A Fine Little Day

My favorite fair with my favorite two little loves. This was the best Commonground Fair I can remember. We were sniffly and tired, the weather was wet and cool but the day was just perfect.
We observed the beautiful plants and flowers and dreamed about our "next year garden"...

We learned to play the spoons and really got grooving...

AnaSofia felt adventurous and decided to be an eggplant in the garden parade and Kasper was happy to wear a blueberry hat...


We said "hi" to so many animals...

And AnaSofia mastered riding down the cardboard hill, all by herself after many tries and no cries of frustration...

Can you see why it was so wonderful? I want to do it all over again next weekend too, only I will be taking home a bunny and a few chickens like I really wanted to this time!

Autumn apparel

Little Kasper needed some long sleeve shirts for Fall so I dug into my fabric stash and used a pattern I had been sitting on from Meg to create a special little shirt for my favorite boy. I was concerned it might be a little feminine, but I decided I like it on him and he is so proud to wear it that I might just make another. Of course, AnaSofia wanted something with the same fabric, so I made her a fun little skirt with the ever essential pocket that she always requests!


Now to get out and enjoy the beautiful Fall weather!

Hm... Blogging...

So I have been thinking a lot about blogging. Why I do it, why others do and such. I started this blog as a way to keep our families in touch with what we are up to and even today I think my mother is my only faithful commenter (thanks Mom!). But I also have found that I am excited to share artwork ideas for kids, sewing projects and other "do it yourself" projects that we are completing. I haven't really figured out why yet, I know friends with kids read my blog and I guess I am hoping to give them fun inspiration because they are all such an amazing inspiration to me. I also read about 10 blogs a week and have a "reading list" on blogger of about 35 blogs that I can scroll through and check out. I realized recently that most of the blogs I like are inspirational diy blogs, but many also have a "buy it here" "look what is NEW right now" component that really drains me. It bothers me that I love the consumer side of it without realizing it. I am dream shopping online without buying, I get excited about what is out there, what I could have etc even though I rarely purchased anything (except books, I am a sucker for books). So I have been trying to step away from it, not get sucked into what is new and available for purchase and be more authentic in my daily life and what I want from my computer (to spend much less time on it really!). I stumbled on this really snarky post and all the comments that made me step back even more. Whoa! Strong feelings. I love the network of bloggers, many are introverted people who feel more comfortable sharing their artistic side in a quieter way - right on, that is me! But I am also a bit tired of the "pushing consumer goods" aspect of it and that ideas are being shared/copied by others so quickly that it is hard to feel like an original artist. So, hmmmm... Just some thoughts on a quiet evening. What are your thoughts?

A castle for a king

A very special friend was turning four last month and I wanted to make a special, homemade gift. I have to admit my boy coolness radar is only up to age 2 (as in what I can picture for Kasper, I can't extrapolate far from that but feel more confident making girly things for sweet ladies of any age...), so it required some thought. One of my favorite sites for natural toys gave me the idea. My Dad planed an ash board on his sawmill leaving the sides with bark and raw edges. I used a jigsaw to cut out the shape of a castle and its sides. I also cut out a little tower. Then we did go to our local craft store to buy some creatures to inhabit the castle although I would have liked to make Waldorf wooden creatures if I had more time. Next year. I made one for AnaSofia and Kasper too because I wanted to see if they would enjoy it. They do, so I hope our little friend who is far away will too!
All the pieces, sanding took awhile...

AnaSofia playing with her creatures, she chose a king and a horse for her friend.

I finished each piece with beeswax and orange oil. I hope it will age nicely and be a fun toy that will help the kids use their imaginations to play.

Making each other smile

K's favorite book right now is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle. We read it at least three times a day. He can say most of it and is amazing me with the little sentences that pop out. My favorite would be "Happy Burday-day!" to anyone who is having a birthday. Killer cute. Anyways, A and I decided to do a fun craft today for Kasper during naptime. She made (I cut, she illustrated and glued) stick puppets of all the Brown Bear characters and put on a little play for K when he woke up.
Building.

Acting.

She was pretty proud of herself...

And the audience said, "Bravo!".

Such a fun, special little day. I love these days at home. Thank you so much FarMor and FarFar for making our days easier and full of more fun.

Are words needed?

Yes, indeed we are having F U N. The men are working hard on this labor day weekend but we all are finding moments of joy in each day. Happy weekend!

Could it be?

My first little one is growing up too fast. She takes my breath away with her smarts, wit and charm. I am trying my best to keep up with her and enjoy the wonderful ride. Today we brought FarMor to the orientation tea party at Fia's school. She will be attending a Waldorf school on the coast this Fall and it feels like a perfect fit for our family right now.
Here is the prek/k room on the 36 acre campus. Unassuming right? I love that.

The kids playing in the kindergarden.


I love that the Waldorf philosophy embraces the joy of childhood and teaches children to find beauty in the small wonders of nature. I am also torn because I know she is ready for letters, numbers and even reading which is not something that is taught in a Waldorf school until children are older. I feel like she could benefit greatly from the wonderful social interactions and that we are big readers and "homeschoolers" anyways and that it will be all right.
In any case, first day of school requires a new bag right? I wanted to make her a bag for her snacks and such (each Wednesday all the children must bring one vegetable in to make stone soup). She wanted a rainbow on it and I wanted to use all scraps from my stash so we had a lot of fun searching for just the right thing. She loved it and wanted a heart on it at the very end. And wouldn't you know it? Her Waldorf symbol given to her by her teachers was a heart. That feels like kismet, doesn't it? I love these little signs that life is going okay...

Sewing notes:
I made the bag by using six pieces of fabric of three different patterns all the same width and four thin pieces for straps. Two pieces were longer for the inside of the bag (to make pockets), two pieces were the outside of the bag and two pieces were shorter to be the flap. I made the inside of the bag by folding the two longer pieces accordian style to make a pocket on each internal wall. I then sewed them together. Next I made the flap of the bag using two coordinating pieces of fabric. First, I sewed on the "rainbow" and then sewed the flap together. I attached the flap to the back fabric for the ouside of the bag and sewed the outside fabrics together. I shoved the inside in, attached two straps and then sewed it all together. I made the straps in two pieces so I could tie them to the perfect length to a growing little one as time grows. It was a fast project and AnaSofia loves it, thank goodness!
Sewing the outside of the bag together after the flap is attached.

The lining. I folded the long pieces down to make pockets on each side.

Here is the inner lining about to go inside the bag...


That special heart that turned out to be so perfect...

The straps that tie up to adjust to a growing little one.

Now if I can just convince AnaSofia that those little boys in her class will be fun and that she will love this new experience...