Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever. Those are two words that I rarely use - I love being home and, much like my children, can easily occupy hours upon hours within the walls of our house. There is always something that can be crafted or baked, built or drawn, listened to or read. And still, in my second year away from the school system, I still eagerly await the announcement that it's going to be a snow day. I can't explain it but, if you're friends with me and work in the schools, you probably got a text, as usual, sharing my excitement over the cancellation. 

The snow days two weeks ago were different because they hit us at the very moment that we could either be devoured by or triumphantly overcome Cabin Fever. Within a week's time, Abby got sick, Elise got sick, I got sick, Abby got better, Elise seemed to be better, I got better, Elise got an ear infection, and we got snowed in. Cabin Fever clearly sunk it's claws into us.

The girls and I pick up a respiratory cold about once a year. In fact, I had Elise at the doctor on February 3rd this year and the last time I had been there with a sick child was on January 21st, 2013... one year ago. I don't dislike doctors; I believe in the power of healthy bodies to heal. I am not anti-medication; I believe in the power of healthy bodies to heal. It is hard holding steadfast to that kind of belief when I live in a world where people inundate their bodies with medication... pain relievers and cough syrups, antibiotics and antihistamines. Do the research: illnesses and diseases are smart - they learn to navigate drug-infested systems and grow bigger, stronger, and more resilient. And I can't help but wonder what it does to a healthy system to be attacked by these power-house germs? Stepping down from my soap box now. Just food for thought next time you reach for the medicine cabinet instead of a cup of tea.

We are all well... the snow has melted... and we kicked Cabin Fever's ugly face to the wayside. Enjoy some pics from our time together, both in and out of the house!

Making salt-dough Valentine magnets...

KU Women's basketball game...

From snow to shorts...

We've been busy...

Busy making pictures...

Busy making covered wagons to go with our Little House on the Prairie books...

Busy making music...

Busy making craft show goods...

Busy making... A BABY! Introducing Baby Lawrence... due to join the family in May. We are OVER THE MOON with excitement!

Let's get CRAFTY!

Making "stuff" keeps me going. Really, it does. Big, small, success or failure - the start-to-finish process of DIY keeps my wheels turning. I've pondered the possibility of doing a craft show here and there and, with no further adieu, I took the plunge. I will participating in the Lawrence Craft Collective's first show. This particular show has appeal on a number of levels - one of the organizers is a good friend of mine (Jill, with Stitchouse Designs) ... it will be taking place downtown at Liberty Hall (awesome!)... and there will be Free State beer served. Win...win...win! Keep an eye on the website for info and get your DIY-lovin' derrière down to Liberty on Sunday, November 24th. Here's what I have in the works right now... more to come, with buttons and flowers, oh my!

Photo-A-Day Challenge: Day #4, #5, #6

Day #4: "Fresh" - cucumbers and tomatoes from Gran and Grandpa's garden for Sunday dinner.

Day #5: "Early" - this may look like a stack of drums covered in shiny things... but really it was a cake that the girls had assembled and decorated. All before 7:30 in the morning... My brain used to be that active upon waking up. I seem to be slowing down...

Day #6: "This means a lot to me" - The actual fence itself, now with the additional boards on the inside, really just means that the chickens will no longer be visiting the neighbor's yard (the yard without the dog and the neighbor who kindly returns them). But this project, along with many others, went something like this: I call my Dad and say "Hey Dad! I need to do ____ ", to which he replies, 100% of the time, "Great! How can I help?". For this project, he came right over, looked at what my plan was and headed to Home Depot for supplies so that I wouldn't have to interrupt the girls' rest time. I love to build and I get so much satisfaction from doing projects. But sometimes the company along the way is just as rewarding. Thanks, Dad!

Photo-A-Day Challenge: Day #2: Incomplete

Birthday gifts for tomorrow's double b-day bash: Incomplete. But don't you worry! They will get done in time - when finished, these will be darling little barrette sets for some of our favorite sisters who are each heading off to school in the next week or two! Now I just need my set of sisters to feel better so neither one of them misses the party - Abby crashed on Thursday; Elise today. I told John this morning that I'm thankful illness between the girls always strikes on consecutive days - while it would shorten our overall household under-the-weather duration if they were sick together, I physically cannot carry, hold, rock, pat two of them simultaneously anymore. I mean, let's be honest - I've carried both of them from here to here over the past two days and it looks ridiculous. It's pretty obvious that they are going to be taller than me... But at least I can make incomplete cute barrettes.

Photo-A-Day Challenge: Day #31: Workspace

Here it is folks. The infamous "workroom" behind the door that is typically closed when we have company. This houses my card-making supplies... my sewing supplies... my Baby Sing and Sign supplies... my computer. It may look like a total disaster, but the contents of this room make me happy. At any given moment, I can walk in here and make something. Create. Experiment. The paper, the fabric, the yarn, the materials - it may look all out of place, but really every bit of it has a place in my world. 

And in the workroom, things like this also happen. Best creation ever, those two. 

Give Your Daughters Power tools... and Measuring Cups

Not necessarily at the same time - the power tools and measuring cups. But at some point, I hope that my daughters get as much enjoyment and pride as I do from using everything from a DeWalt drill to a pastry cutter. I don't want Abby to ever be "the one who ____" or Elise to be "the one that ___". Yes, I want them to develop incredible, individual personalities... preferences ... likes ... dislikes. But, especially with twins, I don't want their identity to be attached to one, single quality. It is a huge pet-peeve of mine when, early on, people refer to a child as "the tomboy" or "the girly one" or "the rule follower". Those labels take hold; those labels become an identity at a time when their existence, when left to their own devices, may be fleeting. Abby and Elise watch me cook, bake, sew, build, run, read, write, teach, garden... they watch John play piano and drums, mow, wash windows and cars, vacuum, cook, read, draw, bike. Every experience and activity, when presented in a "you could do this" way, adds yet another rung on the infinite ladder that the girls will climb through their life. Some of those rungs will be strong and will form a foundation for something else; some of those rungs won't take hold. But the more, the better... possibilities truly are endless.

With power tools, I built birdhouses this weekend. My mom decked out the fronts with her beloved rusty stuff. :) These birdhouses, originally designed by my Dad, are for the Douglas County Extension Master Gardener Demonstration gardens - my mom has been instrumental in creating and maintaining these gardens and I feel honored to have some of my handiwork displayed there:

With measuring cups, I made waffles. Hearty, whole wheat waffles made with love by my pajama-wearing assistants. Bake, build, eat, and enjoy. Just leave the labeling to the clothing makers. :)

Whole Wheat Waffles

• 1/4 C organic butter; melted
• 1 T local honey
• 1 1/4 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 C organic stone ground whole wheat flour
• 2 T organic ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 C local whole milk
• 3 eggs, separated
• Juice and zest of 1 organic orange
• I originally posted this recipe here but have made a few changes since
• Melt butter; add honey
• Combine dry ingredients
• Beat egg whites to stiff peaks
• Combine wet ingredients, except egg whites, with orange juice/zest, and butter/honey
• Add wet to dry; fold in egg whites
• Bake in a lightly oiled waffle iron
• Top with fresh organic strawberries and organic maple syrup. Obviously.

Beautiful blues

Spring is taking its sweet time to settle in, but there are signs of it popping up that we are so excited about! On the front of our house, we've been watching momma Robin work diligently on her beautifully constructed nest. A nest which now holds these beautiful blues:

Another fairly solid indication of spring is the transformation of the chicken coop (thank you, Grandpa, for your wonderful assistance with this project!):

And the transition of the chickens OUT of the house! Who would have thought that, the year we get our first flock of chicks, Spring would take it's sweet time and we'd have big chickens living inside!!!! It's really been pretty ridiculous, if you ask me... and tonight was going to be their first night outside, but Abby was "really worried about the chickens" and it is supposed to be in the fifties... so yes...the chickens are sleeping inside tonight. Again. Maybe tomorrow night, chickies...

Wordless Wednesday: Happy May Day!

Happy Earth Day!

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. That pretty much sums up our "teaching" for today. It made me feel good that, upon reading a "top ten" list of ways to be "green", we met 9 of them. It's also nice that so many of them are everyday life to the girls - using our own shopping bags every time we buy groceries, waiting for the recycling man on Thursday mornings, planting our own gardens, watching Daddy bike to work most days, buying products from the bulk section and storing in glass mason jars... I've even heard each of the girls, on more than one occasion, comment on a toy that's made of plastic instead of wood. It seems silly to many, but to me it's wonderful. You know what else is wonderful? Homemade (biodegradable) playdoh:

And little homemade playdoh Earth sculptures:

The following places were specifically pointed out on the Earth creations:

• Kansas
• Hawaii
• Africa
• Washington, DC: "where Barack Obama lives"

Happy Earth Day. Now get out there and do something good for Mother Earth. Build a compost bin. Or get chickens. Or stop washing  your hair and save water.  Or turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Or plant something. GO!

Picture Perfect

The girls' assignment from their music class this week was to make a photo book. As a preschool teacher by training, the concept of multi-step tasks/projects is something that I value with the girls. I love the process, the individual touches, and the result. They were completely engaged in this activity from the picture-taking to the picture-printing to the picture-displaying. Learning can (and should be) so. much. fun. Here are their accordion-folded photo books, followed by each of their selected photos:

Abby:

Elise:

Let there be ART!

From the time they were tiny, the girls had markers. They had paper. They had glue. They had scissors. It was a given that at some point, almost everyday, we would do art. My years as an early childhood special education teacher ingrained in my brain the need for children to create. I LOVE to create. This week, I've tried out new recipes:

Banana Muffins (recipe adapted from here)

• 3 ripe organic bananas
• 3/4 C organic coconut sap/sugar
• 1/4 local apple butter
• 2 large organic eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Combine wet; add dry; bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

I made a baby beanie for a friend of the family ... I made a new wreath for the front door:

Having something to do... some way to occupy my time that is productive... having a hobby... it gives me such satisfaction, such a feeling of accomplishment. I see that very same feeling when the girls make something - we are drowning in paper around here. Paper with words. Paper with stickers. Paper with glue. Paper with drawings. Paper folded in half. Paper in envelopes. At their disposal, at all times, the girls have markers, glue sticks, scissors, stickers, crayons, pens, easel (with dry erase board/markers) and tape. Let there be art, people! Let there be art! It gets messy, it gets sticky, and it totally clutters your house. :) But then you get masterpieces such as these, which are 100% worth it: