Our Learning Curve

2011-11-22T21:58:00.000-06:00

This is the Sprout as we knew him....

And now ....

He walked into the bathroom on Sunday morning, and asked Dad, "Can you shave my head?"

I could of settled for a trim, but Sprout is very happy with his new "do".

2011-11-07T08:06:00.000-06:00

Good Morning!

2011-11-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

A month ago, we gathered reeds from the roadside, beside an old church outside of Winnipeg.

They were hung to dry in our basement, and now are ready for whatever we decide to use them for...

To demonstrate, I soaked a handful and make this tiny basket.

I'm not too sure what I am going to use it for, other than a demo.

It is pretty sturdy by my standards, yet not something I would trust my children with unless I didn't mind "accidents".

It is made solely of the reeds, no glue, tape, string, etc.

So that was the first handful, but there are several more ready to be used. I am now just waiting on the inspiration of what to do next.

Oct. 31

2011-11-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

The weather was just beautiful today.

We headed outdoors to soak it up!

The littles had a lot of fun in the leaves. They were perfect for piling and jumping in: they were big and crunchy.

Speedy was more interested in raking. He even knocked on the neighbour's door and offered to rake her boulevard for her.

From our tiny, postage stamp front yard, we filled four garbage bags! They are excited to clean up our back yard, but the large tree hanging over our lawn is still green!

"It was very fun playing in the leaves.. and my mom picked my foot up and put my while body in the garbage"-Sprout

"Yeah, it was silly when mom put Sprout in the garbage"-Speedy

"Yeah"-Seedling

2011-11-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I made a card. I made it with stickers. I used all colors, like black, brown, and blue, and yellow, and that's all the colors I used. I made it for Mom and Seedling.

Today I made Squidword on a horse, and I made his house. It was fun. I told Seedling it was her birthday card. But it's mom's birthday card until her birthday is done, then it will be Seedling's birthday card.

I think I am going to make more today.

2011-10-26T10:11:00.000-05:00

I have been working on a math board for Speedy. Skip counting and mutliplication are on his agenda.

A circle peg board on one side lets him wrap yarn around every 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. I am trying to get different colored yarn for each color (hint, hint if anyone is de-cluttering their stash).

On the other side of the board, there is a target.

The inner circle counts by 1s: 1-12.

The next circle counts by 2s: 2-24.

The next circle counts by 3s: 3-36.

etc.

The target was painted in one afternoon. I expected that to take much longer.

The numbers are going to take longer. I am using craft paint and a toothpick, but it is turning out beautiful and will be worth it!

Reflections of our Thanksgiving

2011-10-26T05:47:00.002-05:00

As Thanksgiving approached, we took an afternoon to ponder our thoughts on thanksgiving.

Food, football, and family!

Sounded about right. A few thoughts about pilgrims and the "first thanksgiving" ... then came the question "But mom, is Thanksgiving one of God's holidays?"

OK, so that was a loaded question! And I am definately raising a future debater, so here is a summary of our conclusions...

... "Thanksgiving Day" is NOT mentioned in the Bible

... "Give thanks unto the Lord" IS read 100 times in the Bible

... the Bible talks about the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Sukkot, meant to celebrate and remeber the sheltering presence of God gave his people in the wilderness

... after the Jews inherited the land, the theme shifted to an expression of thanskgiving for God's provision during that time

... is our holiday related to this Holy Day?

maybe

... some scholars beleive the pilgrims lived with jews in Holland (a safe haven from religeous prosecution at the time) before coming to North America

... they were Puritans, and their religious idealism led them to call themselves the "new Isreal", and their journey to the new world as an "Exodus event"

... once in the new world, they sought the appropriate biblical holiday to commemerate their safe arrival in their land of promise

(I am not a historian, however, and do not quite take this as fact)

... our Thanksgiving, then, could be a variation on the Feast of Tabernacles

... the "first thanskgiving" was a celebration of thanks and honor to God for His intervention and blessings

...we want to be careful that our holidays do not alter, replace or distort the meaning of a festival of God or other biblical truths

We revisited what our Thanksgiving was about ...

Thanksgiving for Gods love and provisions.

Clothing. His Word. Food. Good weather. JESUS. Healing. Toys.

Reading about the Feast of Tabernacles was not enough.

We took advantage of the weather, windy as it was, and went to work in our backyard on Wednesday.

Our fort in the summer is now bare in the fall

We made several fieldtrips to find branches.

We then weaved the branches into our driftwood fort to make our own Sukkot (Sue-coat). As we worked, we talked about what it would be like to have to live in the wilderness for years (not just an exciting weekend!) We also talked about current times when we feel we need or receive Gods protection.

When it came time to have our meal in our Sukkot, it began to downpour, but Speedy convinced the younger two that rain shouldn't stop them. I offered up a simple "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever." (1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 106:1; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 118:1; Psalm 118:29; Psalm 136:1 - your pick!!!), and listened to them pray as I prepared my camera. My heart melted, especially when they prayed that they were thankful for the rain, that it came at just the right time to make them even more thankful to God that they have a strong, dry, and warm house to live in.

We went on to have several Thanksgiving dinners with our various families. Food is still a great part of our Thanksgiving, but it is just that, a part of our Thanksgiving, which is much greater than food alone.

Does your Husband Rock?

2011-09-12T07:02:00.000-05:00

I came across a giveaway on another blog that I just have to share!

The company is called Union28.

Their mission: to encourage marriages and to honor the sacred covenant between a husband and his wife by communicating a positive image of marriage in a fun and stylish way.

(read more here http://www.blogger.com/goog_1100428613)

Their products:

AND...

The Giveaway: featured on Keeper of the Home

A Walk to The Jungle

2011-09-04T18:34:00.000-05:00

We went for a walk to the jungle today.

Disclaimer: Imagination vs lying can be confusing to young children, and this confusion can also be used as an excuse for older children who know how wrong lying is. Therefor, before I begin, I will say that we definately used our imaginations today, and it was fun, and it was OK because no one reading this is going to believe that we walked to the jungle after church and rode lions!

Today after church, we went for a walk ... to the jungle. It was alot of exploring.

There was alot of wildlife ...

crocodiles,
butterflies,
snakes,
and hippo's.

Local grub...

And adventure...

mom found some quicksand...

Sprout marked the 'X' for the treasure...

Speedy climbed the tallest trees...

a big bird swooped him up and dropped him into a nest...

Seedling and Speedy got caught in a mudslide...

Speedy found some eggs... are they crocodile eggs, or maybe dinosaur eggs...

and mom even brough something home to remember our adventure!

Real or Plastic?

2011-08-31T01:46:00.000-05:00

At a visit to our chiropractor, Speedy presents a question, "Is this plant real or plastic?"

(Last visit, he watched an employee try to figure this out, and then water the plant. Speedy had even commented on how much water the plant took!)

When he couldn't tell by looking at the leaves, he tried touching them. That didn't help much - they felt like plastic, but he wasn't convinced. He touched both a green leaf, and a yellow leaf.

Sprout to the rescue! He'll figure this out - and he did! (kinda)

He came running over to feel the leaves, in his own, non-delicate fashion, and broke the green leaf.

A clean break, could still be plastic -- then it hit us! This leaf was real ... why?

We could smell the chlorophyll!!!

So what does mom do? I break the yellow leaf, just to test our conclusion.

It smelled of autumn, I could almost hear my feet crunching the fallen leaves.

Of course by now, I can feel the eyes of everyone around watching, trying to figure out what we are doing, and whether they should escort us out, or call us help! It was a great morning!

2011-08-24T19:08:00.001-05:00

Today I took some time to make new placemats.

Our old ones are still in great shape - and they work well - which is why I made more! Usually if things are working well, you do NOT replace them. I am not replacing our old ones, but am adding to our stash.

The only thing on the top of each placemat is a verse reference. We get to spend mealtime trying to remember the verses, and only when the dishes are getting cleared do we get to flip the placemats over and reveal the entire verse.

My first Giveaway Win!

2011-08-24T18:57:00.000-05:00

I don't find a lot of time to browse blogs, and don't usually enter the giveaways I come across. About two months back, I did just this. FaveCrafts.com had a giveaway for a crochet kit for a baby boy. Well, I don't have much time to crochet, and don't know of any baby boys in the near future, but I entered my info. My name was drawn, and they emailed me a confirmation and release form to sign and return. That email made it to my junk mail folder, which normally do not go into. I can't quite remember what made me look in my junk that day, but I sent in my confirmation, and today, by delivery, was my prize:

It includes instructions, a crochet hook, a yarn needle, buttons, and more that enough yarn to make a blanket, a sweater, a hat, and booties!

Since entering, I now know 3 ladies who are expecting. Chances are one might have a boy, so I'd better start finding time to crochet - no excuses!

Subscribe to FaveCrafts Free Quick & Crafty e-mail newsletter and enjoy new craft projects, tips and videos. Bonus: Free 95-page "Creative Crafting All Year Round Holiday" eBook.

2011-08-17T12:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I did it again, but this time, it was by request.

We spent the day Saturday at Grand Beach and Maverick was taken by all the cute sundresses they were selling, and how they would all look so cute on Seedling. The "we should buy this" turned into "you could make this" very quickly. My concern was that I didn't think I had cute enough material. Then I remembered about this royal blue material with yellow, red, and green tie died flowers on it -- perfect! I must say that this suits her more that the other patterns we have seen in dresses!

So we got home very late from the beach and another party afterwards, and when the children didn't sleep in on Sunday morning, I decided to make this dress before church. The dress she loves ... hopefully by the time this is posted, she will have let me take it off of her to wash it ...

WIP: Lord's Prayer Poster

2011-08-12T08:33:00.000-05:00

One day, we spent a long time painting. We painted a huge poster. We painted beautiful colors, all light, and we blended them, and tried different patterns.

Then it looked very beautiful when we were done. The last thing was to write The Lord's Prayer on it. Then we framed it, and hung it on my bedroom wall.

Now my room gets something beautiful, and I have something to remind me to pray more.

2011-08-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

At the breakfast table this morning .... "Mommy, I made an "L"!!!!"

And this is becoming a regular occurance ...
The burr's were an "S"...
The rocks were a "C"...
The extension cord was folded into an "R", or a "K" if you cover the top loop ...

Theese are the letters/photos we have done so far:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

2011-08-11T21:46:00.000-05:00

Spent some time outdoors again today.

I did a color wash again, but sanded the edges slightly for the "warn away" look.

Again, sealed with Almond Oil.

I think I still like the unpainted versions (the bears), but that's just me.

Here is our new addition, and how it fits into our growing "play set",

and this is what makes today's finished product our "Work In Progress"!

WIP: All Things Bright and Beautiful

2011-08-10T15:26:00.000-05:00

Another room project, to add more of Sprout's presence into the boys' room ... a collage!

This is my picture. It says "All Things Bright and Beautiful" (said to the tune). Me and mom made it, First Mom made the letters...

then I colored the letters. I used two colors for one letter. If I did it hard, it would work, definately.

Then I colored the other letters. When I was done coloing all the other letters, I did scissors and glue. Pictures of animals and God's stuff that he made.

I put the poster on my bedroom wall.

Funny note ... we enjoy looking up different versions of this old hymn on YouTube, most are set to striking beautiful photographs or paintings, but today came across a version set to screenshots of Farmville!!!

Our Collection

2011-08-03T16:50:00.002-05:00

we were gowing to st jons park for are cleksun and this is what we fawnd. It is pinecons and burrs. Sum are starting to open, and some are open all the way. I would like to go thir agin.

2011-08-03T12:42:00.002-05:00

F is for Fry frys ( as sprout would say)
These are the letters/photos we have done so far:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

WIP: Bears

2011-08-03T12:00:00.001-05:00

When we returned from camping last week, Sprout had fallen asleep in the vehicle on the trip, and when he awoke at home, he bagan bawling. He was very upset that we were done camping, but had not yet seen a bear. He was adament that we MUST go back now, and not leave until we see a bear.

This week, Speedy and Sprout have been playing with a camping adventure set, but Sprout is still talking about his bear.

It wasn't suprising to me, then, when I asked the boys what I should make today, that Sprout burst out with "a bear"!

Thus, my second attempt at using my scroll saw ...

Momma and baby bear! We decided not to paint this set, but just to cure it and see how it holds up to the rough boys and the drooly girl!

A Lazy Post about a Lazy Afternoon!

2011-08-02T21:28:00.001-05:00

Hiding Out in the Shade

Hard at Work with a Paintbrush

Peek-A-Window

Relaxing in Daddy's Hammock

Sprout's Masterpiece of the Day

WIP: Personal Space

2011-08-02T18:03:00.000-05:00

Recently Sprout has moved on. He has not only moved onto his own bed, but has transitioned into "The Boys' Room" with Speedy. Although we have been calling this his room for a year, his bed (and the fact that he stays in it all night) make the transition complete.

This meant rearranging the room, and he asked me to put up sheets to make his bed darker. Most children I know would cry the opposite, so I decided to run with it and create his own personal space in the shared room. And what makes it personal more than PERSONALIZING it!

Speedy has been learning handwriting (cursive), so I decided to do a wallhanging with Sprout's name on it for his new area. Set on a black backdrop to block out the sun in the summer when bedtime can come before the sun goes down, I used green, orange, and white cording and yarn for his name.

This wall hanging will be functional as well as decorative. The boys have a double sided bookshelf which is very tempting to climb. By placing this black artwork above the book shelf, it takes that temptation away because there is nothing to look at on the other side. This is the first step in creating the cave-like bed he is asking for. I do have black material to complete the wall requested, but want to make sure he is getting enough air flow. I do have some yardage of drapery/mosquito netting type material that I might look into dying black. Stay tuned...

WIP: CARDS !

2011-07-29T21:06:00.006-05:00

I was having a lazy day today, and was in the mood to get creative. So I actually took the time to make some cards! I love to make them but usually only do when I really have to.

These cards are my favorites of the day:

Sadly, I might end up using most of them this month.

Rainbow Experiment

2011-07-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

So our "holiday" portion of our holidays has come and gone.

We spent a few days at a nearby campground with two lovely families, then a few days with our family celebrating a new marriage.

Now reality has set in, and although our days are mainly free to enjoy, there was alot of work to reclaim our house. In the very quick comings and goings to repack and leave, the house was quite out of order. That pretty much meant if there was ever a chore to be done, it had to be done today.

I'd love to say I am done, but I am not. I gave myself until 1 to give'er, then I took a little "me" time. What's that look like, you ask, with 4 children in the home? Well, my best way to relax and avoid my work is to find other "work" to do! I decided to try and get some life out of an old board found in our backyard.

I did take a few pics along the way, intending to do a WIP entry.

I didn't anticipate finishing anything today... would it be cheesy to call it Finished it Friday?

Speedy and Sprout are really exicted, and love their new toy (IF they can get it away of Seedling long enough to play with it)! It had already become bridges, boats (well, an ark), balancing toys, and I think at one point, a rainbow! More importantly, they watched me make it, and are already thinking of what I can do next, and what step they can help me with.

So why call it a Rainbow Experiment, you ask? Because we had no clue what we were doing, just sacrificing an ugly piece of wood to test the waters for future projects. At the onset, I never expected a product that we would be playing with! Although far from perfect, it's being called "cool" and "awesome" here, and that makes my heart warm.

An afternoon well spent.

Season of Handiwork

2011-06-28T09:20:00.001-05:00

Our hands have been busy lately, but with more babies arriving, it is a good busy!
Speedy and Sunshine both embroidred a leaf onto a very small diaper shirt.

I added some embelishment onto the sleeves, and added ruffles in the rear! (x2!!!)

A baby bonnet in brighter colors that I normally use...

First sets of booties...

And grandma's friend game her some material for me to make Seedling a dress ... love the material ...

And what it is turning into...

very sweet, even though I'm not a huge fan of pink.

2011-06-18T22:36:00.001-05:00

We made a choice today ... the sun hid behind the clouds today, but D was not going to be for dreary day!

These are the letters/photos we have done so far:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Mugshots

2011-06-18T22:25:00.001-05:00

This year, we decided Maverick (a.k.a. Daddy) needed some new mug shots for his wallet ...

Ideal Weather

2011-06-17T12:38:00.003-05:00

Today is warm and sunny. So far, my children have not asked to venture outside.
As I look through my photos to prepare a Father's Day gift, I am left to ponder what the term "ideal weather" means to my family.

Don't get me wrong, we LOVE the warm and sunny weather.

Those beautiful days just don't seem to stir up the excitement that a rainy day does!

Summer is here, our official "schooling" is winding down, and we are ready for whatever weather is in store!

(Note to self: permalink this post for reference when weather is not "ideal" - AND HOLD YOURSELF TO IT!)

Keeping Busy

2011-05-31T23:58:00.000-05:00

Colors ... some patterns, then watercolors.

Here is Speedy's sample ...

Then some new patterns ...

And continuous lines using yarn ... we also did our names ...

As Speedy worked on these, I stole some time to do a project ...

And Sprout and Seedling also got right into their own projects...

2011-04-29T15:05:00.001-05:00

It has been a crazy week, no suprise. My children HAVE been working on new posts, and hopefully next week I will find the time to help them post! Right now I am getting ready to leave town...heading out to an Above Rubies Retreat to be encouraged and strenghtened as a wife, a mother, and a homemaker!

2011-04-12T21:52:00.001-05:00

I'm not feeling orderly today, so here goes ...

Splash

These are the letters/photos we have done so far:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Sowing Surprises

2011-04-12T20:49:00.003-05:00

Spring is official when mud is involved, and although today's wind took mud wading off our to-do list, we didn't completely cross mud off. We had a "surprise" pack of seeds, made for children. It is a mix of seeds that grows well. Speedy's planter has five pots, so we picked five types of seeds, and sorted them out.

Hard to beleive, but we did this after 7pm! Gotta love spring! Sunshine was away at a friends, so it was the three littles who got in on the action. The boys planted the seeds, and Seedling found the spoon and kept filling the pots with more soil.

Each pot got one type of seed, and we have to wait to see what sprouts up. The most interesting were the ones that looked like curled-up worms. It sparked a debate as to whether they were seeds or actually dead worms. Again, it's another wait-and-see.

Infront of each pot, we glued one seed so that we can see where each plant came from.

And a side note, not totally unrelated, our garlic chives have sprouted, and it smells wonderful already! It is a real test of patience to let it grow, as everyone here just loves chives.

Diary of a Confused Boy, Entry 1

2011-04-11T21:13:00.007-05:00

Postcard: Alaska

2011-04-11T20:25:00.002-05:00

We received a postcard this week from Fairbanks, Alaska.

It was slightly confusing to Sunshine, as it is a "Canadian Postcard" club ... but we embraced it. Speedy had fun finding it on our map. He knew where Canada was, and where he thought all the United States were ... but he DID find it!

We found out that Fairbanks is a 46 hour and 40 minute drive from our house. When we were writing our postcard to them and enjoying an afternoon snack, the family in Alaska was just sitting down for lunch as we are three hours ahead of them. For Speedy, though, it was the sheer number of volcanoes, particularily active volcanoes in Alaska, that caught his attention!

Diary of a ....

2011-04-11T20:03:00.002-05:00

is now

Thanks to all who voted.

Speedy is excited to make his first post!

Speedy's Diary

2011-04-05T18:10:00.002-05:00

Speedy has really taken off with reading lately. At first, it was his "Armor of God" Bible (yeah), but then he found another book worthy of his time ...

I had heard good reviews of this book, so we tried it. Speedy LOVED it, it was easy to read, and had just the right amount of pictures. As he read it, we re-evaluated. "We" have decided that this book is not a good fit for our home. It is, as the title would suggest, about a "whimpy" kid, who is bullied. It is full of elementary and middle school humor. To Speedy, unfortunatey, is was a how-to book to bully his younger siblings, and an introduction to how inappropriate young children can treat each other.

So, again "we" had a talk about it, and decided to return it to the library. But he really enjoyed the story and the format, so he found a solution! He has begun his own Diary. Originally, he called it the "Diary of a Half-Happy, Half-Sad, and Half Mad Boy". He has begun to draw the main characters, and has two frames so far. He hopes to add a new page every week or so, and to update his blog followers as he completes his entries. He wants your help, tough. On the right hand of our blog is a poll to name his Diary.

Fun in the Mud!

2011-04-05T17:47:00.004-05:00

I was sitting at home listening to music as I was doing school, when I was interrupted by " hey get your camera and come out here!"And as curious as I was, I did. Not only did I see abandoned boots in a pile of mud but a couple of kids running up and down the street getting wet and covered with mud. Sprout was doing belly slides, Speedy was just going insane ,happy that mom was okay with it ,and Seed was falling everywhere and getting stuck numerous times. As I watched the fun i decided to join , but only just my feet. The mud was very cold and thick, it was getting stuck between my toes. Very gross. Finally we went inside, washed up and got into warm PJ's. Other than getting wet and being cold the weather was great!

Things

2011-04-01T20:41:00.002-05:00

Twins! Those twins! The "Things".

We dressed up for a party. It was fun. I was a Thing from the Cat in the Hat movie.

I was Thing 1, Speedy was Thing 2, and Seedling was Thing 3. Mom was the Cat in the Hat.

Sunshine was a cat in the hat, too. She has a hat and stripes like mom.

2011-03-22T15:47:00.003-05:00

Card Collection

These are the letters/photos we have done so far:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Postcard Exchange

2011-03-22T15:28:00.001-05:00

We mailed out two postcards today.

We started trading postcards late last year. We chose to begin with families within Canada, but have already received a few worldwide requests. We find Winnipeg postcards, add our own knowledge/insight, and send them off. The receiving families do the same from where they live, and we receive a card for our collection. We get to read a bit about where they are from, and we keep our cards in a map box, where we can mark the location of each we have received.

Today we send cards to Dundas, ON and to Prince George, BC.

Half Beautiful, Half Muddy Time of the Year (SPRING)

2011-03-21T17:09:00.008-05:00

Today was the first day of spring.

Seed is wanting to go outside all the time, and now it's spring. She has my old summer hat on, Sprout's rubber boots, and definately her own spring dress.

I am splashing in the puddles, getting all soaked. I jumped, I tried jumping into a different pile of water, but I slipped on my feet and fell on my bum on the hard cold ice. The ice hurt my bum. I came into the house half crying, and half cold. I got dressed, and wanted to go back outside, but my mom said "there are jammies out here if you are looking for warm clothes, don't put on your new pants to go back outside".

The end.

2011-03-15T11:21:00.007-05:00

The Letter B ...
... Beautiful ... my beautiful baby ... a real sleeping beauty!

These are the letters/photos I have done so far:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Good Movies, but Bad Fish

2011-03-15T10:30:00.007-05:00

I like watching movies about real animals. It was piranha s and 2 kinds of kurrocor diyols. and wiyuld animals... It's cool because it is real fish and real animals and they do real things. The not cool thing is they can bite people.

2011-03-09T11:43:00.008-06:00

The Letter A ...
...is the first letter of the alphabet, so I will start here!

A is for apple. Why is it so tasty?

These are the letters/photos I have done so far:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Eventful Afternoon

2011-03-08T20:21:00.001-06:00

Well, after an almost 4-month hiatus, we have returned to our blog!
Speedy realized that he hadn't written for the blog lately, and has inspired himself and I to do so (Sunshine is working on a new post as well). I talked with him about some ideas, but he had a specific incident in mind. I signed him in, and left him to his work! I returned and labeled his contribution "A Not-So-Sweet Consequence".
I too, had ideas of what to write about. Then life happened. So here was our afternoon:

   Sunshine took a short walk just after lunch. She returned to tell us of the lovely wood fire one of our neighbors was having. Not all that uncommon in our neighborhood, but strange for a Tuesday afternoon. Well, about 15 minutes later, the first fire truck arrived. The "wood fire" was an old wood character home across our street, 3 doors down.
   The children spent much of the afternoon at the window, or out on the front deck watching the fire. Seedling giggled as she walked barefoot in the snow. Speedy and Sprout tested their strength by kicking the last remaining pieces of their snow fort to the ground. Then Sunshine joined them outdoors and threw Speedy in the snowbank in his t-shirt. That warranted a warm bath for both Speedy and Sprout. I thought we were done at this point, but within 5 minutes, both boys were dressed and outside again ( with sweaters, at least, this time!)
   We didn't see flames, rather A LOT of smoke. We could hear the flames, the water, the windows breaking, and their smoke alarm once the windows were broken, and every neighborhood dog barking. We enjoyed the lovely wood fire smell filled the entire neighborhood.

JOE.BRYKSA@FREEPRESS.MB.CA

It wasn't until we went to leave, and Sunshine went to lock up our dog did we notice there was no dog! We called inside the house and out. Speedy giggled when a small, yappy dog across the lane would bark back whenever he called out our dog's name. At this time, we had to leave to drop Sunshine somewhere, but returned quickly to search the area. Still no luck. We were beginning to worry that the fire department might have called animal services and had him rescued. Just as we were giving up, a neighbor came running after us. "You're looking for a dog - I have him."

This man was at a friend's house, but something had told him to go home early. The fire was well under way at that point, and as he walked by the house to see the fire with his dog, he saw our dog running around, barking and jumping. When our dog saw them and joined them, he just took him home with them. He kept our dog in his backyard all afternoon, as neither dog is fixed. At the time we first went out calling for our dog, he had let our dog into his house to warm up and eat, and had put his dog outside. This was the dog that had barked each time Speedy called our dog's name.

So, now all is well.
Our dog is safe, and returned to us.
Sunshine has been contacted and is thrilled.
The story of the fire has been aired on the news, and although no one was home at the time of the fire, there had been a dog in the home, whom the fireighters were unable to save.
I beleive our dog (who never leaves our yard) had gone there to try to save the dog as well.
Thankfully, we had an extra pizza in our freezer from the weekend, and Big Cat Daries (lions, cheetas, etc.) is on, allowing us all a relaxing evening!

Not-So-Sweet Consequences

2011-03-08T13:15:00.008-06:00

I Wint To Soperstowewr And I Didnt Lisin so I Didnt get a cooke. my berudeur and sistur got a cooke. I Did not like it. nex tim i wil get a cooke.

- speedy

Seedling turns One!

2010-11-28T00:37:00.002-06:00

Hard to beleive it's been a year already!

The question I was repeatdly asked was "so what are you going to do on her birthday?". I responded with "we're going to stay home and have a lazy, quiet day", and I felt that most people seemed disappointed. I can tell you that we were not! We had the opportunity to spend the whole day with Seed, unintrupted, unscripted, to just enjoy being with her, to reflect on her first year, and to pray into her next year with us.

Alright, the "quiet" part kinda happened ... and we did not forgo the birthday celebration. Seed and Sprout decorated the kitchen with chocolate and butterscotch finger paint, while Speedy and Sunshine each baked and decorated her a small cake.

And she loved the cakes so much, that she stood up in her chair, and began dancing!

2010-11-28T00:16:00.001-06:00

This project has been in the works for some time, but I did not want to spoil it.

I haven't knit anything since I was seven, when my mother taught me to knit a scarf. I have thought about trying to learn again, but finding the time/energy for somthing I don't really need to be doing ... yeah, it's just not going to happen. Then Sunshine recieved a knitting loom as a gift. Ah - this I can handle! Yes, you could call it cheating, and I would not agrue, but this was still quite an undertaking.

Two buntings for two new precious babies. I chose red and white so that they would be unisex, and had intended to add a flower/car emblishment when babies came, but life got in the way, and I decided best get the gifts to the babies before they outgrow them.

They are far from perfect, but full of love.

These also fit our cabbage patch dolls perfectly for when they are outgrown!

2010-11-03T23:38:00.001-05:00

Getting back into "the swing of things" has not been easy. I am having a hard time trying to do too much, but not getting anything done. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

For me, this comes down to priorities, organization, and schedule.

Prioritizing is never fun for me. I find this difficult because there is not usually an obvious, frivilous drain, or an easy solution! It means really praying into what things need to be given my time an energies, and what things are not as important. Yes, it means "giving up" doing some things that I value, but I find I am able to value my other priorities even more.

Organization can really make or break my priorities. A house worthy of Better Homes and Gardens is not one of my top priorities, however, it does need to maintain some stanard for me to focus on my priorities. If I fail to organize, I can spend all my time cleaning and "fixing" (which can be neverending) and never get around to my priorities.

Lastly, every time I make a shift in priorities, I realize that my whole household feels these shifts, and it can take some time to cement into our schedules. I try not to overschedule our time, but the more consistant I can be, the more the children will know what is expcted of them (routine = less disclipline), and again, our main priorities are more likely to be met.

This week, I am my work in progress. This does not mean I don't have a few other projects in the works, but whether or not they get completed really won't matter to anyone other than myself.

Sushi

2010-11-02T18:04:00.001-05:00

Sushi!!

The first time I attmpted this was with a room of 2-year olds. It was so much fun watching them taste (and spit across the table) the ingredients before we rolled it. Amazingly, they all tried it again once it was asssemble, and even more amazing - they ALL liked it!

(I still remember hearing the parents' comments: "You got my child to eat WHAT?", and "He won't eat rice at home for us", etc.)

I stuck with fillings I knew they loved: carrots, cucumber, and tomato.

Still, I find myself shocked that my four children love this same sushi. I have never gotten really creative with fillings, although they loved the imitation crab meat in there, and we do keep ginger and wasabi on hand to compliment the rolls.

Find other real food appetizer recipes at Whole Foods for the Holidays: A Real Food Progressive Dinner, hosted by Kitchen Stewardship this week.

Pea Soup

2010-10-19T20:55:00.002-05:00

This post is part of a real foods for the holidays progressive dinner link up! Click through to GNOWFGLINS for more information.

I was suprised at how well my family ate this the first time I made it. I am usually the only one eating peas around here, although the two babies seem to enjoy a few as well. The soup, on the other hand, was devoured by all!

Ingredients:
dried green split peas
diced ham and/or ham bone
sliced carrots
chopped onion
2 ribs celery plus leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken broth

Method
Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given, adding the broth last.
Do not stir ingredients.
Cover and cook on high 4—5 hours or on low 8—10 hours until peas are very soft.
Some of my family prefer it to be pureed in the blender before I serve it.

The best part is that other than the ham/ham bone, it is all ingredients we normally have in the house. This makes it a perfect recipe for using and stretching that left-over ham from Thanksgiving!

Welcome Back

2010-10-09T12:02:00.001-05:00

I can't really say that I "took the summer off", but I am thankful! We had a busy summer, but enjoyed it thouroughly! Now that we seem to be into a more scheduled routine, I hope to get back to adding some posts.

The highlights ....

... spening time with friends and family

... Seed decided she was ready to stand up and start chasing the boys!
(wrong way, girl!)

Sprout (lazy me, just pictures!)

2010-07-04T00:13:00.001-05:00

I was looking through some of Sprout's latest photo's today ...

Do you think I never wash his face? LOL

2010-07-03T23:25:00.002-05:00

Join Us!

2010-06-09T23:07:00.001-05:00

We are looking for participants for our Summer Photography Challenge - the challenge is to be purposely taking more pictures, not challenging against each other for better pictures.

We are starting off with a game of "I Spy" ... I'd love to keep this going, but need participants!

Check it out, follow the buton on the right hand of this blog.

Speedy's Story

2010-06-09T22:48:00.004-05:00

Speedy usually isn't very talkative on Sundays when he is released from Sunday School. If I ask about his class, I usually get an "I don't know" or, "I'll tell you later." Either way, I do get to hear about it later. In great detail.

This week, when I asked about the picture he made, I got the "I'll tell you later".

When Maverick asked what they did, Speedy told him they learned about Jesus being born. Maverick thought June was a weird time to learn about Christmas. Speedy then elaborated. "God is love because he gave Jesus to be born to save us." OK. That made a little more sense.

It wasn't until Monday night over dinner that Speedy finally unpacked the story about his picture. And a story it was ...

"One day, Jesus came to visit me at my house. We did a couple games, then a couple puzzles and books. Then we went outside and played soccer.

Then me and Jesus builded a big church - a huge church. All the children in the world went inside the church and Jesus told them about him and God.

And then God made a big, huge field - bigger than lots of soccer fields - and all the children had a team. God's team. They broke into a thousand and ten teams. Yeah, but God did not let Satan's people play.

Their mom's and dad's and grandma's and grandpa's came to watch them play, and to watch Jesus play.

Then they ate supper. Jesus took the bread, broke it in half, and gave it to all the children. He said, "Eat this; it is my body." Then he took wine, and said "drink this, this is my blood I'll give to you". And they all prayed, ate the bread, prayed again, and drank the wine. Then Jesus got food out - perogies with his body, and juicy sausages with his blood. That is what he gave them.

After they ate, they had a meeting, and talked. They talked about fighting Satan and the devil. Then they went out and did it! But it wasn't real fighting. They said God's word, and they prayed. And guess what? Satan did not bother ANYONE! and it was the happiest world ever!

THE END

This is the story from Speedy's picture,
and this is the story that he wrote."

Wow! My hand was sore, and the writing was very messy to keep up with him, but there it is!

p.s. I checked with his ss.teacher, and they did do the Christmas Story in June - but with a twist!

Feeding the Birds

2010-05-12T19:55:00.003-05:00

We spent a little time outdoors today, feeding the birds,

and if this makes you think of:

birdseed,

breadcrumbs,

or sunflower seeds,

and if feeding by hand looks something like this:

and if you are picturing a quiet backyard ....

YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW MY BOYS THAT WELL!

This is Speedy, using his water-filled bird whistle to call the birds, so he can hand feed them the worm he has just dug out of his very own, 2-foot-deep mud hole!

LOL

2010-05-03T23:06:00.001-05:00

The city has done it's spring clean-up down our street. The old trees have all been trimmed, and the cut branches have been shredded. They were too quick infront of our house, but we managed to sneak down the street and salvage some branches for Speedy's room.

He had a blast choosing different yarns, and then weaving them in and out of the branches.

The branches are now high above his loft bed, and I am sure that he will continue to add to them over the next few weeks.

2010-04-26T22:28:00.001-05:00

This whole idea of posting a "work in progress" does not work well for me. Why? Because many of my "creations" are spur of the moment, I want it done NOW projects. This one, for example, I saw a scarf at a thrift shop, brought it home, and decided last night that Seed could use a new dress.

This dress is actually only half of the scarf, so maybe the "in process" can be what I do with the other half!!! Matching pants/shorts/skirt, or maybe a bonnet?

(My not-so-willing model -- Yes, she did wear it today!)

2010-04-06T22:30:00.001-05:00

Math lesson, or child labor?

Well, I suppose if we were receiving the profit, we would need to examine this further. Since we are not, we call it a math lesson. Speedy counts out the pennies, arranges them in rows of 10, then skip-counts by 10 before rolling (mini-muliplication). He even enlists Sprout's help to roll!

These are all pennies from their piggy banks.

When we began, Speedy wanted to donate it all to the church, so they can "send more people to go tell people who don't know Jesus". He has been donating any change he finds.

However, he received his first gift-card this Christmas, and we did let him pick and make his own purchase. He enjoyed that, and now wants to donate half of his change, and save half to buy toys. (I see a nice introduction to division coming!)

Of course, Speedy has NO concept of the value (or lack of) of his money. Now that he has counted several hundred pennies, he has "lot's of money" to replace laptops when he breaks the screen, or to buy people real Mustangs for their birthdays! LOL

2010-03-24T19:42:00.007-05:00

I was making a transformer poster. At the bottom, it shows you who is allowed to look at the top and who is not. First of all, there is the girls, which aren't allowed to look at the top of the poster because girls don't like transformers and fighting. It says that boys are, and boys only are allowed to look at the top because they like transforers and fighting, but some boys don't.

I wrote on my poster that I have transformers at my house, that is the favorite thing in my life. I want it to be the only thing I have. There is nothing on the back, so I wrote a big X to let them know. I wrote all about transformers so that if some boys don't know, they can look at it and learn about the guns and stuff. Well, I accidentally made a mistake: I made Optimus Prime be the smallest one, by mistake, it was supposed to be Bumblebee who was the smallest of the Autobot group, and I had to make Bumblebee be the biggest one because then people would be thinking there was three Autobots, but I only know 2: Bumblebee, the Buggy Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and the twins, but I didn't make the twins yet. Maybe I will put them on today. Today I will make them, but when I make them, they willl probably look like the real ones, but I can't usually make the cars that similar, but I know I will today. Today is the day that I will make them finished, but maybe not. But today or tommorow I will go somewhere with only boys and I will show them everything about it, about fighting and transformers, when I am done.
I made this because transformers are my favorite. The End.

2010-03-24T19:20:00.001-05:00

Ok, so it's been a while ... not that there has been a shortage of projects, but finding the time to download pictures and post them has been used otherwise. But I am making it happen tonight, so here goes...

WRITER'S CRAMP?

100 circles in pencil, followed by 100 circles in marker...

Check back next week (or the following week) to find out more ... guesses are welcome!

QUILTS

the boy's room, if you could say it had a color scheme, would be green and orange, so here is the plan for quilt #1: it is in greens and black , and here is my plan for quilt #2: it will be in oranges and black

LEFTOVER SCRAPS

I guess in an attempted "spring cleaning" of my sewing area, I decided that Seed needed a new dress to wear to Sprout's birthday party....quilting squares from a bed quilt and edging from clear bibs made a very colorful dress! It was perfect with her grey wool pants with the felted flowers and the checkered crib shoes daddy bought! [Mommy forgot to take a pic :( ].

Sprout Turns 2!

2010-03-18T02:57:00.004-05:00

A Spring Walk to the Park

2010-03-17T21:22:00.019-05:00

The weather has been getting warmer, and today we took time out for a walk to the park. Seed was the only one who got a free ride! She sported her new sunglasses, but decided it was still best to sleep for the duration of the walk.

The see-saw produced a lot of smiles (yes, there has been a fine line between play and praise for Speedy lately) ... but it was the monkey bars that stole their attentions.

Speedy just learnt to hang upside down ... first time ever was on a swinging trapeez bar, believe it or not! How could this possibly make me nervous? I enjoyed watching, and snapped up these photos. I was just thankful that Sprout was uninterested, and wandering around, exploring!

Snowman Fun!!

2010-02-02T13:44:00.007-06:00

I'm not usually the one to want to go out in the winter, but i was so happy the snow was sticky. Finally at the end of the afternoon, Speedy and I went outside to build a snowman. It was loads of fun and I really mean loads (snow can get pretty heavy). It took plenty of strength to move the bottom, and to put the middle in place. That part finally came to a end (Phew........). Now the real fun came, putting the buttons eyes, eyes, nose, and that magical black hat on (sorry to say, but he didn't dance). We were now done, but wait! There are 3 red buttons and 1 each of the other colors. Leroy (or Hattie) looked angry. He was missing a mouth! so there went the red buttons. About a half-hour later, I took plenty of pictures. :)

2010-01-27T11:55:00.004-06:00

It's been a while....

First some updates:

Christmas dress that I made (well, actually, just the pinafore) for Seed. The plan was to be able to remove the pointsettia after the holidays, and add a tulip, but in making some hasty adjustments on Christmas Eve, the neck hole is small, and will not last much longer.

Christmas Hats

monkey, frog, and lamb!

This is a felted wool cozy that I had made for my beverage bottle ...

Sunshine had liked it, and seeing as she broke her glass-lined Thermos, I had the perfect project for stocking stuffers!

But I know how fashion conscious teenage girls can be, so I made one to match each of her winter jackets!

Finally, today's WIP......

another pinafore ... notice a much larger neck hole this time!

New Years!!

2010-01-25T11:54:00.004-06:00

New years was different for us this year. My sister was over, and we stayed home. it was more like a family night, but till midnight. We played Wii and made a gingerbread sleigh.

With the gingerbread, that was a fun time. In the end, I started to eat the icing right from the tube. CasualCrafter went ahead and cut a bigger hole. I wasn't expecting it to be much bigger, but i was wrong. It was more like the whole top! Of course i didn't eat all of it, I only had a lick out of a mouth full. Our gingerbread sleigh only lasted enough for two pictures, and then it disappeared into a black hole, called the stomach.

Wii was more simple. It started with a few races on Mario Kart, and turned into a game of bowling.

As midnight came, we watched the ball drop and a couple of fireworks on Farmville,and that ended our night. It had gone by so fast! It had all been fun and games until people got sleepy.

HATTIE

2010-01-25T11:04:00.009-06:00

Hattie was a very cool snowman. The weather was just beautiful, but when we were done, we were freezing because we stayed out too long.

I didn't know how to make snowballs. Something AMAZING happened! My sister showed me how to roll them, and that's how you make snowballs. But I wish it was summer.

My sister kept confusing me, 'cause she said there was a green button, and I didn't know there was, but then I saw the green button and I knew there was.

I wish there was a ladder for me so I could stand tall and put the hat on. But there was no such thing as a ladder to go out in the winter, but it would be cool if there was a ladder to go outside in the winter.

I had fun building the snowman, but my sister kept confusing me. Then my dad came home, and he missed the snowman, and that was just funny.

The End.

And that was the story of my snowman!

2009-12-21T16:32:00.004-06:00

Bethlehem LIVE

2009-12-11T06:03:00.002-06:00

What is Bethlehem LIVE? It is a living nativity - a real enactment of the town of Bethlehem and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. Your journey begins as you enter the Time Tunnel and travel back in time 2000-plus years to 4 B.C. Your group will be guided by a shepherd and you will experience all the sights, sounds and smells of Bethlehem's first Christmas. As you leave Bethlehem, you will be welcomed back to 2009 by one of Gateway's pastors who will explain the relevance of Jesus' birth today. Your "journey" ends with refreshments offered by volunteers eager to help weary pilgrims.

All of this takes place indoors at 851 Panet Road.

The interactive walk through Bethlehem performance dates are:

     Thursday December 10 6 - 9 pm

     Friday December 11 12 – 3 pm (special school tours*)
     Friday December 11 6 - 9 pm
     Saturday December 12 12 - 3 pm & 6-9 pm
     Sunday December 13 12 -3 pm

Cost: There is no cost. This is Gateway's gift to the people of Winnipeg.

So mark the dates down and take your family, friends and neighbours and come see Bethlehem LIVE! For more information or if you have any questions, call 989-6580 or email bethlehem@gatewaywinnipeg.com.

Maverick and Seed, as Joseph and baby Jesus

2009-12-04T10:39:00.003-06:00

Late again ... but I did take the pictures on Wednesday....

A new hat for baby, as per Sprout's request...

It matched the dress I had made Seed, and she got dressed up on Wednesday to attend a cousin's performance in The Nutcracker.

Next is a set of hats for the boys! Hope to have them done within a week, but not alot of free time, so I may have to say I should have them done by Christmas!!!

2009-12-01T21:40:00.002-06:00

http://casualcrafter-familyphotos.blogspot.com/

Welcome "Seed"

2009-11-16T19:45:00.005-06:00

Praying wasn't enough to bring baby by her due date, but three hours of worship did the trick!!!

Thanks to Robin Mark and the PromiseKeepers worship band for getting things started!
After a 3-hour worship concert of singing and dancing, and no sleep, my labor started. It was fairly intense and quick from the start - I was sure it could not be the real thing. Within an hour, the contractions were 5 minutes apart, but my midwife wanted to wait until each contraction lasted longer. That never did happen, but within the next hour, the contractions were one minute apart. We checked into triage at 2:10 am, Seed blessed us with her presence at 3:39 am, and we were discharged at 9am when the day shift began.

Stats:

Date: November 16, 2009

Time: 3:39 am

Height:: 19 3/4"
Weight: 9 lbs, 7 oz

She was born with the most hair of all my children, and it is very dark...we'll see if it stays.

Congrats!

2009-11-16T19:18:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to our cousins who, along with their Wolverine teammates, just won their division finals!!!

Thank you for inviting us to your games, each one of us has enjoyed cheering you on through the season. Thank you for always stopping to say hi to your little fans, and I will try to get your pictures to you soon!

Due Date is Here

2009-11-11T08:31:00.001-06:00

So today is our due date. And no baby.

Not that unusual, I know, but this does change our plans for a homebirth. So far, I have left this pregnancy up to God, and have turned down some "assistance" in helping baby to come earlier. I have put my trust into God to deliver this baby at the right time. Having said that, baby who has been on the smaller side throughout the pregnancy has decided to gain size and weight this past week. When I do go into labor, it will mean going to the hospital (for unseen complications, based on my last birth).

I will also be faced with a decision of induction. When Sprout was born, late, I refused the offers of induction, trusting that he too would enter this world without being forced. That did not happen, and I was induced at 42 weeks, and he was larger than expected, and we experienced shoulder dystorsia and brought a baby into the world with a broken arm!

So right now, I want to continue to trust that this birth will happen of it's own accord, but feel I should be considering the options that I am currently faced with.

Until all this happens, life continues as normal (as much as possible)... so we are off to gym and swim this afternoon!

Not So Scheduled...

2009-11-05T23:09:00.001-06:00

OK, here's my deal ... I really like the idea of this "Work in Progress Wednesdays" ... but Wednesdays are busy, and I cannot commit to computer time .. so, I am proposing to drop the "Wednesday" and continue to post as I can. With the new baby due any day, I may end up having much less, or maybe more computer time, but I do know that it will be unpredictable!!!

No objections? ... here goes ... (making up for missed Wednesdays) ...

is now

"Sprout" sprouting his new pants! Toasty warm (and dry) for the winter, without the diaper covers (even overnight)! Love his personality, just like his older brother, he watched mommy make these, and is very attatched/territorial about them..... Now, to find (make?) a shirt he likes to wear...

My latest sewing project ... I just have to make it to the hardware store for a dowel ... or maybe I should walk to the riverbank and see if I can find anything suitable...

Crochet project ... trying some wavy lines (the project is laying flat).

My next baby dress...

Okay, this one is just about finished...it is a new sling from some material I had sitting around. A little bright for me, but beautiful!

Belly Pics

2009-11-05T22:52:00.001-06:00

So I have been bugged about a lack of pregnancy pictures... and Sunshine was bored one night ... the result? My first public pregnancy pic! What a strange and different canvas for her to work on! And no, it didn't tickle too much!

Of course, the next morning, Speedy and Sprout wanted their turns. Luckily my belly washed clean with a cloth and they were each able to create a masterpiece.

It felt very strange when Speedy took his turn. He seemed to be able to draw forever, and really had to move left and right and up and down to be able to see and access his "canvas". Defintely made me feel huge!

2009-10-14T12:14:00.012-05:00

Where to start?

This is my first WIP post, so I have a few projects "in progress"...probably more than I should...

I purchased this wooden highchair when I was pregnant with Sprout, but ended up being too sore in my pregnancy to do anything with it, so now he is 18 months, I am 8 months pregnant with "Seed", and am finally finding the time and energy to do it! Funny thing is that none of my children have really sat in a highchair for more that a few months. They seem to do better sitting at their own table in the kitchen on their own little chairs. Honestly, my kitchens never seem to have room for a highchair. This wooded chair takes up much less space than the newer style I was given, so we'll see if after all this work, we actually use it!!!

I am a little farther than these pictures...I have finished all the rough sanding, and now just have to do some detail sanding!!!

Another project that I just started this last week is a little dress. I found a cotton dishcloth at Dollarama that I loved and just HAD to do something with. It still needs some buttons and the front accent to be sewn on.

First Snowfall

2009-10-12T14:31:00.005-05:00

October 9th 2009 was our first snowfall this year. At first it was melting as it hit the ground which brought lots of joy to me:)Later in the afternoon, it STAYED!!! Our family was going to attend a football game, of course I wasn't going, and I dreaded to take the dog for a walk . It so happens I enjoyed the walk ,it was quite refreshing ,and our dog enjoyed it as well. So when we got home I stayed out side for 20 minutes longer! and took many pictures and videos. but still glad it all melted the next day.

(FOR NOW)

Last Night's Outing

2009-10-10T09:32:00.003-05:00

The cold must've got to me, I have to admit I am not aclimatized to it, even after our summer, because I didn't even think to take pics of the boys all bundled up!

This was our cousin playing football. His team won by a large margin (even though we left after one hour). Speedy was "frozen", he needs proper mitts already, but Sprout was mad and actually cried when we left for a warmer environment. He seemed rather taken by the snow, as he is with rain. :)

Latest Crafting .... Cozy Toes

2009-10-09T12:52:00.005-05:00

I stole some computer time today, and wrote and posted the following entry, and it got me thinking. I have so many projects I am beginning, or finishing, or at some stage inbetween. I'm not sure what has inspired this latest creative push ... whether it be the approaching end of my pregnancy, or maybe it is the giving spirit of the approaching holidays. I would love to share the excitement and even the worries about these projects, but I realize that doing that would spoil some of the holiday suprises for my loved ones. I will try to post what I can, for now, but be sure to check back in the New Year for updates on my secret projects!!!

Back to today's post....

It's October now, and we are all experiencing chilly toes!
I tend to wear slippers (or other indoor footwear) all year, but for the children, October means they all need new slippers. This morning I tried a new style of slipper that I haven't made before.

I was thinking Sunshine might like this style ... kinda like ballet slippers ... I intend to make her some leather ones, but thought I'd do a test pair from my cloth stash.

The sole is leather, with a foam cushioning layer and a soft inner layer (from an old blanket). Personally, I love this fabric ... it was given to me as scrap, and I have already made several things from it! The top cuff is supposed to have a ribbon to keep it slightly tighter (when it is leather), but for this one, I just used some coordinating yarn and crochet'd a lip around the top.

The boys' slippers will be next, but I am sure I will just use the same robeez-ish style that I have made them in the past.

No more chilly toes!!!

Football

2009-09-18T18:13:00.004-05:00

Today we were off to see our cousins' football game.
They played well - and won - and our freshman cousin even got game time! Yeah!

My highlight - watching Speedy make some new friends ... then watching him tackle and down-right beat them up! It did start innocently enough with a game of football. That didn't take long to turn into tackle football. I was suprised (amazed) that the other parents weren't butting in at this point, we all just let them play. It was getting pretty rough, but after one boy was done whining/crying, he would get back up and ask the others to pass it to him, so we let them be! Slowly the aggression multiplied and the football involved decreased. I did finally step in, by means of bringing out food!

Speedy will sleep well tonight - he ran around in that hot sun for two hours... made me hot and tired just watching him!

Cucumber Eyeball Drumstick!

2009-09-11T13:05:00.005-05:00

Vacation spaghetti hola ,tree vegetable jail, bathtub.

For lake pineapple computer guitar, lemon favorite timer, pants onion.
You confused?
Sunshine sure was!
We were having a casual lunch, and the above is part of the conversation between Speedy and I. Sunshine was a good sport, and let it go on for quite a while before piping up with a "I must've missed the beginning, what are you saying?".
What was the reply to this?

Dumb key tuba flower!

And so it continued for another 5 minutes.
Once again we hear Sunshine "I think I missed something at the beginning"
... this time followed by a short pause...
and finally Speedy: "Oh, that's ok" ... pause ... "I did to!"

Just try to imagine the level of laughter in our small kitchen. Even Sprout joined in!

First Picks of the Season!

2009-08-28T17:47:00.013-05:00

August 28 and we raided our garden.

If anyone has seen our yard, they know we have a very small garden, and in very poor soil. Being our first time having a garden, we tried to plant things that might be successful.

Here were our pickings today:

One green tomato

One small carrot

Three cherry tomatos,
and one beet!

Everything else was left in the garden.

Cucumbers and Peppers

We have also been picking chives, parsley, and raspberries (overgrown from our neighbor's yard) all summer, and they are still growing strong.

Sock Monkeys

2009-08-28T15:53:00.010-05:00

What to do with ourselves....

Speedy gave us a great idea! He brought out his sock monkey, and reminded me that his brother Sprout does not have one yet. He didn't know, but I have been holding on to a certain pair of socks for almost a year now with the intention of turning them into a monkey!

When we opened our bag of stuffing, we found another project that I almost completed... the legs are complete with red spikes...if I could only find the modivation to attatch them... ahh, not today, today's focus: the monkeys!

Sunshine and her sister (in pic) both attempted a semi-traditional monkey with the socks I could find around the house... Speedy brought me a pair of his small socks, so I decided to tackle a mini-monkey, a gift for a small relative. Speedy tried to piece togther the body parts after I stuffed them.

Sunshine completed most of her monkey, then got a little frustrated and decided to take a break. That somehow resulted in a dog body with a frog head. Since this picture, the "animal" has received large green front feet.

We do not have any finished projects to show yet, the machine work is done, but we all have some hand stitching to complete. Check back for more pictures soon!

8/18/09

2009-08-18T20:05:00.004-05:00

Sunshine was not with us again today (teenagers!). No, she has a good excuse this time - she is away at camp. A bible camp. AND, she is actually working there, helping others, not as a camper! So I guess I should cut her some slack and get on with my story...

Today we (Speedy, Sprout, and I, CasualCrafter) had stopped in at our church in the afternoon. We inquired, and were directed towards a local hiking trail. The weather was beautiful, and Speedy was excited. When we got to the trail marker, it was blank!?!? I'm sure if I spend a little time searching, I can find a trail name, but for today, there was none! This was alright, because we didn't stick to the trail for very long. About 30 yards down the trail there was a smaller foot trail off into the bushes/long grass. Guess which path we took?

Definitely not the easiest! Unlike most hikes where I wear Sprout in a sling or pouch, today I opted for the stroller. Both Speedy and I thought it might be a good time to teach Sprout how to walk with us, and I thought the stroller might be of help to us in this training. Not only did the concept of holding his brother's hand and walking with us NOT go over well, but the stroller itself became a challenge on the path we chose. The path was mud, and it has done nothing but rain for the last week and a half (some would argue the last 6 weeks!). The little wheels did not stand a chance, and were soon covered in mud, and barely managed to turn themselves. When we left the muddiest section of the path, I believed the grass would provide some relief for the stroller. Wrong again! The tall grass not only stuck to the mud, but actually managed to wrap itself around the little wheels, attempting to immobilize us even further.

This hike was by no means a pity-hike. We had a blast, took pictures of our muddy shoes/wheels, and got a little extra exercise for all the work! But the best surprise was yet to come.

It turns out, the path we turned onto led into community gardens! Row after row, plot after plot of flowers and vegetables. It was exciting for me to see which we could identify, all in different stages of growth! Dill, cucumbers, sunflowers, pumpkins, peas, beans... We could have stayed for hours... but there was not an outhouse in sight!

As we headed up to the main road to find our truck (the trail with a stroller was exciting enough the first time), one of the gardeners called us over and filled our bag! Turns out she has had a very good year for peas, cucumbers, and zucchini. She gave us some of each, then added some tomato's, adding that they would make an excellent addition to supper. Turned out they are also all organic!

We left there feeling so blessed! Speedy asked if we could stop by the side of the road to pray ... the weather was beautiful, the unplanned trail was beautiful, and now we had these beautiful (and tasty) vegetables that someone had worked hard to grow, but that ultimately were God's creation, and we are so blessed to be able to enjoy them! Of course, Sprout just echoed "mmm" and "please", trying to get more fresh peas!

2009-07-29T13:45:00.037-05:00

Bunn's Creek Trail - July 28, 2009

I appologize to anyone viewing this over a slower connection, but today's post is very IMAGE HEAVY! It could have something to do with my camera battery dying on our last trail, but I beleive it has more to do with just how inspired Speedy was with everything today.

Today we headed over the Red River and down Henderson Highway to Bunn's Creek. It was beautiful ... pathways on both sides of the creek, and several bridges to cross back and forth.

The questions started before our hike even began. "Mom, is it spring?" That was Speedy, and he did know that it is summer (How? Definately not from our recent weather!?!?!), but was confused by the new, bright green buds on the trees - usually a sign of spring!

The mosquito's WERE out, but maybe not as bad as they could have been. As we sent out on our first path, we were amazed as a hundred? baby dragonflies flew up into the air! I managed to get a photo of an orange one, but Speedy's favorite were the blue drangonflies.

The highlight for Sprout was a ride-on tractor that passed us on one of the wider paths. Even now, the picture is inspiring his "vroom-vroom".

Speedy has began to point out locations for doing "photo-shoots". Today he found a double-stump that he thought would be perfect for taking pictures of him and Sprout. How could I argue? Out came the camera, and the results are beautiful - just as he predicted!

So ofter the pictures, and a short water break, I thought we were ready to push on. I beleive Speedy thought so too, but we hadn't taken ten steps when I heard "Stop! There's something I have to write in my nature log!" It was Speedy, and what he had found was a mushroom growing at the base of a tree.
So again we stopped, and he took out his pencil and book and added this picture!

Now we were on our way! Where to, we didn't know. Speedy was begining to do a familiar dance, and just before I gave into letting him use a tree, we saw another bridge - that led to a park with a washroom! We did take the time for one more Speedy-inspired photo ... he went under the bridge to get a closer look, and found his reflection!

We did stay and play at the park for a short time, then it was back to the trails to find a good picnic spot. Unfortunately, there were no dragnflies where we stopped, so it was a quick lunch - before we were lunch! As we began to leave, Speedy produced his compass again. I asked him which way we came into the trails, and he remembered - North! What came next shocked me - "So to go back to our truck, we have to go South" came out of Speedy's mouth, as he used his compass to show me South. So with that we left down the southward path, and as we got to our truck, we turned around and took this beautiful picture of the sky!

2009-07-27T08:44:00.022-05:00

The Forks - Riverwalk & Trails .... July 21, 2009

The weather today was beautiful. We brought our rain jackets because it looked like it was going to storm outside. We started on the big path that took us to the river, but then we went on smaller paths through the trees. Then we ended up at the boat docks at The Forks.

We saw bubblebees on these flowers, but it was hard to catch them on camera, cause they kept flying away. The bees were helping the flowers grow. I think maybe Sunshine is trying to be a scarecrow?!?!?

We climbed some tall rocks. There were lots of roots and moss on the ground.

My favorite part was near the boats. I saw my soccer team coach, and he was fishing. I liked that I took a picture of the red berries from in the path where we stopped for a picnic lunch. I also drew a picture of them in my nature log.

When we got to the Forks, we met up with our auntie, some cousins, and our Nana.

It was a special day.

Kildonan Parkway.....July 14, 2009

2009-07-20T19:30:00.013-05:00

Our friendly tour guide welcomed us on a rainy day with a cuddle and a purr. She lead us there and back but stopped for lunch every now and again. There was one problem with her, she didn't know what feet were. Often she got a boot in the head, but she still stuck with us till the end.

She brought us to lots of lovely flowers and a holey tree. I couldn't blame the canker worms for eating it, did look delicious!

2009-07-13T22:06:00.010-05:00

St. Vital Park - Duck Pond .... July 7, 2009

Finally, got around to downloading, then uploading some pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The weather was beautiful, and the animals were out!
We sat at a table for lunch, then packed it away and set off for a walk around the duckpond. It didn't take long for us to find tadpoles! Huge ones! Taking one home vs. leaving them in thier homes was briefly discussed, then we were off on our way again.

Before we finished our round, I walked past something, and then realized what it was! Not a rock, but a FROG! Wow! We were so close to it, and it hadn't moved. I feared the worst, but aproach again and it hopped away.

The children got a hold of my camera,...well, ok, they asked (but usually I do not share)!

I like this because I rarely get pictures of me with my children, although here it is just with my boys.

The algae on the pond sparked a great discussion. One was afraid that the ducks would not be able to get onto the water. Luckily the ducks were also out, so we got to see firsthand that the ducks CAN swim in aglae!

We all enjoyed our time at the duck pond, although I am looking forward to a real "hike" next Tuesday (oh, my, that's tomorrow).

Trail Tuesday - July 7, 2009

2009-07-11T23:23:00.008-05:00

Summer holidays have officially began in our house!

A favorite from last summer, we began our "Trail Tuesdays" this week! It wasn't our typical trail hike as we were all involved (in different capcities) in our church's VBS. Still, we headed outdoors and enjoyed some of our beautful weather and city wildlife!

Shortly after VB ended, we loaded into our "people mover" and headed for St. Vital Park. Seeing as we were pretty focused on the VBS, and had not thought ahead of time to bring proper hiking attire (mainly shoes and maybe long pants for fear of poison ivy), we decided to take our picnic lunch to the duck pond.

My eyes are closing on me ... watch tomorrow for some photo's!