Pine Cone Bird Feeder Craft

Do you remember making bird feeders with pine cone and peanut butter when you were a child? I remember making them in kindergarten. I thought of this as an easy craft when we were desperate for something to do one afternoon while Pumpkin napped. The girls were wild and I had to get them out of the house so they wouldn't wake up their brother. It soon became one of the best afternoons we've spent together in a while. Being outdoors and exploring has a way of doing that to you: taking ordinary moments and making them extraordinary. The bird feeders were a big hit with Darling and Doodlebug, and ended up being free for us to make because I already had all the items on hand. Pine trees are so prolific here that they might as well be our state weed. Seriously, they are everywhere.

We started by exploring the vacant lot next door for pine cones. This ended up being 45 minutes of running, jumping, and general merry making. It was wonderful!

 

 

 

They gathered up tons of pine cones, and we made kind of a counting game out of it. See? You can squeeze some school in just about anywhere. We made quite a pile:

Then we had to separate the worthy pine cones from the unworthy:

Now for the messy part: the peanut butter! I found an unopened jar of Jiff peanut butter in the pantry that my mom bought an untold number of months (or possibly, years) ago. It has never been opened because I am a peanut butter snob and am particularly picky about peanut butters (and I'm comfortable okay with that label), so what better way to use it up than for crafting? I opened the jar, gave each girl a spoon, and let them go to town. It was a job which they took very seriously:

Next, we rolled the coated cones in bird seed.

It was pretty messy, but that's part of the fun!

Did I mention that it was messy?

And last of all, I used some crafting twine and my trusty hot glue gun to make hangers and, voila!

We hung them in a tree for the birds:

Happy Thursday!

Blessed Beyond Measure

As we begin to blend our lives together, the kids and I have been spending more time at Someone Special's house (I need to think up a good nickname for him....hhhmmm) in order for them to feel comfortable there. Last night we went over so I could give the kitchen a test run i.e. cook dinner. After we all sat down at the table, I realized I had forgotten the kids' sippy cups in the kitchen and jumped up to get them. When I came back, Someone Special was saying, "Now what do you tell Mommy?" to which a three little voices replied in turn, "Thank you for cooking dinner, Mommy."

I think my heart grew three sizes that day.

I remember when I was a child, my brothers and I all had to thank our mother for cooking dinner every single night. My dad was a strict enforcer of this policy. Sometimes, my thanks would be very genuine (if I liked the meal she had cooked), and sometimes it was a rote reply, uttered only to avoid the wrath of Dad. But it impressed a couple of things upon me. First, it taught me that when people do something for you, they deserve to be thanked no matter what. Second, it taught me that Mom cooking and caring for me was a blessing, and that I should not take that for granted.  More specifically, it was her job to care for me, yes, but it was my job to not only feel appreciation for her, but to verbalize it, and that I was out of line if I just expected her to do it for me. A good mother is a blessing beyond measure, and I was damn lucky to have such a fine one. I didn't come to that realization on my own: my father taught me to recognize it. And it started first with him saying himself, "That sure was a good meal, honey. Thank you" and followed with, "Kids, what do you tell your mother?" Even though I could not realize it at the time, watching my father love and appreciate my mother defined the parameters of not just my own marriage, but my friendships and work relationships, and my relationships with my children, too.

Someone Special and I have not had a conversation about how important I think it is for children to be made to say "thank you" to their mother when she cares for them. To hear those words come out of their mouths, without me having to first lay out the rules for him to follow, makes me feel important and special and thought about in a way that I haven't ever experienced  before. These are the little things that you can't fake. These are the little things that you either get, or are oblivious to. That make us in sync. That make him my best friend. That make him a real man, and that make me blessed beyond measure all over again.

Morning Snuggles

I had a little visitor come crawl into my bed this morning:

We cuddled up in my cozy flannel sheets- which make it extra hard to get out of bed in the morning- and shared lots of snuggles and kisses, read stories and sang songs. What a great way to start a new day and a new week.

Happy Monday!

Project Update: Yemma's Dress

A while ago, I wrote about a dress that I was making for Darling. Well, I finally got around to finishing it and taking some pictures!

I'm very pleased with how it turned out! Darling picked out the fabric, which came from Hobby Lobby. The yarn is Knit Picks Shine Sport in the Cosmopolitan colorway, and I used about 1 1/2 skeins to make the 5T. The pattern is called Yemma's Dress. I happened to be on a Ravelry discussion board and noticed a thread asking for test knitters with basic sewing skills. As soon as I saw a picture of the dress, I knew I had to make it.

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What I love so much about this pattern is that it uses the simplest techniques of two crafts: the skirt is a simple rectangle, cut to size and then gathered at the top and hemmed on the bottom. It's so simple, it's hard to mess up! I love the top is a scoop-neck, knit in the round so there are no buttons to mess with.  The bodice and skirt are sewn together by top stitching around, hiding the seam in the garter stitch rows. Genius. The pattern is available for $5.00 on Ravelry, and I highly recommend that you check it out. If you have any crafty people in your life, please spread the word about this great pattern. Yemma, the little girl for whom the pattern is named, has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, and all the proceeds from the pattern sales will go to her family to help with her care.

I did have an issue with the yarn growing through wear and washing. The dress I made was a size 3T for Doodlebug, which seemed to grow larger with every wearing! After making a new swatch and measuring my gauge before and after washing, I compensated for this growth on Darling's dress by making a size smaller- she wears a 6T normally, and I made a size 5T per the pattern- AND I went down a needle size. It fits her beautifully.

 

You can see in the picture above that the bodice of Doodlebug's dress is almost as wide as Darling's, even though it's two sizes smaller. I guess that means I will have to make Doodlebug another one! Oh, darn!

What will you be working on this weekend?

Bye-bye 2011....

 

What a year. In 2011, I learned, in no particular order:

That it is possible to hold every thought captive

The marigolds fascinate my children as much as bubbles

That Pinterest is an even more dangerous time killer than Facebook

That the best way to exercise is an impromptu game of chase in the backyard.

That I can forgive the past and look forward, but I cannot magically disconnect all the emotion from painful memories: those spots are still sore. 

The meaning of the word "pejorative"

That there will never be a clean sippy cup, no matter how many I buy

That I am crunchy

That it is difficult to be part of a church family when attending church requires an hour drive

That I need my church family more than I ever allowed myself to believe

That homeschooling is as much a part of God's plan for me as it is for my children

That the sweetest-tasting watermelons aren't necessarily the ones you grew yourself, but there's always next year.

That I have become intrinsically connected to the town where we live

That the magic formula for keeping up with the laundry is 3 loads per day

That my mother is better at finding clothes that I like than I am

That my friends are better at finding a man to love me than I am

That the secret to sweet cucumbers is even watering

That throwing a tantrum as an adult makes you look like a jackass, even if you're right.

That I am absolutely not in control. Of anything. And you know what? It's better that way.

My family rang in the New Year very quietly...which is just my speed. The kids went to bed on time after much reading and cuddling, and I ended up greeting 2012 by watching the ball drop with someone special. We laughed and talked and made plans for the coming year, and when I fell asleep with my head on his chest and snored a little bit (I've got some sinus issues going on---really! No, no really!), he told me it was "adorable". That is true love. It was quite possibly the best New Year's I've ever had.

Now I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in my family's life. There are going to be some big changes in the next few months. Changes that I never dared to hope would happen. Changes that I can't wait to share. And so, from my family to yours, I hope you had a wonderful end to 2011, and I wish you all the best for the New Year.

Handmade Holidays

Christmas is upon us! I have become obsessed with the idea of homemade decorations. There are so many wonderful ideas floating around there! The kids and I are having a great time making ornaments. I have found that they make great little gifts for loved ones from the kids. Here's a list of my favorite homemade goodies this year:

Check out this cute advent calendar.
Jingle bell wreaths make me smile
This jingle bell garland would be super easy to create at home
It just isn't Christmas without getting a little glitter everywhere
Make an cute partridge for your pear tree

I am on the lookout for a cute tree topper to make at home. Do you have any suggestions? How are you getting ready for the holidays?

The Hidden Hazards of Crafting and the Beatles

No one ever warned me that crafting can be dangerous!

No, it really didn't hurt going in. Yes, it hurt like crap coming out, although it doesn't hurt at all now. The spot where I got a fresh tetanus shot, however, is still aching. And yes, it was my own damn fault for not putting the needle away immediately after I used it. After hearing  horror stories from ladies in the waiting room, the nurse, and the doctor about sharp objects lodged in flesh, I have no immediate plans to milk this incident for pity. There are far worse things to step on, and it's the grace of God that I stepped on it, and not a precious baby.

On a side note, I am thankful that I had someone very special to hold my hand while I had "surgery". He was wonderful, and barely gave me a hard time about it. Although he wanted to be very clear that I did not have to skewer my little toe in order to see him. A simple phone call would have sufficed. Good to know, baby. I'll try to avoid self-mutilation the next time I want to hold your hand.

Happy Thursday!