a little crafty nest

pretty little frocks

Those pretty little frocks my daughter has acquired over the past few years are slowly gathering into a pile of outgrown clothing.  It makes me kind of sad, in a materialistic way, as so many of them were so darn sweet.  And in a mama-kind-of-way, it means my little girl is growing up!  Sighs.

But I don't feel quite done with them, yet.  (I mean, the dresses).  So what to do with several beautiful but tight-fitting outfits?  As many of you do already, I re-purposed them...into skirts.  So simple, so easy, so functional.  And so stinkin' cute!

Most of them required a little snipping here and there, a waistband added with an elastic and finito!  The orange and white sundress only needed straps to be taken off as there is a zipper up the back.  Each skirt took less than 20 minutes to fix, if that. 

Sunshine tells me she will wear them for fancy times.  I'm not sure what a "fancy time" is, but I look forward to finding out!

prairie girl clothing

Though, as many of you know, we live in the mountains.  I had to call these clothes prairie girl clothes though, because they just seem to suit any little cutie-pie in a Laura Ingalls kind-of-way. 

Something about ruffles on a pair of pants just seems to make them all the more sweeter.  And they easily work under skirts, too.  (I'll show you the skirts we upcycled next week).

The three pairs of pants I made are such a modified version of a store-bought pattern that I don't even know what it is anymore.  I simply add ruffles or even elastic to the bottom to make a pair of bloomers.  Very easy and very comfy.  My daughter was in such need of new clothes and these are just the thing...for now.  Afterall, it is so much fun sewing for a little girl.

I used Anna Maria Horner's pattern "The Prairie Blouse" from her book "Seams to Me ~ 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing".  I like that it is adaptable for all ages...I might test this one out on myself one day soon.  Afterall, these kind of clothes made up my wardrobe not that long ago.  Anna Maria's patterns are so easy to follow and so straightforward...I recommend her books just for the simplicity of sewing nice garments.

I think Miss Sunshine also loves her prairie girl clothes, especially the pink ones!  Good thing this mama is happy to keep sewing for this little one...especially when it is so easy to create such affordable outfits.
And there are lots of ideas generating right now for more, I just have to find some time.  For now, these prairie girl clothes will keep my little one fashionable attired, in a Little House kind-of-way.

a wintery inspiration

Outside, this weekend...

Craft imitating life...

I think I'm onto a new sewing theme of seasonal table runners.  A quick and easy project that was satisfying to complete.  Hmmm...what will inspire the next one, I wonder?

Blessings on your meals, friends.  May Old Man Winter be treating you kindly.

handmade for the holidays...that would be the one that just passed

Better late than never, right?

First, there were two beeswax crayon roll-ups for Forrest and Sunshine.  Forrest graduated to stick crayons while Sunshine seems old enough to take better care of her crayons...and oh, she feels so grown-up with her lovely set!

All three little ones have their own sketchbooks...it's easier to hold all their drawings together than to have so many looseleaf masterpieces scattered about!  Even little one year old Huckley has a sketchbook, which he uses...the older two model how to use it properly, without even knowing what they are doing.  Using beautiful beeswax crayons (Stockmar) are absolutely positively the best - and worth every penny for the vivid colours and rich quality.

Another handmade gift, which was no surprise to them, were knitted neckwarmers, which I posted about here.  This is what they look like adorning their necks...

Forrest requested (several times) to make his extra long to cover his nose when he goes skiing.  However, he informed me during the taking of this photo that "Next time, please mama, could you make it not so long?"  Sighs.  The younger two have been wearing theirs when I request them to, however, I'm not so sure Forrest will use his too much...we shall see...

I also made our traditional Christmas Eve pj's for the three children.  I found some flannel with candy canes and snowflakes ~ Sunshine tells me they are just what she wanted!  Though, she says this with great delight whenever she receives anything.  So much like her Papa.

Papa also made a little something for the children, inspired by some items out of the Nova catalogue and by my dear friend, Melanie at Our Ash Grove and her husband.

These sandwich boards were harvested and milled with Josh's chainsaw and then he cut out shapes for each child.  With a little regular beeswax polishing...

...these little boards hold a lovely meal that each child can take to the table on their own.

Please go see Melanie's snack boards here.  They are so delightful!

Of course, not nearly as many ideas made it to completion.  But, then again, half the fun for me is imagining, designing, and thinking about what I want to make for those special people.  And there's always next year!

handmade for the holidays (napkins and a fairy, too)

I always seem to have Big Plans for holiday making...and this year, especially, my follow-through is a little less than impressive.  Perhaps because there seems to be a lot of "help" of the most innocent, wide-eyed kind...

So while little Huckley got involved with this fabric pile, I got busy sewing...napkins.  I admit, I have a little napkin fetish going on this year, and the seasonal variety are oh so festive!  I have lots of fabric ends from making stockings and gift bags and pajamas, and with a simple snip here and there, many squares were cut.  The children had a fun time matching front and back squares for me to sew together.

We made enough to host my family's Boxing Day Dinner for twelve...though, there will surely be some more made for gift giving this season. 

And while these little hands were kept busy...

...a little Christmas Fairy came alive...

She has her place beside our homeschool hutch, overseeing all the busy-ness of our daily activities.  I also heard Sunshine mention to her brothers that she is making sure they are behaving...hmmm, works for me!

Happy (handmade) Holiday making, to all my crafty friends!

handmade for the holiday (rustic tree ornaments)

Simple, easy, and full of charm, these little ornaments came together so quickly in all of half an hour.  I was inspired by some crafts in an old issue of Mary-Jane's Farm magazine, and I am loving how they turned out.

Tree ornaments or gift decorations, I like their rustic imperfections.  I think I will be making up a whole whack of these to give away.  I'm certain my six year old could sew these just as well ~ oh, and my three year old, because if big brother can do it, so can she! 

Ah, 'tis The Season approaching...

birthday mama-mades

It's not a true birthday around here without some new, mama-made clothing for the birthday boy.  Forrest asked for a cardigan just like his little brother's from back in July.  Of course, I was pretty happy to oblige...the last time I made a sweater for this boy was when he was in the womb.  I didn't give myself very much time to knit his birthday sweater ~ I was blocking it the day before and stayed up until midnight selecting buttons.  But finish it, I did, and he (and I) couldn't be more pleased!
As you can see, my wooden button stash is low and his sweater is missing the top and bottom buttons until we go to town next. I used the same cardigan pattern that my dear friend, Melanie, had introduced me to and it is a fairly easy, satisfying knit.  I used some lovely Berroco Ultra Alpaca tonal, which I really love. 

You can check out my ravelry notes under a little crafty nest, but I did have to alter the pattern, and darn it, it still came out in a slim fit.  I even cast on for a 10-12 year old, adjusting the length of arms ~ however, it is a slim fit.

No matter, Forrest tells me that he loves his sweater as it's like "wearing a kiss from mama".  What more of a rating could I get than that?

I also made Forrest some comfy pants from an old pajama pattern I've used several times (I can't even remember where it originally came from).  I bought some denim but preferred the washed out look of the wrong side of the fabric.

Forrest helped me choose some patch pocket material...vintage snowy sport fabric!  I love this print!!!  It is just perfect for my boisterous, active boy who loves anything snow-oriented.

And a funny little tidbit...my boy doesn't like to wear anything under his sweater ~ the wool is that soft!  I suppose there's nothing coming between him and his mama-mades!

 

a shy little gnome

It is the season for unusual happenings and uninvited guests.  We have had a special little visitor these last few days...

Trip trap, trip trap...we could hear his tiny little hammer if we were really very still...

He is such a shy little gnome, really! 

When Sunshine came across this photo, she was determined to be a "little gnome with a long white beard" for Halloween. 

I was so happy to make this very simple costume for my girl...for a long while I was crossing my fingers someone wanted to be a gnome!

Once she gets a bee in her bonnet, there's simply no changing this one's mind!

I also made a Halloween bag for each of them, to collect the various gold dust, gnome's crystals, shooting stars, and rosy red apples that they find on the Enchanted Walk at the local Waldorf School.  It is a magical night and has become a tradition in our family for the last five years.

And my little gnome who has come to visit...well, she's absolutely tickled with her costume.  So is her big brother so I made him a gnome hat, too!  The more, the merrier I do believe!

And so this mama will be fairly busy in the meantime, finishing two other costumes for Halloween night!  There is indeed excitement in the air...we're carving Jack o'Lanterns tonight!  I love how the festive atmosphere is contagious from the littles to the not-so-littles! I'll be back later to share more costumes and fun...

Happy weekending!!!

a colourful life

You know that saying, about people living a colourful life?  Well, I'd like to think that they live a life that's vibrant and beautiful and exciting.  I'd also like to think this is how my children feel.  It's kind of a universal right of all children to live exactly that way...embracing each moment with all their being, seeing the fragility of life with a rainbow of intensity.

A long while back, just after returning home from the hospital, I did a post on using our daily rhythm and routine to lend structure to our lives as we navigated a new path for our family.  It's true that I personally thrive on rhythm and routine, and I see my children are most definately like their mama that way.  Thankfully, too, as diabetes seems to be a condition which requires structure and regularity.  To the extreme.

Many years ago, I happened upon some reading about colours and their effect on children's psyche.  Joan Salter gets into it a bit in The Incarnating Child, mentioning that we "see red", or "feel blue" or are "green with envy".  Steiner's colour theories are based on the law of complements where if you surround yourself, in say,  purple (a more melancholy colour), it will help induce an inner feeling of sunny yellow.  

 
While our lives are not so rigid that we adhere to all aspects of this theory of colours, we most definately have a colourful home.  My children know the days of the week by their colour name (Monday is Purple Day, Tuesday is Red Day, etc.) which gives them a better frame of reference.  They live colours.  They feel colours.  We loosely have different activities for those colour days, Green Day is Painting Day, Blue Day is Games Night.  Sometimes, we try and wear something in that colour for the day.  Usually, we use placemats and candles for each day of the week.  Then I had fun and made some napkins.  These were so easy to sew up, and sooooo quick.  Mindless, I tell you.  Some days, that's exactly what I need to do!

 
Then I got a little silly and made this Purple Day apron.  I really really love it! 

 
Maybe there will be more rainbow-hued aprons to follow, but then again, maybe it's just the kick-start to the week that Purple Day (Monday) calls for!  I definately feel sunnier wearing it...and my little girl beamed with delight when she saw me in it! 

It helps make for a colourful life!

box of treasures

My three year old daughter is not much of a dolly girl.  Oh, I've tried, believe me.  She shows some interest for a few moments, and then moves on to more action type play...like trucks and motorbikes and see-how-I-throw-the-dolly.  I have to admit, I'm a little sad about this.  I know, I know, honour who she is and what she likes and don't force her into a mould.  But, really now, I am a dolly girl. 

As her third birthday approached, one of her most requested stories at bedtime was my recollection of dolly play when I was a girl.  The old-fashioned school set up in my basement, the high chair I got from St. Nicholas that my sister thought was meant for her, the doll I painstakingly made walk every step to Kindergarten a whole two blocks away.  She especially loves the high chair story and so that is why we gave her a dolly high chair for her birthday ten days ago.  She loves it.

And the hand-made presents we made for her grew out of those stories.  
Josh made her a cedar treasure box that I filled with dolly clothes.

 
Sunshine has a very special doll made by my dear friend who owns maplerose.  I have been saving the doll for a few years, until Sunshine was old enough to care for her properly, or until she ever became smitten with dolls.  Both of those reasons went out the window when Sunshine was diagnosed with diabetes in January.  Josh went home on our second day at the hospital to gather clothing for our family and I asked him to find the doll at the back of my closet. 

  
She was great comfort to Sunshine in the hospital, but soon after settling back at home, she was rejected.  I think Sunshine associates that really horrible time in her life with this doll.  So...Maya (as she came to be known) was given a wardrobe change...a whole new look to hopefully spark renewed interest.

 
I had such fun sewing these little (pink!) outfits from scraps of Sunshine's own clothes.   

 
 
 
Maya's sweater is a pattern by Shelly (waldorfmama) found here.  It was such fun designing and making Maya's wardrobe...it sure came together a lot faster than sewing for bigger babies!  And all three children were pretty excited by the box of treasures...

 
There's been a lot of dolly play since Sunshine's birthday.  And even if my daughter never becomes a dolly girl like I was, I know in my heart that is just fine.  The comfort she provided my girl in the hospital is beyond priceless...and for that, Maya, I will always cherish you!

 

her pink party dress

Sunshine wanted a pink birthday this year.  She's been waiting 10 months and 3 weeks for it!  Pink balloons, pink plates, pink straws, pink cake, pink food, and all of us had to wear pink, too.  Of course, she needed a pink party dress to wear on her day.  I sewed this up from a pattern, adjusting to accomodate her insulin pump, and choosing to size it a little large.  It will definately last her a long, long time. 

 
I never thought I'd have a daughter so into the colour pink.  Then again, I never thought I'd be so into the colour pink because my daughter loves it so.  But it's true.  I've fallen in love with several shades of pink...you know, not the neon plastic hue, but the soft, peachy, rosy pink that whispers of gentle kisses and sunwarmed peaches.

 
Kind of like my girl.  When she arrived into my arms, she looked like a sweet, rosy peach with her white blonde little downy fuzz on her forehead and the nape of her neck.  It's no wonder she generates little sparks of excitement whenever she discovers something pink. 

 
I love that my children unintentionally and magically persuade me to embrace something I was sure I wouldn't like.

 
Because when I look into her eyes and feel her body fairly buzzing, pink is indeed a wondrous thing!

(Unfortunately, these are the only photos I have of my girl in her new dress.  It is moment's before her party begins and she was not feeling very good as her blood glucose levels were out of her target range.  Last night I decided not to post them as she looks so unhappy.  But tonight, I realize that this is where we are at in our life.  She has been feeling this way for a month now while we figure out her insulin pump.  It has been the longest four weeks of my life...I can't imagine how she feels.)

little green birthday shirt

With each birthday that rolls around, I make the celebrated child some new clothing.  I think this is probably one of my favourite gifts to give, perhaps because I get to enjoy my little one living in the clothes I want to see them in.  For now, this works well.  (I can already see that for my five year old, he has certain ideas of the clothes he'd like to be wearing...I think there is some compromise lurking on the horizon)!

With my one year old son, though, he is all happiness and smiles about anything he's given.  This includes old yogurt containers, wooden spoons, pieces of wool roving.  I suppose he's not very, um...discerning.

 
Good thing, too, because I made him a little green birthday shirt.

 
He smiled with delight, fondling the buttons, stroking the fabric.  Though, all I see are the imperfections.  Usually I'm quite happy with the clothes I make for my children.  But this little green birthday shirt was a bit of a stretch for me, for some reason. (Sometimes, I just know I should walk away from the sewing machine on a particular day.  I can feel that things won't be flowing well, so I had better just move on to something else.  Needless to say, I didn't listen to that voice the day before his birthday)!  I had issues with pattern sizing (or lack thereof), green thread (again, or lack thereof), unacommodating buttonholes (for big buttons), and an interfaced collar (making this little green birthday shirt look all collar)!

Phewf!  Back to little Huckley being delighted!  The best thing about it, though, is how good Huckley makes it look!  Really, now!

 
Well, he got his little green birthday shirt on his first birthday. And he was delighted!  I'll stick with that!

flower headbands (a mini tutorial of sorts)

Sunshine has just two friends.  That may not seem like a lot at first, but, then again, she is only two herself (three next week!).  And when you are two, those two friends mean an awful lot.  Her bestest little girl friend is the daughter of dear friends of ours.  And this past weekend, their little girl turned three.

With very little time to make something, I literally whipped up a flower hairband for the birthday girl.

 
It might also be a crown, as her mama pointed out.  This is very simple to make, and briefly here is what I did.  First, I cut out a rectangle of green cotton, one third longer than the circumference of her head (I based it all on Sunshine's measurements).  I also cut out flowers from some wool felt, and a piece of elastic, one inch longer than her head circumference.

 
Then I sewed up the green cotton, turned it inside out (the only laborious part of the craft), and inserted the elastic.  (By the way, I have only recently discovered in many years of sewing how easy this can be done using a safety pin to feed through the tube ~ sheer genius!)

 
After the headband was made, a few stitches in the center of the flowers using embroidery thread finished it up.  Sweet and simple, my kind of birthday gift.

Of course, Miss Sunshine really really wanted one, too.  How could I resist?

 
Do you remember how sweet your friendships were at the tender age of (almost) three?  Moments to treasure, that's for certain!

a little spring beauty

It's about that time of year when I'm sorting through everyone's closets, pulling out warm weather clothing, and stacking up the give-away piles.  I'm pretending that this was the reason why I wanted to make a little spring outfit for Miss Sunshine. 

 
She's so easy to please (right now), as all I have to say is that I'm working on a new spring shirt for her to wear, and then she beams and giggles and hangs around the sewing machine.

 
The pattern was from the same McCall's Costumes package that I made her bonnet from here.  It is actually meant to be a dress, but I thought a shortened version would look lovely as a shirt.

 
And because I still had twenty minutes of "Mama Time", I made a pair of shorts for her, though they turned out kind of like culottes...(Is that what three-quarter length pants are called?  Gouchos)?  Nontheless, they ended up a bit longer than I had intended and I still might shorten them.  I didn't use a pattern for these, but eyeballed them from a pair of pajama pants, adding on a wide leg flair.

 
Only this very minute did I realize that this outfit is similar to the spring clothes I made for her last year, here.  I suppose I am a romantic at heart, as I just love this look...she looks like a wee little bohemian poet. 

 
And the roomy feel to the shirt doesn't impede much movement.  Though, there's not much that can stop this girl!

 
A little spring beauty in the garden!

What clothes have you made lately?

embellishments

This weekend, all of us got a little pink from the sun shining down on us.  Now, sunhats are always worn, not just occasionally.  And despite wanting my oldest son to wear his Huck Finn straw hat that I love...

 
...he much prefers his standard, plain blue ballcap.

 
Really, it doesn't matter all that much, but I like the more home-made flair.  Gratefully, Forrest is ok with a few embellishments...of the embroidered type.

 
This just took a few hours of very simple embroidery, and the result is a personalized, hand-made ballcap.  I made one for him when he was smaller, but this time he was able to put in a request.  He wanted wings on a star, and then he wanted a fire-breathing dragon.  Hmmm...he settled for simplicity, thank goodness.

 
And in the end, we both get what we wanted...he wears his ballcap, and I was able to make it a little more handmade.  Oh, and that first ballcap that Forrest has outgrown?  Well, it fits someone else just fine!

 
Sun protecting, embellished ballcaps.  Happiness all around!

going on a picnic

Our favourite spot this spring happens to be under our favourite apple tree beside the creek.  One of the most requested things to do right now is to go sit on a blanket under the creekside appletree and read a book.   

 
The anticipation of adventuring outdoors with a basket filled with tea, nibbles, a favourite story, and my knitting (of course!) is very exciting, indeed.  What tickles me, in a quiet sort of way, is that we are a mere twenty feet from the house.  However, loading up the basket and marching down the hill and over the bridge, laying out our picnic spot is a beloved enterprise to little people who are so very fond of any type of novel adventure.

 
And now we finally have our very own picnic blanket for the occasion.  Oh, yes, this was a patiently awaited blanket that I began an embarassingly long while ago (think years) and shelved and re-shelved many times.  It just didn't feel right, you know?  One of those projects that was a real slog to complete.  I used various scraps of fabric I had been carting around for way too long, and perhaps that was why...it wasn't my favourite fabrics.  And then I quilted it on my machine without the proper foot piece and it bunched and gathered...here, there, and everywhere!  But, phew!  it's done!  Just in time for this season's picnics and beachside play.

 
Though, I think I'm the only one who seems to notice these things.  My little ones would never think to look for such details, good or bad.  They just feel the comfort of a mama-made picnic blanket and know that wherever they find themselves, this little piece of (imperfect) craftiness belongs to them.  This is their spot.  To dream, to laugh, to play, to reflect, to nap, to be.

 
 
 
With some effort, I remind myself that despite the puckers and uneven edges, it really is only a picnic blanket.  It's meant to be sat on, dripped on, spilled on, and stained.  Letting go of needing things to be just right is often an ongoing battle for me.  I think I'll start with this very blanket. 
One look at this fella reminds me of the important things.  And even if we just hop on over the bridge to the apple tree for a morning of lazying about, this picnic blanket will accompany us, imperfections and all.

sunshine's sunbonnet

With this warmer weather and strengthening sun blazing by mid-day, I traded our warmer knit hats in for our sunhats.  My husband, children, and I all have very fair, Northern skin...all of us turn a bright pink in a short amount of time, which fades to a tan after several days.  Now that I'm so much more aware of the effects of the sun on our skin, I am determined to prevent my children from acquiring even a smidgen of the sunburns I often had as a youngster.  Luckily, my children still let me dress them!  I don't pretend to believe this will last forever, but, hey!  it's working for us right now.

At the beach when Sunshine was a year old, we were gifted with a sunbonnet by a woman on a blanket next to us.  Sunshine wore it every day, and it still (barely) fits. 

 
I knew that I would eventually make a new one for her myself.  Last week I found a few hours to sit down and stitch, all the while conjuring idyllic images of Laura Ingalls frolicking in the garden with Sunshine.

 
 
 
 
The pattern is McCall's Costumes M4547...and it includes a dress, chemise, pantaloons, and apron for girls ages 3 through 6.  There's also a larger size, too.  I know I'll be making the dress and I've already begun a shortened chemise to be more like a dress-shirt.

 
 
 
I've been told my whole life that I belong to a different era.  I kind of feel that way, myself.  I long for the days when people used wagons and horses to travel, when a community had individuals with specialized talents and that's all anyone needed, when people were far more self-sufficient, hardworking, and content, and when a whole village helped raise a child.  Maybe that's why I gravitate to dressing my children in simpler, functional clothing and avoiding (as long as possible) the influences of other people's ideas of what looks good.  For now, these little ones are sheltered enough to believe that hand-made clothing like this bonnet is "cool".  Thank goodness! 
And really, styles aside, this bonnet truly keeps the sun from her beautiful fair skin.  That's what it's all about, isn't it? 

pink elephant ~ may 2011 ~ comfort and support

Our family's "white elephant in the room" is really pink.  Our 2 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in January 2011 and it has changed our lives forever.  Every month, I post a little update on how we are coping with her condition.

It's been four months since our lives have been completely shaken up, tossed about, and turned inside out.  Last month, many people remarked that they were amazed at how well I seem to be coping with Sunshine's diagnosis.  It's interesting how blogland often has a rosy-tinted screen to everything.  In reality, I don't feel it's going all that well right now.  In fact, I feel like I'm treading water a few inches below the surface.  What people don't see are the dark circles under my eyes, the constant worry in my heart, the silent ache of it all.

 
I am finally realizing that I need to reach out and ask for some help.  This is one of the hardest things for me to do, and sadly, I have been denied help by those that I thought I could rely on.  So, I thought I'd pass on some insight into what might help if a friend of yours suddenly finds themselves experiencing the devastating diagnosis of a lifelong illness for their child.

• Do ask how she is feeling / coping / doing.  It surprises me how easy people want to avoid this most basic question, but it offers the mama a chance to validate her emotions.  This allows her to move forward in a positive way to cope with her child's condition.

 

• Do validate those emotions, even if they are uncomfortable for you to hear.  For some people, it is tempting to dismiss her real emotions by reminding her to "just consider how your daughter feels".  You can bet that your friend is thinking about her child every waking moment.
• Don't judge her coping process.  Shock, denial, sadness, fear, anxiety, anger, resentment, and guilt are a very real part of coping with a crisis.  Allow your friend to move through (and perhaps revisit) these aspects of coping.    I was actually told I shouldn't be grieving anymore, after just six weeks.  Grieving may take months, or may be revisited off and on over years.

 

• Do ask how you might help.  Surrendering to be of service to your friend is perhaps the greatest gift you could give her while she adjusts to her new life.  Imposing your opinions of how she might cope or raise her children is not helping...it only adds more stress and anxiety.
• Do offer your friend some time to herself, especially if she has more than one child.  Allowing her quiet time to process, or just to be still, is a tremendous gift.  Amazingly, this has been the most elusive thing I've experienced. 
• Do not impose your own expectations when you offer your help.  Again, surrendering to being of service is a beautiful gift.  While it may seem inconvenient or disruptive for even a half hour of your time, imagine the disruption your friend's family has undergone...for life!

 

• Do accomodate their lifestyle changes.  It's easy to avoid inviting them over for a meal or a gathering, particularly when their situation seems to overwhelm you.  But what they may need so badly is a change of pace, new scenery, a diversion.
• Do ask again (and again!) if your friend makes excuses not to take you up on your offer the first time.
• Do lend your shoulder...and the other one, too.

 

• Do ask to read any information (books, pamphlets, websites) relating to their child's condition.  Showing interest is a form of support, and clearly expresses your concern and love.
• Do ask questions.  There are no wrong questions, and it is the easiest way to learn.  I knew very little about Type 1 Diabetes when we first went to the Emergency Room in January.  I know a fair bit more, but I have a long way to go to understanding this condition.  The more people who know about it, the more we can prevent dangerous consequences from occurring, and the closer we are to a cure.
• Please, please, please do not tell your friend her child's condition is easy to manage.  Walk in her shoes for just one day, and then you will most assuredly have a different opinion.

We have been very fortunate to have family that could offer us some temporary financial relief so both Josh and I could be home for a while to adjust our family to our daughter's new condition.  We are so grateful to them, and to those good friends who have reached out and shown us what compassion truly looks like.

  

My heart is a bit more tender tonight as I write this.  I can still smell the lovely scent of my daughter from putting her to bed for the night.  As I cradled her in my arms, for the first time since being diagnosed I heard her whisper, "Mama, I don't like diabetes."  Oh, honey, why not?  "Because if I want an apple and I can't have it 'cause of the carbs, then my belly hurts and my eyes hurt and my head hurts...and then my heart hurts." 

Oh, my sweet perfect daughter, I so wish I could take it away for you.

 

three little bunnykins

Spring warmth and sunshine have finally arrived, just in time for this past Easter weekend.  The Easter bunny hid our dyed eggs out in the kitchen garden, amongst the fresh straw mulch.  After munching the carrots left for him, he left a plant for each child to put in their own garden.  This year he left a few hens and chicks that were planted in various watering cans...a sweet surprise with a dual purpose!

 
I also was able to (barely!) finish making three batik bunnies for each of my children.  Oh, these were such fun to create...though I would modify my pattern a bit next time!

 
They are far from perfect, but so irresistably huggable!  

 
They have been carried about the house, set up at the dinner table to share meals, and squished between bodies for storytime, but the only photos I managed to take involved naps.  For shortly after our weekend of fun, three little people came down with very high fevers and upset tummies.  So, here are a few pictures of fevering babies and their very own little bunnykins.

 
And the one thing of comfort they just really needed while they fevered and lay glassy-eyed and lethargic on the couch, was their mama-made bunnykin.

 
Yes, indeed, these little bunnies arrived just in time to help nurse my sweet little ones back to health!

hoodie manifest-oh!

We had hail today.  In the middle of April, hail.  My freshly planted onions, leeks, and lettuce managed to survive...but really now, hail?

I thought we were well into Spring, transitioning from woolies into warmer weather clothing.  But, afterall, we live in the mountains and things blow in so quickly, vanishing just as fast.  This didn't stop me from making two of three hoodies I had planned for Spring outdoor wear.

 
I owe the design to my Grateful Dead days (this really dates me, doesn't it)?  I made a lot of clothing and sold or traded it in the parking lot of music shows.  In fact, I still have a Rubbermaid or two filled with some leftovers!  

 
Forrest really wanted a hoodie for outdoors, and I thought it was a great idea with soccer season beginning this week.  I had planned on making one for little Huckley, but his will have to wait.

 
They are made out of corduroy with a cozy flannel lining in the hood.  I think Sunshine's hood is too big and gaping, but she is so happy with more mama-mades.  It seems there is plenty of room for her to grow into her hoodie!

 
These are the type of clothes that I hope to see stained with dirt and grass, worn thin at the sleeves, and hung right beside the door ready for the next outing.  I am not expecting them to become hand-me-downs, let alone make it through to another season.

 
 
These are just simple clothes meant to be well-worn and well-loved. 

 
Maybe if we put the woolens away and wear these warmer weather clothes, we'll manifest the sunny warmth we're longing for.  It's worth a try, isn't it?