This Moment- Her Favorite Toy

From SouleMama: {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Share your own moment in the comments or atSouleMama.com.

Yarn Along - Preparing for Spring

I'm joining with Ginny at Small Things again for the Yarn Along. This week my reading has largely been continuing to read Sanctuaries of Childhood, and as I look forward towards spring I've been consulting with Wynstoes Press's Spring book. We've started doing a story and a few circle verses each morning after breakfast again and I'd like to keep it up as we move into spring so I'm going through my resources.

I'm continuing working on the picky pants that I wrote about last week. I've finished the short rows in them so just a little bit more till I start the gussets and legs. My new project this week has been getting more of my attention. I started working on another Autumn Leaves sweater for Rosebud. This time I'm knitting it in white to go over her Easter Dress and Baptism gown. With Easter being so early this year I'm going to make this one with long sleeves since it's likely to be a bit chilly. I LOVE this pattern. It's absolutely one of my favorites and was even more enjoyable to knit the second time.

Simple Joys-Signs of Spring

What a great joy it was to walk out on my balcony this week and find little leaf buds on the stems of my rose bush!  Even on a cold day like today seeing this is a reminder that spring is in deed on its' way back to us and that soon there will be lots of things growing and springing forth with blossoms out there.  What hope and joy!

What is your simple joy this week?

Valentine's Day Baby Gym

Happy Valentine's Day (a day late) to you all.  Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday, but we've had a couple of crazy, busy days here Under The Old Oak Tree.  By the time we got home from school and then getting the stitches taken out of Toadstool's head, I was just too tired to take the last few pictures I needed or to write up this post.

I've been thinking for a while that Rosebud would probably really enjoy a baby gym.  Her favorite place in the world is at home on the floor on her sheepskin rug.  It's a warm cozy spot and big brother Toadstool likes to join her there (he got his own sheepskin for Valentine's Day so they can be near each other but not have him so in her space all the time).  

I looked into buying  her a wooden baby gym, but the price was way more than I could justify for a toy she'll probably only use for a few months.  I started looking online and came across these directions from Seedpod Craft.  I decided that I could do this!  I used heart plaques instead of ovals and Toadstool and I spent quite a while sanding all the rough edges off and rounding them to have a more Waldorf aesthetic.  We also rounded off the ends of the 4 support dowel rods.  We don't have a huge amount of space in our small apartment so I felt that it was important that we be able to take the whole thing apart and reassemble it easily.  I'm not sure how often we'll do this, but I'm sure there are times we'll need to, so instead of attaching the legs with wood screws, I drilled all the way through and used machine screws with wing nuts.  I decided it was safe enough if they were well tightened and we take it apart and put it away once she's pulling up on things.  To go on it I knit a pink and red heart and a pink and red ladybug  lovebug with heart spots which attach to the cross bar with i-cord.

 I did a bit of cooking for Valentine's Day this year too.  I made us heart shaped brownies.  My brownie recipe is an adaptation of Elana's Pantry's breakfast bread, but you'd never know it.  They really have  a good bit of protein and very little sugar in them and are so so rich and chocolatey!  I'll have to post my changes to her base recipe at some point.  

I made these heart shaped peanut butter cookies for Papa to take to work for the Sweets Day he was organizing for his co-workers.  They turned out really cute shaped as hearts.

For our breakfast I made my guys and I heart shaped eggs and bacon with a little chocolate cherry mouse.  These mice have been quite the hit with Toadstool.  He loves mice (so much that his teachers at school gave him a little needle-felted one for his birthday) and cherries so when I saw these over at The Magic Onions, I knew I had to make him some!  One on each plate was a perfect little sweet start to our Valentine's Day.

 Toadstool and Rosebud show off one of the Valentine hearts he made to give to family and friends this week.

Linking to Creative Friday at Natural Suburbia.

This Moment

From SouleMama: {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Share your own moment in the comments or atSouleMama.com.

Ash Wednesday and Lent

I wasn't sure how much we as a family would do this year for Lent.  I didn't have much planned besides Toadstool and I giving something up for the forty days and planning to attend an Ash Wednesday service at our church this evening.  We did have buckwheat pancakes last night for dinner (yum) but beyond that I just hadn't planned much.

However, today, I decided we needed to do a little more.  I struggle however with exactly how to bring Lent to a four year old in a gentle age appropriate way.  I think after consulting some of my resource books and a few blogs I have figured it out.  

We as a family never got around to Candlemas this year.  We were all sick and have a still relatively new baby in the house and it just didn't happen.     So today Toadstool and I melted down our Advent candles from this year and the remnants of last year's Lenten Candle and poured some candles for Lent this year.  I'm not sure where I came across this idea, but it's our third year making a purple  beeswax candle for Lent from our Advent wreath candles and I think it's a lovely idea.  

We made two candles...the larger will be used on our dinning room table. The smaller will sit in a little bowl of sand on our nature table to be used as a  prayer garden for Lent.  I was inspired by this lovely post from Thoughts From the Sheepfold.  Each member of our family has a smooth stone to put in the garden  to represent a joy or prayer concern each day.

For the rest of the nature table we removed everything (we left a few hearts around the tree till after Valentine's Day tomorrow) and put down purple silks.  On top of that we placed our prayer garden, a pile of 4 little rocks, a piece of wood and a small bowl of water.  Explore and Express had some very nice ideas for the Lenten Nature Table here.  

Tomorrow, once we have some clay, we will make a Prayer Pot to also go on the nature table following these instructions, also from Explore and Express.  

I have also decided to tell a story to Toadstool each day during Lent, as we did with the Mother Mary story at Advent.  The Authors of All Year Round recommend  a quiet moment with young children each day.  That is not something my darling Toadstool does well with, however, he will sit a listen to a story and we looked forward to the Mother Mary story so much each day and I felt it really helped to give that season more meaning to Toadstool.  I decided that The Hare from Wynstone Press's Spring book hit the right tone for Lent with its' focus on Christ bringing light and hope to the world and the importance of staying on our course.

Now I just need to find my devotional book for Lent and I think we'll be set for a lovely meaningful period as we look towards Holy Week and Easter.

Yarn Along

I'm joining with Ginny today at Small Things for the Yarn Along.  This week I'm knitting on a new pair of wool longies for Rosebud using the Picky Pants pattern.  This is the second pair of these I'm making for her and we really love them but she needs a second pair for when the first ones need to dry out between diaper changes.  We've really been loving  our wool longies and soakers as diaper covers lately and there's something so sweet and cuddly about a baby wearing wool!

My reading this week is Sanctuaries of Childhood by Shea Darian.  I love this book so far and it ties in nicely with what I've been thinking lately about the sacredness of childhood and motherhood.  I do believe that as their mother, I need to be sharing my faith with Toadstool and Rosebud.  I also agree with Ms. Darian that this goes beyond simply sharing my religion with them through attending church (though that does play an important role in our family) and rather also includes helping them see God's grace and beauty in the world around us everyday. 

Having just read the preface and first chapter, this book is inspiring me and there are several things I want to bring to our family including adapting the blessings she includes for coming home and leaving the house among things.  I think I will print my own variations of these on some watercolor paintings and hang them by our front door.  How lovely it would be to pause as a family and say a blessing verse as we come or go rather than to just rush in or out the door!  

Simple Joys-Community

You might ask what a picture of Toadstool with a bandage on his poor little head has to do with community or joy.  Well, the bandage is covering four stitches that he got this week after falling at the park while there with his class at school.  My poor guy.  Not too joyful yet....huh?

Anyway, our school and the community around it is amazing as was evidenced yet again by the whole situation.  We were so supported by the whole community through this...from Toadstool's teachers to the office staff to the other parents they were just so wonderful and helpful.  A staff member from the school even went to the ER with us till Papa could get there and his teacher called several times that afternoon/evening to check on him.  My mama friends from the school were so supportive too.  One of them had alerted me to call the school as we pulled up to where we were meeting.  We had lots of folks checking in with us and got some wonderful suggestions from other parents (this was new uncharted territory for us...amazingly this is the first time I've ever had to deal with stitches with one of my children).

In the end Toadstool's injury wasn't that serious.  We think his forehead was cut by a piece of mulch when he fell running from one part of the playground to another. It's a good cut and did need stitches but there wasn't a knot or a bump or anything with it.  He's healing well.  Lot s of joy over that.

I'm grateful it wasn't worse than it was and I'm also grateful for all the support our family received   It is a true joy to be a part of that community and I value the friendships and relationships we have at our school so much as well as the true sense of community as we all work together to make it a beautiful safe, loving haven for our children and by extension, their families!  Knowing we are a part of this special community brings great joy for our family.

What are your simple joys this week?

This Moment - Her Mama Knits A Little....

From SouleMama: {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Share your own moment in the comments or atSouleMama.com.

Yarn Along-Preparing for Valentine's Day

I'm joining with Ginny today at Small Things for the Yarn Along. I have to admit I've not been reading anything over the past week or so. I've been a bit busy with caring Toadstool, Rosebud and myself while we've been sick and with a few handwork projects as we prepare for Valentine's Day next week.

My knitting project today is this baby heart that will be part of a larger project Toadstool and I are making for Rosebud for Valentine's Day.  I can't wait to show you all the bigger project as it comes together and I get some photos of it taken.

I've been working on some bigger knitting projects too.  Rosebud is growing like crazy and many of her newborn items are no longer fitting so I've been trying to keep up and get a few new things made for her recently.  I've just finished a pair of longies, some booties and a sweater. I'll try to get pictures and Ravelry notes up as I am able to get to it! She's badly in need of a new hat, at least one more pair of longies and some bibs so I have just a few more things to cast on!    I'm also hoping to make one or two more pairs of booties for her since the ones I made don't really go with everything and she needs them to keep her little feet warm.  Also Toadstool has finally outgrown his pair of mama-made socks so I need to get busy on a new pair for him.  He likes having a little mama-love on his feet when he goes to school.

Simple Joy - My Rosebud

This week the simple joy I am focusing on is watching my darling Rosebud as she grows and changes and hits milestones.  We've been under the weather this week and I kept Toadstool home from school for two days.  It's given us a little extra time at home as we recuperate .  Today we used some of that time for a little extra tummy time and to practice a bit with the camera.

Toadstool and I delighted in watching Rosebud as she surprised us by rolling over for the first time!   I was lucky enough to capture photos of her first roll .She happily repeated this new skill over and over.

What Simple Joys have you enjoyed this week?

This Moment-Sibling Snuggles

From SouleMama: {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Share your own moment in the comments or atSouleMama.com.