Posted in Knitting on Jan 31st, 2009
We’re home from Florida and back to the grey, cold, foggy drizzle of the Pacific Northwest. Sigh…I love Portland, just not in January!
So, to keep our spirits up, we have been taking breaks from the unpacking to research our Valentine’s Day crafts for this year – so many great ideas and we’re having a hard time narrowing [...]
Posted in Birding, Outings, Playing/ Free Exploration, Uncategorized on Jan 29th, 2009
My favorite vacation desination – the beautiful sandy beaches of Sanibel, FL. The shelling is the best in the world, and the water is clear and warm.
We spent our time making a “beach fairy sand castle”, collecting sea shells, watching shorebirds. The girls also went kite flying with their Grandpa.
Wishing you a day just as sun-filled [...]
Posted in Learning, Playing/ Free Exploration on Jan 23rd, 2009
Did you use Cuisenaire Rods for math when you were a child? My mother found mine in a closet and gave them to us. They are a wonderful tool for math. Wonderful. Little Hen wants to do a math lesson with them daily, and after her intense focus on the lesson, both she and Firecracker will play freely with them [...]
Posted in Crafting, Moderation and Economy, The Gift of God, Uncategorized on Jan 22nd, 2009
Some little things that have added beauty to my day:
A handmade, fair trade leather ring from 10,000 Villages here in Ft. Myers.
A startling little pitcher plant growing right outside my parents’ front door.
And most of all, a teensy fairy that Little Hen made for me.
Posted in Crafting, Moderation and Economy, Playing/ Free Exploration on Jan 19th, 2009
I mentioned yesterday that we’ve been hit with a cold front (50 degrees in Florida??), so we’ve had to make ourselves busy with things besides the beach and swimming in the pool the past few days.
Little Hen asked if I’d make her a pouch/sleeping bag for her dolly. I said sure, on the condition that [...]
Posted in Knitting, Moderation and Economy on Jan 15th, 2009
I have a few projects going at once, but managed to finish another one of these. This time it is in 0-3 mo size for yet another friend expecting a baby (so glad more of our friends are starting to catch up with us! Growing families are such a beautiful thing). I used this yarn, size 3 needles. The [...]
Posted in Knitting on Jan 12th, 2009
Last year for Christmas, my father made me a nostepinne out of some black walnut he had been saving from a tree that stood in my grandfather’s Indiana yard 40 years ago. It is a really special gift, and I use it a lot.
Yes, a ball winder is faster, but a nostepinne is portable, and [...]
More from our day at the Six Mile Cypress Slough. I love being able to share my interest in the outdoors and birdwatching with the children. My mother was excited to share her botanical knowledge and interests with us, too. Not to mention the perfect sunny day spent exploring out of doors!
The new nature center was [...]
The weather was a little cool for another trip to the beach, so instead we went for a walk in this gorgeous preserve.
The entire walk through the slough is on a boardwalk, since the cypress preserve is flooded most of the year.
Last year we saw lots of alligators and a family of otters playing right in [...]
Posted in Lactivism, Outings, Playing/ Free Exploration on Jan 8th, 2009
This is why I love Southern Florida – beautiful 80 degree days (in January!!) spent relaxing on the beach. It was a windy day, but the sun was shining, and the girls were very busy searching for shells, splashing in the shallows, and building fairy castles in the sand.
Tum Tum really enjoyed himself, too. After a [...]