Dot Paints

Swimming lessons are over, gymnastics are over, and we are between camping trips right now. The weather has really started to heat up and we have been spending more time indoors then originally planned. Our art supplies are dwindling and I really need to start thinking about my order to the discount school supply this fall. Then I remember that I still had something that I had never used, my dot paint bottles!


The girls went to town and made a much bigger mess then they usually do with things, well it's was just P really. One of the reason why I love dot paints so much is because of the lack of mess, but really Wild Thing can make a mess out of anything!

I just love how there personalities shine through already in there work. P is wild and beautiful and very interesting.

L is drawn to beautiful things and loves learning new things.

I would love to hear some other easy summer craft ideas, especially those will small cleanups!

Pie Makes Everything Better

I don't know how you feel about pie, but for me it seems to be a sort of cure all. I'm not talking about sitting down to eat a nice warm piece of pie and finding heavenly bliss I think it's much more then that for me. It seems that whenever I find myself upset, stressed, or in a funk that I seem to find myself in the kitchen baking a pie. Now I know this probably sounds quite ludicrous, to leave the house in chaos, unplug the phone and bake a frickin' pie, but it works. With all the crap that can go on in this life, all the things that can go wrong, tear you down and leave you dry, sometimes something as perfect as pie can just seem to wash that all away. Maybe it's the rhythmic rolling of the dough, the gently way you have to handle the crust, or just the sugar I don't know. With uneven crusts, gooey overflowing insides, and slightly crisp edges it has such beauty in the imperfectness.




And really how can any day be truly horrible when there is pie involved?

Latest hat for One A Month had me changing thing up a bit. I decided to knit this one for a chemo patient instead of the homeless. This was a much funner knit!

P.S. This post sounds WAY to perfect, pie and charity knits, come on! But honestly I was horribly PMS this week and didn't do much else besides knit and eat deserts ;)

Dolls

Here I am midsummer again and thinking of Christmas. Handmade holidays can be a bit of work, but man it's fun work! These girls were a lot of fun and I've been really excited to show them in this space.



This little sweetie will be traveling all the way to Florida to be loved my spunky blonde haired niece.

She gets to stay here with her pink counterpart L.

This lovely with the flower in her hair will go to my spunky little P.

This little Pixie with go to my littlest sister who I'm sure will enjoy dragging her all around the house!

All four were made with the free Black Apple doll pattern. I have one more that still needs some tweeking and may even make a couple more before the holidays. The pattern was easy (although I did have to enlarge it more then it said) and I really can't recommend it enough.

If anyone else is starting up there stash of Christmas gifts I loved to hear about them as well!

A Book Review

Great writing, but don't read unless you have a really strong stomach........

Happy Knitting

After the monstrous orange baby blanket I really wasn't feeling the knitting love. It took me WEEKS to finish those last few inches and I really lost the meditative release that knitting usually offers me. I had to really work to get that back with my new One a Month hat. It took me a week to knit the first inch and I was not "feeling the love". I then stopped and reminded myself that this was supposed to be fun and I really needed to allow myself some time just to knit and enjoy it, to really get in the grove. So I did just that and threw in a movie for good measure and wah-la it's finished just two days later.


When I'm not catching up on charity knits I have big exciting plans. I am starting my first sweater! I know, I know the excitement is palpable...but since very few read this blog, I can be as excited as I want! Woohoo!!!!!!

Jam!

It's all about connections isn't it? Like when you meet a family with fruit trees you know there are good times to come. This Sunday they were gracious enough to freely share there blessings with us. Micah climbed right up and got me a sack full of ripe plums.


I had my sister come over who was nearly jumping up and down at the thought of making jam with me. She was such a good stirrer.



Placing the filled jars into the canner is the funnest part for me (well, next to taking them out).

We made 10 cups of organic plum jam in just about 2 hours. On the list of worthwhile homesteading activities I am definitely putting this one up there in the well worth it category. You see I spent about $3 on pectin, sugar and a few cents spent on electricity and the other supplies needed I already had on hand. I then produced about $20 worth of jam in less then 2 hours.

Sorry, hope my nerdy calculations don't bother you I just really love saving money!

Summery Goodness

This summer has been moving along faster then I can blog about it, here are just a few of the things we have been enjoying around here.....


Fresh cut lavender from my mother's garden,

Learning how to can; so much fun! I made over 3 dozen jars of strawberry jam with my friend Katherine a couple of weekends ago. I had hoped for more pictures, but alas I had no camera at the time. Really though, the finished jars are much prettier then the messy process.

Oh and eating these yummy pita pizza I've been making in the toaster oven. Just one whole wheat pita, some sauce, grated cheese, and whatever veggies I have on hand. Pop it into the toaster oven for 10 minutes and you've got a yummy lunch!

New Chairs

Last month Micah and I stopped by a yard sale on our way home. I haven't been hunting these down to much lately, but when one is laid right in your path what can I do but stop? Immediately upon arriving I spotted two wooden dining room chairs in really sorry shape. I walked up to them and noticed how incredibly sturdy they were and how pretty the shape was. So for only $5 a piece I nabbed them.

My husband growled in annoyance as he dragged them to the car vowing that he would NOT be helping with this "project". I ignored his disgruntled behaviour already fabric shopping in my mind. The next time I was at JoAnns I looked and looked for the perfect fabric until I spotted it on my second trip into the home decor section. After a quick price check (on sale for under $7 a yard) I went beaming up the counter. Quite serendipitous don't you agree?
So here they are, with the help of my guns, staple and glue and the mighty brawn of my husband (he wields the staple gun so well).

My Spring

Wow, that month sure did blur past me. My camera broke at the beginning of the month and I never did get around to posting even a recipe! My life has been consumed lately with many of the changes that one would expect in the new year or in spring, but I'll take mine when I can get it. You see I have been having some health issues that until last month were undiagnosed and causing me a great deal of distress. Finally after dozens of test and appointments I finally got my answers and I am very pleased to say they are completely treatable! With the help of supplements, diet changes and only 1 medication I am feeling like my life has started again.


I have been challenging myself in many ways with my diet, my activity level, my happiness and my creativity. Thinking of the things I want from this life and enjoying myself and what God has given me. While we are still hoping to buy a home in the near future I have been focusing my energy on contentment and the joys of my family. Earlier this year you may remember that I planted a garden, what I may not have said was that it was at my mothers and well they didn't follow through much with the watering. SO, lesson learned and instead of giving up we started a container garden on our deck! I went to the nursery and picked up some seedling and set to work. Here is what we have so far and I hope it will go much farther.



We hope to start a lettuce bed and a vermicompost (worm compsting) up as well and just see where we go from there.

We have some blood oranges coming up.



And here are some strawberries

Oh and in other super awesome peachy fantastic news the blanket is done! I may be two One A Month Challenges behind, but I can catch up because it's the freakin' blanket is done!!