Sagetribe- Adventures From Our Village

Sick Days and Blueberry Cheer

"Mom, what happens if I stay home today?"

"You are staying home. You're sick. We'll make you a bed on the couch, you can watch cartoons and movies, and I'll go get you some crackers and ginger ale."

"Wait! What did you say? Did you say I get to watch T.V. like ALL day. Like one show after the other? Are you SERIOUS?"

While sick kid recouped and watched more hours of PBS cartoons than he has all year, I spent my day next to him catching up on a stack of grading that was way over due. Honestly, I hate to grade. I love that my kids are learning, love their projects, ideas, and writing voices, but grading it all...ugg...teachers know...ugg...

And then suddenly, without distractions or interruptions other than, "Can I please have a little more ginger ale or soup or crackers, Maaaamaaa," I was done. But it was too early to start dinner, the kid was content, the wee one and big one weren't due home for a while, and I had "free time", so...

it was a good time to check a fun item off our to do list. 

After we ate

roasted pork and sweet potatoes (to me, anything roasted with olive oil and spices = LOVELY),  this girl and I

hit the neighborhood, in a "You Can Do it, Sam" way (do you know this book!!- buy it if you don't and the others too!)

to bring blueberry bread cheer. 

Oh and the sick one came too, in pjs, because soup, ginger ale, and cartoons do a sick body good!

Gifts for the Big Bro

Are not easy to make when you're not even two, but this project could not have been simpler!

You start out with little canvas bags stitched almost completely around and turned right side out. 

Then you get out your fabric markers, which are truly the most challenging part according to Miss. S.

who spent a lot of her time taking the caps off ("Hard, Mama") and then putting them back on. 

She worked hard

drawing cars and kitties, and things she knew Clark would love. 

Then we

filled them, which was A LOT of fun, and this Mama did not lose her cool (like she might have with the vodka episode in the previous post). No, even when these beans ended up scattered around the floor, we sat and sat and filled. 

Soon, under the tree will be five little bean bags made just for the most favorite person in this little ones world, and she

finds that pretty "Coo". 

 

Sweet Things for Our Sweet Loves

My sweet, sweet boy and I have been busy making

something so yummy with very few ingredients (two), which really I would have never guessed was something I could make if it weren't for my most favorite blogger/cook/writer, and it is easy, LIKE REALLY EASY, if you have the supplies shipped to the right address and the person in your old house doesn't KEEP YOUR SUPPLIES when clearly the address label does not say their name, and I am betting they did not ever even think to order these supplies, nor do they probably know what to do with them...

Yes, if you give the wonderful people who ship the supplies to you the right address, or you just reorder said supplies, because who doesn't like paying for things twice, and you have a helpful helper you are set to

cut (except that is really not the way you cut...)

Oh yes, that is better (and without the face...already the face...)

and count,

and divide,

cut, count, divide, cut, count, divide, 

and pour, which requires a funnel that fits into little bottles and a lot of patience for a Mama who must have said, "Hold the funnel still like 100x," but the helpful stage is short lived, so a little (or a lot) of vodka on the counter, pjs, and floor is only two or three deep breaths worthy, most days. Okay, maybe that day it should have been deep breathes, but instead it was, "CHILD, hold still..."

Regardless of the mess and smell of alcohol radiating from my five year old,  

sweet, sweetness is ready to be wrapped and delivered!

Happy crafting and shipping things to the right address to all of you this year!

Prepping for the Season

This weekend has gone by slowly, which of course isn't usually the case. I am thankful. A slow weekend was so needed. The weeks and days are counting down before we head east and this mama's gifts will need to be finished and packed away. 

There is still a lot to do, but a nice pile of gifts is beginning to be tucked away in Christmas sacks- (no wrapping paper this year). I spent many an hour

making bedtime bags and cosy sleeping capes out blankets now too small to swaddle my babies in, and two pairs of little pajama pants (my first ever)! I'm pretty proud. It couldn't have been easier thanks to SouleMama's wonderful book, The Creative Family. All of her books are treasures, especially for those of us who didn't listen to our mothers and waited to learn to sew as an adult. 

The kid has also been creating in my workshop. He knew just what his sister would want and began to quickly design a pattern.

We cut and pinned and sewed and stuffed. 

And really, he couldn't be more right; she will love it! 

We made another something special that can't be mentioned because she comes to this space, and fixed an old friend who needed some mending. 

This mama still has "miles to go before I sleep" so to speak, but the crafting has begun!

Happy crafting to you and yours. 

JOY UP DAY 3

Today is day three of JOY UP- a group of women, from all over the country, seeking joy in all moments of the day.

Today joy looks like

a new vision board* (part of it anyways, because part of it is a little too racy-- created unintentionally but quickly pointed out by BC- ahem...)

a new skirt for a new school year

or three :)

a mama who is trying a little too hard to hold on to this last week before the new year starts, but who knows once it does, things will still be joyful, just in a different way.

 

*a vision board or treasure map is a great way to physically see the things you love, want, or need. It can be on any subject or just on you. The point is to find pictures or words that reflect the theme of your vision so you can continue to see it daily, and so, as you do, it will unfold. I've had my students make them as a way to reflect on goals for the new year or when graduating. The process of making them is at times the real treasure.

A Five Year Old Learns to...

Make a pattern
 Use big scissors

Sew

Find a new love

Be patient, slow, careful, and attentive

CREATE!

A stuffed tractor designed, cut, and mostly sewn by CSS. More projects are on the horizen. Stay tuned :)

Book Making Demo for Rainy and Sunny and Windy...well, you get the point..Days

A couple years ago, I had my students collect their writing from the year into one collection. We made mini zines. They were a huge hit with my big kids, so I took the activity home, and it's now a fav. pastime of my little wee person. Since then, we've made many books, which have turned into fun cards, keepsakes, and quiet moments with the kid.

Today might be a great day to round up a couple pieces of computer paper and a pencil. If you're in our neck of the woods, it's been thundering with great force since about three. If you're in my house, wee people have been up since 4:30, so maybe you should just go to sleep...or stay up because you've been up too long at this point to go back to bed, and because you're REALLY excited to go see a certain BFF called Finn.

Either way, here you go:

Supplies: One piece of computer paper, scissors, pencils/crayons to decorate and write

Fold paper so it looks like above- hot dog (long). You should have four equal spaces.

Now fold it the the opposite way, hotdog again, in half. This will give you eight equal spaces when you open the paper.

Open the paper and fold it in half short ways (hamburger)

Cut the middle line, on the seam, to the middle. Now when you open it, there is a slit in the middle of the page.

Open the page and grab the middle so it looks like the picture above.

Fold the page so that the two parts that were laying flat are now touching. It should look something like above.

Fold it all together, and if you've done it right, you now have a book!

A book to write about all the things on your mind...which if you're like this boy, make his mama pretty proud!

It's pretty fun to be a writer!

It's pretty fun to be a mama of someone who loves to write.

Happy Book Making and weekend to YOU on this very rainy, sunny, windy day.

Today I got a small glimpse of the days when I was able to devote most of my time to just

and I loved how we chatted and laughed, pondered and painted.

It reminded me that he needs more time like this.

It reminded me that I need more time like this.

We didn't mind the heat or a couple biting ants,

for we created

the best moments of our day

together.

 

This project was inspired by a little rock city we pass in town- a city we love so much, we just had to have our own.

We've been...

doings all sorts of things I forgot about until I plugged in my camera and watched bits of our life download.

In February we

 

ate hot fudge brownie sundaes after a night of fondue.

took walks on campus when it was just too nice to stay inside,

and found Mama's music.

In March we

found the magnadoodle,

continued practicing sounding out words on our own,

and drawing elaborate scenes to give as presents, just because...

 and today, we made towers with ice, because that was the only thing this Mama could think of on this cold, cold Spring day.

Which thinking about it now, is a tad ironic, but fun and slippery all the same.

April is right around the corner, and my camera is ready! Ready for the last two months of school, a jewelry party, a coupon class, a Big Guy getting his masters, letters that will hopefully be coming soon, and more days to craft and play.

 

A Snow Day Project

I saw something similar here and thought...I can do that. It won't be as professional or as precise, but nothing in my home is. So I spent today, my first snow day, talking to my very OLD sister on her birthday and painting.

And every time I walk down the hallway, this little reminder of our past and present greets me.

And like my snow day, it's just NICE!