kids

Gratitude

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

IMG_1682

This morning I am so very grateful for…

~brightly colored tulips dotting our flower beds.

~the scent of fresh coffee steeping in my french press.

~kindergarten-sized hands planting seeds in rich soil.

~ballet and tap shoes strewn across the floor, mixed with some lovely pink feathers, in preparation for an upcoming dance recital.

~the Nadig family and the crew at Eikman’s Processing, and the delicious pork our family is now able to eat throughout this year.

~four garden beds beginning to sprout with life. (I’m just choosing the ignore the other 13 beds that are filled with dandelions and soil untouched since November. Ahem.)

~evenings spent discussing Nick, and Daisy, and Gatbsy…oh my!…with my husband, in preparation for The Great Gatsby movie release Friday.

~family who live close enough to spend Sunday with in celebration of Mother’s Day.

~only three more weeks until both of my babies are done with school for the summer! (How did the year go so fast?  Oh my.)

~the peanut butter cookies I am about to bake…and eat for breakfast 🙂

Wild Abandon

/ makingofahome / 2 Comments

IMG_1739

Why is it that so often we as adults feel swept up by our to-do lists, errands and the like?  Recently, it has seemed that my life is whizzing by in one quick to-do-list blink.

But it was when I observed my two little ones over the weekend, that I yearned for the wild abandon they seem to live their lives by.  It awakened in me something that had been held down by all those things I thought I had to do.  But, in all reality, do I really need to get all those items crossed of my list?  Do I really need to get all the laundry done?  (I mean let’s face it…It is never really done is it?)

So, with that, I have decided to try my best to live a little bit more like my girls.  With at least a hint of that wild abandon they embody on a daily basis, and a bit more mindfulness, I venture into the rest of this week.

I hope all of you can find some carefree freedom as you move throughout this week.

IMG_1754

Kicking Things Off

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

IMG_1708

IMG_1721

It’s official.  The school garden at The Cathedral of St. Peter School is fully under way!  Sunday afternoon, we hosted a School Garden Kick-Off Festival where students and their families were able to peruse the garden space, take a look at our fabulous garden sign (hand-crafted by my father-in-law and decorated by the students of St. Peters), and visit with some very special guests.

We were so very fortunate to be joined on Sunday by Father Beekman, who blessed the garden space; Andrea Hazzard of Hazzard Free Farm spoke with families about growing and cooking with grains; Dick Zander of Zander Nursery met with students and their parents to discuss how to grow the best tomatoes in town; and Chef Paul Sletten of Abreo and Social visited with guests to discuss cooking with fresh produce.  It was truly a wonderful afternoon.  The weather could not have been more beautiful, and we were so thankful for all of the families who came out to help ring in this exciting new program for our school.

The entire day left me feeling a great sense of gratitude for all the Earth provides, and how her beauty and bounty can truly bring people together for the greater good.  I cannot wait to see what wonderful adventures await the students of St. Peters as we venture forth with this new endeavor.

IMG_1704 IMG_1705IMG_1711 IMG_1717 IMG_1718IMG_1724 IMG_1725 IMG_1726 IMG_1728 IMG_1729 IMG_1730 IMG_1732 IMG_1733 IMG_1734 IMG_1735

Breaking Ground

/ makingofahome / 3 Comments

After much anticipation, last week we began work on our school garden!  Today I am thrilled to take you on a quick tour of our progress thus far.  So strap on your garden boots, here we go…

IMG_1452IMG_1453 IMG_1666 IMG_1673 IMG_1674

Garden Progress 2 Garden Progress 1We have a bit of structural work to complete this week because we are hosting a  “School Garden Kick-Off Festival” on Sunday, where there will be garden tours, local farmers and a chef…oh my!  We then hope to get the kids planting next week.  I cannot wait!

At This Moment

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

IMG_1654

At this moment I am…

~thrilled by the fact that our first plants of the year are peeking out from beneath the soil.

~snuggling with my kindergartener before she heads off to school for the day.

~loading my van with garden tools for another day of work in the school garden at Cathedral of St. Peter School.  More on this later this week 🙂

~checking out a fabulous blog another mama passed along to me.  It is amazing!

~attempting to craft a plan for tonight’s dinner, knowing I will be out of the house most of the day today.

~making breakfast smoothies for the gals of our house:  oranges, kale, sprouts, apples, strawberries and blackberries…yum.

~trying to squeeze in some time to work on a family photo book.  The last one I made was from the beginning of the school year, and now we have less than a month of school left.  Yikes!

~counting down those last few days til school’s out for summer.

~wishing you a wonderful week!

IMG_1655

Life Lessons

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

IMG_1587

To those who doubt the integrity of the youth of today, I encourage you to look closely around you, because there are many, many young people out there doing incredibly positive things for the betterment of others.

In late fall, the secretary at my oldest daughter’s school was diagnosed with breast cancer, and let me tell you, this is one very special lady in the lives of the students and families at our school! It has been awe-inspiring to witness the outpouring of support for this amazing woman, most of which has been student-led.   Yesterday is just an example of one such, student-inspired event.

IMG_1591

Over 50 students participated in the “Losing Our Locks For Betsy” event, where they cut their hair to show solidarity for their beloved Mrs. Conery.  My tiny kindergartener, with some of her classmates in tow, were the first to arrive at the event yesterday morning, and it was one of those moments where I felt like quite the proud mama.  These six year olds were fully aware of what they are doing, and it was wonderful to stand witness to the testament these little ones were making, all on their own, for someone they care deeply about.

IMG_1605 IMG_1610 IMG_1612

Big Sister Baby Brother

/ makingofahome / 3 Comments

IMG_1482

This May marks ten years since I graduated from The University of Illinois.  (How is this possible I ask you?  Oh my!)  In honor of our decade since graduating, and the birth of the 15th baby born to my group of college girlfriends, we gathered in central Illinois for some food, fun and fabulous conversation.

And of course with every new birth, there must be presents.  I had a bit more vintage fabric in my closet, so I decided to try my hand at a stuffed animal for the new baby, and why not a skirt to match for the big sister?  I used the same variation on the Butterick pattern I mentioned in yesterday’s post for the Big Sis Skirt.  And I played around a bit and came up with the following process for the stuffed owl.  I hope you enjoy!

Step 1:  I took a wool sweater I had already felted (I washed it in warm water, then let it dry.  Repeat this step several times to shrink the stitching up a bit.), and using the edge of the sweater as my fold, I cut 2 4″ X 8″ strips.

IMG_1456

Step 2:  Placing right sides together, sew around 2 sides of the strip, leaving the top open.  (I actually sewed two lines of stitching to strengthen the edge.)

IMG_1465

Step 3:  Turn right side out, and stuff the “legs.” Set aside.

Step 4:  I then used the cuffs of the sweater and cut out two ovals.  Then take remnant fabric and cut out two more ovals a bit smaller than the first two.  Stitch the smaller oval on top of the larger, sew on a button and your eyes are done.

Step 5:  Again using remnant fabric, cut out a triangle for the nose.

IMG_1461

Step 6:  Draw an owl pattern on a large sheet of paper.  Take a large piece of fabric, fold it so the right sides are together, trace the owl pattern and cut out both pieces.

IMG_1468

Step 7:  Sew the eyes and nose to one of the owl cut outs.

Step 8:  Place one owl-shaped piece down on a table (right side facing up).  Pin each leg in place along the bottom of the owl.

IMG_1471

Then place the second owl-shaped piece on top with the right side facing down.

Step 9:  Sew around the outer edge of the owl, being sure to capture both legs in your stitching.  (Again here, I also sewed two lines of stitching to strengthen the edge.)  Be sure to leave about a 2″ opening so you can feed the fabric back through and stuff the owl.

IMG_1473 IMG_1475

Step 10:  Feed the fabric and legs through the opening, and remove pins.  Stuff the owl and then sew shut the opening.

IMG_1489

Spring Sewing

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

IMG_1497 IMG_1498 IMG_1499

I can feel it.  Spring weather is on its way.  It has surely been slow in coming, but I think it is just around the corner.  For that reason, I tucked myself in behind my sewing machine to craft some Spring goodies for my girls.  Using vintage fabric I found at a thrift store, I made a slightly adjusted version of Butterick B5757 for my oldest daughter.

IMG_1440 IMG_1441

And then I made a mini-verson of the maxi dress from this wonderful blog for my youngest.  I kid you not, both of these pieces took under 30 minutes total time to sew.  This mama has got to make a few more of these quick projects to finish off the girls’ spring wardrobes.

Spring Break Baby

/ makingofahome / 2 Comments

IMG_1148 IMG_1198 IMG_1214 IMG_1219 IMG_1225 IMG_1231 IMG_1235 IMG_1239 IMG_1247 IMG_1250 IMG_1222 IMG_1259 IMG_1280 IMG_1282 IMG_1283 IMG_1284 IMG_1285 IMG_1305

We just wrapped up Spring Break, and what an adventure it was.  We first traveled to Madison, Wisconsin where we visited with family, celebrated and gave thanks over yummy food, and even squeezed in a bit of pool time.  We then ventured back to the Northwoods for some quiet time with my husband’s grandparents.  Nature in all her glory surrounded us up there.  We were lucky enough to see a bald eagle and many, many, many deer.  Oh my.

We returned home to lawns completely cleared of snow, a garden in desperate need of some TLC, and four whole days of break remaining!  So, we strapped on our new garden boots and set to work.  I had forgotten how much I missed being outside…just “in” it…you know.  It was just fabulous.

I hope this Monday has been wonderful for all of you so far, and may you all have a lovely week!

At This Moment

/ makingofahome / Leave a comment

IMG_1089

At this moment I am…

~admiring our naturally-dyed Easter eggs we made yesterday.  More on this in tomorrow’s post 🙂

~cleaning up the disaster that is my kitchen.  A weekend full of projects and crafts has left it looking a bit unfortunate.

~enjoying a quiet morning chat with my oldest, who decided to get up before 6 o’clock this morning.  I cherish these early-morning times with her so.

~perusing The Pioneer Woman website for some recipe ideas for tonight’s dinner.

~flipping through this book for some natural project ideas for the girls.

~waiting for the ground to thaw so I can get out into the garden.  As of now, the garden is still completely snow covered.  Oh my.

~filled with anticipation because I have a lot of fun posts to share with all of you this week!

~wishing you a wonderful week!