Kwanza Day 6:Kuumba

Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah) Creativity makes use of our creative energies to build and maintain a strong and vibrant community.

Kwanza Day 5: Nia

Nia (NEE-yah) Purpose encourages us to look within ourselves and to set personal goals that are beneficial to the community.

Kwanza Day 3: Ujima

Ujima (oo-GEE-mah) Collective Work and Responsibility reminds us of our obligation to the past, present and future, and that we have a role to play in the community, society, and world.

Kwanza Day 4: Ujamaa

Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah) Cooperative economics emphasizes our collective economic strength and encourages us to meet common needs through mutual support.

Kwanza Day 2: Kujichagulia

Kujichagulia (koo-gee-cha-goo-LEE-yah) Self-Determination requires that we define our common interests and make decisions that are in the best interest of our family and community.

Kwanza Day 1: Umoja

Umoja (oo-MO-jah) Unity stresses the importance of togetherness for the family and the community

DECEMBER 25: Merry Christmas!! God bless.

Luke 2:1-20
The Birth of Jesus

1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told

December 24: Cook! Cook! Cook!

Philippians 2:5-11

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

December 23: Nutcracker

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

My beautiful nieces are in this production, and we are very proud.

December 22: Make desserts

Isaiah 7:14-15

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right.

December 21: Look at Photos of Christmas past

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

December 20: Family Game Night

Matthew 2:10-12

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

December 19: Church Program

Luke 2:26-38

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

December 18: Movie Night

Luke 2:25-35

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

December 17: Treats to Neighbors

Matthew 2: 1-8

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

December 16: Gift to Charity

Luke 2:16-20

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

December 15: Teacher Gifts

Luke 2:13-15

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

December 14: Shopping Day

Luke 2:8-12

The Shepherds and the Angels

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

December 13: Bake Cookies

Isaiah 9:2-6

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death [a]
a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as men rejoice
when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian's defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior's boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, [b] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

December 12: Christmas Parade

Luke 2:6-7

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

December 11: Read Christmas books

Luke 2:1-5

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

December 10: Christmas music dance party

John 1:6-9

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

December 9: Plan Christmas dinner

Luke 1:65-79

The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed his people.
He has raised up a horn[a] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."

by Fisherga

December 8: Make candy

Luke 1:57-66

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."

They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.

We wanted to make these candies. But I didn't have a candy thermometer, so I don't know if I got the syrup hot enough. And even though the directions told me what size pan to use, I decided that a cookie sheet would be better. Now I'm going to have something too thin. The kids were also disappointed to know that they'd have to wait until tomorrow to try them out.

December 7:View Christmas lights

Matthew 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

by sociotard

December 6: Hot chocolate and carols

Luke 1:39-55

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
Mary's Song

And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."

December 5: Mail Christmas cards

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

December 4: Make ornaments

Luke 1:5-22 (King James Version)

THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,

According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.

And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.

I tried having the kids cut out ball shapes and gluing on pictures and sequins. I think I'll have to reinforce since we used construction paper. We still need to punch holes and add ribbon.

December 3: Make wish list

Micah 5:2 (King James Version)

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

December 2: Picture for cards

Jeremiah 31:31-33 (King James Version)

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

I waited too late and someone was sleepy!

December 1: Decorate the tree

Isaiah 62:10-12 (King James Version)
Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.
Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Advent Calendar?

For years, I have planned to have an advent calendar. As a quilter, I have looked at several patterns for a quilt. I have a list that I intend to try. But I always manage to look up mid-November and realize that I forgot again this year.

I really want to give it a try, so I'm giving up the quilt obsession this year and going for something (hopefully) simpler. I've been inspired by ideas here, here, and here. In addition to activities, I'll include daily Biblical readings. I'm still trying to decide if I'm going for the daily candy.

If I can follow through, I intend to post daily in December.

Another fabric book

My schedule has been so hectic, that my sewing machine and I are becoming strangers again. But I've been trying to steal a few moments here and there to relieve stress.

I started on another fabric quiet book. I wish I had thought to take pictures along the way so that I could make a tutorial. Maybe next time. I used a fat quarter to create the pages. I fold it like it's paper to that I don't have to do a lot of cutting and hoping that I get pages the right size.

During Scrap Buster Month Sew,Mama,Sew posted some tutorials that I wanted to try, so this was my excuse. I made the butterfly by following these instructions. The idea for the flowers came from here. And I found the pinwheel instructions here. I wanted my pinwheel to move, so I followed instructions from this book.

Obviously, the edges still need to be finished off, but I'll do that after I've completed all of the pages. There are two more page spreads, so maybe I can finish one about every other week or so. I'll keep you posted.

Freezer Cooking

I was inspired by Money Saving Mom's days of freezer cooking, so I checked out this book from the library. I intend to buy it, but I went ahead and tried some recipes to see how it worked.

One great feature of this book is that some recipes involve cooking everything and then freezing and others, perhaps the majority?, are about putting the ingredients together and freezing. I chose six of the second type to try today.

While the book doesn't encourage marathon sessions, I had meat that I wanted to do something with before freezing. Following the recipe as written means getting three packages of the same item. Due to the size of my family, I would get two packages of the same thing. I chose to half the recipes that I used so that I could try more.

The result is that I ended up with six different entrees in an hour and a half. I think that's pretty awesome. All I will have to do is take an entree out of the freezer the night before and throw it in the oven when I get home (or put it in the crock post as I leave in the morning). By the time I check homework and make sides, dinner should practically be done.

I think I could get used to this.

Review: Fix, Freeze, Feast

I'm probably late to the party, but I just found Fix, Freeze, Feast. I've tried freezer cooking before, but I found myself tired of the same old thing, and I lost interest.

This book is full of recipes that sound interesting, and it contains tips for easing your way into the process. I don't currently have a membership in a warehouse club because I tended to allow things to go to waste. But these recipes sounded good enough to make me reconsider.

The book is divided into sections for Chicken, Beef Pork, Meatless, Sauces, and Breakfasts. Recipes are geared towards the purchase of  a large tray of meat at a warehouse club from which 3 meals are assembled. Since ingredients are mixed together and distributed among 3 freezer bags, you get three of the same meals. You could either serve the same meals 3 times that month or over three months. I like that several recipes have similar ingredients so that I can utilize bulk ingredients without a lot of leftovers.

For my family size, I would likely divide between two bags. For recipes that I want to test on my kids, I think I might divide in half and make one recipe the first time. I think I'll start with a couple of recipes and see what I think. Since I don't have a club membership, I'll go with what's on sale at my grocery store and work from there.

Handmade Holidays

I have been so busy with other things,t hat I have barely touched my machine. How sad!

But Sew Momma Sew is hosting Handmade Holidays again this year. Hopefully I will find the time to participate. Perhaps you should too.

I made a hand puppet

For some reason, our little Z has taken to removing her shoes and sock, and placing said sock on her hand while saying something that sounds like "Elmo!" We think she's trying to use her sock as a puppet, but we aren't sure. So I had to make her one. I used a simple pattern that I found here. I decided to upcycle a pair of jeans from another daughter. I really liked those butterflies, so I'm glad to still have them around.



I guess that we will call her Lydia since the butterflies go down her back like tattoos. I should have pinned before I sewed because there are some places where I missed stitches. The denim was a bit bulky, so her hands aren't as rounded as I would have liked.


I tried embroidering her facial features. I chose a hot pink since it matched the butterflies, but the contrast isn't what I had hoped for. I'll have to think about how to go in and use other colors to add more contrast. Maybe a dark purple.

I've gone and critiqued myself until my project seems a total mess. I guess it turned out alright for a quick project. We'll have to wait and see if Ms. Z likes it.

I made pants!

I've been so busy that I haven't had a moment for myself. I stole a free moment and allowed myself to be creative. I made these pants for my little Z.

I decided to repurpose some pants that I wasn't going to wear anymore. I would attempt to create a a tutorial, but I followed instructions from here and here. In general, I just took a pair of her pajamas and traced out a pattern. I placed that pattern on the legs of my old pants lining up the hems so that they would already be done. I sewed the inseams and crotch seam and the waist. The material in these pants is a combination of cotton and spandex, so she was able to wear them before I even added spandex.

They are a bit long, but she'll be able to wear them for a while if I cuff them for now.

I'm a winner

This post is cross-posted here and on my book blog. Please visit!

---

I created this blog hoping to exercise my craftiness. Somehow my true favorite took over, and it's starting to morph into a book blog! I can't complain because I've been rewarded for what I love.

Thanks to Color Online, I received this great book. I can't begin to express how much I LOVE this book.


And I neglected to mention that MotherReader awarded me this beautiful book. In fact I received it from the author herself.


I guess that I better get busy reading and writing reviews.

Review: Sport of the Gods

by Paul Lawrence Dunbar
1409963004 Paperback: 132 pages



This post has been moved to my book blog. Please visit!

I'm back (I think)

I have been in transition from working full time to returning to graduate school full time. I'm excited about the change, but a bit nervous about making it all work. I hope to get back to blogging, but I'll have to figure out what that schedule will look like.
Let's get this academic year started!

Review: Hell-Heaven

From
Unaccustomed Earth: Stories (2009)
by Jhumpa Lahiri


0307278255 Paperback: 352 pages

This post has been moved to my book blog. Please visit!

Color Me Brown book challenge

I never intended for this to be a book blog, but I love books - I almost wish that I had become a librarian. The books I've reviewed so far have been how to books because I intended this to be a book about things I make.

I just stumbled upon the Color Me Brown book challenge, and it called my name. As a mother of four beautiful daughters, I want them to develop a love of reading. I also want to instill positive self images. So this particular challenge has personal value for me. I'm not yet sure which books I'll be reviewing in August, but I'm looking forward to whatever they will be.

BIP Blog Post Bingo

I've spent the last few days participating in the blog improvement project at Sophisticated Dorkiness.

I created a couple of review posts, a short list post, a resource and opinion post with poll, and a personal post with links (I had hoped that this would cover the long post too, but I couldn't find anything else to talk about on the subject).

Playhouse Heaven

1. the playhouse, 2. playhouse-sleepover, 3. playhouse, 4. Dreaming Spires Willow Playhouse from Judith Needham www.willowplayhouses.co.uk, 5. This is my playhouse, 6. Unique, 7. Crooked Man's House, 8. Dream Playhouse, 9. DSC01076.JPG

I have dreamed of building a playhouse since the birth of my first child many years ago. At the time it was to be a tree house, but the tree has since fallen. Over the years I have drawn many different plans and bought and read several books on the subject.

While I was supposed to be working on other things today, I found myself on Flickr where I happened upon these great images. I would love to do a tour of the interiors of these houses. I've never tried a mosaic, so I picked my favorites and gave it a try.

I've been trying to determine if there is a theme to what I was drawn to. It looks as though they are all unusual or have a natural quality to them. They seem to vibe with my no frills, earthy nature. I realize that I prefer not to have a Victorian or cookie cutter kit type house.

I have little to no carpentry skills, so what I build will involve a lot of guessing. I want to use as many found or recycled objects as I can. I've already bought a door and a couple of screens from the Habitat Restore.

This playhouse is on my bucket list, and I am determined to get it done this year. It won't be as cool as these, but I will be proud of myself, and I am sure that my children will be thrilled. Even the oldest, who is probably technically too old.

Which makes me wonder are you ever too old for a playhouse? I know that I've seen trends in fully functional tree houses that are being used as home offices. I'm not into that, though. I want to design it to catch breezes and capture sunlight. I want it to be a kid's place to play and not a tricked out (wo)man cave. Living in Texas, I will probably have to utilize a fan though. Maybe I can learn about solar power in the process. If so, I might also put in solar lighting so that we could do slumber parties like the one in the mosaic.

Is it obvious that this is more for me than for my children? I mean they are welcome and I'd love to give them memories of playing with momma in the playhouse. But I think that the basket on a pulley, the loft, the binoculars, and all the other gadgetry in my head are all my fantasies.

I suppose that it would only be fair to have them help me plan so that they might enjoy it more. But I think that it's probably more important that I get it going.

Let's try a poll

Since I'm on a quest to experiment with improving my blog, I'm going to experiment with polls tonight.
I found tutorials on creating them here, here, and here. These all involved manipulating the gadget provided by blogspot.


Have you ever used a poll on your blog?


This was relatively easy to do. But I wanted experiment with polls form other sources. So a search led me to Vizu.com where I created this poll.

Online Surveys & Market Research

While I could still only do one question, I was able to select colors and the width of the survey. But I didn't much care for the advertising that appeared after I voted.

Please vote in the polls so that I can experiment with this more.


The quest to improve continues.

More blog improvement

After participating in recent challenges, I find myself constantly asking how I can make this blog look better. I know that I really should be focusing on adding more content that people care about. But since I'm still in infancy phase, I use this more as a diversion and motivator than as a traffic builder.

So I've been nagging myself to go back and finish the things that I didn't get to in the Bloggiesta. Namely, I want to

• make the related post widget work


• figure out why my favicon doesn't show up


• get the widget working that's supposed to recognize first time visitors


• create a 404 page (I just think this is cool)and


• play with image placement some more

I've already changed my background again, so maybe you'll notice other changes soon.

Review: Hammocks, Hassocks and Hideaways

Hammocks, Hassocks and Hideaways: Furniture Kids Can Build For Themselves (1980)
by Timothy Fisher 0201029367 170 pages

Summary: As the title states, this is a book of furniture projects described at a level intended to encourage kids to DIY.

Review: The first section of this book out lines tools and materials that will be used to complete the projects. The next section explains projects that sit on the floor - primarily chairs. The section on "in the air" furniture provides guidance on projects that are swing and hammock in nature. The next section is about boxes and tables that can be folded flat. There is a section on outdoor furniture that utilizes interesting materials. There is a small section on storage and a section with ideas for various room dividers. The final section focuses mainly on lamps.

Recommendation: The projects in this book are simple and utilize simple materials. While I might want to modify them a bit if I were making these items for my kids' rooms, I would follow them as is for a playhouse. With simple directions, it will come in handy in my first attempts and furnishing a play space for my children.

Review: Creating and Crafting Dolls

Creating & Crafting Dolls (1994)

by Eloise Piper 0801985242

128 pages

Summary: This book gives a pattern and steps for making a doll with suggestions for varying the appearance.

Review: This well written book gives a relatively simple pattern for a doll. Each chapter gives information on how to add to the details of the doll. For each detail, instructions are given on how to stay simple or how to add more complexity to the project. For example, when adding facial features, one could draw them on, use embroidery, or applique features. Instruction is given for clothing dolls from applique to actual outfits.

Recommendation: I would definitely recommend this book for beginners to intermediate doll makers who are looking to make a simply doll and perhaps spice it up a bit.

Review: Housebuilding for Children

Housebuilding for Children (1977)

by Les Walker 0879513322

175 pages

Summary This book gives details that guide children through the process of building small-scale structures using large-scale techniques and principles.

Review I bought this book several years ago with the intention of saving money and building my own playhouse for my daughter. I chose this particular book because it is aimed at children. It is written to allow a child to increase her skill sets under adult supervision. The edition I have is older, so no power tools are mentioned. A group of kids could conceivably follow the given directions and complete one of several different structure types. They might also learn about different building techniques along the way.

Recommendation I would recommend this book to a young person with a budding interest in architecture or construction. I would also recommend it to the adult novice in woodworking who would be interested in building something for children.

Review: Fleecie Dolls

Fleecie Dolls (2008)

by Fiona Gamble 0896897346, 112 pages

Summary: This book gives detailed descriptions and patterns for making dolls from fleece.

Review: I happened upon this book at a fabric store during a time when I was just becoming interested in doll making. I was just learning about how to do hair, and I was fascinated that hair could be done so easily with fleece.

This book has patterns for dolls of different sizes. It includes patterns for clothing as well. It has a range of challenge levels for doll details. I've already planned to make several of the dolls and have ordered my projects by perceived difficulty level.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to doll makers at the beginning to intermediate levels.

Kombucha Kraze

I've read about it, wondered about it, and have now started it. I'm on the bandwagon and, thanks to a good friend, started my first batch. I had never tried it, and had no idea what it tasted like. Kind of silly in retrospect! But I was looking forward to testing the rumored health benefits. Well, it ended up being really sour to my taste. I tried to improve it by adding juice. I'm not sure that it helped.

My batch was big enough to produce these jars plus a starter for my next batch and another starter that I've stored in the fridge.

I started my second batch with twice as much sugar and the intention of brewing for a shorter amount of time. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Thrifting

As seems to be the trend in many places on the blogosphere, I have discovered the joy of thrifting.

What I’ve learned about myself is that I like vintage. I have to admit that I have secretly loved visiting Goodwill for a while. But I thought I was just cheap, and I would hide my rare tags and bags from my husband. But after discovering the Thrifty Chicks and the Frugal Fashionista, I’ve started to shop with my head up.

Recently, I seem to have developed an obsession with jars and storage containers. I’m sure it’s a result of participating in the kitchen cure and seeing these images of jars as storage. And this week I scored these vintage Tupperware containers.

Although I don’t recall seeing these specific containers in my childhood, they made me think of some containers my grandmother had. 

Set of 4 Vintage Tupperware Servalier Bowls,
originally uploaded by vintagegoodness.

And this lead me to ebay where I discovered toys that I had as a child but had completely forgotten about. What great memories. (I'll let you know if I win my bid!)

Vintage Tupperware Shape-O-Ball Baby Puzzle Toy,
originally uploaded by vintagegoodness.

I’m still trying to categorize what I don’t mind getting second hand. I have an obsession with chairs, so I’ve picked up a few of those. One day I’ll get around to attempting reupholstering them. I’ve grabbed some drinking glasses and a couple of blazers.


I've been on the lookout for a dresser for my kids' room, and I find that I gravitate towards antique styles. I'm currently loving old school storage containers and serving dishes.

When it comes to furniture, my more favorite second-hand option is Craigslist, but I’ll save that for another post.

Bloggiesta completion list

Here is my initial to do list along with what I actually accomplished.

• Write some book reviews. There are some kids fiction books with quilting as a theme that my kids and I have enjoyed. I didn't get around to getting this done. I did set up some template posts that are ready for me to fill in with the reviews.


• Write backup posts for a rainy day. I only got one of these done.


• Write that great post idea from three months back. It was great to me. We'll see what you think.


• Create template posts for your future reads (ie: title, images, linking, tags, etc,) so you can open up, write review and post without being bogged down with technicalities. I did some of these for future book reviews and for a landing page.


• Learn what a favicon is and maybe add one. I learned about this from Trish. Turns out I had looked at this a while back, but I didn't remember what it was called. This ate about 45 minutes of my time since the most talked about hosting site was down for maintenance when I tried to do mine. I went in search of other sites,but never found what I liked.


• Install those plugins that you’ve been meaning to do. I decided that I want a related posts widget on my block. I spent about 45 minutes researching and trying out code, but couldn't get any of them to work.
  
• Create landing pages (for example - an about me for Twitter readers page) or any other pages you might have. I've made a template for a landing page for the distant day when I get a big hit from a referring page. I spent way too much time on it for the simple results that I settled on. But I got great information from these two posts at Problogger.


• Go get a gravatar. I have to learn what this is, too This took me about 20 minutes. I'm not yet sure where I will use it since blogger already using this image for me. Learned this from Trish, too.


• Work on any specialized projects that you may have going. Think I'm going to turn this into a series post. I know what series of posts I plan to do, but I didn't to work on them.


• I also used website grader to run a report on possible changes to improve my search engine results. Thanks to Bookish Ruth for teaching me this.
  
• I also want to add myself to a directory. Got this idea from Infant Bibliophile.

In all, I think that I spent a good 10 hours on this. And in true challenge fashion, I did a lot of it through the night while my family slept.

Bloggiesta to do list

I've decided to participate in Maw Books Bloggiesta, "a blogging marathon with a fiesta flair.” Based on her suggestions, here is my initial to do list for this weekend.

• Write some book reviews. There are some kids fiction books with quilting as a theme that my kids and I have enjoyed.


• Write backup posts for a rainy day.


• Write that great post idea from three months back. It was great to me. We'll see what you think.


• Create template posts for your future reads (ie: title, images, linking, tags, etc,) so you can open up, write review and post without being bogged down with technicalities


• Learn what a favicon is and maybe add one


• install those plugins that you’ve been meaning to do. I want to try that related posts plugin


• create landing pages (for example - an about me for Twitter readers page) or any other pages you might have.
  
• Go get a gravatar. I have to learn what this is, too
  
• Work on any specialized projects that you may have going. Think I'm going to turn this into a series post.

This list is looking long for 48 hours. We'll see what I get done and how long it takes.

Fabric Quiet Book Lessons Learned - Part 2

In my previous post, I shared the things I learned from making my first fabric book. This post continues those observations.

My biggest issue is with the pages themselves. I found lots of sources for creating this type of book (like here and here). Since I wasn't in the mood to bind multiple pages, I treated my fat quarter like a single sheet of paper and created a foldable book, an idea I got from the book Cover To Cover. Unfortunately, my measurements were apparently off a bit because some of my pages are wider than others. This made it difficult to bind my book in the manner I had planned.

In spite of all the faults I've named, there are some things I do like – besides the fact that I actually finished a project.

I like the photos, but I'm afraid that they won't last. I went quickly and a couple seem to be peeling a little. Since I suspect I'll need to wash this book at some point, we'll have to wait and see how this turns out.

I like these bullion flowers that I learned to make here. I know that I will be including this in more things that I make in the future.

And I liked finishing the covers with ribbon that I've had a long time trying to find just the right project.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this project and am pleased with the results. I'll continue striving to make it better.