Christmas Moment

The littlest fairy watching over her graham cracker creation.

For My Little Girl

A gift that we could all make together.  Not an original one but one that we had not done before.  A special gift for a special girl.  The big brother could take his time and peal off the wrappers.

 

We could make a mess.

And we could make some crayons.

Merry Christmas little girl.

So I've seen this idea all over the internet and when Ginny at Small Things posted about making them for her little girl I knew that we had to do it this year.  Armed with a bucket of old broken pieces that I've been wanting to recycle, we got to work on making them into something more useful.  We tried to make them glittery but I don't think that the glitter really worked.

Oh, and I got to make a little bag!

For Baby

I feel like I'm cheating a little here with the yarn along this week.  This is a project I finished a few weeks ago for a friend.  It is my second In Threes pattern.  I promised you two weeks ago that I would make three of these and this was my second.  A friend of mine gave me some dark purple yarn to make the third but that will have to be after Christmas. 

This is the before:

 

And this is the after:

  I quick took a picture at the end of the baby shower when I realized I hadn't taken a snapshot of the completed project.  I also made her a bib and some pretty burp clothes.  I almost want a sweater like that for myself!

  I might have to make this one.

The book that I will be reading is Louisa May Alcott's Christmas Treasury.  It is waiting for me right now at the library.  I read it to the girls last year and I think that I will have to actually buy the book and make it a tradition.  It is full of virtue and sacrifice.  Maybe a little will rub off on us!

This Moment :: Husband

My husband singing with the kids and I for family worship. 

Yarn Along :: Thorpe

Last week I was so inspired by all the yarn along ladies!  Thank you for visiting and commenting too!  It's so neat to see that you guys are really out there.  All those posts are not not just pages on the computer but there are REAL people behind each one.  Who knew?  Hee hee.

So Wendy mentioned the Thorpe and I had to laugh.  My second daughter had just asked for a hat just like that.
 On the needles it goes!
Well, not until after a trip to the yarn store for yarn and double pointed needles.  I got the yarn that the pattern calls for and yum, it's so soft.  I think that I have officially become a yarn snob.  I walked through Michaels and felt each of the yarns and most of them felt so scratchy.  I really see knitting as an experience for me and I want it to be soothing and comforting.  Expensive yarn and bamboo needles seem to do the trick -
(I think I'm in trouble)

I don't know if it is because I'm a DPN rookie or not but putting 4 stitches on 4 needles (that seemed to be a size too small for the yarn) was tough.  As I was struggling through the first few rows I was wondering if this kind of knitting is good for me (you know, the experience).  This seemed too unruly and having to restart over and over was making the awesome yarn get all fuzzy.  I made it through and right now I'm not minding it so much. This picture is me in the middle of putting it on the circular needles (a bigger size too - I hope that doesn't make it too big!)
The pink my daughter chose is amazing.

The book is A Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family by Mary Ostyn.  It's very comforting reading a book by a woman who understands my heart.  It's like reading a conversation with a friend.  She has been there - double my family.  Wow, she's really been there.  In one of the first chapters she talks about how hard it was to share a baby sling with a relative.  She felt it in her heart and stomach that this was a sign of the end of babies.  The week before I started to read the book I had the same thing happen over a plastic potty chair.  It's hard for people to understand what getting rid of the potty chair really means.   I was so blessed to then read her experience and know that I'm not crazy!
I found the book randomly on the shelf in the library.   I think that the librarians ordered it just for me.  hee hee.

Blessings :: Ben

This is my guy.

He is a little man of many faces.

He just turned 5 this weekend.
He's growing and learning all too fast now.
The changes I've seen in him the past year are simply amazing.

Learning letters and numbers.  All his Classical Conversations memory work.
This boy even sings now, with words!
He's still shy but if you ask him to talk he will hold a conversation with you - a real one.

Ben is a blessing.  After having three girls the odds of having a boy where stacked against us.  We didn't feel our family was complete but after two miscarriages we weren't sure if God had any more children for us.  By God's grace he gave us another child and the boy we hoped for for many years.  (oh, and then right after that he gave us Bethany but that is another story)

So if you did your math you already know that we have five children.  I love them all so much and my life is a mix of joy and hardship. (boy would I say that I make most of my hardship!)  In all this I want to remember the multitudes of blessings, God's love and grace that He lavishes upon me, and I want that to scream out over all the negative thoughts that can run through my head each day. I'm starting my journey with Ann:



Thanking Him for:

1. my boy
2. a warm house (we are at zero degrees right now!)
3. a giving husband
4. soft yarn to knit
5. a Savior who never sleeps nor slumbers NOR tires of ME!

This Moment::Friends

Joining Amanda.

Someone to share your delights with.  Someone who understands.  Sometimes the love they share is so evident.  Sweet joy.

Yarn Along - Threes

I'm joining in (very late in the day) with Ginny and posting about something I'm knitting and something I'm reading.

This is the "In Threes" pattern found here.

So when I saw that Ginny had cast this pattern on her needles a few weeks back I just knew I had to try it.  I'm happy I did and Caitlyn is happy I did as well.  Although this is a size 5T, and my daughter is 8 years old, her chest actually measured the 5T size.  I do have to put this back on the needles though as she is skinny but tall and I need to add a few inches to the bottom.  The yarn is Mochi Plus and VERY soft.  All the colors make this sweater a little busy for me but this is what she asked for.   What do you think?

I also made a second one for a baby shower (I'll save that for another post) and I'm planning on making a third for Bethany.  The name "In Threes" made me think that I just had to make three!

The book is Ginger Plowman's Don't Make Me Count to Three.  This is about the third time I've read it and it gets me every time.  The subtitle is "a mom's look at heart-oriented discipline."  I so desperately what to get to their hearts!

  Now you might see a theme here.  There are a lot of threes in this post.  Believe me, I didn't plan this.  I actually think this is quite funny.  Shhh... there are even three buttons waiting to be sewn on  the sweater!

A Welcome

I have a little secret.  I blog in my head.  I can't seem to get myself together enough to actually sit down and write a post.  So I do it all in my head.  It is actually quite fun.  I find that I am very cleaver and the imaginary pictures are super cute!  As I go about my day I get ideas but when it comes time to sit down and type something my mind goes blank, I'm not as cleaver as I thought I was, and importing and exporting all my pictures takes so much time.  So.... if I can only welcome you to the blog in my head I think that you would like it.  *Sigh*

Instead I welcome you to my "newish" blog.  I've changed it again (this might be my third attempted) and I think that this feels right.  Woodland Rd. is our road.  It is where we live; where I spend most of my time.  It is where I try to enjoy my creator and the blessings He has given me.  It is the place I try to make beautiful and a place where I am working on peace.

There are things I want to share and moments I want to remember.  I will discipline myself to write even if I am late in joining in on things.  Oh, and if I suddenly post something about summer in the middle of winter please don't be shocked!

Belonging to that day

"...when Ma made the bread, they each had a little piece of dough..." ~Little House in the Big Woods

Kids Clothes Week::day 2 & 3

Well I did it! I finished a shirt! It's pretty cute I must say and its for a pretty cute person.




This is the Blossom Blouse from the Sew Liberated book. (See the side bar for the book info) It was super fun to sew. Since the seam allowances were all 1/2 inch, it was easy to finish it with french seams. All but one of the armholes though... I was rushing to finish at the end of the first day and I was too scared to stop and think about how to do this. It's actually very easy! I'm thinking that I'm going to have to wash this shirt a lot and I didn't want the seams to fray. She is a pretty messy girl!

All in all I think this is a good pattern. It is definitely on the short side and if I make it again I will extend the length. Maybe I'll even make it into a dress. That would be cute.

I finished this on Tuesday afternoon. No sewing for me on Wednesday. I've fallen ill and we had a memorial service to attend. I'm hoping to get some time in tonight. I've started to feel much better. Next up is a pair of PJ's for my 7 1/2 year old. Butterick 4913

Check out the flickr group for this weeks challenge. Such cute stuff there! Some of these women can really pump out a large quantity of great stuff. I'll be lucky if I get half of my next project done by the end of the week.

Kids clothes week::day 1

So it's kids sewing week and I have accepted the challenge to sew at least one hour each day.  I wasn't sure at first if I was going to be able to do it but with my husband out tonight I have taken the plunge!  I actually spent some of the afternoon "nap" time today working on my first project.  The Blossom Blouse from Sew Liberated.  Sorry there are no pictures today but I was able to finish up to putting on one sleeve.  I will for sure have something to show you tomorrow.  It is so dark and damp here... not enough light!

Wish me luck!

30 days of beauty::day four

I've got a long way to go and have been storing up some beauty to share.  Maybe I'll just get back to it.

30 days of beauty::day three

(Books being read in my house... now that is a mess I don't mind.)

Easter Reading

Easter always sneaks up on me.  While I am so excited that the snow has melted and we can venture outside without our gear, I just can't get my mind around the fact that Easter is right around the corner.  This year I am trying not to be so last minute as I have been in the past few years.

One thing we do get to do every year is read a few of our favorite Easter books.  While some of them are about the real meaning of Jesus death and resurrection, there are some other beautifully written books out there that really capture my heart.

We were at the book store today and I had to get my hands on my very own copy of this:



There are a few rare gems out there that are so well written that no matter how many times I read it, it almost makes me cry.  Books like Charlotte's Web, The Animal Hedge, and The Paper Princess.

In this story there is a bunny and she has hopes to be one of the five Easter bunnies that deliver the eggs each year.  No one thinks that she can do it and "The little girl Cottontail grew up to be a young lady Cottontail.  And by and by she had a husband, and then one day, much to her surprise, there were twenty-one Cottontail babies to take care of."  Hee hee, isn't that so cute!

Well this mama bunny really shows them that she is wise, kind, and swift, but also the bravest of all bunnies!  I'm so happy this book has become a tradition in our family to read every year.

30 days of beauty::day two

This beautiful face.  It both fills me with joy and with sadness. 

The little ones bring so much joy.  The cute voices and the things they say.  The little bodies - hands, toes, eyes... 

Sadness because they are growing so fast.  Soon the little voices will be older and their bodies will be bigger.  They become less mine and more their own.  It feels like from the moment they are born I am giving them away.

The key for me is to savor each day.  Kiss those cheeks often and thank my God that He chose to bless me with such wonferful gifts.

30 days of beauty: day one

In the likeness of soulemama and bluebirdbaby and these wonderful ladies, I'm going to get things going with a little bit of ordinary beauty. I've been feeling like I'm over-run lately and I hardly have time to breathe. I'm feeling that there is too much to do and I'm not spending any "real" time with my children. It feels like it is all slipping by and there is too much laundry and dishes and vacuuming and too many "no"s coming from my mouth when I talk to the children.

I'm hoping that if I just stop and look at these pictures that I will see that not all is lost. Not all my time is sucked up in the lost abyss of endless chores. There is beauty and the every day is FULL of it! It really is. This is what God has called me to do and there is always beauty in His will.

(this is our living room after David installed the new floor. the chair is David's from when he was a child.)

The Beginning

(This picture was taken by my friend Jocelyn -  Zia's photography)

I am working on beginning this blog very soon. It takes awhile with five children... Well, everything takes a while with five children! I'm anxious but trying to be patient. See you soon.

The End of 2009

November



We get a lot of leaves in our yard. The family actually works together (imagine that!) to clean it up. This year they worked harder than ever before. Even Bethany got in on the action.

We also did a photo shoot with our friend.



She got some of the cutest pictures of the kids.



And isn't this a handsome man!



November also was the month of Emma's first Synchronized skating competition. She was so excited. They are a very young team compared to the other teams on their level but they are learning a lot and getting better every week.



November is also Caitlyn's birthday.



December

Benjamin turned four.



Daddy took him to a Monster Truck Show



There are so many things that I can say about this year and I'm sad that I didn't post more often. Christmas was fun and, as always, overwhelming. I always gain weight, go a little crazy with all the stuff that gets brought into our home, and have tons of fun with my children. It snowed here on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Very pretty. Abbey received boots, Emma got a personal ATM machine, Caitlyn got an MP3 player, Ben got a wooden work bench, Bethany got a baby. I'm so thankful that we all have Jesus.

Big Brother Sweetness

Just in to show you something really cute. I'll finish up the rest of 2009 really soon.

More of 2009

September

There was a huge change of pace here as there is in every home with children come September. Abigail went to school. REAL LIFE SCHOOL. A Public charter school. We always knew that if any of our kids were going to go to school it would be Abbey. We also always thought that as each child got older we would send them to school eventually. It was definitely time for Abbey and we have seen her grow in many ways in the past few months.



October

The rest of September flew by trying to figure out how to do it all. For the rest of the children we joined a "sort-of" co-op called Classical Conversations. It was a life savor for our homeschool. I was floundering the last year or so especially when it came to history and science. We are in the foundations program and I am a paid tutor. Hear that people... I have a job. I don't really see any of the money though. It all goes to the kids tuition to the program and the books and flashcards that go with it. No matter though, it's really fun to do and keeps me on top of things. In this amazing program the kids are memorizing science facts, history sentences and timeline, math skip counting and formulas, Latin declensions, geography, grammar lists, doing science projects like dissecting an owl pellet and a crayfish, and learning the Tin whistle. Whew it seems like a lot but the kids really love it.

October is Bethany's birthday.



We also went pumpkin picking... well, at least we tried to.



It was pretty cold and muddy and most of the pumpkins were rotten. The fall weather didn't cooperate this year.

We can't forget about Halloween. My kids love it so much they consider the fall to be "Halloween time". I really dislike that way of thinking and try to dissuade those little minds. Futility.

2009... Continued

I'm here again. Two posts in two days. I am amazing myself! I think that I'm only going to post about our Vacation today. We had such a good time and did so many things I don't want to miss anything.

August

We were away from home for most of this month. We took our annual road trip and this year we went to NJ.

We met our cousin Lilly.



Spent time on the boat.



Went to the boardwalk.



Visited the Grandparents.



and went to the real beach.





When our time in NJ was up we headed back in our car and drove down to West Virginia to see some nature and visit our friend's parents.



Our last destination was family camp. It was our first year trying something like this and we really loved it.

We made crafts, sang songs, tried our hand at archery, target shooting, rocket building and launching, rode horses, and saw millions of stars. This camp was amazing for me. We had two family helpers that took the kids to play and sat back at our room when the little ones went down for a nap. We had a date night at the bowling alley in town (that the camp owned!) and I didn't have to cook (or clean up) one meal!