We all love Evie's new hair cut! She has had her hair bobbed like this for quite a few years, actually, but I think it has been a good year since the last haircut. Having it grow out a bit meant we could braid and style it a bit more, but she, and I, and our friends, and the hairstylist, all agree, THIS is Evie's haircut. Just in time for her piano competition this evening, too!
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We all love Evie's new hair cut! She has had her hair bobbed like this for quite a few years, actually, but I think it has been a good year since the last haircut. Having it grow out a bit meant we could braid and style it a bit more, but she, and I, and our friends, and the hairstylist, all agree, THIS is Evie's haircut. Just in time for her piano competition this evening, too!
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Well, first I was going to write a blog post about this darling little pony I am knitting (Here's my project). This is gonna be a pony, not a unicorn, okay? With a floral saddle blanket and all. Why am I knitting a pony? Because sometimes you've just got to. I love Claire Garland's style, and knitting patterns. They are just absolutely whimsical and delightful. So, when taking a picture, I threw in those flowers I got at Hobby Lobby to make this a darling little staged photo. But, wouldn't you know, I couldn't leave it at that- I needed to show you what I planned to do with the flowers:
But those beautiful flowers were beckoning to me and the kids, and we couldn't wait a moment longer to finish our project. I just love this idea. It was so easy to make and it's so bright and cheerful.
The bunting/banner was Gideon's idea, who spied the letters at Hobby Lobby. And I just feel so absolutely clever adding that leafy apostrophe in front of the S. That lack of apostrophe was really bugging me, because I am a homeschool mom who worries about silly stuff like that. But now I don't have to have one more sleepless night thinking about it. Haha.
What was I saying? Hobby Lobby?
Incidentally, three boys really aren't the ideal shoppers to take to that store, in case you were wondering. Evie, Grace and I could have stayed all day looking at darling projects for Evie's shed, and the rest of the house. The boys love it, but it is really not a great store for them to be quiet shoppers in. I feel ya, boys- I want to touch and play with it all.
Hobby Lobby is deceptively expensive. You think you aren't spending much because everything is 50% off. We kept putting back fake flowers, reluctantly, when we realized that even with the discount we had like $100 worth of fake flowers in our cart. One by one we sadly put the least lovely blooms back. Thankfully, we really did end up with plenty for this project, even though my original idea had been to cover the E with blooms. This looks just as nice, I think, with the leaves added and some of the letter underneath peeking through. Anyway, this was a fun, easy, sort of cheap, project. And I think it really does add a lot to Evie's shed.
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Remember a couple of years ago when Cate and Grace fixed up the old attic? Well, that inspiration got the wheels in my head turning, and I decided I wanted to convert our shed by the garden into a special place for Evie, as well as make the surrounding areas of the garden extra nice and fun to be in. We have so much land, and so many overgrown areas, that getting the yard into shape is actually quite daunting. But I think I've realized that, no different from house cleaning, I needed to just tackle one area of the yard at a time. We currently have three outbuilding that are currently stuffed full to overflowing with junk, filled with hornet's nests, and overwhelm me if I think too much about the work that needs to be done. However, spending the weekend on this little project for Evie, and the garden has given me a little momentum to keep forging ahead and plotting how to tackle some other outside areas that need work.
This shed really wasn't too bad to begin with, and it is still not done, but so far it has been a fun project for the whole family. Pinterest has proven to be its usual help, or danger, depending on how you look at it. After deciding to make the shed into a fun, cozy house for Evie, I looked to see if Pinterest had and ideas for me (Ha!). Well, apparently making sheds into charming, feminine spaces is a thing? They call them She Sheds. Hahahahahahahaha, I know, right? Anyway, I for one find that hilarious. But, thankfully, there was no shortage of ideas. I'm hoping to be able to sort through all that junk I was telling you about, and be able to make the shed super charming just with things we have on hand.
I did have to buy paint, of course, and I'm sort of already regretting my economical decision to do everything, including the floor, in white. But I have found that floor paint really does wipe down well, so I am hoping it will work out all right when Evie and her friends play in there. I also painted the bike- an old, rusted one of Grace's. I plan to cover it with flower baskets. And, you may not believe me, but I did come up with the idea of painting an old bike for decoration, before peeking to see if anyone on Pinterest had ever done so. Yes, yes, indeed, they had. So much "painted bike covered with flowers" inspiration.
We painted our old crib. It was Cate's baby crib. So many memories. Grace, Gideon, and Evie used it. After Evie, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but Jude, Truman and Clemmie never slept in it. We didn't live in a home that was big enough for a special, private baby nursery, and as infants they slept in our bed. After that, I moved them to a Porta-crib, because our house was such that I needed to move the crib in different rooms throughout the day so the baby could get a quiet nap. We converted the crib to a daybed a few years back and put it in the play room for cozy seating. But when I painted the shed white, I knew a gleaming white daybed/couch would be perfect. So the crib got painted, too, giving it new life from 17 years ago.
We also needed to purchase the flowers (though the random assortment of pots were all things we had on hand). The flowers were very fun for Evie to get to pick out, her own special choices. I hope she will find them special enough that she will keep the flowers watered and alive. But anything else I plant out there I hope will be perennial, so I don't need to buy more flowers every year. I did buy clematis, to get started on the more long term picture. Also, I really hope to actually plant a couple of trees out there for shade. If they are on the west side, they will not shade the garden at all, but will hopefully, in a few years, be able to shed and the other things in that section that are currently in the direct sun. It gets very hot. I'm not a very experienced gardener, flower arranger, or landscaper. So I'm sure it will be trial and error. But that's kind of the point of gardening, right? Year by year, adding and adjusting and learning what works and what doesn't, watching the area change with time?
Okay, so, let me close this post by showing you pictures of what we have done so far.
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Happy Easter, friends! I hope you found the day to be as glorious as I did. Easter is at the same time a completely sobering and absolutely joy-filled holiday for me, as I imagine it would be for anyone who celebrates the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as I do, on that day. Every year, as I know Christ better, and as I recognize more and more what a profound impact He has on my life, Easter holds a greater significance to me. It's hard for me to write about the profound impact Easter Sunday holds for me in just a few sentences.
"Calvary, oh what it means to me-
Since Jesus set me free, I think of Calvary!
It was Jesus blood- oh what a cleansing flood!
He did it all, for me, on Calvary!"
There is no freedom like the freedom found in Jesus Christ.
It was a lovely day all around, with lovely weather.
I'm also doubling up on this post and showing you pictures from Evie's tenth birthday party. Yes, my little girl reached double digits, amazingly. She is the most joyful, compassionate, content little soul you will ever meet. For her birthday, my friend came up with the idea of holding a fancy tea party, and doing our own version of "The Great British Baking Show," having guests bring their fanciest desserts and letting Evie judge them to see whose was the most delicious. We all loved the idea, particularly because we are such fans of that show, not to mention our love of all things British. Evie's friend Elijah was the second judge, and they deliberated just like Paul and Mary in the show. It was such a cute theme for a party. And as you can see, many guests really went all out on their bakes. Everyone had fun dressing up, too.
I have some knitting projects to show you- I've actually, um, finished THREE sweater sized projects that I haven't posted on here... oh goodness, lots to catch up on. I refuse to feel guilty about it though, and write when I can. Hope to be here again very soon!
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First outside party of the year - so much fun. The weather was glorious, the games silly and fun for all ages (including the adults), and it was one of those days that just puts a smile on your face when you think about it. And now I have a nine year old.
When any of us tries to describe Evie, the first word we use is, "Sweet." She is just the sweetest. Ready to defend the persecuted, teased, or underdog. Lover of babies. Loyal friend. It must be hard to come in the exact middle of seven children. The older three generally do activities together, and the younger three tend to play the same sort of games as well. Evie does a pretty great job of fitting wherever she can or wants. She's as happy to do all the girly things as she is to play football or softball with Gideon, or read a book to her baby sister, or put together legos with Jude and Truman. I suppose being right in the middle turns you into a very versatile, easy going person, ready and eager for anything, which Evie most certainly is.
I love my big family. I adore each of my seven children. I love how each birthday gives me time to reflect on each one of them. I wonder where we will be at a year from now? I can hardly wait to see.
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Hi folks, don't worry, all is well at the Davenport home. We started up our home schooling after the holidays, and I got in such a good, busy routine that I had trouble fitting in the blogging. I thought about posts I could write, and I missed my daily, or almost daily writing habit that I'd been keeping up, but on the other hand, other things in life were falling into place, which is always a good feeling. And that's kind of the way life goes- it's so hard to keep all the balls you're juggling in the air at once. On the one hand, Jude started piano lessons and daily piano practice has subsequently taken place, but meanwhile my poor little blog got put in a corner for a bit. I think I'm usually pretty okay with that aspect of life, for better or worse. I don't stress the details too much, which can be a great thing, but it depends on what other things fall behind. Like, sometimes it's paying the bills. Oops, there's a pink slip from the electric company...probably could have skipped a day of spelling lessons that week and gotten caught up on bills...
This reminds me of a blog post I thought of, but didn't write. "Go to the ant, you sluggard, consider its ways." (Proverbs 6:6) I used to always kind of think of that scripture as an insult, or a rebuke, which obviously it is for the slothful person, but after pondering it for a bit, I've realized I really like the days that I feel like an ant. Hustling around, getting lots and lots of things done. I love to be busy. I love accomplishing talks. And, as nice as relaxing and lying around the house can be, after a day of it, I am done. I do feel exactly like a sluggard, if a sluggard is what I imagine it to be, which is some Jabba-the-hut type of incarnation. That's how I picture it when I hear the word, hah! After doing nothing my head feels muddled and I get grouchy and start snapping at people. I'm definitely a much happier ant than sluggard.
Anyway, this blog post is supposed to be about that baby doll you see up there. Evie (with some help from me) made the doll for Clementine for Christmas. Do the pictures show you how much she adores it? When Clementine opened the present and saw the doll, she grabbed her, hugged her tight and then began walking around the room, showing her to people. But she wanted to show, only. She got quite upset when other's assumed she wanted them to hold her doll. She grabbed the doll back quickly and walked away to someone else who would admire the doll from afar, rather than try to take it.
This doll design is a little different from baby dolls I've made in the past. Slightly bigger head, and the body and legs weighted down with millet. The doll feels so great in the hands. Just the right amount of weight to make it feel much more real, and the weight means she can sit up on her own and be posed slightly. At a less busy time in my life, I will make dolls again, including more like the one you see here. Because she's just wonderful. I like the simple french knots for the eyes and mouth, and the blush on the cheeks and nose and hands. Clemmie likes her too.
Aaaaah, writing again. Feels great. I hope to talk to you guys again in the coming days!
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The scarf you see there is now twice as long, and it's a second Spring Fever. One of the funnest patterns I've ever knit, and so perfect for my life right now, since I don't have to think about it much, and yet the bright colors still make it engaging. Think it'll be done by Christmas? Well, not if I also try to finish a sweater and make another three or four hats...
Speaking of knitting, my sweet little Evie is always begging me to teach her how. I don't know about other moms, but I've had some issues with teaching my kids to knit in the past. It hasn't really been a fun experience for me. A project gets started, they need help with needles falling out, or mistakes made, stitches dropped, and I know it sounds selfish, but I would sort of inwardly groan when they wanted to start a project because it meant that I would be doing the majority of the knitting involved. Now that Cate and Grace are older they know how to knit but it's not something they enjoy doing, though they do like to cross stitch, they do a bit of sewing, and are have been trained to completely alter a formal dress, bridal or otherwise. But that's a different story.
Evie, now, I've felt guilty about for some time because she loves making things but I haven't spent enough time teaching her how for her to be able to do much of any of it on her own. My half hearted attempts at showing her how to knit have ended up at just that: needles slipping, yarn tangled, frustration for both of us.
A few days ago, however, it dawned on me: The Waldorf schools incorporate knitting into their curriculum, and they all learn to do it. How? Well, don't start with circular, slippery Addis, for one thing. Don't use yarn that's so thin that it inhibits a sense of progress. Just start at the very beginning, and make it easy for her, for me. And knit with wool. Well, I already knew that part, of course!
I have almost no straight needles at home, and not much thick yarn. However, we rounded up a skein of thick, single ply wool yarn that was hand dyed in pink, yellow and orange- what a coincidence: Waldorf classroom colors! I couldn't remember where that yarn had even come from, but Evie reminded me: gifted to her last Christmas by my sister, who had dyed it just for Evie. Oops...
I took two thick double pointed needles and put rubber bands on the ends to turn them into a mini set of straight needles, which actually made them even easier to maneuver than regular length straights. Then, I even looked up the little rhyme Waldorf Schools use to teach the knitting motions to kids:
In through the front door
Around the back
Out through the window
And off jumps Jack.
It only took Evie a few moments to get the hang of things (I had kind of showed her how before, remember) and that afternoon, she had several inches knit. I suppose it could be called the beginning of a scarf.
Here are the key things I need to remember when teaching people, especially kids, to knit for the first time:
Use straights, not circulars. That cable just gets in the way and confuses the issue.
Wood needles. It grabs the yarn, so the stitches don't slide off.
And speaking of yarn, wool is very grippy (and wonderful, but you knew that). Perfect for the beginning knitter. Hand dyed yarn with color variegation is ideal because it helps keep track of the row you are on and what direction you are going in, and just helps you "see" those stitches better.
Size eight or bigger needles (I believe mine were a ten) and nice thick yarn, that is the correct gauge for the needles. Thick yarn is good for the morale, because it makes progress appear almost immediately. I wouldn't go thicker than size ten to twelve, though. Then, the needles you are manipulating feel like broomstick handles, and that becomes it's own battle.
Finally, memorize the little rhyme. I promise. Dozens of times yesterday, Evie would show me her work and ask, "What do I do next?" And I'd look and say, "Oh, now it's 'Off jumps Jack.' "
"Oh, okay!"
Well, I'm thrilled Evie finally is getting her chance to learn to knit, and the positive experience may ensure that I'll have a fellow knitter in the family.
Good old Waldorf. (We aren't Waldorf homeschoolers, nor hold to its philosophies, but I love to glean homeschooling ideas from many many sources, including Waldorf.)
Are you wondering where my photos of Evie's knitting are? And more photos in general? I'm having a time figuring out how to use Lightroom, something I haven't used in the past. My big sister (the one of many talents, the one who dyed Evie's yarn) is coming over this afternoon and hopefully she will dispense to me some of her wisdom so I can have new photos on the blog tomorrow.
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As you may be able to tell from Evie's story, she just finished reading Betsy-Tacy (this incident happens almost word for word in the book). That's fine. Great writing often begins with imitation, just like all great art generally does. I don't have my children do copy work per-se, though I have considered it. Believe me, there is no shortage of excellent materials available that I could have my children use each day for their schoolwork. Point a homeschool mom to a NEW! INNOVATIVE! EXCITING! EDUCATIONAL! CURRICULUM! and watch her wilt like a leaf of lettuce on a picnic on a hot sunny day under the weight of discovering yet another wonderful thing that her children could be learning. We all have 24 hours to work with each day, that's all, and I actually like to sleep during part of that time. What remains is a juggling act between everything I want my children to know and be able to do and reality. So with all that being said, I've not incorporated copy-work into my children's school day, but look at that, my bright little eight year old sort of did it on her own. Yay, Evie! Way to lessen the wretched mama-guilt.
The top picture is from this morning, up sort of early (still not totally on Denmark time yet, or maybe I'm just using that as excuse to be lazy) with tea and knitting. Tea and knitting keep this homeschooling mom going. I don't know that I'd make it through the day without them. Tea to sip in the perfect mug, and a row squeezed in during a math lesson and I could go all day. That's my secret. I'll be the one with the tea, mugs, and knitting booth at the next homeschool convention, and you just watch the line to my table go all the way out the door.
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You know it's a great party when the party decorations include a party bunting made of pages from a book (unless you are such a lover of books that pages torn out to become merely party decorations makes you ill- however neither I nor my friends at the party are yet of this ilk).
Every year my sister Stephanie and another friend host a book lover's party. When I attended last year, Clementine was a mere week or two old! This year I left her with Ben and the boys and remembered bitter-sweetly that at the last party she had met many important friends and family in her life for the very first time.
At the party, we bring themed food from a favorite book, and you can see by some of the pictures here that there are some pretty creative and fun renditions of fun book-themed food. We also do a book exchange. About a month or two before the party I always worry about what I am going to bring, because, despite thinking of myself as a reader, I often look over the year at what I've read and it's a lot of unfinished books, or else it's books that I read right along with my friends, and I just can't bring that to a book exchange because no one wants to come home with a book they just read. I ended up bringing Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth, forgetting that three of my friends are pregnant. Not a good book to read while pregnant. Too high a worry and gross-out factor. Oh well, it was the best I could do. Next year I vow to have many, many choices for the next book party. I am going to read, and finish, more books. Yes.
Cate brought the first book in the Mistborn trilogy. I'll say this for the series. I have not seen Cate's face, outside of practicing piano, eating meals, or doing chores, for the last 10 days, since she began reading the series. Several days she has told me that she was growing close to getting tired of reading so much. This is Cate we're talking about here. A couple of afternoons after reading all day she felt a little nauseous.
I remember when growing up and visiting our city's largest library, the Denver Public Library, and leaving with a brown paper grocery bag filled to the brim with books, diving into them on the drive home, not letting up all afternoon, continuing through dinner (if I could sneak the book on my lap under the table) and into the evening, and then telling my mom, "I think I'm getting sick. My tummy hurts."
"Um, Jenny, you probably aren't sick. You just sat and read for 6 hours straight. Go outside and get some fresh air."
Watching Cate consume, no, inhale, Mistborn reminds me of that. She's halfway through the third book and her kindle tells her she has 13 hours to go. A dream come true for a book lover who is always on the lookout for new reading material like a man in desert looks for water.
I came home with The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and couldn't be happier. I hear it's a great inspiration to get people reading again, not only in the entertaining book itself, but in the great book suggestions throughout the novel. I'll tell the truth- instead of messing with my stupid phone, I carried the book around with me this morning and am about 70 pages in. Yes. Thank you, book party.
Grace brought Daddy Long Legs and came home with The Bronze Bow. Good. I want her to read that book. I want to read that book. Evie brought the ever delightful Betsy-Tacy and came home with Twenty and Ten, a book I forgot about, but have read at least 3 times growing up.
Oh, how I love yearly traditions, especially when they are good ones, like the annual book party.
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