A pair of gloves for Phil

This story begins tragically, a little over three years ago.  It was fall.  I had just come home from the grocery store to learn from my neighbors that Phil had an accident in our garage. He had been doing some woodworking. I will spare you dear reader of all the gory details & just leave it at this. Phil lost 3 of his 5 fingers on his left hand. This was to be a bit of a trying time for our family. However, Phil stayed focused & was determined. He was out of work for only one week, & after just 6 months, was able to do everything he could do before the accident. Although he still has trouble whenever he has a needs to use his planer-joiner again. 

As an outcome of this accident, Phil & I have gained a new tradition.  I knit a pair of custom fit gloves for the winter season, & Phil wears holes into the fingers on the right hand glove.  It's a love/hate tradition.  I love making gloves for my husband to wear each winter, & I hate having to repair the fingers that get worn out. Because of this, Phil & I have been on a constant hunt for the perfect knitting fiber. It has to be soft, not scratchy like wool. It has to be very strong, so that I won't have to replace the fingers, & most importantly it MUST BE WARM!   We have tried bamboo yarn, cotton yarn, & yarn made out of nettle. This year we are trying 100 % yak down, handspun in Tibet. (This is a product that is made by The Rocking Yak, the project I am apart of in Tibet). Yak down is warmer than wool, & is as soft as cashmere.  We have also found it to be somewhat water proof. Since Yak down has the same felting properties of wool, the fingers seem to be felting instead of wearing out. The truth will be told at the end of this winter as to wether or not this yarn will hold up, but for now we think that quite possibly this yarn is perfect fit for this yearly tradition.

10 things to do in the winter part 2

10 winter activities for... 

Outside

1. Play with toy cars. Kids love to play with cars.  Why not have them pay with cars in the snow? Shovel paths for the cars to drive on, make hills/ditches for cars to maneuver.

2. Make a maze.  Shovel a path throughout your yard for the kids to maneuver.

3. Ice skate. Find an ice skating rink near you to go ice skating at. Or build your own. Instructions to build your own  ice skating rink can be found here.

4. Take a hike. Look for animal tracks in the snow or pretend that you are a great explorer on an expedition to the North Pole.

5. Have a Bonfire. Yes it's cold, but wouldn't a big fire make spending time outside, (maybe stargazing) that much more fun? Bring out those homemade marshmallows to roast over the fire.

6. Paint snow. Fill water bottles with colored water and let the kids "paint" with them.

7.  Make a snow fort. Pile all that snow from the driveway up.  Then dig tunnels, build steps & slides.

8.  Make a snowman. Make your snowman close to a window. Give it sticks for arms then hang all those tasty treats that you make for the birds on the sticks. Watch as all the birds come to keep your snowman company.

9.  Make snow angels. Remember making these as a kid? Lay down on the snow & move your arms & legs up & down, & side to side. While you're down there look at the clouds to see what shapes you can find.

10.  Have a snowball fight. No instructions are needed. Just get out there and play.

I hope these ideas for inside & out help. I know how frustrating it can get being stuck inside everyday, but it doesn't have to get to the best of you. Be thankful for this time you have with your kids where there truly is nothing better to do than play together. 

Let me know how it goes.

10 things to do in the winter part 1

If your kids are anything like mine, 

Cabin Fever 

has taken it's effect on your home. 

Here are some things that I have found to do with children that might just help.

Inside

1.  Make treats to feed the birds & watch as they flock to your window to eat.

Food that the birds find tasty: raisins, orange slices, cranberries, peanuts (unsalted), sunflower seeds (unsalted), cranberries 

Or mix together:  peanutbutter, cornmeal, raisins, oatmeal, & bird seeds.  

This mixture can then be spread onto bagels (ask a local bakery for any scraps. I get mine from Panara Bread), or pinecones & hung outside.  Make sure to hang them in a place that is easily visible from your window so your little ones can enjoy the bird watching.  This idea is from the book i love dirt.

2.  Make flubber! Kids love the feel of this stuff.  If you have little ones, flubber is a great tool for learning to cut. A recipe can be found here.

3.  Make 3D snowmen on paper. I first heard about this idea from my M.O.P.S. group.

Mix 2 parts shaving cream to 1 part glue. Mix this up until it becomes glossy. Kids can use their fingers or a craft stick to shape into a snowman. For little ones draw a snowman on their paper for them to fill in.  Once dry, kids love the texture of these snowmen!

4. Snow ice cream!  A good friend of mine told me about doing this as a child. Here is an easy recipe for this tasty treat.

5.  Snow in the bathtub.  Fill up the bath tub with warm bath water. As your little guy is playing in the tub bring in some measuring cups/spoons, & a very large bowl of SNOW. Kids love to measure out portions of the snow to watch it float & melt. The possibilities are endless.

6. Ice pictures. This project comes from the book Crafting Fun 101.  Fill a pie pan with water. Make a loop of string and place it in the pie pan so that half the loop hangs over the edge ( this will be used to hang the ice picture).  Submerge the string along the edges. Fill you the pie pan with things such as evergreen, berries, dried flowers, twigs, milk pods, moss, any natural object. Let the pan set outside overnight to freeze.  To remove the picture, set the base of the pan in warm water without getting the ice picture wet, and then remove. Hang your picture outside near a window.

7.  Read.  It always feels good to spend the day warm inside reading. Remember Princess Bride, when Grandpa (Peter Falk) spends the day reading the story to his grandson (Fred Savage).  Your children don't have to be sick to spend the day listening to a good story.

8.  Make marshmallows.  What make a cup of hot chocolate so inviting? The marshmallows of coarse! Here is a great recipe to use.

9. Star gaze.  Winter is a great time for star gazing. The cold air is often dry which lends to better visibility. Another project found in i love dirt.

10. Build a tent. I know this is a lot of work on the parents part. However, if you can get past the mess it can be a lot fun for everyone involved. Use blankets & chairs to be creative in how you build your tent.  Get out sleeping bags & use flashlight & tell ghost stories. Roast marshmallows in the fireplace, wood burning stove, or gas stove. 

Imagine if you can...

... living at 14,500 ft. on the Tibetan Plateau, Quinghai.

This plateau, that you call home, is surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the world.  Traveling is difficult, and the climate is harsh, but the culture here is rich in tradition, being one of the slowest to change, and the scenery is some of the most beautiful on Earth.

What would your life be like?

If you are a nomad you might spend your summers living in a tent 

that is handmade with the hair of your own yaks.

Or you may live in a rural village where you live in a small house.

In either home, your most likely prized possession is your yak.

 This precious livestock gives your family

  food to live on, 

hair for shelter, 

added strength for hard work, 

& soft down for warmth. 

Without such things, surely your family would not survive here.

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I am excited to begin sharing with you a project that has been dear to my heart for several years.  I have been working on a way to aid in poverty elevation among rural Tibetan communities. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, 2009 looks to be the year that we begin to see our efforts take shape.  In the months to come I will be happy to tell you more about the Tibetan people, this project, and even ways that you can be involved.  

Survival

First day of school is done & over. 

Everyone involved had a wonderful time of learning, creating, making new friends....

 & one certain mother even enjoyed her time to herself!

This could be the beginning of a beautiful thing. 

Just think how much I'll be able to get done each week having 2 hours to myself  

EVERYDAY 

to clean, 

organize,

 create,

& relax. 

I might just become a new kind of mom. A much more organized, less scatterbrained, 

maybe even happier kind of mom.  

Today I am very excited about preschool.

The night before preschool

{ a dialog with myself }

Where has the time gone. Wasn't it just last week that I spent the entire day taking care of two little ones running & yelling Mommy? Tomorrow they are going to school. What will my mornings consist of now? Now that my house will be empty from 9:00 until 11:30 everyday. 

Now Carrie, (I hear in my mind), it's only 2 1/2 hours a day. I am sure you can think of plenty of things to with yourself while they are away having fun, making new friends, and learning so many new things.

It's true. I can think of many things I'd love to do, but before now have not had the time to devote to it.  There's finally taking time for myself to workout without interruptions, praying, working on artwork, Knitting for Rocking Yak, this blog, Etsy... the list goes on.

But after having Nona & Jacob with me, all day long for 5 years, I feel a little misplaced not having them here every morning.

Are you telling m,e ( again, in my mind), that throughout those 5 years, you would not have longed to have just 2 hours a day to yourself?

Well, no, I would have loved to have that time. Just now that I have it, & the kids are going to school, I suddenly feel a bit lost.

I do hope I am not the only mom who feels this way upon sending her children off to school...