brrr.....

with the wind chill below zero, it was a great day for staying in pajamas all day!

we are experiencing a bit of *winter* around here this year. first there was the *blizzard of '09* resulting in a white solstice. my sweet mom was here last week for some very frigid temps when we nearly tied the all time record for consecutive days below freezing (mom is from alabama and NOT a fan of winter). it was forecasted that we were to get another significant (for wnc) snowfall last night through till tomorrow. that didn't exactly happen but it was extremely cold today!

daddy did rise and go to work today despite the bit of snow we did have and the low, low temps. he was back home before lunch though as the compressor they were working with froze up. they wisely decided to call it a day. that meant we got daddy for the rest of the day!


since we didn't get the snowstorm we hoped for outside, we made our own inside. these borax snowflakes are so fun to make. the crystals form in a matter of hours and they sparkle so lovely! we are hanging them from the wreath that hangs above our seasonal table along with our snow fairies.

pipe cleaner snowflakes submerged in borax solution awaiting the magic that is to come.

after 5 hours.

one the kids made with aunt heather earlier in the week.

hope you all are staying warm!

one small change

yes, i am a little late to the party. this has been on my mind and is something i am working toward but i am just getting to actually blogging about it. don't know what the heck i'm talking about? suzy at hipmountainmama has started a challenge. your mission, should you choose to accept, is to make one change each month until earth day that will make a positive green impact on our planet.

there was much discussion and contemplation of what we would do this month. sienna had a lot of input....mostly to stop using our car! i love that idea, but it isn't feasible for our family right now. we have several ideas that we would like to start in the warmer months, but this month we will be taking it small (that's the idea, right?). i am vowing to reduce (strive to eliminate) my plastic baggie use. honestly, given the rest of our habits it's surprising that we still use these things, but we do. they are so easy to grab...and then so quick to toss. no more!

this will likely mean some expenditures. sienna has a laptop lunchbox which i am loving really. i believe we will be getting one for jasper to both streamline the lunch packing process and to reduce the need for so many miscellaneous containers. as for matt and i (yes, we are all packing lunches 3 days a week now), i will be getting more of the reusable cloth snack bags. we have a reusable sandwich wrap and various small glass containers that we use already. he could benefit from a food thermos, too. luckily, our children's consignment shop carries most of these items and we can cash in our credit without forking out a lot of extra money.

i will be checking back in at the end of the month with how i did. don't worry, even though i am late blogging about this, i will go for at least a full month, though i intend for it to be a change that sticks for much longer than that!

there are many blogging friends on this challenge. you can find the whole *community of change* here. it is fun to visit their spaces and see what changes they are making. i have not had the time to visit them all, but two of the most creative and inspiring (to me) ones can be found here and here.

it's not too late to join us! won't you? every little change helps secure a brighter future for our children on this planet.

p.s. just for the record, we do use the wax paper bags, too. although they are a better environmental choice than the plastic baggies, i am striving to also limit their use also. they almost certainly end up in the trash can without reuse.

the season of giving

rainbow gnome clipped to the mirror in the women's bathroom of our local discount grocery.

today we made our first toy society toy drop. two drops actually, as part of the annual christmas drop. this project is so much fun! people all over the world make handmade toys and then drop them in secret locations for some unknowing person to happen upon.

my kids and i had so much fun playing secret elves! we *dropped* two gnomes. one in the post office lobby and one in the bathroom of our discount grocery. we will definitely be doing this again. i love random gifting, especially handmade love.

the gnomes were knit using tonya's gnome pattern. she generously offers the pattern for free on her blog, plain and joyful living. i have made so many of these while learning to knit. so fun!

i made a *special edition* of my bird ornament. i used a white sweater to symbolize the peace i wish for kelly
and strung quartz and mother of pearl beads to hang below.

the first round of ornaments at the wellness tree is being sent off to kelly. as mentioned here before, nicole of gardenmama has so graciously set up this special project to support kelly, a beautiful mom diagnosed with cancer and with a heartwrenching story. women all over the blog world have reached out to kelly by making her a handmade ornament and sending a wish to her. nicole has gathered them together and posted each and every ornament that she has received on the wellness tree blog. please visit the wellness tree. browse all the handmade beauty and do take time to read kelly's *letter to my breastfed baby*. have a box of tissues handy, too.

if this story touches you and you would like to make an ornament for kelly, it's not too late! nicole is still receiving ornaments and will send another package out in january. please join us in surrounding kelly with love and well wishes.

amazing collection of fiber goodness being given away at natural suburbia!

lastly, linda at natural suburbia is having a very generous giveaway! all the goodies pictured above as well as an adorable fairy mushroom house! do browse linda's etsy shop while you are there. she is an extremely talented knitter and makes the most adorable knit animals! she has been knitting since she was a wee girl and it shows in her work.

good night my friends!

a visit from king winter

this weekend has seen the accumulation of much more snow than we normally see in these parts. sienna was born in colorado, but we left when she was 18 months old. this is the most snow that she can remember ever seeing. it has been truly magical! much time outside with daddy throwing snowballs and building a snowman. much time indoors with mommy working on crafts and baking for neighbors.

this is my effort to get back into this space. we are having some difficult times in our personal lives....even if it were appropriate to talk about it here, i would not want to bring it to this space. just know that i am still here, sometimes i just can't find the words to share the things i would like to share.

gearing up for our solstice celebration tomorrow. off to get some rest......

my first WIP wednesday

as my dear friend renee pointed out, my blog thus far is mostly of my *crafty life*. so, i might as well embrace it by getting in on wip (work in progress) wednesdays!

gift making is going slowly, but i have made a few other things the past few days. i made two of the long thread's thrifted trees. so fun and simple! just circles of green wool sweaters. close to instant gratification. the best part is that the circles can be a bit rough around the edges....gives the trees texture! you can whip these beauties out pretty quickly.

this one i made for the seasonal table in class. pictured here with a handmade st lucia scored at goodwill.

this one i made for our home. the sweater i used was the perfect texture for trees! this one turned out VERY tall. we love it. pictured are many other precious treasures including another recently thrifted st lucia.

matt and i made the advent calendar above. constructed out of matchboxes. covered in scrapbook papers and magazine images by matt. i glued wooden beads for knobs and numbered the drawers. this is our first year with an advent calendar. we are focusing on activities and family time. each tiny drawer has enough space for a little slip of paper, about fortune cookie size. on one side a write the activity of the day and on the back i draw a little picture clue. they love to try and guess from my crude drawings (not in my skill set!).

this was one of the activities of the calendar. we used our trimmings from our tree and some holly and made a wreath. the grapevine wreath hangs horizontally above our seasonal table all year. from time to time we wrap seasonal vegetation around it for a bit of festive flair. the little angel i made last year following instructions in all year round. i may never make another one.....working with tissue paper is challenging!

truly a work in progress ( but nearing completion at this point), a special bird ornament for kelly. if you have not heard of the wellness tree, do go and visit. gardenmama has set up this special blog to uplift a beautiful mama weathering some very tough times. this ornament is one of many that are being sent to her with warm hearts and well wishes from women all over the blogging world. many thanks to tracy for scoring the white sweater for me!!

before i go, i want to share something special with you...nicole at frontierdreams was one of the mega talented women that i participated in the living crafts ornament exchange with. her fruit basket is absolutely adorable!! we happen to be the very happy owners of one of these beauties as a result of the exchange. her stitching is impeccable. the intricate design of the basket weaving and the tiny perfect fruits are all so finely crafted. nicole is generously giving away one of her baskets filled with the most adorable little fruits to one lucky reader!! get over there and enter...you have until st lucia's day (sun, dec 13). nicole's pattern is now available for download here. all of the ornaments will be available soon....more coming every few days.

off to bed i run! hope to see you again in this space real soon!

news bits

my delayed announcement of the giveaway winner.......tonya of natural earth farm! tonya has such a wonderful and creative family that makes beautiful handcrafted natural fiber toys and goods. she generously shares an adorable gnome pattern on her blog. this is one of the things i learned to knit on! i have made so many of these little cuties. now i get to give back to tonya! yay!

you should also know that heather and bernadette have started a beautiful new online magazine, rhythm of the home, featuring many amazing contributors. you really ought to check it out! truly beautiful and inspiring and they will have a new offering every quarter.

also, today marks the kickoff of giveaway day over at sewmamasew! whew! so many incredible giveaways in one place. warning: you could get lost for hours. you are sure to find many treasures being offered. have fun!

giveaway news

just checking in briefly here to let you know two things...

i will be closing my giveaway tonight. thanks for all the comments so far! your support and kind words are so greatly appreciated.

i also want to alert you to another, very special giveaway over at gardenmama. her featured sponsor, imagine childhood is offering a very generous prize of one of their handmade flower fairies and one flower fairy house. this is an incredible offer! these fairies and their houses are so detailed and impeccably crafted, i have been eyeing them for some time now. so trot on over and get your name in the hat. contest closes wed night, dec 2.

i'll be back tomorrow with the winner of the bird ornament!