Our House in the Middle of Our Street

This weekend I got to spend a number of hours at a Bed & Breakfast with a bunch of crafty ladies. I knew a lot of them, my friends J & L , and of course, my friend E . I also found out I knew an old highschool friend that was going to be there! It was great fun, and I felt very satisfied with what I got accomplished. I didn't plan to spend the night, but I think next year I might, since I was sad to leave at only 7:30PM! Here are a few of the things I got done: My first oven mitt--turned child-sized. Oh well, good practice, and the kids will love to play with it! A few presents hidden off to the side but my two kiddos' zip up hoodies from Oma got jazzed up a bit. An 80s cassette tape for Lukka and a sweet cupcake for Anikka. ( The one hidden underneath is for a friend who just had a baby, but I haven't gotten to drop it off at her house yet...I don't think she reads my blog anyway :) It was a super fun time and a great way to meet new crafty women. All craf

photocredit These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner was our March book club pick, and first reading a review of it on Progressive Pioneer , I thought it sounded really good. Fast forward to February, and the 385 page book was looking a bit daunting on my to-do list. I started it early, and within a few weeks had only read about 75 pages. As I picked it back up again, the book club date looming, I started to read. And I couldn't stop. I couldn't. My reading time got really bad, to the point of ignoring my children's requests of "this and that" *(food? water? nah!:)*to read a few more pages . People, this book is a page turner! The story is about a woman named Sarah Prine, and it is her (fictional) diary from the late 1800s living in the Southwest Territories and her and her family's trials and joys of living in that time period. This story has everything from history, action, romance, comedy and wit, and I really liked it. The only thing I didn't like was t

Here is a view of a few baby/toddler knits I have been working on for the many many babies being born at our church, right now. The red is for a toddler (who isn't even born yet) and the brown was for a gender-neutral ( a girl , she's here!) infant. This is one of my favorite baby projects because it can be knit up while watching a movie in a night. Ok, the small one, the bigger one might have taken a movie and a half of another. Add a sweet pom pom and they are adorable and practical--the best of both worlds. If you're interested, HERE is the pattern I bought it from a long time ago, but I always make it a bit different from the pattern, and also add the pom-pom to make it my own. I'll be back in a week or two with more knits after my super-secret birthday knitting is done and has been given! *** What are you making these days?

Our area is still covered in snow after months and months of seeing white. Maybe there is an end in sight...in the next few weeks? Maybe? Please ? Anyway...we're making the best of it by doing all the Winter "Safaris" around town. We love Lincoln Safari and are proud to say we've been there from the beginning, 3 years ago. If you're local in Lincoln, sign up , if not, vote for the program ( Healthy Families Play Outside ) to get funding for communities to implement something similar all around the country. (Read more about that HERE .) One of the winter posts is in Pioneers park , so we packed up the kids and dog, and once we did our post rubbing, let the pup run loose for awhile. Who needs things when you've got the perfect un-toy such as snow? Self-portrait of my new favorite bag that replaced old blue after she broke (after 7 years with her!) Don't worry, I'm a seasoned e-bayer. No way I paid that price for my pristine pack! Two sweethea

Looking for the Dread post? Go HERE . This was a fun little "side" project for me. I usually make a "to-make" list for all gifts throughout the year (yay! I'm already into May! But ask me again in July....) and then a side "for fun" list of things I either want to make for myself or specifically for my kids. When you make so many things for others, it gets hard to set aside time to make things for yourself, and this was one of those side projects. I first saw the idea in one of my favorite sewing (for children) books, Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby. She has perfect style in my opinion, not cluttered, very Scandinavian inspired, yet modern with a nature/life inspiration. I love her books, and immediately wanted to try this project. I never really follow instructions from craft books, I just eyeball it and make it up as I go. Although, I've never tried to make clothes (another of my goals for 2010!!!) and with that I'm sure I w

That's right, after 8 years of admiring, 5 years of asking, and a whole lot of unnecessary product, I finally did it! I got dreads! I first remember wanting dreads when I was 16. I have always loved the "hippie" culture and have always thought that dreads would be really interesting to try. Not everyone has this dream of turning their normal hair into ratty tubes, but to me, they seem to be full of freedom. Freedom to say, "I don't really care what my hair looks like!" and the freedom to wake up, put my hair up with a bandana or scarf and be done, and most importantly, freedom to try something I've always wanted to, grow bold, just do it, and feel confident doing it. I read an article earlier this year where the interviewee said 2010 had a one-word motto: Embrace . I really liked that. There have been a number of things on my "24 before 25" list, and with getting dreads, I crossed off one of the last things. I'm not gettin' any younge

Remember my sweet little newborn lady ? The Peanut, as I fondly called her. We're celebrating her first birthday today! We love you Baby Nanny! You are the happiest baby we've ever met and you especially love: bathtime, clapping, your big brother, and FOOD! You will eat almost anything (except pureed green beans, but honey, I don't blame you!) and like to pretend you're making it yourself. The " kitchen " is one of your favorite toys! And you with your pigtails ? I DIE! Look at how sweet your little face is! We love you so much, Little Beaners! We know your next year will be wonderful, too! *** Stats: We got to the doctor for her one year checkup on Friday, but last we checked (which was a month ago) she was around 22 lbs! Blue eyes and auburn/red curly hair. She's not walking yet but soon, she cruises everywhere and can walk with her walker by herself for long periods of time and loves to do it! Anikka loves to clap and "dance" to music, an

the fool plays hearts 038 Originally uploaded by *submerged* May you and your family have a great weekend, whether or not you celebrate Valentine's Day (in any small or big way). Give yours a big hug. XoXo. SweetHearts . *** More to come this week! Anyone else have a February that's a wee bit crazy this year? Mine is!

photocredit The Outside World by Tova Mirvis is a sweet story about two Orthodox Jewish families join together as their children get married, and how family dynamics, religion, tradition, and purpose It is a very clear, concise, and well-written book. I learned a lot about the Orthodox Jewish culture from this novel, and found appreciation for the Hebrew words interspersed within the writing. To be honest, I have no knowledge of Orthodox Judaism , and I would assume most people who are not of that religion don't as well, since so many of their traditions and reasons for doing things are within the context of their worship, texts, and from rabbis past. Something I found hard to digest in this book, though, was the mother and father of the main character, Tzippy . They are constantly chasing either a pipe dream or trying to keep up with the Jones', and therefore, couldn't really connect with their characters, or empathize with them. That may have been the point, cer

photocredit You didn't think we'd let the German milkmaids have all the fun, did you? For those of you facebook lurkers, the funny 'rickshaw' pictures are finally here! My husband, the inventor, ( ahem ) has done it again and built something else for our pooch. Enter, one dog who loves to work and our daily ritual . Add in a dose of mischief from two munchkins, a splash of ingenuity and a pinch of laughter and you've got: the cart. *** Arjax, our noble stud muffin dog sits like a well-behaved professional. Anikka and Lukka looking prepared with their own makeshift harnesses in place. Just another funny excursion for the Mast family! (P.S. No doggies were hurt in this. For a list of great ways to work out your pooch based on breed, see HERE )