a little crafty nest

knitting inspiration

This little blog world never ceases to amaze me.  I fell into it rather unexpectedly, and after much skepticism, just over two years ago.  If you had told me then that it would become such a source of inspiration, creativity, and friendships, well, I would have raised both my eyebrows in polite disbelief.

But here I am, finding myself in a lovely community of like-minded women...knitters and crafters, mamas and grandmothers.  It is not a stretch to say that I have found some very kindred folk here, and I am ever so grateful for that alone.  Recently, I found another lovely human in cyber world.  I do believe it was a serendipitous meeting as we share so much in common...it gets kind of eery (in a good way)!  Lori is inspiring to me in so many ways...knitting photographs, outlook on life...truly, she is one talented lady!  Somehow, Lori manages to make each one of us feel so very special and important (I think), and that is truly a gift.  It is not too much for me to say that I really look to Lori for a positive, humorous little sunburst of happiness when I visit her blog.

Well, imagine my surprise when I discovered I had won (!) a give-away she held a few weeks ago.  First of all, I never win these things...I am not lucky like that.  But when I saw what she was giving away, I couldn't help myself.  I was struck by the beauty and simplicity of simple beach glass and shells...my kind of gift!!!  So I entered, and days later, realized I won!!!  How exciting is that!!!

And not only did I recieve these nesting shells from her beachside home, but a lovely handknit necklace to hold some of her beachglass.

Can you see how delicate and shimmery this stitchwork is?  Gasp!  I love it!!!

Lori and I have been exchanging some emails before this, and so she knows a little about my family and our journey.  Lori was thoughtful enough to send my children little packages as well, which they adore.  My husband also recieved a copy of Lori's husband's magazine, DEEP.  Her generosity knows no limits as the two of them are about to head off to Africa, and Lori is taking dozens of knitted pouches filled with little goodies for the children of Namibia.  You can check it out here. 

Yes, I am so happy to have my wee little corner of blogdom as I get to meet such lovely, gentle souls like Lori.  What a gift she has brought to my family's life!  Thank you, Lori!!!

Now, for knitting this week, I began a Fisherman's Pullover for my oldest boy, Forrest.  I am embarassed to say that I have begun this sweater more times than I can count on one hand, and what you see below will have to come undone, too.  I just can't seem to find the flow of this one, but determined I am!  I think I should be fine on my restart tonight.  Sighs.  Knitting surely brings lots and lots of practice for patience.

My book is an excellent read, "Bride of New France" by Suzanne Desrochers.  Forget about the history I learned in school about fur traders and the New World, because this is a much more frank, unromantic view of the unwanted women of France who were shipped to future Canada to mate and create a thriving population.  Fascinating, if at times unbelievable.

Thank you once again, dear Ginny, for your lovely yarn along.  I look forward to seeing what others are doing right now!

notes from the garden ~ end of april

There has been a magical transformation over the last few weeks here...you can see it, smell it, hear it, feel it.  A truly sensory experience as Spring just sprung into every little cranny of our property.  The creek is thundering and washing up over the banks, the birds are chattering amongst themselves, and blossoms are peeking out ~ all over!  If anyone doubts the power and magic of Mama Nature, this is the season to become a believer!

Lately, sweet peas have been planted around the children's tipi.  We alternate between sweet peas ande scarlet runner beans, and Sunshine and I are very happy it is a flower year...the smell is intoxicating!

In our little kitchen garden, this is the time I mulch the pathways.

I layer several thicknesses of newspapers and then top with some straw.  It seems to keep the couch grass out for nearly the entire season.  In the past, I have also tried cardboard which is rather stubborn to bend into the right shapes.  Also, there is often glues used in the cardboard, so I try and avoid that from leeching into the beds.

We also repotted our tomato starts into bigger pots...they were looking to stretch out a bit.

Almost all our root vegetables are in the ground (onions, leeks, carrots, beets), though parsnips and potatoes have still to be planted.  We have a larger salad bed this year mixed with various kales and broccoli and spinach.  Oh, and the spinach and peas are up and thriving!!!  That never fails to excite me  :)

Forrest loves to collect chives for the dinner salad...he is the salad fella, and eager to help!

In the woods by the creek, we spotted a most welcome friend that suggests Spring Pie is not too far away...

Oh, lovely nettles, how I've missed thee!

The most exciting garden progress these last few weeks is in our Big Garden.  For years and years, while our family grew (and grew), the Big Garden has sat a little idle, waiting for many busy hands to nurture it into the garden of our dreams.  We have two big garlic beds in there that we know the deer don't touch, but otherwise, it has been a dormant place, beckoning me with dreams of the future garden I want it to become.

Finally, our temporary garden fence to protect the blueberry patch was extended, and we now have a fenced in Big Garden.....eek!

To the upper left is our blueberry hill, surrounded by a temporary deer fence.  We dug a trench around the Big Garden years ago to put up a weed barrier (sheet metal), and now Josh is doing the hard work of re-digging it to put in the cedar posts he harvested last year.

Our main entry into the garden...it just needs a gate now.

Tonight, Josh asked me how I like the feel of the Big Garden with the fencing up.  I told him it was my sanctuary.  Oh, the possibilities...

moments from the week

Thunderstorms are rumbling around here now, and the weather has been moody.  I love it!!!  At night, the lightening shows through our windows are spectacular...and they've barely begun. 

This week, we have been struggling with colds here, though I'm happy to say it is not the flu.  Usually, I manage to sail through it all while tending the rest of the family...but not this time.  I got it good.  Luckily, it was fairly short-lived and we were able to spend a lot of our weekdays outdoors, in the garden ~ sniffling and coughing and breathing in the fresh spring air.

chainsaw puppy...complete with sound effects at full throttle

clay play after our Earth Day paddle with the real thing found at the river's edge...hours of fun!

digging together

garden critters

a knight's tournament

Ok, this one deserves a better explanation.  Forrest absolutely adores anything to do with knights and castles and dragons.  For a very long time, he has been wanting to do a real battle with his papa because we don't allow sword fighting...usually.  Many days passed that there was supposed to be The Battle, and each time it got post-poned, until Forrest broke down in disappointment the day before this event.  In the morning, he awoke and picked out an outfit for himself and his papa (I have no idea where he found the slick biking shirt (?) and the silly helmut (or should I say, the silly biking shirt and the slick helmut?) but there it is, complete with socks for gloves.  There was much fanfare before the fight, as mama presented Forrest with a scarf to show her allegiance to her young son (I hedged my bets with the least ridiculous-looking).  Spectators watched from behind glass windows, dogs tried to get involved, and the rain drizzled.  In the end, after much hoopla and hysterical giggling, Sir Young-Son defeated Sir Papa-a-lot.  Then we had breakfast.

And that is how we ended our week.

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.

earth day adventuring

I am not a water person.  At.  All.  But there is something about canoeing that moves my soul. 

This weekend, on Earth Day, we loaded up the three littles into our inherited canoe and pushed off from the shore to paddle upstream.  It was a glorious adventure.

We put in our canoe at our favourite spot that we walk to regularly, just a ten minute stroll from home.  What a different perspective you get, though, looking at the same mountains, the same homesteads, the same horizons from the water than looking at them from land.  A whole new world opens up...

We saw all sorts of wildlife, including:

~a red tailed hawk, an osprey, a flicker, a few merganzers, Barrow's golden eye ducks, Canadian geese, swallows, ravens, crows, and one painted turtle sunning on a beaver lodge.

At this time of year, the current is still fairly mellow and we easily paddled upstream only to drift slowly back down, hugging the shoreline.  We decided we wanted to do the same paddle once a month to see how the river changes every few weeks.

It is a balancing act, managing five people in a small canoe.  Everyone has to sit in a certain spot, there can be no careless movements, everything affects the stability of the boat, and we must all work together to maintain a happy, pleasant equilibrium.  A fine parallel to managing a family, I think.

No, I am not a water person ~ despite having all three children who are Water signs (Karma is funny that way!).  But, I grew up spending many summers on canoe trips, one even lasting an epic 6 weeks!  There is something so peaceful, so timeless about canoeing quietly about, listening to the world around us.  It was a wonderful adventure that I hope will inspire many more such paddles.

Yes, the canoe is out from storage now, and waiting for the next trip up the river.

moments from the week

While the sun was playing peek-a-boo with the clouds for most of the week, we found ourselves outdoors for longer and longer stretches.  There is so much to do right now...aside from gardening chores which are delightfully endless (yes, I really think so!), there were also ziplines to be attempted from scratch...

And boats to make and float at a homeschool nature group...

There is always a little one beckoning mama to follow him about...

And a girl by my side, reaching for my hand.

We were so lucky this week to have papa around a few more days than we thought...so we jumped right into some projects on our little piece of land that we have been meaning to do for a few years now.  It was wonderful to get to it, but mostly, it was wonderful to be outside together ~ digging in the soil, hauling rocks, raking rocks, sorting rocks (do you see a pattern here?), clearing brush, having several bonfires, creating garden spaces, making dams, and swinging about on our new swing.  We were all so very busy and immersed in activities, but there was such a sense of family and connection happening...bliss!  Even Forrest, who likes to share his heart's thoughts, remarked, "I really like this.  I really like being out here and doing this with everyone."  Indeed, me too.

I noticed that this week I have several photos of togetherness, something that seems rather rare...

And my favourite, (and not just because the littles are sitting on my new compost bins)...

Mind you, it wasn't all perfectly smooth and lovely, but I do hope my children will remember that this week, we were all five together a lot, and we shared a wonderful time making our land more into our home.  I am so grateful to all of them!

May you all a wonderful weekend!  Happy Earth Day on Sunday!!!

three little bunnies

Somehow, the week slipped by and I realized I hadn't shared the three little bunnies I made this year for Easter.  Last year, I sewed these bunnies up from scratch, but when I came across this cute little fella, I glanced at the calendar and wondered if I could knit three of them up before Easter.  Well, it all came together, rather easily, with the last little end being sewn up just as the Bunny was hiding eggs in our garden.

Oh, these were really fun to knit...and very easy.  Lots of pieces to sew together, but so worth it when they are put together.

The name of the pattern is The Well-Dressed Bunny, but as you can see, the boy bunnies are still in their, um, birthday suits.  I guess I'm not that fast of a knitter.  The pattern I bought from Fuzzy Mitten came with three clothing options ~ hoodie, waistcoat, and pinafore.  I began with the pinafore in a lovely Mini Mochi rainbow yarn for my girl who declared it the softest bunny ever ("evah").  Indeed!

They arrived in their baskets on Easter morning, and stayed in there for a few days, in a special spot on our hutch, surrounded by our dyed eggs.  Now, they are often nestled under little arms, accompanying my little ones into dreamland.

I'm not sure what is more adorable, these little bunnies, or seeing my one year old son clutch his little bunny to his chest and strut about the house making truck noises. 

Thanks to Ginny for hosting the lovely yarn-along.  Next week I'll have a book to share as right now I'm immersed in a few good reads, mostly homeschool related.

 

ravelry notes here

inspiration here

notes from the garden ~ making black gold

Every gardener knows the importance of good, nutritent-rich compost in their garden.  Kind of like feeding your children good food so they grow strong and healthy.  Well, compost is just the same, you feed your garden plants this black gold and they grow strong and healthy so your family can grow strong and healthy.

Really, it's plain old common sense.  But, in all my years of gardening, I have never had the proper, or ideal, composting system.  Until this week.

Sure, I've had a compost bin that sat in a neglected corner of the yard, with kitchen waste rotting in a stinking heap of a mess.  Yuck.  I'd be lucky to scrape together a shovelful of the black gold all year. 

A few years ago, we bought the fancy shmancy garden brackets from Lee Valley which cost a pretty penny.  They worked but you have to buy three sets to make a proper system and we skimped and just went for two.  Well, one hot pile and one working pile always leaves a gap as to when you can harvest some of the good stuff.

This winter, the bears got into our bins and it was the motivation I needed to get it together and build the proper system.  A three bin system where one is working (you add your kitchen and yard scraps), one is hot (cooking), and one is the black gold ready to be used.

We cleared some hawthorn bushes out of our site, which is no easy task.  Boy, they are tenacious!  And you have to be careful because the thorns are terribly painful if they poke you in the foot!  With ten wooden pallets collected (for free!) from our local nursery, eight stakes, a pocketful of nails and some twine, we built the three bin system in under an hour.  (I say "we" because it was entirely my idea and project, which my husband was all too thrilled to step back from.  However, after banging some nails for a bit, I realized I had overdone some hauling with my wheelbarrow and my elbow was not  cooperating properly.  I had to ask for help, and he graciously stepped in to bang a few nails for me.)

But I did the unpleasant and tedious job of hauling the old compost to the new bins...and in the process realized that we were on the right track with these two because there was very little stink.  And the children loved seeing all the busy little wrigglers...a real homegrown science class!

Altogether, we spent a few dollars on the nails, the rest was free.  Those Lee Valley garden brackets will make a nice leaf mould bin and a straw bale bin to throw on top of the kitchen waste. 

Yes, that is our scavenging pup, Cocoa, inspecting the inside of the bin.  The dogs easily hop right in, despite our discouragement!

There was a bit of a festive air as the first compost bucket was brought from the kitchen to be dumped in the new working bin...it doesn't take much around here for excitement.  I just wish taking the compost out was always such a sought-after task!  Josh chuckles a bit at my giddiness over the new system...I just love it!  And oh, the veggies will too...just wait and see, dear husband.

moments from the week

We are feeling that quickening pace of spring already, with more activities beckoning us to leave the comfort of our property and venture further afield.  This week, we have had friends come play with us, we have visited our favourite goat farm, we participated in a children's nature walk along the river, we (nearly) finished a little home renovation (details coming!), and we accidentally found a lovely new place to play on our land that has us very excited indeed!  Phewf!  Yes, it was a busy, full, lovely week of clear weather sprinkled with spring storms...I love it!

Little boy blue come blow your horn...

Dancing on the pallet tower (soon to be our newest compost bins).

Snails and slugs are still rather sweet at this point in the gardening season.  By August, not so much.

On the spur of the moment, we decided to clear an area lower down our creek for a better compost system.  Josh used his brushsaw and his chainsaw to take out some stubborn hawthorn bushes and suddenly we discovered a whole new world.  As we raked and stoked a fire to burn all the nasty little thorny branches, Forrest used the clippers to make a path into the woods beside the creek, whereupon we discovered the perfect branch for making a swing.  With a quick hole drilled into a branch and a piece of climbing rope slung over teh branch, we had a daring little swing that even holds me!  Our little creek has begun to swell, and just overnight with the rains washing down some snow further up the mountain, the quiet murmur has been replaced with a raucous babbling.  How exciting to swing out over the rushing water on a branch swing...

Huckley insisted on trying it, too (of course), but I couldn't take a photo as I was holding him upright!  Besides, he preferred to be close to his chainsaw-wielding papa...he truly loves big, loud, noisy machines.

I do think we will be using this swing often in the coming months...it is within sight of my big garden which is exactly where I want to be right now.  I can see some fun weeks ahead of us, for sure!

Friends, I wish you a lovely weekend in the fresh air, nurturing whatever gardens you find yourselves in!

notes from the garden ~ early april

Easter weekend brought some beautiful weather, and I'm hoping it will stay!  Most of the snow is melted away, except for in the darkest parts near the forest and creek's edge.  The newly emerging crocuses invited visitors from our neighbour's farm...

The children and I spent some time watching these busy honeybees ~ the first of the season ~ asking them to make wonderful honey for our friends, Corky and Helen. 

Our biodynamic calendar calls for very little garden activity during the Easter week, but we were so eager to plant our peas and spinach in the just-thawed soil.  It amazes me how each year brings different weather, and our pea plantings can vary up to nearly 2 months depending on the snow load.

This year we will be planting sweet peas around the children's tipi.  Last year was scarlet runner beans...we like to switch it up.  It was a great adventure to find eight branches in the forest by the creek to make new pole supports...the last ones endured four years of all season weather before rotting.  Papa and Forrest did most of the work, and then everyone lent a hand erecting the whole tipi.

I once read somewhere that it is customary to plant seed potatoes on Good Friday.  That is not an option around here as I'm planning to dig a new area for more potatoes this year and the snow just disappeared yesterday.  However, we started our potatoes, local organic ones from a nearby farm.  After slicing them in half, we set them out in the light by the window for a few weeks til the soil has warmed up.

I also started a second batch of flowers today, as it was a biodynamic day for flowers ~ calendula, marigolds, globe thistles, more strawflowers, elephant amaranth, and cosmos.  Yes, we do like lots of colour with our vegetables!  Already, the hollyhocks from a month ago are looking strong and green and beautiful!

In the garlic bed, the shoots are beginning to gather strength, too, and push through the leaf mulch.  Oh, I've been waiting for you, my lovely garlic tops!

This week, while little was planted, there was great progress in tidying up what we have.  I do most of the real work in the fall, knowing that in the spring I just want to dig into the earth and not weed so much.  All the weeding, manuring, and mulching happens in October and November, just before the long winter's rest.  Now, in the spring, I just top dress the beds with some aged manure compost and wait for good days to plant.  I also put rocks around the beds, as two dogs and three little ones running around the garden can damage corners. 

Here is our humble little kitchen garden, all ready to plant.  Each year, I am just as excited to see how our garden will transform over the next six months.  We are ready to go!

easter day album

Hoping your weekend was full of all the joy that this new season brings.   Happy Easter!

moments from the week

As the snow recedes, though not disappearing quite yet (it snowed today!), we are expanding into recently uncovered areas to play.  Once again, we found ourselves drawn to the shop, to be close to papa and hear the buzz of his saw.  Before he begins his first contract of the season next week, he is working on a little home renovation ~ of the inexpensive variety...love those!!!

But over the bridge and to the shop we go...to climb, chisel, and teeter-totter ~ country style!

When I moved the long board over, I asked the children to stay clear, and it looks like they took it to heart.  I suppose they are not used to seeing mama move big boards around, but they look nervous, don't they?

Indoors, this little bug is as snug as one can get...he loves to get cozy in tiny little spaces, and there he sits until he is discovered, upon which he gleefully giggles!

We have been spending the last of our homeschool money...for science experiments like this worm garden.  Indeed, it is fascinating to watch the wormies compost the leaves and dig their tunnels.  Forrest was right into this activity, trudging out in the pouring sleet to dig up some critters from our gardens.
We also purchased a beautiful "real" guitar for Forrest to begin Suzuki guitar lessons in the fall.  I had intended to hide it away til September, but he asked me if I had bought it yet, so I showed him.  He is thrilled!  He really seems ready to begin...and, as he says, "rock out!"

Oh goodness, do you see his haircut?  He hadn't had a trim since a family event at my parent's last summer, and it was really getting too long.  So, I just began to trim it up here and there before realizing that I should NEVER cut my family's, or anyone's, hair ever!  Luckily, he doesn't know any different, but Josh reminded me of the time I managed two distinctive clearcuts up the back of his head with the clippers that forced him to buzz his whole head.  Yes, I can manage to shave hair, but not trim it.

And finally, we spent a few moments here and there this week in our garden, reconnecting with the soil that is coming alive again!  Critters of all sorts are visible, waking up and greeting this new season.  My little girl preferred to help mama in the kitchen garden while the boys tended a bonfire across the creek. 

Yes, indeed, it feels good to be back in this space...how I've missed it!

notes from the garden ~ april fool's day

Three weeks has passed since my last journal, though day by day, there are little miracles popping up and inciting a riot of excitement in my green thumbs.  Finally, we are seeing daily progress on our snow melt ~ hooray!  Our creek is directly beside our home and with all the windows closed, we can still hear the not-so-quiet murmuring of its uncovered waters.  Oh, that babbling burble, how I missed it!

Early in March, I started the first round of flowers indoors...hollyhocks, foxgloves, Shasta daisy, Sweet Williams, straw flowers, calendula, and pumpkin-on-a-stick.  These are the hollyhocks today, three weeks after sowing.

This was our pea bed on March 12...it required desperate measures.

This was far from the easy task we have performed on other big snowload years.  After shoveling the top layer, we reached four inches of solid ice.  And after we cleared it, the ground stayed frozen for another week.  It is only now ready for us to begin planting our peas.

Today, on April 1, this is our little kitchen garden all naked and ready for the fun to begin...

Across the creek in the big garden, there is still a lot of snow.  But beneath the lingering snowy pillow, little garlic shoots are emerging, slender and pale.

We really, really like our basil plants.  They are one of our easiest crops to grow and we eat from the bushy plants all summer long.  I often make pesto each week during the summer, saving it in muffin tins in the freezer, and by the first frost, I bring the whole plant indoors to hang upside down and dry for our gallon jar.  This year I started 90 plants of lettuce leaf (our favourite), genovese, and lemon basil.

And now I have my first disaster story of the season...and it's only been a few weeks!  I planted two long rows of spinach in my greenhouse in early March and waited and waited and waited.  Nothing seemed to be happening, until one day, hauling the water buckets in, there were flecks of green emerging.  Hooray!  I have babied these spinach plants for a few weeks now, compulsively checking on them every day.  Well, today I went out for my visit and I could not believe my eyes...not a speck of spinach anywhere!  After close inspection, I saw the tell-tale signs of several cutworms.  They are so incredibly destructive, and I knew we had a few in the greenhouse every year, so I religiously collar my baby basil and tomato plants.  I never even thought about the tasty, tender spinach.  Of course!  Sighs.  One thing with gardening I have learned over the years, is that it has a very humbling learning curve.

 
We finished the week with a little cottonwood bud harvesting from a tree my husband felled beside his shop.  A third jar of oil sitting in the kitchen bay window, soaking up the sun's goodness.  I can feel Mr. Sun getting stronger, coaxing new life to spring forth.  We are more than ready...

moments from the week

I've been a little quiet this week as my camera had an unexpected fall from a high shelf resulting in a special trip to the coast...for the camera, not me.  In the meantime, I am using an old point and shoot which is great, but just not the same. 

The last few days have been blustery and rainy and cold...just like the Farmer's Almanac calendar tells me is traditionally what happens.  Forget all about that lamb business, it's very lion-like right now!

But the best news is that my husband is finally finished his mountain work for the season...always a big sigh of relief for me, particularly given the avalanche activity right now.  He is taking a few days to take it easy before heading into his warmer weather work, contracting and construction.  Not only do we get to see Papa in the morning when we wake up, but there are a few family outings and some much-needed mama crafty time!

The other day, Josh took the children down the road to his mom's house, where he grew up.  They spent the afternoon on the river, cooking lunch over a small campfire, splashing about and checking out the beaver dams.  A very Papa afternoon!

Do you see the fireboat?  Just like the ones we do at New Year's!

Inside, the atmosphere is equally blustery...

This old mattress is on its way out, making way for a fresh start in Forrest's newly renovated bedroom.  In the meantime, the hallway is a wonderful place for a little mattress mayhem.

Every new season, I like to change up this little corner of our home with a new playscene.  The dollhouse is back up in Sunshine's bedroom and the barn that Josh made for Leif years ago has reappeared.  Next, maybe the castle or a new playscape...

I made that cotton background spur of the moment last week, mostly to cover up the lack of window trim and the very smudgy white walls.  It was a very simple, quick fix which I'm sure I could have made more detailed, but I'll save that project for another rainy day!

The children and I have been venturing across the creek, past the garden and over to the shop to visit Papa.  It is a very different world down there ~ a constructiony, sawdusty, lumber-piley world.  The children love going down there, to dig in sawdust heaps, to watch the dogs hunt for rodents in the rock walls, to balance on teetering stacks of milled wood.  There are horses to spy across the way, neighbours to wave to, nails to hammer into scraps of wood,  and old hunks of metal bits to examine.  We even had a spontaneous popcorn picnic in the snow with our friends a few days ago.  It truly is a different world down there at the shop.  Forrest has been finding reasons to go on adventures over in that neck of the woods lately...I'm amazed at how my previously pokey six year old now gets dressed and out the door before I can remind him to take his hat!  Truly, it is because Papa is home.  We missed him this winter.  It's so very good to have him back.

 

And while all this blustery March business is helping the snow recede, we are still not in the gardens yet.  But we have begun wildcrafting to make oils for salves which will happen later in the summer.  Thinking about all the medicine and food available to us, essentially right at our fingertips, is so wonderful and encouraging.  My little sidekick loves to pick the buds, and every day she wants to know when we will get outside to do more.  I feel so grateful for so much right now!

Enjoy your weekend, friends! 

moments from the week

a Leprechaun by Forrest, age 6

This past week was full of mud, snow, sleet, hail, leprechauns, and rainbows.  Did I mention mud?  Living on the side of a mountain, our whole property slopes down and so the snow melt literally becomes a rivulet coursing down our driveway, gaining momentum, and collecting in pools and puddles all around.  Wonderful for all sorts of splashing, mucking, boating, bucketing play.  Oh, 'tis mud season alright!

I'm determined not to twitch too much with all the muddy clothing.  For there is a lot of muck coming through our front door right now ~ clinging to all the mama-made woollens, clogging up the sink, settling in little rings on the floor.  Nope, I'm not going to say one word about it...rather, I'm going to try and enjoy this (mud) season of their childhood.  It is really fleeting, afterall, and soon, oh soon, the mud will be replaced with little green shoots poking up.

May your weekend be fabulously filled with happy, mud-soaked smiles!

a summer raspberry

Joining Ginny for a little yarning-alonging...

Off the needles and onto a happy little three year old...

It's big and boxy right now, but despite the snow you see, it is supposed to be Spring, and that means I wanted it to fit for next fall and winter.  By the looks of it, that shouldn't be a problem.  In fact, I think I overdid the needle size and would probably opt for a slightly smaller needle than what I used.  But it is warm, and soft, and with just the right amount of pink to satisfy my little raspberry lover.

It was a real gamble, this sweater, as I made up the design as I knit, using three other cardigan patterns for inspiration.  I began with just three buttonholes, and saw how roomy it was becoming, so switched to buttons all the way down the plackett.  Then I had to go back and sew up two buttonholes which was trickier than I imagined.  But I'm happy with it...and so is Miss Sunshine.  Afterall, there are six butterflies adorning her sweater and she tells me, "Mama, I am a butterfly, too!"  (Good thing today wasn't the day she felt like a unicorn)!

As for books, I am reading a great novel by Joseph Boyden called Through Black Spruce.  It is a tale of Annie and her Uncle Will Bird, who are both from a reservation near James Bay in Canada.  Annie is on a quest to find her missing sister who left for big city life, while Will is fleeing to the bush from the harsh realities of rez life and his past.  I am so enjoying this read and I recommend it if you have the time to read, because it is hard to put down.

ravelry notes here

mama earth's children

Mama Earth has begun to rouse her little children.  There are signs all about ~ finally! ~ that they are returning with Spring's arrival today.  Yesterday, we saw our very first snowdrop, peeking out from her cozy green cloak...

And inside, Spring is blooming, too.

And we had wee little visitors this morning...Mama Earth's babies decided to stay with us.  They delighted the children, promising little flowers outside...soon, we hope!

Happy Spring, dear friends!

moments from the week

We thought King Winter was retreating, packing it in for the season to head North.  We thought Mrs. Thaw was now in charge, and we were getting used to her slushy sloppiness, enjoying the daily retreat of snow as it receded into the shadows, leaving mud and muck behind.  Ha!  We thought wrong...

This is yesterday morning, and it was taking a lot for me to show enthusiasm for this magical, snowy dump.  My, the difference three months makes for if this was December 15, it would be heavenly.  I am amazed by my children, though, who thought this was wonderful and got ready for outdoor play sooner than they had in weeks!

Earlier in the week, there were three pairs of hands building a treehouse, while inside, as many hands helped in meal preparation.  My youngest is my constant kitchen companion, and I love his serious determination (even if I have to remind him which part of the knife cuts tofu the best ~ don't worry, these are old, dull knives that all three children have learned on)!

There was a brief moment of "turtle" play...

...and some wet-on-wet painting, an old favourite that we have revisited lately.  The two older children will paint during Huckley's nap time as Huckley is a fierce and reliable "chucker" right now.  Everything is fair game ~ crayons, forks, compost (!), laundry (especially if it has just been folded), breakfast/lunch/dinner, anything.  The ultimate in mama-patience is being tested...so for painting, Sunshine and Forrest work on their creations alone.  It is such a beautiful, peaceful time for them, and they are often in deep, quiet contemplation while they paint. 

And when Huckley is awake, he wants to be just like his older siblings.  It is almost like he studies their every move and mirrors their behaviour, their gestures, their moods.  For me, it is quite humbling to see in practice what many seasoned parents and educators have explained about imitation being so integral to learning.  It is something I have to remind the older children (and myself!) to ensure more mindful actions and words and deeds.  A tall order, to be sure, but a worthwhile one!

And perhaps my favourite moment from the week.  During one "quiet" time in the afternoon, I finished putting Huckley to sleep and went to Sunshine's room to sit with her and knit.  But outside her door, I could hear her quietly "reading" a book, almost word-for-word.  I slipped inside her room and found her reading to one of her bears...

Sunshine has never been a particularly "dolly" kind of girl, but lately she's showing more of a "mama" side with various dolls.  It is really sweet to see this side of her, and as I was a complete dolly kind of girl, I love it!

Enjoy your weekend...may King Winter finally find his way home so Spring can arrive next week in all her glory!

a recipe for happiness

Joining in with Ginny for a little yarning-along...

My first real, true knit for myself...is done!  And I like it ~ I mean, I really like it.  I stumbled across this shawl a long while back and knew this was for me.  I have always worn shawls over the years, but I have never knit one before.  And it is a good knit...fast at first, and then slow and steady progress to the finish.  So very hare and the tortoise, I suppose.

I liked that the "recipe" allows so much wiggle room for your creative expression...choosing any stitches you'd like, in any order.  I did run out of wool before I would have liked, and I also have misplaced a beautiful wooden shawl clasp I bought from a now-closed store.  I have searched this house through several times...alas, it was not meant to be.  However, I am pleased with the whole project, and that is a very happy thing.

And what could be better than knitting with a friend?  Despite oodles of miles between us, I managed to
knit this with my dear friend, Melanie from Our Ash Grove.  There were a few emails and a phone call or two thrown in there, and together we made our own versions of the same recipe.  And just like two cooks manage to create such different creations from the same ingredients, Melanie and I made two very different shawls...that are very much the same.

In fact, this shawl has so much of her stitched into it, wearing it over my shoulders is like having Melly's company beside me...and that's also a very happy thing. 

Indeed, knitting with a friend is definately a recipe for happiness as far as I'm concerned...no matter how far away that friend might be!

~inspiration for the shawl here

~my ravelry notes here

*Sorry for no literary participation this week...I'm still reading half a dozen gardening books and a few homeschool resources.  Next week I'd like to share a good book though, along with my daughter's completed cardigan. 

notes from the garden ~ still early march

I must say that this weekend was the quintessential blustery March kind of weekend where you might want to wear a hat and a raincoat, but be prepared for unexpected snow and slush and wind - oh, the wind!

It was a weekend for making potting soil out in the woodshed, protected from March's moody temper.  My children mixed up some equal parts potting soil with peat moss and worm castings, with a wee bit of perlite for breathability.  We brought the bin inside to warm up by the cookstove before planting.  We started our roots, onions and leeks, and just for fun, we began some more lettuce, this time for indoors.  Our greenhouse is still not showing signs of little green sprouts...were our old seeds too old?

We've been so preoccupied awaiting the return of crocuses and snowdrops beneath our beloved oak tree that we didn't notice other shoots awakening.  I found this poppy stretching awake and was inspired by its tenacity despite the chilly weather. 

Well, we may yet to have seeds sprouting in the greenhouse, so we jumpstarted some fresh greens by doing a little kitchen sink gardening...sprouts. 

We haven't done this in ages, but I'm really hankering for some tasty greens and these will be so nice this week on some fresh bread with a little hummous or homemade butter!

What are you doing while you wait for your gardens to awaken?