A few days before my daughter's first birthday, I took my children to the local children's farmstead. She was enthralled with the animals, wanting to stay and watch each one, excitedlt signing and making sounds. I knew a farm cake would be the perfect first birthday cake. My original plan involved multiple tiers and animals... Continue Reading →
Fifteen years ago a young girl disappeared in the woods behind her home. She told her brother she was going to live in the faerie world with the king of the faeries. No clues were ever found. Now family secrets and the supernatural collide and tumble as the book drives to an unexpected and unnerving end. Jennifer... Continue Reading →
I made these little wool newborn diaper covers for a friend from felted wool sweaters. Part way through cutting out the first, I remembered why we don't have any wool in our house. I pushed to finish six before I was too miserable to work with the wool anymore. I hope they work. I have... Continue Reading →
Jonathan Benson's Transforming Your Kitchen with Stock Cabinetry: Design, Select, and Install for a Custom Look at the Right Price was written to help home owners remodel their kitchens using affordable cabinets found at DIY home improvement stores. The book gives quite a few tips about kitchen layout and design appropriate for those remodeling a kitchen... Continue Reading →
When I found a free pattern for a radish, I knew it would make a perfect Harry Potter ornament. My husband raised his eyebrows at me, asking what exactly a radish had to do with Harry Potter. I reminded him that Luna, a fabulous character, wore radish earrings in book five to keep the nargals away.... Continue Reading →
Suzuko Koseki's Natural Patchwork: 26 Stylish Projects Inspired by Flowers, Fabric, and Home (Make Good: Crafts + Life) is a beautifully photographed book with charming quilted country items for household use. The projects are simple and the directions give even beginning quilters adequate instruction. Further discussion of various quilting techniques may help the novice get started quilting.... Continue Reading →
Our house was built in the mid-90's with a lot of building materials from the 1980's. While we have replaced lighting and I am preparing to paint the cabinets and trim in an attempt to remove their golden oak glory, the ceiling fan has also been a source of contention. My husband has wanted to... Continue Reading →
Stephen Krensky briefly touches on the story of The Great Moon Hoax and the lives of the newsies. With a unique pictorial style, the story itself seems to be lacking and ends abruptly without giving enough detail of the historical events. However, the book did bring up quite a few side components which my children and I discussed such as newsies,... Continue Reading →
In her book, Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love, Julie Moir Messervy takes you step by step on how to have, not only a yard which looks fantastic and that you can live with, but one in which you can live. So often American yards are merely accessories to a house, looking pretty but... Continue Reading →
I am privileged. It's a fact we don't often talk about or that we often don't even acknowledge. However, whether we notice it or not, privilege is very much a part of our lives and impacts our decisions. I am white. While that shouldn't make any difference, in our society it does. It means I'm... Continue Reading →
living peacefully with children 