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My baby has turned one. I cannot believe a whole year has passed since she was born. She brings me such joy, day after day, minute by minute. I know I am supposed to enjoy the here and now but I so badly wish she would stay tiny, with that downy little head and fat, dimpled fingers. Just let me love you forever, sweet daughter of mine.
Happy Birthday Little Peach!
Aside from posting a few sentences here and there, I have been busy cleaning up the basement. I can officially say that the cleanup and laundry is done...all twenty eight loads of it.
Really.
Now lest you think that I was that behind on the laundry, I had about four small loads that needed washed the day of the flood. The rest of the work came from the Rubbermaid storage bins that should have stayed dry, had they not been lifted up on the nine inches of water as it rose and tipped on their sides to fill with water. They held bedding, quilts and comforters, Halloween and dress up costumes (three bins), as well as seasonal linens, stored baby clothing, etc. So the washer and dryer have gotten quite a workout.
The good news is that I found my long lost bin of cloth diapers and all the wraps in varying sizes! I thought I had gotten rid of them all after Mary learned to stay dry. I had planned to buy a couple dozen new ones for baby Annie when she was born but never got around to it. I found the long lost diapers in a bin marked "Becky's Clothing Size Small" which would explain why I could not find them, as I have not needed small clothing for a few years LOL!
Also, I gleaned twelve bags of items to donate to St. Vincent de Paul Society. Nothing like a flood to encourage a person to purge!
Something else that we have found interesting these past few days is that Annie has taken a liking to watching for birds in our backyard. Every morning she looks out to see who is on our feeder. Then she says "birt" over and over again and points her little chubby finger. We can't get enough of it!
Speaking of birds, our pal Woody, who holds our suet cakes, has been attacked. Some woodland creature ran off with his eye in the middle of the night. We have searched everywhere for it and it is no where to be seen! I don't know what to do as I do not want to buy another entire face. Mike suggested an eye patch, strategically placed where his eye once was. I think that is a great idea. Perhaps we will have to rename him Long John Silver!
Also, Ben had a tooth pulled today after it had absessed. It was causing him quite a bit of pain. He was brave and allowed the oral surgeon to get the job done. Popsicles and jello for treats today!
Lastly, I got my hair cut. Don't laugh. Well, OK, you can laugh since I can't hear you anyway. :)
Our family has been busy preparing gifts to give as Christmas gifts. I am not a very crafty person, though I can knit and make some other simple items. We not only share gifts within our family, but also have two other gift exchanges with our extended families. That means 6 people x 2 gift exchanges=12 additional gifts. I have been making scarves for some of the family members this past week.
This one was knit using three different types of yarn, an eyelash, a boucle and a ribbon type. Knit together, it makes a soft, fuzzy, very touchable scarf.
Below is another that I am making for a teenage cousin. She likes funky looking things so I made hers in a brown eyelash, bright pink worsted weight wool and a bumbly ribbon of mixed colors. While I am done with the knitting, I plan to add some pompoms at the end, where the fringe goes, for a fun effect.
I am also making some booties and other baby items. Here is one, made in a variegated cotton of dark and light pinks, white and lavender. Its mate is not yet finished.
Here is yarn for my next project, another scarf. I like the soft purples and pinks.
I am fond of making these decoupage vases. They are really very simple. I choose colors and patterns from home decorating catalogs. I cut out triangles of color from the pages and dip them in white glue and a bit of water. Then, I smooth the triangles on a glass vase. After drying, the vases can be displayed alone or with flowers inside. They make a nice gift and can be made to match any decor.
Ben likes to make rosaries and sacrifice beads. He makes many different styles with various crucifixes and bead colors.
We will be busy in the upcoming weeks, preparing more gifts for Christmas. Our immediate family also has a tradition in which we draw a name among ourselves. During the twelve days after Christmas, we do small acts of kindness for the person we chose and also give them a handmade gift on Epiphany. My kids are up to their ears in my scarves (literally and figuratively) so that means I will have to glean some new ideas from other creative moms who are participating in the Loveliness of Handmade Gifts! Thank you, Dawn, for hosting!
Many of you asked for more information about the Advent log. Since I was able to retrieve my log from our crawl space in the eaves this morning, I was able to take a closer photo of the holes, for any of you who are planning to make one for your family in the upcoming weeks. Mine has been used for many years and is covered with wax drippings, which does not matter as the log is surrounded by evergreens anyhow. Speaking of the wax drippings, it is a good idea to place the log on a sheet of waxed paper when setting it up for use in your home. You will not be able to see the paper (evergreens again) but it will keep your mantel or surface from being marred with wax drippings.
The log is drilled at even intervals with a large drill bit on a drill press. I do not think a hand drill would work on this job. I have a total of 29 holes in my log and it is approximately four feet long. The holes are about 1 1/2 inches deep. The holes must be large enough to fit the base of a standard taper candle without being too large. (This is essential. It is better to have a hole that is slightly too small and have to shave off a tiny bit of the bottom of the candle than to have a hole that is too large, thus making the candle wobbly and unstable.) Before drilling, you must choose a log that will not roll when on a flat surface. Keep in mind that it will be setting on your mantel or piano or wherever else you choose to place it. It will have tall candles placed in it so it is VERY important that the log be stable and secure when laying on its base.
The beauty of the log is not so very important because you can cover it with evergreens, either real or artificial. Do not worry if the log you choose has funny knotholes or irregular patterns in the bark. You can choose a type of wood you like from a tree that has fallen or one that you fell yourself. I happened to choose the white birch because I love its peeling bark and pretty color. I suppose that a commerical piece of lumber drilled with the appropriate number of holes would work as well, especially if it is stained and varnished attractively.
I will be posting our family's Advent devotions, one week at a time in the upcoming days. These are large posts, with devotional material, daily bible readings, songs, prayers, recipes and a few activity suggestions. Please bear with me while I compile them into a readable format, rather than scattered throughout several different books and photocopies that my family uses each Advent season. This is a large undertaking but it will help me to have everything in one place, as well as allow me to share it with you. Anyhow, I hope to have Week One posted on Monday.
Polishing is a very satisfying activity for young children and for adults as well. I allow the kids to work on the polishing tray once they are of the age to follow directions well and use the polish correctly. It is not a tray that I would use with a toddler but a very mature preschooler could do the work well.
Christopher is very fond of shiny things and has taken a liking to this work. I have picked up a number of sterling silver items at yard sales or thrift stores for him to polish which can later be used in our learning room. He has polished up some of our pitchers for pouring exercises and several of our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd materials.
The tray consists of a small glass jar of liquid silver polish, a couple of q-tips and the item to be polished. He has enjoyed dipping the q-tip into the polish and seeing the immediate results of his work. After it is shiny, the item needs only to be rinsed under warm water and dried.
Here he is polishing the item we use as a ciborium with our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Materials.
I think there is something wonderful about taking a dirty, tarnished item and making it beautiful and clean.
I was so inspired by Kim and Elizabeth's home management notebooks that I worked on mine this past weekend.
I used the same divider headers that I found on Kim's site although I also plan to make some others for our family's needs. I'd like to add a Recipe divider and a Schedule divider as well. I also plan to add a plastic pocket in the back for stamps and my monthly calendar. In the meantime, here is what I have done so far. The photos do not show the colors very well but they are mainly browns, pinks, plums and greens.
My cover
(Stole the quote from Kim.)
I used printed papers and added some embellishments like raised stickers and transfers.
I have kept a home management notebook since my Flylady days but it was neither as pretty nor as thorough a resource until I began compiling mine using Kim and Elizabeth's ideas. Their series on the homemaking journals has been especially helpful to me. I was going to link all of the pertinent posts from Kim's site but rather, if you go here and start from the bottom up, you will find the posts in order. Elizabeth's pretty notebook can be seen here. Maybe you'd like to make a notebook for your home!
The tradition of the Advent log is similar to that of the Advent wreath. It is a means of counting the days until Christmas in anticipation of the birth of our Savior. Ours is a birch log, approximately 4 feet in length. It contains a candle hole for each day of Advent, plus one for the Christmas holy day itself. Some years, when the Advent season is long (like last year), each candle hole is used. This year, because Advent begins on Dec. 3, many of the holes will remain unused.
The log was lovingly drilled by my father (may he rest in peace) who helped fell the tree from which it came. I wanted a white birch because its bark is so beautiful against the greens of the season. My father's friend just happened to have a birch tree in his yard that was dying and was happy to have it removed.
Traditionally, families use purple and pink candles for the Advent log, similar to the candle coloring of Advent wreaths. Our family uses all burgandy colored candles with one white candle for Christmas day, for no other reason except that we like those colors. We use 12 inch taper candles which are just the right length for about a 15 minutes nightly devotion for each night of Advent. If you are nervous that you might run out of candle (by burning too quickly) by Christmas day, you can purchase 15 inch candles from various Catholic supply stores. I decorate the area around the log with greens and red wooden cranberry beads.
The candles are lit every evening. On the first night of Advent, we light the far left candle. It is by far my favorite night of the season! We turn off all the lights in the house and light that single candle. We read about Christ being the Light of the World and sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". That tiny flame gives such a bright light in the darkness.
As Advent progresses and Christmas draws near, the light becomes brighter in the room with each candle that is lit. We light the candles in an alternating pattern, switching sides of the log each evening. This pattern ensures that the candles will have a cascading effect with the tallest candle being the center one on Christmas day.
The Christmas candle is very special. It is pure white, symbolizing God's holiness. Each year's new Christmas candle is lit by the youngest in the house (with Dad's help) using the Christmas candle from the previous year.
On Christmas Day, we leave the candles burning for a long time while we sing, open presents and celebrate. The Advent log is used for the twelve days after Christmas as well, ending on Epiphany when it is taken down for the season.
During each evening of Advent, we read from the Scripture, have a devotion together, pray and sing some carols in preparation for Christmas. I will post more about the devotions and practices that go along with the Advent log another time.
The photo that I have posted of our log is of very poor quality. It was taken in our apartment, early in our marriage when we kept the log on our mantel. In this home, we display it on top of our piano. You can see by the number of candles lit in the photo that it was taken on Christmas Eve, as the only candle unlit is the white Christmas candle. I have a more recent photograph that I cannot locate. I will try to update the picture when I can.
Susan Schaeffer Macaulay: For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School
Karen Andreola: A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning
Raymond S. Moore: Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child's Education
Sheila Kippley: Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood: God's Plan for You and Your Baby
Adele Faber: Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too
Jean Liedloff: The Continuum Concept: In Search Of Happiness Lost (Classics in Human Development)
Anne Engelhardt: Playful Learning: An Alternate Approach to Preschool
La Leche League International: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: Sixth Revised Edition
