Wintering

This winter has been quite a mixed bag for us. Last year, here in the coastal plains of Virginia, we had quite a few good snows. From early December to late February, we consistently had cold weather and a nice smattering of snow. Having as much snow as we did last year was actually quite rare. I've lived in Virginia my whole life and I have to say that it was probably the most snow in recent years (with 2004-2005 being the 2nd biggest snow year I can remember). 

However, it seems that regardless at least once a year growing up we got one nice snow that you could play in for a day or two before it melted. 

Not so this year. 

Coming up on the end of February, we have yet to get a real snow that has covered the ground and stayed put for at least 24 hours, much to the chagrin of my children and I. 

To make matters worse, God Bless Waldorf, but in homeschool we studied  snow, winter, animals in the winter, and hibernating for a month on and off-without any snow to speak of! My poor kids would wake up daily asking, "is today the day we will get some snow"?

So after much frustration on both of our parts, Craig and I decided that we'd go and seek out some snow, albeit man-made, at a local ski resort. It was about a 3 hour trip and we made great time. The kids played nicely in the back of the car and I have to say I was very proud of them. 

The set-up of Wintergreen was very family friendly. We took the kids to the child fun park, called "Ridgely's". In it there is snow tubing for young kids, a snow carousel, sledding, snowshoeing, snowball making stations, a little play area, and a tee-pee with a fire pit to warm up by. The parking for the fun park was right next to the area, so I was able to dress the kids in their snow clothes in the lot (I had them ride up in the car in their long underwear). 

It was not expensive either for a day trip. Yes, the driving could have been bad, but for us it wasn't. The kids played their little hearts out once we got there and then napped on the way home. We got home in time for dinner and some playtime. All in all, it was perfect for us. As long as I have the kid's favorite books, snacks, and lovies in the car- they don't mind a long ride once in awhile. 

I think the funniest part of the trip was that on the way home from Charlottesville to Richmond, it poured down snowing, Haha! Oh but it gets even better, by the time we got home- it was just rain! Needless to day I felt totally justified in taking the trip. 

Plus Craig and I had a blast too! I think this will have to be a yearly, if not monthly, wintertime trip next year. 

Sometimes I really wish we lived somewhere where the seasons were a bit milder and normalized. But until then, I guess I will just have to seek out Old Man Winter. 

So if you have missed winter this year and want some snow fun, check out your local ski resort! The rates are very low this time of year and some do have special areas just for little kids. I also think taking little adventures with your kids as a family away from home, it a good thing and quite doable even with little kids. I have been pleasantly surprised by our experiences with a 2 and 4 year old. :) 

Until next time, 

Nicole 

Brother and Sister snowtubing together! 

About a 1/4 of the park! 

And the winner is....!

The Random Number Generator says it was: 1 out of 40


So the winner is...

Julie who commented: " I would love to have a rainbow streamer for my girls!"

See it does pay to comment first!  I always wondered about the odds, but Julie proved me wrong.

 Julie, I will shoot you an email later today to get your address and final selection :) 

Thank you everyone who entered and hello to all our new followers! Hopefully I can keep "sharing the love" by hosting a giveaway monthly. 

If you're interested in sponsoring one, please email me at: nicoleandcraigkleemann@gmail.com 

Have a great day and check back later for a blog about our fun weekend trip to Wintergreen and Shrove Tuesday! 

A Deep Wound

Nala, the black one on top, I raised her from a chick. 

Adult Nala- She was the friendliest with the kids.

Tonight, inexplicably, my favorite pet hen died in my arms. She was fine this morning and afternoon. Then as I went to put her up three hours later, I found her laying in her coop very weak. An hour later, after I brought her inside the house and began to treat her, she had passed. 

I usually take death well with my animals. We have had predators get them and it always saddens me but I just accept it as part of life and move on. But I've never lost one and not known why. It just sorta eats me up, especially since Nala was just so so sweet. 

So I had big things to share tonight about our fun weekend and some homeschool developments, but right now I just don't have the heart. I miss my sweet hen. 

Until next time, 

Nicole 

A New *No Stitch* Heart Gnome Tutorial

As you all know, I love gnomes. My daughter is responsible for this love and in an effort to make her gnome play things- since you can't really find gnomes in the store- I set about learning how to make my own gnomes. 


About a year and a half ago, I stumbled upon Wee Folk Art's peg gnome tutorial. Since then I have made my own wee folk gnomes, as well as modified them to make my own versions. It seems to me once you work with two artistic mediums enough, in this case peg people and felt, the possibilities are limitless. 


When talking with my friends about my gnome crafting, a lot of them remark, "well what about the blanket stitching and embroidery... all that for one little gnome?" It is true, doing all the stitching does take more time and I do like the look, but it isn't for everyone for sure. I am all about practicality and empowering anyone to craft. If the stitches are a deterrent for you then ditch them! This makes crafting peg gnome even easier for kids as well! 


I will show you how to avoid stitching all together, except for sewing the cloak closed and sewing the hat together. Both of these are essential and easy. They're just joining stitches. If you're especially great with fabric glue then I bet you can figure out a way to avoid this as well, but alas I am not and my gnomes come out looking to gummy. 

Ok, Let's do this!! 

Step One: Go to Wee Folk Art's Blog and download their 'Waldorf peg gnome pattern' and directions. It is free. 

Step Two: Cut out all the pieces for your gnomes as directed. For a girl heart gnome cut a pink hat and body piece and a red cloak and small heart. For a boy heart gnome, cut a blue hat and body with a purple cape and heart. 

Step Three: Instead of stitching all the edges of the hats and cloaks, just don't! 

Step Four: Fabric glue the gnome body piece on. Then, once dry, glue the heart on the middle of the body. 

Step Five: Thread a needle with either blue (boy) or pink (girl) embroidery thread. Drape the cloak around the gnome's shoulders and gather stitch the cloak closed around the gnome's neck. Then if desired, to prevent the cloak from shifting, glue the back of the cloak to the gnome's body. 

Step Six: Take the gnome hat piece and turn it inside out. Stitch the open sides shut with a simple running stitch. Then turn the hat inside out. Stuff the hat with wool. 

Step Seven: Take a copious amount of fabric glue and place it inside the hat. Place the hat on your gnome's head. The gnome should have a large rim on his hat. Gently pucker the edge of the hat down onto the gnome forehead using the glue seeping out from under the hat. If you're not sure what this looks like then see the hats above. 

Then ta-ad, you should be done! Mine took me under 10 minutes per gnome. They are just as cute and as fun for the kids. Enjoy, and I hope you craft many of these gnomies too for your little ones. 

Also don't forget my current giveaway for Sarah Silks. You still have until the 23rd to enter and win a playsilk or silk streamer! 

Always, Nicole 

Sharing the Love: Our First Giveaway to Sarah's Silks

Comments are closed and winner has been chosen by the all powerful Random Number Generator. Thank you to all who entered and all the new followers we have! 

I recently won an extremely generous and lovely giveaway from my favorite silk toy company: Sarah's Silks.  Since the beginning of our Waldorf journey, about a year and a half ago, Sarah's Silks has been a staple in educating us about the importance of free play with open-ended natural toys through their blog , as well as providing my family with fair-trade high quality silk toys. 

After dyeing some of our own play silks at home, we took the plunge and bought our first silk toy, a rainbow streamer from them. The amount of play this one toys has participated in during the past 18 months astonishes me. It has been a fairy magic wand, a tightrope for gnomes, a party banner, a doctor's boo-boo healer, a fishing pole, and pony rein... and the list goes on. 

Since then we've added on a few more streamers, magical pet wands, mini-playsilks, large playsilks, silks capes, and costumes from Sarah's. I continue to be amazed by their quality as well as my kids' love something that seems so simple, yet that is so beautiful and full of possibilities for them. 

So now on to the giveaway. I'd like to share the love a bit too, since as my friend Emily pointed out, I have been winning a lot of giveaways recently!!

Therefore, I am giving one Playsilk (color of your choice) or one Silk Streamer (color or your choice) to the winner. 

Shipping is included and I will ship internationally. 

How to Enter: 

1. Go to Sarah's shop and then leave a comment on my blog letting me know what kind of playsilk or streamer you will want to have if you win. 

For extra entries (you must comment each time you do one of these): 

1. Follow my blog and leave a comment letting me you have (if you already follow me, then just let me know as well in a new comment) .

2. Share this giveaway on Facebook

3. Share this giveaway on Twitter

4. Mention this giveaway somewhere on your own blog

I will pick a winner using the random number generator next Thursday morning here in this post! Make sure you check back so we can get in touch! 

Good luck and don't forget to share the love with those around you :) 

http://sarahssilks.com/

Real Snow and a little Valentines

A view of our school room, Seasonal tree, and the gifts the kid's received today.  

Finally it seems winter is here... or was at least! We had a lovely little dusting this past Saturday (the same day as my son's 2nd birthday party).  Altogether that makes for a great day. Especially since, two years ago, it snowed on the day he was born too. What sweet memories that snow brought back to me. Plus we got to play in the snow before it melted away on Sunday. It was bliss for my kids! 

I will post later on more about Jonas' actual party and why we choose to do parties. When each birthday and holiday pops up I find myself reflecting of our Waldorf journey a bit more than usual, mainly due to the gifts and materialism issue. This time around all of that went well and I'd eventually like to share about that. Thank you for your wishes also. Jonas felt quite loved in blogland! 

Today was also Valentines day here for us. I find it very funny that my daughter and my son (and this baby) are all/will be born quite close to big holiday (Christmas, Valentines, and possibly Easter respectively).- but I digress. Our little family tradition is giving some small presents right when the kids wake up. They always have been a book and little toy. This year both kids got a book and a silk toy. Then we go somewhere fun together and make a special dinner. Crafts are usually involved, but today we did not craft any since we will be having a nice big co-op Valentine's day party later this week. I also made gnomes for all the kids, so I held off on giving my kids their gnomes until then. I also plan of wet felting hearts with the kids that day- oh I am just so excited! I also am excited about exploring with them who Saint Valentine really was as well as a better idea of what this extremely commercial holiday is truly about. 

Today was overall a pretty good day. My son was pretty fussy, much more than usual, so just my daughter and I went out at lunch time to a frozen yogurt place. While Jonas and Daddy played outside and hunted for worms to put in our compost. 

DD and I had a sweet Mommy-Daughter time together. She, in her 4 year old wisdom, opened up to me about how her friend just got her ears pierced and she liked it. I was really happy with how the conversation went, I asked lots of questions and listened a lot. Then, by herself, Deirdre concluded that she doesn't need her ears pierced yet and that she wants to talk about it again when she is 10. I thought that was a great idea. 

So I hope you all had a sweet and relaxing Valentine's day with your little sweeties! I can't wait to see all the fun crafting we all will be up to this week! 

Always, Nicole 

{this moment}... and a happy birthday to my son

Minutes old

 Dear Sweet Emil Jonas, 

Two years ago you came into this world with your eyes wide open. What a blessing you were and still are to this day. You helped me become a better stronger mother to not only you, but also to your older sister too. You showed me just how great my capacity for love was and how a mother's love really knows no bounds. 

All my worry about how I could love another child as much as I loved my first vanished when I held you in my arms. Now as we all get ready to welcome another new baby into our family, I have no fears or worries because of what you have taught me. 

Oh sweet Jonas, we are just so so thankful to have you!! You brighten all of our lives. And boy are you so much fun, so brave, yet so tender. I am very excited to see where you go in this life.  It is a true privilege to be your mother. 

Love you to the moon and back, 

Mama

6 months- and his first non-breast-milk food

One Year Old at his first birthday party

a little over 18 months old

Outdoor Co-Op

This past Friday we had our co-op outdoors at a local park. I really love this park and we frequent it often. It is not ridiculously crowded and in addition to having some very kid friendly trails, they also have a great outdoor classroom, playground, and nature center. You can even camp at the park! 

During the winter it becomes pretty obvious to me that during the other seasons of the year, we are outdoors a lot. Rain or shine, we always seemed to make it outside for a sizable portion of the day, everyday. This winter however, whether from the random temperature changes or the plethora of cold rainy days (ones that are just so yucky that my kids don't want to go out)- we have been house bound a bit more than I like. 

I notice it more mainly because of our daily rhythm. When we cut out outdoor time, for whatever reason, we move through our days slower. We continue to do the activities we usually do daily, school work and free play, but then there is an hour or so leftover when there used to be none. I don't want that time to be filled up with TV, so I have had to get creative (board games, scavenger hunts, play dough play ground) but I also want to get back outside. 

I love the outdoors, I always have. I was forced to be outside as a child (albeit a little too much- but that is a whole other issue), so I grew to love it. Being outside in my yard was when I felt whole. I could breathe and be myself there- away from the chaos indoors. I was blessed enough to live close to the bay and ocean as a young child, so I am quite attached to the water. So for me being indoors too much, is not good for the soul. 

So I resolve to do more outdoor co-op away from the house, as to not be tempted to go inside. We spent probably 2 1/2 hours totally outside. We played, we hiked, we discovered, we learned, and we picnicked! My kids also came home with a pretty sweet nature collection (which is proudly on display on our seasonal nature table) and they took a great nap. Plus, I felt refreshed. 

Win-win!

Always, Nicole 

Camus

Winter

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. 
-Albert Camus

Summer

This quote today popped up out of an old college notebook I was thumbing through today, and it has really stuck with me. I don't quite know what it is about them, but there are power behind these words. (And there are few words apart from the scriptures that I find powerful in my life). I guess I just really needed to read this today. 

I am an invincible summer. 

Always, 

Nicole 

Hello Spring! Our Imbolc and Candlemas Celebrations

Dear Saint Bridget of the Kine

Bless these little fields of mine,

The pastures and the shady trees,

Bless the butter and the cheese,

Bless the cows with coats of silk

And the brimming pails of milk.

Bless the hedgerows, and I pray

Bless the seed beneath the clay.

Bless the hay and bless the grass,

Bless the seasons as they pass,

And heaven's blessings will prevail,

Brigid, Mary of the Gael

-From Little Acorn

So here we are, already three days into February. It seems to me that January creeped by due to illness in our house. I am quite ready for all of that to be over! We rang in February actually with Jonas getting a terrible stomach bug on Tuesday. I despise stomach bugs the most out of all illnesses. Thankfully it was short lived and he was the only one to get it. My fingers are crossed and I am determined that we shall be out of the woods with colds from here on out! 


With February came our first celebration of both Candlemas and Imbolc, or St. Brigit's Day. I really wanted to celebrate both holidays since I love all the themes of St. Brigit, Christ's presentation in the temple, and the reawakening of the earth for Spring. My children and I have been noticing the signs of Spring all around us, so doing a  joint celebration seemed fitting. 


Last night we had our co-op buddies come over for a party at our house. Deirdre was so excited to have a party. During nap time I finished up our February decorations and crafted the kids some presents to take home with them. I wanted them to all have a special votive candle to remember our time together (inspired by Wee Folk's votive but a bit different). I also finally got a seasonal tree fixed up and placed in our school room. My hope is that we can craft little ornaments for each seasonal and holiday to hang on it as the year progresses. 

Votive Directions: 
First I painted on a tissue paper heart with glue.
Then, once the heart was dry, I painted the whole votive with glue and rolled it in sugar until it was totally coated.
Then you must let it totally dry.
Once dry, seal it with Mod Podge.
Viola, you have a frosted heart votive that should last! 

Deirdre also wanted to help with the party preparations, so she decorated her playroom with her play silks. I love her and her desire to help and create.  She was so giddy about having a party, it really warmed my heart to watch her. 

I made a tasty dinner with Anya's help for us all as well as a 'sun' cake for the kids to decorate with yellow and red sprinkles. Because according to Deirdre, "It is not a real party unless there is cake"! I concur! We used this recipe. It was very tasty and I thought making fruit based cake would help tie in the idea of Spring coming- along with fresh fruits again! I am already dreaming of strawberry season. 


Then we headed outside for a candle boat race. The kids had a blast and so did I. Jonas was way more interested in playing in the water than with his boat though. Got to love him! Afterwards we ate dinner and cake. Then it was circle time by our fire. I read a story about the earth getting ready for Spring and gardening. I had little garden props for the kids to play with while they listened. They seemed to enjoy themselves and the girls really got into the book. They are ready to garden for sure! I ended by telling them the story of St. Brigit- which they also loved. Deirdre was trying to spread her cloak today over the playroom to stake out her claim to the land. Fun times were had by all. 

We ended the party with some quiet playing and crafting. We made St. Brigit crosses (as seen in the first photo on the post). I got the idea from my friend Laura's blog: Nestled Under Rainbows. Anya and I ended up doing most of the crosses but the kids sure loved playing with them. 


All in all, I loved our time together. I think they kids will remember it for some time to come. I know I will. 

Always, Nicole 

Waldorf Doll Giveaway over at Itsystitch

A blogging friend is hosting a free giveaway of one of her beautiful dolls (see above photo) over on her blog. I suggest you hop over there and enter- the doll is gorgeous! It ends today at 2pm! And if you don't win, and love her dolls, check out her ETSY shop as well! 

Itsystitch Giveaway

Cheers!

Nicole

PS: I promise to be backing blogging soon. As if things could not get worse health wise here, my kids got a stomach bug a day ago. We are still reeling from it! 

Yellow

It seems that our poor daffodils and forsythia are confused. These are the two local flowers that have always heralded the coming Spring for me. They usually do not appear until late March, but as you can see they are happy to pop up and say hello in January! Sadly this means if we get another frost, and I am sure we will, that they will die. I must say the crazy weather we've had this Winter (if you can call that) has thrown me for a loop. I'd say the past four years we have always had at least one nice snow and normal cold temperatures. Plus in the last two years we got tons of snow and very cold temperatures. Not this year I suppose. 

Our poor co-op kids have been learning about snow and Winter animals. Even they really want snow. Oh well. Maybe one day I'll take them to Wintergreen- a local ski resort about three hours away- to see the snow before our real Spring begins. 

In other news, we are sick again over here! Will it end? I do not know. This time it is Deirdre. Hopefully this will be short lived. At least my children only seem to be ill once a year (always in January) and then generally they get a mild sniffle in Autumn. I am trying to stay positive since so far they have not needed any antibiotics or the like. I'd prefer it to stay that way too. 

However because of the on and off colds we've all had, I won't be able to finish my Rhythm of the Home article in time. I am pretty disappointed by it- but what can a Mamma do? I still plan on finishing it- so maybe it will go well for next year or maybe on their blog. In the end, there isn't much more I can do. Sick kids need loving- not a Mama furiously crafting and writing to make a deadline. Next time I will take 'colds' into consideration. With the Autumn and Winter editions, I had tons of time. On the up side though, I already began a Summer article and I won a "Woolly Rounds" giveaway today :) 

Before Deirdre got sick again, we had some fun coming up with new night time "tv-free" activities. Deirdre decided she wanted to wash dishes and give her playmobil a bath. Now it is an every other evening event. She loves it, I don't mind, and she washes her and Jonas enamelware (which should not go in the dishwasher). 

I'd say it is a win-win. 

I also had a stroke of genius when it came to pops. My kids, when they were sick, loved to have pops for their throats. But they were- bless them- making a huge stained mess of their clothes even with bibs. So I thought well let's try in the tub, and it worked! The mess was contained and I was not having to do extra laundry. In the Summer we just do it outside so a mess wasn't an issue but in Winter, I think the tub idea is great. 

At any rate, I hope you all are well! Thank you for your well wishes on my last post. It means the world to me. 

Always, Nicole 

Precious Little One

It seems that this little baby is well on its way- and I cannot wait! My pregnancy has hit its stride. No more hyperemesis or placenta bleeding scares. Lots of growth and kicking abounds now, with some serious cravings. All told,  sometime between mid April and early May- this little one will enter our lives. I can't help but get excited since I have only two full months left until we meet him or her. 

With that added peace, I have been able to reflect on how unique this little one and its pregnancy has been. We feel so immensely blessed to welcome another precious child into this world as well as to be pregnant. Having experienced loss, I am reticent to complain about being pregnant. Children, in our view, are blessings. Pure and simple. They're lots of work yes, but the way in which our children have blessed and enriched our lives only affirm and strengthen this view. Plus I am up for the task. I am honestly not daunted one bit by another child. I got all my fretting out when I had Jonas. I can do this, and God made me for this. 

I also really think a mother's 'glow' comes from her joy for the little life inside of her. 

Who could keep that in?

 I also believe this makes it equally hard when others- especially family- don't share in your joy and try to rob you of it. As this baby through the years grows into a child, I can honestly say it will be hard to just forget negative family attitudes. It also, to me at least, seems extremely patronizing and dehumanizing when others' try to chalk up your feelings to being sensitive and pregnant. My moral compass and reasoning did not leave my body when I became pregnant.

I can only journal and pray about my hurt so much before well I accept it for what it is- selfishness. I don't need people to be happy for us if they can't be, but they can keep the negativity to themselves. I used to be a very blunt person and that changed along then line somewhere. However I think I might bring it back some and just shut down what I call "diarrhea of the mouth" before it crops up. Not in a nasty way, but in a matter of fact way. 

So I suppose that all in all, I resolve to not let anyone rob me or my family of our God-given joy. I also resolve to not be a doormat. Our sweet baby will be welcomed into this world surrounding by love. If some family and friends won't be part of our loving village- then please leave. 

I considered making this blog private but I won't. This isn't an attack, it is just how I feel. I choose to be open about this, because I know I am not the only mother who has felt this way before. All life should be celebrated.

Maybe this will just remind us all to be loving to one another as well. 

Thankfully you all, my dear blog friends, are quite nice. I really appreciate that. I do have a large supportive and happy village as well. I am so blessed to have them. Many pages in my journal are filled with praises for my village. Many more pages of happiness than hurt. For that I am thankful. 

Who could not love this baby!

One Sick Mommy

Hello dear friends!

I write you from the comfort of my couch, aka my sick bed. I have been battling a terrible cold since Thursday. It has now gone from my head into my chest. This means I am on my way to the doctor tomorrow. I can usually kick a head cold but because I am prone to bronchitis- due to the nasty smoking habits of my parents that I was exposed to for the first 17 years of my life- I need to go in at this point. Being pregnant also doesn't help. 

So please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Amid this cold I still have a house and little ones to care for, and my husband and in-laws can only help out so much. Needless to say, I am ready to be better. 

Until then, keep me in your thoughts. I will update once I got to the doctor. 

Always, Nicole 

A Little Buddy for Jonas

Yes that's right! I actually made a 14' Waldorf doll. Who knew when I began this doll making trial and error journey that I would actually finish it, and be happy with my results!

I also firmly believe anyone can do this!!

Armed with "Kinderdolls", a bunch of wool batting, very tan knit fabric, very large sewing needles, a crochet wig, tons of blonde yarn, and embroidery floss- I began the task of making Jonas a 'little buddy'. Craig came up with the name little buddy. I think it is cute and that it fits well because my hope is that this doll will replace his sleep sheep (a raggedy sheep that he loves dearly and calls baby) as well as become a comfort for him when the new baby comes. 

When I had Jonas, Deirdre attached a blue doll and would mimic my behavior with the new baby- with her own doll. It seemed to help and comfort her, and I can honestly said we had no regression issues. However with that being said, she also has a very nurturing personality so if Jonas regresses, I won't be upset or surprised. They just are different in that way and I love it! 

I also realized that I don't have a boy doll. They are all girls, fairies, or gnomes! Jonas likes the dolls but I think he will really like having one that is a boy, that he can dress, and that looks like him. 

Another reason that I wanted to make him something special for his birthday is because I make Deirdre lots of things. I don't know what it is about girl things, maybe because I am a girl, but sewing dresses to me is easier than sewing a button down shirts and pants!! DD has tons of Mama-made goodies and while I am sure Jonas doesn't realize it yet, I do, and it bothers me. When I make things, it is out of love, so I want to make sure I make an effort to make him clothes and toys as well. 

So here is mini-Jonas, his new little buddy. I quietly began him back in late November. I don't know how many times I took the body apart, re-stuffed the head, cursed the sewing needles, but he is done. I like him and I am happy with him. I also understand why these dolls cost $100 plus from an experienced doll maker (A LOT of work goes into them). He was made with lots of love and for my first doll ever- I think he looks pretty good. Will I be making another one? Yes- for Deirdre before the new one arrives. But until then I am going to hug mini-Jonas and excitedly await his 2nd birthday to give it to him! 

I love how Waldorf dolls have vague faces and are soft. Deirdre creates such imaginative stories and adventures with her Waldorf dolls, much more so than with other dolls. I highly recommend you make or purchase one for your children. Magic Onions featured a great article on the importance of Waldorf dolls here if your interested! 

Oh and an FYI- I used Adirondack Pattern's Waldorf doll clothes pattern for his clothes. It was a fabulous pattern- super user friendly. I highly suggest getting it. I will never pay for doll clothes again. 

A few tips from a first timer: 


- I suggest getting extra wool batting. At first I did not have enough in him so when I went to sew the limbs to his torso- it looked terrible. 
-I also suggest drink a glass of wine and relax before you 'form' the head. That was probably the hardest part for me. 
-I also bought a crochet wig cap. That made looping the yarn on the wig easier. Then all I had to do was sew the wig on instead of sewing the strands down bit by bit (as the Kinderdoll book suggested). 


Other than that, I am now a firm believer that if you have the time and supplies, then anyone can do it! They also are not terrible to pull apart if you mess up. I took out the embroidery on his mouth three times and I can't tell now! At any rate I hope it helps and I'd be happy to help you as I can. I am however still a huge novice. I am sure other real doll makers out there have much better advice!!! (It still was much cheaper doing it myself than buying one)

Until next time (oh and please pray for me, I have a yucky cold! It seems I have what the kids had a week ago!)

A Quilt or Two!

From time to time I get a sewing bug that I just can't itch. It comes and goes really, because in between those time I rarely enter my sewing room but when it does come, oh the glorious productivity! 

Back in late May I made these quilts, one for Jonas and one for our playroom. Deirdre loves gnomes so when I saw the gnome fabric I caved. She already has a quilt (her fairy baby quilt) so I don't think she really needs another right now (besides the Christmas one I just made her). 

Jonas on the other hand did not yet have a baby quilt (he is almost 2) so I hopped on that project as well. The results are above. Once I finished, I sent these off to be machine top quilted. So when I got them back in late June, there they sat ready to be bound. 

The cowboy fabrics that I used for Jonas' quilt came from a dear friend Linnea and her daughter Rachael. The backing was a Michael Miller Cowboy print. I really love the look of them all together. The fabrics from the gnome quilt were from Moda's "Wee Folks" line, including the mushroom print backing. I used a charm pack for the front as well. All together I really like them. 

You must be asking yourself at this point, so why are they just now finished? Well that is the sad part really. I spent all of July packing up our house and refused to let myself do any sewing or projects so that I could pack up my sewing room. Then one month after we moved in, I found out that I was pregnant. I spent September to early November terribly sick with Hyperemesis only to just feel better by December- which was Christmas crafting time! So finally here comes January and the perfect time to finish the quilts (not to mention Jonas' 2nd birthday is in a few weeks so that is a perfect time to give him his quilt). I also want to begin the baby's quilt and I told myself I would not touch it until I was done with the other two. It also doesn't help that I HATE to bind quilts. I just hate it. 

But it is done, and I am very happy with them both. I am still undecided as to whether I will machine quilt the baby's quilt myself or send it off to the quilt lady. I quilted the Christmas quilt totally by myself and I was happy with it but the quilt lady still does an awesome job and she charges maybe $20. We will see! 

I am in full baby nursery mode right now too. I believe nesting as set in some. I also have two projects to finish in time for Jonas birthday- his Waldorf doll and a pair of big boy pajamas. Here is hoping that I get ot all done!

Until then I leave you with an awesome quote and a few photos of the fleece tie blanket I made Jonas. 

Daily Quote or Verse: 

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction...The chain reaction of evil -- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars -- must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation." 

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.