Yogurt

31 January 2014


I love to visit our local farmers market.  Sadly it is only held once a month, I wish it were more often, for me it has been a great way to meet some of my local farmers.  I have used it as a means of getting to know them so that I can then visit their farms to buy direct from them in between times.  A long time ago I started to buy wonderful organic cheese from a farmer who also sells organic raw milk from her farm, which I kept meaning to go and buy.......and each month the market would come round again and I still hadn't been.  Then I bought a yogurt maker.

I eat a lot of yogurt.  I make pancakes with it for breakfast, cook with it and have with fresh fruit most days.  I was buying three 500g pots a week and at about £1.50 a pot it added up.  So when someone on a forum was selling a little used yogurt maker I jumped at the chance.  It is really easy to use, if you follow the instructions I find the yogurt a little runny so I have found, by chance, a better method.  A method left as an anonymous comment on this blog which works really well.  I heat the milk to 180°F or 82°C and keep it at that temperature for one hour.  I do this by removing it from the heat and covering the pan to insulate it.  After an hour, I remove the covers and allow the milk to cool to 112°F or 44°C at which point I pour it into the container that you make the yogurt in along with two tablespoons of yogurt (as a starter) and place in the yogurt maker for about ten hours.  It comes out thick,  I could strain it or remove the whey and make it thicker still but I like it as it is.


It makes a litre, roughly equivalent to two 500g pots of yogurt, from a litre of milk.  I started off using the milk I was buying from the supermarket until I remembered about the local farm selling raw milk, so that is what I now use.  Buying it direct from the farm costs 80p a litre, with a small amount of electricity added on I can make a litre of yogurt for under a £1.  Without knowing all this my mum bought me the ideal Christmas present a book and few pieces pieces of equipment for making cheese, my adventures with raw milk continue!

Knitting

29 January 2014


I have had an up and down week with knitting this week.  I frogged the socks I started, I decided the pattern does not go with the yarn, I am going to make a pair of these instead.  I still want to make a pair using the original pattern just need to find the right yarn!  I have been knitting a present for my mum, the time I have to complete it is running out and the rows just get longer and longer.....
Last night I realised I had made a mistake and had to rip out six rows, six rows I nearly wept.  A few hours work gone in a second, it took me ages to get the stitches back on the needle and get knitting again.  It took me to ages to realise that the root of the mistake was at the end of the previous row, once I got that sorted I was off again but a few rows behind where I wanted to be!  I would like to get this finished by the tenth of next month to give me time to block it properly before we travel to my mums on the fifteenth.  I am trying to knit at least three rows a day in order that I am not knitting in a frenzy in a weeks time!  I hope I can get it done....I am, however, loving this pattern and would love to knit another!

This is a surprise present for a significant birthday my mother is celebrating next month.  When I last visited her I had a sneaky peak in her wardrobe to decide what colour would work for her.  I couldn't find any yarn I liked in my local yarn shops so I resorted to buying online, something I rarely do when I want a specific colour.  It is slightly lighter than my photo, it was hard to get a good one on this grey day we are having, and I was not convinced at first but it has grown on me.  The yarn is from The Natural Dye Studio, a 4 ply yarn called Dazzling in the shade Malsmead a shade that is not available at the moment.

I has taken me a while to get into the book I am reading, Consolation by Anna Gavalda.  It is written in a style I have not read for a while.  It is flits about in time and it is not always clear where I am in time or who the main character is thinking about!  I have got used to it now and am enjoying reading it.

Joining in with Ginny for a sharing of knitting and reading and Tami for yarny works in progress head on over to we what others are up to...

Vikings

28 January 2014


Last week I mentioned that I had been making Viking costumes.  A friend of the children was having a viking themed party and we had been invited.  At first the children were a bit unsure, my eldest especially is neither a fan of parties or dressing up, but when I phoned to confirm we were coming I was told that everyone else who was going was really excited about the costumes they were making for the party.  So I went to our history book shelf, yes we do have one, and found our small collection of viking books and started to look at them.  By the time I had gotten to the pages about clothing the children had both joined me and started asking could we make one of these, or this, or this, the seed was sown.  I had a look through my fabric and found some brown/grey fleece that would be suitable but nothing else.  When we next went into town we bought some more fabric and ribbon.


I made three tunics, the pattern for the children's was loosely based on a nightie I made for my youngest for Christmas.  My tunic I made from scratch by taking various measurements of myself and drawing up a the shape onto the fabric.  I always sew in this way, rarely if ever following patterns, unlike knitting where I feel I have to follow a pattern.  I have been doing a fair amount recently, for Christmas presents and lately birthday presents.  I feel like I am getting the measure of my sewing machine, it seems to go 'wrong', actually that should read user error, less often.  It has made me want to do some more, my youngest could do with another dress and I have some fabric that I bought months ago for that very job, now I just need to get on with it!


I wore my tunic over a long linen skirt and linen top, my eldest wore trousers and had a sword in the loop on his belt.  My youngest wore hers as a dress with tights.  I am hoping that these can and will be used again for dressing up at home, or to other parties with similar theme.  We have been invited to a Pirate party this weekend but they have done enough dressing up for now they informed me!




Oh, and the birthday girl?  I made her one of these in red and gold.  She opened her presents in front of all the other children.  When she opened ours there was an audible gasp from the room, the best kind of praise don't you think?

Joining in with Nicole for this weeks Keep Calm Craft On, head on over and see what others have been making.

Moments...

27 January 2014

...this week of...

...happiness singing group, a fun birthday party we went to, catching up with friends, an afternoon in a bookshop, the lovely comments I have received this week, swimming with my children

...sadness for a friend who is struggling at work

...creating two play capes, wooden tank, jigsaws, Lego games, a tidy house

...reading for myself Consolation by Anna Gavalda, Alice in Wonderland to the children and these picture books*, I have written a short review of them here, 19. Animals in their Homes by Sonia Goldie, 20. Big Kicks by Bob Kolar, 21. The Country Year by Paula Joyce, 22. Touch and Count Numbers by Mandy Ross, 23. Lunchtime by Rebecca Cobb, 24. My Very Happy Princess by Moira Butterfield

learning about the body, animal homes, shipwrecks, reptiles, numbers 12 and 13, addition, Vikings, cooperation, birds, hibernation

thinking about education and what it means to our family

hoping to do some baking this week, I haven't done any for ages

…looking forward to spending a few days visiting friends

*Joining in with the 300 Picture Book Challenge

Gratitudes

26 January 2014



Joining in with Taryn for her heartfelt Sunday tradition.

A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

This week I have been grateful for...

...our singing group starting up again, my youngest loves this

...a lovely birthday party for a friend of the children

...time for sewing

...catching up with some friends we had not seen for weeks

...salad leaves from the polytunnel

...a clean and tidy house

...support when I needed it

...an afternoon in a bookshop

...help when looking for something I needed in a shop

...reading time before bed

Otherwise

24 January 2014

I am pondering a decision at the moment, one that we will not need to make for a while but time has a habit of slipping away and then it is time to decide and you have given it no thought and that wouldn't do, would it?

When my eldest was born it made me realise how few people we really knew in the village where we live.  We had moved here two years before he was born and both worked full time, we had got to know our neighbours but beyond that only a couple of people who we already knew prior to moving here. A very part time job came up in the village school which I applied for and got.  It required me to attend eight meetings in a school year, here that is September to July, and a small amount of admin most of which I could do in my own time.  The meetings I was to attend were the governors meeting, the governors are a management body, made up of members of the local community, who are responsible for the running of the school.  I was required to sit in those meetings to take minutes, which I then went home, wrote up and distributed.  At first this is what I did not taking any interest in the content, as I was not required to contribute to the meeting, it was easy to do this.

In the UK you have to apply for a place at a school.  You have to do this twice, in most areas, once in the year before they are five (primary school) and then again in the year they turn eleven (secondary school), by year I mean school year not calender year.  It is the parents legal responsibility to ensure a child receives an education, as the education act states:

The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable -
a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
b) to any special educational needs he may have,
either by regular attendance at school or otherwise

In the year that we had to make our application suddenly the content of those meeting changed.  I was no longer an observer, listening in order to record, I became an absorber too.  The meetings seemed to be filled with statistics, figures, comparisons which would have been appropriate in a company sales meeting but a school?  This was the management team so I would expect some figures of the financial kind but there were figures for everything and the constant pressure of results pervaded every meeting.  I knew you could legally home educate in the UK so armed with my knowledge of the education system that my child was going to be part of, it was very different when I was at school, I couldn't put my child through the machine which is what it felt like to me.

We were quiet about our decision, it is easy to do this as the application has to be sent in nine months before the child starts school, but once we did start telling people we had a positive reaction.  Many people did not realise it was legal, most thought they could not do it and some were jealous that they could not do it for their children.  I was surprised by some of the questions particularly in those early days.  I think most of those asking assumed that we would have a day rather like a school day, starting at nine with breaks for play and eating and finishing at three, that I would sit and teach my children and that I would therefore need to do a lot of preparation and research. But the most surprising one was, what will you do when they he goes to secondary school?  I know that most parents don't give this any thought when their child is four or five, I know there are exceptions who have their whole child's life mapped out until they are eighteen but they are rare, I hope?  By the end of next year, 2015, we will need to have applied for a secondary school place if we want one, a place that will start in September 2016!  Suddenly this question which I have always replied I will wait and see nearer the time needs to be answered.

There are several secondary schools near to us.  A town to the north has two, a town to the south has two and there are three others in small towns within driving distance only the town to the north would come with free transport on the local bus, the rest would require us to drive or pay for a bus pass.  Of these two schools one has an entrance exam and it is usually not possible to join this school after the age of eleven.

At the moment I am sure that my eldest would find school extremely stressful.  He still loathes to be in big groups of people preferring time one on one, but two years is a long time in a child's life, will he change in the next two years?  Can I provide the opportunities that he wants and needs to give him the education that will stand him in good stead to to out into the world and forge his own path?  But the big one for me is, and this is one I am struggling with the most, what about those who asked the questions?  I am feeling that I will have to justify my decision, if we opt to continue to home ed, when I wouldn't if I opted for the school route.  I know little about secondary education in this country other than my own experience many years ago, are my judgements going to be sound?  What keeps niggling me is that I am having to justify a decision that is mine, legally, to make.  How much of what we are taught in secondary school is relevant to what we are doing today?  Can you remember any of it?  Could you open a textbook in one of the subjects you studied for exams at sixteen or eighteen and actually make sense of it?  Is it not valid to go away and learn, rather then be taught, the subjects that really interest you?  That will be the building blocks of what you go onto to study further at university or in the world of work.  If you really want to become a doctor then you are likely to be interested in anatomy, physiology or there is little point you taking the time and effort with your learning.  So it feels like a long way off and all too soon at the same time, it will be a hard one but I, should I say we, need to give it thought, I will continue to ponder.....

**********

Blogger has informed me that is is my 500th post! Can't quite believe it, yet it seems somehow an appropriate one!

Knitting

22 January 2014



I have not made a huge amount of progress on the knitting front this week, I have been busy sewing costumes for a party we are off to this afternoon.  So it has just been a little time in the evenings when watching programmes on iplayer.  I visited a yarn shop at the weekend and bought a beautiful skein of wool to knit a felted bowl for a friend as a present, just because I haven't got enough projects on the go already...

I have fit in some reading and finished Gossip from the Forest, I loved this book.  It was a wonderful mix of nature, history and imagination and a book that I am sure I will return to time and time again.  I have been reading some fairy tales to my youngest this week, many of which are mentioned in this book.  I have just started Consolation by Anna Gavalda which I have borrowed from the library.  I read a novella by her last year, Someone I Loved, which I really enjoyed so I thought I would try another book of hers.  I am only a few pages in so far and still want to continue reading which is a good sign.

 Joining in with Tami and Ginny for sharing all things yarny, head on over to see what others have been making.

King

21 January 2014


I was given a lovely book for Christmas the year before last (2012) as I really wanted to start a seasonal table with the children, we were also given a beautiful driftwood tree which has become the centrepiece of our table.  I decided that I would make a few pieces for each season and slowly build a collection of bits and pieces that could sit alongside items collected on walks.  Despite thinking about it I never got round to making anything for that first Winter and some of the pieces I started for Spring were not finished until Autumn!  So as Winter approached last year I thought once again about making something for our table, Christmas rather sapped my time as I was busy with present making so come January I seized the moment and got started.  I knew I didn't have all the bits and pieces the book suggest so I improvised with what I did have.





I started with the head which is made in the Waldorf doll style, I found this easier this time round having made one before.  The first layer is a stretchy jersey material stuffed with wool, the second layer is a stockinette, which is slightly stretchy, both of which were left over from making my first doll.  The book suggests mounting the head onto a wooden post with a round base which I did not have so I made a tube with some cotton material stuffed with wool and a piece of wood in the bottom to help it stand up.  The arms were a pipe cleaner wrapped round with some wool, the robe is cut out in one piece and sewn onto the neck and hands which were made from very small pieces of the stockinette.  The cloak was cut as a square and gathered together at the neck before sewing on.  The eyebrows, moustache, beard and hair are all wool and the crown is felt.  His staff is a pipe cleaner covered in silver foil.  The children love him.




King Winter now is in the land,
he reigns with cold and freezing hand.
He makes Jack Frost touch nose and toes,
and gives our cheeks a shining glow.

So King Winter sits on our seasonal table in all his splendour whilst outside, well, is it really winter?  It seems to be limping along this time in a wet, soggy, greyness not my favourite type of winter at all, give me cold, crisp and snow with a bit of sun and blue sky any day.


The children sat with me at the table whilst I made him, doing their own thing, watching what I was doing or reading the book I was making him from.  Once he was complete they requested I make a Mother Earth next and have been asking for the last week when I am going to make her, I hope that doesn't take me a year to make too! The book I used is The Nature Corner.


Joining in with Nicole for Keep Calm Craft On head on over to see what others have been making and creating.


Moments...

20 January 2014

...happiness catching up with a friend we had not seen for a few weeks, quiet, gentle days at home, creating time, conversations with my children

...sadness at misunderstandings

...creating King Winter, Viking costumes, knitting a shawl and cardigan, homemade Halloumi, paintings, wooden railway tracks

...reading for myself Gossip from the Forest, to my children Alice in Wonderland they are loving it, and these picture books* I have written a short review here, 10. The Pear Tree by Meredith Hooper, 11. My Daddy by Curtis Jobling, 12. Ben and Gran and the Whole Wide Wonderful World by Gillian Shields, 13. Bear's Birthday by Stella Blackstone, 14. I Love you Mummy Duck by Dawn Richards, 15. The Spring Rabbit by Joyce Dunbar, 16. Faster, Faster Little Red Train by Benedict Blathwayt, 17. Green Light for the Little Red Train by Benedict Blathwayt, 18. The Runaway Dinner by Allan Ahlberg

...learning about the body, decimal places, making colours, dinosaurs, reptiles, sharks, volcanoes, caves, limestone and rivers

...thinking about all the sand in the bottom of our local swimming pool and where it might have travelled from!

...hoping to find the time to do some garden planning

...looking forward to a Viking birthday party

*Joining in with the 300 Picture Book Challenge over at Child Led Chaos

Gratitudes

19 January 2014



Joining in with Taryn for her heartfelt Sunday tradition.

A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

This week I have been grateful for...

...dry days

...homemade cheese

...quiet and gentle days

...a lovely afternoon with our home ed group

...sewing and creating time

...my husband collecting wood for next winter

...a walk in the woods

...music

...good books

...our local library

Colcannon

17 January 2014

We get a veg bag delivered every week.  It comes from a collective of farms, a grower's cooperative about five miles away.  The bag always contains carrots, potatoes and onions plus five other seasonal vegetables.  In the weeks leading up to Christmas we had brussel sprouts in the bag every week.  I confess to loving brussel sprouts the rest of the family like them a bit, enough to eat them on their own occasionally but not week in week out.  A trawl through my recipe books and online and I could not find a recipe where they were not the dominant flavour/main ingredient.

Thinking laterally I looked at cabbage and kale recipes, brussel sprouts are a mini cabbage after all.  I never have to hide cabbage as my children love eating it, I usually just steam it to soften, then heat up a little sesame oil in a frying pan, add a crushed garlic clove and fry gently for a minute or so then add the steamed cabbage and fry gently coating in the garlicky oil.  I cook kale and any leafy greens in this way too.  So back to the brussel sprouts......a search again in my recipe books and I found a recipe for colcannon.  I had cooked this recipe before and had found it rather uninspiring so I decided to add a few extra ingredients and swap the cabbage for brussel sprouts.  This is what I have ended up with, a tasty dish which I usually serve with a lentil Dahl.

Colcannon

1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped
Approx 200g brussel sprouts, or a small head of cabbage or kale finely shredded
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
Butter/cream/milk
100g cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5

Boil the potatoes and steam the brussel sprouts/cabbage/kale which ever you are using.

Fry the onions in a little oil or butter add the garlic and cook for a minute or so remove from heat.

Mash the potatoes with butter, cream and or milk whatever you prefer it is best if the mixture is soft and moist.  Add the cream cheese and mash to mix.  Add the onions, garlic and greens and stir to mix.

Put into an ovenproof dish and cook for about twenty minutes until top is slightly brown and the mixture is heated through.

I entering this recipe in the Shop Local Challenge over at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.

Knitting

15 January 2014


The socks I shared last week have only grown a cm since then, so I thought I would share one of the other projects I mentioned which has received more attention.  When I was knitting this jumper for my youngest, my eldest had a look through the book the pattern was from and asked me if I could knit him something for him.  That made me one happy mama, I do so love it when my children request me to make things for them.  The pattern is one I have knitted before, this time I am making it in the largest size, when hunting for suitable yarn I realised that it was going to cost quite a lot and fortuitously someone on a forum I visit was selling a bag of yarn (10 balls) at a really good price it will be more than I need but I am sure I can make something with the leftovers!  This project is my easy knit, one I can do whilst watching stuff, the downside is it is knitted in pieces which you then sew up, the upside is the pieces knit up really quick, I have finished the back and one and half front pieces all knitted in the evening.  I am using a cotton yarn as I find this makes a garment that can be worn all year round always a bonus when knitting for fast growing children.

I am still reading Gossip from the Forest which I shared last week and I am also reading a book I picked up at the library on my last visit.  I am always looking for ways to make maths interesting and thought this book, Mathematics Minus Fear, might fit the bill.  I have read a couple of chapters and it is a good read so far.  If anyone can recommend any other maths books, websites or resources I would love to have them!

Joining in with Tami and Ginny for a sharing of yarny projects head over and see what others have been up to this week.

Comforting

14 January 2014

Welcome to the January 2014 Carnival of Natural Parenting: The More Things Stay the Same
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have talked about the continuity and constancy in their lives. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***
I never thought I would be writing about the comfort of things staying the same and how that can wrap you up in warmth and familiarity like a blanket.  Since leaving home my life has been one of moving house constantly, of doing things spontaneously and last minute, of being highly organised at work and completely disorganised at home.  When my first child was born nine years ago there was a popular routine which was constantly in the media at the time, to me it seemed totally bizarre.  When anyone asked me how often does he fed, my answer would always be whenever he needs to I didn't clock watch.  I just went with the flow.  Two children later and I am passed the baby and toddler stages, I can get out of the house in a few minutes and I can plan to do things, some on a regular basis, and I have surprised myself by actually wanting and needing this in my life.

For most of us growing up means attending school, by the time we are in our early twenties we will have spent, in my case anyway, fourteen of those years in education.  This is time spent following someone else's routine and timetable it is hardly surprising that I spent so many years not wanting that in my life any longer.  For me, for my family, it has been about finding a balance, a balance between a routine and free time, I prefer to call it our rhythm.  When the rhythm stops beating or changes I am unsettled for a time until I can get it back into a groove.  The rhythm we have right now is a good balance of meeting with friends, home ed groups, home time and trips out as a family.  The pattern is familiar to the children they know what is going to come next, however it is flexible if one week we don't want to engage preferring to stay at home or do our own thing we can do.  This familiarity is like a anchor for us, it stops us drifting from one day to the next.  It definitely makes us all calmer, I notice a change in my children and myself when our rhythm is not beating as it normally does, the security of it is shattered. Even though we do the same things on the same day each week, each day and each week is different, we have variety through sameness so I am more than happy with it staying the same.

***
Carnival of Natural Parenting -- Hobo Mama and Code Name: MamaVisit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be updated by afternoon January 14 with all the carnival links.)
  • The making of an artist — Some kids take longer than others to come into themselves, so you have to stick with them, as a parent, long after everyone else has given up, writes Douglas at Friendly Encounters.
  • Not Losing Yourself as a First Time Mom — Katie at All Natural Katie continues to stay true to herself after becoming a new mom.
  • Using Continuity to Help Change {Carnival of Natural Parenting} — Meegs from A New Day talks about how she is using continuity in certain areas of her life to help promote change and growth in others.
  • Staying the Same : Security — Life changes all the time with growing children but Mother Goutte realised that there are other ways to 'stay the same' and feel secure, maybe a bit too much so!
  • Harmony is What I'm AfterTribal Mama gushes about how constant change is really staying the same and staying the same brings powerful change.
  • A Primal Need For Order and Predictability – And How I Let That Go — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares how she overcame her primal need for order and predictability once her awareness shifted, opening her eyes to the impact this had on her young daughter. Take a short journey with Jennifer and she bares her soul, exposes her weaknesses and celebrates her new outlook and approach to living life, even in the face of total chaos.
  • Breastfeeding Before and After — Breastfeeding has come and gone, but Issa Waters at LoveLiveGrow finds that her relationship with her son is still just the same and just as good.
  • A Real Job — Back in high school That Mama Gretchen had a simple, but worthwhile career aspiration and today she is living her dream … is it what you think?
  • Comfortingsustainablemum never thought she would want things always being the same, but she explains why it is exactly what her family wants and needs.
  • The Other Mums' and The Great IllusionMarija Smits reflects on the 'great big magic show of life' and wonders if it will continue to remain a constant in our lives.
  • Unschooling: Learning doesn't change when a child turns four — Charlotte at Winegums & Watermelons talks about the pressure of home education when everyone else's children are starting school.
  • Finding Priorities in Changing Environments — Moving from Maine to a rural Alaskan island for her husband's military service, Amy at Me, Mothering, and Making it All Work found that keeping consistent with her priorities in changing environments can take some work, but is vital to continuous health and happiness.
  • Keeping it "Normal" — Kellie at Our Mindful Life has moved several times in the last two years, while doing her best to keep things stable for her kids.
  • The Evolution Of Our Homeschool Journey — Angela at Earth Mama's World reflects on her homeschooling journey. Homeschooling is a constant in the life of her family but the way in which they learn has been an evolution.
  • Sneaking in Snuggles: Using Nurturing Touch with Older Children — When Dionna at Code Name: Mama's son was a toddler and preschooler, he was the most loving, affectionate kiddo ever. But during the course of his 5th year, he drastically reduced how often he showed affection. Dionna shares how she is mindfully nurturing moments of affection with her son.
  • Steady State — Zoie at TouchstoneZ writes a letter to her partner about his constancy through the rough sailing of parenting.
  • A Love You Can Depend On — Over at True Confessions of a Real Mommy, Jennifer has a sweet little poem reminding us where unconditional love really lies, so it can remain a constant for us and our children.
  • Same S#!*, Different Day — Struggling against the medical current can certainly get exhausting, especially as the hunt for answers drags on like it has for Jorje of Momma Jorje.
  • New Year, Still Me — Mommy Bee at Little Green Giraffe writes about how a year of change helped her rediscover something inside herself that had been the same all along.
  • One Little Word for 2014 — Christy at Eco Journey In The Burbs has decided to focus on making things this year, which is what she is loves, as long as she doesn't kill herself in the process.
  • The Beauty of Using Montessori Principles of Freedom and Consistency — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares the continuity of her teaching, parenting, and grandparenting philosophy using a combination of freedom and consistency.
  • My Husband's MiniCrunchy Con Mom shares which of her sons looks more like her husband's baby pictures — and the answer might surprise you!
  • Growth Happens When You Aren't Looking — Lori at TEACH through Love is treasuring these fleeting moments of her daughter's early adolescence by embracing the NOW.
  • A New Reality Now - Poem — As Luschka from Diary of a First Child struggles to come to terms with the loss of her mother, she shares a simple poem, at a loss for more words to say.
  • Making a family bedroom — Lauren at Hobo Mama has decided to be intentional about her family's default cosleeping arrangements and find a way to keep everyone comfortable.
  • New Year, Same Constants — Ana at Panda & Ananaso takes a look at some of the things that will stay the same this year as a myriad of other changes come.
  • I Support You: Breastfeeding and Society — Despite how many strides we've taken to promote "breast is best," Amy at Natural Parents Network talks about how far we still have to go to normalize breastfeeding in our society.

Moments...

13 January 2014

...this week of...

...happiness a simple week at home, sunshine and blue sky, catching up with friends we had not seen for months, time outside

...sadness at hearing what my friend has being going through over the last few months

...creating mozzarella cheese, paper airplanes, knitting a cardigan and a shawl

...reading the same wonderful book Gossip from the Forest and these picture books I have written a short review of them here 3. Itsy Bitsy Animals by Margaret Wild, 4. Princess Poppy: The Royal Parade by Janey Louise Jones, 5. Jinnie Ghost by Berlie Doherty, 6. Eat Up Gemma by Sarah Hayes, 7. How Do You Feel? by Anthony Browne, 8. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, 9. Dandylion by Lizzie Finlay*

...learning about dolphins, dinosaurs, reptiles, lime kilns

...thinking about what we are going to do over the coming weeks

...hoping to get my garlic planted this week, I know its late but I am sure it would have rotted if I had planted it any earlier

...looking forward to visiting friends in their new house

*Joining in with the 300 Picture Book Challenge

Gratitudes

12 January 2014


Joining in with Taryn for her heartfelt Sunday tradition.

A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

This week I have been grateful for...

...my local farmers market

...sunshine

...blue skies after so many weeks of grey heaviness

...finding veggies in my garden still growing despite the ground being saturated

...sleep

...catching up with friends we had not seen for months

...a bike ride

...several walks in the dry

...my local swimming pool having a swimming session that fits in perfectly with our trip into town, we usually have the pool to ourselves

...a wonderful meal cooked by the Explorer Scout unit I help out with

...a few new knitting projects

Sky

10 January 2014









After what has felt like months of rain day after day after day, but was actually only a couple of weeks, we had two days of no rain this week.  I am not usually bothered by the weather if it is raining I will put on my waterproofs and head out regardless but some days my waterproof has not really fully dried out before I need to put it on again.  As it is usually dripping wet when I take it off it is hung up to dry in the garage so a cold damp coat is what I put on, ever tried it?  Well don't its hideous and not exactly inducing to want to go outside.   Whilst I am having a moan the sky feels close hemming you in with its immense grey heaviness it's no wonder that folks in this country suffer from SAD when the sky is like that day after day.  Moan over, thank you for indulging me.

The weather forecast was predicting one dry day which I absolutely had to be outside for.  I spent the morning out in the garden which is extremely soggy and bedraggled looking and in the afternoon I took the children to a disused railway track for a bike ride.  This railway track is an interesting place with a big viaduct that the children cycled back and forth over, a lime kiln still intact and various small railway buildings.

It was wonderful to see blue sky, a little bit but the clouds were white a fluffy and there was light and brightness and not be restricted by waterproofs we had a great time and did not want to go home again.
The blue sky has put a bounce back in my step, especially as we managed to get outside for three afternoons this week and stay dry.  Sometimes I am happy when the weather forecast is totally wrong!

Knitting

08 January 2014


I am like a child at Christmas who opens all their presents at once, casting on one project after another after the monotony of eight pairs of slippers, which I did get finished well in time.  This month I have cast on a simple project which I can knit whilst watching films etc, a difficult project to learn new skills, and a small project I have in my bag to knit whilst out and about.  As if that was not enough when searching for a jumper to wear yesterday morning I picked out a cardigan I made ages ago and hardly wear, I have been meaning to frog this for ages and started to, I am going to knit a different cardigan with the wool.

My portable project is a sock for me, I knitted several pairs as presents for Christmas 2012 and really wanted to knit a pair for myself.  I bought this yarn ages ago it have finally got round to casting in on.  I am really intrigued to see how this yarn knits up.

I am currently reading a book I was given for Christmas, Gossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland looks at the connection between forests and fairy stories.  Each chapter Sara visits a forest, whilst working through the seasons, and completes the chapter with a unique retelling of a fairy story.  It is a wonderful and interesting read.

Joining Ginny for her weekly sharing of knitting and reading.

Moments

06 January 2014

...this week of...

...happiness spending new year in the company of friends following a years old tradition, tidying and decluttering my kitchen, a beautiful hyacinth on our dining room table

...sadness at the news coming out of South Sudan and Iraq

...creating homemade bread, Nutella palmiers, knitting a cardigan and shawl, paintings of castles, a wooden tank kit, a meccano model

...reading Gossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland and 1.Witchety Sticks and the Magic Buttons by Helen Stephens and 2. Just Ducks by Nicola Davies*

...learning about area, length, Madagascar, ice, bubbles, reptiles

...thinking about a friend who starts a new full time job this week

...hoping the rain eases for a little so that we can go for a long walk one day this week

...looking forward to a celebratory meal with the Explorer Scouts, they are cooking!

*joining this challenge

Gratitudes

05 January 2014



Joining in with Taryn for her heartfelt Sunday tradition.

A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.

This week I have been grateful for...

...a beautiful hyacinth, a gift from a friend, brightening up our table on these dark dreich days we are having,

...celebrating the new year with friends a tradition that has lasted many years and hopefully many more years to come,

...sharing food and conversations for three days with these friends,

...walks in the rain, we needed the fresh air,

...a decluttered and tidy kitchen,

...a phone call with my mum,

...an invitation to join a friend to celebrate her birthday,

...the faces of my friends when they opened their me made presents,

...a safe and warm home

Capes

04 January 2014



My children love to tie blankets round their necks and pretend to be all manner of different characters, but most of our blankets are big and they end up tripping on the edges and they come undone and fall off.  Ages ago I shared a picture of some purchases from my local haberdashers which I had been able to visit on my own, the luxury of time meant I could choose carefully what I wanted.  The satiny material I used to make capes. They have been worn a lot already.


They are simple design based on a circle.  To ensure I bought the right amount of material I measured  my children from the neck to a point that I wanted the cape to hang to.  This gave me the radius of my circle which I doubled to make the diameter.  I folded my material in four (in half, then half again) and using a pencil on a piece of string, the length of my radius, as a large compass I drew a quarter of a circle.  If you are using satin material, as I was, make sure you pin the folded material together to prevent slipping.  Keeping it pinned I cut it out and then cut out a quarter piece.  I pinned the two pieces wrong sides together with two pieces of ribbon at appropriate places and sewed all but a short section of the cape.  I turned it the right way out through the small section and hand sewed that up.  A quick easy reversible cape!

If you were feeling inclined and the section is big enough you could make a hat with the piece you cut out....