Using A New Birthday Present for Breakfast

One of the new birthday presents my girl got from her grandparents, was a cookbook for kids, "Cooking Class" by Deanna F. Cook. (Thanks Gram and Gerati!) My two big kids love to help with the cooking, when they can, and my girl always ready to try the most dangerous and challenging steps.

 

This morning, when trying to decide what we wanted for breakfast, I hear the exclamation, "I know", and out comes the brand new cook book. The recipe choice this morning is crepes. Even though I initially had some concerns since we did not have any thing to use for the filling. We remembered a delicious caramel we purchased at a local Micro Creamery, The Caramel Kitchen. The flavor we used was Pumpkin Spice.

The kids, were able to help with all the steps, except turning the crepe. I think their favorite was cutting the bananas and arranging them on the crepe and then folding the crepes in half. It was a fun and delicious breakfast. The kids did such a great job that we will definitely be turning to this cookbook for future family cooking ideas.

Many blessings this fine and flavor filled day.--Kate

Tiny Baby Sloth

Here he is, Tiny Baby Sloth.

The second I saw this cute pattern I could not wait to get started. I now nearly have a second one done. My girl and I both agree that those long arms needed some magnets, so the next one will be even cuddlier.

 

This is a pattern created by the The Twisted Crocheter titled "Tiny Baby Sloth." You can find it here: www.thetwistedcrocheter.com/patterns/crochet-amigurumi-baby-finger-sloth-pattern-free/

Many blessings this fine and cuddly evening.--Kate

Broken Toys from Santa Claus

Meet the newest member of the family, Olivia. She joined us through a Santa Claus facilitated adoption.

My oldest has never really been a doll playing girl. So I was rather surprised when in the weeks leading up to Christmas she showed so much interest in this lovely long haired girl. I thought it could be risky, but from the first moment she saw Olivia on Christmas morning she was in love. Olivia also has her own hiking backpack and a ballet recital outfit so she is able to join my girl doing some of her favorite activities.

We did have a harrowing moment with our new little sister when I discovered she was broken. Olivia is a doll from the Our Generation, "From Hair to There" line and her given name is actually Phoebe. These are special dolls that have a section of hair that can be lengthened or shortened by the use of a button on their back. Before the end of Christmas day I discovered the button did not work. Now the dilemma, "What do I do?" Do I try to repair or replace this doll without telling my daughter? Do I try to keep the fact that she is broken from her? If she had been a normal toy that my husband and I had purchased it would have removed some of my personal angst, but she was a gift from Santa. Why would Santa give a broken toy? I was really struggling with what to do and how best to avoid making my girl sad on Christmas.

To understand this moment you need to know something about my daughter. When I was pregnant for a third time she really wanted a little sister. She wanted one so badly I was afraid she would be really upset when we found out it was a boy. (She was not, thankfully, because she is a girl with a huge heart.) Before we found out, we picked out names for either a boy or a girl. I am sure you can guess what the name would have been for a sister.  So when I was informed first thing Christmas morning that the lovely long haired doll was Olivia (not Phoebe,) I knew this was the sister she had been waiting for. She spent the entirety of Christmas with Olivia by her side. Together they went through Olivia's new backpack and she had several wardrobe changes. Olivia had the perfect seat to watch presents being opened. She sat in her big sisters lap to watch Christmas movies. She was even tucked in with special love and care to sleep the night next to my sweet girl.

Oh, what to do!?

I decided the day after Christmas to tell her Olivia was broken and then to take my lead from her. After some discussion she did think she would rather have a doll that was not broken. As I worked to make sure that we had all of the brushes, hair extensions and barrettes, I noticed my daughter whispering to Olivia. We got everything packed up and headed out to the car. My girl asked if Olivia could sit with her. Of course I let her. We had some cold and snowy weather at Christmas so I had to clean the windows before I could drive. I got into the car to discover my girl had buckled Olivia into her own seat.

As we are driving to the store she confesses she had been telling Olivia not to worry or be sad, that once she was fixed some other little girl would love her as much as she did. That she would always love her and never forget her. (Melt my heart.) Before we even left I tried to find if there is a repair shop for the Our Generation Dolls, I could not find one. I let my daughter know we would ask at the store though. At the store they also did not know about a repair shop and they did not have another Phoebe doll. I thanked customer service and said I needed to talk about it with my daughter. She decided she really did not want a different doll. I also gave her the option of a second doll that was not broken. She said, "I do not need a second doll to be happy." After these two very mature choices I give her a third option, to pick out some new accessories for Olivia and to go to the fabric store to find a pattern and fabric for a new outfit I would make her. This one she was happy to choose. On our way home, after purchasing the new treats for Olivia my girl shares a second confession, "Mom, I am glad I get to keep Olivia." I was too.

In my daughter's heart Olivia became an immediate part of our family and broken or not, she is her sister and she will always be loved and cared for.

Many blessings to you this thought-filled day.--Kate

P.S. Be on the lookout for posts about the many projects and outfits we are making for Olivia.

Thank You Cards.

I do not know why but I am terrible about writing thank you cards. If I do not sit down immediately and write them there is a huge possibility that I will forget to write them all together. It is the same with Christmas cards. This year I sent out only half of my cards because I needed to update a fair number of addresses in my address book. By the time I verified they were right my mom was in the hospital and the cards were forgotten. So this time after my daughter's party I had the list of who gave what presents, I had the thank you cards and everything was located where it would be easy to sit down and write them and I completely forgot. I only remembered to finally write them today because I was trying to think of something for my Thursday's theme and I came across my little pile of cards and lists. The second I found them I called my daughter over and we wrote the notes labeled the envelopes and put them in the mail. So now I have a small respite until my son's birthday.

Does anyone else struggle with this?

Many blessings to you on this very fine evening.--Kate

Unashamed Bibliophile

The collection that began all collecting. The very first thing I can remember collecting was books, (well maybe stuffed animals too,) and I have never stopped.

I still have most of the books I collected as a young reader. The picture books that were shared with my siblings (like Dr. Seuss,) are probably long gone, ruined in basement floods or by pens and markers. Which is really to bad because there was a book called But No Elephants by Jerry Smath that solidified my love for those amazing gentle giants.

The first series I remember really being addicted to, the one that had me begging my parents to take me to the bookstore was the Sweet Valley Twins. I already loved reading by this point but I just read the books my parents found for me and they had done a great job, but this was the first time I craved trips to the book store to find something new to read.

Many of my really close friends were also avid readers and I remember we shared our favorite books and series with each other. Books by Caroline B. Cooney and R.L. Stine, but also Philip Pullman's Ruby in the Smoke. There was also this Christian fantasy series that I started reading and loved, but have since completely forgotten the titles of. I have a hazy recollection that the third book had the word "tower" in the title. I would be over the moon if I could find this series again.

In sixth grade I had a teacher who would read stories to us every day at lunch. She opened up a whole new world of books for me. Some of my favorites from that year were Brian Jacques' Redwall, Wilson Rawls' Where the Red Fern Grows and Roald Dahl's Witches.

There are many other book's from my childhood and adolescence that have remained in my collection. The books by Scott O'Dell, The Black Stallion, Choose your own adventures, Several different Nancy Drew series, The Dancing Cats of Applesap, Julie of the Wolves, Judy Blume and Beverly Clearly books, The Outsiders, Doll House Murders, The Cricket in Time Square, L.M. Montgomery series especially the Emily books and many, many others.

My love for books has only grown over time and with the help of a charming used book store in Seattle-"Twice Sold Tales, " my collection exploded. Today I am quite sure that I have at least 1,000 books in my home. Not all of them are mine my husband is also a book lover and he added a hefty amount to the pile. I am not even going to try to add in the number that belong to our children who have definitely inherited our Bibliophile ways.

Rest assured I do not keep every book I read and I still love checking books out from the library. In fact I use it most often to check out audio books to listen to while working on my sewing projects. I have listened to so many Agatha Christie and Janet Evanovich books this way. There are also a number of books that I have enjoyed (or not) that I do not feel the need to keep in my collection. Tomorrow I will share with you my favorite source for finding and passing along books.

I can quite happily say that my book collecting days are far from over. I am also looking forward to the day our kids start diving into the collection that my husband and I have created.

Many blessings to you this fine night.--Kate 

The Dog Made Me Move the Furniture

Our family has a dog, his name is Toby. He is a sweet, loyal little Shih Tzu. He is great with the kids and they love him. He is a little snuggler and he always wants to go where we go. He is also neurotic. His behavior of choice when he is unhappy is peeing on the carpet. He is sweet, he is gentle, he is patient and loving with the kids, let me tell you there are days when these are the only things saving him.

This weekend is my girl's Birthday party so much of this week has been spent getting the house ready for guests. One big item on my list was getting the carpet cleaned. The cleaner came early on Wednesday, (and did a really nice job with the carpet.) That meant that I had to move everything off the carpet on Tuesday night to get ready for him. As I was moving stuff out I realized that it was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the living room.

Thankfully my spontaneous desires to rearrange the house no longer surprise my husband and he was game to try something new. We have not undertaken this task before because our living room is where we keep most of our truly heavy items. Like the piano, two large bookcases from my grandmother estate, the couch and the dining table. The hardest things to move were the piano and we only shifted that about 4 feet, (what a beast,) and the bookcases. The cases are massively heavy when empty, but of course before moving they were jam-packed with books. So first we had to empty the cases, then move them and finally get all the books back on the shelves.

It was a major task and really quite ridiculous to do right before a big social gathering, but we are both really happy with the results. There is nothing like changing around a room to give it a refreshed feeling. By refreshing the house you feel refreshed yourself, sore and tired but refreshed.

This earlier Birthday party give a good idea of how the room was set up previously.

Many blessings to you this fine night.--Kate

Fighting Siblings

My two children love each other. My oldest talks about when she and her brother are married and they live together in a castle someday. (Talk that is only charming at this age.) My youngest follows this big sister everywhere, always likes what she likes and wants to do what she is doing. My two children really truly love each other.

My two children like each other. My oldest does an excellent job watching out for her little brother. I often hear her inviting him to join her on some adventure or another. My youngest is constantly seeking advice and approval from his big sister. He really likes to be involved with what she is doing. My two children really truly like each other...until they don't.

My two children fight like cats. They yell and push, then they sass and cry. Little brother is great at pushing big sister's buttons. He is stubborn and will not listen to "no." He is the one who likes to do the pushing or pouncing, or even just sticking his feet on her to annoy. (This is very reminiscent of my relationship with my own brother when we were younger.) She likes to yell, take things away and then close doors in his face. (Which he has not yet learned how to open.)

I know that siblings fight, but they seem to be having more tough days then good lately. I sat down the other day to reflect on what has been going on in our life lately that may be contributing to their sense of unrest. I realized that our life has been a bit out of sorts and unpredictable for the last 6 months.

It began with a lovely family vacation in September. Then October and November were back to back months of family visiting. I also started a very large and laborious sewing contract mid November. The beginning of December was our own trip for an early Christmas with family, then three days after returning my mother became unexpectedly and severely unwell. She was in the hospital until the new year and I spent that time running from the hospital to her home, to my home, trying to take care of her, my children, her pets and my sewing contract. (this was the worst time for my kids.) In the new year my mother moved in with us to continue her recovery. Through the Lord's blessing and my mother's own strength and determination. She was finally able to move back to her home. (I joked with her that she must feel like a kid finally moving out on her own.) Also my husband has been taking on more responsibilities at work. All of these events of the past six months have been lovely or necessary in their own right, but I think they have created an instability in my babies. Unfortunately the next three months look just as upended. There are birthday parties and more visits from family and holidays. It is looking like all good things, but the unrest these, out of routine events cause is far reaching and long lasting. I know that life is filled with out of routine moments. The problem is my poor kids have not been allowed the needed rest and recovery that usually comes between those special or unexpected moments.

They of course do not consciously know that they are fighting more, whining more, crying more and feeling adrift. I on the other hand do. I know that their behavior is not just normal child development and the guilt of it is eating me up. I feel like I am failing them. I am suppose to be their guide and safety. Teaching them how to weather or enjoy the unexpectedness of life. How to have patience and provide care for each other when everything goes a little upside down. Every time they fight right now it is a immediate reminder of my own limitations. It is like daggers to my heart.

So for now each day is baby steps of providing stability and routine for the kids. I feel like the next three months is as much a time of survival as it is a time for celebrations. Come June though I am closing the doors and shuttering the windows, metaphorically of course. It will be a time to regroup as a family, a chance to rediscover our rhythm. To be in charge of our own schedule. I am not so foolish as to believe that there will not be unplanned moments, that is life after all. I just think that if we are a little more aware of our desires as a family and making sure we plan time for recovery that we will be able to face the unexpected with unity and strength.

My two children love each other, better than that my two children like each other. In the future though when they fight I want it to be normal childhood development stuff and not out of worry, fear and confusion because things have gone sideways in their family life.

Many blessings to you this fine thought-filled day.--Kate

Lost Things.

As soon as my children were mobile things began disappearing. Usually small things, often something that I had just set down. When they got a little older the lost things were mostly their own, a favorite stuffed animal, a book they had just been reading, or something they were trying to keep from their sibling. Of course, all lost things are mommy's job to find, as if mommy has an internal "lost things detector."

Funny enough though it is as if there were a detector within, or maybe it is just that we know our kids, (or spouse,) well enough to have an idea of where the missing item might be. Perhaps it might be that mommy is the only one who really picks up the messes.

The most common lost thing in our house is socks. Where do those little stinkers go? My daughter does not help the problem because she is perfectly happy to wear two totally different socks. It may take me months of laundry loads to finally reunite a separated pair. At the same time her uniquely clad feet fill me will a well-spring of joy. My son on the other hand is know to wear multiple layers of sock at a time. Actually he loves multiple layers of clothes in general. His best day was 4 shirts, two diaper covers, two pants and two layers of socks. Of course all of these layers come off at varying times throughout the day and usually with the assistance of sister, so his socks too disappear into the abyss.

Does anyone else feel like a lost things seeker? Anyone have any tried and true advice on how to keep socks from disappearing?

Many blessings to you on this little lost night.--Kate

Heart Thoughts

I think that it is easy for Valentine's Day to be a selfish holiday. Filled with pretty baubles, grand gestures of romance and chocolate. Not that I have a problem with any of that, (especially the chocolate.) It is just that in a world so easily filled with selfishness maybe Valentine's Day should be an opportunity to fill the world with love. Real love is self-less. So how could we spend a day being self-less? What could we do to fill more hearts with love and share those hearts in our world?

I have a Saturday Surprise planned with my kids, (and mom) that I hope will be a day spent sharing hearts filled with love. I look forward to sharing that adventure with you on Saturday. For now I would love your thoughts on what you could do to celebrate a self-less Valentine's Day. 

I was also able to cross another item off my projects list. I have a heart shirt that was ripped years ago that I have been meaning to patch. I finally got it fixed today so that it is ready to wear on Saturday.

The red stitches might be a bit hard to see here, that is what I was covering with the patch. My first thought was to go with something small but the location of the holes were such that anything I used would have been very noticeable. I am quite pleased with how this turned out.

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Remember to send me your thoughts on what can be done to make Valentine's Day a holiday about real love.

Outgrown Kid's Toys

With children it is easy, far to easy, to find yourself in a house overflowing with kid toys. This is partly due to the undeniable fact that "toys are fun", and not just for the kids. The temptation to buy something that looks like it will be cool is hard to resist.

Another great reason is that grandparents love to spoil their grandchildren. This is usually the source of the large and loud toys. I suspect the motivation is the sparkling delight the toy inspires in their grandchildren, but I am also sure there is the adjoining thought, "I am so glad that toy is not in my house."

My favorite reason though is that other parents, who are in the same boat, do their very best to pass on as many toys as possible to new parents who do not yet know any better. I am honestly glad for this (even if the end result is toy chaos,) because we have inherited some truly wonderful toys this way. Toys that have brought with them hours of exploration, entertainment and joy.

All of this brings me to the current issue, toy chaos. New toys keep getting added, but the removal of outgrown toys seems nearly impossible. Outgrown toys are hard to part with for many reasons.

First, toys have the uncanny ability to go into hiding. Once they are no longer the favorite, you no longer have to overturn every stone to bring them back to their, impatient and at times hysterical master. It is a wonder the places I have found toys. If left alone, forgotten toys will quietly settle beneath the debris and hide out until the next major excavation clean up brings them back to the light and to memory. This is where the second hurdle comes in.

Now that the forgotten toy is back the child remembers how much they once loved the toy. They see it and think of all the many adventures they have had. It does not matter that they have moved on to more advanced, challenging and exciting toys. The idea of parting with this once treasured item is like saying goodbye to an old friend.

If by some miracle the child is willing to part with the toy there is still one final challenge. Are you willing to part with it? Seeing these old toys, brings up your own memories of days gone by. Of little hands, little bodies and little laughs. Days you do not get back. For as much as I love watching my kids grow, as excited as I get for their next achievement, I miss the sweetness of their first days.

Finally, we have a good sized pile of toys set aside to pass along. Though none of us are yet convinced we are willing to part with them. Perhaps once we meet the new friend we have agreed to give the toys to that will make the separation a little easier. There is nothing that heals the loss like seeing your old favorites go to someone who is excited to receive them and will love them just at much as you did.  Here's hoping.

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Thankful Thursday

I hope that all of you have had a marvelous Thanksgiving. Our family enjoyed a delicious meal and a few fun holiday traditions. First we watched the Macy's Day parade together. Well the kids and I did, Dad was at work. Also it was the 2013 parade on You Tube because we do not have any television channels, but still it was fun. My oldest really enjoyed it, my youngest came and went.

It was fun finding recipes that worked with our new maximized diet. Of course the Turkey was unchanged and the veggies were all still on the list. We replaced cranberry sauce with homemade Granny Smith apple sauce. We made faux mashed potatoes using cauliflower instead and found a wonderful gluten free stuffing. Was a great but a late meal, (we waited for Rob to get home from work, which is sevenish) and the turkey too a bit longer then planned.

My gratitude this year if for my amazing family here and spread across the U.S, for wonderful friends, for good health and for all the wonder and blessing that come from living in this place and time. I wish good fortune to you all for this coming year.

Many blessings on this fine and thankful night. --Kate

Boxes of old Photographs

There are some truly great things about living in this digital age. Not the least of which is digital cameras. No more wondering if you got the shot, no more wasted rolls of film and no more endless piles of photographs that you are not sure what to do with. I am thrilled that hundreds of thousands of photographs can now be stored on devices the size of our thumb, or palm and even some the size of a finger nail.

My problem today is what to do with the boxes of photos from yesteryear. Now do not panic they are not being thrown out. Even if the boxes are as yet unorganized they still hold some very cherished memories. It is just that I am not much for scrap booking but I want to make sure that I am storing the prints in a way that future generations can still enjoy them or at least wonder about them.

For now I have them in some Photo boxes. I also have some old photo albums from my mom. I am sure that these old sticky page albums are not good for photos. If anyone has any advice or experience to share I would happily take it. Also I would love to hear your creative ideas on what you have done with your photos.

 Many blessings on this fine and snowy night.--Kate

The things shelf

Perhaps like me you have that spot in the house that collects all the things. Maybe a shelf, a table or a spot on the counter. I am pretty sure I have that spot in every room, as I mentioned I have too many things. While up in my sewing room my youngest stood next to me asking over and over what's this as he pointed to item after item sitting in the windowsill. So today I figured it was time to clean up my things spots. Here is what I found. 

In the kitchen counter spot: My recipe cards, a hair band, the manual for our new Jeep Elsa, Some stickers (that need to go into my kids' sticker books,) a stamp (that has not yet made it up-stairs into my stamp collection,) a flag from the veterans day service at our church last Sunday, some red yarn and white knit fabric (for a sewing contract with a medical program in Seattle that does training for midwifes and medical professionals on how to handle complications during birth,) my address book, my new book, my camera case, and a dime my oldest found at the play ground that needs to go into my kids' "coins for college" bank.

 
In the sewing room windowsill spot: A shipping label, a magnifying glass, a few CDs, a wireless mouse, some floral tape and a paper leaf, (for one of my sewing contracts with a local company called aNeMonE,) scented towelettes, more stamps, button tabs, buttons and diaper elastic, (from my diaper sewing days,) Christmas cards and a Christmas ornament, (I wish I could say that I was getting a jump start on Christmas but the truth is I think they have been sitting there since last year,) a spool of ribbon, a blue sequenced headband, and some other hair accessories, bias tape, machine needles, a threaded bobbin, multiple spools of thread, hook and loop tape, safety pins, paint, glue and tape, a cloth measuring tape, a scrap of flannel fabric, zip-lock baggies, a notebook and pen, a butterfly charm, a piece of fusible interfacing, (for a contract making pet bandannas,) a cloth wipe, a lavender sachet, (the guest gifts from our wedding,) and a medical cord clamp (part of the same project as the yarn and the white fabric from my kitchen counter spot.) 

So now my things spots are all cleaned up or organized (and ready for more items.)

Many blessings to you on this fine day.--Kate

Mismatched storage containers.

One thing that drives me crazy is Tupperware. We have a drawer of it and only half of it seems to fit together. I feel like I am cleaning out that drawer all the time to make sure that everything in there has its match and the very next time I go to that drawer I find pieces that do not fit. Also it seems as though there is twice as much and the drawer is hard to close. Where are all of these mismatched pieces coming from?

Do not get me wrong, I love plastic storage containers when used in other areas of our life. For example to corral those renegade toys, to hold all of the soaps that seem to take over the bathroom and to keep all of my craft and sewing supplies organized and easy to find. For some reason the containers in the kitchen refuse to stay in order.

Today's thing mismatched plastic containers. Now once again I am going through the drawer and out goes the separated sets. Of course next week I will find that missing lid under the refrigerator. 

Many blessings to you on this fine autumn evening.--Kate

Some times the "things" in life are not things.

I have just spent a day allowing the things in life to get in the way of enjoying my life. Some times the things that clutter up our life are not physical items that fill up the corners, and closets that litter the floor or spill out into the garage. They are the things that we allow to steal our moments. They are the things that we think are so important right now, but do not give us the joy that we could find if we just set those things down, took a breath and looked around. Today, I let the things take time away from my kids. Time we could have spent decorating for Halloween, or playing a game. My kids sat next to me working together on a puzzle, I was busy with my things.

So for this Thursday it is all of the things that have to go. I know that they will not. I know that there will be more things that need my attention tomorrow. What I really need to do is make sure that I keep them in their place. I need to not let them fill up my entire day and take away from all of the many amazing moments.

Many blessings to you on this fine night--Kate

Own it, Watched it, Moving it along.

Today's Thing, television box sets. Remember the days before Netflix and Hulu? When we did not have the latest television shows streamed instantly to our computers, phones or through our gaming systems? Where if we missed a few episodes, or even a few seasons of a series, we had to find it on DVD. Those days are now gone and with them the need for our old box sets. So the thing out the door today, the complete series of the "Gilmore Girls", season 1-3 of "Heroes", season 1 and 2 of "Glee", season one of "News Radio" and the first season of "Fringe."

Of course not all of the old box sets are headed out the door. "Doctor Who" is still happily on the shelf. Some series are worth keeping around. 

Many blessings to you on this fine and rainy day--Kate

So hard to say goodbye.

Most of the items that are in the pile to head out the door are easy to let go. They have been outgrown, worn out or simply outdated. There are a few items though that I go through an internal tug-of-war over. I loved them when I bought them and I have not entirely given up hope on them yet. At the same time I have not really put them to good use and most of the time they sit on their shelf growing dust bunnies. It is really hard to justify keeping something that you are sure someone else might love and use. 

That is where today's thing sits. It is something that I repeatedly think oh I could definitely use this, if not for its intended use, then in a myriad of other ways. Yet it has sat for a very long time on a very high self not doing anything. Every time I go to take it down to do something with it or send it out the door the other side of the tug-of-war digs in its heels.

So I turn the fate of today's thing over to you. Should it stay or should it go? If you think it should stay, give me your reasons. Besides the intended use, how else do you think this set could be used? If you think it should go tell me why. If you think it needs to go home to you, let me know that too. 

Many blessings to you on this very fine, crisp fall day--Kate