Wednesday 22 December 2010

Our Solstice Princess

Under the full moon,

my beautiful daughter, our Solstice Princess, ruled over a frozen Woodland, handing out candles and Winter Wishes.


Visitors to her and the Winter King, followed a lantern lit path.


Through Heart Wood, full of frozen treasures.

So very cold with temperatures of -8, fires and bundles of woolens struggling to keep us warm
but a magical night of Solstice fun.
Rich Winter Blessings to all, may your inner light burn brightly.
x

Saturday 18 December 2010

Gifting


Candles & cinnamon sticks for girlfriends, wrapped with handmade paper.

Felt decorations for Aunties.
Such a simple project, great to pick up in the evenings.
Six same size circles of felt.Put 3 on top of each other and sew a piece of ribbon for hanging it at the top, then add the other 3 circles and sew down the middle of all 6.
Catch edges of circles together in the middle with a couple of stitches,working your way round.
Then catch top and bottom of circles with stitches on alternate ones.

An early surprise gift for K and her friend, a make-up lesson with a professional artist.



Thursday 16 December 2010

Little Donkey

An afternoon of gingerbread biscuit making, bowls of Norwegian porridge topped with butter, sugar and cinnamon, was followed by

a magical, moon lit, woodland walk with some donkeys,


wearing elf hats and red wellies of course,

Blurry, fuzzy photos of a Yule treat with friends,


and at the end of our stroll, a special scene to admire.






Monday 13 December 2010

Crafting with Friends

We gathered with supplies.







We mixed, tied, wrapped, rolled and tasted.
We laughed, smiled and cried ( the children, that old sharing thing ! )
We enjoyed.

Thursday 9 December 2010

and finally ....

Anyone remember this ? http://abigsmile4.blogspot.com/2008/10/joining-queue.html
Pattern and yarn bought to celebrate O turning 1.

So, it made it off the needles by the time he was 2.

And, I've finally managed to blog about it, now he is 3 ( and 3 months )

Good job I knitted it big, still be around by the time he's 6, by my reckoning.






Wednesday 8 December 2010

Yarn Along

I have wanted to join in with this wonderful group over at http://www.gsheller.com/ sharing a WIP and a current read,for awhile now and finally am ready on the right day.

On the needles, a Yule gift for my Dad, big, thick, manly hand warmers, pattern from Last minute knitted gifts. A quick and easy knit, a tube of double rib with a gap left for the thumb, adding extra length after the opening as pattern was abit mean with length on hand.

Some current reads, my Amish interest is fed by these gentle books by Beverly Lewis, a treat from Florida.Tales of buggies, cooking, knitting and all things homely are perfect for the end of the day, afew chapters snuggled down in bed under a patchwork quilt, bliss.

Another book picked up in America and the last Little House book I had to read, always a treat although this thin, little book was full of struggle and hardship for Laura and Manly, and although I knew somewhere in those pages was the loss of a baby boy, when it came, described in 2 short lines, ofcourse it left me a weeping mess.

What are you reading ?

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Mother Earth Medicine


With our World still blanketed in white and temps of -15, I am so thankful for our store of Mother Earth goodness, to ease the coughs and sneezes that are creeping into our home.

Friday 3 December 2010

Chicken Feet Snow Stars

This moment, a Friday tradition, a time to cherish, to remember, to honour its importance.To stop and give thanks, a time to feel blessed.
Inspired by SouleMama http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/

Thursday 2 December 2010

Foods to Warm

Our days are beating to a slightly different drum lately due to the amazing amount of snow we've had, L's college is closed until Monday and N hasn't been able to get the car out of the village, so is working from home.

Such a gift to sit down to lunch together, candle lit, bowls of root veg soup and homemade bread. A true midday treat.

Remembering our feathered friends this morning, we made them foodie gifts to hang from our trees, so pretty.

Mugs of spiced chai latte and K's flapjacks for a delicious afternoon treat.
How I love snow days.


Wednesday 1 December 2010

and we woke to a white World.





Stunningly beautiful.
Completely magical.
All home today, fire lit, cosy times.
Be well, be warm, relax and enjoy.

Tuesday 30 November 2010

From the warmth of my window

I wait for a husband walking the 8 miles home from work, public transport having stopped and news of my Dad trying to find a way home when it seems all the routes are blocked.


Thanks for the love, all home in the warm now .... and breathe.

Monday 29 November 2010

Aglow


With chilli warming our bellies and the first light of our advent candle shining out, we are aglow.

Sunday 28 November 2010

Baby, it's cold outside.

In just over a week, we have been plunged from blue skies, shorts and t-shirts, outdoor swimming and a sun wrapping us in her warmth,

to a frozen, snow covered land with temperatures barely making it out of the negative.


To say we are struggling would be an understatement, beds have been remade with flannel sheets and piled high with blankets,thermals have been unearthed, hats and scarfs always to hand and a pair of mittens for O frantically finished.
The fire is bringing not only, much needed warmth but brightness too, soothing our souls and lessening this harsh transition.
I collected greenery from around the garden this morning, followed faithfully by my girls.The house was filled with the scent of bay, fir and rosemary as O and I made up our advent ring, putting the first candle in place, ready for lighting later.
Always an inspiration, I loved reading Kelly's fine words over at The Magic Onions, guest blogging for the Discovering Waldorf series
Love and Light to All
x






Monday 22 November 2010

Tales of Florida

Well my plans to update while away went out the window, when the laptop caught a virus from which it could not be revived !
So a "show and tell" holiday catch-up,

Pumpkin pancakes at I-Hop, goodness these were good.We went back afew times, for research purposes ofcourse.


Yes, that's O up there with his Daddy, I was blown away by his need for the "bigger the better" roller coasters ! His height kept him off plenty ( thank goodness ) but he loved the ones he could go on, riding them again and again with his partner in crime, Daddy and K when she felt brave enough.

To roll out of bed in the morning straight into your own pool, what a treat.

Such fun.

Cocoa Beach, watching the waves, the birds, amazing surfers and each other.

Boat trips around the lake.



and some Disney magic.










Monday 1 November 2010

Boxes of Kisses

Filled with flannels, soap, toothpaste & toothbrush, toys, pens & pencils, tissues, hairbrushes, clips and more.

Some of the items change but always some mittens, each one knitted with the child who will wear them in mind, each stitch knitted with love in my heart, each stitch sending wishes of health and happiness, each pair sent with promises of a better future, sent with the knowledge that someone cares, someone loves them, they are thought of.

And for the last 6 years as we remember our daughter Emma Joan and honour her memory with these boxes of love, as I wrap each and every one we send, as I close the lid, I blow a kiss inside and hope as the lid is lifted in some far away land, that kiss flys out and lands on a cheek and that little person feels the love we send.


Sunday 31 October 2010

Happy Samhain

Richest and brightest Blessings to all x

Friday 29 October 2010

Tiny Treasures

This moment, a Friday tradition, a time to cherish, to remember, to honour its importance.To stop and give thanks, a time to feel blessed.

Tuesday 26 October 2010

Vitamin D Top-Up


We're packed up for a trip to catch some sun, 3 weeks in Florida, all of us plus my parents, villa with pool booked, theme park passes paid for,a surprise trip for my Elvis mad Mum to Gracelands and books,knitting ( some thinks never change ) for me, think that covers us all.
Is it ungrateful to feel alittle sad to be leaving behind the beauty of Autumn ? my favourite season after all, although this morning it's so cold, damp and grey, it's not so hard to wave goodbye, goodness knows how I'm going to cope being away from my girls though ! and the dog is going to kennels, which means she'll sulk and be cross with us when we return til atleast Yule.
Fingers crossed I have prepared afew posts to appear, as if by magic for the first week of my holidays and then hope to be able to check in with some reports from the beach, the swimming pool, those lovely local yarn shops and more.
Thanks to all of you who leave such lovely comments here, I am so very lucky to be part of this amazing community.
Be Well
x

Sunday 24 October 2010

Hand Warmers for Woodland Friends


These hand warmers are great and knit up so quickly, wonderful for beginners with no increase or decrease, just cast on, knit, purl and cast off, sewing up the side and leaving a gap for a little thumb to poke through.
Have a guess where the pattern came from ! http://www.ravelry.com/projects/nocton4/easy-kids-hand-warmers

The first finished pair are for keeping a friends hands warm now, her Mama blogs here
http://blackhobbescat.blogspot.com/

Then I have plans for around 15 more pairs, enough to warm every little hand at O's woodland group, yule gifts for play friends.


4 down, many more to go !
Come and be part of the blogging community, sharing ideas and projects, to make this Holiday a Handmade one, easing the strain on the purse and honouring Mother Earth.