Today we went on a field trip to a neighborhood yarn shop to learn about drop spindle and wheel spinning of different fibers.

First I must say that it is soooo very hard to just look and not spend any money when you go into yarn shops. Today was no exception. I found some camel mix that was heavenly. It was like puffy down in a beautiful pale pea green. It was also on sale so I might be going back for a purchase after all-but at least it won’t be an impulse buy!
The field trip was great too. We learned about all the different types of materials that can be spun; from dryer lint to dog fur to flax and buffalo. There was lots to touch and a wheel for us to check out.

Each of us was given a bag of roving to spin with our homemade drop spindle.


The girls worked in pairs to spin their wool.


Molly came home and did more spinning as well as a bit of crocheting.
A quick trip to the thrift store this evening netted a pair of pink suede sling back pumps and little pink sweater that I will wear to my nieces Bat Mitzvah tomorrow. Dressing up is NOT my thing but the pink heels from Spain make it a little more fun!

Thanks to all who have been checking out my blog and those that read my interview at Artful Parent. This has been really exciting and fun. I wanted to comment on some of the comments, so I thought I would do that now.
Thanks to all my hommies for leaving comments. It was great hearing all that y’all had to say!

Sharon, Melissa (Too Tight Ponytail Girl) and Alissa you are some of the working artists I spoke of in the interview. I love that Molly can see you working, showing and selling your art. She thinks that all artists are poor, tormented and unhappy. I am glad you all are otherwise! I am having linking issues, but all three are listed in my blogroll.

Lynne commented on how this interview was a great opportunity to explain all that we do. She was right about that! We attended a homeschool fair the other night where kids had the chance to showcase some of the stuff they have been doing. Molly brought a pillow she sewed and a bag and finger puppet she crocheted. Jake decided not to participate. There was some great stuff there. It was a bit intimidating and some of us Moms felt a like maybe our kids weren’t doing enough. – Those thoughts that plague all homeschoolers fom time to time. So yes, this was a good chance for me to see how much my kids really do. And also to remind me that this is what works for our family.

Karen and Michie -The tiles in our tub were painted and glazed by the kids and me. We couldn’t find the right replacement tiles after a plumbing project so instead of trying to match them closely we each painted a few. Ginger loves to use them as the images for stories we make up when she is in the bath.

Michie-as far as the food coloring staining, It didn’t stain Ginger’s hands but she didn’t paint her body. And I washed it off the walls pretty quickly. Good luck-you could probobly use washable fingerpaint instead.

And one last thing-if you are on Blogger-I can’t seem to leave comments. Dawn keeps telling me its my AOL-So if you don’t hear from me, that’s why.
Oh and one more thing-Now that I am blogging I know how great it feels to get comments-so don’t feel dumb commenting! Come out of lurkdom and say Hi! And if you know me personally, and you see me-its OK if I know that you read my blog-it is public knowledge now!!

I promise some art and eye candy for tomorrow…..if we can use the water!

I had some time today to go out into the park behind our house to walk in the beautiful winter wonerland of 20.5 inches of snow and take lots of photos. Being with kids 24/7, I crave quiet time. Today gave me a chance to think about something that happened earlier this week that I meant to blog about but didn’t have time.
A friend paid me a real compliment the other day. Not just a casual, “Oh that looks good”, but a real, “Wow, that is great!” I felt really proud. But it didn’t stop there. She really encouraged me to take it to the next step and even offered to help in any way she could. Wow! Not only did my self-esteem shoot up 100 points but my self confidence rose too. It really boosted me up to take on this new challenge.
As a stay at home Mom, pats on the back like this don’t happen too often. And I have forgotten how this feels. This experience has really made me step back at look at how my kids often feel. I want them to know that I believe in them even when they are doubtful. That little bit of encouragement maybe all that is necessary to try something new. I want to be more of a cheerleader for them as well as my friends. And recognizing their work and getting truley excited for them. I know all of this in my head but thanks to my friend I remeber it with my heart now too!

I also had time to think about the coming week.
1. make menu for the week
2. clean gingers side of the room
3. change my sheets
4. plan projects for the week
5. crochet bag
6. finish gingers dress
7. start Ralph S. Mouse with ginger and molly
8. pick a night for dinner with friends
9. take Jake to junk yard
and so on and so on and so on

If you read my first entry you will notice that I said my almost 9 year old daughter, Molly, is crazy crafty. Well, what I mean is, she sees things in a different way. She creates odd things and has interesting ideas and understands things differently. I have been told that she is dyslexic. Maybe. But certainly her mind works in a different way. This was apparent very early on. We often asked her, “What planet are you from?” when she was little. She really loves clay and sculpture and 3-D work and just recently crocheting.

Last night she told me she was making up her own stitch and when she woke up this morning I found her crocheting in her bed. Soon she came out to show me this:

Now keep in mind not only did she make up a new stitch that I am told goes–Chain 1, wrap around, go in the hole, drop your loop, go through two and go through two. But she can’t read a pattern so she made the bag pattern up as she went along! She just recently learned how to crochet! I am amazed at this girl. She has the gift!

I was lucky enough to spend a night away with several other homeschool Moms at a friends cottage. It was so relaxing and rejuvinating! I spent the time chatting, knitting, eating, crocheting, chatting, eating and taking photos. I need to feed my creative soul. It makes me a better Mommy as well as wife and friend.

Following your interests is also good role modeling for our children. It is important for our kids to see us not only taking care of our physical needs but our creative needs too. Our talents and interests are what makes us individuals. When I am able to fill my creative needs, I have so much more to share with my kids. I am inspired and motivated and excited to create with them.
Whether it is dancing, painting, cooking, gardening, writing or any other crafty or artistic oulet–Do something for you-and your family sometime soon!