Uncommon Grace

sick, sick, sick

Sorry, no regular post today. I am really, really, really sick. Hopefully things will improve by tomorrow. My energy today was just ... gone. You know how it is -- it's hard enough to keep a family running when you're sick, let alone editing photos and writing. I do have some stuff to share with you, some fun projects we've done lately -- so, soon, I hope. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Quick Announcement

Hi all, thank you so much for your lovely congratulations on the attainment of the doctorate! It has been a long (almost 10-year) road for us, and we feel so relieved -- and elated -- to be finished with it! Much more celebrating to come this week, I'm sure. (Plus it's someone's forty-something birthday next week, so lots of celebrating there, too!)

Anyway, we're back and settled, but I'm terribly sick. I wanted to let you all know that if you've been debating on buying something from my shop, that tomorrow will be the very last day. I'll be taking the shop down after tomorrow to accomodate holiday shipping. So, take a look! I'm not sure if I'll re-list any of the items at a later time -- I'm thinking not, at least for the dolls. So this really will be it! Thanks again for all of your encouragement, enthusiasm, and support of my little venture.

See you in this space, for something entirely different, tomorrow!

'Tis the Season

We tend to decorate fairly gradually throughout advent. We like to spread it out as much as possible.

Pretty well set up is our piano top, which has been acting as our primary seasonal table for quite a while now.

(The Santa teacup candle and red berry wreath are awaiting a more permanent home.)

We've been collecting Fontanini nativity figures since we got married. It's one of my favorite things. I love that it's beautiful and classic-looking, while being OK for the kids to handle. My mom adds a new piece for us each year. Sometimes we get one to commemorate an important event (the birth of a child, etc.), but often it's just one that we like or want.

Last year we got this little spinner because Elisabeth had learned to knit. She's my favorite.

Today, we got our Christmas tree, enjoyed a bit of nog, and this weekend, we're off to my husband's graduation! Lift a glass for him if you think of it. I'll be back here in the first part of next week. (Unless, you know, my computer crashes again.)

love,
Grace

Gingerbread

Gingerbread people are so good in so many ways, don't you think?

Those made from felt and rick rack are especially nice on t-shirts.

The tiny one was kind of a challenge -- she's just an inch high, and I should have hand-sewed her to the shirt rather than machine-sewed, because it was tricky. Oh, well!

Everything is good as long as we have matching gingerbread people shirts.

Edited to add: Lands End carries some pants similar to the ones you see on Fiona, here.

Celebrations (and pictures from St. Nicholas Day)

Each year, as time and the seasons circle back around, and we find ourselves celebrating our familiar holidays and festivals in our family's customary ways, I always step back and marvel about how much things really are the same year after year, and also about the ways in which things are new.

This advent and Christmas, all of this seems even more apparent because we have a new little person to share it all with. It's such a delight to see Elisabeth and James excitedly showing her the day's advent calendar surprise or explain to her all about St. Nicholas and his annual visit.

It's equally delightful to see her wide-open curiosity about it all. I think she understands, in her own little way, that special things are afoot. I know I say this often, but it's this kind of thing -- witnessing sibling relationships bloom, seeing things through the eyes of a babe who is only just seeing them for the first time ever -- that really makes my life feel whole.

So, here's to being here in the moment, celebrating the season with these three wee ones who each blow my mind every day, and here's to whatever is new and exciting about our celebrations to come.

Even when the wrapping paper is the most interesting part.

{Technical difficulties here again, friends. Too frustrating and boring all at once to explain, but hopefully we can get all this settled very soon. Until then, posting will be reliant upon how fussy the computer is being at the moment.}

Guest post: Amy of Whole Mama

Some time ago, someone commented to me that every mother needs another woman whose children are older (and whose children you like) to serve as a mentor and role model. I am so very, very blessed to have had at least one such woman in my life (beyond my own mama, of course).

Almost five years ago, I started teaching cello lessons to a young girl named Emily. Over the next few years, Emily, her mom Amy, and their entire family became a special part of our lives. They were the first non-family members we ever left James with. Amy took me on my first thrifting adventure. (Our well-loved bread machine was actually one of Amy's amazing thrifting scores, which she shared with me!) They have since moved away and we miss them dearly, but I will always consider myself very blessed to have had a woman like Amy in my life: an experienced mother that I could look to as an example when I was feeling unsure.

So, I immediately said yes when Amy offered to do a guest post for me. She blogs here, so please pay her a visit. She really is a beautiful, whole mama.

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This past June, my then-fifteen-year-old daughter, Emily, and I drove 2000 miles to Maine for a "writer’s retreat". She was to work on her songwriting and I was to work on a mothering book. Dad was out of work and had spent several weeks in England visiting his father, so offered to take care of the other five children while we worked interruption-and peanut butter sandwich-free for the better part of a month.

A few years ago, I could never have imagined someday taking, or wanting to take such a trip. Em was one of those high-energy, bouncing off the walls sort of kids.  She ran away from me at the grocery store. She refused to sit for a story. She escaped from Sunday school—twice. She even got away from me in church one time and crawled all the way to the front of the sanctuary under the pews. I marveled at my friends who seemed to enjoy their children and wondered why I, despite the fact I desperately loved my daughter, struggled with enjoying her.

But life has a way of mellowing both daughter and mother, and though it took many years, we, on the cusp of those fragile teenage years, when many mothers and daughters are going their separate ways, surprisingly, and delightfully, started to find camaraderie with each other.

The landlady who rented us the "Lilac Place", a lavender cottage just a short walk from the Penobscot Bay told us that she, too, had taken her eldest daughter on a special trip when she was sixteen. She was thrilled to see us doing the same and certainly she overheard lots of talking, singing, movie watching, and laughter, especially the day we completely smoked out the house with our botched attempt at laying a fire in the wood stove.

While in Maine, we ate picnic lunches at the base of pristine lighthouses. We found one of Maine’s rare sandy beaches just minutes from the cottage and spent hours in our swimsuits, silently working next to each other, taking silly pictures and comparing white legs and our breast sizes (I didn’t win in either category). We devoured lobster on the Passagassawakeag River. We lit candles on the many cold, rainy days and snuggled on the couch in heavy quilts, it being a summer cottage with no central heating (thus, the fire attempts). We ate homemade calzones oozing with melted cheese and made shortcake with locally farmed ruby red strawberries and freshly whipped cream. We walked in the driving rain, skipped rocks, climbed to the top of Maiden’s Cliff where legend has it a 12-year-old girl, on a family outing, fell to her death trying to catch her bonnet. We went to a concert at the tiny church across the street and laughed until we almost wet ourselves when, in the course of whistling loudly, I spit my chewing gum across the sanctuary. And every night, we snuggled together in the same bed, just trying to get warm, talking about boys and life and love and God.

Twenty-nine hours, 38 dead deer, and multiple McDonald’s stops later, we arrived home. The chaos and noise were still there. We hadn’t solved the world’s problems, but we had, for the first time ever, experiences that were ours alone, funnies no one else in the family knew about, private things between just the two of us.

Even now, we carry these, secreted in our hearts, tucked in beside fat memories and lobster dreams, among the shortcakes and the picnics, the hikes and the songs. That time was precious, like things are when you know they may never happen again, a time I hope will be a beacon of light and hope to this girl of mine, if -- or when -- her road ever grows rough.

A little bit about croup, and other thoughts

Some of you saw my post at habit today and wrote me (or commented here) with words of comfort and support about James's croup. Thank you so much. I'm so grateful for your thoughtfulness and, as always, the willingness of a group of perfect strangers to reach out.

I have some thoughts about croup that I wanted to share here, because it's something we've been through a lot in our house. (I've heard that some children are a lot more prone to it than others, based upon the unique physiology of their individual windpipes.) Elisabeth was extremely prone to croup until she was about five. In fact, every cold she had (which, thankfully, hasn't been too many -- she's a really healthy little one) always ended with a cough, and then croup. James has been less likely to have a cold progress that way, but he still gets it a couple times a winter.

Any parent who's had a croupy child will tell you that it can be terrifying to be awakened at 2am by a child's barking cough and desperate attempts to draw a breath. Over time, we've tried a lot of different things to help with symptoms. The best thing for croup really is sitting in a steamy bathroom (we run the shower with the hottest water we have) for 10 minutes, followed by 10 minutes out in the cold night air. We tried a steroid one time about 5 years ago with Elisabeth, and it really didn't help any better than the steam-to-cold routine (and our doctor told us it probably wouldn't -- but we were desperate one particularly bad night). I have a few trusted homeopathic remedies that we use for croup now, after years of trial and error (I recommend these three books -- particularly the first one -- if you are interested in learning more about homeopathic and other natural remedies for a wide range of ailments), we have a favorite (very effective!) natural commercial cough syrup, and depending on the child and the situation, sometimes a hot tea or infusion is helpful. But really, taking the time to run the shower, sit in the steam, wrap the two of us in a quilt, and go sit outside, has been the most effective thing of all.

Most of all, it's just taken a shift in perspective. Of course I want my child to be healthy, and of course I'd rather be tucked into my own warm bed than sitting outside in the cold. But there is something a little bit sacred in taking the time to tend to a child in this way. In a way, it has come to represent a part of our wintertime rhythm, this ritual of croup. And there is such unexpected grace in sitting outside on our glider, cuddled together in quilts, my wee one and I. Just the two of us, looking at the stars, and sharing bits of wonder that we might not otherwise have the opportunity to share. In moments like this, I feel uplifted and strong in my mothering, these quiet moments that lend themselves to an opening, an intimacy between parent and child.

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A few other things tonight:

+As many of you may already know, something special is going on at habit this month. All 33 guests from the whole year are joining Molly and Emily there this month. That means there could be as many as 35 voices there each day in December! I'm so very inspired -- and a little bit awed that I'm one of those women.

+My lens is finally back! I just pulled it out of the box this afternoon and all appears to be well! I am so happy that I won't have to "make it work" with a macro lens anymore.

+Thank you for your warm reception to my shop yesterday! I'm excited that a couple of people have already broken the ice with purchases, but there are still dolls and bags available! (And I promise, I won't be talking about the shop every day from here on out!)

+I'm happy to announce that tomorrow evening I'll be hosting a guest blogger in this space, a woman who has been a mentor to me in my own mothering. I can't wait to see what she has to say.

And I'll be back on Friday!

The shop is open!

OK, everything is up and running! I apologize that the photos are dark -- it's been that way over the last couple of days.

There are three dolls and four bags available. I'm so excited to be able to share a little bit of my work with you! Find the shop here. Enjoy!

Shop sneak peek

The shop is set to open tomorrow at 3pm EST/12 noon PST! You'll find it here. I'm so nervous and excited!

Note: I am having a technical difficulty with the shop itself. I'll let you know if that isn't resolved in time, but I expect it will be.

Grateful

After a weekend of celebrating all that we have to be thankful for, I'm just thinking of some of them tonight:

A tidy playroom and afternoon light.

Cousins.

My mother-in-law's stuffing. (Really people, I used to think I hated stuffing until I had hers.)

Being outrageous.

The end of the doctorate.

Enough of all that I need, and some of what I want.

Sleep.

Getting to start my favorite habit again in December.

And, just, everything. You know?

Work, work, work

I have had a long day making things. Mostly for my shop, but I took a little break to work on Christmas cards, too.

It's slow going with all the work (why do I sew so slowly?), but the shop update should be on time. I'll give more details on Monday!

Friday Reads: Holiday and Winter favorites ~ 2009 edition

I've posted a list of winter/Christmas/holiday favorite reads every year that I've kept this blog. This is my fourth time to write one of these posts! (We have a lot of winter books. Ahem.) Last year's post. 2007 here. And 2006 here.

Before I jump in with this year's list, I want to remind you of a few not-to-be-missed favorites from previous years. The Tomten, Christmas in Noisy Village, The Mitten, The Hat, Big Susan, Winter, and Winter (this is the one that my children are reading in these pictures. Elisabeth was telling a really delightful story about the children of Starwood Village and the way they celebrated one year. So cute). These seven books are truly not to be missed.

So this year, here is what I have to share:

B is for Bethlehem. This was given to Elisabeth by our long-time babysitters years ago. The illustrations are intricate and beautiful.

Ding Dong Merrily on High. By the author of The Nativity, another favorite of ours. Exquisite pop-up scenes (some moving). Too delicate for the littlest ones. A true treasure to behold.

Winter Lullaby. Years ago, this was my very first Chinaberry purchase. It has become one of our family's very favorite children's books. We read it all autumn and all winter.

The Story of the Snow Children. The title makes me laugh a little, because growing up, my siblings and I were the Snow children. (It's our last name.) Anyway, the book is really sweet and the little girl's red coat and bonnet are very design-inspiring. (Amy blogged here about using the bonnet as inspiration for one she made her daughter.)

The Christmas Angels. Oh my gosh, I just love these sweet old-fashioned illustrations and these sweet little angels! It is so cute.

Snow. Such simple text and funny illustrations -- this is a favorite of James, especially.

The Donkey's Christmas Song. This is a beautiful, beautiful book. It's so nice to have special books like this in board book format so that even our littlest reader can enjoy them.

Who is Coming to Our House? This was also a gift from our beloved babysitters. They've been pretty great at picking out the books! This is another favorite of James's.

All for the Newborn Baby. This is a lovely lullaby with gorgeous illustrations. It draws on tales from around the world about how the natural world honored baby Jesus.

OK, I'll stop here and try to save a few for next year so that I can continue this annual tradition! I hope you enjoy what you see here and find something that will become a new family favorite in your homes!

Just writing this post has gotten me a little bit into the spirit ... decorations will begin to make their way out next week. I can't wait!

Images from Thanksgiving morning

I really almost didn't post tonight. I was so close to letting myself off the hook. But ... I committed to doing NaBloPoMo, and I'm going to finish it, rain or shine. Holiday or no. ;)

I didn't think I really had anything much to say or share tonight, but I uploaded the handful of photos off my camera that were from today, and I had these three images.

Every year since we've been married, my husband and I have made pumpkin muffins for breakfast on Thanksgiving. We've tried a number of recipes. Last year's were awesome, although the kids weren't as excited about them. This year we made Emily's. I think we may finally have a keeper.

This year, our pumpkin muffins were accompanied by baked french toast, bacon, and ruby red grapefruit with a sprinkle of turbinado. Yummy.

And also this morning, our Michaelmas candle burned itself out. It has carried us well through these darkening days of autumn. It has taken us right to the threshold of Advent. Beginning Sunday, we will kindle the small flames in our Advent wreath to bring us the rest of the way to the return of the light at the Solstice and Christmas. This is a beautiful, sacred time of year. I hope that all of you will have a meaningful experience of Advent this year, no matter what your approach.

And on that note, tomorrow evening will be my annual winter/holiday book post. I can't wait to share some more favorites with you!

Wishing you...

...(whether you will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow or not) love, light, family, friends, happiness, hope, gratitude, grace, fun, festivity, plenty (but not too much), and many things for which to be thankful.

I know my life is blessed in spades.

The news

I'm popping in a bit earlier today to let you all know about the news I've been teasing you with.

I'm finally going to do a shop! After a few false starts this summer, I actually have some things that will be available in time for the holidays this year.

There will be three handmade Waldorf dolls -- three girls named Addie, Sadie, and Lola.

And there will be at least a couple of bags. (Maybe more than a couple, depending on how this coming weekend goes.)

The opening is set for Tuesday, December 1. I'll let you know all the particulars next Monday (November 30).

I'm so excited that things fell into place over the last couple of weeks for me to be able to offer just a few handmade goods to you for the holidays. A shop has been something that I've wanted to do for a really long time, but it hasn't come together before now. I'm even dreaming of doing more frequent updates in the new year (although I'm trying not to get ahead of myself).

So, see you then! (And every day for the next week, finishing up NaBloPoMo.)

A little shaker

We have been given a lot of handmade gifts for Fiona. From people all over the country -- lots of whom are part of this little old blogging community. And I'm pretty much in awe. This baby of mine has been blessed with so much handmade goodness, and we see and use it every single day. And you ladies are all so generous. And I need to be better about sharing more of it here. (But to those of you who sent things, know that we are immensely grateful.)

{beautiful blanket made by Miss Chris; I really need to share more pictures of it, as well}

Anyway, today, I thought I'd show this sweet rattle that came recently, a gift from Amy of Little Alouette. Amy has been a reader of this blog for a long time -- more than two years for sure (I checked when she first left a comment). She's such a sweet lady, mama to two adorable little men, hostess of this really inspiring Inspire series, and so generous, too. And I love her wooden toys. Also, this one is named Fiona, which makes me squeal a little inside.

This rattle came packed up so beautifully, and it makes such a soft rattle sound. That's the thing about it that is hardest to describe but so very pleasing.

{Totally blurry -- how I'm missing my lens these days! -- but look at her little smile in the corner there. Too much for a mama to resist.}

So, thank you very much, Amy.

Oh, I know your curiosity is very piqued by my tease about some news here. Hopefully it will all work out and I'll be able to share tomorrow. See you then, either way. ;)