Good News

Well, well, well. Almost one year exactly since my last post. It truly is amazing what all can happen in just 12 months.

I am indescribably happy to report that I am sitting on our porch, listening to the birds and the water, the wind and the windchimes, feeling the breeze and the warm sunlight. OUR porch. On the family property. Yes, we finally pulled it off. :) This wonderful place is home.



It took a few more weeks after I wrote my last post, but we did find some renters for our house. We had to accept a reduced rent but at least they have been good tenants so far. Once that was settled, it took a good 3 months to jump through all the mortgage hoops in order to secure financing to pay off Billy's siblings. We moved in the beginning of October 2012. I still have trouble believing we managed it- it definitely would not have been possible without help from all quarters, including our real estate agent, our mortgage broker who was nothing short of amazing, and of course our incredible friends who supported our quest through to completion. We are forever grateful.



Of course moving in, as difficult as it was to achieve, is still only the beginning! A property like this requires a lot of maintenance, and on top of that we have wonderful plans for improving it and truly making it our home.



We've begun remodeling to the interior of the house, and I am hard at work building and maintaining a large vegetable garden in the field.



There are all the usual adjustments to moving a family, plus we are sort of rebuilding our lives after having everything on hold for 2 years. On top of all that we are still piloting our business through some of the toughest financial times we've sailed it through, and while the sky there is clearing we still have a way to go. Sometimes it seems a bit overwhelming, but then I take my coffee out onto the porch in the morning and I remember all over again what a gift and a blessing it is to be here and to be caretaker of this incredible legacy.



(All photos were taken by me with a Motorola Atrix 2 cellphone 8MP camera, except: the family portrait- for that I used the camera phone to snap a picture of the professional print, which is from a chain portrait studio- and the picture of me mixing grout, which was taken by my friend Jeff.)

Storms, Cookies and Giving

Though it has been largely overshadowed in the news, most of us have still heard about the terrible storms that ripped through parts of the United States last week. We were poised for action here if it was needed, but thankfully the worst avoided us. However not that far away, Tuscaloosa AL was partially leveled by tornadoes. I have family in Tuscaloosa, and though some of them now have serious property damage to contend with I am very happy to say that none of them was seriously injured.

Today I baked up a storm of my own, turning out a small mountain of chocolate chip cookies to ship to friends and relatives in Alabama. If you would like to help out, please consider donating to the Red Cross, to the Tuscaloosa Disaster Relief Fund, or to Epic Church which is providing trailers and supplies for families which have lost everything in the storms. All are worthy organizations that are helping a great deal.

http://www.redcross.org
http://www.givetuscaloosa.com/
http://www.epicchurch.tv

Make A Father's Day Picture Frame!

So this is a little belated, but I do want to share the fun craft we did for Father's Day this year. We made this for Billy:


It was simple and really fun to do!

You need:
- Fimo, Sculpey or a similar polymer modeling clay in whatever colors you and the kids prefer. Babyman chose green. We used about 3 1/2 packages for three handprints.


- A suitable unfinished wood picture frame- it needs to have a wide flat surface for decorating. I found this one at a craft store for a few bucks.

- Liquid Nails Small Projects adhesive glue, or a similar permanent bonding agent.

- Thin strong wood scraps- I used a paint stirrer.

- Utility knife or small saw to cut the scrap wood (paint stirrer).

- Rubber stamps in designs suitable for layering. I found a set of 4 stamps that depicted pinecones and evergreen branches, perfect for overlapping and layering. The set was on sale, plus I had a coupon. Score!

- Stamp inkpads in whatever colors you want. They can match or contrast with the clay colors. Also remember that the stamps will be overlapping, so keep this in mind when choosing ink colors. Some blending will occur.

- A rolling pin, small knife and a baking sheet. (Optional: baking parchment paper)


- Some fine sandpaper, if necessary.

- A permanent marker and a pencil.


Ready? Let's get started!

First, the polymer clay needs to be softened up.

For the Pirate's, we tried blending equal amounts of light and dark green, thinking we'd get a nice medium green. Instead the dark green was much stronger than the light, so The Pirate's handprint looks the same color as Littleman's dark green one. Oh, well!

The kids pushed, rolled and squished to their hearts' content. It's really hard at first!

But soon it was ready to be rolled out.

We rolled the clay to a thickness of approximately 1/4". Try not to get bubbles! Then one at a time, the kids pressed their handprints into their color of clay. The clay is still hard, so I helped by holding their hands still and pressing them down firmly to get a good clear impression. Next, I cut around each handprint carefully.




Next it was time to bake the handprints.

I used parchment paper on my cookie sheet, and followed the Fimo package instructions for baking. Meanwhile, we cleaned up our clay mess.

When the handprints were baked hard and cooled, I sanded a few edges that I'd missed smoothing out before baking. Then, we arranged the handprints on the frame until we liked the arrangement.

Try to keep as much of the handprints on the actual frame as possible, without obscuring the place where the picture goes. Some overlap off the outside edge is OK. Lightly trace the hands with a pencil.

If the handprints hang off the outside edge of the frame much, they will need to be reinforced. You don't want to lose a finger sometime later! This is where the paint stirrer (or other strong, thin scrap wood) comes in. Cut small pieces of the paint stirrer and glue them strategically onto the picture frame, where they will support the outside edges of the handprints but remain hidden beneath them.
Like this:

Be sure to rearrange everything just the way you want before gluing, so you can be absolutely sure you've got it right!

Once all the supports are glued securely and the glue is dry (it takes awhile- you might want to leave it overnight) then you are ready to decorate the frame! Give the kids the stamps, inkpads (and some scraps of paper for blotting in between colors) and let them go to town.

Remind them that a lot of the decoration will later be covered up with the handprints, but it's OK to stamp in the hidden spots just for fun.

"Wait- why are we doing this, again?"


Once the stamping is completed to everyone's satisfaction, it's time to glue the handprints on permanently! Again, leave plenty of time to dry.

Next the kids get to sign their handprints with a permanent marker (well supervised, of course!) and "Happy Father's Day" is added with the year. Finally, put your chosen picture into the frame and voila! A fun little gift for Daddy on Father's Day.


(Of course, this can be modified as a gift for anyone- Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, even from one friend to another.) Enjoy!

. . .And Onto the Munchkin

The little munchkin received his new sweater today. It fit! He'll get a little wear out of it before the weather gets altogether too warm. It was nice to see it on him. :)

Sorry I didn't get a better picture- I thought I had, but when I loaded them into the computer they were pretty blurry. It's too bad, because Mouse is MEGA cute!! That said, there's something quite nice about this picture, I think:


Something about the mood strikes a chord for me. Anyway, just wanted to share the sweater on its new home!

Off the needles!

I finished it! I knit this sweater for a good friend's son, who is about 15 months old. Luckily he hasn't outgrown it in the many months it's taken me to knit. Unfortunately we've got very little sweater-weather left before Spring arrives in earnest, so he probably won't get a lot of wear out of it. Oh, well. It was fun to knit, and very good practice.

Here's the back:


It's only the 3rd sweater I've ever made- the first is a fun, lumpy concoction for my sons (now quite pilly on it's third wearer), and the second is a super warm, thick and fuzzy colorful thing for myself. I'm getting better. The rib-knit V-neck is a new attempt for me. :)

Here's a detail of the front:


Originally I'd wanted to do the whole sweater in the variegated blue yarn, but realized I didn't have quite enough of it, and it was discontinued so I couldn't buy more. So I matched it with the champagne colored yarn (a different brand and a different texture, but the same weight) and did stripes. I'm very pleased with the color and the softness.


Voila! :)

Crafting for Charity

Today, I mailed off a couple packages. One of them has been a LONG time coming, and is in fact about 10 days late for the final deadline. I hope that's OK. . . I finished it ages ago, but didn't manage to mail it before today. C'est la vie. It was one of several craft-related charity/group projects that I have participated in- specifically, it is a contribution to the installation art piece known as the Milkweed Project. No, I don't have a picture of my contribution. Sorry, sorry! I was so thrilled to be finally mailing it today that I forgot to photograph it for posterity. It was a simple thing though, so you haven't missed much. :) There are many photographs on the website however, of contributions from all over the world. I've enjoyed checking them out, and I really look forward to seeing how it all comes together!

The second package I mailed out was a red scarf for the Orphan Foundation of America's Red Scarf Project. I found out about this project from a friend, who learned of it through Craft Hope. Red hand-knit or crocheted scarves are donated to orphaned foster teens. I had some great red yarn leftover from another project, and it knit up very quickly. Again, I forgot to take a picture. I know, I know! Some photographer I am. It is a simple scarf though, mostly straight garter stitch. It's appealing for it's dense, cushiony softness, it's warmth, and it's deep garnet color, rather than for it's design. :) I hope it's new owner likes it. The deadline for this project is Valentine's Day, so there's still time if you'd like to make a scarf, too!

The other craft-related charitable project which I recently participated in was the Iraqi Bundles of Love (or IBOL) project. I blogged about it early on, but never posted pictures of our bundles. ("Our" meaning myself and a couple other wonderful ladies in a craft group I am in.) So, finally, here's a few photos of our finished bundles, ready to send:





(the above photos are by Kyddryn)



In addition, the boys and I participated in IBOL Sundae. It was delicious!


The IBOL project was exciting. It was so gratifying not only to help, but to see so much of the goodwill unfolding in Art's blog. I really enjoyed that. :)

Hmm. . . maybe it's time for a new charitable craft endeavor. . .
There's afghans for Afghans, or Artists Helping Children, or Project Linus, the local charity Tiny Stitches, or Warm the World. . .
Or, maybe I should just finish the numerous projects I've already got going. :P

Samhain 2009: The Fellowship of the Ring!

(Alternate title: Lord of the Rings Geekery, The Next Generation)

Here I sit, in peace and quiet, sipping coffee and goofing off on the computer. Aaah: a vacation!! It's been a whirlwind getting the boys ready for Halloween tonight, but I've finally gotten them all decked out and sent off for a day of fun with Daddy.

Courtesy of Billy's iphone, I have some pictures for you. I present to you. . . the Fellowship of the Ring!

(photo by Billy)

The Halloween costumes this year have been an adventure of sorts. It all started last Spring, when Littleman apparently decided that he was going to be Gandalf for Halloween this year. (Have you EVER known a kid to plan that far ahead, and then stick with it?!?)

I vaguely remember a conversation:
Littleman: Mommy, can you make me a costume?
Me: I probably can, as long as it doesn't need much sewing. I've never learned how to use a sewing machine.
Littleman: Do we know someone who uses a sewing machine?
Me: Oh, sure- several people! [Here I name a few folks, including my Grandmother.] Grandmother's really good at it, in fact. She used to make all sorts of clothes and stuff.
Littleman: Hmm. OK.
And thus, I thought, ended that conversation. However Littleman remembered what I'd said until the next visit with Grandmother. Unbeknownst to me, he asked her to make him a Gandalf costume for Halloween. She said she'd try. The first I heard of all this was a couple months ago, when she called me to schedule a time for Littleman to try his costume on.

Upon seeing Littleman's cool costume, The Pirate promptly decided that he would be Legolas. Then just as promptly he changed his mind, deciding he'd rather be Spiderman again like last year.

(photo by Billy)
Over the last few weeks, I've checked with him several times- letting him know that he could choose either costume, but if he wanted to be Legolas then I needed him to let me know ahead of time so I'd be able to make the costume. Long story short, he changed his mind at the last minute and on Thursday morning he just HAD to be Legolas for Halloween. Luckily I'd already researched some possible ways to pull that off (just in case), and made a quick trip to the craft store. Yesterday after Littleman's birthday lunch, I got started. Just a few finishing touches this morning, and I was done!

(Last night as I was working on this, he told me he'd rather be Spiderman after all. I decided to forge ahead, trusting that the finished costume would be cool enough to entice him. Luckily, he decided it is.)


We have a cute dog costume that we've used for the boys when they were very small. However, we weren't sure if that was going to work for Babyman because he wanted nothing to do with the thing. Yesterday Billy and I were wondering what costume we could get Babyman to wear, when the obvious occurred to us: he could be a hobbit! He was already short and had the curly hair. I felt sure I could find a ring on a chain and some hobbit-like clothes for him. After a little digging about this morning, here's what I came up with:

He wasn't too thrilled with the picture-taking, but he seems to like his "costume"!


Hee hee. I admit I'm a little proud of Grandmother and myself. Too bad it's too cold and wet tonight for Babyman to trick-or-treat barefoot! But he still looks hobbit-like enough that I think anyone who's seen the Lord of the Rings films will recognize this miniature version of the Fellowship of the Ring. And these fans (Mommy included) are more than a little thrilled with the result. :)

(photo by Billy)

Iraqi Bundles of Love

I just want to use this moment to alert you to an awesome project!


Iraqi Bundles of Love (IBOL)
Here is a quick summary of the project, from the intro on the website:
* * *
Iraqi Bundles of Love is a short-duration project, set to last about six weeks, to surge fabric and sewing (and knitting!) materials into the area around which I live in Iraq. It is timed to coincide with both Ramadan, and the departure of my units from Iraq.

It is intended to be a simple project, requiring little effort and little expenditures from those wishing to participate. It is based upon my assessment that sewing fanatics and quilters and knitters tend to have stashes that far exceed their actual needs, and that sewing fanatics and quilters and knitters are passionate both about sewing / quilting / knitting, and about sharing with others.

The general premise is this. I am in Iraq, and I can get mail through the US Postal System. Willing contributors can send to me a flat-rate box of sewing / quilting supplies, all bundled up. I’d open the box, pull out the fully-contained bundle, and hand it off (with others) to our counterparts in the Iraqi Security Forces (Army and others) or the local police, for them to distribute. The stated intent of this operation is to put sewing and quilting and knitting supplies into the hands of two types of recipients: locals who desperately need such things, and local sewing co-ops who have received grants or loans (typically to purchase sewing machines, rent space, etc).

That is it, in a nutshell.
* * *

So, if you happen to have a bunch of fabric, sewing, knitting and craft supplies laying around, then why not share a bit of it with Iraqi women? I think this is a wonderful project. (Oh, and international donors can help, too! Go to the website and leave a comment requesting information on how to donate from your country, if you do not live in the US.)

Check out the instructions on building a bundle. It's easy! Here's information on what to send. But hurry! Boxes must be postmarked by September 7th.

The website, again:
http://ibol.wordpress.com/
IBOL on Facebook!


Plus, big thanks go to Grace at Going to Graceland and Monique at Five Bears A-Blogging for alerting me to this great way to give! :)

Let's build a tree fort!

The cast:
- 2 excited helpers

From Tree Fort 2009

From Tree Fort 2009

- and one handy Daddy

From Tree Fort 2009

- a small sturdy tree in a neglected corner of the backyard
- a strong scrap piece of plywood dug out of the garage
- assorted scrap pieces of wood purchased from Home Depot for about $5
(many hardware stores will sell you scrap for very cheap- 25 or 50 cents per piece around here, and if you are lucky there will be some good pieces to choose from)
- hammer, nails
- pen, speed square and tape measure
- power saw (only for Daddy's use)
- a basket and twine
- one jolly roger flag
- a few hours of daylight

Littleman was eager to begin, and quickly set out most of the supplies.

From Tree Fort 2009

Billy began with some supports, and soon had the floor securely nailed in place.

From Tree Fort 2009

(photo by Billy)

Next came the ladder, piece by piece. . .

(photos by Billy)

so that the kids could climb up

From Tree Fort 2009

and help build the rails.

From Tree Fort 2009

From Tree Fort 2009

(photos by Billy)

Billy toasted the ongoing project with a glass of red wine, which he thoroughly enjoyed, even after sharing it with the bugs!

From Tree Fort 2009

(photo by Billy)

The boys were enjoying themselves so much, that no one wanted to stop when night fell- Littleman least of all! Billy even held the flashlight for him so he could hammer the last couple nails in.

From Tree Fort 2009

(photo by Billy)
Everything had to be just right before they finally put their tools away and came inside for dinner. Mission accomplished!

The next day, I was able to get a nice picture of the fort- it has already become a favorite spot, of course!

From Tree Fort 2009

It's not very fancy- but it also wasn't expensive, didn't take long, and the kids are so proud of their part in building it! It's absolutely perfect.