Snow on Snow on Snow

Starting on the 5th of the month, we had a dreamy few weeks of more white than green. I was really hoping it would last the entire month, but as I type this, it's a typically green Oregon Christmas Eve Eve (or Christmas Adam as we like to call it... you know... because Adam came first, before Eve).

Snow on snow, then a little ice, then a partial thaw, then more snow, then frost, then a final dusting of snow before the rains washed it all away.

By the time it all melted, the kids were relieved. They went from uber excited to "meh" after the first few days of snow play. Which is great; the last few winters have included zero playable snow. Cross that one off of the Winter wish list.

 

Back to Basics/Trimming the Tree

It's hard to pinpoint the moment a subliminal decision such as this is made, but the moment it is put into effect can be hard to forget.

We adopted this huge braided rug several years ago. Was it before Baby Boy was born? Could be. I can't remember for sure, but I do remember trains and toy cars driving round and round on the braid "roads". I remember when Baby Girl started scooting around on her belly on the wood floors that this rug would stop her in her tracks and she would gaze longingly at her big brother as he played with alphabet toys that she couldn't quite get to. I remember countless band sessions in that living room, with my musical friends circled round in perfect alignment with the circles on the rug (well, more oblong, but you get the point).

This rug lived in my In-Law's house for years before it came to us, and had weathered any number of feets. We don't know who had it before them, but it was rumored to have been hand-made by the Mother of it's former owner.

As the time drew near to rearrange and decorate for Christmas, the Farmboy and I had a few conversations about that rug and I confessed a growing desire for it to be evicted. I never loved the color scheme or picking out bits of glitter and splinters of wood that stubbornly refused to be vacuumed; I had been feeling a strong desire for something more simple and easy on the eye. I was surprised at how quickly he agreed. So when the day for trimming the tree arrived, we moved the furniture out, vacuumed the rug front and back, and I put it up on Facebook, offering it to my friends (and not expecting any takers). I'm happy to say that it has gone to another friendly home where it will hopefully host many more happy memories.

And now that it is gone... no regrets. How those lovely Douglas Fir floorboards glow! In their former life they were beams in a fishnet factory on the Oregon Coast. I like to think that this is their favorite season of life. Now that they are once again exposed, my house seems somehow warmer, bigger.

As for the tree trimming, not many pictures were taken, but it was accomplished with bare toes on smooth boards warmed by the fire.

The kids got their own live tree for the first time this year, set up on the upstairs landing. A place for colored lights (not allowed on the downstairs tree) and as many cartoon characters as they desire (also strictly NOT allowed in my living room).

And all was merry and bright.

The Rest of November

November flew by in a torrent of school days, work, home, church, friends, falling leaves, and weather turning from warm to downright chilly.

I hand-lettered a bulletin board for the school; something I've never done before. I used a chalk pen on black paper to make it look like a chalkboard. The goal was to depict the school's mission in a way that would make people stop and read it. I found the project both difficult and rewarding, and now I'm known as the "creative artistic Mom", and I'm afraid I'm never going to convince them that I was faking it the whole time. You'll see a portion of the finished board shown below as you scroll through my month.

I made the kids wait in the car while I pulled over on the side of the road to take pictures of the scenery that I drive past every day. I also made one of them pose with a giant emoji in front of his face.

It rained a lot. I stitched even more. I turned another year older and celebrated Thanksgiving twice. I cleaned the house repeatedly and did mountains of laundry only to find more dirty clothes in need of washing. You all know very well how it goes.

November was beautiful and messy and full of moments that I hope to never forget. Yet another series of days in the story of my life.

*NOW AVAILABLE* Fruit Basket Ornament Kits

Originally released as an exclusive kit back in March, I am now making these kits available for purchase through my etsy shop. I think they would make a fabulous addition to your Christmas tree, as they are just the right size for an ornament. Or, you could stitch one up to wear, as I originally intended.

The kits come with everything you need to complete the ornament/pendant: silk gauze, thread, backing fabric, wooden frame, and black ribbon.

Buy several to give as gifts or make one to give in a holiday exchange. Or... keep it for yourself! Before making the model, I had never attempted to stitch on silk gauze, but I have to tell you, it was so much easier than I thought, and I really enjoyed every second of this quick stitch. It would be a perfect first try too, because it is small and very forgiving.

This design is now available in my etsy shop, and will not be sold in any needlework shops unless they purchased it from me in March. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com

Presidential Election Year

This is not going to be a post about my political beliefs; they are for me to hold and perhaps talk about with close friends and family from time to time. I'm not here to talk about how I voted or why, or jump on any bandwagon berating or cheering others for how they voted. So you can read on, unafraid, I promise...

This being a rather momentous Presidential race year, I did my best to bring the process down to a level that my eight and ten year old kids could understand. We talked a lot in the weeks and months before about the candidates, what they stood for, what political parties are all about, and why they might have been chosen by their parties. We not only talked about the front runners, we also talked about the minor parties and who was running on their behalf.

Then, just a week or so before Election Day, we got wind of a Presidential rally for Gary Johnson that was going to be in downtown Portland. Knowing that it would be smaller and therefore not so overwhelming for the kids, we ventured out as a family to further participate in the hullabaloo. Although they were mostly bored for the whopping 50 minute rally, they did think it was pretty cool to be in the same room with a man that was running for President of the United States.

When election day finally rolled around, I let the kids drop our ballots in the box (I miss the days when Oregon had voting booths and little old ladies with cookies and lemonade at the courthouse, and bunting and patriotic music, and those little stickers that said, "I Voted").

I want my kids to understand just what a privilege it is for us to be able to vote in the first place. We live in an enormous country, and regardless of how you feel about our political process, it is there and has grown into the thing that it is for a reason and for a price. I'm not by nature a person that is highly patriotic; I tend to be more of a "Go World!" type. But when it all boils down, we as a country have as much to be proud of as any country out there, and the fact that our people (and women!) have a say is pretty spectacular. We all have our faults and ugly times in our histories. But that is a different post for a different day.