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Esme' discovered something fun all on her own the other day: wet sidewalk chalk makes pretty designs on bricks. I am sure it has been done before and that she was tapping into universal childhood wisdom, but I was really impressed. I honestly don't think I would have thought to offer this as a project. I was a little sad to see that the rain had washed the designs away the next day, but reusable surfaces are always welcome!! The kids will have have fun with this over and over.
Spring is nearing...our first-year tulips tell me it is so! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these beauties today. Somehow they just seem so magical. All gardening and growth seems magical to me, I guess.
I realize I haven't been posting very much lately. I haven't been using my camera as much (partially because I feel that I still have so much to learn, partially because my lens was dirty and I was getting spots in all my photos, and partially because it has been so gorgeous outside that I have just wanted to be and enjoy it), and we haven't been doing anything particularly noteworthy. Our days have been filled with marker drawings, cutting paper and taping, building with legos, knitting, cleaning, packing bags and bags to take to Goodwill, playing in the mud, blowing bubbles and watching the chickens. Oh, and daydreaming!
On the upper right side of this photo, you can see the cloudy spot that I was referring to. I had to include it anyway, because Esme' and her friend were having such fun!
Everything feels lighter right now. I am a rare kind of person who actually enjoys cleaning my home, and in the spring I enjoy it even more. I love the natural scents of the homemade cleaners I make (as of now, I am making my own all-purpose spray and mopping cleanser... any other recipes would be appreciated), I love getting rid of things that feel weighty or unnecessary, I love the serenity that comes with having most things in their place, and I love the sense of creativity that arises out of that serenity.
Here is the playroom after a clean-up. Don't get me wrong; I am no stranger to extreme messes. Nor do I get angry about them. I have a little boy who dumps chocolate milk on the bed and empties jars of jam on the countertop. I do have to take a big breath during moments like this, but I know that messes are a child's work. I like for my children to get messy and to fully explore their surroundings. I just also like to have it cleaned up afterwards; to be able to start fresh every day (no, not every room in the house is clean every day!!!).
Playing with toys that held new interest after a clean-up.
This is getting lengthy, and although I did have more to share I will just leave you with one of my favorite images with a quote by Rumi. I framed this many years ago and it still inspires me every single day.
This is how I have spent most of my quiet moments for the past two weeks. It is from the pattern Llani that I stumbled upon on Ravelry. This pattern called for the most uses of a cable needle that I have ever used! I'd say, offhand, that I used it at least 600 times! I know, it doesn't even look like a cable needle was needed- tricky little trim! I really enjoy the patterns by Katya Frankel and intend to make a couple more before summer. I used Louisa Harding Grace yarn- so soft!!
It is a sad day here. I received a phone call from our very friendly neighbor saying that he was very sorry to find one of our birds dead in his yard (he doesn't mind them coming over the fence). We have decided that it was most likely a cat that got our Beatrice. This decision was made mainly because she wasn't eaten, which is what would have happened had it been a raccoon or an opossum. I am thinking of asking the other neighbor to put a bell on her cat's collar. That's fair, isn't it? Just a little fair warning for our girls, so they can get out of harm's way.
Esme' went to see Beatrice before our neighbor buried her for us. When she came home, she told me that Beatrice looked so cute and fluffy. Then she burst into tears and sobbed in my arms until I realized that she might like some feathers to remember her. Our neighbor collected some from his yard and Esme' smiled with relief that there was something to hold onto.
We will miss our only white chicken who was also our only yellow chick. We will miss how she always looked into the playroom from the hay bale by the window. And we will miss her ridiculous chicken dance!!
These beautiful cookies are of Iraqi origin and harken back to my more politically involved post-college days! I have no idea if the spelling is correct, although I did receive the spelling and recipe from someone who was very involved with the country at the time. If anyone knows more information about these cookies, please feel free to share!
I remembered this recipe (stashed way at the bottom of my very unorganized pile of recipes in a freezer bag) shortly after deciding to cut most dairy out of Asher's diet. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against dairy. In fact, I could probably survive on goat cheese, cottage cheese, Brown Cow yogurt, buttered toast, etc. This decision is purely for health reasons. When Asher gets a cold, the nebulizer almost always comes out with it. According to Chinese Medicine (and Ayurveda), the elimination of dairy from his diet could be highly beneficial. And since it's hard to cook different meals for everyone, our whole family will most likely eat as Asher eats. Please send your yummy dairy-free recipes my way and I will post some as well.
Claychas:
3 cups flour
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup rice milk
3/4 cup oil (I used walnut)
3 cups dates, chopped
1/4 cup butter (butter is one thing we are not cutting out yet! You can use margarine if you are looking for a vegan recipe)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, heat up the butter until melted and then add the dates. Cook on medium heat until the dates and butter form a jam consistency. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix the oil and rice milk. Pour the oil and rice milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir into a dough. Knead the dough and then divide into two equal pieces. Roll the dough into two large rectangles, spread the date "jam" onto the dough and then roll the whole thing. Cut into 1/4 inch (I didn't measure, I am just guessing) pieces and bake on cookie sheets for 20-30 minutes (Depending on your cookie size; watch for browning).
Enjoy!!
Sorry for the wait to those of you who have been interested in these photos. It's been a rough week in the world of a certain three year old boy in our home. Phwew!! Anyone have any extra bath salts for me?! Also, does anyone have any gentle yet effective ways to deal with lots of whining, crying, pushing, hitting, etc.?
Anyway, here are some photos from Esme's chicken party!!! This was the first time that it was warm enough to play outside on her birthday, so we started the day by playing outside with the chickens! It was fun to see all the different reactions.
Next, we played "rooster, rooster, chicken" (instead of "duck, duck, goose"). I really wanted to get photos of this, but then was sad that they didn't play long enough for me to get in the circle. Next time, I might just have to skip the photos.
Then it was cupcake time. I found these cute chick toppers on Etsy!!
After the sugar load, I brought the kids in for some dancing with chicken themed tunes from i-tunes (who would have known there would be hundreds to choose from!). I handed out their goodie bags at the same time... they were each filled with a yellow egg shaker! The chick tags were, once again, from etsy.
After dancing, the kids were ready for some quiet(er) time, and they went to the two different projects I had set out for them. It was nice to not have to guide them- to see that the activities held enough intrigue to naturally draw kids to them. One activity was to put together chicks from reflective tape. Stephen cut out all the pieces for the project and we put them all in a bowl next to one completed chick as an example.
The second activity was a felt board with a big chick and a sun. I intended for this activity to be "pin the beak on the chick", so Stephen had cut out a lot of beaks. As it turned out, all the kids just wanted a turn to arrange the pieces into their own version of a chick! How wonderful! Even better than planned. I am so excited, by the way, that I finally made the kids a felt board. It's been on my crafting to-do list for about a year. I look forward to all the scenes we can create- and it's so inexpensive!
Esme' was showered with wonderful gifts- thank you so much everyone (from Esme'!). Her favorite was a whoopie cushion! The runner-up was this funky yucky (no offense Rowan.. that's what we called her first one too) chicken that, unfortunately, broke within a few hours.
Overall, her first themed birthday party went very well. Will I do another one? Let me answer that after my bath...
I just have a minute this morning to put a few photos up of the gifts I made for Esme' this year. Her birthday is today!! My little girl is 6!!!
One of my resolutions for the new year was to use up the yarn in my stash before buying new yarn. Well, this resolution may have been set up for failure, but these gifts for Esme' were made mostly from yarn already in my basket. What I saved from using materials on hand (mostly) allowed me to treat her to a chicken-themed party!! Stay tuned for the photos.
She is already wearing her crown this morning!! I made this with the yarn I had purchased to make crowns for all the kids in the Waldorf kindergarten Esme' attended. I ended up running out of the pink at the very end and needed to order one more skein! The rest of that new skein of pink will now be placed in Esme's very own knitting basket!
I made her banner from yarn (the white yarn) that was spun by a dear friend from the sheep of someone I know!! What a beautiful history of something that will be in our family for a long time. The purple yarn was also from the crowns.
This doll sweater was made from yarn that I found at a yard sale last year for .50!! I spent $3 on the buttons because they were a perfect match.
Happy birthday darling girl! I love you so much and am so grateful to be able to share my love of knitting with you.
Maybe it's been more like a week and a half. I have lost count of the number of days at this point. It all started with a minor cold that was brought in by one of the children in my day care. Asher, like usual, developed a nasty respiratory virus and had to use his nebulizer for several days. Poor little guy. I recently met a woman who said she's had to use one and she told me how weird it feels. I was grateful to receive that perspective so that I can understand his complaints better. As soon as he started to get better from that, I came down with the flu. And boy was I down. After five days I am still not 100%, and now both of my little ones feel run down with sore throat, coughing, headaches and mild fever. Today is gorgeous, though, so I hope for a breath of fresh air for all of us.
Amidst all of this, there have been moments where I had to do something. And what could be better while sick than knitting in bed while the children are patiently playing on the floor with their legos? Each of these hearts took a mere half hour to knit and stuff. I intend to make many more, and am thinking about what to do with them. Make a garland or mobile? Glue magnets to them and stick them on the refrigerator? Hand them out as valentines? I got the inspiration from these when I saw a little glass bowl full of crocheted hearts at a friend's house, so I may end up doing the same. The pattern is from my favorite knitting designer, Norah Gaughan. In case you are wondering, no I did not felt this batch.
The next batch of hearts was inspired by my friend Jean at The Artful Parent. When I saw these, I knew I would make some at some point since I love crafts with rocks so much. They are made just like the story stones we made a while back. I thought that I might wait and make some for Asher's heart surgery anniversary since we always get him a new heart on that day (usually something made of stone or wood), but I couldn't resist making them early. It occurred to me that since I became a mom, I hadn't done anything to celebrate Valentine's Day. I knew it wasn't that I had some big grudge against it, but it didn't really dawn on me until this year that my seeming disinterest in the holiday is due to the fact that it is only 9 days after Esme's birthday.
This project was so fun!! I spent about 1 1/2 hours making about 20 of them while Esme' was sleeping in and Asher was drawing at my side. My favorite ones are the ones with more than one heart. Symbolically they suggest relationships- mother and daughter, husband and wife, a family of three, best friends, etc.
The single hearts would make great gifts to hand out along with the valentines that Esme' made while I was at my worst this week. She was having a hard time drawing hearts by herself so I suggested that she trace them using a cookie cutter. After she traced the heart, she colored them in with markers. Such a simple yet enjoyable little craft. Sorry, no people pictures from sick week.
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