A Very Belated Birthday Post

Since my computer has only been working off and on I haven't been able to share some photos from K's 5th birthday back in September (sorry family!), so I thought I would go ahead and do it now... even if it is over a month late.

Kevin's mother was visiting and he was miserably sick for K's birthday so it was a hard day on us all, I admit I was stressed beyond my limits but K still loved her day and it all somehow worked out.

Here's her birthday in pictures:

Apples are a huge theme for her birthday celebration every year (September has always been 'apple month' to us), as you will see...


Birthday preparations (We made some yummy sugar free delights: apple doughnuts, apple cider, apple cookies and apple cake)


Birthday preparations


Apple tree decoration


Birthday table


Little Red Riding Hood and wolf on the birthday table


Apples on the birthday table


Birthday ring


K baby in her birthday crown


Opening presents


Candles lit


Afternoon birthday music


Birthday Cake (Apple cake from the Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book)

The day after her birthday C and I had the pleasure to spend the day at school with K for her celebration there.


Candles from her Rainbow Bridge story at school


Sunflowers K brought to her teachers in the window(she also brought them some apple cookies)


Apple tree lantern

I hope you all have a great weekend and a wonderful Halloween!

A Very Belated Birthday Post

WIP Wednesday : Eeeeeeeeek!

Halloween is just around the corner and I have only just begun preparations for it! While it isn't really a Waldorf holiday, and we don't celebrate it in school, we do like to acknowledge it every year with a little fun dress up time.


Dress in progress

I planned on giving K this dress on her birthday along with her Little Red Riding Hood cape I knitted for her, but I just didn't pull it all off. It's really just a simple dress that just happens to work as a costume.

I am wishing I did not procrastinate, ahem, so I could alter the pattern and make it long sleeved instead of short. She'll wear one of her wool long sleeved tops underneath it for Halloween, to get by. I have a feeling she'll be wearing this dress all spring and summer, so it should all work out.


Finishing up the dress' apron embroidery

While I am at it, I am making a few little things from the Halloween Fairy. Every year the girls bring their candy home and then set it on the nature table for the Halloween Fairy. The next morning they wake up and the candy is gone and has been replaced with gifts. I like to give them honey sticks (always a favorite here) and something handmade. I quickly needle felted this little ladybug for K last night and I think she'll enjoy it. Now I need to think of something for C...


A ladybug for my ladybug

Back to work I go!
Happy creating everyone!!

WIP Wednesday : Eeeeeeeeek!

Harvest Festival

Earlier in the month our school had it's annual Harvest Festival, and just like last year, it was a fun filled day.
Unfortunately it rained all day long, so the festivities were held indoors this time around, but that still could not dampen our spirits.


Look at those silly faces!

K's kindergarten class held a butter churning booth. I was very happy to help out and work the booth. It was so much fun to watch the children (and even adults, too!) come up and make butter for the first time. Everyone was so surprised at how simple it was to make.



There was fresh cornbread (thanks to a mother of one of K's favorite classmates) made for everyone to sample their butter churning skills with.

We had a delicious community potluck. Kevin made his famous manicotti and it was gone before we could even get to it (much to K's disappointment, but luckily he made more for her for dinner that evening). There was an abundance of singing and dancing and just giddiness all around.
I did not get as many pictures as I had wanted but here are a few of the activities we participated in:


K and Kevin carved a little pumpkin together


K carded wool and then...


spun it at the spinning wheel (big highlight for the both of us!)


C had her face painted


Both of the girls made their own dragon's eggs


Corn cob toss, apple pressing and more, oh my!



Above is a scene from our current nature table (Woo hoo lantern season!) which has a couple of the lanterns I made at the festival, thanks to our lovely school store owner and her many, many talents.

I am sad it is all over now but looking forward to our next event - the heart of advent in November.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Harvest Festival

WIP Wednesday : 'Tis the Season...

...lantern season that is! Our Martinmas preparations are beginning with one of our favorite fall activities - lantern making. More on that later, though.


Star lantern in progress *cough* Yes, I need to fix the folds...

I am trying to finish up some more projects I worked on months ago but then never came back to. Like this teeny tiny vest below. All it needs is the buttons sewn on, a simple 10 minute project at most, yet I keep pushing it off.



I am also trying to finish up C's Harvest Festival/Martinmas cardigan (Thanks, again, to a sweet random act of kindness for the gift of the yarn). Our Harvest festival was a week or so ago so I am a wee bit behind. Now, I am hoping to finish it by the end of the month. K's matching cardigan was finished in time for the festival, though, so I was half way there. At least that's what I keep telling myself to ease the guilt.



Lots more in progress here but I am so far behind I need to get back to it!

Happy creating!!

WIP Wednesday : 'Tis the Season...

Lessons in Woolies

Knickers and sweaters
hats and socks, too
we're washing all our woolies
'til they look like new

We're washing woolies,
wooly woolies
We're washing woolies,
wooly woolies

Under shirts and leggings
scarves and mittens, too
we're washing all our woolies
'til they look like new

We're washing woolies,
wooly woolies
We're washing woolies,
wooly woolies

You can hear this song being sung in our house at least once every couple of weeks as the girls and I clean and shave all of our wool items (we wear wool all year round). It's actually one of our favorite 'chores'.

As the weather here is quickly turning from cold to really cold, I decided to pull out our heavier wool items for the girls to wear (along with some of the baby woolies to prepare for our arrival in Feb). I always like to give them a good wash in our sink after they have been stored away for a few months and then hang them to dry in the sun. This time around there was nothing but rain for days so I dried them inside next to our wood stove, which is normally a nice thing...

But this time something went wrong...



I scorched C's wool undershirt!
I guess I didn't realize just how hot Kevin had the fire this time around and I placed the rack too close. Thank goodness nothing else was ruined. *sigh* Boy did I learn my lesson! All I can do is laugh about it now.



She does need her undershirt, though, so now I am contemplating how I can best fix my blunder. Dye it perhaps? What do you think? What would you do with this silly mess up?

Happy Monday everyone!!

Lessons in Woolies

WIP Wednesday : Gnomes & Ladybugs & School, Oh My!

I am still sorting through photos I haven't been able to upload these past few weeks and came across these small projects for school.



K needed small sized (I mean real small, 10"wide!) place mats for her lunches at school. I really, really wanted to make her cute place mats in Steiner's colors of the days and embroider them with his trees of the days as well. Between me being sick all summer and not having the money to buy fabric I wasn't able to make that happen. So, I instead used some light green fabric from pillowcases I already had and sewed 5 small place mats. I then tried to make them a bit nicer for K and embroidered different ladybugs on each one. The ladybug is her symbol at school as well as at home so she appreciated that.



She also needed extra clothes to keep at school and a bag to keep them in. I made her a simple bag (out of the same pillowcase fabric) to hang on the hook in her locker. Again I thought I would make it a bit more fun and using scrap fabric I sewed on and embroidered another ladybug.



Speaking of school, I wasn't able to post her picture from her first day back in September so here it is. That was just before we walked in. I wanted to get some nice shots of her with the school in the background but we were short on time so that one just had to do.



On our way home from school that day a ladybug found K and rode all the way home with us. Now if that was not a sure sign that we found the perfect place for K, then I don't know what could be!


Before the felting

Lastly, K needed another pair of slippers. She brought her ones from home to school (and they have to stay there all year), so she needed another pair for around the house. I found this cute elf slipper pattern on ravelry and just couldn't pass it by. Thanks to some wonderful random acts of kindness I was gifted with the yarn and the needles to make them.


After the felting (but before a good shaving and de-fuzzing!)

K decided they are gnome slippers instead of elf ones, though.

Happy creating!
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I promised I would let you know... the beautiful dress pattern I tested for my friend Michelle is now available! Visit her blog for all the info.

WIP Wednesday : Gnomes & Ladybugs & School, Oh My!

Field Trip : Bob's Red Mill

This is a bit old but I haven't been able to upload my photos on this rascal computer until now.



When we first moved to Oregon we discovered that one of our favorite natural food companies Bob's Red Mill was in the area. Not only was it in the area but it's right down the road from K's school and we pass by it every day (They even donate to our school)! This was very exciting to us. Bob is a much loved celebrity in our household. The girls call our flour 'Bob flour' because his picture is on the package (I actually don't mind this tiny bit of commercialism that is in our house).


'Bob flour'

Kevin had a week off of work and we thought we would finally take the free tour at the Mill. It seemed like the perfect time as K was very interested in learning how the wheat she saw in her garden at school became the flour we use to bake our bread.



The girls seemed to enjoy the tour. Kevin and I were a bit disappointed that it began with a half hour video but the girls showed no interest in it and we wandered around until it was over. We asked if we would be able to meet Bob himself there but the answer, unfortunately, was no.




Watching the process


One of the stones used to grind the grain was on display for us to see up close



The large cloth flour bag you see in the picture above (on the far right) was one of the bags used in Frontier House. Bob's Red Mill was one of their sponsors. I let out a little squeal when I saw that. Frontier House is one of my absolute favorite shows, Kevin and I watch the dvds (after the girls go to bed, of course) at least once every couple of months for inspiration.



The tour guide asked if anyone knew the name of the show and we were the only ones who did, so we received a token for a free cookie at Bob's restaurant. It was as if they handed us gold :)



When the tour was finished we went to the store to buy flour (they have 25 pound bags of whole wehat flour there! Perfect for us with all of our baking - we go through so much a month) and then had brunch at the restaurant, my oh my, was it delicious! To top off our wonderful food you will never guess who came in and sat at the table next to us...



Yep, Bob did! K couldn't contain her excitement but was much too shy to talk to him. Again - I have to stress this was like seeing a movie star for them. Kevin spoke to him for a bit and he was just as inspiring and amazing as we thought he would be.



It was quite the field trip. I think we may have to do it again sometime soon.
Happy Monday everyone!

Field Trip : Bob's Red Mill