Last night the house was still. No entertaining, just clean up from the day. I grabbed a few of the kids’ blankets that were strewn over the floor and got comfortable on the couch to enjoy a book. Something I haven’t done for the past month.
It feels satisfying and needful to take a small break from the basement and its sewing counter. (Although my cold bones have had a January sewing project on my mind, nightly…)
Caroline is ready for her first journal. This is quite an exciting milestone since her mother filled easily 15 journals in her lifetime. I can’t wait for her to discover the fulfillment of writing and then reading and seeing who she’s become over time.
Journaling will also be an incredible writing exercise for my little 6-year-old. I thought a little encouraging would help introduce her to the world of journaling. Thus the journal kit.
As you saw yesterday, I’m a little obsessed with jars for gift giving. Hopefully you don’t mind, there are more jarred gifts to come. Today–a simple sewing kit in a jar for my up and coming seamstress, Caroline.
After last week which was filled with wonderful visitors (friends from college and their little toddlers), this weekend came and granted me some time away at the sewing machine. Saturday morning, Johanna warded off Caroline from the basement so we could get moving on her present from her sister. A little something that we knew she would love (a sketchbook) with a little something personal (an original drawing from Johanna of Caroline, stitched onto the cover.)
Johanna and I found the idea when we were skimming through my Bend the Rules with Fabric book by Amy Karol. A pack of Moleskine sketchbooks have been waiting in a covered up box (with other Christmas supplies that have now arrived and are waiting) in the corner of the kitchen. It is a simple yet fulfilling project. Check it out…
Here’s a little mixed-media art experiment for the kiddos on this chilly November Friday. This is just the right project for a blustery day spent indoors.
Rarely is a planned trip what you envision it to be. Things come up (or in our case, Annabelle was sick the morning we were supposed to leave), plans are changed, and expectations shift. And yet, despite initial disappointments, unexpected memories and experiences surprise you along the way, moments that you never could have fathomed.
We had a bit of both.
For months, we’ve been preparing for a very special family trip. For those of you that are mothers to young girls, throwing out the name “Felicity” should give you an idea. Yes, yes, Colonial Williamsburg. We’ve read the books, and read countless other colonial library book. We’ve written a list of colonial projects we wanted to try and one by one, have checked them off.
One morning we attempted to step back into the past yet again by making marbled paper and trying our hand at writing, colonial style.
For thousands of years, homemakers have progressed in “making a home” from simply observing other homemakers, talking, sharing ideas, and implementing new ideas– all for the sake of their home.
The home is where children feel loved, are nurtured, and understand many lessons of life. The home is where order and service can be experienced. It is where we are our true selves most. We can be more vulnerable, more honest, and more real. It is where real living takes place.
It is no wonder that our homes are sacred to us. Why we care to make a warm, soothing meal. Why we try our hardest, despite many interruptions, to keep order and cleanliness in our home. And why we go seeking for new ideas for every season of our families and our growing home, to make life in the home satisfying in those season.
In honor of our Third Annual Mommy/Child Bake Off we’re hosting this morning in our backyard, I thought I’d share this, edible leaves.
