Frontier Dreams

Learning to let go

2013-05-22T22:28:00.002-07:00

What a wild ride these past couple of weeks have been. Our world was turned upside down with Kevin's orders, and just when I thought I was already on my knees, we were rocked again with devastating news about a family member. To put it simply - I am learning to let go. Reading has become a refuge for me (I can't put this one down).

Some extraordinary things happened, as well. After my post about our move, I felt like I had a ticking time bomb on my hands. We sat our children down to break the news before it accidentally came to them through other means.
The girls took it really well. I mean they were 'bouncing up and down in their seats asking when exactly we were going to leave' excited. K loved following the Oregon Trail when we moved here so I know she will enjoy our drive to Idaho (and even more Oregon Trail adventures along the way) but I am curious as to how she'll do once we are there. She did say that certain people had to move with us. Oh, how I wish that could be! I do hope there will be lots of visits since we will only be about seven hours away. She seemed okay with the idea of homeschooling, too, so that was a load off my shoulders. I know there will be ups and downs as we go forward on this journey but we'll just take it one step at a time. Right now, the children are excited so we will be, too!

K and her class had their end of the year play. Each grade does their own - think of it as "finals" for Waldorf schools. K's play was entitled "The Water Nixie" and K played the water nixie. It was a bit bittersweet for me. What a talented and beautiful class she has. They are truly exceptional. We will miss them so much.

Little L held a caterpillar for the first time. It was thoroughly entertaining. He was a bit afraid of the fuzzy thing with legs at first, refusing to even let it touch his clothes. He quickly grew to love it and let it crawl all over him.

Oh, and that first photo is from Mother's day but it just seemed fitting. It captures our life-loving, silly family quite well!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-05-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

I finished up the last of C's (very late) birthday gifts - her doll's matching birthday outfit. It's a little birthday tradition in our family for the girls' dolls to get new clothes. After all, it's their birthday, too. I made the doll skirt the same way I made C's and the top is a modified version of the g irl's cap sleeved spring shirt pattern. The rav page for the top can be found here. I plan on adding more detailed notes as soon as C lets me borrow the top back for a moment.

Please forgive the state of the model. As you can see, C's loves her so very much. It's funny to see just how much C can love her doll in the few short months since her "spa treatment" last Christmas.
I admit it is a lot of work to fix her doll every year but I consider it a privilege to do so. It's such a special thing to have a child cherish a doll so much. I know this time is fleeting, so I am soaking it in while I can!

What are you working on?!

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

Changes

2013-05-19T19:51:00.003-07:00

I intended to do another post last week but the time it took to transfer my photographs from one computer to another took a lot longer than I anticipated. I'm sure it didn't help that I waited until only a couple of hours before I would sit down to type my post up.

We ended up giving in and buying a new laptop last Wednesday. I had just finally paid off my credit card back on May 1st. I didn't really want to spend anything at all, but I decided on a budget of $400. That way I could pay it off in a couple of months. I walked into the computer store with that amount in my head, but I quickly allowed myself to get sucked into a $1,200 Mac. The huge screen for my photographs was what got me. Thankfully Kevin reigned me back in and I walked out with a computer within my budget.

I think we gave the salesmen a good chuckle. Apparently our old laptop was a dinosaur and a lot of the features I was accustomed to are now obsolete. It was a struggle just to find a laptop that had a disc drive (for the occasional movie nights Kevin and I have). Yes, we know we are way behind the times. They tried to sell us on computers that can be hooked up with an IPhone, IPad and/or television. None of which are items we own.

I swear electronic stores are like the twilight zone for me. We were only in there for an hour but it felt like an eternity and I left feeling absolutely drained of all my energy. At least it's done with now. The girls, on the other hand, had a blast pushing buttons on everything. And here I thought they would be bored to tears. Ha!

The screen on this computer is smaller and quite different from my last one. I am still getting used to it. It's hard to tell if my photos are in focus or not on it, not to mention that they all look oversaturated. I don't know if it's the photo viewing software on here or the resolution. I hope I can figure it out soon, just in case I need to exchange it. Perhaps it's just another change I need to get used to. Who knew I had such a hard time dealing with change?!

I do have more news to share on our move but I have managed to exhaust myself reliving that shopping experience. So for now, let's just enjoy my two littlest ones having fun in the garden and I'll go work on my photograph issues a bit more. See you back here for KCCO and then later again in the week. Thanks for sticking with me through all of this!

p.s. - Just in case you were wondering, C is wearing her Easter Sunday sweater and Little L is wearing his pants I made him the other week.

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

I am without a photograph yet again. My computer has been on it's last leg for over a year now but it finally just couldn't make it any longer. I am thankful that it lasted as long as it did. Now to hopefully find an inexpensive one to take it's place.

As for my project this week, I don't really have a lot to share. I am still knitting my Greenfield cardigan at a snail's pace. I need to switch back over to sewing, though. I just realized that K only has about three short sleeve dresses that fit her at the moment.

Thank you so much for your support, encouragement and gentle words yesterday!! I feel I must apologize for that melodramatic post. I could tell that you guys find complaining about as attractive as I do! I did plan on editing it to take away all that doom and gloom but then I decided that I should just be honest with myself and all of you. I was in a rough spot when I originally typed that up. I can't lie, this is a hard pill for me to swallow, but I do know that everything happens for a reason and that good things will come of it. When you really think about it,the simple gift of life itself is beautiful, so who am I to complain?!

What are you working on?!

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

{take 2} Our dream comes to an end

2013-05-09T22:17:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have seen the unedited version of this post last week. I apologize for alarming any of you, but thank you so much for your e-mails voicing your concern. They really touched me. I felt the post was too doom and gloom so I thought I should just come back to it. Of course, when I went to hit the "save" button, I hit the "publish" one instead. *Sigh* Have I mentioned how computer savvy I am? I was also hoping to break the news to our children before posting it here, but I don't want to keep everyone in the dark any longer. While I am planning to tell them this week, I just please ask that anyone who knows us locally, to not say a word in front of them about it.

"...We live in a time of hard tests for humanity, of hard tests which must become still harder. We live in a time in which a whole host of old forms of civilization to which men still erroneously cling, are sinking into the abyss, a time in which the claim insistently arises that man must find his way to something new." - Rudolf Steiner

Hello everyone. I have been a bit out of touch lately, I know. My normal sanguine self has become very melancholic. I am not sure how to share recent news that we have received. I was hoping to have had an epiphany by now and be able to share it all with grace (instead of self pity), maybe even seeing the bright side to it all. But, in all honesty, I will be happy to just get through typing this up with out sobbing.

Kevin recently received orders that we are to move to Idaho this September. We had just finished up a date night watching Colonial House together and were getting ready for bed when the news came. My heart sank as I let out a loud cry upon hearing the news. Our dream finally came true of living in a community of like-minded people and having our children in a Waldorf school, and now that dream is coming to an end. Not to mention my newly found church community that my family and I are so very fond of. I always knew there was a possibility of having to move from here but I pushed it so far back in my head so that I wouldn't have to face it. I guess I thought that if we did move maybe we'd be closer to family or at least near another school. Idaho doesn't have either of these.

I have been a bit of a gypsy for most of my life - even before I met Kevin. Every time I would move from one state (or country) to another I would be thrilled at the thought, no matter how much I loved my current location. Always a fun new adventure to look forward to! This is the first time in my life that I am incredibly depressed, feeling hopeless, and just down right unhappy about the thought of moving. It's very unlike me.

I am anxious about trying to sell this house of ours in such a short amount of time, too. I won't lie. It's pretty much a disaster. We bought it as a "fixer-upper" but never were able to afford to do anything to it, thanks to the bank messing up our mortgage. I don't know what we are going to do about that. A short sale is a possibility but that would damage our credit for three years and we need to be able to buy a house in Idaho. It's hard to find a rental that will accept three children and seven pets.

There actually is a Waldorf school in Idaho but it's much too far away from where we will be (somewhere near Boise) so I will be homeschooling all of my children. This prospect excites me and scares me to death at the same time (mostly the latter). I love the general idea of homeschooling, but I just don't know if it is something that I personally can do. Teaching Waldorf kindergarten at home is so very different from the actual grades. Not to mention that I have spent the past seven years studying Waldorf early childhood education, but haven't even begun digging into the grades. I know that they say Waldorf homeschooling is very different from attending an actual school but I need to find some way to make it as close as possible...for K's sake. She is thriving beyond imagination at her school. I just can't see how I could. I don't feel qualified. Never mind the fact that I don't know how to speak German, how to do eurythmy, how to play the recorder amongst many other things. I do, however, remember a bit of Spanish. That's a plus, right?!

We haven't said a word to our little ones yet. We are just trying to find the right time. I know my K will be just as devastated as I am and I don't want to ruin her last few weeks of school. It breaks my heart to think of telling her.

Kevin will go back to his old job and that is a very good thing. No longer will we have to go all week without seeing him, but instead he'll be working a normal 9-5 job. He also wants to help with the homeschooling. I am pretty thrilled over that!

Ugh, I am sorry. I know venting and complaining is so unattractive but I just need to get this all out there. Then maybe I can move forward to acceptance. I know there is a greater plan for my family and I, and that we will be able to understand it more once we are on the other side of all this, but it's hard to wrap my head around right now. We have been so very blessed to have had the chance to live out our dream for these past four years. I am eternally grateful for that and will hold every moment deep in my heart. And who knows, maybe after these next four years maybe we will be able to come back. For now I just want to relish what little time we have left.

On our morning drive to school the other day, we were all discussing our farm we dream of having someday. Totally out of the blue K said, "When we have our farm, I want to homeschool instead of going to a school away from home. That way I can spend more time taking care of the animals."
I cried when she said this, feeling so very grateful for the message that, no matter what, as long as we are together everything will be all right.

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-05-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

I needed something to lift my spirits the other night and an instant gratification sewing project seemed like just the thing. I decided to make Little L some much needed lightweight pants using the pattern from this book (thanks to Mossgrownstone who reminded me of them on a KCCO post back in March). I just so happened to have an old shirt ready to be upcycled and finished the pants in less than twenty minutes. Perfection! Of course I didn't realize until after I was ready to add in the elastic that I didn't actually have any on hand. I am hoping to stop by the store tomorrow to pick some up and get these pants on my little guy.

I am also making slow progress on my greenfield cardigan. I foresee myself finishing this in 2015 or so.

What are you working on?!

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

Our May Faire at Portland Waldorf School

2013-05-05T21:38:00.002-07:00

Our school held it's annual May Faire this weekend. Once again, our beloved community made the event unforgettable. I admit my mind was elsewhere while we were there and I couldn't seem to let myself fully enjoy the day. Thankfully my melancholic mood didn't seem to effect my family (not even the four legged member that came with us). K and C had a lot of fun playing with friends and trying out new games and crafts. K even won a stuffed animal for C, Little L, and herself in the Better Gnomes and Gardens ring toss. The sun was quite hot that day (unlike previous May Faires when we had to wear sweaters and coats), and quickly wore out my two youngest. C couldn't even last the fifteen minute car ride home, poor thing!

Welcome May Sponsors!

2013-05-01T21:03:00.001-07:00

The very warmest of welcomes to new sponsors:

Artterro is all about creativity! Our eco art projects inspire you to create unique works of art. It’s easy when you’re using our beautiful, natural materials like wool felt, recycled handmade paper and more. Use coupon code: FRONTIER20 for 20% off any order through May 25th!

Butterbean - Healthy sunscreen for little sprouts (our personal favorite!) and now offering organic lip balms and healthy herbal bug spray.

Welcome back (and thank you!) to my returning sponsors:

Adirondack Patterns and Handmade Babies sells not only Waldorf Inspired Dolls, but simple sewing, crochet, and knitting patterns that inspire creativity. Over 60 patterns including those on cloth diaper sewing, complete instructions for making several Waldorf style dolls and accessories, clothing tutorials, and accessories for little ones.

Nature Girl Herbals - Natural and organic body care, with your body and the earth's health in mind.

Buddha Hill - Buddha Hill makes a forest full of heirloom quality hand sewn playthings created one at a time from natural, sustainable materials. You will find Forest and Prairie Dolls, swans, hedgehogs, mice with hats and many other whimsical woodland creatures there. Shop owner Kathryn's mission is to encourage creative, peaceful play. She believes in making playthings that give children feelings of warmth, comfort, and happiness.

Alphabet Glue - Alphabet Glue is a downloadable e-magazine for families who love books. Filled with activities, printables, projects, and plenty of inspiration, Alphabet Glue was created in hopes of helping more families to incorporate creativity, imagination and all things literary into their everyday routines. Each issue contains leveled book recommendations organized by theme, bookmaking tutorials, storybuilding activities, and hands-on projects that complement favorite titles in children’s literature. From stories to science experiments, Alphabet Glue has a little something for everyone.

Lilla Rose - At Lilla Rose you will find unique, functional, and well-made hair jewelry. From beautiful hair sticks to the very simple-to-use Flexi Clip, there's something for every style and length of hair. Stay in touch with Lilla Rose Independent Consultant Joy Kincaid on Facebook to hear about the latest news and sales!

The Puppenstube - The Puppenstube carries all of Waldorf doll maker extraordinaire Christine's handmade creations (like Waldorf dolls, gnomes, puppets, hand knit accessories for adults and children alike - just to name a few) as well as Heartwood Arts, Buntspechte, grain mills and more!

Gypsy Forest - Handcrafted quilts, play silks, aprons and more! living - creative open ended play - earth friendly designs - organic fibers - made in the USA

Brambleberry Yarns - Beautiful, nature friendly dyed yarns and fibers. Located in the Pacific North West, (right here in Oregon!) shop owner Cynthia finds our breathtaking views and plants inspiring her yarns as well as finding their way into her dye pots.

Luna Grey Fiber Arts - Jackie creates colorful, hand dyed, natural fiber yarn in her home studio on the western slopes of Colorado. Each skein is hand painted or kettle dyed making for truly one-of-a-kind works of art.

Wooly Moss Roots - Wooly Moss Roots offers wooden buttons, wooly delights and herbal goodness. We provide high quality handmade wooden buttons in a variety of reclaimed woods, for knitters, sewers, and crafters.

Mariposa Forest - Mariposa Forest, a world of imagination delivered to your mailbox. We send seasonal stories from the forest to your child by old fashioned snail mail. Their own special mail, delivered right to them.

Sparkle Stories - Sparkle Stories produces weekly audio stories for children and families around the world. Our original Story Series follow the seasons, inspiring a sense of wonder and magic throughout the year.

GLOB - GLOB specializes in botanically crafted paints made from fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices with natural food-grade ingredients and organic extracts. GLOB arts and crafts products are sourced from natural, recyclable and biodegradable materials.

Dandelion Dream - Organic, fair-trade, and eco-friendly shirts lovingly printed with hand carved images.

Frost Lane - Bret and Nadja Van der Stroom raise a few animals and six children on a couple of acres in Tennessee. Their Etsy shop, Frost Lane, features an eclectic mix of handmade items they enjoy making and using themselves.

Simply Playing - Carries Waldorf inspired all natural plant dyed wool toys that bring out your child's imagination including crowns, garlands, and wands to assist in their journey.

Spring Creek Store - Located in the Portland Waldorf School, the Spring Creek Store carries all your Waldorf needs from books and school/art supplies to handmade gifts and gently used consignment.

I can honestly say, from the very bottom of my heart, just how very grateful my family and I are for the continued support of my sponsors and all of you who take the time to stop by and visit this space of mine. It means more than words could say. THANK YOU!!

For affordable sponsorship with ever growing exposure please contact me: FarmerGOPI@yahoo.com

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-04-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

I am now officially in my knitting "off-season". The spring and summer tend to be my sewing seasons but I still like to have a knitting project to keep my idle hands busy. I suppose I could take this time to get ahead of the game and start on K's birthday sweater or Christmas gifts, but I am just not finding any fun in that. Instead I am knitting something for myself. This yarn will eventually become a greenfield cardigan from New England Knits. The pattern calls for DK yarn and size 6 needles. That is a bit daunting for me because it feels like it will take me forever to finish it. To hopefully save myself from having to rip out a sweater that doesn't fit, I am actually taking the time to knit a gauge swatch. There's a first time for everything, right?!

p.s - The yarn is some lovely Luna Grey Fiber Arts.

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

Spring in Oregon

2013-04-28T21:29:00.002-07:00

.: A small grouping of the bountiful trillium in our backyard :. .: The soft glow of a full moon viewed through our tall coniferous trees :. .: I finally photographed the cherry blossoms outside our kitchen window, after three years of proclaiming every spring that I would (and then never getting around to it until it was too late and they were gone) :. .: Extraordinarily beautiful dogwood blossoms at K's school. They always make my heart skip a beat :.
.: Trying something new and loving it! I made some banana granola parfaits from the Forks Over Knives cookbook today. I added our favorite granola recipe instead of what they called for, though. This might be a new favorite treat. It's pretty versatile, too. It could work as a light breakfast or even a dessert thanks to it's natural sweetness. :.

Now I'm off to spend some much needed time with Kevin as we watch Colonial House. I am not a reality TV fan by any means, but I enjoy these PBS series (Frontier House, Texas Ranch House, etc.) and draw inspiration from them for our self-sufficient dreams. We are only two episodes in so far, but I am enjoying it.

The world needs confident, creative, thinking people (Why Waldorf Works)

2013-04-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

The Waldorf cirriculum. Sorry for the poor photograph. This was in a dark corner at school. You can see some close ups in my flickr photostream by clicking any of these pictures above.

Portland Waldorf School from Jesse Michener on Vimeo.

Last night I sat down and watched this video you see above. I knew about five seconds into it that I needed to share it with all of you. It's about K's school (you can even see some of her classmates in it), but also speaks of Waldorf education in general. The images, the narration and the beauty instantly got to me. I admit to shedding a few tears while watching it. It really captured the esssence of what Waldorf education is all about, why we need it, and why it really works. I feel that it captured what my words can not express nor articulate about why having this education for our children is so very important to us. This is why we would move across the country to be part of it (we had to move due to Kevin's new job, so we selected 8 potential locations based around areas that had Waldorf schools). This is also why we are willing to go without for it; for our children. Who knows, maybe the video could even help some of our family to understand and support our decision.

Please check it out and tell me what you think!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-04-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

Knitting and running go together, right?! Okay, that does seem a bit dangerous, especially with double pointed needles! That little bouquet above is from our family run/bike ride yesterday.
We took the van down to the bottom of our mountain for the run so that the little ones didn't have to deal with all of the hills in our area. It takes us maybe 8 minutes at the most to reach the bottom but I didn't let that deter me from getting a few stitches in on the ride. Oh how I love it when Kevin does the driving!
My current project is a birthday top for C baby to match C's.

What are you working on? Happy creating!

p.s - Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a great art kit from Eye Can Art here.

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

Happy Birthday sweet, spunky C!

2013-04-21T23:35:00.002-07:00

Her new favorite book from Daddy. Kevin kept with his wolf/sled dog book theme.

C enjoyed a quiet family birthday celebration last week. We did our usual family birthday traditions(you can find them here), and C once again, for what I think might be either her second or third year in a row, chose broccoli soup for her birthday dinner. The daffodils in our front yard that usually bloom during C's birthday week (and are used to decorate her birthday table) didn't bloom this year, much to our disappointment. It just didn't get cold enough this winter. C found some peachy-pink roses to take their place.

We decided to forgo homeschooling that day and C, Little L and I spent some time at the pond across the street from K's school. We were hoping to see some goslings but apparently the feeling wasn't mutual as they never appeared. We enjoyed observing all the other geese and ducks that did make an effort to come out and wish C a happy birthday. C was quite in her element amongst them. Someday, when we have our farm, we will have to have some geese and ducks for her to tend to.

Oh, and that last photo of her? That's what I get for saying, "Can I take your picture?" (as in a posed shot instead of my usual candids) to my cute little spunky one. I hope she never loses that spark!

Project notes:

Hen with chicks

C's hen and 6 chicks were made using the Henny Penny pattern in Handmade Beginnings. I love that the chicks velcro to Mama hen's body underneath her cozy, warm wings. This project felt pretty thrifty. It was done with nothing but scraps from the folksy flannel quilt I made a few years back, and notions I already had on hand. The chicks in the pattern were made flat to sit under the hen's wings but I knew C would want them to be able to sit on their own, so I added a belly to the pattern (as you can see in the last photo).

C named the hen Patty Cake, in case you were wondering. I find that name quite amusing but very fitting for C.

Birthday skirt and top

I knew I didn't have the energy to pull off a birthday dress and sweater (my usual birthday tradition) this year so I went with a simple skirt and top. I did the same thing for K's last birthday so I think it was acceptable to C.

For C's skirt I used Heather Ross Far, Far Away II fabric (that I had left from a winter dress I made for K) and tangerine flowers from Far Far Away III for the contrasting trim. I made the skirt pattern up as I went but if you wanted a super easy free skirt pattern, my favorite one is here. It's great for learning to sew, too! Both of my girls request pockets in anything I sew for them. I somehow forgot that. When I showed Kevin the finished skirt the first thing he said was, "Where's the pocket?" I had to sit back down and figure out how I would add one. I normally like to accentuate the pockets with trim or contrasting thread but that just seemed too busy for this cheerful skirt. I instead decided to make a pocket that blends in. I cut out a piece of leftover fabric and lined it up like a puzzle piece over the same image on the skirt and sewed it in place. I think it worked okay.

C's top was just a simple cap sleeved knit. I finished it with a picot trim, my favorite way to end girls top and vest patterns. It just makes them all the more feminine. The top is a bit long, as you can see in the photos of her with the ducks. It doesn't help that the shirt underneath is bunched up, causing the top to get all lumpy looking. I added a bunny to the bottom with my first try at duplicate stitching but I might remove it. I'm not sure if you can tell it's a bunny. Can you?...because C couldn't!
The rav notes are here.

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win your own art kit from Eye Can Art here.

Encaustic art for K (And a giveaway!)

2013-04-18T22:20:00.001-07:00

Recently, K noticed some flyers for encaustic (layered wax) painting classes at school and wanted to learn how to do it herself. Encaustic art was a medium I had never tried before but I was up for the challenge. I used to live for any kind of artistic expression I could find- painting, sculpture, charcoals... you name it, I loved it (The artist in me misses those days. Maybe I will come back to them again someday). Then, as if it was fate, we came across a layered wax drawing kit from Eye Can Art. Everything K needed for her artistic intentions all in one can, how could we go wrong?!

She set up a space at the table with some books and images for inspiration and then got to work on it straight away. C, Little L and I all huddled around her as she opened the kit. I have never seen all of us so engrossed in something like this before. I do believe there may have even been a few "ohs" and "ahs" as she pulled each piece from the kit. I was so very pleased that they were high quality supplies that even an adult would be happy with instead of the usual cheaper "kid quality"supplies you find in a lot of children's art kits. That makes such a huge difference. I also loved that they included a brief history of encaustic art along with the instructions. I read it out loud for everyone to hear turning K's project into a mini art lesson for all of us.

K decided she would draw St. Therese in a field with flowers. When she finished her base layer with the oil pastels she placed the sheet of beeswax on top and I placed it in the oven for her. We all watched the beeswax melt and then took it out to cool. C especially enjoyed watching the beeswax change from clear to cloudy and then back to mostly clear as it cooled down. Once it was completely cool K added her final layer by drawing little details and more flowers. Voila! It was done! She thoroughly enjoyed the process and the end result. In fact she enjoyed it so much that she made the second one in the kit right after. Now C and I want to give it a shot, too.Wouldn't you?!

The kind folks over at Eye Can Art want you to share in the fun and exciting learning experience we had by offering any one kit of the winner's choosing (except their back-ordered Book in a Box) to one of you!

~~For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post!~~

~~If you would like an additional chance to win:~~
~~-like~~ ~~Eye Can Art on Facebook~~
~~-follow~~ ~~Eye Can Art on Twitter~~
~~-post this giveaway to Facebook, Twitter, or your blog~~

and please make sure to come back and leave me another comment letting me know you did so! Trust me, you will be just as thrilled with their kits as we are. If I could enter, I would! I will close comments on Thursday April 25th and announce the winner within this post.

comments closed! The winner is:

eidolons ·

I bought all the stuff to try "real" encaustics years ago. But I never got around to it (I'll admit to being a little intimidated). This looks like the perfect baby step into the process. I love that someone thought to offer this technique to children. Marvelous! Thanks for sharing with us (and my, what a little artist you have there!).

Good luck everyone, and thank you Eye Can Art for making this happen!

p.s - I still have not found the time to put up a disclosure, but I just wanted to add that I am not being compensated financially. I only share products and finds such as these because we truly do love them. We just want to share the love with all of you, too!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-04-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

The birthday dash is almost over. I need to fix C's birthday sweater, though. I thought the glazed pecan colorway would make a wonderful bunny but as you can see it blends in too much with the main colorway. It actually shows up better in this photograph than it does in person. Looking at it on my desk now, it really just looks like a dirt stain or something. Thankfully the bunny was done in duplicate stitch so I don't have to rip back my work. I am going to try the leftover winter wheat colorway to see if that shows up better. I originally tried white but that stood out too much for my taste. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and see how it all goes.

What are you working on? Happy creating!

p.s - Stay tuned for a fun giveaway later in the week.

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

A time to compromise

2013-04-14T23:07:00.002-07:00

Thank you so much for your support and understanding on my last post. I am so very grateful for all of you and your unending kindness. As promised, here is part two of K's story...

K woke up the next day and pushed her pillow aside to find her gifts from the tooth fairy. Now, I am a firm believer in simplicity and "less is more," but after seeing K go through the ordeal of getting her teeth pulled I decided to let that slide a bit. I think the tooth fairy could make special exceptions for children having to go through getting teeth pulled, don't you? So, she found some golden dollar coins, a little pouch filled with rainbow crystals and gems, a rainbow pen, and rainbow butterfly tattoos. Lots of rainbow treasures, huh? Perhaps I should explain the reason for that.

A couple of months ago K came home from school telling me all about how she played "tooth fairies" with her friends that day. She informed me that everyone has their own tooth fairy. Her tooth fairy was named Avelyn and she was a rainbow fairy. K loved the idea of her and spoke of her pretty much every day since then. She drew many pictures of Avelyn and left presents and notes for her in her tooth fairy home at school. When she found out that her teeth were finally getting pulled she excitedly said, "That means Avelyn will bring me gifts! I bet they will all be rainbow things since she is the rainbow fairy." I decided to go with that and got her the coins and then the pouch with the rainbow crystals and gems (the other items ended up getting added to that when we stopped at a store on the way home from the dentist).

When we picked K up from school that day, C quite excitedly told K that we went grocery shopping and the "hard head dolls" (translation: your typical plastic baby doll) they had been wanting were on sale. K asked how much they were and C told her (I forget exactly how much now, but they were around a couple of dollars). I saw K's thinking cap go on. She pulled me aside and asked if we could stop on the way home because she really wanted to use her tooth fairy money to buy C one of those dolls for her birthday. As you might remember, I prefer to keep plastic out of our home. I am not saying that is something everyone should do, but it's just something I feel the need to do in my own home. The girls have been asking for "hard head dolls" since we moved here (some of their friends have them and my girls love to play with them when over at their homes). I had been able to redirect them on the topic up until this point. I had to stop and really think it over. K was showing how big her heart is and wanting to do something incredibly sweet for her little sister - how could I deny her?! Her willingness to put someone else first is something to embrace and cultivate, I couldn't put our ideals in front of love. I could see this was a time to compromise and let K show her love for C the way she wanted to (but that doesn't mean that any other plastic things will be coming into our home *ahem*!).

We stopped at the store and K led C down the doll aisle. She asked C which one was her favorite and when C picked it out, K asked to hold it. K was getting ready to leave when I whispered in her ear that she could pick one out for herself too, and that I would pay the difference. K smiled, grabbed one, and went to the register and paid for them. She then handed C hers and said, "Happy birthday C! This is an early birthday present from me. I couldn't wait until your birthday to give it to you." Then she gave C a hug and C hugged her back so tight I thought she was going to knock her over. I wish I could have captured the look on C's face. It looked a bit similar to the first photo in this post, but even happier. I hope that my girls always stay so close and consider each other "best friends."

Boy, what a remarkably full couple of days those were for all of us! Lessons learned, lots of growth
(both inside and outside) and deeper love cultivated. Phew! I hope that all made sense. I really need to stop trying to post so late at night!

Not the decision I wanted to come to...

2013-04-10T22:53:00.001-07:00

Remember our tooth dilemma with K from a few weeks ago? Well, we finally came to a decision and on Monday she had them pulled. In all honesty, that was really not the decision I wanted to come to. Kevin and I talked it over again and again as well as K and I. She asked us to get them pulled. I tried in vain to help her teeth become wiggly but they just would not budge. In the end what it came down to was K complaining of pain where her adult teeth were coming in.

She was so excited for Monday she could barely sleep the night before. She told anyone that would listen she was getting them pulled and that the tooth fairy would be visiting her that night. She didn't show one bit of nervousness or anxiety. That helped to reassure me that we were doing what was right for her. I quickly finished up her tooth fairy pillow/doll that had fallen to the bottom of my WIP basket and gave it to her when I picked her up from school. I think that was a sweet surprise for her. She was excited over the doll's cloud pocket for her teeth.

She asked if Daddy could be with her for the procedure while I watched C and Little L. Kevin cleared his schedule to make sure that could happen. I admit I was relieved that she wanted Daddy there. I had a lot of my teeth pulled as a child and have some not-so-fond memories of it all, mostly due to the first time I had to have it done. My dentist, back then, lacked patience and empathy and just didn't seem to like children very much. I don't remember how old I was but I do remember being scared, and as many children do when they are afraid - I cried. The dentist put his hand over my mouth and nose (causing me to be unable to breathe) and told me I could not cry because I would scare the other patients there. Of course that made matters even worse. Needless to say, my Mom found a new dentist after that. I can still smell his cheap cologne when I think about that ordeal...

But back to K. At the last minute she decided she wanted me with her instead. I pushed my own issues aside and agreed. When we got to the room that the procedure would be done in, she was still as happy as could be. They asked her if she wanted to watch a movie. K looked at me to see if it was okay and I nodded my head yes. I figured for something like this we could make that compromise.
K decided on one of their selections (I have no idea what it was, she just saw dogs on the cover and picked it) and they put it on and laid her chair back. They gave her some "happy gas" to try to relax her. About three minutes into the movie and gas she started crying hysterically. I jumped up and ran over to her. She was too upset to speak but she clung onto me like she would never let go. After a few moments she said the movie scared her (she later told me it was because they were sword fighting). The kind dental hygienist had her pick out a new one (this time I helped, and we chose a movie I had actually seen before, Finding Nemo) then set her up again with the gas. Again, poor K started crying. She didn't like the gas (and I can't say I blame her!), as it was having the opposite effect it was meant to have, so we convinced them to just not use it.

K was quite worked up by this point and I almost had us leave, but then the dentist came in. He gave her a soft blanket to cuddle with and then situated his equipment so that I could be with her on the chair and have her legs over my lap. Then he left and gave her a good half hour to relax. She watched her movie while I rubbed her legs. I got her tooth fairy doll from my bag and gave it to her. I told her that her special doll would calm her nerves and keep her safe. She held her tightly in her arms. When the dentist came back in K was ready. The procedure took ten minutes or less,and I got to hold my sweet girl the whole time. K barely blinked an eye during it all but smiled big when the dentist showed her her two teeth. He then showed me why they weren't falling out on their own - whatever it is that naturally dissolves the roots (I have now forgotten what it was called) missed her teeth and only hit a small portion of the back of them. They would have never come out on their own.

My not so little K came out of the dentist's office proudly showing Daddy and her siblings her lost teeth. I could clearly see that she knew just how brave and amazing she was. I'm so proud of her. She spent the rest of the night inspecting her lost teeth, talking about them and sharing her excitement over the tooth fairy visit to come.

But this story does not end here, not by far! I have a little bit more to share about the morning after in my next post. See you then!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-04-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.
Another birthday gift, another Handmade Beginnings project.
C has been lamenting over her lack of a Henny Penny ever since K got one for Christmas, so I thought that might make a nice birthday gift for her. This one will be different than K's, though. I am using the pattern from Handmade Beginnings which has velcro wings and chicks instead of pockets. It looks absolutely adorable in the photographs, and I just happened to have enough of the yellow folksy flannel fabric left from Little L's Easter pants to make it, too.

Just keep sewing, just keep sewing, sewing, sewing, just keep sewing What do we do? We sew!
What are you working on? Happy creating!

p.s - Do any of you happen to have a bunny knitting chart that you love? I have an idea in mind for C's birthday sweater. She's on a bunny kick right now. I only need one bunny off the chart and am hoping to have it rather small.

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

My recent theme

2013-04-07T21:02:00.002-07:00

Part two of our Easter fun. All of the above photos were taken during Holy week and on Easter day.
My children and I all came down with yet another nasty flu during Holy week. On a side note - Seriously, what is going on here?! Regarding sicknesses, this has been the absolute worst year for us. One after another of us caught it and we were sick up until Good Friday. I became anxious I wouldn't be able to attend my retreat on Saturday morning nor the Easter vigil that evening but I am happy to say my prayers were answered and we all woke up Saturday feeling like new, but I'll leave you with that. I am saving the most important part about Easter weekend for another day. I want to make sure I have the time to sit down and really pour myself into that post and not be rushed (like I usually am). I am still reliving the whole experience over and over again in my head.

For now let's look at that rambunctious little boy of mine in his Easter pants. He refused to hold still for me so they are all action shots. New pants are for playing in dirt, right?! Gotta love the ones of him concentrating on his dirt play and Paw Paw trying to give him a kiss! He was saying, "Beep, beep, Paw paw. No! Paw Paw" when I took those two photos. Paw Paw just gave up and walked away after that.

I somehow managed to keep with my recent theme of making things to big for him with these pants, *sigh* but at least he'll get to wear them next winter, too. They look so warm and cozy with the linen and flannel fabrics. I think I botched them a bit, though. I love the fabric, it's out of print and hard to find now so I was a bit more nervous than usual when I sewed them (My friend Cindy knows all about this). I modified them to fit over cloth diapers but must have messed up my mods because now they are quite roomy and puffy looking around the diaper area. I am hoping it's one of those things that is more noticeable to me than to others...

p.s - I forgot to say that Little L's Easter pants are the quick change trousers from Handmade Beginnings.

Easter Sunday Sweaters (& Maggie Rabbit, too!)

2013-04-04T21:31:00.001-07:00

(playing "Big sister,little sister")

So many pictures, so little time-so I am breaking up our Easter fun into a couple of posts. This post is dedicated to my girls' magnificent Sunday sweaters and adorable Maggie rabbits.
Let's begin with the sweater, oh the sweaters!! I knew that when my friend Ginny came up with this pattern that I would adore it, but goodness, I didn't think it was possible to love a pattern so much! They knit up incredibly fast. The pattern is very easy to follow (and memorize) and the lace section keeps it interesting. Normally when I knit something two times in a row (which is often since my girls like to match) I get a bit bored with it all but I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed knitting every single stitch on both sweaters. I didn't even have to make any changes to the pattern (not that I expected to,but you know me - I always modify patterns), it was perfect as is. I only very slightly modified my tall string bean K's sweater to make it a 7/8 size. I should add that the girls puffy Easter dresses made the sweaters open up more than they usually would.

Notes for K's sweater are here, and C's can be found over here. Both sweaters feature beautiful hand carved maple wood buttons from Wooly Moss Roots.

Then there are the delightful Maggie rabbits. I am so glad I made these as their Easter gifts. The girls are smitten with them. I embroidered a C and a K on the rabbits' capelets to personalize them a bit more. I can't wait for Alicia to come out with more clothing patterns for the rabbits. Little L will get one of his own in a couple of years. They are just a bit too delicate for his hands right now.

More to come!

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-04-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.
I apologize for my absence - I have been soaking in and savoring the events from the past few days. There hasn't been a lot of time for creating but that's okay, I've been getting by (hee,hee). I have been planning a creative endeavor, at least, even using supplies mostly from my stash. C's birthday is in only 16 days so I need to get a move on it. She even told me the other day that I needed to start her birthday dress...
What are you working on? Happy creating!

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

Welcome April Sponsors!

2013-04-01T20:07:00.004-07:00

The very warmest of welcomes to new sponsors:

Adirondack Patterns and Handmade Babies sells not only Waldorf Inspired Dolls, but simple sewing, crochet, and knitting patterns that inspire creativity. Over 60 patterns including those on cloth diaper sewing, complete instructions for making several Waldorf style dolls and accessories, clothing tutorials, and accessories for little ones.

Nature Girl Herbals - Natural and organic body care, with your body and the earth's health in mind.

Welcome back (and thank you!) to my returning sponsors:

Buddha Hill - Buddha Hill makes a forest full of heirloom quality hand sewn playthings created one at a time from natural, sustainable materials. You will find Forest and Prairie Dolls, swans, hedgehogs, mice with hats and many other whimsical woodland creatures there. Shop owner Kathryn's mission is to encourage creative, peaceful play. She believes in making playthings that give children feelings of warmth, comfort, and happiness.

Alphabet Glue - Alphabet Glue is a downloadable e-magazine for families who love books. Filled with activities, printables, projects, and plenty of inspiration, Alphabet Glue was created in hopes of helping more families to incorporate creativity, imagination and all things literary into their everyday routines. Each issue contains leveled book recommendations organized by theme, bookmaking tutorials, storybuilding activities, and hands-on projects that complement favorite titles in children’s literature. From stories to science experiments, Alphabet Glue has a little something for everyone.

Lilla Rose - At Lilla Rose you will find unique, functional, and well-made hair jewelry. From beautiful hair sticks to the very simple-to-use Flexi Clip, there's something for every style and length of hair. Stay in touch with Lilla Rose Independent Consultant Joy Kincaid on Facebook to hear about the latest news and sales!

The Puppenstube - The Puppenstube carries all of Waldorf doll maker extraordinaire Christine's handmade creations (like Waldorf dolls, gnomes, puppets, hand knit accessories for adults and children alike - just to name a few) as well as Heartwood Arts, Buntspechte, grain mills and more!

Gypsy Forest - Handcrafted quilts, play silks, aprons and more! living - creative open ended play - earth friendly designs - organic fibers - made in the USA

Nest - Modeled after the toy shoppes of Germany, here at Nest one can find eco-friendly sustainably sourced heirloom wooden toys and beautiful and practical things for the home.Waldorf-inspired play and Waldorf toys & crafts for young and old.

Brambleberry Yarns - Beautiful, nature friendly dyed yarns and fibers. Located in the Pacific North West, (right here in Oregon!) shop owner Cynthia finds our breathtaking views and plants inspiring her yarns as well as finding their way into her dye pots.

Luna Grey Fiber Arts - Jackie creates colorful, hand dyed, natural fiber yarn in her home studio on the western slopes of Colorado. Each skein is hand painted or kettle dyed making for truly one-of-a-kind works of art.

Wooly Moss Roots - Wooly Moss Roots offers wooden buttons, wooly delights and herbal goodness. We provide high quality handmade wooden buttons in a variety of reclaimed woods, for knitters, sewers, and crafters.

Mariposa Forest - Mariposa Forest, a world of imagination delivered to your mailbox. We send seasonal stories from the forest to your child by old fashioned snail mail. Their own special mail, delivered right to them."

Gotta Keep Knittin' designs - Knitting patterns for all your little people: wool soakers, longies, shorties, dresses, and more! When life gets crazy, you just gotta keep knittin'!

Sparkle Stories - Sparkle Stories produces weekly audio stories for children and families around the world. Our original Story Series follow the seasons, inspiring a sense of wonder and magic throughout the year.

GLOB - GLOB specializes in botanically crafted paints made from fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices with natural food-grade ingredients and organic extracts. GLOB arts and crafts products are sourced from natural, recyclable and biodegradable materials.

Dandelion Dream - Organic, fair-trade, and eco-friendly shirts lovingly printed with hand carved images.

Frost Lane - Bret and Nadja Van der Stroom raise a few animals and six children on a couple of acres in Tennessee. Their Etsy shop, Frost Lane, features an eclectic mix of handmade items they enjoy making and using themselves.

Simply Playing - Carries Waldorf inspired all natural plant dyed wool toys that bring out your child's imagination including crowns, garlands, and wands to assist in their journey.

Spring Creek Store - Located in the Portland Waldorf School, the Spring Creek Store carries all your Waldorf needs from books and school/art supplies to handmade gifts and gently used consignment.

I can honestly say, from the very bottom of my heart, just how very grateful my family and I are for the continued support of my sponsors and all of you who take the time to stop by and visit this space of mine. It means more than words could say. THANK YOU!!

For affordable sponsorship with ever growing exposure please contact me: FarmerGOPI@yahoo.com

Keep Calm Craft On {crafting on}

2013-03-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

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 and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link below.

I am ever so happy to report that I found something I can do that isn't (currently) irritating my wrists - (machine) sewing! Yep, I have been bit by the sewing bug, again. I love it when that happens. This was just the motivation I needed to finally sew up those pants for Little L that I have been talking about for over a year now.

In case you are forgetful like me - they are another pair of quick change trousers (from here). They are sewing up just as fast as his first pair (which still fit - I might add!). The owl fabric brings back happy memories of when Little L was first born as well as memories of one of my favorite outfits of his. I think these will be his Easter pants. It's only fair he gets something new to wear, too...right?

The girls Easter sweaters are finished as are their bunnies (Except for their pink cheeks and starched whiskers). I don't think I will get their Easter dresses finished (or even started for that matter), but that's okay. They can wear their dresses from last year and then I'll get around to this year's dresses eventually.

What are you working on? Happy creating!

If you would like to link up and share your current works in progress (or finished works) please leave your link below. It can now be either to your specific blog post or Flickr photo. There are no rules, only that your link is current and something about a craft project (of any kind) you are working on. Don't forget that there is now a KCCO Flickr group for you to share your crafting photos at anytime.

Please remember to link back here so that others who may want to join KCCO can find us.

It's as simple as that. Remember your post can be from any day of the week, it doesn't have to be today. We all love feedback so if you have a moment please leave a comment on some of the KCCO posts you may visit. I know from my own experience just how much your comments really motivate me! Now please share and inspire us all!

Widows Mite

2013-03-24T20:43:00.002-07:00

Widows Mite (Lepton): Judean coin in general circulation during the time of Jesus Christ referred to in the Holy Bible.

I have a little story that I have been meaning to share. Unfortunately I waited too long to type it up so I have forgotten the details but hopefully I will still convey it's message.

A few months ago, K declared that she needed to give all the money she had to those who really needed it. She caught me by surprise with this wonderful revelation, I mean what a huge deal for someone so small. My heart felt as if it could burst. She had been saving for a doll so I wanted to make sure that donating all of her money was something she really wanted to do. I asked her a couple of times more over the course of a few days and each time she was very decisive and had such a sparkle in her eyes telling me that others needed it more than she did (her stubbornness can be a good thing!). So I set to work to find the right local charity to go to. It was a bit trickier than I thought it would be. Her piggy bank was full but probably had nothing more than a few dollars in it so I wanted to make sure that whoever she gave it to saw what a big deal this was for her and that she was giving all that she had to help others. I reached out to people in our community asking their advice on the matter and finally the perfect answer presented itself (via Pat, my RCIA organizer ) - Madonna's Center. I had never heard of it before but it's cause was already dear to me. It was kismet. I knew K would love the thought of her money helping babies, she has such a deep love for them all. Wherever we are at, if their is a baby around (stranger or friend), you can always find K alongside it.

It ended up that Valerie, the founder of Madonna's Center, is a member of our parish. Pat contacted her and told her our story. She enthusiastically embraced K's kindness and agreed to meet us after the next Mass. I told K all about it and she could hardly contain her excitement, it just radiated out of her. Even C couldn't resist K's energy and decided to join her in giving all that she had, too.

The following week, after Mass, the girls both had their piggy banks in hand and very happily (and shyly) gave them over to Valerie. She accepted them with so much love and really made the girls feel absolutely amazing for their gifts. She took the time to tell them how their gift would help babies and their mamas. What a beautiful and sincere soul Valerie is, I could write pages and pages on her. I aspire to be like her someday.

She even had a gift for the girls. She told them the story of the Widows Mite and then gave them both their very own Widows Mite coin. Neither of my girls were expecting anything in return, but they knew these coins were very special and were very happy to have them. We have since been studying them at home trying to see all that we can with our magnifying glass. C seems to have the best eye for finding symbols on them.

We are so happy to have found Valerie. I have been trying to find ways to help however I can with Madonna's Center since that day. It's a bit tricky with Kevin working all the time but one small thing (with great love!) at a time. I am currently trying to knit up some mittens for all the children even though this winter is now over. They will need them next year though, right?!

The biggest gift of all, was the simple gift of giving in and of itself. There is no other feeling like it and both of my girls would quickly agree. They are filling their piggy banks back up again so they can give them to those in need again, and again and again...

The root children arrived at our home (and appreciation!)

2013-03-21T21:09:00.004-07:00

Spring arrived with a gentle morning of picking daphne and searching for wool eggs that the root children left behind, but then followed with a BANG! of hailstorms and very unpredictable weather. You can see a storm quickly approaching in the magnolia (11th and 12th down from the top) pictures. Just moments before I snapped those photos the sun was out bright and cheery. It seems as though we are getting "in like a lion, out like a lamb" all in one day!

Typing seems to bother my wrists more than anything else right now so I am keeping this short and sweet but I wanted to share a link I found with you: Blogging from a non-bloggers perspective
It really touched me. To all of you out there in the blogging world - you are appreciated!!!

p.s - You can learn more about our root children celebration here.

p.p.s - Poor Little L has a yeast (diaper) rash. his doctor want us to use athlete's foot cream but I know there are natural alternatives. Any suggestions?