Weekend outing: Sturbridge

We bought a new chicken coop this weekend, and it was more than an hour's drive to pick it up, so we decided to make a day of it and visit Old Sturbridge Village while we were in the neighborhood. I hadn't realized just how big it was--we were only able to see a tiny bit of it, being on toddler time as we were.

I found myself especially interested in the things that define my daily life these days: home, food, and children:

A simple and practical kitchen set-up:

Watermelons stored up in the attic (in November? I'll have to try that!):

A sweet sleeping corner that reminded me of Laura and Mary:

A trundle bed:

A beautiful baby's bed to keep out the drafts:

A potty seat sized just right for toddlers (fascinating from an EC perspective--no preschooler would fit in this chair):

A cozy scene by the fire with knitting and toys:

A beautiful, tiny, child's desk under a window:

There was lots to engage Lucy, too. Her special request was a ride on the stagecoach:
"Horses! Me in?"

She tried out a butter churn:

And even got to "milk" a "cow."


I really look forward to future visits; a homeschooler's haven, I think!

The shelves are groaning

And speaking of books...

I got a few more at a recent library sale.

All my spare computer time has been going to cataloging these (thus the lack of posts).

Oh, my goodness, what treasure! It was painful to leave behind the hundreds and hundreds of children's books I didn't buy. Several closing elementary schools' libraries were there, and I felt like I had to rescue these books! As soon as I'm finished getting the heaps out of my dining room, I'll post about some of these vintage goodies.

Yarn Along

I love Ginny's idea of a "yarn along," which she's hosting at her blog Small Things (share what you're reading and what you're making in a photo: two kinds of "yarns.") I talk about kids' books here a lot, but rarely about what I'm reading (why is that?), and I haven't had many finished projects to share lately, so this seems like a perfect opportunity to share stuff in-the-works.

I'm reading Little Bee, which is described on the cover (by the New York Times Book Review) as "an affecting story of human triumph," and I surely hope it is, because so far it's an affecting story of devastation. I could use a little triumph right now.

And I'm crocheting a pair of longies for Lucy. I sewed her two pairs with two very-rare hours to myself this weekend--and they didn't fit!! I was so upset to have wasted the precious time. So I'm really hoping this pair will work out well. I chose a super-plain organic wool from my gifted-from-a-friend stash (thanks, Melissa!) in the hopes that this pair will be able to go under any dress she might wear this winter.

And here's how projects in the works usually look around here:

Catching the gold...

...while I still can. It's almost gone!



(the views from our backyard, 2 days ago, before the rain which took down most of the leaves)

Slipper weather

It's officially slipper weather here in New England--has been for a while in our chilly house! And Lucy didn't have any. So, several weeks ago, I got to work on a pair of tiny slippers, thinking they'd be ready in no time. Well, I messed up. And ripped it all out. And messed up again. And again. And again. It became very clear that I am decidedly still a beginner at crochet. I finally finished them--but they are two different sizes! The second came out much smaller than the first (probably more close to the size I actually needed).

But on her feet, they worked ok, so I called it good enough. I added some pink suede soles (cut from a thrift-store jacket), which work well to keep them from being too slippery on wooden floors.

(Please excuse the horrible shot--we're in that impossible-to-photograph toddler stage!) As you can see, one comes up quite a bit further on her ankle. Oh, well--they still keep her warm.

The pattern is free on Ravelry (and there, you can see cuter ones made by accomplished crocheters!). If I can do it (sort of), you can too!

In the studio: getting to know clay

This year's group of children is particularly interested in clay.
Yesterday, we explored the clay more even more fully than we have so far.








How well do you know clay?

Slacker mom at the playground

I am not one of those parents who climbs the toddler play structure, holding my baby's hands. I don't lift her to the monkey bars to "help" her across. I usually sit and watch while she plays. I probably look like the lazy parent to many others, or even the neglectful parent. (At a playground this weekend, as I sat in the middle watching my very-independent toddler explore all the tunnels and stairs and bridges and make friends and stir puddles, I kept hearing surprised other parents saying "oh! there's a baby in here!") But it's always been my philosophy to support children as they stretch themselves toward that next goal, rather than to do it for them. I usually help with words--and not many. Today there was a perfect example from our time at a nearby play structure.

"Mama, help me!" (This gap is too big for my leg to cross!)

"Hmm. What if you held onto this log?"
(No--see? I still can't do it.)

"Huh. I wonder how you could get across?"
(Well, I guess maybe I could walk on this chain like a tightrope.)

(Yes! That worked!)


Those appalled parents at the playground this weekend, when they eventually spotted me sitting on a bench, kept commenting on what a great climber Lucy is, and how confident and independent. Yup, that's 'cause her lazy old mom won't help her a bit!