Yarn Along

I am joining in with Ginny again to share what I am knitting and reading this week.

I have cast on for the second mitten I am knitting with Peace Fleece's new color - blue jay.  The pattern is from the book Vintage Knits for Modern Babies.  I rarely buy new books, but this one has many wonderful, simple patterns and it is so much fun to knit for babies.  For the mittens, though, I did size the pattern up and they will fit our six year old.

I just started reading Lessons at Blacberry Inn, Adventures with the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola.    This is such a sweet fictional book told through the eyes of a homemaker in the 1930s as she teaches her children using the methods of Charlotte Mason.  Homemaking skills from times past are also weaved throughout the book

I finished reading out loud to the young ones, The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh.  This is a wonderful tale of a young girl traveling with her father to a new land  and living among the Native Americans as they build their new home to prepare for their entire family's arrival.

Warm wishes,
Tonya

Receiving Graciously

I just wanted to share with you a gift that was given to our oldest son last week; a gift from a husband and wife that we have never met.  Also to share a bit about my thoughts on giving and receiving.  The former has always been something that has come easily to me, the latter much harder to accept.

Remember this picture I posted here on the blog several weeks ago....

Well, they originally offered to give, yes, give Thomas a snare drum to get him started.  That is what we told him - that a generous couple, whose husband was a professional drummer, would like to ship him a snare drum. 

In the interim, through email correspondence, I learned that they wanted to get an entire drum set together for him.  I left this a surprise.

This past Friday, when UPS arrived and I sent Thomas out to help the driver, his eyes lit up as there was not one medium size box as he had been long anticipating, but two, large, heavy boxes.

And now...

We have had to set up a daily practice time, because yes, the noise is overwhelming at times, and not so plain, but it is oh so joyful.  They are realizing their passion - to write their own music and now to play in their very own rock band.

future drummer

I have realized that the joy that I receive when giving to others, needs to be reciprocal when I am on the receiving end.  I do not need to worry about the giver's motives or what they expect in return, but instead I need to be a cheerful receiver and accept the gifts because by doing so, I am giving back too.

Handmade Holiday - 2010

a beautiful easy cabled scarf pattern from Spiraling

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thoughtful ideas from Heirloom Seasons (be sure to checkout her granny square garland)

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 a memory game from Peas n Carrots

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  from (not the) office type, hand stitched leaf brooches 


From now until the week before Christmas, I will  be sharing a family business that offers their handmade goods online.

This week, please take a look at these beautiful, heirloom quality wooden toys, rattles and hand turned bowls made by The Wood Garden.
Laura, her husband and three children (with a fourth on the way) live simply in Ontario and are working toward a more self-sufficient, deliberate lifestyle and hope to someday soon find their own home in the country.  Laura can be found blogging at Getting There.

Warm wishes, Tonya

(If you are interested in signing up to join in on a seasonal swap and handmade exchange, you can learn more here.)

Thankfulness on a Dreary Day

Today as we spent the day inside while a cold rain fell outside, I took some extra time to be thankful for what I saw.

~thankful that the children enjoy books - both to "read" on their own and their never ending requests to be read to~



~autumn display on the top of my secretary~

What are you thankful for today?
Warm wishes,
Tonya

Yarn Along

I am joining in with Ginny of the blog, Small Things, to share the books we are currently reading and what is on my needles. These are for sure two of my favorite things to do - read and knit!  As we move into the cozy season of spending time inside by the woodstove, both pursuits become more possible.

I just finished reading Twig, by Elizabeth Orton Jones, out loud to Sarah and Abraham and they truly enjoyed it.  Taken from the inside cover, "A story full of magic, full of fun, full of fantasy interwoven with reality, and full of the kind of tenderness which belongs most particularly to the young.  A story both boy and girls will love."

My bedside book is My Name is Mary Sutter, by Robin Oliveira.  This is such a good book - about a midwife set at the beginning of the Civil War who longs to be a doctor when it was unthinkable for women to do so.

I have decided to make a commitment to spending an hour before bed, in the living room knitting for family.  I don't think I actually ever sit down for more than five minutes at a time except for meals.  When I do sit down on the couch, the children often ask me if I am feeling all right.  So, I think during these dark, cold nights, it is time to take time to sit and knit with my family close by.  While I have many projects on many sets of needles going on at once (too many for sure to keep a clear mind), the one I have pictured above is a scarf for our son Nolan for Christmas.  I am just knitting the garter stitch using a wool blend yarn in colors to match his winter coat.  Simple enough to even knit while reading!

Warm wishes, Tonya

Blue Jay, Hobo, Man in Black, Pumpkin and Cowboy

Our children get so excited about Halloween each year. Talk was overheard as soon as the end of summer about costume plans.

This year each of them made and put together their own.  I have nothing creative to show you from my hands, it was all them this year. Abby even helped Abraham gather what he needed and she helped Sarah cut out her pumpkin shape and paint the cardboard.

the man in black from The Princess Bride

a hobo

pumpkin and cowboy

Abby consulting the bird book as she paints her face.

(Isaac wasn't feeling well, but he did manage to put on his old man's costume  together enough to go out with the others, but I wasn't able to snap a picture.)

Also, our family's business is part of a Vermont handmade team on etsy and we are offering a giveaway for  branch hooks and coasters at the team blog here.

Handmade Holiday - 2010

Happy November 1st (oh my goodness!)

Here is a great list of online tutorials from Groovy Moments.

Love rocks from Vintage Office Type - a great project for children to make as gifts.


A Handmade Holiday update from the Chaotic Crafter.

From the Moment to Moment ~

a pan handle holder

and

knit fingerless gloves

Keep sharing when you have a moment.
Warm wishes, Tonya