Yarn Along

On the needles: a little gray wool vest for Silas. I'm trying to take the pattern one row at a time so I don't get scared and run away. It's knit from the top down, in the round and, so far, has been going really fast.

Reading: Still nothing of note for me. I have, however, been meaning to share some of our favorite birthday books. I got these out a couple of weeks before Silas' first birthday celebration and put them into our regular reading rotation.

Another Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown: Sweet rhymes about the "important thing about being one." It continues through age six recording the milestones of each age and ending with the importance of being yourself.

Birthday Zoo by Deborah Lee Rose: This one is a favorite of both mama and papa. The zoo animals plan a party for a little boy's birthday. Adorable.

Birthday Presents by Cynthia Rylant: Parents remember their little one's birthdays from age one through six. This one makes me cry every single time.

On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier: Celebrating the individual, we read how the earth prepared for the coming of your very special little one. This one is a little too New Age-y for Steve, but I think it's incredibly sweet.

Linking up with Ginny at Small Things.

On Baking Bread

I'm only three or so batches in, so I don't want to jinx it, but I think I've finally found my bread baking rhythm. Making our own bread has been on my sustainability to-do list from the very beginning. It seemed like such an easy change. Just mix, bake, repeat right? And the benefits are so many. It's so much cheaper, there's no packaging (everything comes from the bulk bins, more or less), and it's better for us, but there always seemed to be some little nagging detail that kept me from it. Whether it was finding the right recipe or being intimidated by not knowing how to properly knead, or just the mental hurdle of thinking that I didn't have the time, it was always something. 

There were several weeks that I just wouldn't buy bread at the store, thinking that would give me the push that I needed. Our grocery co-op also houses a bakery that makes delicious, organic bread fresh daily. I usually buy the pre-cut loaves in plastic (which makes me cringe), but I also have the option of some really beautiful and delicious artisinal loaves (which cost an arm and a leg). But not buying bread for a week just meant that we didn't have bread that week. Motivation fail.

The few loaves that I've made over the years have been fine, but not nearly delicious. Using only whole wheat flour, they were more often than not heavy bricks. I searched for recipes, but found more joy in reading bread books than in actually baking. And, oh, did I find joy! Like so many others I have been inspired by The Tassajara Bread Book. The idea of approaching bread baking as a meditative act is so beautiful to me. Mindfully nourishing our inner selves as we nourish our families.

So, I'm not sure what fell into alignment these past few weeks, but whatever it was, I'm grateful for it. I found myself with some leftover oatmeal in the 'fridge on the same day that I read a SouleMama post about making muffins from her leftover oatmeal and I decided that that was the day. I turned, as I usually do, to Feeding the Whole Family and decided to give her whole grain bread a try. It's really easy and she gives several variations to use based on what grain you have leftover. Basically, you make a starter dough by blending the grain with a liquid and then letting it sit on the counter overnight to ferment. Then into the 'fridge it goes where it can sit for up to a week. I think this part was key for me. I don't mind a lot of steps, as long as those steps can be easily interrupted and I can set the project aside for awhile while I do something else. This recipe is perfect for that. The rest is basic bread baking: add sweetener, flour, knead, and bake. The inclusion of the blended whole grain really helps to give the bread a spongy quality and makes it much lighter than other whole wheat loaves that I've made. Delicious for toast with jam, sandwiches, or French toast.

In my dream world, I'm with-it enough that I have a catalog of recipes stored in my memory that I can call from to create a week's worth of meals that use all local and seasonal ingredients, are easy to prepare, and are delicious. Right now, I'm just happy that I've gotten into the groove of making at least one big batch of grain each week to use for dinner as well as to make my starter dough. It's a good place to start.

Weekending

This weekend was...

more bread baking (whole grain millet this time...yum),

knitting pattern choosing (a little sweater for Silas...foolish in this non-winter? Probably),

playing at the library (for storytime they just popped in a video...hmmm...we ended up having a lovely time playing with friends instead, though, so it turned out alright),

outings to the hardware store for babyproofing gear (I could clean out under the sink, but it's just so much easier to put on a latch),

discovering just how much of a soak the homemade bread needs to make the perfect French toast (quite a bit as it turns out),

spending lots of time diaper-free (Silas is starting to regain his body awareness of when he needs to potty...yay! Of course, this means that he pees all over the house...boo!),

debating how much social media I really need (Facebook? Pinterest? Twitter? Do I really need all of you?), and

Intervening (Silas has discovered the toilet paper roll and what a delight it is to unroll and shred).

Linking up with Amanda at The Habit of Being.

Weekend Review: The Physiology of Taste by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

I think it's fair to say that cooking and eating have been topics of conversation for as long as humans have been engaging in such activities. That is, forever. It's trendy to think that we are the first to try a 10-day fast or to cut out carbs or to ponder the link between sex and food. But, as we read in The Physiology of Taste: Or Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy (2011, Vintage), these things are at least as old as the French Revolution. Written in 1825 by the French judge Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and in continuous print ever since, The Physiology of Taste is a 444-page tome on all things food-related.

After spending a brief time in the United States in exile during the Revolution, Brillat-Savarin returned to his native France to gather a lifetime of food obsession and observation in this book. He does a fair amount of what might be interpreted as pretentious posturing, but this is balanced with an equal amount of self-deprecating humor. He somewhat pompously refers to himself as "The Professor," even originally publishing this title anonymously as such, but he also is very quick to point out the unflattering elements of his appearance, for example. This back and forth is key to this work being relatable to today's reader instead of slipping into the realm of dead documents. Brillat-Savarin is writing about the pleasures of the table and having fun doing so.

He opens with twenty succinct aphorisms, "tell me what you eat, and I shall tell you what you are" being the most famous among them. The rest of the work, however, is not nearly so succinct. Like much nineteenth century writers, Brillat-Savarin can be long-winded, but I came to appreciate his attention to detail as he recounted each course of a dinner party, the demeanor of all those present, or his method for steaming an extremely large fish. All of these small elements come together to paint a very vivid picture of the experience of cooking and eating almost 200 years ago. His description of the perfect piece of toast, for example, made me want to go directly to the kitchen to make some.

In her 1949 translation, M. F. K. Fisher, a well-known food writer in her own right, provides not only a guide to the life and times of "The Professor," but also a gentle lens through which to view him. She is admittedly smitten with the man and helps the reader to reach past his sometimes belabored points in order to see the witticisms nestled within. It is with her help that we can see how relevant this work is today and her notes truly do add much to the work.

This review was first published on Blogcritics.
My review copy was provided courtesy of Vintage Books.

This Moment | The Children's Museum

Playing along with SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

A dear friend shared this moment of gratitude with me. It brightened and inspired my day and so I want to pass it along to you. I hope you enjoy.

Rainbow Bowls

It's been several months now since I won these nested felt bowls from a giveaway hosted by Ren at The Lady of the Arts. They were handmade by Taryn from Mama Gone Green. I never gave either of them a proper "thank you" and I figured it was about time. Silas is still enamored with the putting-things-in and taking-things-out game and these bowls fit perfectly into that play. I put wooden eggs in them and he takes them out. Or we do a little bit of a shell game and I hide a toy under one of them for him to find. They also make very good hats. Such a simple toy, but the possibilities have only been limited by our imaginations.

Thank you so much Ren and Taryn! From both Silas and his mama!

A hat for Baby

Finally! A mama-made that my baby can actually wear! In the beginning there were booties and bibs and hats, but my big fella outgrew them all within a week or two. This is the first thing I've made him since then. Yay! I used the leftover yarn from Steve and my matching hats.I had intended to follow a pattern, but ended up winging it instead. I feel so thrifty having used up every last scrap of those three balls of yarn. Silas is a fan too. We were in the car the other day and he started to fuss as his nap time drew near. Suddenly all got very quiet in the backseat. He hadn't fallen asleep. No, my little dear had removed his hat, figured out how to pull out the little pom on top, and was playing with the little lengths of yarn. I was happy for the moment of peace.

Linking up with Ginny at Small Things.

Garden Planning

Well, I don't think I can put it off any longer. Not that I was really avoiding it, but I hadn't yet made it a priority. I think I was waiting for a blizzard and below zero temperatures to curl up on the couch with some hot tea and my seed planning calendar. But as March approaches with no blizzard in sight, I think I better just forge ahead.

My gardening goal is always to do just a little bit better than the season before. This year my only real hope is to have some fun in the dirt with Silas. Well, I'd also like to have some tomatoes and peppers too. I'm going to focus on the basics, working to improve my ability to grow those few things that we eat a lot of: tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, radishes, carrots, and some sunflowers thrown in for good measure.

Weekending

This weekend was filled with familiar routines. Porridge and French toast. Trips to the recycling center and grocery store. Mopping and vacuuming. Laughing and cuddling. It was also filled with much partner reassurance. I've been struggling lately with a lack of an ability to define myself. I have the words: mother, wife, friend, creative soul, student of life...but I lack a clear understanding of what exactly those words mean. This is something that has always weighed heavily on my mind, but I thought that motherhood would bring with it sharper focus of who I am and why I'm here. In some ways, it has. But it's been far less neatly packaged than I hoped. So, I'm just trying to be open. To receive. To embrace the good that is present in my days and to release the rest with the hope that the answers that I need will make themselves apparent. Because it is really good. All of it. I just need to remember it.

Linking up with Amanda at The Habit of Being.

This Moment

Playing along with SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Today...

Right now, today I am...

Making my first loaf of bread in a long time. Whole wheat and oat. Hoping for some success!

Listening to the sounds of top 80s hits floating up from the basement where some replacement carpeting is being put in. This means that tomorrow (and every day after that) I will be going through my books to see what actually makes it back on the shelf and what will be passed along to new readers.

Preparing for a much needed nap (both for myself and the little guy). After a trip out of town yesterday where no naps were taken, we are due. Right now, in fact.

A Hat for Mama

 

Just in time for the little bit of cold and snow that we've had, I finished up a new hat for me. I used the same pattern as and the leftover yarn from Steve's Christmas Hat. I had hoped to get a picture of us together, sporting our his 'n' hers winter apparel, but that would require Steve getting home from work while the sun still shines. Maybe this weekend. All-in-all I love it! It's cozy and soft and exactly what I was hoping for. This hat-making is so addictive, isn't it? After finishing up a hat for Silas' birthday, I'm casting on another one for a dear friend. There's no end in sight.

Linking up with Ginny at Small Things.

Blast from the Past

These Playskool Chubby board books, gifted to Silas by my sister, is really a gift for me too. They were ours growing up and I had completely forgotten about them until this weekend. As Silas pulled back the tissue paper and revealed Let's Go Shopping, the memories started flooding back. Then the others followed into view and I couldn't contain my excitement. I remember doing the voice of The Count when reading the numbers book to my brother. I vividly remember the page about the bears in A Trip to the Zoo. And I remember being fascinated by the cutout pages in This is My House, which is Silas' favorite now too. They're tattered and written-in and the original spiral binding was long-gone even when I was a child. But, I'm so excited to be able to share these with my little boy. Oldies but goodies.

What books do you remember from your childhood?

(P.S. Happy Valentine's Day!)

One (and Thirty-Two)

Last week, my little baby completed his first trip around the sun. My little Silas turned one. Surrounded by family, we spent a little time singing, a little time opening gifts, a little time eating, and a lot of time listening to my little chatterbox "talk" about whatever was on his mind. It was a full day. He spent nearly an hour at bedtime lying in my arms as I rocked slowly, just babbling away. I think he needed to work through all the exciting events of the day before he could fall asleep.

I tried to keep my list of birthday "goals" short and doable. I released a lot of expectations along the way in order to focus on keeping our celebration simple and true to "us." It was important to me that there be a mama-made birthday crown (I used the tutorial in The Creative Family as a guide) and a birthday bunting. The crown just made it -- I was sewing as the guests arrived. I wanted to have a cake option that I felt comfortable actually feeding to Silas (I made a whole grain millet cake with sweet potato frosting -- recipes in Feeding the Whole Family). I wanted his gifts from us to be handmade and useful -- his knitted blanket and new hat finished in time to keep him toasty warm. But most of all, we wanted him to be surrounded by those who love him and to spend time together in our home. Success on all fronts.

The individual days of this past year have been long. Some almost unbearably so. But, the year itself has flown by so very quickly. When I think back to holding my tiny baby...to the feelings of helplessness, fear, being overwhelmed and exhausted...to the little body that fit in the crook of my arm...I really couldn't envision one year down the road to see the sweet, crawling, cruising, babbling, signing, smiling little boy who now sits on my hip. Happy first birthday, my dear, sweet Silas.

And today marks my own birthday. Thirty-two. Steve told me that I am now "almost forty." Ahem. There is a beautiful gentle snow falling, making a perfect ambiance for my annual walk by the river to see the last of the bald eagles. This will be the first time that I take Silas with me to share in this February tradition. One of many that I hope to continue for years to come.

This Moment | Too Sleepy

Playing along with SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway from Earthy Mama Goods!

Avoiding Triclosan

As I was sitting on the floor in the bathroom the other day, playing with Silas while he was on the potty, I looked over to the bathtub and noticed this for the first time:

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as Microban seems to be everywhere these days (including pencils, scissors, and the garden hose).

What is Microban? It is a proprietary mix of chemicals, that may contain Triclosan, that is added to an increasing number of products. People assume (myself included) that these chemicals are added to protect them from harmful bacteria; that if a sick child handles a scissors impregnated with Microban and then hands that scissors to you, you'll be less likely to catch whatever they have. This is just not the case. The purpose of Microban is really to protect the product from deterioration. From Microban's website:

Built-in to products during the manufacturing process, *Microban® antimicrobial product protection is engineered to protect products from bacteria, mold and in some cases algae that can cause stains, odors and product deterioration. Microban protection is not designed to protect users from disease causing microorganisms.

Microban is not the same thing as Triclosan (another misconception that I had). From The Environmental Working Group:

Contrary to popular belief, triclosan is not the same as Microban. Triclosan is officially registered under the EPA as “Microban additive B” – that is to say, any given product sold under the Microban trade name does not necessarily contain triclosan. Which antimicrobial agent is being used for those products, however, the company will not disclose: it could quite literally be anything!

Because of the probable health hazards of Triclosan, especially to nursing children and babies in utero, and because the company refuses to reveal what's really in it, I try to avoid Microban whenever I can. Can I rip out my bathtub? No. Of course not. And it's not like we're going to stop using it either. But, it's just one more chemical exposure to be aware of and a reminder to remain diligent in controlling our exposure when I can.

Yarn Along | Hat

Knitting: I'm almost finished with a birthday hat for the little guy using leftover yarn. I'm not sure exactly how it will look in the end -- there may be a third color in there to finish it off. The final ingredient to make it complete would be some cold and snow.

Reading: On the way back to the library is Knit Green, a book about eco-friendly knitting choices with some patterns thrown in. I skimmed it very quickly, but I definitely walked away with some helpful tidbits. I really didn't know that cotton has been bred to grow in colors other than white. It also grows in green, red, and several shades of brown. How did I not know this?

Linking up with Ginny at Small Things.

Thrifting

I don't think that Silas has inherited my thrifting gene. Or, if he has, it has yet to be expressed. He enjoys playing with the tags when I look at clothes at Goodwill, but as soon as I stray to housewares, he gets bored, bored, bored. Perhaps he's in cahoots with Steve to keep me from bringing home any more dishware. Sorry, fellas, it's going to take more than that.

I must have a dearth of pottery in my home, because that's what I've been drawn to lately; this set of glasses and little jug coming home with me on my last trip out. Plus I scored this back issue of Found Magazine. Are you familiar? I've been a lover of it from way back, but could never justify its purchase. But, for 88 cents I couldn't say no. The whole magazine is filled with notes and photographs that people find and then submit. I love, love, love this concept. My absolute favorite are the lists that people make. What a window into someone's psyche, huh? 

When I worked at the bookstore in college we used to find the most random things in textbooks that students would sell back at the end of the semester: checks, birthday cards, love letters, photographs of drunken debacles. I have several that I've kept all these years with the intention of submitting, but I never have. I even have a "found" email that randomly showed up in my inbox one day in the late 90s and was clearly written by a grandparent who was just becoming familiar with the technology. It opened with "my fishbox boom bang." The rest made about as much sense.

Weekending

Our weekend saw...

grandparent visits, bathroom cleaning,

waffles, old seasons of Big Brother,

video editing, naps, red lentil and spinach soup,

late nights at the office, block building,

a first tofu eating, and upcoming birthday party priority setting.

How about you?

Linking up with Amanda at The Habit of Being.

Sponsor Highlight: Earthy Mama Goods

Today we welcome A Life Sustained sponsor Earthy Mama Goods!

Kari is a crunchy mama living on an urban homestead in Wisconsin. Her shop is filled with Waldorf-inspired felted pieces and personal care items for women. In her words: 

First, let me preface this with an admission that I'm pretty lousy at introductions. In fact, if you knew me you'd already know that I hate small talk and would rather dig right into discussing a topic in-depth with you. That said, here's my attempt at an introduction.

I'm a mama, wife, and woman. I'm artistic, contemplative, and love the process of creation. If I'm not sewing, needle felting, baking, cooking, crafting, or growing something I feel empty. I love challenges and obstacles just make me want to succeed all that much more. I'm motivated and ambitious. My daughters have taught me patience and compassion. Mothering has softened me and that's a very positive thing. I've been journeying through motherhood for about 21 years now. I mother a twenty year old son, a 7 year old daughter, and a 3 year old daughter.

I've been married to my husband and partner for twelve years. It seems like my life has distinct chapters to it and long ago one of those chapters included a very different career in higher education administration working as the director of a college career center. I've been very blessed to be able to focus my career in recent years on my family and artistic expression. I sell some of my work through my etsy shop - EarthyMamaGoods - and also at local craft swaps. For a more in-depth perspective of me and my family I invite you to visit us at my blog, Moo Said the Mama. My blog writing has become less regular as my etsy shop business has increased. I think that's partly because my creative focus has shifted but also partially due to the reality of limited time. 

Tell us about your journey to becoming an artist/maker of things.

My journey began when I was a child. I have memories of working on hand sewing projects when I was ten years old. Recently my sister was sharing a memory with me that she had of me sewing a dress for her favorite stuffed rabbit, Harriet. Our dog had gotten the toy and chewed on the original dress and my sister was upset, so I found some fabric remnants my mother had and designed and sewed a new dress for Harriet. I continued enjoying handcrafts and building up my skills set throughout my teen and adult years. As a teenager I took dressmaking classes and refined my sewing skills. Then as a young adult I focused more on embroidery and most recently I've fallen in love with working with wool and am spending more time working with felt and needle felting.

This is my needle felting workspace, aka the nursing chair where I complete all hand sewing and embroidery.

What inspires you?

At this point in my life my children probably inspire me the most. Often one of my daughters will ask me to make a toy and then I'll figure out the design and construction based upon that request. The one toy I haven't quite figured out, though, was the dish draining rack my oldest daughter asked me to sew! They honestly think their mama can sew anything. I spend a fair amount of time working out designs for toys for them to play with. I love creating imaginative open-ended toys for them out of natural materials. Sometimes I'll be inspired by nature or the seasons, but most often it's my girls who inspire me.

What do you like most about the Waldorf philosophy?

First, I feel the need to clarify that while much of my work is very inspired by Waldorf handcrafts we don't personally use Waldorf educational philosophy and instead more accurately identify as unschoolers. That said, I admire many facets of Waldorf philosophy and educational methods and we do integrate some concepts into our daily life. I love the way that Waldorf schools allow children to live within the innocence of childhood and that within the philosophy is a respect for their innate abilities and potential. I love that the concept of valuing all people for their intrinsic worth as human beings is integrated into the Waldorf educational community. I appreciate that the philosophy focuses less on academics in the early years and more on practical skills and imaginative play. I love the way that nature and natural rhythm and the seasons are integrated into the children's lives. I enjoy integrating celebrations and festivals into our seasonal celebrations. As an artist and toymaker I appreciate the focus on natural materials and handcrafts.

Tell us about your favorite piece in your shop and describe your process in designing and making it.

I hate choosing favorites. I can select one piece and discuss it, but I can't call it my favorite. I'm a very harsh critic and never quite seem satisfied with my work. I can always look at it and see something I could do differently or some aspect I'd prefer to change about it. To answer the question, though, I'm going to select the Life's Triad sculpture. The process of designing it first began at a local craft swap in mid December of 2011.

My booth was placed next to the booth manned by one of my friends. She's working as a doula and completing childbirth education training and I started to think about how we're both in similar places in our life and also in very different places. We both have children about the same ages (she has a 6 year old daughter and a 3 year old son) and we've known each other since our daughters were toddlers. We're journeying through those parts of our lives together. But - I'm considerably older than she is. So I'm really journeying through life at a different stage even though my daily life resembles hers.

Discussions about births and doula work and breastfeeding counseling and all sorts of conversation filled that day at the craft swap. The idea of Life's Triad began to form in my mind. I continued to think about how we women cycle through our lives, the roles we play, and our development. I began to envision a circle to represent our lives and stages and figures to mark those stages. Eventually the concept became the three women - the maiden, the mother, and the crone. These archetypes are obviously not my original thought, but represented well what I was conceptualizing. Then I just began to felt.

I actually do most of my needle felting sitting in my living room in the nursing rocking chair. I put my feet up and relax. I put a cushion on my lap and place my needle felting foam on top of the cushion. I place a box with my wool next to me and begin to felt. Over the course of several days the figures began to take shape. I first created the sculpture without a base, but then I kept looking at it and realized that I needed something to completely join the figures together - both metaphysically and physically. They were connected at the hands, but they were baseless and the concept needed more grounding. So about a day after I thought the sculpture was finished I woke up very early and needle felted a base and attached it to the bottoms of the figures. This sculpture in particular was an intensive one. I worked late into the evenings and early in the mornings until the ideas were all out of me. Some pieces are like that where I just feel compelled to work and work and work until the concept is fully visualized.

Above is pictured my machine sewing workspace. I have a small alcove in our dining room where I placed a very old desk and a vintage 1950's Singer featherweight sewing machine. I still haven't gotten around to restoring the old featherweight so I'm currently using it as a table for my newer Singer sewing machine. Off to the left you see my Brother serger under its cover. Not pictured, but farther over to the left is my Ashford drum carder and my KAM snap press. I love this space because it allows me to work in the center of our house. Often the girls will be working on arts and crafts projects at the dining room table right behind me as I'm sewing. All of the windows in the alcove also provide fabulous light. 

Kari is generously offering to one A Life Sustained reader a $25 gift certificate to her shop!

Just leave a comment on this post to be entered in the random drawing to win.

Get two additional entries! First, you can share this giveaway on Facebook (click the Facebook share icon below). Second, you can add Earthy Mama Goods to your favorites on Etsy. Be sure to leave a comment for each "extra" so they can be counted. Comments will be closed on February 11 and a winner will be announced in this post shortly thereafter.

Congratulations to angie lilly!
"oooo I love love love the 2" high toadstool needle felted wool Waldorf style! so cute!! Thanks so much for the chance to win!"

Thanks Earthy Mama Goods!

This Moment | Soup Makings

Playing along with SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway of a pair of handmade baby shoes!

This Morning

For the past week or so, Silas has been waking up at around 6:00 a.m. We always shoot for staying in bed until 7:00 and we are both far happier when we do. When the little guy wakes up fussy and crying it's usually a sign that he's still tired, which has been the case lately; rolling over and immediately starting to try to stand up. I think we're on a developmental cusp. But, today is a good day. In bed until almost 7, opening to a world of ice crystals when we pulled the shades, warm toasted quinoa porridge, and hot tea.

Yarn Along | Hats for Mamas and Babes

My Fair Isle hat just flew off the needles! Now I just need some snow and chill to go along with it. Seriously. Yesterday felt like a day in May. Neither Silas nor I wore jackets or hats. Crazy. But, I'm going to continue making hats in the hopes that we will actually get a winter this year. Today my plan is to knit my gauge swatch for a little hat for Silas using the leftover yarn from Steve and my hats. Family hats? Yes, please!

I am reading quite a few books actually, but in increments here and there. For the past month of so, Silas has refused to nap in the chair so I haven't had any long stretches of reading time in awhile. I have a half dozen or so books stashed around the house -- in the couch cushions, on the kitchen counter, in the bathroom, near the bed -- and I steal a sentence here or there. They're all parenting books, though, related to some of the changes that we're going through right now: Real Food for Mother and Baby, Super Baby Food, Feeding the Whole Family, The No-Cry Nap Solution, The Baby Book, Diaper-Free Baby, and the latest issue of Kiwi.

How about you?

Linking up with Ginny at Small Things.

Welcome February Sponsors

Happy February First! A warm welcome to A Life Sustained's newest sponsor...

Earthy Mama Goods

Kari is a crunchy mama living on an urban homestead in Wisconsin. Her shop is filled with Waldorf-inspired felted pieces and personal care items for women. Look for her profile and giveaway later this month.

And a welcome back to...

Big Sister Designs

Earthy Baby Knits

Thanks for your (continued) support!