Crafting On

The act of creating, in one form or another, preserves my sanity amongst the chaos of life. This explains why I always have more than one project going at a time as well as why my housework tends to fall behind. I enjoy seeing what others are working on and keeping calm with, too. What are you creating? What is keeping you going? Snap a picture or two, post it on your blog, on Instagram #craftingon and/or Flickr and then share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

Baby F has a few short sleeve shirts with adorable designs on them that I want him to be able to continue to wear throughout the winter and into spring. The problem is - all of his cardigans cover the designs, basically defeating the purpose of him wearing them in the first place. However I have found a solution - The Baby Vertebrae cardigan! It is is an open fronted cardigan. So while it keeps his arms and back warm, his shirt will still be seen. Hooray! It worked out nicely that I had just enough of this GSheller yarn on hand, too. I had been saving it for just the right project. To add to the growing love list on this project - the yarn matches one of my favorite hats for Baby F. I think it was meant to be. What about you?

What are you working on? Happy creating!

An InLinkz Link-up

Crafting On

Holiday Gift List 2017

*All photos from our Idaho home*

An updated version from the past couple years of our favorite gifts to include some of our favorite baby gifts amongst other things. I also updated our Advent and Christmas book list on the sidebar.

I have had quite a few emails lately asking me for gift ideas. It seemed like a big enough request that I should go ahead and do a post with some ideas I have. Honestly, I don't have a lot, but I hope it is somewhat helpful to you! All of the gifts I am listing are things my family and I truly love and get lots of use from. Some of the links are Amazon affiliate links which means that if you choose to make a purchase, you are being a blessing to us as we will receive a small percentage of the sale. All of these proceeds made help out our family with homeschooling, or other extremely meaningful teachings that my children would not have otherwise. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support.

ETA - I forgot to add one other thing that C and K both love (even though it was a gift to C for her birthday) this balance board.

- For games, we all enjoy playing Wildcraft as a family. It's fun enough to entertain everyone while teaching us all about the uses for many common herbs at the same time. Surprisingly we managed to place all of our games in storage except for one that Little L received for his birthday last year - Outfoxed. This game has become a favorite of my children and they usually request it during our weekly one on one time. Other family favorites are Bananagrams , Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel , Shut the Box, Auf Dem Lande (it appears to be unavailable on Amazon right now but you might be able to find it elsewhere reasonably priced), Bird Bingo,   Harvest Time, and Birds of Summer.

-For the knitter in your life (or yourself) I highly recommend the book No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting.  Also these blocking mats and blocking pins have been a huge help for me the past couple of years.

- Some favorite baby and toddler gifts - We have had  these baby blocks since K was a baby and all four of my babies loved them. Baby F received this push wagon for his first birthday. He loves it so much we actually brought it with us to this tiny house. We also brought along his favorite stackers this one and this one, and his nesting bowls. Those four toys are really what he plays with most.
Each one of my children received sheepskins or as we call them "lambies" as babies for sleeping on and later for play. C even used her up until she was about three or four. The ones we have are no longer available but the one I linked too seems very similar. I also made sure to get each one of my babies a teething necklace shortly after they were born. They seem to help with teething pain. All of our children wore these wool overalls as babies and they continue to be one of my favorite cozy wears for Baby F. In fact he is getting a new pair this year for Christmas. I usually pair them with some cozy hand knit booties and a wool long sleeve shirt.

- K (age 12) loves her own pocket knife she received last Christmas and carries it with her wherever she goes knowing it will come in handy. Since reading is her favorite pastime I'll share her two favorite book series: The Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings. She has read each series more times than I can count! If you happen to have any Narnia fans in your home this post shares some Narnia related gifts we gave K for her birthday this year.

- C (age 9)can not get enough of her St. Therese and Her Family Paper Dolls that St. Nicholas brought. I laminated them all to keep them safe from younger siblings (K still recalls an incident with two year old C biting the heads off of her Little House paper dolls). St. Nicholas is bringing her these Victorian paper dolls this year. Her and K both love all of the L.M. Montgomery books and the Anne of Green Gables DVD is on K's wish list.

- Little L (age 6) will tell you that, hands down, his favorite toys (besides his beloved shark stuffed animals) are his set of interlocking blocks and Fagus vehicles (pictures are his excavator, dump truck and conveyor belt). I highly suggest the set of 92 blocks over the smaller set for more building options (and especially if you have more than one child. The girls are always stealing his blocks building with him). In fact, he loves them so much my Mom gave him an additional set last year for Christmas. He also has a new found love for wooden trains tracks and trains.

- We bought K a Skuut wooden balance bike when she was around 2 years old and it has lasted  through the rough riding of all three of my children (each of them riding it for about three years, from age two to age five when we get them a regular bike with pedals).  It's still in good enough shape that it will be passed down to baby F, too! My children have all been able to transition to big bikes without training wheels thanks to using the Skuut first.

- Safe, good quality art supplies are very important to our family. They encourage endless artistic expressions. Giving children lesser quality supplies only leads to frustration when they can not create what they are envisioning in their heads due to what they are using. Not only that, the good quality supplies last longer. We have had the same sets of Stockmar block crayons and stick crayons since K was a toddler and they are still going strong. I did, however, purchase both of the girls special sets for homeschooling just to keep them nicer and out of the boys' hands. We use Stockmar paint for all of our painting (and I also used it when I lazured the girls' bedroom walls back in Oregon). Stockmar modeling beeswax is a staple in our home. All three of my older children requested a new package of it for Christmas this year. For colored pencils, we prefer Lyra triangular giants. Their colors and blending capabilities are spectacular and their triangular shape promotes proper grip.

- Speaking of artistic endeavors, both C and K love to needlefelt and wet felt with wool. This kit from Nova is a great starter kit for children (or even adults!).

- Last year my children all received these breakfast boards for Christmas. They use them everyday and love caring for them with hand washing and monthly beeswaxing.

- Words can not say how much I love my Pioneer drying rack. Before I had this I was using cheap, poor quality metal drying racks that would rust or break within months of use. Not only that but they were never big enough to hold all that I needed to dry. I was constantly replacing them (and the clothing they ruined). But the Pioneer is the perfect size for my growing family and such good quality that I think I will be passing it down to my children in the future.

- The Oh She Glows Cookbook is by far my favorite cookbook. I have had it a couple of years now and I still use the recipes in it on almost a daily basis. Her new book is just as amazing, too!

- If you know anyone who loves fermenting or wants to try it out I suggest the book Fermented Vegetables. We devour everything I make from this book and have some cranberries fermenting on the counter for Christmas. To go along with it I would suggest some canning jars, and this set to start out with. Another fermentation idea is some water kefir grains. We use simple canning jars for the ferment and then these bottles to make it bubbly afterwards.

-  My whole family uses Klean Kanteen water bottles on a daily basis (I even bought one for my Mom). We use different sizes, depending on the person, from the sippy cup up to the 40 oz bottle. We stick with the simple brushed stainless instead of the painted ones because I have found that the paint eventually chips off of those ones.

-For anyone young or old I can't say enough good things about good quality essential oils and a diffuser. The one you see pictured above is K's special horse diffuser we got her for her birthday last year along with a few of her own essential oils. Just please remember to exercise caution with all essential oils and really research before using them, especially around children.

I'll let you know if I think of anything else. If you are looking for age specific suggestions and or have any questions - ask away!

Holiday Gift List 2017

Crafting On

The act of creating, in one form or another, preserves my sanity amongst the chaos of life. This explains why I always have more than one project going at a time as well as why my housework tends to fall behind. I enjoy seeing what others are working on and keeping calm with, too. What are you creating? What is keeping you going? Snap a picture or two, post it on your blog, on Instagram #craftingon and/or Flickr and then share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

I finished Baby F's acorn mittens and what a pleasant surprise it was to knit them. I had forgotten just how quickly tiny mittens knit up. Perhaps even more surprising was that my baby boy (you know, the one who refuses to wear socks, hats, jackets or anything of that nature) saw me knitting them and had to try the finished one on straight away. When I placed it on his hand he clapped and giggled with delight. Then he demanded the other one that was still on my needles. I worked quickly to finish it for him as he watched over my shoulder a good portion of the time. Then he wore them both around the house on his hands part of the time but mostly on his feet. Silly guy. Now this is m favorite kind of knitting!

What are you working on? Happy creating!

An InLinkz Link-up

Crafting On

The proof is in the pudding

 I was questioning one of the ways we homeschool recently, falling prey to the opinion of others instead of trusting my intuition and what I know is right for my children. I allowed my better judgement to become clouded, thinking of the public school standards that are considered by some to be the norm. Then something my friend Heide told me years ago came to mind (as we discussed the very same topic I was troubled over): The proof is in the pudding. The wisdom of her words echoed inside my head as peace came over me. Yes. She was absolutely right. Thank you, Heide.

You see, Little L is six years old and does not yet know how to read, nor has he been taught to nor shown the readiness to. Typing this out now I realize how ridiculous it sounds to me, especially since both of my girls didn't learn until 1st and 2nd grade, around the ages of 7 and 8 (my oldest in a Waldorf school). They are now advanced readers, far surpassing their peers. They literally live to read. As Kevin and I discussed this very topic tonight he mentioned that K has already read more books (and not just any books but great literary works) in her twelve years of life than he has in his lifetime. I kid you not - If my girls were allowed to, they would spend all their days curled up with good books and writing and illustrating their own books. In all honesty, some days that does happen because really, can it get any better?! And oh the stories they have created! One of these days I will have to share excerpts from them here.

My goodness, the proof that I needed has been there all along, right before my eyes.

When you really think about it, childhood is short enough as it is - why should we try to rush it even more?! Everything has its time and season. We need to slow down and enjoy it. Let the children be wild and free as long as they can. They have the rest of their lives to be adults with all the worries and cares that come with it. Along the same line - what a gift it is to Little L (and to my girls when they were younger) to not be able to read the horrible headlines on the newspapers as we walk by or the gossip magazines in the grocery store checkout aisle or billboards as we drive in the car. To him, the world is still good. As it should be, at least until he is emotionally ready to handle the darkness along with the light.

One of my favorite librarians back in Idaho was originally from Germany. I remember one conversation we had about schooling (she knew we homeschooled) when she mentioned that back home children didn't begin learning to read until the age of 7. She couldn't understand why reading was taught here so early in America.

"First of all, nearly EVERY OTHER COUNTRY starts reading when children are 7, there are NO studies that show starting early reading is better in the long run for academic or professional success.  Second of all, from a physical perspective, the eye is NOT fully developed for lateral tracking until age EIGHT, so perhaps those countries that are working with starting reading at the right time are based more upon the physiology of the child than the American system is!  So please stop talking about “delayed academics”!  How about talking about bringing in academics at the right time?!"  - The Parenting Passageway

Evidence shows that normal, healthy children who learn to read after age 7 (considered relatively late by mainstream education) are not disadvantaged. Rather, these students are able to catch up quickly with, and may even overtake, children who have learned to read early. Additionally, children who learn to read after age 7 have been shown to be much less likely to develop the “tiredness toward reading” that many children who are taught to read at a very early age experience. Instead of tiredness or boredom, there is a lively interest in reading and learning that continues into adulthood. Whole life learning at its best. An excerpt entitled  Better Late than Early notes, “The child will grow into an enthusiastic reader, and thus view reading not only as a tool for obtaining knowledge or keeping up with others but as an enjoyable activity.” My girls prove this day in and day out - why did I let me confidence waiver? We are on the right path for us. The proof really is in the pudding.

Now this is not to dismiss the children that learn to read early at all. Every child is different. Some children will, out of their own initiative, want to learn to read at an early age. This interest can and should be met, as long as it comes from the child. Really, each child has his or her own optimal time for “taking off.” Without being pushed, a healthy child will generally pick up reading quite quickly and easily.

So mamas, what this rather long winded post comes down to is this - Whatever teaching method you chose for your children, trust your gut and inner wisdom. Ignore the critics. Only you know what is best for your own children. You've got this!

The proof is in the pudding

Crafting On

The act of creating, in one form or another, preserves my sanity amongst the chaos of life. This explains why I always have more than one project going at a time as well as why my housework tends to fall behind. I enjoy seeing what others are working on and keeping calm with, too. What are you creating? What is keeping you going? Snap a picture or two, post it on your blog, on Instagram #craftingon and/or Flickr and then share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

These items found in nature became... this warm colored yarn.

As you can see my children and I have been playing around with natural dyeing again. Well, the top darker shade of brown yarn was one I brought with us to Oregon. We dyed it back in Idaho (before Baby F was born) with walnuts we gathered from Walnut Hill at PWS. However, the bottom yarn is the skein we just dyed. We used dockseed plants and just a touch of yellow onion peels. I am quite smitten with how it turned out. The brown is much richer with subtle variations than my first attempt with dockseed. I added that acorn I knit with my last batch of dockseed yarn to the photo so you could see the difference. I want to knit all the things with it. Alas, all I have is the one skein. I'll just have to get as much as I can out of it. Both of these skeins came out just as I had hoped. They are going to be used together in a pair of acorn mittens for Baby F.

You can see my original post on dyeing with dockseeds here and dyeing with walnuts here. My two most used resources for natural dyeing are this book and this one.

What are you working on? Happy creating!

An InLinkz Link-up

Crafting On

Schooling on a boat

The girls writing and drawing about chlorophyll in leaves in their nature journals (Little L did this, too).
Not only do we have the gorgeous Pacific Ocean nearby but also many beautiful rivers, streams, waterfalls and lakes - a water lover's dream. Kevin had been wanting to take the children out on a boat for years but we just never made it happen. Over the summer he finally got the chance and took our three oldest out in a canoe all day on Delake. They had such a great time that he decided the whole family needed to experience it. We talked about it here and there, again not finding the time, and then one day the stars aligned and it just happened. We decided a canoe was not the best idea for our high energy, rambunctious Baby F (I mean, did we really want to all end up in the freezing cold water?) but rather a somewhat larger motorboat. Our three oldest had a blast. They each took turns driving it. Learning how to drive a motorboat is schooling right? Life learning I say! Much to my surprise, Baby F aka Finnbar the Mobile (Kevin's viking nickname for him) enjoyed it, too. He seemed mesmerized by the feeling of gliding over the water. We spent hours out on the lake, stopping here and there at playgrounds and parks to observe the wildlife and study the plants and ecosystems. We even came across deer in the water. Kevin tried to get the boat as close to shore as possible so I could get a picture but the water was far too shallow and we almost got stuck. Another lesson for the children, right? 🙈 All in all I would say this day was an experience they won't forget.

Some school days require field trips. Sometimes those field trips are just the break you all needed from the monotony of home life. This mini field trip was just that.

p.s. - Completely unrelated but felt the need to share.
When your knitting tools (blocking mats) are found and become toys...

Schooling on a boat

Crafting On

The act of creating, in one form or another, preserves my sanity amongst the chaos of life. This explains why I always have more than one project going at a time as well as why my housework tends to fall behind. I enjoy seeing what others are working on and keeping calm with, too. What are you creating? What is keeping you going? Snap a picture or two, post it on your blog, on Instagram #craftingon and/or Flickr and then share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.


I am trying to finish up my naturkinder test knit by the end of the week. We'll see if it happens, though. Daylight Savings Time has Baby F waking up in the middle of the night for hours at a time so knitting time is a bit harder to come by.

What are you working on? Happy creating!

An InLinkz Link-up

Crafting On

Lessons learned from our tiny house

See that tear? My poor little guy was still a bit miserable after the fever cleared.



I just wanted to say thank you for all of your emails and comments on Baby F's fever. It seems a bit strange feeling so afraid since I have gone through illness with three babies before him. There is just something about high fevers, especially ones that last for days. They leave me feeling so helpless. Anyways, thank you! It did indeed end up being roseola, as some of you had guessed, something I never even knew existed. I still have no clue how he even got it, since we hadn't gone out at all for almost a week before he came down with it. Oh well, it is done and over with now. Time to move forward.

After what feels like a long dark period, things seem to be looking up for us. We are working hard at getting rid of our debt and have finally been given the okay to get back to house hunting. 😍 We are just waiting on a new realtor to be assigned to us. I am cautiously optimistic. I am still uncertain of the possibility of finding anything in Oregon within our price range but I will hang on to hope. Our time in this tiny house has taught us a few things about what type of house we would want to call home. We were very certain that we wanted a tiny house for years but now after living in one we realize it is just not realistic for our family of six with four large dogs and five indoor cats. We also realized that more than one bathroom is not a luxury but a necessity! 😂 We always have something to learn through every experience, don't we?

I should probably acknowledge Halloween in this post too, huh? I actually didn't take any photos this year other than the few of Baby F helping out with his siblings pumpkins (K's pumpkin said Narnia, btw). This year K was a green fairy, C was Dorothy again, L was a shark (of course) and Baby F was still getting over his sickness so he just came along for the ride in my Tula. He did have his pumpkin hat on though so perhaps we was dressed as a pumpkin. Yeah, lets just go with that. We went trick or treating up in Newport by Kevin's college, as we didn't feel safe going in the neighborhood we are living in now. On the way home we discussed next year's Halloween. We decided that our children would go as the Pevensie children from the Chronicles or Narnia. It works out rather perfectly since we have two girls and two boys. Now we just have to figure out costumes...

Lessons learned from our tiny house