What's in Store for the Weekend: Home Style

When Isabel woke up this morning, she asked me what we had planned for tonight and I said, "nothing!"

"And in the morning?"

"Nothing"

"And on Sunday?"

"Nothing!"

It was quite unbelieveable to me too.

But we do have quite a few things planned. But they are all based out of our cozy little home.

We will probably have Sketchbook Saturday Morning, but we'll be around our own table. In our jammies.

I am going to make a few of these awesome and easy fabric baskets.

I will be watching a drawing class from the uber-talented Lisa Congdon.  

We'll walk to our local fair-trade store for some equal exchange coffee.

I'll be making wedding gifts for my little sister! So exciting.

A big pot of Abondigas soup, meatballs and veggies in a beautiful bone broth.

I'll be investigating fermenting Green Tea and Honey.

And I'll start this little project, small but smart knitting!

Isabel has been begging for carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Or maybe, a gluten free version of this is in order. 

Maybe, I'll finish reading the Perks of Being a Wallflower, I'm almost done!

I hope you have a happy weekend! I am sure we will!

Multicultural Children's Book Day: Josephine!

Isabel has been wearing an old hat of mine lately and offering to be my personal detective. She wrote her name on a piece of scratch paper in red crayon. It says, "Isabel- Detective" and every time I turn the corner, she asks me if I have a case for her to solve.

When the box came from Chronicle Books for Multicultural Children's Book Day, I asked her to open it. She promptly took the book, Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, out of the packaging and set out to read it, instead of eating her gluten free ramen.

The book set her on an investigation of her own. Asking questions like, "What is Segregation?" This book set us on an afternoon of talking about what life was like for Josephine and how it was different from Isabel's life. Josephine didn't have proper clothes to keep her warm, so she danced instead. She didn't have her own bed, she slept in one bed with her whole family. This conversation was priceless.

We love the illustrations by Christian Robinson, each page is a joy.  The whole book is written in a dance of it's own -- it holds a cadence from beginning to end.  Patricia Hruby Powell's retelling of Josephine's life captures a beautiful story of hardship to triumph, struggle, desire and hard work. Josephine reminds you do do what you love with your whole soul.

Thank you to Chronicle Books for sending us this lovely book, we will be donating it to our library so if you are local, you'll be able to read it too!


Do you want to see more Multicultural Children's Book Day reviews? Visit these lovely folks:

2GirlsLostInaBook · 365 Days of Motherhood · A Bilingual Baby · A Simple Life, Really? · Africa to America · After School Smarty Pants · All Done Monkey · Andi’s Kids Books · Anita Brown Bag · Austin Gilkeson · Barbara Ann Mojica · Books My Kids Read · Bottom Shelf Books · Cats Eat Dogs · Chasing The Donkey · Children's Book-a-Day Almanac · Children's Books Heal · Church o Books · CitizenBeta · Crafty Moms Share · Discovering The World Through My Son's Eyes · Early Words · Flowering Minds · Franticmommy · Gathering Books · GEO Librarian · Gladys Barbieri · Going in Circles · Growing Book by Book · iGame Mom · I’m Not The Nanny · InCulture Parent · Itsy Bitsy Mom ·Just Children’s Books- Kid World Citizen · Kristi’s Book Nook · Mama Lady Books · Mama Smiles · Mission Read · Mother Daughter Book Reviews · Mrs AOk · MrsTeeLoveLifeLaughter · Ms. Yingling Reads · Multicultural Kids Blog · One Sweet World · Open Wide The World · P is for Preschooler · Rapenzel Dreams · School4Boys · Sharon the Librarian · Spanish Playground · Sprout's Bookshelf · Squishable Baby · Stanley and Katrina · Teach Mama · The Art of Home Education · The Brain Lair · The Educators' Spin On It · The Family-Ship Experience · The Yellow Door Paperie · This Kid Reviews Books · Trishap’s Books · Unconventional Librarian · Vicki Arnold · We3Three · World for Learning · Wrapped in Foil

Help us celebrate the joy and diversity of multicultural children’s books. Join us for a special day of reading and fun {January 27th} by clicking here!

Yarn Along: Litany

We were snuggled in on the couch reading before bath time and Isabel read the cover of my book and asked, "What is a Litany?" I said, "usually short prayers where the priest will pray and we will respond. It's a practice of prayer, but in a structured way."

And then I begun thinking about Keeping House -- and the truth that it brought to light. Meeting basic needs of a community is spiritual practice.  I know that warm food, warm clothes, clean sheets make us feel safe and whole.

Last night, I had all three kids (my two plus our beloved Olivia!) in the snow. The snow was so wet, they came and changed some article of clothing, pants, gloves, hats, just to run outside again for more. When they came inside for dinner, their cheeks were rosy, their hearts were full and they were hungry. We lit candles, added a few more chairs, shared dinner together. And I realized, keeping house is much more than folding laundry or changing beds, but it is those things. It's a heart cracked wide open to the people we love and the community we live with.

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This picture is the beginning of another pickles plain vest, it's off the needles, gotten a few wooden buttons and has been given to a sweet little man. It's knit in Plymouth Yarn- 553 Coffee Beans, colorway Gray 9389.

Joining Ginny for Yarn Along.

Good read, good thought, good listen: a list for the weekend

Hello and good morning. It's not a holiday here, we're all up to our daily activities. Kids are with their glorious caregiver, we're going to work. But, I did sleep in a little and I will wear flip flops to work. That makes it feel like a holiday!

I have a few more images for you from our trip, but we'll have to wait until the weekend to look at them together. What a joy! I brought home thousands of photos. I am thinking about combining them into something. Any suggestions?

For the weekend here's a little list of things I'm loving right now:

Good coffee: Every morning, I am grateful for the Old Factory Coffee shop. We even took a huge bag of their coffee on our trip. A little bit of home on the road.

Good photography: I'm taking Erin Little's class and I've been shooting manual for a few days now. Eeek, really? Me? Shooting manual? She's patient, kind and explains the hardest concepts like an artist. Thank goodness.

Good read:  I just finished reading Wendell Berry's The Wild Birds. About membership, community and family.

Good thoughts: Huge list of easy steps for sustainability. It's inspiring, every little bit helps.
And Wendell's own list of Rules for Sustainability.

Good listen: And finally, a rare reading from Wendell Berry. About Arthur Rowenberry, one of his Port William Membership characters.

I love... Knitting and Reading

I finally finished these simple mittens (made with Coffee Beenz yarn in Black from Athena's Fibers). And they were simple. I was a bit afraid of them-- the thumb gore, exact replica, measurements!

But anxiety aside, once I got started I realized these mittens were the perfect project for me-- pushing me outside of my knitting comfort zone while being quick and with an easy-to-follow pattern. If you want to try something new, this pattern could be for you!

I started a simple scarf for Truman. After knitting most of the skein, I figured I'm not going to have enough yarn! So I ripped it out last night and I'm making it much thinner. We'll see if that will get me some more length. I'm going to take the time to brush up on my stitches while making this simple project.

We've also been reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe together. They are fascinated by it. And I have to admit that I am too, I remember these books holding my attention and infusing me with so much magic as a child. But they haven't lost that magic at all-- it's wonderful to see them again through my children's eyes.

What are you knitting? Reading?

Linking up today with Kerry for I love and Ginny for Yarn Along. 

**My comments are not working well on the first post on the homepage. If you would like to comment, please open up the post by clicking the header (I love... Knitting and Reading) above then you should be able to comment easier. I haven't made it a priority to fix that. So at least there seems to be a work around for now.

Yarn Along: Wild and Simple

This week while I was at the Library looking for Adventure books for Truman I stumbled upon Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (for ME to read!). This book has been making it's rounds in the blogging world and in Yarn Along for quite a few months (here, here, here). And Gretchen Rubin interviewed her about happiness, here.

I finished the book this evening... I loved the imagery of the trail, the scenery, her determination and the fact that she was a woman who took on the wilderness and came out to tell about it. And the idea that hard work and natural landscapes can -in fact- save you from yourself and offer prospective. 

I did kind of feel like I was flashing back to my childhood a bit, our parents believed in exposing us to State and National Parks and we spent a good chunk of time every summer careening through forests and setting up tents. Most of the stops on the map we had camped at, walked through or drove by. I was so sad that she had to bypass Yosemite, Tuolumne Meadows and a greater portion of the Sierra Nevada's, I would have loved to hear a story with those touchstone places as a backdrop.

I was not disappointed by the book. It is not the book for everyone, but I liked it just fine once it finished.

On the yarn front, I just cast on for these simple mittens. I've decided that I need a pair of mittens in some sort of beautiful yarn that I got from my friend Hannah. And these mittens just might be the simple quick project I need to bring me out of the knitting rut I've been in for quite some time.


As always, I'm joining along with Ginny for Yarn Along.

Yarn Along: Have Patience

Yesterday while getting dressed, Isabel was in the bathroom singing "Have patience, have patience" and I had forgotten we used to sing that song all the time. It has been on repeat in my head ever since.  Especially in regards to knitting.

A few years ago when my nephew came to visit from California he begged me to teach him how to knit. We sat down and I tried to explain how to hold your needle, how to cast on, how to make knit stitches. He did ok, but it was hard to explain in terms he'd understand. I don't think either of us had much patience.

So last year, I gave him a knitting book, needles and yarn for Christmas. Hoping that it would spark some creative exploring on his own. And it did, he had gotten pretty far on a project... but he abandoned it and forgot how to start again.

One night while the rest of the family watched TV, we sat a ways back in the room. And again, we worked together on knitting. He caught on quickly and since I started him out on size 15 needles, the project grew quickly. And he spent much of the end of the trip knitting!

It felt so beautiful to pass on one of my great loves to him.  In a patient and enjoyable way!

photo

Last week I finished the book, The Pillars of the Earth. So. Good. It took me 41 hours to listen to, so I'm not sure I'm ready for the sequel (or another audio book... to be perfectly honest). It followed a web of connected people for most of their adult life, completely interesting and a bit of a Medieval soap opera. But well crafted and well worth the time.

Finding Fall: In a Litte House

My lovies in a big chair at the Frontier Village.

A few weeks ago we headed out on a big road trip to North Dakota for our friends wedding. An 8 hour trip in a car with two little people might seem daunting, but for me it was an eight glorious hours of conversation, book reading, joke telling and snack eating. And it was a beautiful weekend, the leaves were changing color. It was chilly and I wore a wool sweater most of the weekend. Could the weekend have been more perfect?

Um, Yes, it could.

Especially if your like me and you take every moment possible moment to indoctrinate your children on the books you loved growing up. Ha! I pumped up and hyped up Little House in the Big Woods and it did not disappoint the backseat peanut gallery. So many things to learn!

We read it for almost the whole trip.

And since I had planned on reading this book, we took a detour through De Smet, South Dakota to the Ingalls' Homestead-- hoping to get a good look at the house they lived in during the book By the Shores of Silver Lake.

The 'little house' and the later built homestead.

We took sometime to explore the visitors center and drive around to see all the buildings, taking a tour was just not in our budget this time. But both kids picked up corn cob dolls- just like Laura.

Frontier Village Log Cabin

On our way home we started reading Farmer Boy and we stopped by a Frontier Village which we could explore all we wanted. We were excited to see that it was in a similar time to the Little House books.

We even wrote a family report about our experiences-- hey the car trip was getting a bit long! Most of it was dictated by them.

I am so glad we took these little side trips, it made for such an adventure. And the midwest has such a rich history of exploration and settlement, I want the kids to experience that too.

And how could we not stop to see the World's Largest Buffalo?

Would you like to see our report? I've added it below! (:



We found fall on our adventure. Where are you finding beauty this autumn?

"This weekend we went to visit Laura Ingalls' homestead [in De Smet, South Dakota]. There was a covered wagon, there was a school house, a country church and now a gift shop. The houses and buildings were set on a prairie. on the homestead they had a barn for animals.

In the car we read a book called "Little House in the Big Woods." Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura and baby Carrie life in a log cabin. They make a lot of their own food like stewed pumpkins, bread and butter. Pa hunted animals for meat, they smoked the meat. They made their own cheese.

For fun the girls played under the trees in nice weather. Laura had a corn cob for a doll she named it Susan. For Christmas she got a rag doll and named it Charlotte.

On Sunday, we went to a little frontier town. It had two goats named Ted and Fred. And we saw a HUGE buffalo. In the town it had a log cabin with a wood stove just like Laura's! There was an old quilt on the bed.

On the way to North Dakota we saw lots of different kinds of farms. We saw lots of crops: corn, beans, sunflowers and potatoes.

On the way home we started reading Farmer Boy. The little boy Almonzo attended a one room school just like at Laura's homestead and like at the frontier village."

What's in Store for the Weekend?

This weekend, I hope for:

A backyard bonfire, with s'mores
Kiddie pool time
Read Aloud books on a soft quilt in the grass
✓A trip to Paulina for a swim
Writing letters
✓Reading books and a Magazine
Sleeping in (a girl can dream?!)
✓Lattes
Gardening
✓Getting a good run in
✓Sketchbook Saturday Morning

Yarn Along: Making Pie

For the month of June I'm a guest contributor for The Rhythm of the Home blog. You should take some time to dive in to that space, so much great information and inspiring women. And if you happen to see my post about The Summer List, stop by and say hi! I'd love to see you there.  

***

Last night, I stayed up a bit late reading a new book, Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie. I've decided to let the library pick new books for me, they have a low bookshelf filled with new or interesting books. And I always find a good one there, without much effort. In a quick sweep of the audio book section (psst, it's my secret for staying in my desk chair at work and staying focused), I grabbed this book on a whim as I stood in the check out line.

I settled down on the couch while Eric baked a cake and before I knew it, I was 50 pages in. The author just takes you right in to the heart of the story, the complicated grief, confusion and deep love.

And I love that she's living in Iowa (or did when this book was written), she has already mentioned Joan Didion and The Year of Magical Thinking. And seriously, she leaves a corporate job to make pie. My type of girl. And now I'm singing this song.

On the yarn front, I'm still making washcloths. I like that you can pick them up and do a few rows, not touch them for a few months and knit a few rows. That is how dedicated I am to knitting right now. So on Saturday, I picked up and punched out a few rows.

What are you reading and knitting?

You should join Ginny too!

Yarn Along: Reading

For the last few nights, the kids have been reading their own bedtime stories. Isabel picked the book, Chester's Way she's been working through page by page (about four pages a night) and Truman is reading Disney's Cars early reader. And then we pick a book together that I read. Last night Truman wore his Max crown while I read, Where the Wild Things Are.

I do worry sometime if I'm raising readers, I so want them to enjoy a good book.

I haven't been knitting lately. Actually most of what we've been doing fits into the outdoor category-- gardening, digging, planting seedlings, sweeping. Or indoor late-spring cleaning, playroom detox and the like.

But I have snuck a few pages here and there for reading. I read the companion book to The Year of Magical Thinking which is, Blue Nights by Joan Didion. It was very good and it finished the story, but I thought The Year of Magical Thinking was such a stronger piece.

And I read Mary Oliver's Handbook of Poetry. It was amazing to see how she constructs a poem. And I love the poetry she's picked out as her examples. Like a tiny crack into her genius brain.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett was delightful, crafting an impossible story into the completely plausible. It was encompassed human emotion and interaction so poignantly. I would suggest this read to anyone.

And what should I knit next? Does anyone have suggestions? Or tell me what your knitting!

To All the Wild Things

This quote is shouted with giggles across from the dinner table.  Standing on our chairs, with big burly voices, "QUIET DOWN THERE!"

And we like to pretend to be Max.

So our hearts are very heavy. We feel like we've lost a very dear friend. And a person whose taught us how to look at the world differently. And let us know it's ok to fall out of our clothes in our dreams, sail away to a forest of Wild Things when we're angry and that we should always learn to care.

Rest in Peace, Maurice Sendak. You will be missed.



Do you have a favorite book by Maurice Sendak? 

40 Days of Diligence: What We've Been Up to

Phew.

Good Morning! It's been a while, hasn't it?

Well, I should tell you practicing diligence has not brought me here every Thursday as planned. I've been practicing being fully engaged, mindful and in the moment. I've practiced "seek peace and pursue it" (Ps. 34:14).  But I didn't realize that our life would take me so far from ths space, but it has. And I feel refreshed to come back and tell you the things I've been experiencing. And the grace that I've been given in these things. This is just a short list but an important one.

I was in New Mexico to visit my best and her new baby

Em, Autumn and I went to WHITE SANDS!

I watched the sunset in an airplane over salt lake city and took about 300 pictures

Tea Party with Trubey, Izzo and Lamby!

I introduced the kids to Lambchop (thank you youtube)

We tried new recipes

Made our own shampoo

I did a few projects (photography + graphic design) for a few friends

We milked some goats

We planned our garden

Parent Teacher Confrences

Kindergarten round up

Girl Scout cookies sale ended

Dinners with Friends, Book Study, Good Conversations

Muddy shoes!

Spring started Springing.... grass is getting green

Sweet Tea!

Acquired 6 chickens and a new coop

Read a few books

Purged the playroom and the kids book shelf

Started Daily Reading and Journaling
Eric and I went on a date

New magazine in the mail

What have you been doing while you've been practicing diligence?

40 Days of Diligence: Resources

We got nine inches of snow yesterday. Nine. Needless to say I finally got to use my Christmas-given snowshoes. So awesome!

I was crunching along from my work the 1.4 miles gave me a little time to think and process my day. Earlier in the afternoon I had been traveling down a set of stairs in the knee deep snow and I took a hard fall. But here I was hours later in waist deep snow in some places gliding above it. The only difference was the equipment. I was fully equipt-- the regular coat, hat, gloves, boots. But added to that snow pants, head lamp, face mask, snowshoes. With all the proper equiptment I was warm and I could journey on towards home with ease.

And that got me thinking about Lent. It waas so much easier to journey thorugh nearly impassable snow with the right fittings. Shouldn't I be practicing diligence with some resources too? With some encouragement from Henri Nowen, Richard Rohr and Ann Voskamp, among others.

Just like we wouldn't venture into deep snow with out equiptment. Or into freezing temperatures without warm clothing. Let's not go into lent without a guide book.

 Ann Voskamp from A Holy Experience has an Easter Devotional download. 

Praying Lent with Creighton University

Wondrous Encounters: Scripture for Lent by Richard Rohr


Show Me the Way: Daily Lenten Readings by Henri Nowen

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Yarn Along: Vests and Authenticity

This week, thanks to a wonderful book. There has been much more reading than knitting. But I am still working on this little project. And it's been really nice to do most of the project in garter stitch so when I do have a minute or two I grab it out of my bag and work a few rows.

And it's been pretty cold in our house so snuggling under a few blankets on the couch (or soaking in the bathtub) has been the best way to enjoy a new book!

I picked up the book, An Unquenchable Thirst by Mary Johnson at the library and I can't put it down. I'm about half way through it. And it's such a unique look inside her experience as a nun in the Catholic Order-- the Missionaries of Charity. It's a realistic look, not sugar coated and not blasphemy, but a healthy dose of honesty and humanness. It has been wonderful to see the depth of devotion and sacrifice given to God but, it is also facinating looking into a world I'm not super familiar with.


What are you reading? Knitting? If you want to see all the books I've finished this year, I'm trying to catalog them here.

Yarn Along: The Rhythm of Family

We've been in need of quiet family time. This weekend we took some time just for us. My goal for comfort + joy and together, togetherness has been pounding in my ears and deep in my heart. So loud I couldn't ignore it anymore.

I've had to stop, listen, adjust our lives and go out on a limb-- I can let life take over and I have to remind myself so often what is important. My little people are important, good food is important, spending quality time together is important, playing outside, good food! Remember I'm in the middle of making my manifesto work. And it is hard work, rethinking, retraining my work-a-holic tendencies so that I take care of my children, my husband, myself, my body.

I ordered Amanda's book a while back and it came in the mail in a divine envelope, meant for that moment in time. My ears are open, my hands are open and I am listening.

I also found this from Ida's blog, there are lots of little tiny babies in our lives. So I'm knitting away!

Yarn Along

 

As promised, I'm am knitting again. I made a pair of baby booties, but they turned out spherical once sewn together, so unless these little babies have feet shaped like a cabbage patch kid, I think I'll just give them to Isabel's cabbage patch... 

But! Last night I did finish this cowl-- it's so warm and cozy. The wool is just from the big blue box store and the buttons belonged to some coat at one time. I snapped this photo to send to Kerry, but I guess I can share it with you too!

  

Now, on to books. Last week, I finished The House on Mango Street, My Life in France and Fly Away Home (audio). This week, I've got Children the Challenge and Operating Instructions in queue. 

My favorite from last week was My Life in France. Julia Child has this amazing way of making her extrordinary life seem attainable, building it with one footstep in the right direction after another. She was passionate about food, so she sought out cooking, when she was realized her potential in cooking she sought to be the best and impart her passion. One little step after the other. 

She makes me believe that we too can accomplish great things, one tiny step at a time. Plus, this book is all about food and wine. Really, who doesn't love reading about food and wine...?!?

What are you reading? Knitting? 

*Visit Ginny to see what she's up to!

Yarn Along:: Sort of...

I've been knitting-- well if you consider moving my knitting basket to vacuum last night and then thinking very hard about what to knit next, then of course, I'm knitting.

But, as I looked at Kerry's Honey Cowl and at this. I thought, hmmm I've never made a baby sweater and there are lots of friend's babies on the way. I should knit something. So I'm going to, perhaps that tiny sweater will end up in the next Yarn Along addtion.

But, I am reading.

I finished a beautiful book last night (after vacuuming, laundry, dishes, paperwork... you know the usual), called Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. 

It was indeed just that, an invitation into a life of these women to share a table, to share their joy and heart ache-- learning how they lived their lives so differently and yet so similarly. The back of the book calls it a 'soul-comforting read.' And it was, it read quickly almost as if it was written as a letter.

I'm glad that these women didn't try to cast stones at the weaknesses of the 'English' or the Amish-- there was admiration on both sides, for both traditions.

If your heart needs some soul-comforting, a few recipes and some heartening verses/poems, this would be the book I'd reach for.

It's going to be a girls end to the week, starting with Girl Scouts tonight, a girl date tonight and a girls craft weekend too(love my girl friends)! I'm spoiled (and excited)!

Finding Fall, Chasing Wonder

A few years ago my father-in-law bought us the movie, Bridge to Terabithia. I remembered being in fourth grade, reading that book. And I loved it. But honestly, I haven't thought much of it since.

Isabel found the DVD and wanted to watch it. So I let her. And she's been living in the magical land of Terabithia ever since, she writes stories about it, she fills her sketchbook with pictures about it and she dresses up as the Queen of Terabithia. And lately, she's even take her brother on her adventures.

On Sunday, we took a drive to enjoy the fall colors and we ended up at a little pond a few minutes from our house. The leaves were breath taking.

When she exited the car and got down towards the water, I heard her breathlessly exclaim full of wonder, "Truman, I think we're actually in Terabithia."

Thoughts and Musings...

Hello my dears,

It's been a while hasn't it?

I feel like I've hit the ground running and haven't stopped, so I decided to take an inventory of what I've done since I talked with you last. The dinner above was a beautiful stopping point in this long weekend. Simple soup (recipe to follow), sweet bread (apple sauce bread on the left, chocolate chip banana bread on the right) and sliced pears. Throw in a few sweet faces, some funny conversation and you have a near perfect meal.

So journey with me as I focus on the present and treasure the beauty of the past.

Since we last spoke, I've been to California and back.
I spoke and listened to my Grandmother, bodily cared for her for a too short weekend.
Conquered two first days of school (one you'll see tomorrow!).

Thanks to donated garden produce... I canned 12 quarts of tomato sauce, 4 pints of apple sauce, 4 pints + 1 quart of pickles.
Lost one iMac (so long sweet computer).
Designed a dissertation workbook.
Knitted 1.5 washcloths.
Packed 8 lunches.
Attended a super-fun pre-labor day BBQ.
Finished reading this book.

Stopped at Pumpkinland with some wonderful friends.
Wore my new fall coat, because I was actually cold.
Made fried green tomatoes.
Painted one tiny painting.
Nursed two tiny people's colds.
Wondered when the tiny people got to be so big.
Made a batch of laundry detergent.
Drank lattes and ate pancakes with friends-- with homemade whip cream and strawberry sauce.

And I'm wondering, what have you been up to lately? Keep me up to date-- I feel out of the loop.