What's Christmas without a few costumes?

I know that I mentioned before that I began all of my family's gift making after sundown on December 22 this year, and the majority of my Christmas crafting involved costumes for Elisabeth.

Elisabeth is one of those children who changes her clothes at least 17 times every day (17 is her own estimate). All of her play requires an appropriate costume, and it's relatively rare to find her in "regular" clothes. Christmas brings all sorts of costuming opportunities -- both in the form of pageants to be in and gifts to receive.

Dressed as an angel at church on Christmas Eve

She really prefers costumes of her own fashioning, but I thought that I could add a few nice pieces to her repertoire. The one thing she was really hoping Santa Claus would bring was a very fancy ballet costume. It was so cute, because she'd be in the backseat of the car, or under the dining room table, or some other somewhat private place, eyes squeezed shut, hands clasped imploringly, and murmuring, "I know you can hear me, Santa Claus. Please bring me fancy ballerina outfit. That's all I really, really need."

So, with a solo trip to the ballet shop to look for costumes out of the question given my over-full plate of doll making, I decided to fashion a fancy ballet costume for her.

I picked up the leotard on the clearance rack at a discount retailer (ugh), and used about 5 yards of tulle and an elastic headband (using Coronita's technique) to make a very full tutu. I added tulle, ribbon "streamers" and glittery buttons at the shoulders, and all in all, there was one very satisfied ballerina on Christmas morning.

Santa Claus also brought a "Heidi" costume for Elisabeth this year. Heidi was a favorite read-aloud last year, and it really captured both of our imaginations.

I really couldn't get the idea of a little Swiss girl costume out of my head, so I came up with a simple blue elastic-waist skirt, a red apron with the trim that really "makes" the costume in my opinion, a gingham kerchief (which Elisabeth prefers tied under the chin), and then just a white t-shirt and a thrifted-by-a-friend green wool cardigan. This costume came together really easily, and the individual pieces are really useful for all sorts of play.

There was one other costume, the most involved sewing project of the three, which came from Daddy and me, but it'll have to wait to be seen here until Monday because we don't have any good pictures of it yet.

Motivation, Inspiration, and a bunch of Questions

Ugh. I am really lacking motivation these days. I don't think I've fully recovered from December yet.

Anyway, I'm lacking motivation, but certainly not inspiration. I have tons of ideas for kid clothes sewing (mostly from this book), and my new kicks (above) are just begging for some new skirts to go with them. (The shoes are Karina by Miz Mooz, found here, and are quite comfy!) And there is so much bloggy inspiration going on out there. New projects to be seen in all corners of blogland. Wow! And that's just a sampling -- you know what you're up to! (I am blown away that so many of you have so much energy to pour into new projects already, while I am still processing the holiday.)

And, I finally got around to ordering yarn to make the Tilted Duster from Interweave Knits Fall 2007 for myself. (The magazine is completely sold out, but I bought this pattern online.) Except, now I'm kind of worrying about this project for two reasons. Your insights would be much appreciated!

1. I only wear skirts. I am wondering if this style of sweater will even go with a skirt.

2. I am, ahem, really busty. My bust measurement is the same as the finished measurement for the largest size of the sweater. So, by the time you add some ease, I'm obviously going to need to alter the pattern. Any suggestions? I'm really not so great at that.

Next, while I'm soliciting advice from you, I have a big birthday coming up at the end of February. My mom wants to take me to New York for a long weekend (actually in April due to her work schedule and my children's birthdays in March and April). Sounds great, right? Well, yes, except for the teensy little detail that I am terrified of flying. Absolutely terrified. And I haven't flown since 1999. I always think the plane is going to crash. And then, you know, 9/11 hasn't helped my fears at all. I'll be honest that one of the things I'm most worried about now is what would happen to my children if something happened to me. I mean, my husband is a great dad. But all alone? How would he handle it? Anyway, not to get too dark on you. Any suggestions for getting past this phobia (because I really do want to go) would be awesome.

And really, suggestions on the sweater ... please!

A Really Unusual Post for Me

I very, very rarely go to the movies. So it's especially unusual and noteworthy that I have gone to see two movies in the last month. I knew almost nothing about either of them beforehand -- my husband and I went to see The Golden Compass last month, and my mom really wanted to go to P.S. I Love You, so I went to that with her last week.

I didn't really pay attention to The Golden Compass. I could only very vaguely summarize the plot if asked -- there was a lot of running about in snow with polar bears -- because I just couldn't get over the costumes! I was literally consumed all through the movie with ideas about how to make this dress & pinafore number,

hat,

and sweater

for my girl. (Sorry about the weird image quality and sizing. I don't really know how to do that.) Anyway, the blue dress with the red pinafore is just killing me! Isn't it great? And the hat would be so easy and cute. Some chunky yarn, a rectangle of stockinette stitch sewn down the back. Can't you just see it? I can. I'm a dork.

P.S. I Love You was, well, super depressing. But the charming Irish guys kind of redeemed it, I guess. ;) At the end of the movie, I noticed in the credits that there was a "Craft Service" for the film. A Craft Service? Um, what do they do, and can I work for them? Do you suppose they make things like curtains for the main character's apartment? Fabric bits for her business venture? (I'm trying not to give that away in case anyone cares.) Or provide other crafty essentials? I think that would be a pretty fab job to have. In all my spare time, of course.

And finally, in more film notes, I saw that they're making The Other Boleyn Girl into a movie, to be released in February. I read the book postpartum with James (along with its two sequels), and while not the most stellar literature, the author has a reputation for careful historical research, and I adore the subject matter. I am quite sure that I'll end up working out another movie night for this one.

{This post seems to have struck a nerve with a number of people as I have gotten more emails about it than any other! I would like to say that I meant no disrespect to anyone in the television or motion picture industry by my innocent guess about what a craft service is. I also would like to clarify that I was not offering a "must see" recommendation on any of the movies mentioned in this post. I am not attached to any of them in any way, and am not associated with any of the publishers or filmmakers involved.}

Celebrating the Twelve Days

Our family has a tradition of celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas. I don't know how this tradition crept into our lives -- neither I nor my husband grew up with this tradition; in fact, both of our mothers are of the "all decorations down before New Year's" persuasion. But nonetheless, over the six holiday seasons that we've celebrated since becoming parents, this custom has organically slipped into our lives.

I think it partly grew out of our desire to avoid the over-stimulating, greed-filled, disappointing marathon of celebrating all of Christmas in one day. And it grew out of an interest in observing Twelfth Night/Epiphany/Three Kings Day (as it's known in our house), which falls on January 6.

And we're still very much in the process of figuring out what celebrating the Twelve Days is going to look like for us. But we're discovering that it isn't so easy. It seems to be more countercultural than almost any other holiday tradition. The rest of our world (by which I mean our community, and our country, the United States ... I understand that it's very different in some parts of the world) turns the holidays "off" somewhere around New Year's Day. One local radio station plays nothing but Christmas music beginning on Thanksgiving, and on December 26, they stop quite abruptly. I often feel like it would be so much nicer to ease back into "regular programming."

Elisabeth's live tree in her bedroom.

It's challenging, though, when the preparation for and celebration of a season are all mixed together. It sometimes feels as though we're on this crazy ride ... we're expected to prepare for the holiday and celebrate it simultaneously. And it leaves me feeling a bit crazed. It seems that observing a meditative advent is not a luxury afforded to a mother whose job is to make sure that the celebration is ready on Christmas morning. No wonder so many people tear their decorations down on the day after in a furor of annoyance.

And so, we're finding our own way, bit by bit. Leaving our decorations up through January 6 has necessitated putting them up a bit later. Finding ways to draw out the season has been a bit more difficult. My children certainly aren't in need of more gifts. But we keep our eyes open for family-oriented activities that we can do a bit easier while my husband is on his break from teaching.

The farm is decorated with trees from my Holiday Traditions Exchange swap partner.

Sometimes just embracing the fact that this time may be about quiet and peace is a bit challenging for me, but then, maybe that's what it's really here for. Maybe that's the real gift of Christmas. Hmm. Profound thoughts. But being thoughtful, making thoughtful choices for myself and my family, is what my journey is all about. When I was a girl, these couple of weeks after Christmas seemed to be outside of time. We would always get new books for Christmas, and as I grew older and they were chapter books, these became the "weeks of reading" for me. No other responsibilities ... just savoring my new books. And I think my children have this all figured out. They are getting so much good play done right now (as though they didn't the rest of the year?! ha!), and seem quite content to be at home most days.

What I'm learning to do, a bit more each year, is to incorporate some of the things into the Twelve Days that were possibly planned and then missed in the frenzy of Christmas preparation: a get-together with friends we don't see often, a project or craft or baked good we wanted to try and didn't get to. And every year, no matter how carefully planned, Christmas preparation is more of a frenzy than I'd like, and there are leftover things from our list that can still be enjoyed. It's not "perfect" -- and (even more amazing to me) it doesn't have to be!

And the list was ticked off...

Bit by bit, I finished all that needed to be finished for my family's holiday, despite a very late start. (I really began it all about four days beforehand!)

I had these pajamas in mind to make for my wee ones a couple of months beforehand. But at the very end, it looked fairly grim for actually getting to them. And yet, they were finished and laid out as the final advent gift on the morning of the 24th. I'm good, I know. (Insert maniacal laughter. Because that's what I felt like. A maniac.)

The trees are wool felt (probably from here originally, but I'm not sure because I have so much felt from all different sources!), a tree pattern that I drew, and embroidered with french knots. I really wanted the trees to have a really simple, "homespun" quality, so I made the stitches a bit uneven and cockeyed (OK, I know that sounds like an excuse made after the fact, but it was actually on purpose).

(Excuse the fuzz and dog hair; this was taken after Christmas.)

The pants are flannel, from JoAnn. A bonus with these nice, loose, mama-made flannel pajama pants is that they fit over James's cast, which was pretty fantastic.

And my children loved them, of course. The concensus was "cozy." Not so bad for a last-minute project. And the best gift of all to a tired mama.

{Oh, and by the way, thank you all so much for your sympathy about my finger! I agree with many of you in saying that I didn't really believe this to be possible, even though I knew my mom had done it many years before. What happened to me was that I was doing applique onto a t-shirt with a small zigzag stitch, and going around some fiddly curves. My finger slipped between the presser foot and the needle. Eeek!}

January 1

So, I've been thinking, as the end of one year and the beginning of another tends to make people do, and one of the things that I've been thinking about is this blog. I don't really know what this blog is "about", although I suppose it's a craft blog, even though I think my posts are sometimes light on the handmade and heavy on the blabbing. But one thing I know is that, while it may seem obvious from my posting or my lifestyle choices, etc., I have not said in this space enough how much I really, really love my children. I just want it to be out there. If this is some kind of a record of our lives, then the most important thing for me to record, I think, is how head-over-heels in love I am with these two people. Edited to add: I didn't mean to sound like I was having an identity crisis with my blog ("What category do I fit into?" etc.), just that I felt like it was about time to put my intense love for my amazing children "out there" in a way I hadn't before. Don't worry, I'm completely happy with the content of this site and it won't be changing!!!

Elisabeth -- wow, you are a powerhouse. We butt heads more than I wish we did. But your passion is so inspiring, and your gentleness, affection, and sensitivity to your brother is amazing to see. I love your creativity, your ability to become the characters of your play, your enthusiasm for costuming yourself and all of your dolls and stuffed animals, and your blossoming artistic abilities. I wish you would be gentler with yourself about your drawings. A mama wants to be able to save at least a few!

James -- you are my honey-silk, roly-poly, merry little baby. I love how smiling and joyful and downright jolly you are. You are almost two, and you like to tell people that's what you are. "What's your name?" "Two." I know that soon enough, you'll be doing a lot of talking and making (just like your sister) and growing hair and all of those "big kid" things, but for now, I love to just hold you and cuddle you and know that you're my baby.

The two of you have made me who I am, and influence and inspire every aspect of my life, work, and decision-making. I love you. Happy New Year!

The Dolls

I had 7 doll commissions to complete for the holidays this year (8 if you count Hanna, which I do). I didn't begin any until I'd completed my wee ones' Halloween costumes (which was a bit of a trauma in and of itself as my old serger died in the middle of making them). So, it amounted to a little more than one doll a week from November to mid-December. That was a lot. It was really too much. The stress level around here while I was down to the wire on them was amazingly high. But I completed each and every one of them, and they all made it to their respective destinations in time. Whew!

Hanna, now at home with Molly's family. But you've seen her before!

Willow, now at home with Emily's little girl. (Emily created the most wonderful clothing for these fairy babies, an offer she made to save me time, and I think they turned out even better for it. Look at them here.)

Morgan, now at home with Emily's little boy. (I called him Morgan because it means "sea".) (Again, that's snow falling on his head, not some mysterious dander.)

I could not have completed them without the help of my own mama, my best friend Rebecca, or my husband, who all stuffed and sewed with me. (Yes, even my husband sewed. He attached arms to bodies.) My mom even helped with the boys' sweaters. Thank goodness for a crafty mama and best friend and a willing husband! (I really should acknowledge my youngest sister who also helped with stuffing and childcare.) Still, most of the handwork was done by me, and I don't think my fingertips will ever be the same. ;) I don't think I'll ever be the same.

Faolan (pronounced "faylan"), now at home in Massachusetts with a blog reader and friend! This is my favorite doll I've ever made and I really didn't want to part with him. Sigh.

Colin, now at home with his big brother Faolan. His hair was very intense to do, but turned out just how I'd hoped.

I learned a lot of lessons through this project. The first was not to take on a bunch of commissions without having planned to do so in the first place. I had never planned to sell my dolls for this holiday season, but when people began inquiring about them after seeing Graham, I just started saying yes, without really thinking about it. The other really important thing that I came away with (lots of other little lessons about time management and speaking up for what my work is worth and so on in between) was that if I'm going to do this, if I'm going to be a doll maker, I need to make dolls in advance. Just as I have time, a head and body here and there. People can still request hair and eye colors (and skin color, too!), but at least I'd have the bulk of the work done. I will probably make clothes in advance, too, and then offer a choice between colors of what I have in stock, rather than leaving it really open ended for people to choose. I have a pretty decent (not big) stash, but I still ended up having to run out and buy fabric & yarn for doll clothes more than once, which I think could have been avoided.

Mandy. At first I wasn't so sure about doing freckles on a doll, but she actually turned out to be my favorite girl doll of the entire batch. She lives with Deanna's family now.

This is Rachel, and I know this isn't her face, but I love this shot of her hair, a style I'd never tried before, and I think it really captures something special about this doll. You can see her face here. She's at home with her big sister Mandy.

And finally, sweet Sally. My mom just couldn't get over Sally's sweet face. She's a bit more petite than the other dolls in this bunch, and is so perfectly adorable. She's with her sisters Mandy and Rachel at Deanna's house.

(As always, there are many more views of these dolls here.)

Anyway, I am so glad that I did this. I am so glad that my work has received such a warm reception and that this little batch of dolls have all gone to such good homes and are being loved by so many children. Despite the stress, I'd say that it was all worth it in the end. And now I know what to do differently in the future!

Oh, and wishing you all many happy returns (wait, what does that even mean?!) ... a very, very happy 2008. ;)

Christmas Day Sewing

Since I was so behind with all my gifting this year, I ended up doing some sewing on Christmas day. This quick and easy bag for my youngest sister (who is practically impossible to shop or make for), inspired by Erin's, was cranked out in about an hour. My sister adored it, which is especially gratifying.

The "recipe" for the bag is here, and I didn't really change it at all for this bag. I did add some fusible fleece as an interfacing to give the bag more structure. The outer fabric is from Repro Depot, I believe, and the lining is just a green cotton. You can see the handle better in this one:

(It's not really crooked, it's just hanging crooked from the chair.)

And the vintage button I used, which is actually more red than it looks:

(That's snow you see, not dander or something. I like to photograph everything I make outside for some reason.)

And, no report about my Christmas Day Sewing adventure of 2007 would be complete without sharing the fact that I sewed through my finger with my sewing machine that day. All the way through it. The needle broke off while it was in my finger and was sticking out from both sides. My husband had to pull it out. It still hurts an awful lot, but is not infected, thankfully. I am not usually very squeamish -- actually, I'm really fascinated by all things surgical, etc. -- but I almost passed out from this. However, now I'm kind of wishing we took a picture of the needle in my finger. But we didn't, so you're spared. ;)

Wishing You...

Light, love, peace, good cheer, and many blessings in the new year.

I have so very much to share with you all. But that'll have to wait another day. For now, let's just say that I'm very ready for my long winter's nap, but I made it. And now the holiday begins for me. (More about that in a later post, too.)

Merry Christmas, dear friends.

The not-so-good

December is slipping by and I am feeling woefully unprepared for Christmas. Oh, I promise myself every year that I'll start earlier, etc. But I never do. The advent calendar is barely happening this year ... despite my best intentions and good advice for everyone else, I was not as organized this year as I was last year, and it's causing some nightmares for me. My Christmas cards are sitting here on my desk, un-signed, un-addressed, un-stamped, un-sent. I always mail my cards on November 30. I have not even begun the children's Christmas pajamas (a last day of advent tradition here), and worse, haven't even begun Elisabeth's gifts. I don't have gifts in hand for most of our extended family, or any good birthday ideas for my husband (he turns 40 on Sunday -- can I say that?). I have hours of work left on my doll commissions. (If you ordered dolls from me and are reading this, they will make their way to you, sweetly wrapped, this week. I don't know when, but I'd mail them by Express mail anyway as a protection, so they'll get to you.) And, oh, yeah:

James's leg is broken. We don't know how it happened. We were in to the doctor twice last week because of it; at first they thought they wouldn't need to cast it, but after a second opinion by an orthopedist, James came home with a bright red cast.

I know this will all seem funny to me in, oh, about 8 days. But this week? Not so much.

Holiday & Winter Reading

I've been planning to do this post all month and life has just gotten in the way of my regular posting. I'm so sorry if it's too late for gift buying! File the ideas away for next year, perhaps. Or check the library, or buy locally. ;)

We have so very many winter and holiday-themed children's books. I did a list last year, and many of those books are still in our very frequent rotation. But I'm not going to duplicate any of them here. Except ... The Mitten. Which is, after all, Elisabeth's favorite.

The Tomten. This book is so, so lovely. Almost too lovely to describe. You know how there are "kid favorites" and "parent favorites"? This one is definitely both. The language (though translated from Swedish), is so gentle and subtle. The book is reassuring and sweet ... I love the way that the ever-turning wheel of the year is described: "Winters come and summers go, year follows year..." Elisabeth could hear this book many times every day, and I think I could easily oblige her.

Winter by Gerda Muller. A sweet wordless board book, one of a set of four (one for each season). James likes to read these to himself. He'll sit down, turn the pages, and "talk" to each one. I like to hear his version of the story much more than my own.

Winter by Eva-Maria Ott-Heidmann. Another wordless picture book, also one in a set of four, this series is newer to us than Gerda Muller's. The illustrations have a much different "feel" to them -- more magical, and more festival-oriented compared to the very dailiness of Gerda Muller's. Eva-Maria's Winter features little gnomes on every page and a visit from St. Nicholas, for example. I think I prefer Eva-Maria's just a little bit to Gerda Muller's. But being fortunate enough to have both is really enriching, I think. :)

Big Susan. This is new to Elisabeth this year, though it was on my book wish-list for her even before she was born. I have always loved dolls, doll houses, miniatures, museum dioramas, and everything of that nature. I'm thrilled that my daughter seems to be following in my footsteps with a love of miniatures. We are totally loving the description of the dolls' lives, and their perspective is charmingly, hilariously, and poignantly written. A big favorite!

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. I love Robert Frost's simple, quiet poem. The illustrations here, by Susan Jeffers, are funny, surprising, and ultimately, depict the vastness of nature so quietly and humbly.

The Little Fir Tree. There are so many versions of the story of the little tree who becomes a Christmas tree. I have no idea what the origin of this story is; Hans Christian Andersen's darker version was the first I'd encountered, many years ago. But this sweet version by Margaret Wise Brown is my favorite. The tree, rather than being filled with envy or dissatisfaction, is portrayed much more positively, and I love the "new" words to familiar carols. (We have the Barbara Cooney illustrated version, although the Jim LaMarche one looks exquisite. He's a favorite illustrator of mine.)

The Snowman. I guess wordless board books seem to be a theme for us. This one, despite being a board book, is really above James's head, but Elisabeth loves the soft illustrations. Last year, when we pulled the books out and looked through this one for the first time of the year, she sat silently for a moment or two (this is a child who never stops talking), and then said, in a small voice, "Oh. That's sad." It is a very bittersweet little book. But so perfect at the same time.

The Night Before Christmas. We like Tasha Tudor's version, and Grandma Moses's version is also really, really special.

Ollie's Ski Trip. I've been told before that this book is the origin of the characters King Winter and Mrs Thaw. Whether or not that's true, those characters live in our home in a big way. I love Elsa Beskow's illustrations so much, and Ollie's Ski Trip is so adorable. The idea of a secret wintery adventure is very, very appealing to me. Oh, and Elisabeth likes it, too. ;)

Christmas in Noisy Village. We have read this book probably hundreds of times, and Elisabeth never, ever grows tired of it. The simple pleasures and homemade traditions of the children of Noisy Village are so comforting and inspiring. And the children are so very much like real children. Sometimes they bicker and tease one another, but for the most part, they are loving and so full of joyful celebration of the season. I love this book -- and all the Noisy Village books.

The Nativity. This book is breathtakingly exquisite. It was Elisabeth's gift from St Nicholas this year, and I think at 5 1/2, she is just old enough to appreciate the amazing beauty of the pop-up scenes. James really cannot be allowed to handle it, so it's kept separate from the rest. Elisabeth spent a lot of time poring over the amazing scenes when she was sick in bed.

Night Tree. This is the story of a family who drives to a little forest outside of town each year on Christmas eve to decorate a live tree for the animals. I love the thoughtfulness of the family, their interactions with one another, and the fact that I come away from the book feeling energized: I can create simple, meaningful traditions for my family. I can step away from commercialism even for one night. You get the feeling that the family goes home and celebrates a "normal" Christmas with a "regular" tree, presents, and so on. But this experience, of preparing their gifts for the tree in the weeks leading up to Christmas eve, of going out together for a nighttime walk, all bundled up, to their regular spot, brings them together and holds them as a family in a very special way.

Owl Moon. Another book about a nighttime walk, by one of my favorite children's book authors. This is one of my husband's all-time favorites to read aloud. He and Elisabeth have had some very special, important times together reading and discussing this book. One night last winter, an owl alighted on a fence outside our suburban condo as he was coming home from a gig, and it moved him very deeply because of his experiences with Elisabeth and this book. It's one of my most cherished hopes that one day we can move outside of town where these experiences won't be so rare and fleeting. And that we can go owling one day.

White Snow, Bright Snow. I really just love the writing in this book. It's more of a mama favorite, but my wee ones do enjoy it. Well, because they just love to be read to, I think.

The Book of Christmas. With really unusual contributions from writers and poets like Ted Hughes, EE Cummings, Christina Rossetti, and Alison Uttley, this is not the typical Christmas anthology. It is definitely a Christmas anthology, however, and not a winter one. Each poem and story relates to the Christmas holiday (some are secular, and some are religious), not to other winter holidays or general snowy gaiety. Just so you know. For me, that in no way lowers its considerable esteem. ;)

The Mitten. Because Elisabeth loves it so much. And because who doesn't love Jan Brett?

And I could go on and on, and instead I am going to stop here. And maybe save a few for next year. ;)

Preparations

...and lots of photos from the last week or so. (And more here.)

Sing-a-longs. (I'm pretty sure this was Feliz Navidad.)

A visit from St. Nicholas. (December 6.)

Mulled wine. My husband doesn't "believe" in straining it. ;)

Ornaments old...

...and new.

A steady fall of snow -- sometimes more, sometimes less, but always welcome.

Sibling love.

A few runs down a favorite hill.

Evenings spent with friends.

The beauty and furor of winter.

Sheer excitement.

Silence.

Skating party

I know, I've been very quiet here over the last couple of weeks. I'm just a bit overwhelmed and stressed.

At the end of November, my sister's older stepdaughter turned seven, and she had the funnest little ice skating party.

I made the Simple Tote from Bend the Rules Sewing for her, using some adorable Superbuzzy fabric from my stash. The tote turned out a lot smaller than I imagined it would (I think just because I am lame at picturing measurements in my head), but it was just the right size for three new chapter books for this little girl who loves to hear a good yarn. (The photo only pictures two because Elisabeth was looking at the other one at the time!)

I think Seven sounds Stupendous.

PS: The books we included were The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong, which was a favorite of my sister's as a girl, The Borrowers by Mary Norton, which Elisabeth and I selected because we love miniature people and things, and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, another childhood favorite of my sister's ... with illustrations by Tasha Tudor -- lovely. (Since my sister will likely be doing the reading, they might as well be books she already loves, right?)

Afternoon

With the wee ones off to my mom's house, I'm home alone for an afternoon of doll-making. I often think I can't get anything done with my two babies running around. But it turns out, when I'm home alone, I'm lonely for the ruckus. Anyway, I needed a short break from the handsewing and the smelling of our dinner in the crockpot, so here I am.

This morning we made some peppermint bark. We all agreed that it was delicious but too much made for a sick tummy!

It was super simple -- we didn't use a recipe or anything. We just crushed 12 candy canes (using the towel & rolling pin method), melted about 16 oz of white chocolate in the double boiler (it was a 12 oz bag of white chocolate chips and most of one Green & Black's white chocolate bar -- not an allergy-friendly food of mine, I can say, but so yummy anyway), spread it out on some parchment paper, sprinkled and swirled the candy cane bits in, put it in the fridge (the freezer would be even better, but our side-by-side freezer is way too small), and 20 minutes later, voila! Easy, festive, fun, yummy!

Sick in bed

We have not had a good season when it comes to colds. I think it's because my husband is a teacher, and brings things home from his students. (High schoolers seem to be sick a lot.) My husband is on his second awful cold in as many months, I had that horrible one in November, James had his very first ear infection, and Elisabeth is now sick in bed for only the second or third time in her life! (She definitely wins the immune system award in our house -- she is so rarely sick.)

My mom was able to stop by yesterday with a fresh coloring book for Elisabeth (always a nice thing to have when you're laid up), and we also got out some little toys that Elisabeth had been given as a gift for acting as a flower girl in a friend's wedding two years ago. We'd forgotten all about them up on a shelf, and everyone was excited to learn that the little characters were actually finger puppets! Elisabeth's dolls have been her constant companions (along with a big pile of winter and holiday books and her snow globe), and snacks of frozen berries and card games have come in very handy, as well.

All this has me thinking about the rituals that we keep when our children are not themselves -- suffering, under the weather, emotionally distressed, etc. Most of the time I kind of think that those times are isolated and somehow not part of our "real life." And yet, there they are, cropping up and reminding me of the messiness of life. And how important these times of convalescence are: to nourish a sick child's body, to nurture a sorrowful child's spirit, to ease a suffering child's mind. What does it take to do that job? Yes, it takes some real physical things: some eucalytus oil in the vaporizer, a homeopathic remedy under the tongue, a cool cloth on the forehead, a gentle massage of aching muscles. But most of all, it takes time. Time is the best gift I can give my children, when they need me, and even when they think they don't. Time that sometimes I think I don't have. But if I really take the time to be present with my children, everything else seems to fall into place anyway. That time spent is an even greater gift to me.

I love this post by Molly, which she ends by saying that a system is not what is needed to raise our children well. She's so right. It shouldn't just be, "Make dinner? Check. Fold laundry? Check. Nourish my child's body, mind, and soul? Check."

Some of my "to-do's" may go unchecked over these few days. But being a present mother to my wee ones is the greatest to-do of all.   

Meet Hanna!

So here she is, the doll I'm calling Hanna. (Yes, without an "h" at the end. Because I'm a Scandinavia-ophile.) I made her to resemble -- who else? -- me. So I thought some reverse naming was in order. The name Ann means "grace," so it had to be an Ann-derivative. But for an orange-haired doll, Ann felt a bit too much like Raggedy Ann. Or Anne of Green Gables. Or Little Orphan Annie. So, she's Hanna, for now. Until she reaches her new family, which is ...

Molly's!

I also have two runner up gifts. They are some duplicate back-issues I have of Martha Stewart Kids. They go to Lori and Dawn. (One is Spring 2004 and the other is Winter 2004. Let me know if you have a preference, ladies.)

Hanna still needs some finishing touches, but I plan to ship her no later than Dec. 10. The magazines will go out this week.

Thank you all so very much, once again, for making my blogaversary so much fun!

xo, Grace

Postponed until the morning.

So sorry! Baby J's eardrum ruptured (he's been sick) today while he was with my mom. I've been assured by his physician's office and all of my hippie-mama recources that this is perfectly normal and won't impact his hearing or anything. BUT ... no drawing until the morning. So, so sorry. I know that there are more than 100 of you waiting with baited breath. I promise. In the morning!!

**You are all so sweet! No need to worry, I'm taking care of my baby first and foremost. And my pup, who's home from the hospital now, second. And my wee girl, who needs some attention and stories. And my husband, who has been having a hard month at work. And people with dolls to win after all that.**

Doll drawing will be announced this evening.

My friend is trying to help me wade through the comments and get them all onto paper ... a bigger job than I expected! My children are off to spend a day with their grandmother so I can work (imagine that!). We went to the funnest birthday party last night, and I'd love to share photos, but both camera batteries are dead right now. Once they're charged and all is uploaded, I will have lots to share.

So, tonight, then. I expect to post at about 8pm EST. One of you is going to be very lucky ... I am only reluctantly giving this doll away! ;)

Just a quick post to say...

Hello, and wow. I am so overwhelmed and grateful for the response to last week's blogaversary post. I hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving last week had a lovely day. Ours was snowy and cozy. Lots of baking. Super fun. More photos will be up on flickr today or tomorrow. Until then, here's one of my wee one in the snow.

I'm a bit behind on the blog here -- I had one more gushy post about blogging I wanted to share, and I probably will on Wednesday. We've had a dog emergency which requires surgery immediately, so we're off in a few minutes to take our pup in for her surgery. (Torn tendon in her knee. Yikes.) Anyway, I'm not sure how behind this will make me today, but we still plan to do the drawing for the doll tomorrow morning, unless something else unplanned presents itself.

xo, Grace

Thoughtful

I've been thinking a lot about this community of mamas that we have here. No, not all the blogs I read are written by mamas, or necessarily even women. But most are. And I am so very amazed each and every day by the posts of all you mamas. This is a community of people, who, by the very nature of the medium, are working to be thoughtful.

My shadow is really tall and skinny.

You -- we -- are all so thoughtful. Here is a community of people who are working hard to create beautiful homes for their families, regardless of their circumstances. To be mindful of the small moments that could so easily slip past and be forgotten in the daily work of keeping a home and raising a family. To provide their children with healthful foods. To honor their family history. To bring a spirit of creativity, of making something with one's own hands, into the every day. This is the real work of life, in my opinion. This is work that enriches our lives in countless ways. No, you don't need a blog to live your life this way. But in the process of blogging, so many of us have connected with one another, and have received so much inspiration, motivation, support, and validation from this community in return.

Sometimes, I'll admit, I waste a bit too much time on the computer. Reading blogs, following links, getting tangled up in the eye candy of flickr. I sometimes need to remind myself to get off. (There really is an endless supply of beauty out there, though.) But despite that, I think that my life and my parenting are better for having made my way into this community. And it's because of you. Because each of you takes a little time out of your day to share something from your own corner of the world. And I am so very, very grateful.

**PS: Please feel free to continue to leave comments on yesterday's post. As I said before, I'm waiting until the beginning of next week to do the drawing for the doll. Of course I'd like to hear from you on this post, too ... and any other you'd like to comment on, as well!!**