Fall

Being Present

In raising children, every parent hopes about what days will be like throughout the stages of life. I always envision myself as a mother who is in tune with the seasons, exploring with my children the land around us, and taking advantage of everything that nature has to offer us. My vision for our future always consist of a slower pace, offering us the time required to cherish and love life together as a family. Each year, I make a promise to myself that next year will be different. Next year, I’ll be the mom that I want to be, living the life that I want to live. Yet, here I sit, the last week of October, and once again, I feel that familiar panic rising in my heart over one more autumn that is slipping by without me being present.

My children are 9 & 10 this year, which is quite old if you ask me. That’s 10 years of envisioning a life with my children that I have yet to actually embrace. I ask myself, what is keeping me from making these dreams a reality, and in a word the answer is busyness.

What on Earth am I so busy doing? Put simply, I’m preparing for the future. Our family homeschools, so a large part of my time is spent preparing my children for their future. Daily, I have conversations with my children about what the future may hold for them, and what skills they must learn to prepare for life as an adult. I also busy myself working to earn money. Granted, I love the work that I do. However, there is pressure to store up treasures in an effort to secure a better future. I am so busy preparing for tomorrow that the every day moments fly right past me without a notice.

Isn’t this why God has told us not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Mat. 6:34)? I know that my God will provide for me. I know that “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know that He watches me”. My faith is in Him, yet I continue to toil in an effort to secure a better future for my family. What promise do we have that the securities we work to put in place today will brighten our tomorrow? What promise do we have of there even being a tomorrow? None. We do however, have God’s promise that He will provide for our needs. This week my challenge for myself & you as well, is to trust God. Not just in word, but in how I choose to live life.

Lessons In Fiber Art

This fall I have been teaching some handwork classes to the kids at the homeschool co-op our family is apart of. We started of with cleaning raw wool & cotton fibers. Then we hand carded & spun the fibers into yarn. We did some wet felting & we made some natural dyes using walnut, tumeric, & black beans. Now the kids are working to weave the fibers we dyed. I have been so happy with how the projects are turning out. Mostly it’s been a great reason to try out all of these amazing projects that I’ve been meaning to try for years.

I’ll have more pictures of the finished weaving projects soon.

Round Up: Fingerless Mittens

1. Kumara Arm Warmers by Laura Zukaite

2. Elf clobber by schnuddel Kerstin (Variation)

3. Mitaines Rainbow by Elise Dupont

4. Gillean Wrist Warmers by Karina Westermann

5. Catching butterflies by Tiny Owl Knits

6. Reversible Fingerless Gloves by Kyoko Nakayoshi

Round Up: Costumes

1. Unicorn Hat by Brittany Tyler

2. Witchy Hands by Lion Brand Yarn

3. Incognito by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark

4. Ahoy Hat by Elizabeth Mautz-Redmann

5. Little Red by Erika Flory

6. Wear the wild things are HAT by tiny owl knits

7. Elven Hero by Audry Nicklin (I’m thinking Link from Zelda!)

8. Knitted Mask by Jennifer Hansenclose

9. Knit Angry Birds Halloween Bag by Crafts by Starlight

Happy Autumn!

What is your favorite thing about fall?

Round Up: Back to School

1. Aemelia Book Cover by Franklin Habit

2. French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernardi

3. George Sand by Katie Rose Pryal

4. Stadium Blanket by Allyson Dykhuizen

5. Sea Anemone Messenger Bag by Mel Clark

6. Lots of coffee beans by shika

7. Winter Ear Warmer by Elisa McLaughlin

8. Pencil Case by Doodlenoodle

9. Boutique Laptop Sleeve by Rachael Oglesby

A Bucket List For Autumn

This time of year usually finds me in a panic as I try to squeeze in just one last visit to the beach, one more visit to our favorite ice cream shop & one last camping trip before the air turns cold. Summer always seems to slip by me so quickly that when September rolls around, I am taken by surprise. Knowing that it will be many months before it is warm enough to swim in the lake again is always a hard fact for me to swallow.

So in an effort to stop and enjoy the season we are in right now, I’ve compiled a list of all the things that I LOVE about autumn and look forward to in the coming weeks.

1. Watch Notre Dame Football games at Poppy & Grammy’s

2. Make homemade caramels ~ yum!

3. Pick apples

4. Evening bonfires

5. Knit!!!

6. Rake up leaves & play in the pile

7. Make mulled cider

8. Go to the pumpkin patch

9. Drink Pumpkin Spice Lattes

10. Go on a hike & snuggle in the woods

11. Make caramel apples

12. Burn my Spiced Pumpkin candle

What do you enjoy most about Autumn?

Happy Thanksgiving

>>>> a busy time of year

Here in Indiana the autumn leaves are changing as the air turns cooler and the days grow shorter. Preparations are being made for the colder months. Handmade gifts are cast onto knitting needles, menus are being planned, and travel arrangements are being made. As much as I love this time of year, and everything that comes with it, this year I find that I long to be in another place on the other side of the planet.

The Rocking Yak is moving into a busy season. The villagers are coming in from working the fields. The yak fiber is being purchased & delivered to our precious spinners. The mountain sides are being combed for natural dye materials, and soon days will be spent dying, washing, and balling yarn. It is a lot of work for the few living and working on the Tibetan Plateau and I wish I was among them.

gathering of 5 medals

This weekend was one of our favorite events of the year, the gathering of 5 medals. It’s a historical reenactment of the colonial period that changes from year to year. This year we found more people working with fibers than in the past.