Monthly Archives: November 2011

Advent Ideas

Posted on November 27, 2011 | 4 Comments

Until a few years ago I never even knew what Advent was. I thought it was all about opening little windows on the Advent calendar and popping out a piece of chocolate. When Ishaan was in a Waldorf playgroup in Brooklyn we learned about the advent spiral, which quickly became one of our favorite of the Waldorf festivals, and that was my first experience with any Advent activity.

Ishaan at the Advent Spiral

Then a few years later we started going to an Episcopal Church in Manhattan which followed the liturgical church calendar and celebrated all the Holy Days. That is when I really started to learn what Advent is all about and we started to celebrate it as a family. I love the idea of taking a step back from all the frenzy and busyness of this time.

Weeks ago I started a draft which I called early Advent. I had planned to get lots of Advent activities and ideas posted early. There were so many little projects I wanted to have done by now. Most of them are from The Christmas Craft Book by Thomas Berger. I love this little book. It is full of sweet and lovely ideas that go from Advent through Christmas. Every year I promise that I am going to make one of the tissue paper window transparencies that I love so much and I’ve never done one. Since those are not a specifically Advent project, we still have time and I’m still hoping to get one made this year. The walnut chain and the angel mobile are going to get missed again this year. I tell myself it’s ok, because I can do them when Kairav is a bit older and will appreciate these things more and it will be new and exciting for him.

Last year I made an Advent garland that we all loved. Andy and I folded pieces of colored paper into little envelopes. I wrote out the Christmas story on 24 small pieces of card stock and tucked one, along with a small piece of chocolate and a star cut out of gold card stock, into each envelope. The kids took turns checking the envelope each morning. Ishaan would read the verse aloud and then we would stick the card stock to the back of the envelope and the star on front. Ok, it’s 3:00 am and I’m not sure this description is making any sense. Maybe I’ll just include a photo.

Anyway, by the time Christmas Eve arrived, we had a bright garland hanging across the living room doorway with the whole christmas story written out on the back. I am hoping to do it again this year, but this year we are making the envelopes out of recycled brown paper bags. I will cut out the numbers from colored paper to brighten it up a little bit.

Earlier today when I was frantically searching for Advent ideas I came across a fun paper chain idea that I think we will try. You make a paper chain of 24 loops, each with something written on it. The suggestion was to write out a verse of the Christmas story, but since we are already doing that with the garland we won’t repeat it. I thought that instead I could come up with 24 fun Christmas activities and write one on each day. Each morning we will tear off one loop of our chain and read our special Christmas activity for the day- such as make paper snowflakes, bake cookies, get the Christmas tree…. I think that will be a fun thing for the kids and will put a focus on doing things as a family during what can just end up being such a hectic time.

I was also hoping to get a few books about Advent from the library, but since Advent starts tomorrow, they are naturally all checked out. The one I am most looking forward to is called The Angel and the Christmas Rabbit. It is a collection of 24 stories and they look so sweet. It is not due back in the library until 12/16, and by then it will be too late, so I may just break down and buy it. It is a book that we can use every year, so it will be a good investment.

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent. I’ve written out the Year B Advent Readings, though we still have to make our Advent Wreath. In previous years we have used colored pillar candles, but this year we decided to go with more simple and natural beeswax tapers made by a local beekeeper  that I got from our farmer’s market.

Previous Advent Wreath

I need to stop getting worked up about all the things that I haven’t done for Advent and focus on the quiet and the waiting and not miss the point. There will be more years to get the projects done and it will be nice to add something new each year.

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Posted in Crafting, Holidays and Festivals, Kids

Friday Moment

Posted on November 25, 2011 | Leave a comment


{A single photo every Friday that captures the week, or a special moment to remember. Created by SouleMama}

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Happy Birthday Shooting Star

Posted on November 19, 2011 | 3 Comments

Happy Birthday to my sweet sweet Ulka.  She is kind and strong and sweet and fierce and can do anything she sets her mind to and will do nothing she does not want to. She laughs hard, plays hard, fights hard, loves hard and lives hard.  I love you Ulka- our meteorite

 

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Posted in Holidays and Festivals, Kids

Friday Moment

Posted on November 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

{A single photo every Friday that captures the week, or a special moment to remember. Created by SouleMama}

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Reading Rut

Posted on November 14, 2011 | 3 Comments

School has been going well for both kids and for me, but lately I’ve been feeling like Ulka needs a bit of a change. Her reading is progressing well using the method I described in an earlier post, and she has been generally happy with the way we have been doing her reading/writing lessons. Recently though, she has been complaining a bit so I decided to try something new for a while and take a step back to give her a little break.

I am a huge fan of the children’s author Elisa Kleven and I think her illustrations are wonderful.  She makes beautiful collages and uses lots of different materials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also love the Barefoot Books and Kairav has been enjoying this one at bedtime. It is full of bright illustrations that remind me a little bit of Elisa Kleven’s art. I used these books as inspiration for a fresh approach for Ulka. I cut out lots of shapes from colored paper at let her use them to create her own paper cut pictures.

paper cut picture

 

Then I gave her a list of words for her to read and use to label her picture. Then next day she told me a story about her illustration and I helped her to write it down.

I think she is really enjoying this break from our reading routine and I am too. When  school lessons slow down for Christmas preparation, I am going to have her choose her favorite paper cut picture and I will help her make a appliqué replication of it using wool felt, bits of wool roving, buttons, and other things. We will look at lots of Elisa Kleven books for ideas and inspiration. Then she can give it away as a gift!

Next week we go back to the Burgess Animal Book for Children and learn more about Peter and Jumper and all their friends and neighbors in the Green Forest.

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Posted in 1st grade, Art, Homeschooling, Kids

Friday Moment

Posted on November 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

a long day of work

A single photo every Friday that captures the week, or a special moment to remember.

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Overwintering Dahlias and Release the Lasagna!

Posted on November 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

I recently heard that Dahlia bulbs can be overwintered and planted again in the spring.  This came as good news to me as I’ve always treated dahlias as annuals.  I love them, so every summer I buy new plants and put them in the ground.  Saving the bulbs or tubers seems fairly easy and will save money that I can spend on some other new flowers for the garden!

The red and pale yellowish flowers are the Dahlias I am going to try to save.

There are a couple of different ways that I’ve read about to save the tubers, some more complicated than others. My life is a little hectic at the moment, so I’m going to choose the least complicated method I can find.

Here’s what to do:

  1. Dig bulbs or tubers up after frost has blackened foliage. Carefully remove as much soil as you can.
  2. Cut the leaves off, leaving a stem about an inch or two long. Leaves and stems are not needed, as the plants are going to be dormant and not making any growth through the winter.
  3. You can either carefully wash the soil off the tubers or bulbs, or just let it dry and work it off by hand later.
  4. Leave bulbs or tubers exposed to air in a frost-free place for a couple of weeks. Any remaining stem should be dry before going into storage, otherwise rot could develop.
  5. Store in vermiculite or dry peat (available at garden centers) in paper bags or cardboard boxes in a cool, frost-free place at 40 to 50°F (5-10°C).
  6. Dahlia tubers are prone to drying up somewhat, and these should be stored in slightly moistened peat moss. Check them through the winter, and if they’ve shriveled, moisten the peat moss. Some authorities suggest plumping shriveled dahlia bulbs up in a bucket of water overnight. If you do this, let them dry thoroughly before you put them back into storage.
So right now I am up to step 4- the bulbs are sitting in the mud room and will probably stay there for a couple of weeks until I get the vermiculite- or until my parents arrive for Thanksgiving and in a fit of cleaning I toss them in the basement.
When I read about lasagna gardening it sounded like a neat, earth-friendly and easy way to maintain a healthy garden and keep the weeds down. From my basic understanding of it, you pull out all the old dead plants and the weeds and  cover the ground with cardboard.  Then you put lots of dry leaves on top of the cardboard, and finally a thick layer of mulch. Then in the spring the under layers will have decomposed and you can just plant directly without tilling the soil.  Sounds easy enough.  I have been saving cardboard and being surrounded by tall trees we have no shortage of leaves. What I am short of right now though, is time.  With this big dormer addition project going on, bedding down the flower garden, raking, and Ulka’s birthday present to make, not to mention staying on top of homeschool and everything else, I had to let something go.  A very good friend of mine, Patti, taught me a valuable lesson that I think of in times like this.  When she feels overwhelmed and has too much on her t0-do list, she “releases” projects- and just like that, they’re gone! I love this idea and need to do it more often. So, lasagna gardening, I release you. Maybe next year we will revisit the idea, but for now I am off the hook. Thank you Patti!
I did cut down all the dead mums today. When the mums are done I know that winter is almost here. They are beautiful fall blooming mums and they help get be through that summer-fall transition.
 I started out with a pair of pruning shears and the task was a little overwhelming, so I went to the garage/ tool and bike shed to see what I could find that might make my work easier.  This is what I found:
I don’t know what it is, but it is heavy and sharp and made quick work of all those mums!

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Posted in Gardening, Me

knitting crazy

Posted on November 5, 2011 | 2 Comments
Making things makes me feel good. When I’m nervous or anxious or feeling stressed the best thing for me to do is to pick up my knitting needles or my felting needle- that or go for a swim but swimming isn’t always an option.
                                                                                                                                                                      I have always described myself as having crafting ADD. I go through phases of focusing on one kind of craft at a time and I get really into it.  Sometimes it is needle felting, sometimes sewing, doll making, or embroidery, and once in a while during those really dark times it is nothing at all. But no matter what else I am working on, I always have a knitting project going on and lately that’s all I have been doing. It has been a knitting frenzy for the last year or so.
                                                                                                                                                                       I learned to knit when I was six from the most amazing knitter I know- my mom. She patiently sat with me, fixed my mistakes and encouraged me by giving me new projects even if the previous ones were not finished yet.  At the very end of my first year in college I broke my leg and couldn’t do much for those first few weeks of summer vacation so I decided to knit myself a sweater. My leg healed before I had even finished the front- another project in the “finish later” basket. I don’t know what ever happened to all those unfinished projects but there  were a lot of them.  It wasn’t until after I got married that I finally got serious about knitting and I made a scarf for Andy. And then the babies started coming. First my little niece Evelyn arrived and I knit her a sweater. Actually, if you count the number of times I pulled that little cardigan out and re-knit it, I probably knit her 5 sweaters.  Then friends’ babies and my babies came and they all got sweaters and hats.  I love knitting for babies. It is so quick and rewarding and they come out so cute and tiny. My babies are not babies anymore and their sweaters are not so cute or tiny anymore, but I still love knitting for them.
                                                                                                                                                                   At the moment I am knitting a pair of socks for myself. A few years ago I made myself a pair of felted mittens, but other than those, all my knitting has been for people I love. My mom gave me a beautiful skein of wool last winter and told me that I had to use it for myself, so now that the kids’ vests are finished, I am trying to squeeze in this pair of socks before the Christmas gift-making frenzy begins.

One sock down one to go.

Lately I have been getting most of my knitting patterns on Ravelry. I love that site and can get absolutely lost in it.  I try to use only the free patterns, but I have purchased a few also.  I haven’t yet posted any of my finished projects on Ravelry but I love looking at other people’s projects so maybe one day I’ll post mine too. In the mean time you can have a look at them here.
                                                                                                                                                                 This is a bag I made for Ulka. The pattern is actually from a really great Debbie Bliss book with many patterns that I will use, so I bought the book. I used Cascade 220 for the bag and just scraps I had around for the flowers.

Ulka's bag

Here are the vests I made for the kids. I used the same pattern for Ulka, Ila, and Kairav but put a different cable pattern down the side.  For Ishaan I used a different pattern that I thought was a little more “grown up”.
 I love vests for the fall because sometimes they don’t need a full sweater but just a little wool around their chests will keep them toasty.  I am not letting myself buy any more wool until I’ve used up a large portion of my stash (ok, so the Sheep and Wool Festival doesn’t count!).  Ishaan’s vest is made from some Lamb’s Pride wool I bought years ago for a sweater for him.  Ila’s grey and cream tweed is Cascade Eco Plus, Ulka’s is Ella Rae classic wool, and Kairav’s is Great American wool which I had never used before but honestly it’s not wearing as well as I hoped.
                                                                                                                                                                      I also recently made a Wallalby sweater for Ishaan and though I love how it came out it the end, it was a bit of a bear to make and I had to really play with the sizing, but he wears it all the time so it was worth it.

Ishaan in his Wallaby

I must end this post now because you are probably getting tired of looking at my knitting projects, and I have one cold foot.

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Posted in Crafting, Knitting, Me

Friday Moment

Posted on November 4, 2011 | 2 Comments

{Friday Moment}

A single photo every Friday that captures the week, or a special moment to remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

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Posted in Friday Moment

Building Block(s)

Posted on November 3, 2011 | 1 Comment

Ishaan is currently in the middle of a Shelters and Building block.  We are looking primarily at primitive dwellings around the world  and what factors influence how they are built.  We have so far studied igloos, adobe houses, and reed houses in Iraq.

Reed house

We are both loving this block and learning a ton! For instance, did you know that in parts of Eritrea they make “igloos” out of blocks of salt, and that in Niger they make houses very similar to the Adobe houses in south-western United States and Mexico? We are using a couple of books from our local library that I really like. One is Imagine a House: a Journey to Fascinating Houses Around the World by Angela Gustafson, and the other is Shelters: From Tepee to Igloo by Harvey Weiss.

Ishaan is also building his own shelter in the woods behind our house.  He is planning on sleeping out in it once he is finished with it. It is a fairly well-built shelter and all the layers of dry leaves will keep it warm inside, but I’m glad it’s not me sleeping out there in below freezing temperatures!

Ishaan's shelter

Ishaan's shelter

The most exciting part of the school block  is the major building project that is going on at our own house.  I was planning on a building project for the spring, such as a playhouse outside or a chicken house, but nature had other plans for us. During the hurricane/tropical storm Irene this summer, five tress on our property came down-  two of them landing on our house.

trees on the house

We were not at home and no one was hurt and the trees did not actually go through the roof and into the house, so we were very lucky.  However, there was enough damage to the roof and siding that they need replacing. The room the trees fell on is the two little ones’ bedroom but is really a small attic room with one very small window. We have been planning on putting a dormer on that room to add head room, windows, light, and usable floor space.  Since the roof needed to be replaced we decided it made sense to do the dormer project at the same time, and we decided to do it ourselves.

Room before demolition

Gutted room

gutted room

Books we found stuffed in the insulation! Tempestuous!

Books we found hidden in the insulation! Tempestuous!

Andy is a designer and he modeled the whole project in 3D.  He did tons of research to make sure it was structurally sound and followed all the building codes.  The plans look pretty awesome and totally daunting to me, but Andy was convinced that with his Dad’s help we could actually to this.  The project started with the demolition of the inside of the room on Monday. We pulled out the carpet, the walls, the ceiling and the insulation and set up the scaffolding outside. Tuesday our friend John came over and  they pulled of the roof shingles and the wet and rotten plywood and cut a giant hole in the roof.

Jungle Gym

Yesterday Andy, his dad Elihu, and John started the framing- assembling  and putting up the rafters and the wall studs.  This has all been a great learning experience  for Ishaan.   He got to see and be part of all the stages so far and there have been parts for him to help with too.  I got to drill some holes and do a little helping myself! Once the construction and framing is complete, we will get a professional to do the roofing and the siding. Then it is up to us to sheetrock, paint, and put a new floor inside.  We are hoping the project will be finished by Thanksgiving, but maybe that is a little too ambitious of us, maybe we’ll leave it up to this guy…….

Ready to help

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