Godly Play Banners

 I just finished the Easter banner for our godly play room at church. Technically it was finished in Eastertide, though it won't get hung this year. The good news is I finished the Pentecost banner too.   So we have the correct banner for a week.   

I worked with a friend on these and we were going for simple. The Easter banner was done by freezer paper painting with gold fabric paint on cotton (the only white I had on hand). The Pentecost banner is just paintbrush streets of paint on red fabric (sateen I think, someone gave me a big piece of it at some point). 

Handmade Holidays: The Rainbow Quilts (for dolls)

Rowan helped me cut strips for two rainbow quilts.  The one I hand quilted is on it's way to my niece's rainbow birthday party (and no, I didn't know the theme before I made the present - I love it when things work out like that!)  I had so much fun stitching this little quilt.  Hand sewing is really appealing to me right now as I can stitch while Jim and I unwind at the end of the day or do a row between the many tasks of my day.  Rowan machine quilted his and needs to finish the binding when I get some rainbow thread.  He is making it as a Christmas present for his K4 classroom.

The hand stitching in every color of the rainbow made the project particularly fun!

Snow Day Again!

Jim's birthday was today and we celebrated with a snow day full of his favorite things: homemade cinnamon rolls, time to read, brownies and ice cream, playing outside, some new books, beef stew (from this cookbook) and some very excited little boys.  

I started the day, as is our snow day tradition, with an after breakfast nature show for the boys and a few moments snatched at the sewing machine.  I finished up mittens for Isaac I began during the KCWC.  He needed something that wouldn't fall off, and while these aren't supper thick they do the job (they are from the book Little Things to Sew).  He was thrilled with them in the morning and eager to wear them outside, but when they actually went out to play this afternoon he refused to wear them and wore ill-fitting, thin frog mittens.  So, Mr. Snowman got to wear his new mittens.  

And, school is already cancelled for tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to more hot chocolate, snuggling with books and a bit of Valentine fun.

A Circle of the Church Year

My friend Corey emailed me a picture of the circle of the church year she made to use with her children a while ago.  It was so lovely I asked if I could share it here.  I'm inspired and do believe many of you might be as well.

While I love the church years with all the wooden pieces (like this one I painted for our church in St Andrews), it simply isn't practical in a home with small toddlers.  This is a lovely alternative.  I'd love to have something like this on our godly play shelves.  (That is if I can ever find some shelves that will work; on this one item the thrift stores have left me empty handed. I may just have to make them myself.)

Photo by Corey

School

I've been getting ready for school all summer.  Finding uniforms and the long list of very specific supplies Jonah needs, sewing away at lunch accessories and an art smock, and talking about school now and then with my anxious Mr. 7.  Preparing myself and him for the day school would begin.

And now it has come.  So far, it has been smoother than I expected, but it is hard for Jonah to be away so long.  We miss him and he misses us.  But, we love his teacher and are confident he will be receiving a wonderful education in a loving community.  It is a really good thing in our lives right now.

I'm enjoying more intentional time with the younger two and Rowan is determined to learn his letters so he can go to school too (I didn't encourage this, but am enjoying long workbook sessions totally led by the little man).  I'm also hoping that these fall days will provide the space to get ourselves organized into the church year and the daily liturgies that have faded somewhat in the past year.  I have such dreams and ideas...

Hopefully those will be filling posts soon, but for now I thought I'd share a glimpse of our getting ready for school.
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:: I'm determined to keep Jonah's lunches trash free.  So making a snack bag and cloth napkins was one important task on my get-ready-for-school list.  This was followed by freezing muffins, homemade toaster pastries, and protein packed cookies for lunches.  I loved the ideas on this blog and an adapted version of these protein balls have been a big hit around here.

:: And then there was the art smock... the list said to send an old shirt in, but when you've moved through three countries and two states in the past year, anything you didn't need was given away quite promptly.  So, I went back to the pattern for an art smock in Little Things to Sew (minus french seams and pockets) which I used a couple years ago.  I made a large this time (my how he has grown in the past year!) out of some old sheets that came out of storage.  I thought the plain color was nice and not so "my mom made my art smock" since the other kids will have old shirts.  But upon seeing it Jonah was really sad it didn't have dinos like the last one.  So daddy was asked to draw a dinosaur found in the The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs to size on freezer paper.  Mom did the rest and Jonah is quite happy with his dino art smock.

:: And then a glimpse of the day we had all been waiting for, the first day of school.  Convocation was beautiful.  The seniors placing laurel leaves on the heads of the kindergartners, all those young voices singing Psalm 115:1 in latin (their school song), and Jonah's smile as he walked past after convocation (he was a bit too nervous for smiles before school) are all moments I'm holding close right now.

Vera Rose's Birthday Crown

 Well, this is the latest Birthday Crown.  I wanted something springy for my April born niece.  I really wanted light yellow or pink wool felt, but I couldn't find anything locally and most online stores make you buy a larger piece than I needed, so I decided to make do with what I had.  And, in the end, I think it has a spring feeling and I'm happy with how it turned out.  I used the book Doodle Stitching to inspire the flowers.

Happy birthday sweet Vera Rose!

Family Story: Enter the Tooth Fairy

Jonah not only lost his first tooth earlier this month, within two days he had lost the second.  At six and a half it was to be expected, but it still took me by surprise.  I had known he had a loose tooth, since a dental visit in December, but the dentist said it could be a couple months yet.  I've been planning to design and make a tooth pillow with my boy ever since I heard about the tradition in other families.  But, the tooth fell out a day after our boxes arrived here, and with no fabric or sewing machine unpacked, I lamented the fact we couldn't have the pillow ready for the first tooth fairy visit.  When he lost the second two days later I was determined.  Everything was newly unpacked and a bit disorganized, but Jonah made it easy, saying "I want a yellow pillow (yellow is his favorite color) with a red dinosaur."  I originally planned on doing it all in wool felt, but the yellow wasn't unpacked and he found this yellow fabric saying "Wow, what a cool leaf pattern, that is perfect!"  So a simple pillow was born and placed on his bed just in time for the tooth fairy's second visit.  Whew!

I don't know that I've ever seen him so proud.  Since discovering that his cousins (nine months older and younger than he is) had both lost teeth, loosing teeth has been a regular conversation topic over the past months.  There have been several photo sessions of 'the gap' and then again with his pillow.  Oh, it is exciting!  

note: he was eating blueberries before this picture, his teeth aren't normally an odd shade of blue :o)

A Stocking for Rowan

We are in Pennsylvania for a short time to enjoy the holidays and some wonderful cold weather and beautiful snow!  Sledding, hot chocolate, reading and game playing have all been happening in large doses.  It has been wonderful to be with family these past few months and we have a couple more months of it ahead (though we are headed back south at the end of this week).   And, while I struggle with waves of homesickness for our own home, overall we remain grateful for how well it has worked to be with our parents during this time of transition.

When we returned north last week, I was grateful to find Mom's sewing machine and threw together a stocking for Rowan.  I made one for Jonah's first Christmas (you can see it in this post from long-ago).  When we moved to Scotland we shipped a few boxes of things, but I didn't think to include Christmas stockings and a nativity, which I regretted.  I made four felt stockings to use in Scotland, but always knew that I wanted to make each of the boys their own stocking eventually.  Jonah's remains in storage in Seattle until we settle, so he borrowed a stocking from Grandma this year, who has several extras floating around.  

I pictured making them all similar to Jonah's using solid colored wool and christmas patchwork, but decided this year that their stocking can be as different as my little ones are, plus I really don't like making more than one of anything - planning is the fun part!  I had such a good time raiding Mom's stash of fabric and found ticking, trim and green flannel to go with a wee bit of Mona Luna toadstool fabric that I left here after my birthday.  It is lined with off-white flannel and the toe looks better since being ironed.  I am still contemplating adding a little Rowan tree somewhere on the stocking, but here it is ready-or-not.   

A Starry Birthday Crown

I do so love making birthday crowns.  It was fun to make a crown for my star-baby and I thought I'd share a couple close ups.  The Creative Family has a pattern for a crown very simular to this one (I made Jonah's off of that pattern and now just use his as a general guide).  I used wool from this stack that my mom surprised me with when we arrived back in the states in August.  This felt is so thick and luscious; it is a dream to sew (and you don't need interfacing as it is so thick)!

I also just created a label for birthday crowns, for this is the sixth I've made.  You can see them all by clicking here.

It is a little big, because I've learned if it isn't a little large the first year it is tight ever after... but it fit fine (especially considering he probably wore it for a total of five minutes before taking it off.)

Too Little. Too Late.

Remember when I made these trousers in early fall for the older two boys?  Well, these little overalls were cutout and made at the same time... well, almost made.  I did so much handwork after Rowan was born as I sat and fed that I figured I'd leave the buttons and under-leg snaps till after the baby came.  Well, they are a 3-6 month size and my large baby barely fit in them last weekend when I finally finished them off.  Oh well, they were cute for the photo shoot... and then he started bursting out of them.

One cute baby (and the fourth hat)

Hats I didn't need to make...

I found myself in the sewing room for a couple hours last week - a first since Isaac joined us.  There were stacks of mending and half finished projects, but I just wasn't settling down to anything.  So I opened the wardrobe (that is filled with fabric) and saw a stack of old tee-shirts that have been waiting to be up-cycled.  The next thing I knew, baby had a stack of four new hats and some trousers.  Quick and satisfying projects were just what this mama needed.

(I have photos of the other hat - but my computer is a bit cranky lately... which is also why St. Valentine has yet to make an appearance.  Soon.  I hope.)

A Spot for Mama and her Babes

In the past week 'my spot' has emerged.  You may remember my spot on the sunporch in the last house when Rowan was born.  This time Mama's spot revolves around my rocker again, but is in a corner of our room by the window and the heater.  I wanted it to be a spot for the baby and I, but also a spot where my other babes felt welcome.  So we added a wicker chair (a cushion for this would be nice...) and a bunch of books to read with Mr. 2 and a few read alouds to share with Mr. 5.

There are also some books for mama around and some handwork to be done while feeding.  Over the weekend a few friends gathered to bless this transition into motherhood and they brought along things for 'an alter' and to help in labor.  So I now have a palm cross, candles, stones, prayer cards, poems, incense, lavender spray, and other goodies.. all tucked around my little spot.  Reminding me to be still, reminding me of some very lovely friends, and reminding me of the bigger story this birth and our lives are part of.

It is truly a spot to just be and I already love grabbing a few moments there during the day, often holding my cross and trying to be still.

And over the weekend I finished up a quilt for Mama and her babes.  The fun flannel is from Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks Line.  It is two layers of flannel and a layer of cotton batting, so it is warm and a square just the right size to fit over mama's lap and a babe (0, 2, or 5).

Note: On the wicker chair in the photo are our collection of 'getting ready for baby' books.  Some are about the entrance of a new baby, but others are simply about babies and Rowan and I have been spending lots of time with this stack in the past few weeks.  A few of our favorites are There's Going to be a Baby by John Burningham, Hello Baby by Jenni Overend, Baby Dear (now titled The New Baby) by Esther Wilkin, All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan, The Baby's Catalogue by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, The Baby Who Wouldn't Go to Bed by Helen Cooper, Babies by Gyo Fujikawa, and Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers

Gratitude for a little organization...

As I mentioned in yesterday's post the master bedroom has been cleaned and tidied.  It was the one thing that I 'needed' before this birth.  And, when I was redding off our dresser I found not 1 or 2... but 5 kinds or currency, so a little creative organization was called for.  Yes, I know I could have found paper sacks, but instead I whipped up little bags (we're talking super simple - all edges are pinked and unfinished).  And it made me feel a bit more organized, which is always a wonderful feeling!