Earthy Crunchy

can't it still be sunday?? and a give-away.

It's Monday morning and the temperature outside is 24 degrees Fahrenheit.  A little person of ours seems to be getting up rather early lately....sometime between 5 and 6 am (this does not make me completely happy).  But on the other hand, his nighttime diaper has been dry and he asks to use the potty right away.  I know I haven't talked about it much here but it's been something we have been working on.  I very well may be done with diapers and that's bittersweet for me.  Anytime one of those milestones passes, I feel a little sad that my last baby is turning into a young boy.  Jonathan suggested that we have a celebration and burn our old worn out diapers in the bonfire.  These diapers have made it through three children and are holy and falling apart.  Am I a little chatty today??

I like getting up early in the morning though.  I get so much done.  I make sure the ladies have some scratch.  Then in the winter, I thaw out their water and give them some fresh warm water.  A little like morning tea?

Most days, the water is frozen hard.  I think they appreciate the warm water.  I take this one inside or boil some water and pour it into our large metal one.

 
The ladies hang out close to their house in the morning to keep warm.  I have to tell you something ladies.  I don't think it makes a difference.  It's cold out there no matter how you cut it!

I wish we were still the weekend.  I don't getting back to reality after having my husband around for four days straight.  It was nice.  We started some projects.

 
This one was drawn and made by Amelia.  We're making tea towels for presents this year.  I hope she gives me this one.

 
This one, a kitty by Eli, was embroidered by Jonathan.  I like this one too.

I also made some beeswax ornaments inspired by Nicole and Pennie .  Really fun. I called a local beekeeper and he sold me some really nice beeswax that smells so heavenly.  I don't even mind that I had to go all the way downtown and dodge a parade to get this golden sweetness.

 
As a reward for reading all the way to here, what about a give-away??  This is a first for me but I thought it would be nice to give something back.  Leave a comment on this post and I will randomly pick two winners to receive a set of three ornaments.  If you leave a mention of it on your blog, you get another two chances.  How about comments will close on Friday!

I hope you are having a great day! 

environmental portrait

This weeks assignment was to take three to five environmental portraits of tools used by the people in my life use, including a self portrait. 

The first is a picture of the work my son Eli was doing this morning.  His work usually involves paper, pen/pencil and tape.

 
This is my self portrait looking up at my pots, pans and colanders that hang on my wall.  These are an important part of my work, yet only a part of me.  And I mean work in a very loving way.

 
My kids' bath time tools.  Very important work.

Having a little fun with toys.

 
Find other environmental portraits here:

Bloom
Rose Notes
Bee House Hives
Earth Mama
Florali
Neuro Knitter
Filamental
Hartwood Roses
Made by AnmariePotjethee
Under the Big Blue Sky
Give A Girl A Fig
Mackvilleroad
Earthy Crunchy

thanksgiving

Some scenes from yesterday. 

 
Paper shredding for recycling day because life doesn't stop on Thanksgiving.  And it was fun :)

 
Weaving with shredded bank statements.  Fun!

Our apple candle holders inspired by Rae. 

And finally dinner.  Scenes not pictured here:  Yoga class in the morning to set me right.  A wicked game of Ticket to Ride.  Football in the front yard.

I hope your day was filled with the special and the ordinary on Thanksgiving.

Did you know that Pennie at leaningapple is having a give-away?? 

thank goodness for water

Everyone slept well last night but I decided first thing, we would go to the hot springs this morning.  Right after breakfast.

I always fall back on something I heard when Amelia was a baby. 

When their cranky, put them in the water.

It's a guaranteed way to calm and diffuse crankiness.

It was steaming hot.  We stayed in for two hours straight.  

I don't think it helped completely but it felt nice to be in the water.  Am I ready for tomorrow?  My fridge is clean! 

tucked in bed

Eli's tucked in bed.  The other two are reading.  It's been a rough day of bickering and everyone being just a "wee bit" off.  Eli had a fever last night and Solomon seems to be a little sensitive.  "I think he's getting sick," I say to Jonathan.

But, tomorrow's another day and I hope things turn around. 

This morning started out so nicely.  Solomon and I sat together on the couch fingerknitting our Christmas tree garland.  He talked about what he was building with his Legos.  We talked about how many times we thought the garland would fit around the tree.  It was nice to hang out with Solomon.

Everyone's tucked in bed, I'm tired and I think I'll go join them.

Goodnight!

quotable sunday

The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets.  ~Christopher Morley

Somebody...somebody I know got a new bike this weekend...Somebody I know got us out on several bike rides this weekend, all bundled up in hats and gloves.  I thought this quote was perfect for my Amelia, the aspiring writer.  Love you girl!!

color quilt

A color quilt inspired by Camilla and Sara! 

real thursday

 
I cleaned the top of my fridge last night.  Scary might not be an accurate description.  The grime and grease accumulation was at least a year old.  Just plain embarrassing.  I'm usually better at getting to it.  I know it's been a year since I cleaned it because of the evidence; leaves I used last year for holiday decorations.

It's clean up there now.  This time of year, I feel a great need to purge and clean before the holidays come.  Like next week and is Christmas almost a month away??  Did you know that??

I thought it would be fun and humbling to show you (or talk about) something real about me.  I am going to divulge, every Thursday, something that makes me feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or vulnerable.  This is an attempt to find a balance between the reality of everyday life as a human on earth with children and the sometimes airbrushed version of life.  Now, I may change my mind if it makes me feel terrible about myself but I thought I couldn't be real here in this space if I didn't show you other parts of of my life.  Telling you about my fridge and showing you a clean version of it is a bit of a wimp out.  Next time I will show you the before picture??  Would you like to join me next Thursday?

Please check out my very first guest post at The Slow Cooked Sentence which was a very intimidating process indeed.   My friend Rachael, is an amazingly talented and motivated person who is writing a 50,000 word novel in a month as part of National Novel Writing Month.  She gets up early every morning to write while her husband and 4 children are still tucked in bed dreaming.  

corner view :: cell phone madness

Corner View, I apologize, I just can't get it together this week again.  Sigh...  Honestly, sometimes I don't even know where my cell phone is and if I did, I don't take pictures with it.  Every two years I get my new cell phone and the conversation always tends to go something like this..."Just show me where the free phone is."  Needless to say, I don't take many pictures with my cell phone.

So, today, I am going to have another break from corner view.  My kids will thank me.

I can show you a gift we have been working on for the holidays..

 
I first saw this at my in-laws.  Before I knew where they got it, I was impressed by how pretty it was.  This trivet (or star decoration if you choose) is made from clothespins with the metal spring removed.  The ones my in-laws have are exactly the same as this one except theirs were made by my husband over thirty years ago.  Jonathan's trivets are weathered and dark but still functional and beautiful after many years of use. 

One of the fun parts for my kids is removing the metal springs.  

I first lay out the design on a piece of wax paper.

I then glue together two pieces at a time.  This makes it stronger in the end.

Usually my younger kids have a different agenda..which is also great fun.

 
And then some of us just like peeling dried glue of our hands. 

 
Once I have glued the first pieces together and let them dry, I arrange the trivet again and glue together those pieces.  It works better to do this because it fits together better in the end and it's stronger.  Voila!  A fun, inexpensive handmade gift for the holidays.

in gratitude

We had a surprise this weekend.

We've been waiting months for this to happen.

Our first egg from one of the little ladies.

It's a really small egg compared to the eggs our "older ladies" lay for us.  The first eggs can often be quite small.  Like a warm-up egg.

Jonathan found the egg.  He was looking in the chicken house when he found a really beautiful nest she constructed out of hay and shavings.  The nest so carefully made for her prize. One egg lay inside.

We don't know which hen laid this for us but I suspect it's one of the Salmon Faverolles.  When I was cleaning their house, one of them was very upset I was in her house, messing with her nest.  I quickly cleaned up, making sure her area was not disturbed.  

Thank you little lady!  We are very grateful for your gift.