Completed: Two Ponchos

One for Lil in quiet, pretty blues and purples,

and one for Viv in purple too, but with bright oranges and reds. Just like their personalities.

Art with Kids 101: October Leaves

This is a very simple craft that I recently did with my younger siblings.

From collecting the leaves, to coloring, to cutting and pasting this is something they can really get into and enjoy. We made it as a gift to our grandma and they were so excited when they presented it to her :)

You'll first want to collect some leaves from the great outdoors. No kind in particular, just whatever grabs your fancy. I also pressed our leaves in a book for a day, so they laid nice and flat for us.

Place your leaf of choice between two pieces of paper- this makes it easier to hold them in place. Rub crayons over the area, hard or soft to get different effects. It was a lot of fun to see the pattern of the leaves emerge and exclamations of "Wow!" or "Look at this one!" could be heard while we were doing it.

When the outline appears and they're all filled in you can go ahead and cut them out.

Keep going until you have a sizable pile- the wreath will look better if it's full.

 Then cut a wreath shape from some cardboard as shown. You can make it as big or as small as you want, depending on the number of leaves you have and the size of your cardboard. We just used an old pizza box.

Cut it out, never minding if it's not perfect because the leaves will cover the imperfections.

Arrange the leaves however you wish. 

Once they are in the place you want them, go ahead and glue them down. We just used a regular glue stick and it worked fine.

Keep layering and covering the cardboard with leaves until there are no more leaves and the cardboard has disappeared.

Hang it up with some string or ribbon and viola! you have a fall "leaf" wreath that doesn't turn brown like real leaves.

This is so versatile it could be adapted with totally different colors and leaf shapes. And the best part? The kids loved helping with everything and enjoyed it immensely. 



The Fog Comes on Little Cat Feet

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

by Carl Sandburg

A fluffy gray cat with a small streak of ferocity lives at my Uncle and Aunt's home where we are currently staying. 

 Ellie adores him and constantly begs to go see the "kitty." Gently she strokes him, saying "nice, nice!"

We try to explain to an 18 month old the neccessity of being careful around the kitty, but our attempts are futile. "Go see kitty? Go see nice?"

Changes

In these last days God is requiring much of us that His Word could be shared with all. For this reason He spoke to us as a family that we are to move to Europe! The process that has brought us to the place we are at now has been a huge change for all of us, yet we are excited because we know that God is leading us and taking care of us.

I have always thought that it would be great if we moved to a foreign land to do missionary work, but surprisingly, when I was given the opportunity I wasn't so sure that I wanted to. After all, it would mean leaving all that I had ever known- the places where we lived, worked and grown and the people that we love so well. The idea became real to me and when I grasped what it would mean, I shrank from it. I spent time praying, asking the Lord for confirmation that this was His will for me. He told me quite clearly that it was, and I accepted it, but not- I admit- with the most joyful attitude! I dutifully cleaned out my room, got rid of 1/3 of my clothing, packed my entire bookshelf contents into 2 boxes and helped pack up everything else. Our house went on the market and was sold in 1 week. Clearly God was opening doors for us because homes comparable to ours were not selling well in our neighborhood.
We now had 30 days to completely leave the house. Family members helped out in packing everything. It's funny, but you never know how much you have until you start cleaning and clearing out. And times that by 10 people and you have quite a bit!
My siblings thought it all a great adventure as some things went into storage and other things left to find a new home. Our piano went, very out of tune, but very much used and loved. (I do have a keyboard, though and it's a great consolation :)
Those 30 days just flew by- late nights, boxes everywhere, busyness and excitement. Even I was excited sometimes. Then, that last week it hit me that I was leaving my home. I stood there in the near empty living room and I could have wept. I let sadness come over me. I knew that I should trust in God, that He would have something better in store for me, but I wouldn't let go of my self pity and sorrow.
My mom told me that it was hard for her too, but she also said "You, know, Hanna, it's okay for you to feel sad. But you cannot be so overcome by it that you can't or won't see the things God has in store for you. You miss out on the joy and peace that God gives in the midst of change."
I knew that it was true, and tried to overcome my grief, but I couldn't do it by myself. As we left our home I cried to God, "Oh Lord, you see how my heart's breaking. I feel it, Lord. It's painful. I'm leaving everything I know."
And clearly, sweetly, I heard Him say, "My precious daughter. Give Me your heart so I can fix it and fill it with Me. Don't you trust me to take care of you and know what is best for you?"

I broke, and tears came down hot my cheeks. God touched me. Now that I have my eyes focused on Him, I can see more clearly. I can see past my situation, my feelings and even what I am leaving. I can look ahead and catch a tiny glimpse of what He has in store for us as a family. I don't know the extent of it, but I know that it is something wonderful. It's the beginning of something amazing. I can't describe to you the peace, joy and expectancy overflowing in my heart when I look at our move across the Atlantic Ocean into a completely new country.

Yes, we will miss our family and friends here most dearly. And yes, I do and will miss my old home. And yes, change is hard. But it is much easier when your heart is in the right place and you are allowing God to fill it.
 This is the most exciting, marvelous time of my life.  

Babies in the Bush

Execpt these babies are hidden in their safe little shells- and their mother is not at all friendly! When any of us are remotely near her precious babies she and her mate screech uncontrollably and dive at our heads, threatening to attack us! I can understand, though- they're simply trying to protect their offspring. Still, it does make capturing photos a challenge! 

A Dozen Paisley Napkins

Napkins and napkin rings for my future Aunt. I love this pattern and color scheme so much that I want to make some for myself!

Made out of a thick cotton, sewing the corners was sometimes difficult with so many layers to sew together, but my mom and I managed. I had a lot of help from her, since I am not exactly proficient at using the sewing machine or undertaking sewing projects. I can pretty much go forward and backward on the machine, but that's all! It's a good thing my mom knows more and is willing help me even though she has a lot of other things to do. She is the best! 

Doll Operation 101

Several years ago, after much longing and deliberation, Soph worked all summer saving up her money to buy an American Girl Doll. She bought a Kirsten doll off of Ebay and Soph enjoyed many days of playing with her. But time took its toll and poor Kirsten lost a leg, then another! My mom and I found a "remedy" for  "broken" or loose doll legs. We fixed her up, and she was good for another few years of play, till now, when she was in really desperate condition. She has gotten a complete overhaul!

The night of the "operation" Soph got all of the tools and the doll in readiness. We had many little helpers who sat around the table watching- and commenting and offering suggestions :) - with great interest.

Now, if your dolls limbs are very loose, they will look like this:



And if the limbs are very, very loose they will look like this, with the stretchy band visible.



To take the limbs off, untie the string that holds the doll's head to its body.



The doll's body is filled with stuffing, so go ahead and pull all of that out, but save it, because you'll need it to stuff her back up once you're done.



Then cut the stretchy band that holds all of the limbs in place.



The limbs will come right out, like so.

Then we washed the limbs with soap and water, being carefull not to get water inside of them. You can see the drastic difference!

Cut the new elastic hair ties once so that they make one long strand instead of a circle. It's important to use new hair ties because they are not stretched out and have more elasticity in them.

Inside each limb will be a little plastic "cup" like the one shown below. You will have to take them out gently with a pliers, so as not to break or twist them.

You should have 8 little "cups" all together- four from the inside  of the limbs and four from the outside of the limbs.

Put one end of a elastic band into a "cup" and tie a knot near the end, as pictured.

Pop the end you just knotted and the "cup" into a limb.

Thread another the band through the appropriate socket in the doll's cloth body, then thread the "cup" onto the elastic band, positioning as shown.

Stretching the band tightly, tie another knot as close to "cup" and limb as possible. The tighter your knot and the closer you position the knot to the limb and firmer and more stable the limb will be. 

Attach all of the limbs this way, taking care to make them as tight as possible.

Stuff the doll back up, taking some time to make sure that the doll's body is smooth and free of lumps and bumps.

We carefully wiped off Kristen's face and brushed her hair. We also trimmed the ends of her hair and the stragly bits in her bangs and then did her hair in her traditional braided loops. Her head was then put into position and the string tied tightly to keep it on.

Dressed in her freshly laundered clothes, and now able to stand on her own solid legs, Kirsten has made a full recovery and is now ready for more long hours of play!

Babies in the Strawberries

If you were to come and give a casual glance at our vibrant strawberry bed, nothing extra-special might be noticed, except perhaps the abundance of green berries.

 But if by chance you looked in the right spot, a surprise would await you.

And if you gently moved the fluffy gray fur aside, 8 little pairs of fuzzy ears would peep up at you. Less than a week old, these baby bunnies don't have their eyes open yet. But it won't be long- they are getting stronger and bigger every day and the small nest hardly seems big enough for 8 growing rabbits!

 Somehow, my mind cannot grasp the fact that these cute, soft babies will soon be eating our kale and fresh spring lettuce- just like their mother!

Completed: Ellie's Sweater

Ellie's knitted sweater is finished. However, due to some slight problems in the pattern, it turned out wider than she is! I liked how simple it was to work with its
easy garter stitch and basic shaping of the rectangles, but it turned out just barely long enough for her and much to big for her, as you can see in the picture.



I did do a colored pattern to make it prettier, and I think that turned out well. It was good practice for me even though it didn't end up perfect. I am now in a "knitting fever" and will have another project to show you soon!

Glass Harps and Canon in D

We found this super cool instrument on YouTube- it's called a "glass harp." This man plays songs by filling assorted sized glass goblets with set amounts of water to produce different notes when he rubs his hands across the tops of them. It is so amazingly beautiful that I almost want to make one of my own!

http://youtu.be/UGftsRH7A2w

Recipe: Cream Cheese Flan

Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

5 eggs

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, cook sugar, stirring, until golden. Pour into a 10 inch round baking dish, tilting to coat bottom and sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Beat in condensed and evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour into caramel coated pan.

Fill a jelly roll pan halfway full with water, and place pie dish into jelly roll pan and put in oven. Bake in preheated oven 50 to 60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool one hour on wire rack before serving. To unmold, run a knife around edges of pan and invert on a rimmed serving platter.

Serve and enjoy!