Keep Calm Craft On (and stay safe!)

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.

Trying my best right now to keep calm and craft on. At least the knitting seems to keep us occupied as you can see by C's project pile here. Praying all of you were able to find some food (and maybe even toilet paper) in all of this. If you are a local please reach out to me. We were not able to find much food BUT we do have some lovable pet chickens providing us with an abundance of eggs right now that we would love to share with you!

What are you working on? Happy creating!

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Keep Calm Craft On (and stay safe!)

C's First Quilt {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.

Another C edition to Crafting On. 😍 She finished her very first sewing machine project - a quilt. All done free hand and without any help. This sweet little Lucy of mine inspires and never ceases to amaze me!

What are you working on? Happy creating!

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C's First Quilt {Crafting On}

Crafting On {C's edition}

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.

This past week C has had the sewing itch. She has loved hand sewing for as long as I can remember and enjoys making things like the scrap doll you see pictured above. But now that she is eleven, she feels ready to try out the sewing machine. In true C style, she didn't pick a small project to start with. Instead she is making a quilt, freestyle. She cut the rectangles out by eye and sewing them together. Now she is going to sew them to the batting and back and then bind it. I am totally impressed with her sewing skills. Her very first project is something I have yet to master!

What are you working on? Happy creating!

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Crafting On {C's edition}

Homeschooling journey

THIS. This is what makes it all worth it. If you've followed my blog since the beginning (or close to it) you know our long, rather complicated schooling journey. From a Waldorf school we loved to reluctant homeschoolers due to wanting a Waldorf education but moving a state away from said Waldorf school. I struggled immensely with schooling my oldest - her strong-will coupled with my self-doubt was a recipe for disaster. There were many days I felt like throwing in the towel and calling the nearest public school but something always held me back. We added two more children to our schooling lessons (and a crazy baby/toddler that wants all attention on him), moved two times more to two different states and somehow our homeschooling carried on. Dare I say we actually even started liking it? There are still days that make me want to throw in the towel and I will probably never be that homeschooling mother that gushes about how easy and perfect homeschooling is, but I am so very thankful that I get to spend every hour of every day with all my children. As we all know, time is fleeting and before I know it my children will be grown and off on their own. I don't want to miss a moment with them due to fears and self-doubt.

I came on here just to share this beautiful beeswax sculpture of the Ingalls family that C presented to me on the last day of school (we incorporated Playful Pioneers into our school year) along with a handmade card from K that made me cry. Instead I ended up typing a novel! Anyways, mamas if you struggle with schooling just know it gets better!! I can vouch for that! You got this!!

Homeschooling journey

Checking In... Anyone There?

K's artwork for her RE teacher

Hey everyone! I am just getting around to posting some photos from Easter. Sunday nights are some of the busiest nights for me with the weekend winding down, meal prepping and preparing for the upcoming school week. I don't remember why I chose Sunday nights to be my night to do blog posts. Maybe it was me sticking to my old rhythm of posting Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Then again I haven't followed that schedule in quite a long time now have I? I suppose old habits really do die hard. I seem to have it set in my mind that I can only post on the same day every week instead of sporadically. But life has become so very full that I rarely seem to post on that night anymore. Many of you have emailed telling me that you miss the way I used to post and I can tell by comments being few and far between that many have given up on me. I'm sorry if I let you down. So I though I would check in with all of you. Do you stop in to see if I post on Sunday nights? Do you think that I should just post sporadically during the week instead, when I might find more time and energy to do so? I would love to hear from you.

Checking In... Anyone There?

Light {8th birthday}

The birthday book we read ever birthday eve for all of my children. Birthday by Heather Jarman K's card for L per L's request - Tum Tum wrapped in a playsilk
This little light of mine's birthday was last week. 8! Can you believe it? I sure can't! All he wanted for his birthday were his two front teeth...oh and one another tooth on the bottom. This dear boy of mine takes after his oldest sister when it comes to teeth. She didn't loose her first teeth until she was 7 and the same went for him. Now they are falling out like crazy!

In true L style, he didn't decide what kind of birthday he wanted until the week of his big day. After thoughtful consideration he decided on a transformers/construction truck party. Where this transformers obsession came from, I don't really know. I did my best to tie the two together. He was happy and that is all that matters.

He opened presents as soon as he woke up (our family tradition) but as I am sure you can see - one family member was not too happy about it. Baby F thought he was celebrating his own birthday again. L saw how sad his baby brother was and invited him to help open presents. He loves his brother so and is such a great big brother to him.

We spent the day playing with his new gifts and then went bowling...well, I *though* it was bowling but it ended up being mini-bowling. The kids all still had a blast and I think Baby F appreciated the mini balls he could actually grip to throw. L was nothing but smiles the whole time. We ended the day with dinner at Panera (his birthday meal request) and one last gift waiting for him at our door when we came home.

My prayer for this special boy of mine is that he will always let his light shine for all the world to see and never allow the darkness to smother it.

Light {8th birthday}

Wild and Three

*singing along to his birthday song* C made these sweet Baby F and fox beeswax figures!
My sweet, spitfire baby boy is three!!  How does time fly by so? It feels like forever since I was last pregnant yet I can still remember it so well. I can still remember all his little kicks and hiccups and then I can remember when they stopped. I can remember going into labor and having that gut feeling something was wrong. I can remember my midwife's words of how he wouldn't have made it if we waited even a moment longer to get to her and the weight of my very tiny 5 pound baby in my arms. Oh my sweet baby boy. He was an answered prayer and his life is truly a miracle. I am forever blessed for knowing him and love him more than I could ever put into words.

He is the most demanding, energetic and strong willed of all my children, but I feel like that is because he had to be such a strong fighter at the beginning of his life. He wants the world to know he is here and not someone to be forgotten. I love his strength and tenacity. All of these traits that might be challenging at times to parent will serve him well as he grows into an adult. Especially when you couple them with his enormous compassionate heart, his ability to love in any situation and his little gentlemanly manners. Not to mention his love for cuddling and giving hugs and kisses every moment of the day. Goodness, I am the lucky one!

I apologize for the rather horrible photos. It was so dark the morning of his birthday. We stayed home and kept it low key because we just really needed some down time as a family. Of course, everything was fox related. It reminded me a lot of his first birthday. I honestly don't remember much of his second birthday, as sad as that sounds. I think I have tried to erase most of that year in Oregon from my mind.  He even wore the same pants I made for him on his first birthday. Would you believe I made them so big that he can still fit into them at age three?!

He mostly received clothes from us. I couldn't really think of anything fun and exciting to give him. I guess that is what happens when one's birthday is exactly one month after Christmas. His Nana and Grandpa made up for it though with a new book and a John Deere toy to play with on his farm mat I made him. Oh let's not even talk about the 10 year in the making farm mat. I shed a few tears after I took it out of the washing machine (purposely felting it as per the pattern) and it came out super felted and literally half the size it was. All the beautiful detail is now gone but you know what? He still loved it and that is all that matters. C made him a sweet set of beeswax figures seen above (goodness how I love them) and Kevin's Dad (!!) sent him some tinker toys that he and L instantly built things with. Lastly (and perhaps the most uncommon gift to give a three year) he got his own peace lily plant. Our church is filled with peace lilies and every Sunday Baby F is always admiring them. It seemed like the perfect gift for him and he loved it. He tells everyone all about "my plant". He might be a crazy plant boy in the making - like mother like son I suppose? 😂

Wild and Three