids and family, but I hope to have allowed enough flex time to accommodate most of the unexpected situations sure to arise.

Don't misinterpret my impatience to remove the holiday bags from the top of this blog as a rush to get past all the holiday crafting. I have plenty of show and tell and as soon as the camera is back in my possession and the pics have been downloaded, I'll have some fun stuff for you. For now though, it's all planning for the new year. What are your plans?

Bitty Bag, Gift Bag Tutorial

2009-12-19T10:30:00.007-05:00

I thought I'd give you a little last minute cloth gift bag tutorial using my Bitty bag from the kiddie cornhole game we made. A last minute tutorial, just in time for a last minute gift. It really does go together pretty quick so you should be able to whip up a few before the gift giving begins.

To start with you'll need,

Some scraps of Christmas or other fabric.
Something round to trace, (like the lid of your powdered sugar container maybe, sugary bits removed of course, sticky fabric is no fun.)
5/8" wide, or other size, slippery ribbon in a coordinating color.
Water soluble marker or pencil (or a regular pencil if yours is lost in a box full of broken crayons, un-sharpened colored pencils and cap-less markers because the kids keep snagging it.)
Fabric scissors.
Some rockin Christmas tunes. (I just love all the scruffy beards in cute elf costumes and Santa hats.)

First, trace and cut the circle out of your main fabric choice. Mine is about 5" across. This will be the bottom of the bag. Then, using the same fabric as the circle cut two rectangles wide enough to go around the circle about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 times and about 6" tall, mine are 24" x 6".

Next, cut and sew together random squares and rectangles from the scrap pile until you have enough to reach across the large rectangle, 24" in our example. This bag has no lining so all those raw edges will just be hanging out in there. You may want to serge or zigzag over them so they look neat. Trim the strip to about 2" tall and attach it to the rectangle to create the cute band at the top of the bag.

Sew the short ends together to make a tube. Then add a gathering stitch across the bottom, the end without the cute band. Use the longest stitch on your machine and don't back stitch.

Leave long threads and pull them to create a slight gather and make it fit around the circle. Pin and sew.

Next, you take the remaining rectangle from the first step and sew the short ends of it together. Mark and then sew two button holes 1 1/4", or about a quarter of the way in from the raw edge, on either side of the band. This is for the ribbon handles/ties so make sure they are wide enough to fit your ribbon through.

Fold the top piece in half and iron. Pin and sew, right sides together, the top of the bag to the cute band on the bottom part of the bag, lining up the seams. (buttonholes should be on the outside of the bag when done.)

Now you need to make the casing for the ribbon, Just topstitch around the bag the width of the buttonholes. Thread the ribbon through the bag twice so that when the ribbons are pulled on either side it will cinch up the bag (this is where the slippery kind of ribbon is useful).

Fill with surprises for good little boys and girls, put it under the tree and your done!

They look a little like Santa's packs I think. Wouldn't it be cute to make some with red velvet and some white faux fir trim?

The measurements in this tutorial are for the large bag. For the medium I used a 4" circle and 19"x 5" rectangles and for the small a 3" circle with 15"x 4" rectangles, although I'd go another half inch or so smaller on the height for the smallest. Please let me know if anything is unclear or if you have any questions.

Happy Sewing!

It's in the Mail

2009-12-15T12:31:00.006-05:00

No really it is, but it wasn't easy.

Isn't it funny how the second time you try to make something that went smoothly and without a hitch the first time, it can be so full of little issues that just drive you bonkers the second time.

Well that's what happened with this sweet little purse here, but finally it turned out just right (I hope). And I jotted down lots of very discriptive notes for myself so that next time it should go a little smoother. You should have these in time for Christmas Aunt M. Thank you so much.

And for anyone else who might be reading, here's a sneak peak at a new project I'm working on.

Ooh, lots of really great bits of fabric, yummy browns and beautiful blues, very exciting. Before I show you more of that though, I hope to have a little reusable gift wrapping tutorial for you here, stay tuned!

Snowboarding Season is Here!

2009-12-09T10:15:00.013-05:00

A little bit of this . . .

Has us feelin' like this. . .

About a whole lot of this. . .

The last two pictures are from last year. We took the kids snowboarding for the first time and the pic of my son in the middle there, pretty much sums up the whole trip. And the third picture, I just don't think it's possible to stand on a snowboard, no matter what your skill level, without looking totally cool, don't they look like old pros.

We went to the same place my husband and I, along with the rest of my family, spent our winter weekends when we were dating and it had been years since we'd been back. It brought back so many memories of falling in love with him, hanging out with friends, playing board games with my family by the fire late into the night, driving the 3 to 4 hour trip together, through every kind of crazy Michigan weather imaginable (think star trek, warp speed). It was great getting out on the slopes again and, although most of the boarding we do throughout the season nowadays, is on sledding hills around the neighborhood (5, soon to be 6, lift tickets gets pricey), we will be going back at least once a year from now on. This is a family tradition I'm so glad my parents started. Thank you Mom and Dad and thanks for the trip last year!

Yikes I had better start working out, snowboarding is a lot more exhausting than I'd remembered. And. . . uh. . . Unkie Tom, Aunt Rie, I'm begging you to help out with the kids on the slopes like last year, I don't think our calf muscles can make it without you. We can't wait!

My Boy Loves to Sew!

2009-12-04T20:37:00.015-05:00

He really does! Hand sewing, machine sewing, all of it. He's already started planning his sister's Christmas gifts and they include lots of . . . You guessed it SEWING!

I realize lots of dudes sew, in fact my husbands grandpa was apparently quite a quilter so, it's in his blood I guess. But my boy is a wound up, always busy, all boy, boy. This kid was sliding into bases before he could talk, making his own weapons and fighting off bad guys and dragons since he was a toddler. He pretends to be every type of growling animal he can think of, while attacking his sisters, on a daily basis, and can not be pulled off of his bike, skate board, snowboard or other fast moving contraption for anything, once he's on it.

He's got 3 sisters, so I'm happy to let him be all boy as much as he wants, but I'm so glad this little guy thinks it's cool to sew too.

And now for the Christmas projects!

Craft Gift Exchange

2009-12-02T10:05:00.010-05:00

Every year we do a craft gift exchange with my in-laws. It started years ago as a Christmas gift exchange that my nieces and nephews would be able to participate in. It was moved to Thanksgiving after it was almost voted into extinction because of the added stress it brought to the holiday season. It still adds a bit of stress, but it gives us the opportunity to try out new crafts we've been wanting to do, but haven't found the time for. Like freezer paper stencils.

My husband suggested the kids make t-shirts for their projects, but the thought of dozens of hard to manipulate, little squirt bottles full of puffy paint, sure to be found by the 2 year old, wasn't sounding like all that much fun to me. I remembered seeing freezer paper stencils on a few different crafty blogs and thought it was the perfect time to try it out.

Just a tip, don't try to go over not so thoroughly covered areas with an already washed and still wet spongy brush, mommy messed up robot and made him all fuzzy, better to just let the kids do it by themselves.

A quick trip to the craft store for supplies and then back home to draw pictures. I loved the ideas the kids came up with, a couple of snowmen, a monster, a robot and even some scribblings from the baby who said she was drawing a robot too.

I did all of the cutting with an x-acto knife, this was a bit more difficult than I had remembered it being, but I got it done in an afternoon.

We painted after baby girl fell asleep for her afternoon nap. One of the girls opted for fabric markers so she could get creative with colors without having to spend tons of money on different paints, the results were not as vibrant, but still very cute.

It was far more simple and far less messy than it looks. We rolled and packed the t-shirts in these cute homemade boxes. We just used some scrapbooking card stock made a few cuts, folded the ends and attached with some glue. Very cute and fun! We may be making more of these for Christmas.

Scrappy Scarf 2

2009-11-30T12:40:00.005-05:00

Wow! What a busy and fun holiday, but at least I finished the scarf!

Notice he found a great use for the pocket already? I don't think he minded one bit that the pieces came from old pants. ~~I'll try to get a tutorial here soon, I think these would make some great holiday gifts~~. No time for this right now, maybe after the holidays, they'd make great wintery or early spring birthday gifts too, don't you think?

Scrappy Scarves

2009-11-20T16:59:00.017-05:00

My brother, the one who gave me the trunk, has been asking me for years, literally, to make him a scarf. I think he has given up on me ever making him one because, the last few requests have been for just a piece of fleece to match his coat. Well, this year for his birthday I decided it was high time he had that scarf, and it would not be just a chopped up piece of fleece, no, he has been waiting years for this scarf so it had to be a little more special.

Old Pants! Yup, way more special than chopped up fleece right? (well not those exact pants, but aren't those little feet too cute?) By now I think you know how much I love to re-purpose, recycle and reuse, who doesn't these days really. I had been saving a pair of pants that didn't make it through more than two washes before falling apart at the pocket (I'm so bad at returning things or making complaints when I really need to.) and a pair of soft corduroy pants that no longer fit, but I just couldn't part with.

When I put the two together I couldn't resist the texture and pattern combination, It was perfect! I started cutting and sewing and before I knew it I had a really cool, really long scarf for my oh so patient brother.

I had the front complete before his birthday party, mid October, and was confident I could attach that fleece he'd asked for, to the back and have it to him the next day for his actual birthday. When I got to the project the next day I realized the amount of black fleece I had left was far to short to work, darn those tall people and their long scarves.

So I whipped up a shorter, matching, scarf with the scraps, used the fleece I had on hand and gave that to my somewhat shorter brother-in-law for his birthday. It's hard to tell from the photo, but for this one, I used the angled cuts left behind from the pant's seams and the cuts I made for my brother's scarf so this one has a much more patchworky feel I thought I wouldn't like as much as the clean straight lines of my brothers, but it actually turned out pretty neat.

My poor brother has waited another month now for that scarf of his and last night I finally got the fleece to finish it, my goal is to have his birthday gift to him before my birthday this week. Can I pull it off, all while entertaining 4 young-uns, finishing craft gifts for the Thanksgiving gift exchange at my in-laws and cleaning the house for the potential holiday company that could overflow from my mom's to our house? I love a challenge.

A Playmat!

2009-11-16T12:52:00.005-05:00

So, I've mentioned the crafting that ensues whenever a certain niece comes to visit, right? Well, it just so happens that this particular niece and my eldest are in the same class in school this year. And, one of the teachers just happens to be pregnant.

And, the class was throwing a surprise shower for her. And so, of course, the last time this craft loving niece came for a visit I was smothered with tiny bits of fabric and puppy dog eyes as the two girls begged for me to help them make a baby blanket for this wonderful teacher and her sweet new babe. How could I refuse.

We soon decided that the blanket should actually be a playmat since some of the other moms were working together to knit a blanket and everyone agreed this would be much more fun. Their teacher was keeping the sex of the baby a surprise (so fun!) so the girls decided they wanted to go for bright, cheerful and playful patterns for the fabric.

Cute jungle animals in bold colors with a matching polka-dot stripe (my favorite). The toughest decision was the satin edge trim, brown, black, red, blue oh what to choose.

Once home the girls got right to work. They chose the layout, trying many different combinations, taking photos then looking at each of them on the computer (OK so I made them take the photos and look at each before making the final decision, which was to go with their original layout design, they knew what they wanted the second they had seen it, why couldn't I just leave it at that?).

They had fun pinning and sewing the top of the mat, I love the way my nieces lip twists up in this photo as she sews, too cute, so serious. Then I took over adding straps to the corners for toys to be secured, like the girls wanted, attaching the fleece back, stitch in the ditch style and finishing it off with the red satin trim.

I added a tie and tucked it under the trim before attaching it so that the playmat can be rolled up, tied and taken to whatever play date adventure this little one may be off to.

Their teacher, of course, loved it. I included some photos of the girls working on it in the card. She cried a little, but I don't think we can take credit for that since she was tearing up the entire day. She was so surprised by the whole shower and all of the truly wonderful things she received including a scrap book of quotes from each of the kids on how to care for a baby and a beautiful wall hanging painted by them.

It really was a fun day, but the best was when a classmate, a little boy said, " They made that?! Wow their talented!" The girls were beaming and the teacher felt very special and loved. It was perfect. I love how a handmade, homemade gift makes the giver and the receiver feel so special.

New Life for a Well Used Trunk

2009-10-15T16:35:00.013-04:00

A few years ago one of my brothers got me a really cool wicker trunk for my birthday. I loved it! And considering all the rugrats running around this place all the time, it held up pretty well.

At least when you consider the fact that it's been used as a blanket box, a toy box, a boat, a car, a house, a spaceship and anything else a wee one can imagine sitting inside of.

Not to mention the fact that it just happens to be the perfect height for a little seat or a stool for peeking out the window to watch the big kids playing.

Obviously it was in desperate need of a little attention. So I ripped off the wicker, asked my husband to brave the bitter cold and retrieve the staple gun from his work truck, thanks babe, and got to work.

I filled the spaces with some green foam I had lying around, I knew I saved that stuff for a reason, it really needs a solid piece of wood or something, but I didn't have any of that lying around. Hopefully no one needs to peek out the windows any time soon.

The fabric is a really cool shimmery sage stripe, it's from my Aunt who's an interior designer and always has leftovers for me.

I did most of the work while the kids were in bed, but I did have one little helper today when I reattached the lid.

He is now guarding the box that he worked so hard on from his baby sister's behind, because, well, it's still the perfect height for a little seat and now it even has a cushy top.

It looks pretty good I think. I may touch up the wicker on the bottom, but maybe not.

Peanuts!

2009-10-14T16:38:00.006-04:00

Crafty stuff soon, for real, but first check this out

The kids each got their own section of the garden this summer, my dad told me how much he loved having his little pie shaped piece of the garden when he was a kid and it just sounded like fun. They each picked what would be planted in their section and helped weed and water it. When I asked my son what he wanted in his he said, "What about peanuts?" So we looked it up, bought some raw ones and planted them. We thought we'd lost them to a hungry family of ground hogs, but look! 3 whole peanuts. I don't know if anything is inside them, but he was thrilled with his 3 little peanuts.

The Hombrew Blog

2009-10-13T23:08:00.005-04:00

Yeah, so I can't maintain this blog on a regular basis, but decided we needed another blog for my husband's homebrew hobby. Check us out at Beer BS, and soon, very soon, I'll have something crafty for this place, I promise.

Re-purposing Old Tee's

2009-10-01T10:18:00.011-04:00

Is it really October already? Yikes September flew! Well I'm back with some new projects. To start with how about re-purposing old tanks into neat-o bags. My brother-in-law has been working hard and getting in shape, so to celebrate I made him some bags out of tanks that no longer fit, but were souvenirs from a fun vacation.

Now souvenir tee transforms into funky souvenir bag,

And a useful and cool bowling ball hammock,

This is used to clean the oil from the lanes off your bowling ball, it's really quite comical to see it in action, men cleaning their balls and all, hee hee hee.

Happy October!

School Days

2009-09-12T10:13:00.005-04:00

First days of school, new teachers, new friends, new shoes, yes that's a tag still on his shoe, and first times away from Mommy make for some very emotional, busy and exciting days. Not much time for blogging or crafting, I'll have some fun stuff here soon.

Just in Time for Labor Day!

2009-09-05T08:00:00.006-04:00

Remember these ruffles? Well, my brother-in-law has become a huge fan of the game Cornhole. He got a set for his birthday last spring and the kids always want to play too. The bags are pretty big and heavy for the littlest ones and they're pretty plain and ugly and manish, so I thought his baby girl needed some of her very own.

Okay, the link for Cornhole, I just had to do it. who would think this silly, fun game would have such an official organization? I had no idea so many took it so seriously. Here's the Wikipedia a little more simple and straight forward for those of you who don't know the game.

Basically it's bean bags (or corn filled bags) tossed into a hole. Our kiddie version, frilly cute bean bags in 3 different shapes to be tossed into a wooded board with matching shapes cut out of it.

The game board was designed and constructed by my amazingly talented and creative husband. You get more points if the hole your bag goes into matches the shape of your bag. The kids were supposed to paint it all cute like a silly face, but, as usual, we ran out of time, we'll get to it eventually.

I Love the way it turned out and it was a big hit with the kids at the birthday party. The board is light enough for most of the kids to move around on their own and my little niece really enjoys playing with her bean bags.

Of course I couldn't stop there, no, as I said before every girl, no matter the age, needs bags and she had to have something to keep all her bean bags together so,

I came up with this bitty bag. I was really happy with how quickly and easily it came together, and the finished product is even cuter than I thought it would be.

It made sweet wrapping too, no paper or boxes needed.

Sharing Books

2009-09-02T12:10:00.001-04:00

The kids and I met some friends at the park the other day, actually I think it's been like a month or more, time flies, anyway, each of the kids choose a favorite book (or two) to share and after playing on the playground equipment for a good hour or so they actually pulled out their books paired themselves up and read to each other.

Even the little ones who can't actually "read" got into it. It's always fun to see what others are reading and enjoying. So I thought it might be fun to share some of our favorites here. Something like Inchmark's weekly library book, I just love the way Brooke shares some favorite library finds with us. I've always enjoyed browsing the side bars of blogs that list favorite books, but it's so fun to get a sneak peak and hear what she has to say about the books. She always has a bit of background too, which I love. It's nice to head to the library with at least one or two books we know we want to read. So to start with I have a library book that has helped us out a lot lately. Shiver Me Letters A Pirate ABC by June Sobel and illustrated by Henry Cole.

With school just around the corner and #3 heading off to Kindergarten I've been a little worried about how prepared he is. It's been a lot more difficult to get this boy interested in letters and numbers than his big sisters, but boy does he love this book.

All the fun and whimsical pirates,

The treasure hunt for the letters on each page, which is not really too difficult, but I know he's looking at the letters.

And of course, it must be read with a pirate accent, "ARRGG me matey!" So fun. Any suggestions for our next trip to the library?

I Can't Decide

2009-08-27T13:00:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to find a cool gift to make for my teenage niece. It's a tough age to buy a gift for, even tougher to make one for. But I think I might have found just the thing at U-Handbag. Cause every girl, no matter what her age, needs another bag right? I was thinking this or maybe this one instead. Any votes?

Ruffles, Ruffles Everywhere

2009-08-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

With three girls and 5 nieces you would think I'd be tired of ruffles, but I still can't seem to get enough of them. I never liked them much when I was a kid, maybe I'm making up for all the ruffles I missed out on back then. Don't get me wrong my wardrobe never lacked for ruffles, my mom made sure I had my fair share, I just wasn't that into them. It could have had something to do with wanting to be as cool as my big brother.

Now, however, things are a little different I have girls and nieces and I am happy to make sure these girls never want for ruffles. My big brother is still cool, but I've learned that ruffles make anything sweet and pretty and oh so girly!

This is a little surprise for just one of those sweet, pretty little girls and I'm having lots of fun (mixed with a bit of swearing at breaking threads) making these ruffled treats for her. I can't wait to show you the finished product. In the meantime check out these ruffles I just found from Candace at Sparkle Power, I'm definitely gonna have to whip up a few of those before it gets too cold.

A Toddler Purse

2009-08-23T12:34:00.011-04:00

Here's the birthday surprise I've been working on and she loves it, Yay! She is always taking her big sister's purses so I thought it was time she had her own. One that is just right for a 2 year old.

The button opens to reveal a snap pocket and a lace up and tie pocket. Then there is a zipper pouch on top, just like a real purse and the strap is held together with a belt buckle. Now she has her very own place for her very own treasures and she can button. . .

lace and tie, or untie. . .

snap, unsnap and stuff. . .

zip, unzip and zip some more (she loves zippers)

and loop a belt to her hearts content.

I'm really pleased with how this turned out. Let me know what you think of it.

Independant Crafting

2009-08-22T16:17:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful guest last night, my niece. She is a huge fan of anything crafty, so whenever she stays over the three older girls plot and plan and come up with crazy crafty ideas, usually requiring some kind of sewing and always requiring some help from me. Well, today I just wasn't in the mood. I told them, to their shock and dismay, that I just wasn't up for a big project today and that they were on their own. I did feel a little guilty but, come on, gimme a break my man's been working crazy hours and school starts soon, I've been a little stressed. Well the kids were not deterred, even the little ones were bit by the crafty bug.

There was dinosaur drawing by my 4 year old. I do love this boys monsters, they are the best.

Coloring with brand new markers while I tried not to worry about the mess they were making.

And as expected an elaborately planned project including sewing and cutting,

ripping seams, more sewing by hand and machine, and lots of working together to solve design issues.

And all this was done smoothly, to my suprise, with no help from me. I just sat back, snapped a few pics and watched them work it out. I was really impressed with how much they figured out on their own.

Not everything was done by the book, but the end result was a cute bag they could call their own and a couple of very proud girls. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the finished product before it went home with my niece. I'll try to get one next time we see her.

Just in Time

2009-08-21T09:17:00.000-04:00

It's almost done, just a few more details to finish by tonight.

It actually came together much easier than I expected, except that button hole right there. The button is bigger than my button hole maker can go so I had to do two and cut through the overlapping end so it's a little messy looking. Other than that I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out.

Sewing Together

2009-08-18T11:09:00.000-04:00

My oldest who is 8 took quite an interest in sewing last year. She got her own sewing machine for Christmas, which was as much a gift for me as her since she wants to sew only when I do, of course. It's more fun that way right? And so, when her birthday rolled around, her super cool Aunt and Uncle bought her, her first skirt/pants pattern New Look Kids 6661 and all the fabric and trims needed to make view A.

It has two layers which I had never done before and turned out really cute! The slippery flowing fabric in my daughters current favorite color combo, light blue/teal and dark brown, were just perfect for this super girly skirt.

The pattern was a little difficult for this young beginning sewer, but not so much as to discourage. She cut out and put together each of the skirt layers and the waistband with minimal help from me (other than deciphering the directions). I then took over for the tiny rolled hem and assembly of the pieces. She could have done the last part herself with a little help, but she needed a nice skirt for a family function so we had a deadline I wasn't sure she could meet.

She says her favorite part is the little bow in the front and of course the colors. I know she also loves the fact that the fabric seems so grown up. It was a little slippery to work with, which I think a lot of people avoid on beginner projects, but if you can handle the imperfections that come with learning a new skill I highly recommend using it early. There is a lot that can be learned by simply doing it, then when you look for tips, you'll know what everyone is talking about.

A super cute skirt, a little more grown up feeling than her others, but with plenty of little girl twirl action. Thank you Aunt Rie and Uncky Tom.

A Birthday Project

2009-08-14T16:52:00.000-04:00

Here's a peak at a special little something for a special little birthday girl.

I hope it all works out, I have no pattern (once again) and I'm not sure yet how everything will come together, but I think she'll love it.

I mean really how could she resist rainbows, laughing whales and purple polka dots!? It's every little girls dream is it not?

All Better Buddies

2009-08-12T10:28:00.001-04:00

I don't really know how to kick off a blog, this is my first time so be gentle with me. I hope to have some fun sewing stuff to share soon, for now, I guess I'll just start with one of my bunnies. This is my All Better Buddy and I hope to have some in my etsy shop soon. He has a pocket in the back to slide a wonderful, lavender scented rice pack into. You can store him in the freezer and use him to treat small bumps and bruises. The rice stays cool and he's soft and cuddly with a comforting lavender smell. Or heat the rice pack in the microwave for a minute or two, and you have a cozy friend to ease tummy aches or just to cozy into bed with. What do you think?