Handmade Christmas (Part 2, Sewing)

It seems kind of late, I know, to still be sharing photos and content relating to Christmas, but this will be the last Christmas-related post; I promise.  I have been trying to publish this post for a few days now, but we have been having issues with our Internet, and access to the Internet has been quite spotty.  It is working this morning, so I am going to try and sneak this post in before we lose connectivity again.

Little #3 came to me before Christmas asking that we resurrect the tradition of Christmas pj's for everyone.  We used to do it when our oldest children were small, but as they grew older and our family increased in size, the tradition kind of fizzled out.  I did make Christmas nightgowns for the two littlest girls last year, but that was the extent of it, so I decided to honor my daughter's request and give it a try this year.  Outfitting ten children in newly purchased Christmas pajamas would be a huge expense, even purchasing enough flannel for everyone would be a burden on the budget, so I knew I would have to get creative.

I was generously given a bag of boys' clothing, and in it I found three pairs of lovely Christmas pajamas in the just the sizes I needed.  Okay, three down...seven more to go.  Well, in the bag I also found a brand new, LL Bean, plaid, flat sheet.  Bingo!  Enough flannel to make a nightgown and two flannel pants. Now I needed shirts to go with the pants, and a trip to the Goodwill was in order.  I was able to find the perfect tops to go with the newly made pants and three more pairs of pants for the older girls and even a pair of flannels for Hubby.   Little # 1 helped me tie-dye a few men's t-shirts with green and red dye to go with the pants purchased at Goodwill for my teen-age girls. Nine sets of Christmas pj's done!  I only needed a nightgown for Little #6 and purchased just enough flannel to make her tiny little gown.  Whew!  I could check "Christmas pj's" off my list.  Thanks to a bag of hand-me-down clothes, a flannel sheet, and a trip to the Goodwill, I was able to outfit everyone in Christmas pj's for very little money. Mission complete!

Joining Nicole.

This Moment

I have been inspired by SouleMama to take a moment ...

{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."If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see."

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Handmade Christmas Gifts (Part 1, Knitting)

It seems like ages since I have come to my little corner here.  The rush of the holidays and ten very excited children kept me quite occupied.  I did miss you, and it feels so good to be back.  I do hope all of you were blessed with a very happy Christmas and are continuing to enjoy the holiday break. I always look forward to the days between Christmas and New Year's, when I can take a deep breath and savor the slower paced days. It has been nice being able to putter about the house drinking coffee in my pj's until, well, whenever I feel like getting dressed, stopping to play dolls with Little #9, fixing a train track for Little #8, and looking forward to the end of week when Hubby will be home with us.

I wasn't sure where to begin with catching up, so I decided to begin with sharing the knitting projects I worked on for Christmas.  I already shared bits and pieces, but now I can share the finished items. They were small, fun items, perfect for a beginner such as me, except for the Little Bud's Sweater. I am so relieved to have this project completed!  I have been calling it the "sweater of imperfections". I frogged and fixed and frogged and fixed and eventually stopped frogging and fixing and kept knitting.  It's done, and I am ever so glad!  Little #9 is pleased with it and doesn't care a bit that it buttons on the wrong side or that the eye cording is wavy in spots or that the underarms are bit wonky.  It's warm, it's her favorite color, and she is content.

On to the more fun projects...cabled boot cuffs. I used this lovely (free) pattern and Chroma Worsted in Vermont, Sugar Cookie, and Wildflower.  This was my first time working with something other than solid colors and I found it quite fun.  I would, however, like to make a few more boot cuffs in solid, neutral colors for a different look.  

Of course, the men needed warm hats.  Hubby wanted a replacement for the one I made for him last year since it shrunk after accidentally going through the washer and dryer, and both of the older boys were in need of warm head gear.  Hubby's hat is a Regular Guy Beanie, and the boys' hats are London Beanies that I sized up.  I am currently working on a smaller London Beanie for Little #7, using the left overs from his older brothers' hats, and hopefully I will move on to one for Little #8 soon.

Finally, there were headbands for the older girls...all made from left over wool.  I'm so pleased with the way they turned out and especially happy that the girls found them both stylish and warm.  

So, that is a wrap up of my Christmas knitting for 2014.  Like I said, they were mostly simple, small knits, but I am so excited to have learned enough over the past year to feel confident in giving my finished projects as gifts. I already have my eye on a few projects for next Christmas (some a bit more involved, so I better start early).

Wishing you all a very happy New Year!!!

Joining Ginny today.

Rushing By

The Littles enjoyed the snow covered hill next to our house quite immensely before the rains came. Watching them race down the hill on their sleds and snowboards and hearing the screams of both fear and excitement brings back the days of my childhood when sledding was a winter sport to me. We always stayed out longer than we should have, ignoring the numbness that enveloped our hands and feet, not realizing how cold we really were until we stepped into the house and felt the rush of heat from the wood stove.  Oh, those memories of childhood...

The days of December are flying by, as they always do.  December is just one of those months that even if it were twice as long as all the others, there still wouldn't be enough days in it.  Even though our fluffy snow has turned to slush and ice due to all the stormy rains we have gotten, I am thankful for the bit of a lull it has provided.  Due to icy conditions, I cancelled two appointments this week, and postponed piano lessons, allowing me some luxurious time at home to work on my Christmas knitting and sewing projects.  I will be cutting it very close, but I think I will make it.  It is a mess outside, but as it has been said, "there is a hidden blessing in everything." 

Thanks to Little #1 for taking the photos.

Our Christmas Tree

In all the Christmases that I have celebrated in my life, both as a child and an adult, my family has always cut our Christmas tree off our own land, many of them beautiful, but others landing in the category of a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree with their sparse or misshapen branches, crooked trunks, or spindly tops. For some reason, though, those little trees were always my favorite, reminding me in a symbolic way of the lowly Christ child's birth in a stable and his glorious position as King of Kings. In the past few years, our eldest daughters have taken it upon themselves to take the traditional walk through the woods and bring home the honored tree. This year, though, after two trips into the woods, they just couldn't find a tree that met their expectations, and they solicited the help of their dad.

You may be looking at these photos and gasping at the size of the tree Hubby is cutting down. I did when I was told the story.  I was horrified that such a big tree would be cut down just for its perfect top, but my horror quickly turned to relief when Hubby explained that this tree has a dual purpose. The top would take its honored position as our Christmas tree, and the bottom would later be used for lumber in the construction of Hubby's work shop.

 I do love our Christmas tree and the festive atmoshpere it has added to our home, and I hope that we can contiue the tradition of hunting for a Christmas tree on our land for many years to come.

Lots and Lots of Strawberry Jam

(I apologize for the poor quality of my photos.  Unfortunately, our camera had to be sent away for repairs.  I do hope that it comes back quickly as I haven't yet mastered the art of photo taking with my phone.) 

I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely 4th of July weekend.  Although clouds filled the sky, and we saw mostly rain on our Independence Day, I didn't seem to mind.  After a few very hot days, the cooling rain was refreshing, and it ushered in less humid air.  The gardens received a good soaking, and I was able to catch up on a few things inside.  We saved the marshmallows and sparklers we had planned for another night, and the Littles happily cozied up with a movie instead.

The strawberries are ripe, and I have been picking at a local patch as many days as possible, excitedly making use of the bounty that is in season.  Strawberries for breakfast.  Strawberries for lunch.  Strawberries for supper.  I did, however, set aside three large bowls of berries to be made into jam.  I planned on making them early in the morning on July 4th, but the low pressure and rain prevented me from doing so.  My grandmother's advice for making sure one's jam sets is to cook a few minutes longer than the directions say and never start a batch when there is low pressure or rain. Saturday morning the breezes were blowing, and the air was dry...perfect for jam making.  I finished with twelve quarts, all firmly set up, and ready for the pantry shelf.  It was such a good feeling to organize the almost empty preserves shelves, and make room for the first of this year's harvest.   

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a lovely weekend here at on the farm.  The weather turned out much nicer than expected. Although mostly clouds and rain were predicted, we saw lots of sun with only a few spotty showers. Originally my plans were to start planting the vegetable garden, but not one seed found its way into the ground.  My goal each year is to have my garden fully planted by Memorial Day, but this year, due to our extra-long winter, we are quite behind schedule.  Hubby dug holes for foundation posts for our new porch, and he said the ground was still extremely cold, just a few degrees warmer than freezing.  My grandfather always said it is better to plant when the ground is sufficiently warm, even if it means planting later in the season. Putting seeds into cold, wet soil will halt their germination, possibly even cause them to rot, but waiting a few days or even weeks until the earth has warmed a bit more will help give them a better start.  I'm hoping within the next week or two the sun will shine, and I can plant those vegetable seeds that have been sitting in my pantry, impatiently waiting to be planted, since March. 

We did, however, finish the new flower bed that we started a few weeks ago, and I poked around my other existing flower beds, transplanting perennials to different spots and pulling the weeds that seem to have taken control in just the past week.  Hubby put together a new swing set for the Littles, which kept them happily entertained most of the day on Monday, and Little #8 helped Mama fill the bird feeders.  We spied an Indigo Bunting on the feeder on Saturday night, so we added millet to our usual feed of sunflower seeds in an attempt to lure him back.  

We are looking forward to a good week...Hubby has taken vacation and will be home every day working on our new porch; the girls have their final state track meet, and the sun is forecasted to shine.