A Box

· categorized in Kids,

There is one toy that I maintain is THE best toy a child can have. A cardboard box. It doesn’t have to be huge, though it certainly doesn’t hurt. My kids love to sit in smaller boxes and make cars or trains out of them or simply pull each other around in them. This particular box, though, …

A Story Jar

· categorized in Homeschool, Kids,

Not much thrills me more than to hear the imaginative wanderings of a little mind. My boy is very creative and is at a fun stage right now. He LOVES his stories and the funny ideas he comes up with. Adventures are big at our house too. While we read every day, we don’t often …

Cukes, Zukes, and Squash

· categorized in Food, Garden,

It’s summer time and your garden may be overflowing with cucumbers and zucchini and squash and tomatoes! If not, you likely know someone who is over blessed by these prolific heat lovers. We were given a box full of them after picking fruit at a local u pick farm. I am going to be honest …

A Mouse

· categorized in Crochet Patterns,

What can I say? I told my husband yesterday after making this that it was an odd talent I thought: to be able to make really adorable little creatures out of yarn. It doesn’t seem to be particularly useful and I tend to be a pretty practical person. But you know what? It is fun …

Freezing Me Some Summer

· categorized in Food, Garden,

When I was a child, I did not like tomatoes at all. The love started when I tasted one grown in our own backyard and it continues today. My own plants are spitting out yummy little cherry tomatoes so far this year but this guy that sets up a good old back of his pick-up …

A Little Girl Present

· categorized in Kids,

One of the things I love most about making what I give is that I feel like it’s very real and true to ponder my friend and then to form for this friend something that costs my time and feeling and effort. My daughter has caught this way of thinking from me as she tends …

Footstool From a Sweater

· categorized in Repurposing Tutorials, Sewing Tutorials,

You might recall that I like to make new things from old sweaters. I’ve shown you how to unravel sweaters to up-cycle yarn, make them into wool cloth diaper covers, convert them into dresses, and sew them into skirts. One of my favorite thrift store finds is huge sweaters because up-cycling a knit fabric from clothes …

Mud fun

· categorized in Kids,

It was time to empty the new swimming pool… for the first time. This was the swimming pool I bought to occupy the children while their dad was out of town on business. They were a bit emotionally vulnerable with Daddy gone. Any small thing could set them off. I just didn’t want to scrape …

Free Backsplash Makeover

· categorized in My Home,

We were never sold on this house for its kitchen! Let’s just say that tuscan fruit bowls and dark red and oak cabinets don’t do it for me! We prefer a modern look. While I was quick to take down the offending wallpaper border the kitchen project halted there for a while. Later we took …

A Knit Rag Rug

· categorized in Knitting Patterns, Repurposing Tutorials,

Knitting is slowly growing on me. But this kind of knitting I will go for any day! The monster size knitting needles and humongous ball of rag yarn are just incredibly fun! I absolutely love the result and I could mention it is reusing at its finest when you can take a pile of old …