The Honey Pot

Project Progress, Spring Funk

2008-03-29T11:06:00.003-06:00

I'm in a sort of Spring Funk right now... I've been behind on like, everything... but here's some progress on projects:

A sling I made for my friend A and her oh so adorable baby boy....

I finally took pictures of this outfit I knitted for Baby Duck. Don't those legs look Oh, So Cute in those knitted pants!

And, finally, though, I have to rework the ribbing at the top, Goldilock's knee hi's, which she loves and would rather not have the ribbing redone on, because she wants to wear them!

I've also done more sewing, a dress and blouse for Baby Duck, without patterns, you can tell.... I'll post pics of those when I can get some. And I've been darning and mending socks and tights... I'll have to post a pic of the knitted patches I made for M's tights, too...

Until we meet again...

Creative Juices

2008-02-26T10:15:00.003-07:00

There are sooo many things whirling around in my brain these days... I'm kind of in that stage where the things I want to make and the things I'm planning to do and the actual amount of hours in the day do not match up... I have started Goldilock's socks....

I'm planning on a blouse in purple gingham and a dark denim skirt to go with it. I'm almost finished with her blue linen dress, but first had to make a sling, since the lovely lady already paid me!

Finally, OH MY GOSH, I love this blog... isn't it a great idea to blog as sisters across the country, what a great way to stay in touch and stuff. Anyway, I'm oh, so inspired to sew after perusing this blog. I love how they just grab some fabric and then make what inspires them.

I want to do that. I want to make soooooooo many things!

Sweater Blocking

2008-02-21T07:34:00.004-07:00

OK, so I'm not actually blocking a finished sweater. I've developed a block about sweater knitting. I think I've got knitter's ADD or something, as I can start and finish lots of projects, as long as they're small! My sweaters just don't hold my interest for as long as it takes to knit them, and so, I've got to like discipline myself to knit them or something. This is not as fun as toodling along and before you know it, the sock, mitten, hat, baby sweater is done! Also, I think I've caught the yarn buying addiction. I have enough yarn right now for like three years worth of knitting for me. Yet, today, I went ahead and bought 4 balls of sock yarn and enough Noro Silk Garden to make Hubby a giant, stripey, ribbed scarf. The sock yarn is Trekking, with which I thought I'd make a pair for Hubby, a pair of marigold socks for me, and a pair of knee socks for me. I've been winding balls of Cascade 220 for my March Almanac Sweater in anticipation of knitting a swatch cap for a.... Sweater. And I've cast on and knitted a sock for my dear Hubby. Finally, in the deep recesses of my brain I'm planning on a pair of knee socks for Goldilocks out of pretty Essential Meteor Twist yarn, which I have already purchased. I have to stop buying yarn so I can afford music lessons for my children!!!!!!!

False Start

2008-02-13T13:15:00.005-07:00

This past week we had 70 degree weather, then it rained and froze and blew and fogged and froze some more. My crocuses were up on Saturday, today they're gone, retreating under the leaf mulch I had not yet bothered to rake off the beds. I told them that they should really wait till next month, but they didn't listen. But then, I suppose that bulbs do not have ears to hear. Our big family room, though it has a lovely view, is plagued with climate issues. It is too hot in summer, too cold in winter, and since we do EVERYTHING in there, except eat and sleep, we have to just deal. Our propane fireplace is the only real method of heating the space, and that has been on the fritz since Friday evening. We've been shivering a lot, and dressing very warmly, and I've been baking, to heat up the rest of the house! Perhaps I'll post pics of my lovely, newly baked loaves later! I have been grinding wheat for bread ever since the Christmas when my handsome hubby gave me a grain mill. Well, except for while I was pregnant, so I only baked freshly ground whole wheat bread for like 6 mos total. But I am now... and that's the point!!!

Madeleine Scarf

2008-02-12T11:26:00.002-07:00

OK, so here it is, in all it's glory... I love it. I can wear it as a sort of shawl around my shoulders or buttoned behind my back like a shrug, or as a scarf as you see here. It's warm and fabulous and beautiful. Just like M.

And there I am... you know how it's weird to hear your own voice in a recording? That's how I feel about my pictures... that's just not how I look to myself! Anyway, enjoy the pics of the scarf, as I get to enjoy the real thing!

Madeleine

2008-02-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

OK, I had to share this goodie, which I got in the mail yesterday. Cosette Cornelius-Bates, one of my ravelry aquaintances was getting folks to name her yarns and when I saw this, I thought of my M... well, you can see she used the name and I, of course, had to buy the yarn...

M was sooo excited that I thought of her when I saw this pretty yarn. She is always hearing people say how beautiful Goldilocks is and gets a little jealous. I think she liked me thinking of her as the pretty one. So, without further ado...

And look at this sweet label cosy made (along with attaching a card with blush roses on it to the envelope):

Well, anyway, thanks Cosy, your yarn helped me bless my baby, and besides, I'm gonna make a scarf for myself that reminds me to pray for her every time I wear it!

Bluebirds

2008-02-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today we saw a couple of bluebirds on the maple tree in front of our house. I thought it was too early for bluebirds, but perhaps not in Virginia. We also saw a downy woodpecker and several blue jays. We all stopped work for a few minutes to watch these beautiful feathered creatures go about their business. Our Creator is ever faithful to provide little moments of grace to brighten our temporal existence! I hope we get some nesting bluebirds this year. That would be fun to see and a great learning experience for the kids. Here's a pic, not too good, but if you look closely, right at the center of the photo... voila, a bluebird!

I've been working on a few projects around here, and I'll post pictures later. I made a crocheted cap for M to go with a purse Goldilocks made for her. They'll both go with the red skirt I made already. I'm working on the second legwarmer for M, too. I also cut up a dress given to me by a friend and made a skirt for me. I think the rest of the useable parts of the dress, which started out quite large, will be a summer dress for one of the girls combined with some simple muslin. Perhaps I'll show before and after shots!

Before:

After:

The house is a complete disaster, which I hate, but I'd so much rather make things than clean, organize, and straighten. Still, birthday month is here, and I can't have birthday pictures recording all my homemaking neglect!

MORE GI Bug

2008-01-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

ACK! Well, I got the bug, N got the bug, I hate the bug! I was so sick, I didn't even want to knit. Still, since my last post, I finished the Dauphin's mittens! Yeah! I think he'll love them.

Oh, and I cast on the Pirates hat.

Also, I finished knitting one legwarmer for M... but now I have to knit another one and darn in all those ends.

Finally, in the knitting category, I'm actually wanting to knit the January Aran!

More birthday projects: this skirt... thrifted, then added a ruffle as the skirt was too short.

These doll outfits for Isabelle, M's doll:

I was planning on some dress up clothes for her as well, but lost the pattern.

Also, I got some commissions for baby slings! Oooooh yeah! One lady though, says, "I'm not good at picking fabric, so just make whatever you want..." In some ways this is good, I could just pick some fabrics that I would enjoy, because I can make two slings with one fabric length. I'm thinking denim (maybe a little stretch) with a lining. I can pick a really pretty cotton for a lining, as the denim will be sturdy, so I can pick a neat graphic floral or a batik or something. Maybe brown and blue, or teal... But there's another thing to consider with fabric choice. I suppose I should ask what colors the recipient wears often, as since this is my first commission, I want her to rave to everyone about how she loves the sling. It's also a bad thing to pick the fabric, as it's a lot of pressure to pick colors and fabrics for someone I don't even know! Any suggestions?

Sick Leave

2008-01-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

We're off of school today, as we are, most of us, sick. I've been catching up on mountains of laundry... GI bugs create a lot of laundry on their own, but I've been trying to sort of sterilize, since we're passing this around. Why is it with after tossing one's stomach contents, one always wants to drink something, even though it means you'll probably just toss all that up, too? Stupid vicious toss cycle. On a positive note, I have made progress on the top secret birthday knitting for J, as seen below. I knitted while watching Pirates last night in bed with Hubby. He actually slept through most of it, but I, of course, knitted.

I did cardio last night right before dinner, which was good, because I was famished afterwards. The dietitian told me to eat more meals, so I'll oblige her, no matter how much it pains me. OK, so I won't be sad to eat... I'll be oh, so happy! Back to laundry for 40 minutes, then knitting for a few till I have to feed the baby again.

Resolutions

2008-01-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

For the first time in, oh, ten years, I'm losing weight rapidly. I've dropped like 4 pounds in the last week, which doesn't seem like a lot of weight, but when you think about the fact that, so far, after the baby was born ( 3 mos), I have lost 36 pounds. Of course, I'm not down to prepreggo weight yet, not to mention down to my ideal weight, but still, encouraging. As for the fitness of my body, it's not so good. So Jeremy and I joined a gym today. I wasn't really on board for awhile, until we toured the gym and looked at the childcare area and met the caretakers and talked to the kids. I actually thought, HEY, I could walk ALONE for like 30-40 minutes a day, with no one to call me, or nurse on me, or want to be held, or to be fed, diapered, or disciplined. Now, most of these things I don't mind doing, it's just that exercising while doing them is nigh impossible... so I joined up. Pilates will wait till my heart and lungs can manage a good brisk walk for an hour!

As for knitting, I've made progress on J's mittens. Well, I've almost completed one, and everyone wants one now: hubby, 4yo son, me. Also, I've begun some legwarmers for another lucky child, we'll see how they work out. Also, I'm planning on another pair of legwarmers for my little Goldilocks, as well, in striped 2x2 ribbing. Now, would those look good like 80's warmers, or the kind I used to see on FAME that went all the way from the thigh down to enfold the foot? We'll see, as yarn availability will affect final size.

February Prep

2008-01-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

So... I have three children born in February, and the handmade gifts are always a big hit, for me and for them, but there's so much to do between the Christmas gift frenzy and the February birthday frenzy. I hoped to finish the Dauphin's Aran sweater by his birthday, but I sometimes need to throw in a small project that can actually be finished in a small amount of time just to stay motivated.

Since starting his sweater January 1, I have also knitted a pair of mittens for M:

and a fair isle hat for Baby Duck:

So I have come up with an alternate gift to knit quickly, as the sweater will not be finished, though I do have like a foot knit on it.

Here it is: or the start of it... I started in on the recommended size needles, which would have been perfect for me, but his hands are smaller than mine. After about an hour of knitting, I pulled it all out and began again with smaller needles.

Here is a link to the pattern, in case you want to join me in knitting these cool Pirate mittens. I thought that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies would be a good accompaniment to the mittens, as well as this hat, for a birthday surprise. By the way he wants Playmobil stuff, too, for gift ideas, and Audible credits, for audio books.

Books I Want

2007-12-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Christmas Projects

2007-12-30T11:47:00.001-07:00

This neckwarmer for Terri:

This sweater for JW:

These dresses for the big girls:

This sweater for N:

Very productive week

2006-10-24T17:05:00.000-06:00

So, I've been making stuff like crazy, I mean crazy I've made a baby sweater, three hats, two chemises, painted a cradle, and I've started a pair of socks. Of course, my house isn't exactly tidy, but that's easily fixed! Here's one of the hats I've knitted during the past week.

2006-10-24T17:00:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of one of the two chemises I made for my girls to keep them cozy in their dresses. I made one with purple flowers as well. They're both in a flannel that is soft and fuzzy, good for lots of stuff and only $1 per yard!

2006-10-24T16:59:00.000-06:00

Here are some detail pics, I am especially proud of the flower encircled monogram, I think it is just too sweet! It's amazing how quickly the painting goes after I've planned the design and warmed up, I finished the painting in one afternoon nap time. Of course, M slept extra long that day, but still..... pretty good time!

2006-10-24T16:56:00.000-06:00

Here is M's Christmas present, which I should mention is a cooperative effort with C, Jeremy, and me. Jeremy made the cradle and painted it black. C and I made the bedding together and C did her first machine sewing on the pillow. I did the decorative painting.

Chickens

2006-10-08T12:00:00.000-06:00

So, if you know me personnaly at all you know I want chickens. I've been playing with the idea of playing farmwife for awhile, years, really. My fondest memories are of living on a farm in upstate New York in Junior High. Now, that farm was NOT a working farm, and that is an important point. I love the rural life, dirt roads, ponds, quiet, solitude, wildflowers, and shoveling feet of snow. I have never, never worked at farm work in earnest. I have played in barns, woodlots, fencerows, cornfields, and chased barn cats. I've been disgusted at nasty farm well water. I've played with cousins as the family gathered to "put up" freezers full of sweet corn. I have a completely romantic view of farm life. So I want chickens. A dozen perhaps.

My husband, on the other hand, has decided he wants to be a farmer. He wants to tinker with old machinery, plow fields, milk cows, and cultivate. He wants to make hay, improve pastures, and maybe even get some draft horses. OK, that sounds fun, too, I guess. But that goes way beyond PLAYING farmwife. I'm gonna have to make cheese, put up acres of veggies, wash manure off everything, and feed a family of, well, a brood, on an irregular income. All this makes me nervous, to say the least. Still, I've been married a little over 10 years now and I've never, NEVER seen my husband so motivated. He has read book after book about sustainable agriculture, small farming, dairying, etc. He took our family on a 2.5 hour (that's driving time, one way) trip to a farm north of Denver that does sustainable agriculture internships, and also to look at an outhouse that he is interested in building! He is totally gung ho on this idea and is doing his best to make sure that he is going into it with as much information as possible!

All this makes me really excited for him. I suppose when a man starts to make his own way in life, "busting sod" so to speak, he starts to learn who he really is, he challenges himselves, and begins to test what he is made of, and in doing all this, he becomes truly manly, masculine, husbandlike. I'm so proud of him, so astonished at his depth. My task now is to be truly wifelike in my support of his endeavors. To help and meet needs and become more wifely in my development of character. I'm pretty sure I can do that, if I can get my chickens!

A Song of Little You

2006-05-11T12:40:00.000-06:00

Oh my sweet baby, child of mine,
With bright and glowing eyes that shine,
And cheeks so soft and round and warm,
So like unto a rose they charm
Your mama’s swelling heart.

Your breath is sweet, like summer breeze,
Like moss filled earth and sky and seas.
To feel your breath upon my face
Speaks of life, so full of grace.
Your life, it trembles there.

The dimples on your knuckles fair,
The fringes of your fine brown hair,
Are gifted with a glamoured light,
Full of beauty, though they might
Be simple fare to others.

I feel your head upon my breast,
I see it nod and fall in rest
Your little feet and toes that curl
Your little mouth a rosy pearl
Your nose a smooth, round pebble.

A grasping fist, a reach not long
Inspires in my breast a song
Of all your wonders, small but rare,
Of little hand and feet and hair.
A song of little you.

Active and Passive

2006-05-03T18:16:00.000-06:00

So, I was reading a book to my children today called Parables from Nature, I don't think it's in print anymore, I bought it from Alibris. Anyway, I read a section titled Active and Passive. It was all about how we tend to be discontent with our lives because we're too busy or because we're not busy enough. Either way we tend to envy those who's life is not like ours sometimes. I do. I often wonder how lovely it would be to get dressed nicely every day, go to work, get a paycheck, talk to grownups, stop for coffee on my way home, etc. There would be a lot more alone time even if it was in a car. I adore solitude, and having five children, all at home, I rarely have any. Even as I write this I'm "encouraging" them to finish their kitchen chores after dinner. My other area of discontent is my lack of free time. I don't mean time to sit in front of the tv and veg, I mean time to work on my garden, or sew for the kids, or bake from scratch. I sooooo look forward to a time when I can just meander out to my garden and water or stare in wonder at a tree leafing out or a daffodil bloom!

Now the moral of the story is that our lot in life is good, it was assigned to us for a reason, and if we faithfully fulfill the task we're given, then we've accomplished much. This applies regarldess of position, disposition, income, or ability. Let me quote from the book:

"I mean that everything, as well as everybody, is useful in its appointed place, at the appointed time. But neither we nor they can choose or foresee the time."

Also, "Watch for ye know not the hour."

Grumbling is "quarreling with your lot. We may not always know what we're wanted for, nor is it for us to enquire, but nobody is useless as long as permitted to live."

Sometimes my lot, as a stay at home, homeschooling mom, is hard, but it is full of joy as well. There are lots of things I can do that many other people can't. I can really get to know my kids. I can see each personality refine to the point where a sense of humor is obvious and maturity makes possible riveting conversation. I can see every smile and giggle. For me to grumble, and I do, rather often, is to raise my fist to Heaven and say, "You don't know what You're doing! I want to decide what my hour is to shine! I want to do it myself!"

I don't know about you, but I think that attitude could have some pretty severe consequences.

"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Matthew 25:13 KJV

Create!

2006-04-24T16:00:00.000-06:00

OK... So I'm thinking about this word CREATE . I am compelled to create stuff... sweaters, outfits, scrapbooks, blogs, people, OK that's procreation... Why do I want so much to make stuff? Everyone who "crafts" knows that there are intangible benefits to making things like relaxation, a sense of accomplishment, but for me I think it's mostly about display! I like to show my talents, quite frankly. Mothers used to make all their children's clothes, and they would ornament them with lovely, intricate, time-consuming handwork for just this reason. Many mothers see their children as extensions of themselves and their talents, as visible expressions of their hard work (and maybe good genetic material!) This, I realize,simply displays an excess of pride, which as we know cometh before a fall!

Charlotte Mason, my favorite educational philosopher (whose books on education you can access by clicking the title Create!), makes the point that children are already created, that we cannot remake them another way. We must educate them to fulfill the potential, the bent, the personality that God already created. This means really knowing the child, really observing and praying about who she is, and delving into the child's psyche deliberately. I suppose that I think children still have to be trained to make the most of what God has given them. They have to be encouraged to develop good habits, to not shirk that which they find hard. I want to teach my children that life can be like a great epic, a day to day battle against apathy and mediocrity, against the inherited flaws and bad habits that keep them from becoming fully what they were meant to be. This is no small task, it is a challenging and engrossing occupation. It can be exhausting and frustrating. Mostly, I've found, it requires constant research, prayer, and denying of self. So overall, it makes me a much better person in spite of the fact that I fail or fall short so often. It is this occupation which spurs me on toward further good within myself. It is what they call a "means of sanctification." Is this what God meant by women being saved in childbirth?

Why the Honey Pot?

2006-04-04T22:05:00.000-06:00

My name is Melissa, which means honeybee in Greek. What is the product of a honeybee? Honey, of course! I suppose I could have called it The Hive, but that I think gives Borg-esque connotations which I wouldn't want. So here I'll be talking about me, my thoughts, what I produce, it will be where I hold my honey.

I suppose that the reason I wanted to blog is that I'm a homemaker and so much of what I produce is within my home, or even intangible. I suppose I wanted a forum to brag about what I do. The truth is that I often feel that what I do is less important than what others do. I am not a doctor, a journalist, professor, or political pundit. I am a mother, wife, and teacher to my own children. Sometimes I feel that is so little a thing, especially on a day like today, when I'm so busy and at the end of the day, there's so little to show for it. The house looks almost exactly the same as it did when we woke up.

Today I got up late, it was 8:30. I'm not yet used to the time change. The baby woke at 7:15, my normal waking time, to eat, and in my nursing induced euphoria, I fell back asleep. Whoops! Now at 8:30, on my schedule, my block says... Eat. Actually, everybody's block says eat except Josie, who, as we know ate at 7:15. I hate daylight savings time! So I get up, brush my teeth, make my bed, try to wake up all the kids and get them started on their days when I hear the doorbell ring. I glance at the clock and it says 9:02... and I'm not dressed, yet, actually I'm about to be. So I yell, "Jeffrey, answer the door and tell them I'll be right there!" and I furiously throw clothes on. Then I hear, "I told him you're not dressed and he said he'll come back in 10 minutes!"

Great.

Anyway, once the landscaping contractor is recalled to the door, I realize that the house is a total disaster.... well, we went on a hike yesterday and I didn't have the energy to clean up before I went to bed.... and he tells me he needs to go down in my basement (uh oh) and then to my back yard (and walk through my messy kitchen?) and finally to my garage (if he can walk in there at all!) to get the sprinkler system up and running.

I say, "Did I know you were coming?"
He says "No"... I think "Well, at least I didn't forget an appointment!"

Pop a load of laundry in the washer and I'm off and running!

On to breakfast, cheesy scrambled eggs, with some leftover green onions thrown in, and homemade biscuits (made with Bisquick and powdered milk). To redeem this nutritional nightmare of a pastry I added left over mashed sweet potatoes, mmmmmmm. Not to forget a big cup of tea for me, decaf, of course.

The kids loved the biscuits and hated the eggs, more for me and my Momma gut. Clear the table and it's only...... 10:30??!!! Now we're waaaaaaay behind schedule. Oh well, little devotion with the kids and some reading aloud while I feed baby. Trial and Triumph- one chapter- short narration from Jeffrey, very good, Chloe, "I don't remember anything!" Short lecture about listening when Mommy's reading and then off to a picture book based on Midieval Book of Hours, about peasants working. We're all amazed at how much things need to be done and get done.

11:00 Change washer loads. Hang out laundry and change little's diapers. Tell kids to do their morning chores and we're back on schedule!! Wooooh Hoooooh!!! Go outside and water vegetables, then move some of the rasberry bushes, which are planted too closely and are waking from their winter slumber. I move three bushes, and turn on sprinkler to water them in. Hang out another load of laundry.

12:30 Make lunch. Ants on a log, turkey and cheese sandwiches, and pineapple chunks for kids, Spaghetti squash and turkey sandwich for me. Kids take For Ev ER to eat.

1:30 Change diapers, get big kids started on afternoon schedule, we're late again. Meat salesman comes and tells me what an idiot I am (not in so many words....) Put Jack and Maddie down for a nap. Doze off while rocking Jack, whoops!

2:00 Only an hour late, feed baby, read aloud, Robin Hood by Howard Pyle, one chapter. Make a copy of engraving for Chloe to color, tell Jeffrey to do his math and marvel that he's doing division.

3:00 Have argument with Jeffrey about his Rocks and Minerals book. Try to explain the difference between Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rock. Finally illustrate with mud in a glass of water. He likes that, but still doesn't want to write a narration. I finally change washer loads and bring in dry laundry and hang out wet, just to get away from him for a minute. Chloe colors beautifully.

3:45 Get Jeffrey reading his book to himself. Have Chloe do a little reading, too. Try to get baby asleep, work on Blog, too. I've given up on History. Jack and Maddie get up, Jeremy gets home. Talk about financial future, hang out last load of laundry. Ice Cream truck drives by. Begging and pleading and looking for lost change on the kid's part. I sent them all to the back yard. Jeremy and Jeffrey go to baseball practice.

4:45 Get dinner started, sort of clean up kitchen, kiddoes play outside, change diapers, cut Jack's hair and Maddie's bangs, baby's fussy, try to feed her again, I don't even know what else went on (I did hear "Who's on First" while cooking) but somehow I got dinner on the table at about 6:45. Turkey Vera Cruz, only with chicken. Everyone but Jeremy thought it was gross, even me.

7:15 Have kids do table chores, bring in laundry, move last raspberry bush, suggest going out for iced cream... what a good idea! Dirty dishes everywhere, house a mess, who cares! Off we go.
Try to grab a little edifying reading, For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macauley, get home at 8:45, way late for bed time... quick family prayers, kisses, rock Jack, and work on Blog till I pass out. It's now about 11 pm and I give up!

A day in the Life, not the best day, not the worst, either, actually rather normal. Now, off to bed!