Uncommon Grace

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. It's a sweet nativity board book, from the animals' perspective. We have several nativity board books and this is by far the best one from a narrative point of view. (B is for Bethlehem has amazing illustrations but no narrative.)

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 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. ;)

I love red

Pink is definitely still my favorite color, but there's something so festive, warm, and bright about red, don't you think? I find myself drawn to it a lot lately.

{red high chair cushions, again, because I can't help it}

{red for breakfast}

This was a breakfast from earlier in the week. It's my breakfast crisp, made with three pears and a pomegranate. I highly recommend both this combination, and pomegranate in the crisp in general -- it retains its crisp tartness perfectly, even when baked in the crisp.

We had a lovely weekend and I'm looking forward to this week -- a time of family, gratitude, and a little news here in this space (watch for that in a day or two).

See you tomorrow!

A polka-dot deer

Today I have a little deer shirt to share, a gift for a four-year-old friend.

And also, a little three-year-old foot. Because I can't resist.

Hoping your weekend is going beautifully!

Friday reads: The Secret Garden

I've been meaning to share this book with you all for a long time. (In fact, it's the reason I decided to start doing a series of book reviews here.)

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and illustrated by Inga Moore. Elisabeth and I read it last spring.

Now, The Secret Garden is neither my favorite piece of children's literature, nor my favorite read-aloud book of all time. (I mean, the phonetic spelling of the Yorkshire dialect? Wow. What a way to turn an excellent aloud reader into a stuttering mess.) Also, the story has some pretty dark elements (I had to omit a few passages as I read it).

But -- and this is a big "but" -- the illustrations by Inga Moore are absolutely breathtaking. And they are all throughout the book. Not only are there several lush full-color, full-page spreads in every chapter, but there are smaller illustrations on almost every page. Some are in color, and some in black and white. Some illustrate plot developments, some illustrate anecdotes or funny sayings from the text, and some are botanical illustrations showing how the garden and the world came alive for Mary Lennox (and all of Misselthwaite Manor) that spring and summer. The details of this book are so beautiful.

So incredible are these illustrations that I will go out on a limb and say that this is the only edition of The Secret Garden worth owning. It's definitely a book that has truly enriched our lives. We've been keeping it on the piano right in the living room and someone in our house can be found looking at the pictures at least a couple times a week. I mean, it really is that beautiful. (I was kind of tempted to just plop the whole large format book right onto the scanner and start scanning away to share images with you, but since that would be uncool at best and illegal at worst, I thought better of it.)

Anyway, I hope you all have the opportunity to experience this beautiful book first hand.

(By the way, the story is equally appealing to girls and boys. I would recommend it for either gender, but not for the under-9 crowd except as a read aloud, and even then, not for very sensitive children.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I don't know why this should come as a big surprise to me, but since I've been blogging every day in November, I've noticed my online time has increased more than I would like. I think what I'm going to do to keep it more manageable for myself is to post in the evening after my kids are in bed rather than during the day as I have been trying to do. Each post will still be "new" for the same amount of time, but the time of day that they'll go up will change. So, keep on visiting! I'll still be here every day for the rest of the month. Hopefully this will keep things predictable for you and for me.

Mama.

Mama. It's a big word, for being so small. And it's a big job: so scary, uncertain, frustrating, maddening.

You have a new baby. You're filled with love -- and other emotions, too. Emotions as complicated and delicate as the hormones of pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. The emotions, like the hormones, are interconnected and complex.

Your baby grows. You are still filled with love -- and all the other emotions, too. Every day brings new fears, and new jubilation.

Your child stumbles. You stumble. But you go on, motivated by this incredible love for your child. It never gets any easier, this loving, stumbling, getting up and going on.

But you know -- you just know -- in your heart of hearts, in your mama-heart, that this is your path. This is what you were meant to do. This child? This child is your greatest gift -- the greatest gift you have been given, and also your greatest offering to the world.

I've been thinking about my mama-life a lot lately. As my babe reaches three-quarters of a year next Thursday. As I ponder the upcoming holidays, and the gifts I hope to give my children -- beyond what they will find under the tree on Christmas morning.

My job as a mama has been harder, in some ways, this fall than it has ever been. And in so many other ways -- some of them, I know, still hidden from sight -- it has been incredibly, richly blessed.

I needed something, some little thing, to commemorate this -- all of this -- my growth, my struggles, all of it.

So when the opportunity arose for me to choose one of Lisa Leonard's beautiful pieces  a couple of weeks ago, my eyes and heart kept leading me back to this one:

Mama.
Hand holder. Dream soother. Love giver.

Yes. All that, and so much more. Thank you, Lisa. It couldn't have come at a better time.

(This mama necklace is a limited edition piece. It's so incredibly beautiful and well-made -- the details are perfect! If you're not familiar with Lisa's beautiful work, and beautiful family, please go check her out. I can't think of a more generous, gracious mama.)

Martinmas knits 2009, part 3

Sorry I wasn't able to post sooner today, the day just got away from me.

So, I guess I've unconsciously saved the best for last. Elisabeth's 2009 Martinmas knit is the Children's Poncho (also by Knitting Pure and Simple). The yarn is Malabrigo worsted in Hollyhock.

This is the most beautiful thing I have ever knit. As I was knitting it, row after row, increase after increase, it seemed a bit tedious, and it was always bunched up in my knitting bag. But oh, my goodness. The moment I saw it on my little girl on Martinmas morning, I almost gasped. The color is so amazingly rich, in the way that beautiful kettle-dyed Malabrigo yarns are. The drape (besides the somewhat annoying flippiness of the garter edge) is gorgeous. The weight is luxurious.

I wish the color were better in these photos so you could get a real idea of the beauty of this garment. You'll just have to trust me -- and coming from someone as picky as I am, you know it's true.

More details: I added pom-poms to the ties because I loved Erin's so. This is the largest size (10-12), and I knit it about 4" longer than the pattern indicates. I wanted it to be long enough to cover Elisabeth's arms completely (which it would if the edge wouldn't flip up -- I'm going to try to block it better if she'll relinquish it long enough). I remembered hearing that the pattern ran small, and I'm so glad I went up to the largest size. Elisabeth is tall for her age, but I may have tried the 6-8 size if I hadn't known better, and that would have been too small.

Anyway, here's to beautiful knits in beautiful yarn, for beautiful daughters who love their handknit ponchos.

Martinmas knits 2009, part 2

Today a have a little violet sweater to share.

This is the Baby Sweater on Two Needles, aka "February Baby Sweater" by Elizabeth Zimmerman. The yarn is Peace Fleece worsted in Violet Vyehchyeerom (which means "evening", and I love that). The buttons are extremely cool and I wish I could tell you exactly what they're made from, I can't recall (some interesting kinds of wood), but I purchased them locally and the heart (the top one) is dyed with henna.

And oh, how I loved knitting this. (If you're contemplating knitting this, or the grown-up girl version, don't let anyone scare you about the lace. Even if you've never knitted a lace pattern before, it's not at all difficult. I really, really enjoyed knitting the lace, actually.)

It turned out to be very big. I didn't knit it to gauge -- the pattern calls for 5 stitches to the inch and I was at 4 stitches to the inch. I thought I would try to size the pattern up because I couldn't figure out what size it was supposed to be, even after looking through hundreds of finished projects on Ravelry. Finally after knitting it, I took the measurements of three different store-bought 6-12 month baby cardigans, and I only learned then the answer to the mysterious sizing: when knit to gauge, the February Baby Sweater will yield a 12-month size! So now I know, and you all know, and you can spread the word.

So mine is the length of a 12-month sweater, but wider because I tried to gauge it up. Fortunately it's too big rather than too small, because this baby of mine will certainly only get bigger. The one thing I wish I had done differently was to omit the decreases at the bottom of the sweater (before the inch of garter stitch at the bottom). The decreases may be nice if you are doing buttonholes all the way down, but if you're going for an A-line sweater as I was, they didn't help. On the other hand, I kind of wish I had worked decreases on the sleeves before the garter stitch edge. So those are probably the only changes I would make next time.

Because I enjoyed knitting it so much, I'm strongly considering knitting one more before her birthday. She is, afterall, my February baby.

Martinmas knits 2009, part 1

We have the tradition of giving each child a new warm piece of clothing for Martinmas. I like them to be handknit by me, although some years they haven't been (we've done these in the past, for example).

So, this year I had the ambitious (to me) goal of knitting three sweaters. And I succeeded!

The first of this year's completed Martinmas knits is James's. His was actually the last one I completed, but I'm sharing it first. Disclaimer: Normally I wouldn't let my child play in the snow without being bundled up, but we were only out there long enough to get these pictures, and he is wearing layers of wool, top and bottom.

{eating snow}

The pattern is the Child's Neck-down Cardigan #981 from Knitting Pure and Simple. This was the second time I've knit this pattern -- I like it a lot. (The first time was for Elisabeth's Martinmas sweater from last year, which I'm realizing has never been photographed!)

The yarn is The Fibre Company Organik in Dark Red. I did not like this yarn. I'm serious! I know it's really popular and people love it, but it really didn't feel any nicer to knit than, say, Lamb's Pride, which is quite a bit less expensive and not "designer". It's a lot scratchier than I would have liked, and my little guy is really sensitive to fiber, anyway (synthetics cause him to break out and wools have to be oh-so-soft). I also ended up not loving the color I chose. I wanted something in a really deep red, which I thought this was at first. But once I'd knitted it for a while, it really began to look like more of a brick red to me, which isn't really what I was going for. (It looks like a deeper red in the photos than it does in real life, as well.)

There were two other things about this sweater that I didn't like -- it's shorter than I would have liked, but it's a good thing I didn't knit it any longer because I only barely had enough yarn for the hood. And the star buttons are pretty sharp, so I may end up swapping them out for something else later if I find anything I like better. We'll see.

Anyway, James likes the sweater pretty well. He has complained about the hood being too scratchy, but it's OK as long as he has another hat under it. I know we'll get use out of this sweater this winter, even if not as much as I anticipated (due to the scratch factor and short length). Overall, I'm satisfied with the project, although I won't use this yarn again.

I like this pattern a lot. I will most likely knit it a third time. And I love knowing that, even if it's not quite what I expected, my little one is being kept warm with something I created with my own hands. So in the end, this is a heartwarming story.

I know it's getting to be that time...

...when almost all of the searches leading people here are for for "advent" and "advent calendar". So let me point you in that direction....

Celebrating Advent :: Part 1 Ideas for the advent calendar -- what and why.

Celebrating Advent :: Part 2 Huge compilation of ideas for what to put into the advent calendar.

I've been thinking, now that Martinmas is passed, that I really need to sit down and make a "skeleton" of our days in December -- the activities I know we want to do, my husband's work and gig schedule, and figuring out which things can be done on which days.

Even in the two years since writing these advent posts, our family's celebration has shifted a bit. We are giving fewer "object" gifts than ever -- many, many more "opportunity" gifts. (Activities, coupons -- for treats like cocoa before bed, or night walks, etc.)

Anyway, I hope that you all receive these posts in the spirit that I offered them -- as a help for simplifying the holiday season by drawing it out. By not allowing it to get out of control with doing and buying too much, but paring it down to the essentials, the things that make this time of year really special for you and your family. Please don't take my suggestions as yet another thing to pile onto an already overfull month. The last thing I would want is for you to be burdoned with guilt about needing to add a complicated new tradition to your lives. But if it helps you to have some structure (today we'll decorate, next week we'll bake, etc.), and gives your family a joyful way to celebrate, then I hope my suggestions are helpful to you.

xo, Grace

Saturday night

How is your weekend going so far? Ours has been sweet and slow-paced. Tonight, it's snowing again, my children are all asleep, I've got a cup of my favorite cocoa brewing. (We have that a lot around here, it seems!)

I spent some time this afternoon trying to design this year's Christmas card. So far, I don't quite have it. Something seems to be missing. Back to the drawing board.

Wishing you a sweet end to your weekend!

Friday reads: Mrs. Sharp

I bet you thought I wouldn't get a post up today! Well, it's still Friday, and here I am -- just squaking it in. Today was very dark -- I kept waiting for even a patch of sunshine to take some photos -- and by 3:00, when it looked like the sun had gone down and it started to pour freezing rain/hail/slush, I knew it was a lost cause. I had planned a review of a book with illustrations that warranted sharing, so instead I've had to come up with an alternate plan.

Lots of people email me to ask for advice and suggestions for beginning a seasonal observance of festivals and celebrations in their homes, so I thought I would share with you my very, very favorite resource today.

Mrs. Sharp's Traditions was the first non-pregnancy/birth/breastfeeding mama book I ever read --while I was pregnant with Elisabeth. The style is humorous and may be off-putting to some (it's written a tone mimicking a Victorian ladies' advice book or magazine), but that is really so perfect for me. The amazing, wise thing about this book is that it draws parallels from another time with our own time. It really is all about how to reclaim family life -- I think so many of us feel powerless and end up throwing our hands up in defeat. Mrs. Sharp is here to show you simple ways to make home a warm respite from the impersonal, face-paced world outside. The first part of the book is about daily rituals that help to bring harmony, balance, and predictability to family life. The rest of the book (the majority) follows the year month by month, discussing different festivals and seasonal customs and pastimes. Part historical, part practical, part humorous, but always full of grace and charm. In my early days of parenting, Mrs. Sharp was like a trusted friend, always giving me a bit of steadying wisdom as I navigated my new role as a full-time, at-home mama and keeper of the home.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Some of you had asked for some more details about our family's celebration of Martinmas. I didn't elaborate on those answers for a couple of reasons -- one was that there wasn't too much I didn't share in my previous Martinmas posts, and the other was that most of them came from this book. So, hopefully this will be helpful to those of you who are looking for additional information.

Have a great weekend, everyone -- I'll be here with some weekend posts at some point on Saturday and Sunday. See you then!

Our Martinmas -- and lantern tutorial

We celebrated a beautiful Martinmas last night with a group of homeschooling friends. There were moments that were so quiet and reverent, looking around the circle of us singing together, and there were moments that were rowdy and a bit challenging to manage. But overall, it was such a delight to celebrate as a group. 

I didn't get very many pictures (just these three, in fact, and I was missing my lens!), but the few I have tell a story, I think.

We met in a large park and shared a simple meal (of pumpkin soup, bread, and cider). Then we set out, a merry little band, singing. We stopped at a couple of houses in the neighborhood, and then wound our way back into the park. In a stand of trees, we stopped and I told the story of St. Martin to our group. All was still and dark, except for our lanterns. Finally, a quieter group found its way back to the tables to pack up and bid one another farewell.

There were moments that weren't perfect. But it was beautiful -- magical, even.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This year, we again made our "go-to" lanterns. I loved the balloon ones we made last year, but didn't want to do them two years in a row (not that my children would have minded!). I thought about making some out of beeswax (sort of like these), but ultimately decided against it because I wanted my children to be able to make their own lanterns.

These lanterns take 3-4 work sessions. You'll need heavy-weight watercolor paper (approx. 12"x18"), high-quality watercolor paints (those that come in tubes rather than the dry ones in a tray), paint brushes, smooth boards (can be made of plastic, wood, or any smooth surface) for painting on, cooking oil, paper towels, glue, a hole punch, tealights, and yarn, ribbon, or wire to make the handle.

The first day, we made our paintings, using the wet-on-wet watercolor painting method. I like to use paintings that are completely saturated in color for these, so this method is perfect for that. (I took a lot of pictures of our painting day this time; find more pictures here.)

Once the paintings were completely dry, we oiled them using cooking oil and paper towels. (This picture is actually from 2006; I don't have one from this year). It is important that the paintings are completely saturated with oil. You are not going for a light coating -- you want the paper to be soaked all the way to the back. This makes it translucent once dry. Expect each one to absorb several teaspoons of oil, at least. This is really messy and they will need to dry overnight.

The next day, we marked one of the long sides of the painting with lines that were 2" apart and 2.5" long. I cut along the lines. 

Then we glued them into a cylinder along one of the short sides, using clothespins at the ends to hold them together, and stones to weigh them down while they dried. Once the sides were dry, we folded the notched ends over and glued them shut, once again using stones as weights while they dried.

Finally, we punched holes and added our handles -- these were yarn that had been finger-knitted by Elisabeth, and glued tealights into the bottom of each lantern. It's really good for children to have running projects like this, even something like this where each work session only takes a few minutes. It's very strengthening to work on something over several days.

I hope if you try these, the instructions make sense and they turn out beautifully! Let me know if you try them. Enjoy your beautiful lanterns!

Wishing you...

...the strength of inner light this Martinmas, as we await the return of the Light just about 6 weeks from now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I'll be back tomorrow with pictures of this year's lanterns. The sweaters are all complete, and I'll give each its own post beginning Monday. For more about our family's celebration of Martinmas, you can check here and here. (For some reason, I didn't post about Martinmas in 2007.) For a long time, we were the only family we knew that celebrated this festival. But now lots of you have started to celebrate it, and tonight, for the first time, we are sharing a lantern walk with a group of homeschooling friends. Good things.

Oh, and thank you so much for your words on yesterday's post. Things have settled down here, as they always do.

Many blessings to you on this Martinmas day!