So what he wanted for his birthday was his own Gingerbread house kit. So he enjoyed making them. We will make some more tomorrow after I buy some more molasses, we tried to make it today and not enough molasses.
Ahhhhhhhh the joys of childhood.
I hope you caught the head fake.... I am not writing this blog for any specific reader or demographic... it is for Miss C., Mr. A, Mr. J, and Mr. S. It is for them that I write... for them to know and remember that I love them and I mean every word of it.
So what he wanted for his birthday was his own Gingerbread house kit. So he enjoyed making them. We will make some more tomorrow after I buy some more molasses, we tried to make it today and not enough molasses.
Ahhhhhhhh the joys of childhood.
Mr. J just turned five. After such a rough year, we wanted to have some extra fun. He had a friend party for the first time. Several friends came over for his Pirate party. We enjoyed playing "Tick Tock, find the Croc," pin the treasure on the map, a treasure hunt and we watched Muppet Treasure Island. We also made some pirate necklaces and ate pirate booty during the party. He especially wanted to have gigantic lolly pops and we included that in the treasure chest with the other party favors.
What he wanted most of all for his birthday was his own Ginger bread house kit.
Our Birthday boy! It has also been a year since his eye injury. With that prosthetic eye, you would never know. I should do a blog post on that.
Mr. A getting into the spirit of things for his birthday breakfast. He chose to have salad and yogurt. Just like my birthday breakfast.
Miss C.... aka Red Handed Jill!
AAAARRRRRH!
Mr A and Miss C had to bring something chocolaty for their Chocolate party at the Options School (one day a week school for homeschoolers) so I tried my hand at making Cake Pops from Bakerella.
Roll it into about 1 1/2 balls
Set them on a cookie sheet and chill in the fridge.
I dipped them in chocolate. I used the melting chocolate from the baking isle.




Christmas is a mere six days away and since I had a nice big fat nap, I am wide awake and while cuddling and nursing Mr. S to sleep I passed the time and broke the rule of blog surfing only on Mondays, so here is a special edition.
Aren't these wonderful? I love the colorful cases. I think I have been living in drabville for too long. Miss C would enjoy this as a future handwork project for her to add some beautiful pillow cases to her hope chest.
I forget where I came across the link for this magazine, but I am pondering ordering it for Miss C. She has been wanting to get a magazine subscription of her own, especially seeing how Mr. A devours his Boys Life Magazine every month. Up until now, I hadn't found one that I thought would be of quality for her. Unfortunately, it really is for girls 10 and up, though I think having the issues will be beneficial to look back on. The Girlhood Home Companion, Check it out. Yup....definitely think I should get it for her.
I am not sure if I just love the little gift or if it is the paper that really catches my eye and together it is awesome. I already made my visiting teaching gifts and I don't really have a need for giving one out. Oooooh perhaps Mr. J's Speech Pathologist will get one on his appointment this Wed. What to do in place of that stamp she used though! Perhaps I could find something printable. This little tutorial comes from Country Heart and Home. Though I could make up a stack for little things for later. I should share this with Cousin W, for her Card swap club. They do make and takes and this would be a great project.
This one is for you scouters out there. This little scout craft comes from Balancing Everthing.
Shivaya Naturals has great taste in fabrics and she made this beautiful art roll. Just wait till I post the one I made....yes I actually made something off of one of my blogzines. It is nowhere near as skillfully made as this one. But I am planning on making at least one more for Cousin K for Christmas this week and since she is older, I thought this would be perfect and I will add in a Moleskin diary for the book. I made a Thomas the Tank Engine crayon roll for Mr. S. Will have to take a picture of it and post it tomorrow.
After the mad array of scissors, tape, and paper this year, I am resolved to go to JoAnn's and buy Christmas Fabric when it goes on clearance after the Holidays. A bunch of it, at least for gifts for those in our family. Even the tags can be reused.
I can always count on Wee Folk Art to come up with splendid things. I think the knit rug for this little bed would make a great handwork project for Miss C. The blanket and pillow too. Am I strange for thinking I would like to start another blog, specifically devoted to sharing handwork idea for kids in. Not sure of the name. We are pondering putting our kids in a Common Wealth School that is one day a week (TJed based homeschool enrichment) and it is run through the parents and I was thinking and wondering what it would be that I would have to offer. I think the TJed principle applies, "It's about YOU, not them philosophy." I would very much like my kids to have a nice handwork experience, and I would like it "inspired" very much by the waldorf perspective. I thought that would be something that could be "mine" that I could share their at the school. I wonder if there could be an option to have a handwork class. I was thinking that the carved spoons would also be very appealing to the boys as well.
I am tucking this idea away for next year. Christmas Cheer in a Box, an idea fabulously shared by You Are My Fave.
I am thinking that these tissue puffs would make great decorations for New Years too! And the Confetti below.... so coming out for New Years.
Dear Friends and Family,
We are excited to be sending you Holiday Greetings and hope that you will find time to remember the Savior during this time of year. We are enjoying a nice snowfall and cold temperatures here in
Here are the specifics on each of us.
Mr.A turned 8 this last March, which is an exciting age in our Church. He is the first of our children to decide to become baptized and enjoy full membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a special day for him, one he speaks of often and is very proud of. He is also a busy Cub Scout and is eagerly waiting to advance to the Rank of Bear. He also just earned is Religious Knot and is especially proud of it. He is quite adventurous and hopes to be a
Miss C is now 7 and is eagerly awaiting to be 8 and to also be baptized. She is Brownie Scout this year and is also taking Ballet classes and looks forward to her recital this spring. She is her mother’s shadow as she is an avid knitter and card maker (maybe she will get around to mailing some). She dreams of becoming a fashion designer or interior decorator and she is often found draping fabric all over herself and designing new fashionable dresses or rearranging and decorating her room. She is into painting her nails and shimmery lip gloss. She is starting to get the tiniest hint of a figure and enjoys her girly ways of twirling and dancing through life and yet…. You can find her knee deep in mud with her brothers picking up lizards, worms and frogs. She has a great balance of feminine and tom-boy flare and she is always full of surprises.
Mr. J… is my sweet boy who turns 5 next week. He is the biggest helper there is. He has been hard at work this last year in Speech Therapy and has made tremendous improvements in articulation and fluency in his speech. We are so pleased that he is able to express himself so well. He has been enjoying his preschool but is looking forward to enjoying joining his siblings in homeschooling next year. He is also very excited to have his new prosthetic eye. It has been almost a year since his devastating eye injury. He has endured the many surgeries and procedures that failed to save his eye due to the severity of the injury but he has patiently and courageously endured them well and we are so proud of his perseverance and adaptability to having the use of only one eye. Thank you to all who have kept him in your prayers.
Mr. S will be 3 in January. He is a fiery little guy who has a strong will and enjoys doing things himself. Like his siblings he too has those big brown eyes. He has a great love for trains and stuffed animals. He too is a big helper and is often found with his little spray bottle and cloth tackling little bits of grime throughout the house. But don’t get too near, his siblings can vouch for his aim! He has a killer smile and is quite the climber and active boy. He can often be found with the little bumps and scrapes of very active play. He loves to go, go, go and can be a little tiring to keep up with.
And now my darling, Prince Charming: We happily celebrated 14 years of marriage this last month. He is still working for Comcast and recently hit his 10 year mark there. He enjoys his hobbies of computer gaming, computer hardware, gardening, and dabbling a bit in wood working. Like many, he wishes he had more time for them.
And Me… I officially retired from volunteer work with La Leche League this last year closing a 7 year chapter of my life. But I am still quite busy as Andrew’s Den Leader and Cassie’s Brownie Troop Leader. I also enjoy my paper crafting hobby and knitting as well and I am always finding little bits of time to do them. I also enjoy my hobby as a blogger and you can keep up with our family here: www.akindredfamily.blogspot.com
This last year we enjoyed a trip to
*
* Garden of the Gods (near
* Red Rocks
* Lair of the Bear
This spring we look forward to visiting
Well, as you can see we are having a great time and keeping up with the ups and downs of life well and hope that you are enjoying and taking advantage of life too. Happy Holidays and may the Saviors love encircle you with the warmth that He provides.
With Love,
A Kindred Family- Plus 5 cats, two frogs, a fish and a turtle who is hibernating somewhere in the back yard.
In August, I had written this post about the Princess Academy. They have a Hope Chest Journey that I am hoping to work on more regularly with Miss C. One person has a separate blog for hers but the main site is here.
Not much progress has been made on it. We have been reading Little Women, but recently we shared a special night and I discussed the Journey with her. Miss C had been begging me to take her to this Food and Craft show that is happening weekly at the mall near our home and last Friday we went. At nearly 8 she is becoming such a treat to be around. It reminded me of going to craft fairs with my mother, though I don't remember really going to one as young as her. It is something I look forward to doing with my mother when it happens while I am in California, but hasn't for some time. But now, I can go with my own daughter and she is equally fun to go with, only that she doesn't have my mother's paycheck or money of her own. Just now, the tables are reversed. I have money for her to spend. I have such a huge bias for handmade items and she is developing it too. We bought a few things but her favorite part was looking at the doilies, handmade linens and tea sets. There was a little area with antiques that was surrounded by some beautiful mirrors, tea sets, handmade linens and doilies and she just marveled at them all. She begged to have some for her room. I told her that I thought it was time for her to have a hope chest and that she would need to gather items to put in it. Nice things she would want for a home someday."The purpose of the hope chest was not only to provide the future couple with necessities to start a home with, but more powerfully, to prepare daughters for marriage.
The hope chest would often contain:
The American Hope Chest was more of an institution (a custom or practice of importance in rural community life), than just a box of collected things. It’s contents were not hastily gathered during the engagement period. The hope chest was actually part of the girl’s education and training, preparing her to become a wife and mother. In many American homes, a girl began to learn handwork at a young age.
In some areas of America, the girls eight years old learned to quilt and embroider. The young girls, under the loving tutelage and guidance of their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, girl cousins, older sisters, and neighbor women, would make a quilt a year, embroider table linens, or embroider bed linens, in hopes of having cherished comforts to take with her when she married. All the while she was preparing her hope chest, the women in her life were preparing her, chatting as they worked, passing along a large body of knowledge and skill, incidentally, from one generation to the next, and building bonds of community support, kinship, and sisterhood. These young girls learned about relationships, parenting, family life, recipes, home, nursing, and so much more, through listening to and participating in conversations with the women in their lives. Many of the women in this community were informally helping the young girl to prepare to become the queen of her future home.
The concept of a hope chest, whether formal or informal, whether in a box, or just skills taught, can help mothers prepare daughters to be queens of their homes, as well. Remember, the hope chest was not an assignment or something done to girls, but rather something done with them. The most powerful part of contemplating a Hope Chest Journey, is considering what goes on "outside" the box, and not just what goes into the box. The Hope Chest journey included the skills learned, talents developed and knowledge gained in the process of preparing and filling the hope chest, and does not simply refer to tangibles one might include in that hope chest. We encourage young ladies and women to add something to their hope chest daily; meaning, learn something new, develop a skill, or refine a talent, each day. Of course, we have some suggested areas of focus, the lost arts of Godly womanhood. Let them be a springboard rather than a destination."

Ma and Laura.

I have to admit that I was rather impatient with putting this issue together. I had to be dazzled to stop and pay attention, so what you get is what especially caught my eye.
Red Dirt Mother shares her experience with her children in carving these spoons. This is something I would like to try with Mr. A. As a scout, he is very into learning carving as well. I think I will take some cues from her. They are so beautiful.Ingredients:
1 cup caster sugar
90g unsalted butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1/3 cup glucose syrup
1/2 cup sweetend condensed milk
How to:
Grease a 19cm square cake pan (we lined ours with baking paper after greasing).
Combine sugar, butter, syrups and milk in saucepan. Stir over low heat without boiling until the sugar and butter have dissolved.
Bring to gentle boil - boil, stirring for about 7 minutes or unti the mixture is a caramel colour. Allow bubbles to subside; pour into pan, stand 10 mins.
Cool before cutting - we keep ours in the fridge.
Recipe source: Women's Weekly Sweet
This looked so appealing because, when we went to visit Nauvoo in Illinois, we went to a store that had a bunch of homemade pioneer cooking and they had the most delicious soft caramels and I would love to be able to make them myself. Perhaps I should hunt around a bit for another recipe. This recepe was gleaned from Day to Day
What is Castor Sugar? Or Golden Syrup? (is that like Kayro Syrup?)
This is the second year my kids are making gifts for each other. So coming up with items for them to make can be a bit of a challenge. We figure that since we are paying for their gift that they need to contribute to the gift in some way, so we require them to participate in its creation. That and it goes with our Handmade pledge. So above is a great item that they could do... and that would be a handmade frame. I got this idea from a Blog that is new to me... Forty-two Roads
Cinnamon Scented Salt dough Ornaments. The kids would enjoy this too. So many things to make! The "How To" can be found on Cozy Homemaking.
I thought that this was such a cute idea for little gifts that perhaps uses scrap pieces of paper for those that you want to give a special thought to. I was thinking for people like those I visit teach or for friends that you don't really exchange gifts with. This cute idea can be found here on Cosmo Cricket
These could be very cute little trees for a nature table. And they are They are From Bird and Little Bird for her Season's Round Exchange. I finally finished mine today and have got to mail it off. Things have just been too crazy to have my act together. And today is the deadline to mail. Guess what I will be doing after this. I will post a picture of our goodies to send soon.
And Now.... time for a recipe. Creamy Balsamic Dressing. Sounds so yummy. Thanks to Berlin's Wimsey for sharing
Mr. A picked a fabulous time to become in to Owls. He loves them. How fun would this be. I think that rather than mkae it for him... he should try his hand at some handwork. You can find this tutorial at Juicy Bits.... A new blog to check out!
It is cookie making time. I have a cookie exchange on Wednesday night and was baking extraordinary goodies last week. I will be posting the cake pops soon from Bakerella that I made and these gorgeous cookies are from her as well. I wonder if I have the patience to make beautiful cookies like these are am I going to just make the easiest (well besides buying cookies from a store) No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal cookies. We at least need to make some sugar cookies for the kids to decorate. I also need to make something for Miss C to take to her Ballet Class Holiday Party too.
This photo invokes a nice feeling of handmade. It was an odd association for me. As it just made me want to go out and buy a nice basket and ditch my plastic tool box that I keep all my felt and embroidery floss. Just might do that. It will be so nice to get the kids more into to handwork this next year and I think it will be one of my main "New Years Resolutions." It comes from the blog, A Baker's Dozen. She is expecting another little one and I was touched by the older siblings desire to make things in preparation for the new little one arriving in about 6-7 months.
The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that canbe seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing.