mother

Best Made Plans

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

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Yesterday morning I rose early to head to the grocery store before dawn, before my girls woke up, and before my “To Do List” really got moving.  I returned home at 6:30 am, with arms full of groceries, and two little girls with pink eye. How quickly all those plans on my “To Do List” were put on hold, and a new (much better, I must say) plan developed.  Cookie-Baking Day.

The girls felt great, but still unable to attend school, dance class, and tumbling lessons, so we just stayed close to home and had ourselves a wonderful little day.  It’s these moments spent with my little ones in the warm embrace of our home that I will remember most as the years move on.  I will never forget their baking experiments with flour strewn all about the kitchen, their voices in the play room as my seven year old reads fairy tales to her little sister, or the tiny fists full of cookies being shoved as quickly as possible into their smiling mouths.

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Winter Sewing

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My sewing machine spent it’s summer and fall days collecting a nice little layer of dust in my basement.  I never really felt overly drawn to it during those months.  I’m guessing because my time and attention focused on all of the outside work that needed to be done, and sewing never really seemed to fit with that particular rhythm.

But now all of that has changed.  It’s darker earlier, it’s colder outside, and it’s time to begin sewing again.  I have quite the stack of projects in the works, because I couldn’t decide on just one project to start.  It all seemed so fun!  I have forced myself to get a bit more organized in the past few days, and I’ve now completed a pair of nice flannel night gowns for my two favorite gals.  My little ones much prefer to wear night gowns than any other form of pajama, and I’m happy to oblige.  For is there anything cuter than a little girl snuggled up in a warm comfy night gown?  I cannot think of anything better.

Let There Be Light

/ makingofahome / 4 Comments

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A few months back, my girls and I were thrilled to read “Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candles” by Amber Ek in Taproot Issue 7 :: Gather.  The notion of making our very own candles seemed like such fun!  The article drummed up memories from my past when I use to make my own hand-dipped candles in middle school while working as a volunteer at Midway Village, an amazing museum with a Victorian village.  I remember the experience with such fondness and I wanted my girls to indulge in the experience as well.

So, last Tuesday we ventured to the stove, and with a whole lot of adult supervision, we crafted four pillar candles that later lit our Thanksgiving table.  We had such fun that I’m sure candle-making will become an annual crafting experience in our home.

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Celebrating

/ makingofahome / 2 Comments

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As I so often say in this space, Thanksgiving through the New Year is my favorite time of the year.  I love the decedent foods that warm your soul, the many adornments that work to embellish even the most drab of locales, and the melodies that seem to interweave their way into my thoughts.  But most of all, I cherish the quality time spent in celebration with family and friends that this time of year brings to our lives.

This Thanksgiving was a true celebration of family, which was a much welcomed change over last year’s cold and flu-filled Thanksgiving celebration.  And I must say, my favorite part of the day was the spontaneous dance party that broke out in the garage while our frogmore stew was cooking away.

Here is a peak into our weekend of celebrating…

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I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and I wish you a very happy Monday!

The Good Stuff

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

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You know those moments in your life, that as you are experiencing them, you know you will never forget?  This week is shaping up to be one of those weeks, that come around every once in a while, and is sure to be locked away in my memory bank for many years to come.

My husband decided to take vacation this week.  Not to go on a tropic vacation, but to stay close to home, and participate in the Thanksgiving preparations that are all abustle in our house right now.  Monday, while our girls were at school, we traveled up to Madison, Wisconsin to go to Whole Foods and grab those cuts of organic meat we were unable get locally.  We then found ourselves in a little pub, on a beautiful snowy afternoon, sipping some local brews and enjoying some quality one on one time.

Yesterday, after the girls arrived home from school, we spent some time hand-dipping our own candles for the Thanksgiving table (more on this crafting adventure in next week’s posts), sharing stories of our day, and just relishing in the fact that the next five days would be filled with many quality hours with family and dear friends.  This is truly the good stuff of life.

So now down to my “To Do List” for today and tomorrow.  It’s sure to be a little crazy, but a whole lot of fun.