Christmas Sewing Day 1

One soft knit nightgown size 10...
Simplicitty 7841

The Farmer's Museum, Cooperstown, NY

Riding on hand carved carousel animals was only one fun part of our sunny fall day. The kids and the Papa rode, I happily watched and enjoyed thanking God for the wonderful day and these incredible kids.

Preparing for Baby

This season of life is both one of my favorites and one of the most difficult to bear patience-wise.

The excitement and anticipation of labor (I love being witness to my body taking over and doing what God created it to do!) and meeting a new child, hand crafted by God, is an amazing and wonderful feeling. It's the not knowing when the babe will come that drives this mama nuts. Ironically, our children's circle time memory verse this week is on the topic of patience.

Around our home, I've been busy working and preparing for the days after I deliver, so that things can run as smoothly as possible.

We began our homeschooling year early, so that taking off days won't put us behind. I also have the year's lessons plans completed. No need for late night scrambling.

Baby's clothing is all washed and ready. Since we don't know the gender, the clothes I have out are all neutral. Gender specific clothing is ready sorted in bins in the attic to pull out.

Activity bags for the older children are prepared. Inside are wrapped packages, items that will occupy and entertain when a few minutes are needed. You know me, I'm cheap and thrifty so the contents of all these bags cost less than $30. Probably way less. Inside are painting books, small toys, craft putty and slime, velcro toss and catch game, snacks...

Meals are organized in the freezer and a list of what is made on the side of the fridge. This is a necessity for us, having a large family and welcoming a sixth child.

The pantry, too, has been organized and tidied and as much as possible (lifting wise) the attic has been sorted and neatened. Since baby's arrival coincides with seasonal clothing swapping, the attic has been a busy place.

Birth supplies are ready. I really didn't have much to gather together, since the midwives will bring all the big stuff.
And now to occupy my waiting, pregnant self, I've decided to work on one Christmas present a day up till baby comes. I'll let you know how that goes...

Harvest

At dusk we helped sweet friends fill their baskets with apples and a few bags of potatoes freshly turned from the warm earth. When the moon took over watch, we sat inside with our cofee or water with lime and ate rustic apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

We have a lot of acquaintances but how valuable are the true friends we get to fellowship with and share our lives with. I am so thankful for the blessing of our friends.

Cider Mill

We watched 250 lb wooden barrels of apples emptied, the smooshed apple contents layered and stacked between canvas and then swung into place under the hydrolic press, fresh apple cider pouring out.

Here at home, our favorite way to enjoy cider is mulled, served in pottery mugs and sitting around listening to a good story being read.

Mulled Cider Recipe

2 quarts cider

1 large cinnamon stick

zest of a lemon or orange

pinch of nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon. Add more of any of these to taste.

Heat all above in a saucepan until quite warm.

Pattern Purging - TAKEN!

Along with the wonderfulness of nesting, I've cleaned and sorted almost my entire mountainous stash of fabric and sewing paraphernalia. No small job but feeling wonderful now that my yarn is neatly separated into zip lock bags and my fabrics are in bins according to type.
I have this pleasantly full copy paper box of sewing patterns up for grabs. Patterns date from the 1950's onward and include men, women and child patterns with a large variety of sizes. I don't know if there's a medical term, but hoarding vintage patterns is a disease I have.
If you'd like the box full, for whatever the postage to you costs (payment will be through paypal):
A. Make sure you're a follower of Cultivating Home on the right sidebar so I know you're legit. The only thing I ask is that if you take them, you pass on (for free) whatever you don't want.
B. Leave me a comment with a way to contact you. First commenter takes all.

Because I am full with child, I'd like to get them mailed out as soon as possible.

Homeschooling with Toddlers Activity #7!

Easy playdough recipe here.

Color your playdough with coffee, jello, food coloring, koolade...

Add sparkles! Our kids LOVE this and it is a great way to say "yes" to glitter without the mess.

Make it scented with essential oils!

Still Pregnant

I know my due date is a full two weeks away, but somehow I was hoping the 6th child would want to come slightly early. Aiden snapped this photo on the lawn behind the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY yesterday afternoon.

Another Reason to Love Homeschooling

A basket filled with lunch, watercolors and paper...

A stop by a small cider mill to inhale deeply and fill our lungs with the fresh, autumn smell of apples, cider and donuts...

An hour or so spent enjoying the sun, lunches, each other and God's creation at a local college garden...

Homeschooling with Toddlers Activity #6

Many year and many children ago, I found this metal board at a thrift store with some magnetic numbers attached. It has followed us from home to home and now entertains Chase for a bit when the other children need me to help with their lessons.
The magnets he likes best are from Melissa and Doug, CBD, and a Thomas the Train book magnets.

Gentle Blanket Training

Treasures from a Shoebox asked if I did blanket training with our son, Chase and as I began typing out a reply, I realized it was long enough for a post in and of itself. So here is my reply:

I did a loose form of blanket training with Chase, beginning with lap training when he was just a baby, getting him used to sitting in my lap with a toy to play with and exchanging out the toy for a new one every few minutes. This got him used to sitting still on my lap for 10 or so minutes at a time. He's always been an active boy (is there another kind?)and so it really did take some enjoyable "training" for him to get used to it. What baby won't love sitting with mama and having something new to chew on and explore?

Now he'll take out his blankie and sit on it and ask for something to do when he sees the other kids getting out their lessons. I never had to yell or scold to blanket train him, just made sure he had fun activities to do on the blankie and that if he chose to get up and walk around, the activity got put away right away, leaving him with the motivation to sit on the blanket if he wants to continue playing with his activity. If Chase does start climbing on the kids while they are doing lessons, I'll switch out whatever I gave him to do with something else.

The activities we use for lesson time are kept in a drawer in the dining room, where we do lessons, and aren't taken out at any other time, keeping them more exciting and "new".

I've heard and read some really harsh reviews of blanket training, which I think is so ridiculous, as its been one of the gentlest methods used in our home.

Homeschooling with Toddlers Activity 5!

Just something simple, maybe it hadn't crossed your mind, but our small fellow loves his legos...

Heart of the Matter

We slid through busy aisle after busy aisle this morning at the thrift store, moments after unloading the back of the suburban at their donation site, and I smiled to myself at the completed circle of giving and receiving.

Among our treasures were a thick stack of boys jeans and pants, barely worn (let me say, my boys are hard on their pants - ours go straight to the trash!), a pull on pair of navy blue snowpants for Aiden along with a Lands End coat. We also found a very cool jello mold for Annaliese, which I'm sure will be featured on her Happy Homemaking Lessons blog soon. A few sweatshirts and tops, hand knit white newborn sweater, and sweet set of milk glass drinking glasses later, we paid our way out ($24) and the boys and I got to discussing how stopping by a busy, unorganized store allowed us to spend on everything what we would have spent on one needed pair of jeans at the mall.

I am so glad to have these daily dialogues with our children. Dialogues and life experiences. I read a quote today that said something to the effect of "children are like wet cement, what touches them makes an impression".

Choosing to home educate a child, for the majority, I would say, is not about putting your kids in a bubble, making them dress weird, or somehow twistedly using them to fulfill a need in your life for companionship. I don't know one homeschooling mama who at one time or another hasn't just wished for a bit of silence or time to catch up on housework. Homeschooling involves the beauty of sacrifice.

For me as a mama, the verse that always comes to mind, no matter what choice of education or parenting is being discussed or proposed, is the first chapter of the book of Psalms where it speaks of not sitting in the counsel of the scoffer. What a great opportunity for us as parents to scrutinize what is stamping into the wet cement of our children's lives is found in those first few verses. This extends into what we put in front of our children to watch, what literature we give them to read and the close relationships we encourage them to nurture. How hesitant we need to be to sit our children in the counsel or companionship of scoffers and unbelievers.

The institution of family is a powerful weapon, either way it wields. If it is magnified above God, it does as much harm as if it magnifies the opposition. If it is used correctly, as the basis for all of life's nurturing and learning and worship of God, it can be a powerful tool against the opposition. If we are deceived and believe ourselves incapable as parents, then what? In my own strength I may be incapable of much. (I am.) In my own mindset, I am lacking in so many areas (I am), but I can boast that in my weakness He is glorified.

Our children's memory verse this week is Phil. 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The verses surrounding that one are worth reading and meditating on through the day too. You can read the chapter here.

Have I mentioned this?

Walking through a barn sale a few towns away with the kids, I saw this cupboard in the back, holding some knick-knacks that the sweet woman had for sale. I am always on the look out for older pieces to tie into the kitchen and was fond of the glass doors and perfect blue-gray paint. When I asked, the woman said she'd consider selling it to me for $20 if I was interested. Sean picked it up for me after work. It is large and heavy and fits perfectly in the spot I had imagined for it.

Illustrator Lena Anderson

We've been enjoying some of the books featuring illustrator Lena Anderson from our local library. I first picked up a few postcards with her art, not knowing who she was, while we were in Germany three years ago. We recommend picking up a copy of Linnea in Monet's Garden to enjoy!