Late Nights at the Homestead

We get the kids to bed, then call our neighbour and friend up the road. He arrives 10 minutes later on his bike, ukelele strapped to his back, trumpet case in hand.

A set list is scribbled out with a bit of a plan of how it's all gonna go down.

We try out harmonies, throw in some ukelele here,

some foot taps there.

We communicate through eye contact, raised eyebrows, humorous asides, and much laughter and high fiving when we find just the right harmony or get through a whole song without messing up.

I've taken on the roles of egg-shaker, as well as singer, guitarist, and reluctant mandolin player.

I'm sharing music after 20 years of being a solo act, right here in my own kitchen.

I'm loving every minute of it.

If you happen to be in the Eganville area this coming weekend, we'll be performing at the Bonnechere Museum on Saturday, August 6, from 11:00 am till noon. Spread the word!

Yarn Along

Knitters and book-lovers are an obsessive lot. We collect and hoard yarn and favourite books like treasure, skulk around yarn sales and second-hand bookstores, and once we're into a great project or a great book, the world could fall down around our ears and we would see nothing but that stitch we dropped a few rows back or an author's clever turn of phrase.

Or is that just me?

I started this adaptation of the Tea Leaves Cardigan; I had purchased the pattern years ago, but haven't made it for myself. In searching for a pattern for Margot's autumn sweater, I came across the Tiny Tea Leaves, and it was just what I was looking for. However, I couldn't seem to purchase it.

So, I took my adult Tea Leaves pattern and have been adapting it as I go...it seems to be working alright! This yarn (Fleece Artist's Scotian Silk in Jamaica) is a dream to work with: a constant pastel rainbow of silky soft wool slipping through my fingers, the endless fun of watching the next colour building on the colour below it. It is creating a dense, warm fabric that will work as a coat for Margot this Fall and next Spring.

Having just finished Nick Crowe's "A Cold Night for Alligators" (an excellent read), I'm now into "The Woefield Poultry Collective" by Susan Juby. It's laugh-out-loud hilarious, narrated by four different, quirky characters that are reluctantly trying to bring an old, hard-scrabble farm on Vancouver Island back to productivity.

I've just purchased paint for my kitchen; I may have to get my husband to hide both book and knitting so I can get started on that monumental task! But not today...today, I'll be knitting, with a bit of reading on the side.

Sisters

 They are so different from one another, like chalk and cheese. One might suspect that they are not even related, so different are their faces, colouring, build, and personalities. 
Their relationship was off to a rocky start, being born 21 months apart. Margot was unwell as a baby, and Violet treated her as the usurper she was. They have fought and scratched and bit, they refuse to share, they pick fights and scrap over clothes and toys.

Imagine my joy when we were walking out of the beach yesterday and I overheard this conversation:

Violet (hugging Margot): Look, mom...she's as tall as my heart!
Margot: (wrapping her arms around Violet) My sister...
Violet: I'm your big sister...
(Violet takes Margot's hand and sets off down the path, as I grab the camera)
Margot: My big sister...
Violet: Sometimes I slap you. Sometimes I bite you.
Margot: Yeah.
Violet: Sometimes you slap me and bite me. But sometimes we're nice to each other.
Margot: Yeah.

They continued on down the trail, till their voices came to me in fragments, Violet pointing out this leaf or that bird to Margot, helping her little sister up when she fell and brushing her knees off, encouraging her when she lagged.

I watched them as they made their progress away from me, with joy in my heart for this moment of peace between them.

Busy Just Being

After busily crafting in preparation for an Arts/Crafts show last weekend, I have finally put away the yarn/fabric/rickrack/etc. that has been cluttering our downstairs for months. My yarn basket now holds the makings of Jude's Waterhorse Sweater, yarn for Margot's Fall/Winter sweater (pattern yet to be chosen), my birthday socks (guess I'll wear them for my 38th...) and a half-made Sushi Wallet (from a kit by One Stick, Two Sticks). I'm amazed at the joy I am getting from knitting for myself, with no deadline in mind. I am determined to say "No" to special knitting requests until these projects are DONE!

Scotian Silk in "Jamaica", by Fleece Artist.

Summer is meandering along. Some weeks are sweltering, others require me to wear a hoodie in the early mornings. We go to swimming lessons when the weather is fine, the library when it is not. We've been picking zucchinis and raspberries, and enjoying the beautiful produce from our friends, the CSA farmers. We're a few weeks away from our first family camping trip, and have our nieces visiting for this week.

I'm reading at least two books right now. One is "A Cold Night for Alligators", the first novel written by a university friend, Nick Crowe. I was delighted to see his face on a poster for our local author's festival, and had the pleasure of seeing him again for the first time in 17 years, and hearing him talk about the writing process. The book is a wonderful read so far...support Canadian writers and order it online!

I'm also reading "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones, recommended to me by a staff member at Chapters. This was written before the Harry Potter series, and is a meandering tale of witchcraft, wizardry, and a castle that floats around above the hills with a magic door that opens upon different places depending on how you turn the knob!

Thanks, Amazon, for the image!

I'm working hard at summoning the enthusiasm required to begin preparing our kitchen for a simple (read: cheap) makeover in the fall, as well as a mini-home renovation that has me excited. Time to step away from Blogworld once more, and focus in on the fleeting days of summer. I have NO children in diapers for the first time in 6 years, and feel a surge of delight every time I see this diaperless, bathing-suit-clad bottom

...and hear the words, "Mommy, my need pee!"

I may pop in now and then between now and September, when inspiration strikes. And I'll be visiting YOUR spaces when I get the time. Enjoy the fleeting joys and beauties that summer brings.

Sand Crafts: Part 2

When we finished our sand castle craft, I had a messy table and bowlful of glittery sand...

I recognised it as an opportunity for an unplanned, spontaneous, and especially QUICK craft! If you have multiple children, you know the challenge of finding a craft that works for everyone...not too hard for the littles, not too boring for the elders! This craft fits the bill.

You will need:

• blue watercolour paint
• watercolour paper
• glue, slightly thinned with water, OR Mod Podge
• brushes
• sand, sifted, with glitter added in for fun (optional!)
• craft paint, various colours

Paint a whole sheet of watercolour paper with blue watercolour paint.

Using the watered-down glue from the sandcastle craft, paint the bottom part of the paper.

Using a finer brush, paint a sandcastle shape.

Sprinkle it all with sand, then gently shake off.

We did the whole thing on wet paper...the sand stuck to everything, but once it all dried, the sand was easily brushed off. All that was left was the sand on the gluey parts!

Add a jaunty flag or two to the top of the sandcastle.

Enjoy!

GratiTuesday: Sacred Time

For the past few days, I've been waking up at 5:15 a.m. I'm learning to trust this new rhythm, and have adjusted my bed time to fit. One morning I did the laundry and cleaned up the kitchen floor; another, I did some ironing and blogging.

This has become sacred time for me: the air is cool, the house is quiet, and sometimes, there are gifts in store:

The view off my porch at 5:30 a.m...8 minutes later, the colours had faded.

It occurs to me that in staying up late, I have missed the gift of early mornings. It has become a time to reflect, to start the day (and the coffeepot) in peace, and to collect flowers for our table.

I love rhythm and ritual, but have all too often found myself swept up in the chaos of raising small children. My spirit knew I needed this now, and started whispering to me to get up and breathe in the quiet air of early morning.

For this, I am truly grateful.

For what sacred time alone do you give thanks?

Sand Crafts: Part 1

To create a sweet sandcastle that no wave will wash away, you will need:

• sand
• gold glitter (optional)
• white glue, slightly watered down (or Mod Podge, left as is!)
• a brush
• paper tubes (from toilet paper or paper towel)
• small twigs, and small amounts of coloured paper

Sift the sand to clean out any rocks and twigs. Add optional glitter.

Using scissors, cut tubes into different heights, then cut little "turrets" into the tops.

Cover tube with glue, then roll in sand (didn't manage to photograph this step: picture one mama, and three kids with glue and sand on their hands!).

Cut little triangles out of paper, and glue on twigs.

Set everything aside to dry!

Glue everything together (I used WeldBond); secure with clothespins till it is all dry.

Display artistically for a lovely indoors beach scene!