Keeping it local

lakeside...at a different lake...


Lately, I've been thinking that although we are in small town central here, there are some pretty cool folks and businesses to be had just a relative stone's throw away.

With a little one who would much rather be held than strapped into carseat, we have stayed fairly close to home this summer. It may sound funny with the lake here and all but, we usually take lots of road trips in the summer so this has been a bit of a change for us; and a blessing in disguise. We've taken more opportunities to check out what's right in our own backyard, so to speak. Well, the backyards here and a town or two over.



Playgrounds have always been a huge hit with this crowd. Whether driving in this state or others, we have always made it a point to stop at any we see and check 'em out. We could literally write a book on the subject of playground comparisons at this point and the older ones of our crew can recall their faves from near and far. With that in mind, we have been enjoying our local places of constructed play - and lovin' it.


Then, of course, there is the ever present sleuthing of our local plant and wildlife. That handful of green being (we think) the pesky invasive milfoil that folks fear is starting to overrun our local lakes and the daddy long legs being the subject of a hot debate in the neighborhood on whether they are technically a spider or not. Jury's still out on that one.



To take it one step further, I started to think about all the local craftspeople and businesses, as well as other families we know that have talents to share. This summer our 8 year old took a 2 day pottery class with a fellow homeschooler's mama and totally loved it. Tonight, I decided to check out the town pages of a couple of nearby smallvilles around here and found loads of talent right here and some potentially interesting field trips if the folks are obliged:
timber framing
organic cheese making
metal sculpture
art quilts
wild mushrooms
local orchard for apples, pumpkins and honey (one I didn't know was around here)
organic greenhouse
moose bone carving
maple syrup shack
herbal teas and salves
rustic furniture artisans
weavers
horse farms
small bakery
local historical societies

All of this and then, not to mention, the good old local fire station and post office. The local post office here would have the added bonus of a mail boat run to the island residents. Way cool.

Have you discovered anything new in your local community?

Makin' butter

Shake and Make Butter from The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions 2 to be exact.

Little man decided to take it one step further and add some maple syrup and cinnamon to dress up that toast a bit. So, we popped the ingredients into a mason jar, snapped on the lid and put on some music to shake by (everything from Raffi to Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder). For 15 minutes this boy danced with his mason jar around the living room, excitedly calling out, "I can feel the chunks in there!" as the whipping cream turned to butter.

In the end, we had something a little less solid than butter but, oh so tasty. Three slices of toast (for each) later (and 2 for baby), I would say they are pretty well satisfied all around. Not to mention, that a good part of the satisfaction came from seeing his family enjoying something he created...all with a little shake.

Shake and Make Butter:
You need-
1 container (zip bag or jar with lid)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 pinch of salt

How to concoct it-
1. our cream and salt into container
2. seal
3. after 15 minutes of shaking, chunks of butter will start to form
4. drain excess fluid the seal
5. store in fridge

Enjoy!

Wool felt....

Is just so yummy, I mean...really...heavenly.

Before I discovered wool felt I used polar fleece - I loved that I could sew without worrying about those troublesome seams or hemming. I loved the softness, the versatility and the colors. Now, I have all of that with the felt with some added benefits as well.

Oh, and that posting at night is a good idea but, when you're cuddled up to a warm little nursing body; it gets pretty tough to drag yourself out of bed. So here we are with a post-breakfast quicky post :)

I wanted to share some of the little do- dads we make here with all that felt yumminess. Some great books for crafting your own fun are Toymaking with Children and The Nature Corner and one of my favorites, Feltcraft. Of course, its always fun to just play around and see what you come up with on your own (which is by and and large what we do here ;)...

Birthday Chair Decoration ~ We put these on the dining chair of the birthday child the night before along with their own crown. A gift is placed on the table in front them also. All this as a welcome to the new year ~ If your child is a summer baby, perhaps a garland of flowers or ocean themes would be fitting. Fall children may feel a connection to the changing leaves and this can be expressed in the colors and shapes chosen. I like to use cookie cutters to trace for patterns or make to my own.


Toying with some crown and party package ideas...


A view of the dining table while working...er, ahem, I mean my studio ;)...

This was the little picnic lunch prize from a bit ago ~ freeform pieces (no patterns)...


All handsewn goodness. I actually prefer handsewing for these smaller items. Makes me feel more connected to what I am making, nothing in between me and the wool but a little needle. Also, I feel more mindful when handsewing. Of ourse, for larger items or less creative ventures like standard pillow cases, the machine is much more practical. Still, I do love to do some quilt piecing by hand. Calms the nerves...

What are your crafty ways of winding down?

Some party fun and a winner!

A funny little thing about birthday parties is that they don't always go as planned but, like those funny glitches in weddings, it almost always makes for a more interesting and memorable day!

The weather for yesterday's Baby Doll Party had a little curve ball up its sleeve for us. The clouds came in fast and oh so very dark. The kind of dark that brings rumbles and flashes of lightening - the kind of thing you don't want with almost 20 kids playing in or near the water. Funny thing is, I missed the mad scurry to save blankets, presents food, towels and oh yes the kids, of course, from the very large drops of rain beginning to fall from those nearly black clouds. While I was home putting together the lunch to bring on down and watching the trees being and whipped and bent around me, some wonderful ladies held down the fort at the beach (thank you friends!). Kids and parents hid out the storm in cars; with friends and a little food they waited for the clouds to pass while I checked the weather radar loop and wondered how fast I could whip this house into good enough shape(can you say pre-party mess?) to have folks over. What, with flour all over the kitchen floor from Little Miss Helper and her fistfuls of flying fun...


and all the other evidence of mishaps and daily life, it wasn't looking promising. Luckily, by the time I had the sandwiches ready the sun had made it's return. Thankfully ;)

Makes for a memorable party, doesn't it?

While we didn't play these games (getting kids out of the water on a sunny day in Maine is like trying to pull a cow out of a field of clover) these little variations on classic games are easy for moms to learn (always a plus for the busy birthday mom) while still being fun for kids. Many of these games require the kids to have a doll of their own to help act out the words.
1. Insert baby doll, baby doll for the Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn around (touch the ground, climb up the stairs etc) game.
2. Insert Baby, Baby DOLL! for the duck, duck, GOOSE game.
3. Play pin the diaper or the bib on the baby (while my oldest son thought this a little strange, the younger ones didn't blink ;)
4. Kids all sit in a circle while one child 'sleeps' in the middle. The non sleeping children all are handed instruments. Softly, they sing rock a baby on the treetop. At the end of the song, upon a cue from an adult they all play their instruments and the 'sleeping' child wakes up!
5. In this song, children use their dolls to act out the words. All this is done to the tune of London Bridge.
Little baby go to sleep
go to sleep, go to sleep,
Little baby go to sleep
Little baby (rock baby)
repeat using:
...learn to crawl
...start to walk
...start to run
...start to jump
...go to sleep (ends game, sing slowly to wind down game).
This one is from 101 Rhythm Instrument Activities for Young Children - a fantastic circle time and party resource.

For party favors, I made some simple doll quilts (one side cotton flannel, the other cotton) rolled up with a few pieces of salt water taffy inside. The siblings (mostly boys) received some Toss 'Ems (otherwise known as flying flax - these were filled with dried beans, improvising for our lack of flax ;) with a few taffies as well.







The new home for that soft little cuddle doll? Our 8 year pulled the name of Sweatpeas! Congrats mama! Email me at woodspritemama@yahoo.com with your address :)

Happy Celebrating!

This week's giveaway!

Ok, so maybe Thursday isn't exactly Monday (when I had said pics would be coming of this week's drawing) but, it is close...sort of...isn't it?

Summer fun has surely been under way in these parts...just some snippets from the ocean and transportation museum visits we had this week...








my how I do love those old Packards...

Pictures are nothing like seeing these up close. I mean, some of these cars were just huge.

And yes, this is totally an authentic gypsy caravan - the craftsmanship was gorgeous. We learned that these were given to a couple upon marriage ~ now, wouldn't that be lovely! Sure, I bet we could squeeze all 5 kiddos in there!



Hmmm, I'm rambling aren't I...

Oh yes, the giveaway?! Here is it...the little darling, all ready to find itself into the chubby hands of a little one or as the pocket pal of someone a little older.



Or, of course, the playmate for someone's favorite doll...ahem....

I had plans for making bunches of these as party favors (oh, by the way, we had a birthday this week to boot and the Baby Doll Party is tomorrow) however, something about a nearly one year old taking her first steps is just a little distracting (can you hear the squeals of excitement? and, mind you, not just from me).

So, after making some sweet & simple doll quilts to wrap a few goodies in (salt water taffy and another goody...I have ummm, yet to decide on) I called it good and spent some good long floor time with my littlest sweet one while the gang hit the water park (have I mentioned that this lakeside wee one generally hates water...yes, oh. my.). So, we had a twosome day at home replete with picture books of babies (my how she does love to stare at those babies), open mouthed-diving forward baby kisses and opening my arms wide to catch those sweetest of first toddling steps.

Party pics to come tomorrow night along with some Baby Doll Party ideas! (Just a head's up ~ I will be posting at night from now on so I can be more focused while writing and, more importantly, while breakfasting with the gang ;) Saturday mornings we will draw the winner - good luck!

The Myth ...

I just loved, loved this sent to me by a wonderful mama friend. While this basically did a *perfect* job of summing up my life here, I thought I would share a bit in my own words...

A blog works so much like a projection...we have this tiny pinhole through which we can glimpse the life of another. Its through that pinprick we can imagine our own hopes for our lives whether it be the perfect house, parenting or town. I honestly feel that while there are many moments of bliss there may also be spots of despair; worry of whether we are getting it right, feelings of inadequacy...basically that we want to do the very best but, are somehow missing the mark. My understanding is that many blogs are read with the intent of harnessing a bit of what seems to work and bringing it home. At the same time, it seems it may be easy to get down on ourselves when it seems everyone else has it so together in so many ways.

In the spirit of supporting the work of moms and keeping it real, I thought I would do a bit of potential myth busting myself. Forgive me this small indulgence and bare with me while I spill a bit ~ if you blog feel free to do the same and spread the word :)

So in addition to that list that really did encapsulate life here, I'll add some more...Here's to a little myth busting:

...we eat just way too much sugar around here (sure its all homemade organic but, does that make it any healthier...really?) :: my kids do argue - daily :: although i am grateful for my home and make it work - i long for a bigger house with a front porch :: i get impatient with my kids :: large portions of our little home are overrun with my craft things - and that seems a little selfish :: i don't keep in touch with friends nearly as much as I should and want...

You can also flip this and make a little list of all the things you simply rock at or just feel good about. Play with it. Have some fun! Get together with some mama friends and write 5 things about them that you think is true then listen to how they see themselves regarding those aspects. Its truly supportive to be given an opportunity to let down ones guard and talk about the ups but, also the downs of this parenting journey and in the end find assistance through sharing stories and ideas. Tricks of the trade if you will. Often, women can exchange ideas of what has worked for them. My understanding is that this is how it was done a generation or two ago. Whether it was over the backyard fence or at the neighborhood playground, women seemed to share the realities of mothering much more openly than they do now. Our generation has placed upon it, so many pressures to be the perfect mother, but as stated in The Myth, for everything we do, something else is sacrificed. None of us can do it all...

After all, there is no such thing as sustained perfection...and I think that's part of what makes life so preciously beautiful.

Hope you'll stop by this week as we have a little 'lean over the backyard fence' and chat a bit about weak spots and strengths and how we work them (or don't!) ;)

A Book Review and A winner!

Well, more like a shameless promotion of a wonderful little book actually ~

One of our most favorite authors has recently had a new book released and, I'd say, its a darling...a little keeper...

Emily and Daisy by Elsa Beskow:







In this sweet little story that the under 7 crowd is sure to find charming, you'll be following the adventures of Emily as she sets off to mind the family cow. Our kiddos were delighted and a little surprised to see some helpful elves rounding out the story. All this dressed up in some of the sweetest vintage pictures out there. A little note to parents, this tale has a bit about responsibility as well as a little lesson on boastfulness.

If you get a chance, enjoy!

After years of having dozens upon dozens of books on hand, just in the last year or so, we have pared down our shelves quite a bit by keeping the best and most loved (McCloskey, a variety of fairy tales, Old Mother West Wind and other nature stories as well as some other faves we will share in the coming weeks) and borrowing any entertainment type of books from the library. After all, they really do enjoy the same stories over and again and it was more me who wanted the variety ;)

Oh, and our winner of that Little Miss Handbag?
Jill!
Although, I did notice that you have 2 little boys...hmmm, if you would like me to make this more of a satchel just let me know! ;)
My email?
woodspritemama@yahoo.com

Next Friday (we were a little late with the drawing this week, ahem...) we will have a little wool stuffed cuddle doll up for grabs ~ pics to come Monday!

Congrats and Happy Weekending!