Oh, do you know the muffin man?

James's favorite nursery rhyme is The Muffin Man, perhaps because he is, himself, a little muffin man.

One of his favorite requests in the kitchen is to make muffins. Most muffin recipes seem like a variation on a theme ... here's a recipe I came up with that we enjoy. (Note: These muffins are not very sweet.)

Cream:
1 stick of butter, softened (or 1/2 cup of coconut oil)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (we used dark brown)

Add:
1 egg

Mix to combine.

Add:
1 cup applesauce
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Mix to combine.

Sift together:
2 cups flour (I like a combination of white and whole wheat; something like 1 1/4 cups white and 3/4 cup whole wheat.)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add dry ingredients to wet; stir until just combined.

Add:
1/2 cup chopped nuts (we like almonds) -- optional, but recommended

Fill greased or lined muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Serve warm, smeared with butter. For a special treat, you could also sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar when they're still hot.

Daily Creativity

Thank you all so much for your sweet response to my last post. I enjoyed going through my photos for the year and looking for projects that I'd made but had never shared here.

I've been more quiet in this space than I've intended. I think Leslie said it best in this post -- it seems that I've just been busy "doing what I do." For me, right now, that's a little bit of catching up on sewing projects, a little bit of nesting in anticipation of the new baby (which I'm sure will kick in with a cleaning-the-baseboards-with-my-own-toothbrush-at-midnight fervor in another couple of weeks), some knitting for baby, clearing up from -- and bidding a wistful goodbye to -- the gaiety of Christmastime, adjusting to Daddy being back to work full-time in the last week, and planning some projects -- like trying to get a bit prepared for the birthdays that will fall in the days and weeks around when I give birth, a collaboration with a friend (more details on that to come!). So, as Leslie said, the daily grind is good. It's just left me with a little bit less to say.

But our days are still filled with bits of creativity. I'm inspired as I see James begin to have a "purpose" to his drawing, and as Elisabeth expands her knitting skills to include decreases and double-pointed needles. Small moments open themselves to exploration and wonder when we leave a bit of space for that in our days.

So here's to moments of quiet creativity in our daily lives. Wishing for much of it in my own life and in all of yours!

PS: I hope you've all discovered habit! It's my favorite new project of the year!

2008

Before I completely bid farewell to 2008, a year full of blessings as well as struggles, I wanted to share a few of the handmade goods and highlights of the year with you all here. And then, I am so very ready to say hello to this new year, a year which promises to be full of excitment as we welcome the newest member of our family!

In 2008...

...we moved. A move which was complicated by the fact that our previous landlady had been forced to foreclose upon the property in which we lived, and then that the previous tenants in the house that we moved into left behind all of their furniture and food. It was a long couple of weeks.

...the first seven months of pregnancy went by. I'd say, from my perspective, that it's going somewhat slowly -- but quickly, all at the same time. I certainly cannot wait to meet our new wee one!

...I went into the recording studio to record a few tracks on a CD project, which has since been temporarily shelved. :(

...my firstborn turned six, transitioning from being a very little child at the beginning of the year to a big, capable, reading, writing, knitting, confident girl of almost seven by the end of the year.

...my wee one turned two, transitioning from what was really still a baby boy to a little fellow who is beginning to feel ready for his new role as big brother, and who is seeming so very three already.

...I had some very fun meet-ups with other bloggers. The first was with Kristin, who I don't have a picture of, who was such a sweet, sweet person and so generous with her time and recommendations for our trip.

Alicia and her entire family are the types of friends you only get to meet a few times in a lifetime. We all loved them.

While we were staying with Alicia, I had the chance to attend one of the famous KC blogger get-togethers. It was just as much fun as I expected it to be, and I laughed until I cried. It was at Rachel's house, and the eleven women there that night were each so funny and open and kind. I'm sorry that it is only out of sheer laziness that I'm linking to Rachel's post about the evening instead of to each of these awesome women's blogs individually. But seriously, they are all awesome, and I'm so glad I had the chance to meet them all!

Erin is every bit as fun, inspiring, and real as all of you might guess from her blog. She described our meeting and time together as "easy", and that's just the way I would describe it, too.

(I wish I'd had more time with all of you!)

...And then, I made some stuff (click the mosaics to get flickr links to the individual photos if you'd like a closer look at any of these):

The Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag. The pattern was so easy to understand and I loved having this bag with me in New York. It did have a lot of pieces to cut out -- in fact, the cutting took several hours -- and I even had help!

I also lined it with fusible fleece to make it more protective for my camera, which made sewing through all the layers very difficult at times. But I love the finished product, and the very morning we flew to New York, a woman in the airport asked me where I got it, so I think it was a pretty great project!

James's birthday gifts. He loves dogs very, very much, so I made him a doggy cape and a doggy t-shirt. The cape was made of a fat quarter of velour that I had on hand -- I would have liked to have had a bit more for it, but this was sort of a last-minute gift. It's lined with some Heather Ross dog fabric.

Elisabeth made this little dolly for him all by herself. She drew the pattern onto paper, cut it out, embroidered the facial features, and sewed it on the machine. It was a really fun project for her!

Elisabeth's birthday gifts. I had grand plans for this little baby doll, who has been named Little Butterfly by her little mama: A full wardrobe, diapers, towels, a diaper bag with changing pad, and so on. I ended up completing the doll, diaper bag, changing pad, and a sling, but her wardrobe hasn't been added to at all so far. I used a pattern for a 12" button-joint doll from here, and although it was a pretty clear pattern, I'd do it differently if I were to do it over again. I would probably just use the pattern from my favorite dollmaking book, instead. (Which I had misplaced at the time and no one had a copy I could buy -- it was on backorder from the publisher at the time! -- so I ended up buying a pattern for the doll instead. Of course I found my book about a month later.) {Edited to add: What I didn't like about the pattern I used was that the head and body are one piece. I generally make my dolls with separate heads and sew them together. Since that's what I'm used to, I'd probably do it that way if I were to make another button-joint doll.}

Baby gifts for the new daughter of a good friend of mine (she already has two boys, and they were excited for some pink!)

Birthday presents for some other little ones we know:

I adapted the pattern for this rucksack from this book.

A froggy beanbag (pattern also based on one from this book) and t-shirt for a little two-year-old boy.

A spider t-shirt and silly string (to make spider webs) for a six-year-old.

And this super cute bonnet from Amy's pattern for one of Elisabeth's friends. This was a super quick and satisfying project! (I should make more of these!)

2008 was a year full of changes, new things, adjustments, and real life. It was also full of so much sweetness, family togetherness, and most of all, love. All I can wish is that 2009 will be just as surprising, awe-inspiring, fun, simple, and joyful -- for my family, and all of yours.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Dolls

Thank you all for your lovely holiday wishes! I hope you have all had a beautiful holiday as well, and that you're spending this last week of the year taking things slowly, relishing a bit in holiday goodness without the pressures of having to plan and prepare, and perhaps celebrating the twelve days.

I've mentioned in a few posts that I had a last few doll orders to send off this year. I hadn't intended on doing any custom dolls for the holidays this year, and these orders were all from a few months ago. But being so sick with this pregnancy, and breaking my right ankle at the end of the summer, which prevented me from sewing for many weeks (I know, I never mentioned the ankle here ... it just seemed like another thing to complain about and I didn't want this space to become about complaining!), I got very, very behind. So I just had these last three to finish up, and I managed to get them all sent and delivered in time for Christmas (though barely!).

So, introducing...

Emmie, my first international doll -- she now resides in the UK!

Nellie, my first African-American doll, who was made for a 10-month-old baby girl who shares my birthday. I braided her hair to avoid a strangulation hazard since the baby is still very little. This little one was a recipient of one of my birthday crowns, as well.

And Amos, who was meant to be a birthday present way back at the end of July to a little one whose mama was so, so very patient with me throughout this process.

I'm hoping that all of these dollies will become treasured friends to the little ones who received them this year.

As always, more pictures of these dolls, and others I've made, in the flickr photoset.

Christmas Eve

Having mailed off the last dolls over the weekend, I settled into a bit of handmade gift making over the last few days.

Just a little bit. I'm relieved that this year, I'll probably get to bed at a normal hour (unlike last year!).

Here's what we're up to on this day before Christmas:

::wrapping our gifts

::admiring our paperwhites, which have bloomed just in time

::dancing to some of our favorite holiday music

::decorating

::enjoying a flurry of snowflakes (more inside than outside...)

::baking

::hanging the stockings on our countertop with care, in the absence of a chimney!

::taking time to marvel at the miracles of this season

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays.

with love from Grace, Elisabeth, James, and the Daddy ;)

Where I've been

Over the last two weeks, here's where I have been:

Snuggled amongst quilts on the couch with these two, finishing handwork on my last few doll orders which are, at this point, several months behind schedule. (Eek! I just admitted that publicly!)

Enjoying our family tradition of candlelit Advent dinners.

Admiring our neighbor's pretty house.

Gazing at our Christmas tree.

Loving this little corner.

Walking in a wintery wonderland.

I hope you have all found yourselves just where you want to be as we enter this magical time of year!

Save Handmade!

 

I have recently been made aware of an issue very close to my crafty-mama heart. Remember all the toy recalls over the last couple of years? With the lead in some plastic and wooden toys, and harmful phthalates and BPA in still other plastic toys and baby bottles? Well, a new law has been passed that attempts to remedy this situation. It's called the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act, and it says that anything sold for use by children younger than the age of 12 must be first tested for lead and be phthalate-free. Sounds great, right?

Except for one thing. It applies to handmade goods, as well. Like the stuff we all buy on Etsy for our families. Like the stuff many of us make and sell ourselves. My dolls, the handmade slings a friend of mine sells, children's clothing, toys, even wooden toys from Europe. (At least one major European toy manufacturer, Selecta, has already pulled out of the US market in anticipation of the new law. It would affect the Ostheimer figures that I love to collect, virtually everything sold by my favorite online and catalog companies, and so much more.) At a cost of up to $1500 per item, lead testing would be cost prohibitive for most small-scale makers of handmade children's items. It would be devastating to work-at-home moms, craftspeople, and artisans in the US and around the world.

Please follow this link and find out how to get involved -- it's as easy as sending a note to your congressman. Those of us who value handmade for our children need to make our voices heard. Please do it -- for all of us who make, sell, and buy handmade!

{PS: To post the button on your own blog or website, go here.}

Holiday & Winter Reading ~ 2008 edition

Somehow our family has amassed quite a collection of holiday and winter books over the years. Partly it's because St. Nicholas always brings a Christmas-themed book gift, partly it's because my dad was, for a time, helping with a friend's Amazon used book business and he would save aside any good children's books for us, and partly it's because we are just bibliophiles in general.

I did a really long holiday & winter reading post last year -- kind of late, though. This year's is surprising me by being later than I expected, too, but hopefully you will get some good ideas. This year's list will be shorter because I've done it now for the last two years already. ;)

The Snowy Day. This was a favorite of mine and my siblings growing up. Oh, the pleasures of snow play! Both of my children love this book. We are looking forward to some snowy play days anytime now ... yes, anytime you feel like arriving, snow!

Bear Snores On. OK, I know that this series has kind of become a bit cliche as they have continued to add to it. But the use of language in this first one -- the alliteration and rhyme -- is so clever, well-done, and beautiful. It is one of my favorite books to read aloud, with phrases like, "An itty-bitty mouse, pitter-pat, tip-toe, creep-crawls in the cave from the fluff-cold snow." Oh, I just love to say those lines.

Great Joy. This was new to us last year, and it is so very beautiful. The story by award-winning Kate DiCamillo is heartwarming, but the incredible soft illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline are the can't-be-missed element. The soft glow of street lamps, the cold of snow, the shining in the young girl's eyes at the end of the story -- all of these small details are captured so exquisitely it makes me get a lump in my throat. This book is truly a treasure.

A Child's Christmas in Wales. When I was a girl, our local NPR affiliate used to play a recording of Dylan Thomas reading his classic tale each Christmas morning. I love his beautiful, beautiful poetic writing that turns the ordinary Christmases of his boyhood into something fantastical and mesmerizing. And though I'm actually a very good reader-aloud, I still really love to listen to his version. Nothing compares to hearing a poet read his own words. (If you intend to read this book aloud to your family and you're not yet familiar with the writing, I would suggest practicing it a few times privately, because his use of language and turns-of-phrase can feel a bit clumsy on the tongue the first few times.)

Fireside Stories: Tales for a Winter's Eve. A collection of tales from around the world for the winter season -- from Halloween to First Snowfall to Christmas Eve and New Year's and on through Candlemas. Eight tales in all, appropriate for slightly older children (I'd say 5 or 6 and older), and absolutely magical.

Stranger in the Woods. Another book that may have become a little cliche as the franchise has expanded, but amazing if taken on its own. Since we like to decorate an outdoor tree with treats for the birds, my children relate to this tale of a gift-laden snowman in the woods, and the photographic captures of the deer and birds and other little forest critters coming out to first explore and then accept its gifts are really beautiful.

Grandmother Winter. An expansion of the traditional Mother Holle tale of the old woman who shakes her featherbeds to create snow on the earth. The illustrations are pure magic! We love this book.

The Snow Tree. This is a really neat book with textured pages about forest animals coming to decorate their own tree with different colorful gifts from the forest. It's just right for the toddlers in our lives.

And of course, the Jan Brett books. I think even the most curmudgeonly of Scrooges would be put into the Christmas spirit by her version of The Night Before Christmas, Christmas Trolls, or any of her lovely wintery books.

(From last year's list -- don't miss The Tomten or Christmas in Noisy Village. We can't go more than a few days without reading either of these.)

A visit from St. Nicholas

Saturday was St. Nicholas Day, a favorite holiday in our home. Though popular in Waldorf circles, my introduction to it came as a little girl in Sunday school, and I have held it very dearly ever since then.

Each year, St. Nicholas visits our home -- and those of many others throughout the world! -- to fill our children's shoes with surprises. Chocolate coins, nuts, and oranges are all traditional treats. We always get chocolate coins. ;) St Nicholas also leaves my children small gifts -- usually books.

This year was a delight because it was James's first year to "get" it (oh, imagine the fun that Christmas will be this year!). The day before St. Nicholas's visit, Elisabeth was explaining the custom of leaving shoes out for St. Nicholas to fill, and when she said "and he puts chocolate in them," James exclaimed, "Oh! That's 'normous. That's humongous!"

Edited to add: The wooden St. Nicholas figure is made by Ostheimer.

I'm inspired

You all inspire me so much. Judging by the response to my last post, it sounds like a lot of us have been thinking about many of the same things. And so many of you had such concrete suggestions about simplifying the madness of the holidays. I think it's important to take this energy and motivation that we feel when something awful happens, or when things seem to have gotten out of control, and channel it positively in our own homes and families rather than allowing ourselves to become too gloomy about the state of the world.

I'm feeling so invigorated by so many of the comments you left. Several of you left links to Advent Conspiracy, which is an organization that encourages people to simplify the holidays in small ways -- and also works to bring clean water around the world. (Definitely worth checking out their site -- it's so beautifully done, my pregnant self even cried a little.) Lynn's point that small traditions are remembered more fondly than most any gift (even the really amazing toys that the mama herself had been coveting) was so well put, and I was impressed by how many of you are committing to "experience" gifts -- Heather gave the example of concerts and plays, which also benefits the local community. And many, many of you are committing to giving fewer material gifts, or increasing the number of handmade gifts that you give. I loved that so many of you were talking about moderation and meaning in your gift buying. I am truly, truly excited and inspired. Thank you!

For the record, I'm not morally opposed to store-bought gifts, gift-giving in general, or bargains -- I just think that it's better to have a reason for buying something rather than buying things up simply because they're cheap, or worse, out of a crushing sense of obligation. So often we think we are required to spend a certain amount, or give a certain number of gifts, to family and friends. As Deb pointed out, this season really shouldn't be about getting or even giving -- but about celebrating with those we love. (And, after moving this year, I have to say, the one thing my little family needs is less stuff, so we're definitely trying to keep it very small this year.)

Even our children need less gifts than we sometimes think. I know that mine get very overwhelmed when they have too many gifts to unwrap at one time. The other day my very, very wise friend Meghan observed that, when it comes to children, we should always remember two words: Simple. Less. How true this is -- and how hard a lesson for us adults to learn!

As with all things, I'm finding once again that following the lead of my own little elf is the way to go. She always has a little gift to make ("Mama, I just need to use some of your fabric for a little handsewing project," or "How do you spell ____? I'm making a picture for Daddy's Christmas present."), a little bit of singing to be done in her high, high little voice, or a little bit of browsing through this month's Martha, carefully determining which cookies we should try this year. Those are the things that Christmas is really made of -- not what gifts eventually present themselves under the tree on the 24th.

And now we're back to pretty pictures from me. ;)

bear with me

I know that you all visit my blog for pretty pictures and descriptions of sweet moments in ordinary life. And, truly, that's why I visit other blogs and why I keep this one. I don't really consider this a place to step onto a soapbox, although I try to live my life with conviction, and I hope some of that transfers here. (I'll admit that sometimes I'm better at holding to my convictions than others -- my husband often points out that to be human is to be hypocritical.)

But this has been weighing so heavily on my mind in the last few days that I really want to talk about it here. I may end up taking this post down later, but I'm feeling the need to mention it for now.

On Friday morning, a 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death as a mob of shoppers broke down the door to the store to get a jump on their holiday shopping. Hundreds of people stepped on another human being's body in order to save some money on gifts that may be forgotten within a few days or months of being given.

That same day, I had to run a quick errand. (I should have known better -- what errand could be "quick" on the day after Thanksgiving?) I was really appalled and disappointed by what I saw that day. People were snatching things up at an astonishing rate. I heard an exchange between two shoppers that went something like this: Shopper A: "What are these?" Shopper B: "I'm not sure, but they're reduced from $10 to only $8!" And they both began to load their carts. I saw people with shopping carts piled higher than their own heads.

I am not trying to be a voice of negativity. I don't think that people should skip decorating or gift buying, and I am definitely not opposed to anyone saving some money.

But I'm wondering. I'm just wondering what this all means. What does it say about joy and festivity and generosity and our economy and humanity? What does it mean when people just buy things because they're there -- just because they can -- or that a man can be stepped on by hundreds of people without their noticing?

I don't know what the answer is. It's more complicated than one -- or many -- mothers saying, "buy less, do more" through the voices of blogs. But we could start there. We could start with our own homes, and on our own websites, and we could buy less. We could commit to handmade gifts, or we could just commit to simplifying one aspect of the holiday. We could pause before buying something and just ask if we really want it, or if the recipient will like and use it. I'm not calling for a "hard times" Christmas. But I really do think -- I really do believe -- that simple can truly be just as wonderful and magical as elaborate, and that a few carefully-chosen gifts can be much better than stacks of packages to open just for the sake of opening them. I don't think that "less is more" is just a meaningless slogan. If we can take it to heart, it really is true.

I'm Thankful

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Even though it's two days late, I wanted to post some things I'm thankful for in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday. (Though it's never too late too be thankful, right?)

So, I'm thankful ...

~For two happy, funny, sweet, healthy wee ones, and the new baby who continues to grow just fine despite my constant rottenness.

~For Heather's fantastic pumpkin muffin recipe. So moist and delicious ... absolutely perfect for Thanksgiving breakfast.

~For sweet, sweet friends who give me presents just because. (And if you love this scarf as much as I do, Claudia has some in her shop!)

~For lovely, fantastic friends in general -- here in my hometown, and all of you around the world.

~For Christmas cards that are ready to go into the mail today.

~For boys who love dollies.

~For puppies, especially those who live with my brother. ;)

~For the winter and holiday books that are sneaking their way into our daily rotation. (And into my right-hand sidebar!)

~For happy family silliness.

~For a certain girl who is so very, very excited to share her new writing prowess with the world. (And for sweet potato pie!)

~And for snowy sunrises.

Hoping that all of you have much for which to be thankful, as well.

New Knitter in the House

I mentioned last week that Elisabeth learned to knit this fall. Knitting is an important part of the first grade curriculum we're using, with the goal being a balance between head (academic), heart (artistic), and hand (coordination) in learning.

Knitting is also an extremely beneficial developmental activity for a child at this age, because both hands are used and it is a "midline crossing" skill, which is so very important for reading. (You might have heard about children who don't learn to crawl as babies having trouble learning to read later -- this works with a similar principle.)

I really wanted Elisabeth to be well-prepared for her knitting adventure (I'll admit that because I'm a knitter, I felt some pressure to teach it to her in a way that she'd really love it, and not just half-heartedly commit to it), so I sought out a sheep farm in our area that we could visit as an introduction to working with wool.

The four of us spent a really beautiful September afternoon looking at and touching sheep, watching the farmer spin, and really experiencing what wool is. The farmer was so sweet to spend so much time just showing us things, and she sent us home with some raw wool to play with. We washed it and cleaned the little bits of grass out of it and dyed a little bit of it. It was really fun to see how the wool reacted to all of this.

Then Elisabeth learned how to use a Knitting Tower (a.k.a. Knitting Mushroom, Knitting Nancy, or Knitting Spool). I was really, really surprised by how quickly she got the hang of it -- she quickly became very good at it!

We spent some time winding hanks of yarn into balls, and then we made a pair of knitting needles, using the directions from Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick. (I had intended to make size 8 needles using a 3/16" dowel because the fall issue of Living Crafts magazine had an article about teaching children to knit and one recommendation was not to use too large of needles, although size 10 with bulky yarn seems to be pretty common. But when I was buying the dowels, the 3/16" one just seemed too thin and flimsy, so we made size 10 needles with a 1/4" dowel.)

When it came time to cast on and learn the stitches, we used the verses from A First Book of Knitting for Children by Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton. And from there, Elisabeth has just taken off!

She had asked to knit a few times over the last year or so, and without intending to put her off, I just never got around to showing her. But I am really amazed by how quickly (and how well) she has picked it up since we actually began. Often it's the first thing she does in the morning, and she'll usually spend quite a while in the afternoon on it. She even came to me a few days ago with a circular needle and some yarn asking to make a hat for the new baby! I consulted a few resources about gauge, and then quickly made up a simple pattern. She has knit a couple inches on it already!

Anyway, we're all very excited by this new element to our days, dreaming about the many things that could be made with two knitters in the house. And James is already talking about when he gets to learn. :)

It's almost that time again...

candles from the first week of advent -- taken last year

With December 1 (and Advent) only 13 days away (really?!), I thought I'd re-direct you to my posts on celebrating Advent from last year. They are still my most commonly googled posts, so I'm guessing that there are a fair number of you who will be interested. ;)

Celebrating Advent :: Part 1 ~ This post talks about the tradition of the advent calendar, why I think it's valuable, some links to different ones that you can make yourself, and how we make it work in our home.

Celebrating Advent :: Part 2 ~ This post is the long list of suggestions of what to actually put into the advent calendar once you've made one. (Some of these ideas might also be useful to those of you looking for simple stocking stuffers or Hannukkah gifts.)

While autumn really might be my favorite season, nothing compares to the time of year we're entering. The more we can keep it fun and simple and not overwhelming -- for everyone involved -- the better. That's what I hoped to capture in these advent posts, and it's what I wish for most dearly for my own family. I hope to have shared a bit of that gift with all of you through these posts.

PS: Yesterday was my two-year blogaversary! I pretty much forgot it was coming up, with all this pregnancy that's been going on around here, so I didn't plan a givaway. But I want to thank each of you so, so much for taking time out of your own lives to stop in for a few minutes and catch up with me here. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. xoxox

Martinmas...

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments on my last post. Marking the seasons with festivals has become so much a part of our lives, that I can't imagine not finding a way to "make it work", no matter how ill I feel. I once read some really good advice from a very wise mama on a parenting forum that I participate in, which was to keep traditions simple enough that you could do them by yourself, if you were sick, if one of your children were sick, or if you had company in the house. I've found that advice to ring true for me more than once. ;)

Anyway, here are some photos from our Martinmas celebration last week .... I wish they were better -- even my "fancy" camera has a hard time when the only light is from lanterns! The lanterns glowed so beautifully, I don't think a photo could do them justice.

That I may bear a light...

Today is the festival of Martinmas. It is definitely my favorite of the lesser-known festivals that our family celebrates. It's a Christian festival -- more commonly celebrated today in some European countries, I understand -- that commemorates St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier who (dramatically!) sliced his cloak in two to share with a beggar. Later, he dreamt that the beggar was Christ and became a monk.

The festival has also come to be associated with light. It is a time to remind ourselves, as we enter the darkest time of the year, to anticipate the coming of the "light of the world" at Christmas. This element felt very important to me when we celebrated Martinmas two years ago, as I was coming out of severe depression. Since then, I have come to regard Martinmas very highly -- for me, it has really become a time of reflection.

There are many traditions associated with Martinmas, and we have our favorites that we like to incorporate -- and each year, as with all the festivals of the year when our children are small, something new is added, as well.

This morning, my children awoke at dawn to find four gifts beside their beds: an apple, an orange, a piece of chocolate, and and new handknit from Mama. Later, we'll drop off a clothing donation to a charity that supports teen moms. At dinner, we'll have our daily bread in the shape of muffins, which we'll split in two and share with one another to commemorate St. Martin's act of sharing (this idea is new this year, shared by Donna), and after dinner, we'll take our homemade lanterns (shown throughout this post), and walk around our neighborhood by candlelight, singing Martinmas songs.

(That's my knitting in green, and Elisabeth's in pink! We have a new knitter in our house, and I need to devote a couple of posts to it in the upcoming weeks.)

Anyway, yesterday was the busiest day I've spent in a long, long time. I find myself thinking, "One day soon, I'll be having a good day (sickness-wise), and I'll be able to get x, y, or z done." Unfortunately, the elusive "good day" never seems to arrive in time, and then at the last minute, I find myself having to do too much in one day (not wise for someone who feels like throwing up most of the time). At any rate, I had a long list to check off yesterday -- from running to a sweet and generous friend's house to borrow yarn to finish off James's handknit gift, to weaving in a lot of ends and adding finishing touches on Elisabeth's (don't worry, you'll get to see both soon, I promise!), to actually making the lanterns for Martinmas (luckily, we had planned to make the balloon-papier mache version [scroll down on that link] this year which are much quicker than the watercolor ones we've done previously), to picking up the chocolate for this morning's surprise (no, we don't have Halloween chocolate left over -- we didn't have that much Halloween candy!). Anyway, by the time I dropped into bed last night -- all finished -- I was feeling more than slightly crazed, and nauseous. But what a relief to be finished in time to celebrate today!

As long as I'm feeling moderately well over the next few days, I'll get pictures up of the rest of our celebration very soon! ;)

Pumpkins, and sewing, and bears ... oh, my!

Ah, Halloween has come and gone. That's a bit sad for me because I love it so.

Anyway, we had a very lovely day -- Daddy had the day off from work, and we headed to our historic downtown's annual trick-or-treat street 15 minutes early -- we were the first ones there (hee hee!), had some dinner, trick-or-treated for a few minutes around our new neighborhood, and then collapsed into bed for an early bedtime. It was a lot of fun, and very simple and small-scale (which is exactly the way I like it!).

My wee ones chose to be bears this year, which was the easiest and cheapest costume I've ever made. My mom had the great idea of picking up these cheap fleece blankets at a discount store, so the fabric ended up only costing about $10. The pattern, McCall's 8953, was purchased for $1.99 at JoAnn during a pattern sale. Two zippers, some elastic, contrast flannel and buttons from the stash, and we were all set.

I bought the pattern in the 3-5 size, and traced and lengthened it -- after lots of calculation -- for Elisabeth, who is thin enough to wear a 4 or 5 in a standard pattern, but needs the length of a 7. Really, that was the hardest part of the whole thing -- and despite my careful calculations, I think it ended up being a bit too long, though Elisabeth thought it looked more "authentic" that way. (The one thing I did not like about this pattern was that the hood was one size, and ended up being too big for James.) 

It was a great Halloween -- just our speed. I hope yours was full of fun and merriment, as well!

Autumn Is:

Hi, friends! I'm trying to be gentle with myself about my lack of posting around here, but of course I'm feeling guilty about being so absent. I'm still having more yucky days than not, but when I feel well, we're busy trying to take advantage of autumn -- my favorite season -- by:

~Making multiple batches of popcorn balls.

~Visiting a pumpkin patch.

~Costume making.

~Baking some apples. (Recipe here.)

~Basking in the autumn sunshine.

~Spending a day with homeschooling friends at a small local living history museum.

~Climbing trees.

~Preparing for tonight's revelry! (I promise photos!)

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Polishing

Dear friends, I'm so sorry my posting is still so erratic. I'm having some good days, and still many yucky ones. I appreciate all of you who continue to visit and leave comments despite my irregularity in this space!

As autumn has crept into our surroundings, our daily lives, our home, and our hearts, we've found ourselves beginning to draw in and begin the work of settling into this new house. It has been coming along -- very slowly. But we're getting there. Each box unpacked, each room arranged and rearranged as we settle into how we use this space, is a huge check off my list. Actually, a card tossed away. (I'll share in an upcoming post the little to-do system that I came up with to handle the overwhelm of moving while very ill.)

And with each box of toys that is unearthed, my little ones have a new batch of things to polish. Roughly half of our toys are made from wood, mostly "raw" wood (that hasn't been varnished or lacquered or treated). We like to polish it with a beeswax wood polish (I prefer the natural scent over the lemon-lavender). It smells so good, gives our toys a bit of protection from dryness & cracking, and leaves them with a lovely patina. And, best of all, polishing is such a relaxing activity for my children, especially in the "witching hour" right before dinner.

smiling

Smiling, and noticing some of the signs of autumn. Oh, autumn, how I love you!

Today was a good day. I got a call from a lovely friend who made me laugh hysterically with her attempts to convince me to go for the minivan. Thank you, sweet friend. You made me smile all day.

And that autumn sun! It couldn't be any more glorious, especially on these chilly days we've been having.

Here's looking forward to a week as sweet as today was.