::in the kitchen::

::for tomorrow's lunches, rising sourdough::

::for warmth, homemade organic winter tea::

::for breakfast, brandied cherry coffee cake with soaked and sprouted wheat::

::for inspiration::

::for appreciation of summer's bounty, canned pickles and brandied cherries::

::for protection of the table, crabapple trivet::

::for tonight's dinner, sprouted wheat soaked crusty loaf::

What's happening in your kitchen this morning?

*all photos from Snapseed on iPhone, just trying something new*

{this moment} - visiting the animals

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. See Soulemama to play along.

resolutions

New Year's Day is a time for making resolutions. Resolutions to improve life, get healthier, choose happiness.  I've never been one to really make resolutions.  I tend to make changes when and how I want to do them not at a particular time to follow societal expectations. I do tend to reflect on my life and the direction I see it heading at this particular time of year though.  This time 2 years ago I was on the cusp of a big leap. I left the business world and decided to stay home with my littles full time. This time last year, I was homeschooling Finn with the expectation that Elizabeth would be homeschooling this year for middle school. (You can read more about why that didn't happen here.) And now, there are no huge changes on the horizon, no expectations that this year will be much different than the last.

Although I have no grand resolutions to share right now, one thought has been on my mind over the last few weeks. The thought that I'd like to bring more poetry into our, particularly the children's, lives.  I mentioned this to Paul before Christmas, and he gifted me with a fabulous children's poetry book for Christmas: A Journey Through Time in Verse and Rhyme. So maybe that qualifies as a bit of a resolution after all.

I also think it might be nice to share a bit of verse every now and then that the kids or I find particularly enjoyable or moving.  Here is the current favorite of the house (that I had to read 3 times over lunch today):

I Knew A Gnome

Trevor Smith Westgarth

I knew a gnome

Who had his home

Right in the middle of an oak tree.

He wore a hat

And breeches that

Were all of the colour of the oak tree.

Two squirrels lived above his head,

Some rabbits burrowed beneath his bed,

"I keep them warm and safe," he said,

"All in the middle of my oak tree."

A wise old owl

She found a hole

High in the trunk of the oak tree.

And come what may

She slept all day

High in the trunk of the oak tree.

But when at last she took her flight,

Hooting in the pale moonlight,

The gnome rode on her back all night,

Swooping all around about his oak tree.

Yarn Along

My knitting fingers haven't gotten a break since Christmas like I thought they might.  I've started and finished 4 projects just since Christmas day.  The project currently on my needles are these thick boot socks.  Using leftover wool from some socks I made for Paul last year for Christmas, the yarn is sport weight (Stroll Sport from Knit Picks in Jack Rabbit Heather) so the socks knit a bit more quickly on size 3 needles.

I received several new books for Christmas (and not just the cookbook and reference kind!) I'm currently reading Boat Girl, on a recommendation from Cindy. It's a fascinating look at living aboard and cruising through childhood and into adulthood.  I'm thoroughly enjoying her writing and the stories of her life.

The after-Christmas knits that I worked on have been delivered to a friend, but here are a few shots of them.  I saw this sweet little vest-like sweater on a friend's baby and found it completely adorable. I really enjoyed having a quick knit in this fun super-chunky yarn.

The cedar button I used to hold it together was one from my stash, bought on etsy some time ago.  The little one who received this sweater found the button to be endlessly fascinating.

For the same little one, who doesn't like to wear hats, I made this Pixie Helmet Hat. The chin strap is perfect for little ones whose hands want to rip off their hats and the ribbing kept her ears snug and warm.  This is a fun little hat to knit too. The pattern is actually for an adult, but I used size 4 needles, and the giving nature of ribbing, and it worked fine for an 18 month old.

And lastly, for my friend, I made a pair of fingerless mitts.  She saw the pair I made for Elizabeth and dropped a few hints that she might like a pair. The thicker worsted weight yarn on size 8 needles worked much better for an adult pair of mitts, I think.

Last, but not least, I made Finn a pair of socks out of other scrap yarn from a pair I made for Paul in the past.  He wore them the second they were off the needles and now they are in the wash so no photo of those for now. At least I know he appreciates them!

Happy Birthday Christmas

I've waited so long to post this that it seems outdated now, but I wanted to post a few pictures of our Christmas day celebrations, not because you need to see what we look like opening gifts, but because Finn has so little focus during this busy season.  As you can see, we celebrated his birthday as we have for several years now, by honoring Finn first with his birthday ring, a special breakfast, and his birthday gifts, before launching into our Christmas celebrations.

Of course, he was just as happy as the rest to dive into the stockings and gifts when his birthday time was finished.  I won't bore you with a dozen photos of children with thrilled faces and shocked expressions, but I did want to post a few cute photos of them in their new hand knits. :)

(She's sporting a new hat, scarf, and fingerless mitts!)

the handmades

The handmade Christmas presents really begin here in the summer.  I usually start my first knitted gifts very early so that I have plenty of time to finish the inevitable last minute additions. You can see all of those handmade gifts in the crafting tab. The knitting has really heated up in the last few weeks though, as the last minute additions kept popping up. Fortunately, I'm down to the last few stitches and I see no problem finishing those today.

I'm not the only one who has been crafting recently though.  The older 3 kids and I decided to do a theme for Finn's birthday (on Christmas).  We each chose a storybook around which we would like to create a handmade play set.  I was so proud of the big kids!  You should have seen them, piecing quilts,

hand-sewing felt,

constructing with paper and cardboard.

We did buy a few small wooden pieces to supplement, but below are the storybook gifts Finn will be receiving.  Elizabeth made Finn a quilt for his Little Red Riding Hood set. (I made the knitted Little Red and Grandmother for her.)

Philip made the Bremen Town Musicians window. (The Bremen Town Musicians came from Jupiter's Child, as did the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood.)

(We decided he might need a flashlight to fully enjoy this set. ;)

Paulie made the Star Child, based on this pattern from Rhythm of the Home. (The wooden candle holder is from PrettyDreamer on etsy.)

Here's an up close view of the little Star Child.

All 3 of the books are illustrated by Bernadette Watts.  (We love her illustrations!) And we were fortunate to find 2 of the 3 at our local used bookstore. Finn is also getting a Peter and the Wolf book and cd from us with a wooden figure set, similar to this one, without the hunters. I didn't handmake anything for that set so I didn't picture it here.

I have been working on some other handmades besides knitting.  I made minty chocolate lip gloss for stocking stuffers.  I'm already working on my tube and it IS divine!

I also made some hand cream this year for some of my extended family. This recipe took a few days to cure and thicken, but it's very rich and creamy now.

And of course, there's the knitting...always more knitting.  All of the toes, fingers, and heads in this house will be toasty though!

::right now::

::counting the last few days until Christmas::

::watching the beautiful dinner candles::

::making the last few Christmas presents::

::admiring Finn's lovely paper whites::

::celebrating solstice with a tin can candle::

::baking sourdough by the panful::

::opening one small gift early...pjs::

::enjoying family game night::

::watching the tree grow fuller by the minute::

her own nativity

Elizabeth takes after me in that once she gets an idea in her head she has a hard time letting it go until she follows through with it.  Her ideas and projects often consume her, and I completely identify.  She developed an idea at the beginning of this week to make a nativity completely out of random items she could find around the house.

We have quite a supply of little wooden peg people and a basket of scrap cloth.  Most of her supplies came from these 2 places. (Don't you *love* Joseph's mustache and goatee! It's the details!) She also used cotton swabs, broken and glued into a rough manger shape then wrapped with cotton yarn.

Her shepherd is carrying a shepherd's hook made from modeling wax, and her sheep are pipe cleaners wrapped in raw wool and gently needle-felted.

But it's the details of the wise men that I think I love the most: using pinking sheared cloth to represent the crowns with coordinating robes, little balls of gold modeling wax wrapped in plastic wrap for a sack of gold, a metal brad pushed into red modeling wax for a bowl of frankincense, and wooden beads held together with metal brads to represent chunks of myrrh.

She's such a creative thing, that girl of mine.  And I'm so happy to see these bit and pieces of her imagination come to life.

PS. If you want to see a similar nativity made of peg people and felt, complete with directions for making your own, head over to the Magic Onions.

Yarn Along

My Yarn Along projects this week aren't too different from the last few weeks. Late last night, I actually just finished the sweater pictured below. All that's needed now is to add a few buttons.  We're still working our way through A Little House Christmas Treasury.  Only a few stories left! I also received an early Christmas present from the hubs.  The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook! I'm enjoying leafing through and planning a few meals.

The last Christmas present that I'm working on is a pair of socks for Paul.  Those large feet make the knitting slow, but I'm 3/4 done with the first sock, so I might make it.

I also added a quick knit late last week and made a pair of mittens for Philip. I used the family mittens pattern from the autumn issue of Taproot. I love the texture in this quick knit.

I used some City Tweed from Knit Picks leftover from a previous project.  I think the subtle mossy green is a good color for Philip. These mittens are very soft and I hope they'll service him well over the next few chilly months.

Have you finished all of your Christmas crafting?