Rembrandt faces of Jesus

This was the one field trip I was determined to squeeze in before the baby arrives.  How could we pass up such an amazing exhibit?  Especially when visiting the DIA was on the top of William's list for 2012.

I wisely left the younger two at home and invited Nanny and Poppy to come along and enjoy this experience with us.  

We spent over an hour strolling through Rembrandts works with self guided headsets.  I was comfortably engrossed but I can't say this was true for all my little tag alongs.  The girls were more excited about playing with the gadget that led the tour than the tour itself.  And after staying up the night before until 12:30 am to watch the Sugar Bowl the boys seemed to be sleep walking through it all, a security guard stopped us more than twice to keep them from leaning on the walls.  That said I suppose their impressions of the exhibit will surface throughout this week and maybe even along side our scripture study in the years to come.

Some where along the tour Clara asked "is that what Jesus really looked like?", "Why didn't someone just take a picture of him?"  To which I explained the significance of this exhibit.  There were no photos at that time, there was very little record of what Jesus looked like, but Rembrandt through much study, practice and pondering revolutionized the face of Jesus. Rembrandt was able to depict Jesus as serenely human.  We saw this through a series ink sketches, etchings, prints and paintings.  It was incredible to see so up close in such a large collection.

We made a stop at the cafe then on to our favorite stops - first the mummies, then Diego Rivera courtyard, the knights and finally the modern impressionists.

Every time we visit I am overwhelmed by the collection.  I wonder how I could not have appreciated it, or even the history of Detroit as child growing up not too far away.  I use to think Detroit was a place where people got shot and mugged not a place of amazing culture. 

I certainly appreciated it today, maybe because the sun was shining so brightly as it so rarely does here in winter.  It was bright enough to invite us to sit out by "the Thinker" for a while.

It was fun to watch my own little thinkers think about "the Thinker".  

But with only three more weeks until my due date by body was telling me I had enough walking and standing on my feet.  I was the one who was first to poop out on this field trip.  

William once again left with his camera full of pictures and head full of art projects to create, Poppy treated them to a trip to the gift shop where James picked out Newton's cradle then just before loading in the van Nanny handed me over a plate of fresh baked muffins for our trek home.  This is always a field trip worth taking.    

A Yule Log for the New Year

Paul spent most of his vacation working, not on his laptop but off with a chain saw and tractor collecting and splitting wood.  

  

Even the evenings we spent visiting and celebrating with family were consumed with the conversation of wood.  So in honor of all his hard work and enthusiasm we celebrated the New Year with a Yule log cake.  

Maryanna and Peter were on cooking duty for the week so they assisted me in trying out this recipe.  It was super rich and yummy with fresh eggs from our ducks, thick cream from our cow share and the contents of a whole vanilla bean.  It did not stand a chance resting in the fridge while we waited for dinner to finish roasting in the oven, the cake became the dinner.  And perhaps this dinner will become a new New Years tradition.   

The kids savored each bite and licked their plates as we discussed all the exciting things 2012 may present.  

To be sure there is much more work ahead.......

but so is there the promise of reward and satisfaction of a job well done.  Happy 2012!

Happy Homemade Christmas 2011: gifts from me

I'll have to say after hours spent browsing Pinterest there was no limit to the gifts I wanted to make.  But I resisted the temptation to wear my self tired and cranky in the name of crafting and only committed to making a few gifts.

Here's what I made for James, William, Peter and Henry, colorful wool comforters.

I realized they really needed these the night I spent helping Henry sleep in his own bed.  So far we have solely heated our house with the wood stove downstairs but upstairs does get chilly at night. The boys probably have the coldest room in the house dipping into the high 50's.  They actually haven't complained about it and in fact I find everyone sleeps better.  But still I thought they could use a nice cozy layer.

I ordered the wool comforters from Zeilinger's here in Michigan then sewed the covers from a collection of colorful sheets from Garnet Hill.  Having grown up on bunk beds I know the frustration of making the top bunk with a regular twin size blanket so I made these just large enough to cover the mattress, these are 42x75.  I will note that the photos really highlight the wrinkles here, but we're no catalog company and I'm just happy if the boys make their beds.

Also Henry is still finding way into my bed at night but these nights he usually drags his new cozy comforter with him. On those nights I really enjoy sharing a corner of it with him.  Paul has since requested I replace our old comforter with a cozy wool one, maybe when we process our own wool?!

Next up: gifts for Paul.  We usually both make gifts for each other but I suppose he was off the hook this year since he's spent most his free time chopping, collecting and stacking wood.  My gift from him this year may just be a warm home.

Here's what I made for him, a collection of pillows to add comfort to the spaces he works and relaxes. 

 I hand embroidered the heart pillow over the course of a few days when my back ached so bad I had no desire to do anything else.  Sitting in "the chair" working on it actually made me feel somewhat productive in my laziness.  The girls watched me in awe and kept saying "it is turning out so beautiful", and "I know you love Daddy because there are so many stitches".

Can you guess where the big "Best Seat in the House" pillow is going?  yes "the chair".  This was done on white denim with freezer paper stencils.     

The trailer pillow was a flash inspiration while looking out the kitchen window at Paul heading in for work in his vintage trailer. I quickly designed it up on Adobe then proceeded as I usually do with freezer paper stencils.  After that and the other stencil pillow I wondered if a silhouette machine would be a good investment, probably not since I have a super long list of homestead supplies and animals to purchase.  This pillow made everyone laugh, even all our neighbors who stopped by for Christmas dinner.

Anyway, it's all just stuff.  What really matters is the love we put into it and the love we offer alongside it.  And that is exactly why I cut back my "to make" Christmas list, I knew could not offer my much needed love and attention alongside frenzied production.  What was intended for the girls will probably be a project they'll work alongside me with and for that reason they'll probably love the gift all the more. 

Happy Homemade Christmas 2011: gifts from the kids

Weeks before Christmas when asked what was the favorite Christmas tradition, favorite gifts given and favorite gifts received, the answer was the same, homemade gifts.  So it continues.  This year we started the first week of Christmas because I knew my energy would be lagging.  I also directed the children towards simple creation that could be done without too much help from me.  As pictured above the kids took turns staying up late to work in secret, turning our play room into an elf's workshop.  Here's what they made:

To:  Henry

From:  George

This is a set of homemade playdough mixed with essential oils.  George really enjoyed the messy participation in mixing these up.  We found a perfect sized box at a thrift store to store them.

He also painted him the letter H.  It was picked up at a craft store and George was completely independent in painting it (and himself).  

To:  William 

From:  Henry

I had all sorts of ideas that we could have made for William but Henry had his mind set on Star Wars guys.  So we made some out of FIMO, Henry did a lot of the work but Peter helped us so they would be true to character.  

I took it a step further with an idea I saw on Pinterest.  Before baking these guys I pierced a hole up there back so they could ride a mini zip line like this.  It works out okay but I'm sure William's inventive spirit will find a way to improve the design. 

They also make for funny window ornaments.

To: Maryanna & Clara

From:  William & Peter

The boys worked together on this since it was such a fun project.  They made mini FIMO food for the Calico Critters.  They were over my shoulder looking at mini FIMO food on Pinterest, here's what they came up with:

I'll have to say their favorite part of this project was probably eating all the Trader Joe's vanilla mints so they could have a tidy tin to store the food in.  They then decorated the tins with duct tape paper.

The girls have enjoyed serving up many little feasts to their Critters.  And they have also fretted over already lost tiny pieces.  Looks like this mini FIMO food project will continue into the new year.

To:  Peter 

From:  Clara

Weeks ago we purchased a large suede purse from a thrift store with the intention of remaking it into a tool belt for Peter.  But when Paul pulled out two brand new ones that were just laying around his workshop area our plans changed slightly.  We made a nylon web belt then simply personalized the found tool belts with a burning tool.  This was a perfect gift for Peter because his pockets are always bulging with stuff and can never seem to find a pencil for school time. He's even been sleeping with it on! 

To:  James

From:  Maryanna

James has been practicing magic for a few months now and really needed a box to keep his supplies secret.  Maryanna and I found one the perfect size at a thrift shop then painted it up and added gold stickers.  It was simple to do and a very useful gift, and James admitted to me he was relieved we didn't sew him anything.

To:  George

From:  James

This was probably one of the most exciting gifts to get finished.  Probably because it was James' idea from start to finish and I had my doubts.  We picked up a piece of scrap soft maple from the Re-Use center and James drew on the designs.  An old neighbor helped with cutting them out on the band saw then James spent many hours sanding them down then wood burning on the details.  He made a sheep, a cat, dog, chicken, duck, pig and Michigan football player.  I sewed up a little carrying bucket from an old burlap rice bag.  

James also decided to make something special for Paul.  I'm not sure if this was so much a gift as it was revenge for all the times Paul's beaten him in football, wrestling, chess and ticket to ride.  It is a 50 question test that James assembled out of his encyclopedia brain, I reviewed it and only got a few correct.  Paul says he's going to have to study a bit before officially taking it.  

In addition to this test, James spent several hours the week before Christmas typing up 20 pages of journal entries from his summer train adventure with Nanny and Poppy, that was his gift to them.  Also not pictured are the piles of scraps of paper cut and decorated and delicately wrapped by Maryanna.  She handed them to me with breathless enthusiasm.   

In addition to homemade gifts Santa usually brings at least one big toy per child, Mommy and Daddy offer books, socks, Jammies and other needed tools and art supplies.  But the first gifts opened are always the homemade gifts because like I said earlier these are always the favorites.  

Dressed for Christmas

I finished these two dresses the morning of Christmas Eve while to the girls were in the bath and by the time they had dried their hair by the fire they were ready to slip on.  I tried to keep my holiday sewing simple this year simple so I went back to the same knit pattern I used two years ago.

I found this beautiful textured cotton knit at Habermans, from the outside it looks as fine as a St. John's knit but the inside feels as cozy as an old favorite hoodie.  I will say it once again, it is not worth sewing a stitch of something "itchy" for little girls, I save that kind of sewing for dolls.

I was short of fabric so the sleeves are cropped and the back is a simple tie instead of a bow.  And these girls are not always thrilled to wear matching dresses but I convinced them with different color tights.    

As for Christmas jammies, I gave up on the idea of making them weeks ago remembering last year's remained uncut well into January.  Hanna Andersson to the rescue! (and I bought them big enough to hopefully wear through next Christmas). 

Quiet Christmas Corners

Our home has been anything but quiet these last few days.  The younger kids are buzzing about asking how many days and hours left until Christmas, I've been buzzing away on the sewing machine finishing last minute presents, the older boys are buzzing around the house with a new vaccum and Paul's clacking away on his laptop writing up a Chirstmas letter.  Right about now I've had enough to give me a headache so I'm taking some time out to catch my breath.  George is next to me in bed and we just watched this video of the song Still, Still, Still.  That is just what I needed.

In reflecting upon my favorite holiday moments this year I see that they were the ones that were the most still, happening in quiet little corners of our home.  Here they are:

The annual Christmas tree sleepover. This year everyone slept, no one threw up and they got to cuddle and share their hot chocolate and cookies with the kitties.

  

Paul read to them of all our past Christmases together, our favorite being our very first Christmas with no heat, no fancy food, and very little money.  There were few presents but also very few distractions and we were certainly present.  That first Christmas together we wrote of what we thought Christmas would be like in years to come and we laughed along side our children as we read accuracy of these predictions.  

On other occasions I've caught the kids in all sorts of imaginary play with the bottom 1/3 of our Christmas ornaments.  I just let them and have enjoyed repeated "shows" throughout the past week.  Some of those ornaments did break and we did our best to fix them, the rest have not made it back up on the tree but have found a safe home under the tree in a basket.

I also have enjoyed the chance to spy on some quiet Nativity play.  This year we found a really cool lit up manger to display our Playmobil Nativity set and George especially likes to sit at it.  I especially like to watch this unusual toddler stillness.

And probably the favorite corner of the house is this striped chair right next to the wood stove, it is rarely unoccupied.  There is a basket of favorite Christmas books just next to it so it is there that the kids quietly read or beg to be read to.  I'm grateful for the moments I stole away to find refuge there as well.

I'm off now to do a little baking, sew on 4 buttons, sneak in a shower, beg the kids to help clean up whatever mess my baking makes and then load them all in the van for the family festivities to begin.  And if I start to lose my breath in the limited time I have to accomplish that list, I will simply hum the song Still, Still, Still because that is how I wish to celebrate this year.