Hands and Home

We've Moved

2011-04-11T09:06:00.001-04:00

Hands and Home has MOVED! Thats right please update your links and follow me over to my new home at www.handsandhome.ca

I'm going to be quiet for the next few days while Hands and Home gets a major face lift! New theme colours, new web address and I am moving to Wordpress (beebee buttercup and Bumps to Babies are also getting a new website... Its just crazy around here)!

Please be patient with me while I get it all worked out. Once everything is complete and moved over to the new platform I will resume with regular posting, and once I'm all settled I guess we are just going to have to have a giveaway wont we?

Follow Friday

2011-04-07T22:16:00.000-04:00

Q. Do you judge a book by it's cover?

In a word... Absa-freaking-loutely. I should amend this answer by saying that I always read the summary and then make a judgement call. But if a book has an absolutely stunning cover chances are I will read it, and if a book has an awful cover than its going to take a little more convincing me to move it up on my TBR pile!

Also, make sure to jump over to Parajunkee (click the image above) to see this weeks featured blogger!

The Storyteller by Sharon Tillotson

2011-04-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

From Goodreads: Sarah is a Soul who is trying to guide Suzy along her path of rediscovering herself... Or is it redefining? Reinventing? Sarah thinks it might be better defined as remembering, but it’s only Suzy who is concerned about the semantics. Sarah just wishes Suz would get on with it. A rather spirited Spirit, Sarah often finds herself rolling her eyes at Suzy’s antics and the walls she has built up following the death of her husband. Sarah knows the body/mind/spirit energy who is currently housed in the human called Suzy has faced far more difficult challenges than the one she chose for this reincarnation.

Storyteller is the most common role this body/mind/spirit has chosen for its human lives and Sarah chooses to tell the story of Suzy’s spiritual awakening as it unfolds, interweaving compelling stories of past lives and how these individual energies accomplished their shifts in awareness.

Suzy’s journey takes the reader from the lush shores of Seattle to the deepest heart of Africa where humanity is said to have made its first appearance.

My Thoughts: The story begins after Suzy’s husband dies and she finds herself on the verge of losing everything including the business she and her late husband built together, as well as a sense of who she is. The reader is taken on Suzy’s journey to rediscover herself and this includes flashbacks of her soul’s past experiences and lessons learned.

The Storyteller was a bit of a difficult read for me, at times I loved it (usually when I was reading about the flashbacks of Suzy’s soul) and at other times I felt as though I really had to work to get through each page.

The transitions between the present the Suzy’s “souls” past were awkward at best. The narration of her soul seemed so out of place and read rather amateurish. Had a little more time been spent making more of a connection between Suzy’s present and the lessons learned in her past I’m sure this voice could have been eliminated all together (at least I would have preferred to read it this way).

I just could not get pulled into this story. I found the flashbacks to be quite interesting and well written. Tillotson painted a vivid picture of these ancient times and the lessons Suzy’s soul learned but they came at what felt time random times in the story. While I enjoyed reading about the flackbacks the way they were interspersed into the story of Suzy’ present made the whole story feel disjointed. I could absolutely see where the author was going with this but it didn’t work for me.

I really wanted to love this book, the concept grabbed me instantly but the rest of the book didn’t hold my attention the same way. That being said it was still an interesting and thought provoking read and I would recommend this book to someone looking for a slower paced novel about self discovery and reinvention.

I received this book free from the author in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review and all thoughts are my own.

Release Date: July 30, 2010
Publisher: Two Moons
Source: Free Review Copy From Author
Find the Author: http://www.storytellerauthor.com

2 Years and Counting

2011-04-06T08:36:00.002-04:00

Two years ago today, at exactly this moment, our little Ladybug entered the world quickly and with lots of excitement. We woke up to an unexpected blizzard and a few feet of snow on the driveway... and the beginning signs of labour.

Ladybug at 1

Ladybug has been making life exciting ever since and I am blessed to have witnessed her journey over the last two years and look forward to watching her grow more and more every day!

An almost 2 year old Ladybug doing what she does best... being a goof!

Happy birthday sweet baby girl. You are loved... oh how you are loved!

A Gift of Grace by Amy Clipston

2011-04-05T07:30:00.000-04:00

From Goodreads: Rebecca Kauffman’s tranquil Old Order Amish life is transformed when she suddenly has custody of her two teenage nieces after her "English" sister and brother-in-law are killed in an automobile accident. Instant motherhood, after years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child of her own, is both a joy and a heartache. Rebecca struggles to give the teenage girls the guidance they need as well as fulfill her duties to Daniel as an Amish wife.

Rebellious Jessica is resistant to Amish ways and constantly in trouble with the community. Younger sister Lindsay is caught in the middle, and the strain between Rebecca and Daniel mounts as Jessica’s rebellion escalates. Instead of the beautiful family life she dreamed of creating for her nieces, Rebecca feels as if her world is being torn apart by two different cultures, leaving her to question her place in the Amish community, her marriage, and her faith in God.

My Thoughts: A Gift of Grace was an interesting read. At the beginning of the book Clipston prefaces her story with the warning that just as Amish culture varies from community to community some of the language and behaviors in the book might surprise readers who are used to a specific picture of Amish life. There were a few places in this book where I had to re-read and thought to myself "did that really just happen". This wasn’t necessarily bad but it did challenge the view that I had in my head of the ‘typical’ Amish man or woman.

Above all A Gift of Grace was a sweet story about two teenage girls struggling to find their place in the world. There was definitely an underlying theme of truly listening to God and following His plan instead of one’s own. This is something that most every character struggled with at some point and it was interesting to see how each character reacted to the obstacles placed in their path.

Clipston did a great job of portraying her characters for who they were. I got a sense of actually knowing them, and I found myself really becoming invested in them especially with Rebecca. Her struggles really pulled at my heart.

This is the first in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series and I am looking forward to reading the next book. I am very interested to see what happens next as A Gift of Grace closed with a bit of a cliff hanger and certainly didn’t end the way I expected it to.

Release Date: April 20, 2009

Publisher: Zondervan
Series: Kauffman Amish Bakery Series Book #1
Source: Library
Find the Author: http://www.amyclipston.com

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2011-04-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

The Storytelle - Sharon Tillotson Hmm... this one is hard. I am reading it for a rewview and found the first 150 pages really hard to get into. Its getting a bit better but its still a little slow going. I really hope to finish it soon.

Bearing Witness: Chilbirth Stories Told by Doulas - Lisa Doran and Lisa Caron I have been looking forward to this book for a while but have been on a waiting list from my library.

The Union Quilters - Jennifer Chiaverini I hope to start this book this week, I haven't read Jennifer Chiaverini for a while but always enjoy her books. Quilting and Historical Fiction together - how could I go wrong!

Reviews finished this week

Left Neglected

Happy Friday and the Blog Hops

2011-03-31T22:17:00.000-04:00

Crazy For Books Hop Question:

"Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?"

Um... I honestly can't remember playing an April Fool's Day prank... there was something in grade 1 involving something from the medicine cabinet on my class room door, but I think that is about it. Lame. I know!

And of course Follow My Blog Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View

Hmm... Do I have another 5 random book facts about myself:

1. I am addicted to adding items to my library hold list and then get stressed when they all become available at once.

2. I read everywhere, when I'm eating, waiting in line for 2 minutes, I listen to audio books when I'm driving, cooking, cleaning etc. etc. etc.

3. I buy far more books than I have time to read

4. My kids are turning into book-a-holics and I couldn't be happier!

5. I get really excited when I find out my friends also love my favourite authors!

And please don't forget to leave your link and please let me know in the comments if you are a new follower!

Why I Love Reading....

2011-03-31T08:02:00.000-04:00

I recently saw this question posted on Book Blogs and thought it was such a great question that it deserved its own post.

Do I love to read? That question is simple for me, of course I love to read! As far back as I can remember I have always read (and before I could read or write I made picture books, ‘hand’ books, ‘foot’ books – you name it, I made it!). I vividly remember having a ‘reading time’ attached to my bedtime otherwise I would have stayed up all night reading. The library has always been a safe space for me, and I love that my children get just as excited as I used to (and still do) when we make at trip to the library.

Why do I read? Well that depends on what I am reading and what is going on in my life. The most basic reason that I read is for information. As a Childbirth Educator and Doula I read a lot of books about childbirth, breastfeeding, newborn care, baby sleep habits, postpartum depression etc. so that I can stay up to date with research in the field. One of the reasons that I like historical fiction so much is because as a history major in university I love to know about where we came from as well as the histories of other cultures. Social history is very exciting for me so reading historical fiction is another way for me to inform myself and satisfy my curious nature.

A small collection of my childbirth books

I am also a big time collector of craft and sewing books. I am a sucker for anything quilting related (especially if it showcases quilts made with bright, flashy fabrics and fun, vibrant patterns) and my “to-sew” list is growing at about the same speed of my “to-read” list (which is exponential!). I also love books about being creative with the family – I have a hard time passing up kids craft books. Sweetpea is getting to the age where she loves to create, and Ladybug is getting there… her attention span still limits her to about 5 minutes of colouring, stamping or painting at a time, but she has a great time for that 5 minutes!

A few craft/sewing books and quilting magazines

I love to read to my children because it gives them a chance to really use their imaginations. When we read we make up our own endings (ie. what did she do next, what happened when she got to the castle, why was he in the forest) and it is to thrilling for me to watch them engage and get so excited about our books. Reading is also a great chance for us to learn through play. Sweetpea learned her colours, shapes and counting from reading stories and she was never aware that she was “learning” anything (not in a formal sense at least).

The girl's downstairs reading nook. The 'big' bookshelf is in my room and I rotate these books out every few months.

Of course I also read for fun. Reading for me is an escape – a way to let go of the stresses of the day and really unwind. When I read I become completely wrapped up in the story and if it’s a really good book, or one that I really enjoy, I can actually “see” the characters and surroundings and “feel” what is happening in the story. I think this is my favourite part of reading, when you find a book that is so good you experience it on such a sensory level.

I could go on and on about why I love to read but I would love to hear from you. Do you love to read? Why do you read? What is your favourite genre?

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

2011-03-30T07:30:00.005-04:00

From Goodreads: Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children—Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.

Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe.

A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.

A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah
relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.

Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny—her new, true life—may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.

My Thoughts: I loved this book within the first 8 pages. The main character Sarah is so raw, so real. I loved the honesty Genova used to craft this character. At the beginning of this novel Sarah is the kind of character that most people hate, and I think that is how Genova wanted it. Personally I didn’t hate Sarah because she knew what she wanted and shamelessly went for it. I know that Type-A, 80 hour work week, career woman personality wouldn’t be a fit for me and my family, nor would I strive to be more like her, but I appreciated her honesty in trying to do it all. Nothing is sugar coated with Sarah and I loved that about her. Now in real life she probably wouldn’t be someone that I would have tea with on a regular basis (she would have been too busy for that anyway) but for a character in a book I really liked her.

I have read a lot of reviews from people who said they hated this book, or didn’t finish it because Sarah was selfish enough to talk on her cell phone and therefore they could not feel any sympathy for her. This book is not about feeling sorry for Sarah. Left Neglected is about Sarah’s struggle to reconcile her new reality. There is a constant battle going on inside of her – is accepting her Left Neglect a sign of giving up, can she beat it, does she have to beat it, is accommodating her Left Neglect good enough? Can she lead a full life without returning to the way of life she previously knew? A perfect example of her internal struggles can be found ¾ of the way through the book when Sarah (a previously avid skier) begins snowboarding on a modified snowboard with a trainer.

p. 261 "What is Bob going to think when he sees me on a handicapped snowboard? Will he think I’ve given in to my Neglect and given up? Have I given up? Is this accommodating or failing? Should I have waited until I’m recovered enough to ski like I used to? What is that never happens? Are my only two acceptable choices sitting tin the booth in the lodge or skiing like I used to before the accident, with nothing in between?"I loved the fact that Sarah did learn from her condition and it actually enabled her to identify ways to help her son who was struggling in school with ADHD. She was able to connect with Charlie in a way that she hadn't been able to previously, be it for lack of time or lack of understanding what he was going through. While she was working to recover she was also able to mend broken relationships and strengthen those that were not yet broken.

There were times when I found Left Neglected to be laugh out loud funny. Sarah has such a dry (and at times dark) humor when talking about life after her accident. The struggles that she faces are heart wrenching, unimaginable and sometimes funny. Sarah does not pity herself; not does she look for pity. She wasn’t willing to give up, or admit that she could no longer do the things she loved to do. She was going to read the Sunday Times even if it took her a week (or find an equally appealing alternative) but the point is she didn’t give up. I actually found her story to be quite uplifting.

I don’t want to give anything away by telling you how she reacted to her injury nor am I going to tell you how the book ended but I will tell you that the ending surprised me. That’s all. It was too good of a book to ruin it by giving you my opinion of the ending, or even the middle, so if you have read it and want to discuss it please send me an email – otherwise you are just going to have to read it for yourself! I really enjoyed reading this book, and Genova’s first book "Still Alice" has just jumped to the very top of my TBR pile!

I received a free copy of Left Neglected from the publisher Simon and Schuster Canada as part of the everythingmom.com book club. I was not required to write a review, and my opinions are my own.

Have you read Left Neglected? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Introducing Emmeline

2011-03-29T08:00:00.033-04:00

Emmeline is not a person, she is this super sweet apron designed by the wonderful Meg of SewLiberated. I purchased the Emmeline Apron pattern about a year ago fully intending on making one for myself but of course some things got in the way and I didn't have much personal sewing time last year.

My friend Stephanie has been hinting for as long as I have had this pattern that she certainly wouldn't mind being a product tester if I wanted to make this apron for her and she just had a birthday this past week so what better motivation than to make it for a gift! I finished this apron up with literally no time to spare. I was clipping off loose threads when getting dressed for dinner, but the important thing is that I finished it and she loves it!

This pattern was so great to work from. It was clear, with no errors and everything worked out brilliantly. It took me a little longer to finish it than I thought (ahem... see clipping threads off while getting dressed) but it was still a great sew. I am sure that I will be making one for myself soon (most likely reversable with these fabrics!)

Its Monday! What Are You Reading?

2011-03-27T21:50:00.002-04:00

The Storyteller - Sharon Tillotson A review book that I have just started

A Gift of Grace - Amy Clipston Good old Amish fiction by an author whom I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading

Left Neglected - Lisa Genovia I can finish this week, I've been trying to read slow as per my book club's reading list and its been killing me!

Even Now - Karen Kingsbury? Still on my ipod and getting close to the end. A few surprises that I didn't expect in terms of characters.

What are you reading this week? Don't forget to leave a link to your own "Its Monday" post so I can see what you are reading too!

Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers

2011-03-25T07:00:00.003-04:00

From Goodreads: The first in an epic two-book saga by beloved author Francine Rivers, this sweeping story explores the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters over several generations. Near the turn of the 20th century, fiery Marta leaves Switzerland determined to find life on her own terms. Her journey takes her through Europe and finally lands her with children and husband in tow in the central valley of California. Marta’s experiences convince her that only the strong survive. Hildie, Marta’s oldest daughter, has a heart to serve others, and her calling as a nurse gives her independence, if not the respect of her mother. Amid the drama of WWII, Hildie marries and begins a family of her own. She wants her daughter never to doubt her love—but the challenges of life conspire against her vow. Each woman is forced to confront her faulty but well-meaning desire to help her daughter find her God-given place in the world.

My Thoughts: I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened up Her Mother’s Hope but I can tell you that I was surprised and hooked after just the first 2 pages. The characters and relationships were so complex, and so real. Marta was one of those characters that I had respect for, loved, hated, pitied and wanted to scream at all at once. I FELT so much in reading this book, to the point where at times I forgot that I was reading fiction – it just felt so much like I was reading a real family history.

There was an underlying theme of having faith in God no matter what the circumstance and it was interesting to see how different characters interpreted and practiced their faith. Listening to various characters talking to God and understanding how much their faith meant to them, and their day to day interactions, really made me think of them as alive.

Love was also present in nearly every page of this book. Marta’s love for her mother, her desire to be loved by her father, the relationships she formed with those she served for, her love for her childhood best friend. I was constantly troubled by the way that she showed love to her daughter Hildie. Knowing Marta’s past and knowing how she feared nothing more than Hildie following in Elise’s footsteps I suppose a part of me can understand why she felt the need to act the way she did, but I still couldn’t help but get so angry with her for it. I felt like screaming “do you not see what you are doing!?” but of course this is fiction and usually people don’t see what they are doing until the end of the book.

As someone who really likes to focus on a character or event and read all of the small details that make it feel real, I think that I would have like it if Her Mother’s Hope was separated into two volumes instead of just one. I felt the quick progression of time to be dizzying. Sometimes an entire chapter would be devoted to a few months, other times 4 or 5 years would pass within a few pages. I still enjoyed it tremendously but wished that certain parts of Marta or Hildie’s lives would have been given more attention.

I found Her Mother’s Hope to be a compelling read and once I got into it could not put it down. I am looking forward to reading the sequel Her Daughter’s Dream. There is so much more that I could stay about this book, I think it was a great choice for my first Francine River’s novel!

Follow Friday/Book Blogger Hop

2011-03-25T06:59:00.000-04:00

Question of the Week: Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100factsaboutme, give us five BOOK RELATED silly facts about you.

I am a book nerd in a big way. I always have a book in my purse/diaper bag (I am so thankfull for my KOBO!) and usually a few for the kids as well.
I always keep an audio book on my ipod so when I am driving/walking/eating lunch at work I can be reading too.
When I was a kid I would read so much that at bedtime I had to have a 'reading time' built in so I didn't stay up too late.
The first book I read on my own (and read for show and tell at school) was "Donald's Day in the Kitchen" - it was a Disney Rhyming Reader and I still have a special place in my heart for it.
I have 175 books on my goodreads.com to read list

Happy reading! Be sure to leave your link so I can visit you too!

This week's question comes from Mina who blogs at Mina Burrows:

"If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

This might make me a nerd but I have always loved the Little House series and I'm pretty sure that is the series I would most like to "be in".

AND Remember! Leave your link so I can visit you too!

Spring Runner Sew Along

2011-03-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

I have been doing great with my book challenges as of late but I haven't had much to show in the sewing department for the last month. I have completed a few projects (some stock for beebee buttercup and a gift for a friend that I forgot to photograph before I gave it away - I should be posting about it next week) but can't share just yet. I am also working with some very talented individuals on a brand new website for beebee buttercup and Bumps to Babies that I hope to share with you some time in April.

So to get me motivated I'm joining in on the Spring Runner Sew-Along. This is the perfect opportunity to make a new table runner for myself as the last two that I have made have ended up in my mom's house (where she suggested that they just might look better than in my home!). I do need something to cover up all the scratches on my kitchen table... it is ahem... well loved.

I'm not quite sure where I am going to go with this one - I probably won't be using too many light, springy, colours but I like the tri-colour theme and the zig zag quilting is great. I have until April 20 so that should be lots of time. I'll let you know when I finish up!

What about you - did you join the challenge? If so please leave a link to your blog post!

Our Favourite Children's Books

2011-03-23T08:04:00.001-04:00

I'm sure its pretty obvious that I love to read, but what makes me so very happy is that my girls also love to read (or be read to). Their ideal trip out of the house is to go to our local library - they just love it! We often pick a favourite book and read it a million times until Sweetpea can basically 'read' the entire story to Ladybug.

Over the last 3 years these are a few of the books that have stood out as favourites around our house. This list is in no way complete, and is growing daily. I am sure that I have missed more than a few!

A Ride on Mother's Back by Emery Bernhard and Durga Bernhard

Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch and Sheila McGraw

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

I Love You All Year Long by Steve Metzger

Complete Adventures Of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Any story to do with princesses or fairies. I am currently attempting to grow my collection of these Flower Fairies stories.

What are your favourite children's books? We are always looking for new ones so I would love to hear from you!

Spring Reading Challenge

2011-03-22T08:00:00.004-04:00

I decided to join the Spring Reading Challenge hosted by Callapidder Days. It will be a good motivation for me to move some of those 'to read' books onto the 'read' shelf! The challenge goes until June 20 so we will see how many of these I read in 3 months!

So far my list looks a little like this.

1. A Gift of Grace - Amy Clipson (Finished Mar 29, 2011)
2. A Promise of Hope - Amy Clipson
3. A Place of Peace - Amy Clipson
4. Her Mother's Hope - Francine Rivers (Finished March 25, 2011)
5. The Storyteller - Sharon Tillotson (Finished April 7, 2011)
6. The Midwife of Venice - Roberta Rich
7. The Union Quilters - Jennifer Chiaverini

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2011-03-20T22:50:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to get started on the Midwife of Venice. What do I love more so far, the story or the cover? Its a toss up!

I am reading Her Mother's Hope for the Domestic Diva Book Club

Still loving Left Neglected which I am reading for the everythingmom.com book club

And I'm still enjoying the audio of Even Now on my Ipod while I sew!

What about you? What are you reading today? If you have participated in this meme please feel free to leave a link to your own It's Monday! What are you reading post.

New Commenting System

2011-03-19T16:50:00.003-04:00

Edited to add: After only 24 hours I have decided to remove Disqus. I liked the fact that I could finally leave nested comments and love the moderation/reply by email option however I was not willing to loose the ability to hyperlink to one's blog via their comment. Isn't the point of blogging to engage in a conversation? How is that possible when no one can find you (or your blog) through your comments to continue on that discussion. Back to searching for a better option!

Please be patient with me as I am trying out a new commenting system (Disqus) so that I will be able to leave replies directly under comments. I quite enjoy using blogger as a blogging system however I have been searching for the best way to reply to comments - email addresses are not always visible and if I reply to comments my reply goes directly to the bottom of the post. What I really wanted were the embedded comments that are possible with Wordpress and Typepad blogs - I hope that Disquis is the answer!

After adding Disquis I noticed comments left on the blogger commenting platform are no longer visible (I can still see them but you cannot). Please don't think that I removed your comments! I read each and every comment and it makes my day when you have something to say about my posts! I'm going to try this out for about a week or so to see how it works out.

Please, please, please feel free to leave me feedback on the Disquis commenting system. I want to know how easy it is to use and if it makes commenting and finding replies to your comments easier. I am hoping that this will help to facilitate more discussion on the Hands and Home blog!

Do you have a blogger account? If so what do you use for your comments?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2011-03-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

From Goodreads: Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed. In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

My Thoughts:

I love that there was a character that was willing to challenge the status quo and essentially sabotage the life she knew for an issue she felt so strongly about. I was happy that at the end of the novel she wasn’t entirely alone in her thinking (granted she wasn’t openly embraced for it either). I loved how fully developed each of the characters were. I could see the homes of Aibileen and Minny, I could feel the tension in Miss. Lefold’s home and more than a few times felt like shaking Miss. Hilly. Granted I missed the 60’s and certainly didn’t grow up in the South so I do not profess to be an expert on the authenticity or accuracy of the voices in this book, but I can say that it certainly felt authentic to me. Stockett gave her characters voices, some used them for education and enlightenment, some for change, and some to spread hate and lies.

This book brought to life so much emotion for me. I felt the fear and anticipation that the women described as they were writing their book. I felt Minny’s anger, and also Skeeter’s. I felt sorrow when I read the stories of not only how the maids were treated but also how Mae Mobely was treated. But I also felt the love and concern that some of the maids held towards their "white women" and their children. These were such complex relationships and I think that Stockett portrayed them beautifully.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Help and think it is an important reminder that a single voice does have the power to change – however small that change is perceived to be. The Help was one of those rare books that I could have devoured in a sitting but instead forced myself to read it slowly over a week so that I could savor it. The way the Stockett wrote I could actually hear the voices of each character and this captured and held my attention throughout the entire book. There was so much that I loved about this book I don’t even know where to begin.
I borrowed this book from the library

Hoppin' Away/Follow Friday

2011-03-18T07:31:00.000-04:00

This weeks question:

"Do you read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?"

I usually have about 3 books on the go but they have to be very different. I can't read a bunch of books from the same genre, or similar story lines at the same time or I'll start transposing plots and characters (ie. 2 Amish fiction or 2 historical fictions from the same time/place). I usually have a hard time deciding what to read so I'll have one book on my bedside table, something downstairs and something on my KOBO for easy travelling!

This weeks question:

How did you come up with your blog name?

When I first started Hands and Home it was primarily a craft/family living blog with a bit of book content in there so Hands (crafting) and Home (family) worked. As this blog evolved the title stuck and here we are.

The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg

2011-03-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

From Goodreads: A novel about women and men reconnecting with one another—and themselves—at their fortieth high school reunion. To each of the men and women in The Last Time I Saw You, this reunion means something different—a last opportunity to say something long left unsaid, an escape from the bleaker realities of everyday life, a means to save a marriage on the rocks, or an opportunity to bond with a slightly estranged daughter, if only over what her mother should wear.

As the onetime classmates meet up over the course of a weekend, they discover things that will irrevocably affect the rest of their lives. For newly divorced Dorothy Shauman, the reunion brings with it the possibility of finally attracting the attention of the class heartthrob, Pete Decker. For the ever self-reliant, ever left-out Mary Alice Mayhew, it’s a chance to reexamine a painful past. For Lester Heseenpfeffer, a veterinarian and widower, it is the hope of talking shop with a fellow vet—or at least that’s what he tells himself. For Candy Armstrong, the class beauty, it’s the hope of finding friendship before it is too late.

As Dorothy, Mary Alice, Lester, Candy, and the other classmates converge for the reunion dinner, four decades melt away: Desires and personalities from their youth reemerge, and new discoveries are made. For so much has happened to them all. And so much can still happen.

My Thoughts: This is not a book that I normally would have chosen for myself. The story line just didn’t grab me at first and I couldn’t imagine staying interested (this was a book club pick). Then I started to read the first chapter about Dorothy and I almost turned right around and returned this book to the library. I couldn’t stand it. I really could have done without this character with her shallow and immature dialogue. I found her to be pathetic to be quite honest, 40 years later and you are still trying to attract your high school ‘heart throb’? I know that everyone loves to have a character to hate in a novel but Dorothy was too much. I did push through that first chapter and I’m pretty glad that I did.

What did I enjoy about this book? I really enjoyed the development of characters like Lester, Candy and Mary Alice. I really liked the theme that people can and do change, that who you were in high school does not define who you will be as an adult (or if it does, it is still not too late to change). I was glad to see that not everyone was portrayed as being shallow, inconsiderate, and selfish. As much as I didn't care for some of the characters at least Berg chose to portry them authentically. I could see them being people in real life, some that I may have even known in my past!

For the most part I enjoyed this book but I had a difficult time identifying with the characters so I didn’t really become invested in the story line or their lives like I usually do. Maybe it is because these characters are my parent’s age, or maybe it is because I wasn’t a fan of the popular crowd in high school but also didn’t fall into the ‘picked on’ category so their high school experiences didn’t resonate with me either. I think that I would have enjoyed this book more if I picked it up in 15-20 years.

Sewing for the Camera

2011-03-16T08:00:00.009-04:00

Photo credit: Birdful Stitches (used with permission)

My great friend and personal webdesigner, photographer and parenting mentor Stephanie suggested that I make her a few padded camera lens bags using a pattern from the etsy shop Birdful Stitches and I happily obliged. During our last playdate she picked out her fabric and then I set out sewing last night.

The first Lens Luggage case that I made for Steph - more are on the way!

This was super quick and a fun sew. The pattern was great, clear and illustrated with lots of photos. I highly recommend it for anyone with a DSLR (Birdful Stitches also has camera strap patterns as well as case patterns for e-readers such as the KOBO or Kindle).

Are you a photographer in need of a lens case? I don't think that I will be adding these to the readymade section of beebee buttercup but I would be more than happy to make up a few at a fair price for any photographers that are unable to do so for themselves. Just send me an email (bonnie@bumpsandbuttercups.com). (If you can sew, just click on the link above to go to Birdful Stitches to get your own PDF).

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2011-03-13T22:32:00.001-04:00

I am reading Left Neglected with the everythingmom.com book club through the month of March. I didn't get a chance to read any last week but the good news is that this week I can read twice as much!

I have been waiting for ages for this book to be available from the download branch of my local library and so far it has been worth the wait!

I plan to start Her Mother's Hope this week. I am reading it for my own group, the Domestic Diva book club.

I really like the idea of having a book on my ipod at all times! Now I don't have to decide between sewing and reading!

SO..... what are you reading this week?

Sweetpea is finally getting her quilt!

2011-03-11T08:30:00.002-05:00

It nearly broke my heart when after Ladybug got her quilt Sweetpea looked up at me with those big doe eyes and said "Do I get a quilt too mama?" The answer was "OF COURSE YOU DO!" So the other night out to my local quilting store I went to find the perfect combination of orange, green and purple as per her request. This is going to be a super simple pattern because I don't want it to take 3 years to finish but I know that she is just going to love it.

All cut (actually it came precut from the store - even better for my schedule this week) and ready to go. This quilt has everything Sweetpea asked for, purple, green orange and flowers!

It just happens to be snowing something crazy outside today and I'm actually hoping for a bit of a crappy weekend so we can stay inside and I can get started on sewing this up!
While I was out I also found the perfect boarder/backing for this quilt that I posted about. When I showed my mom the fabric she got this funny look on her face and said "You know who's room this would look really good in right?" Uh hm.. Mom subtlety is not your strong suite!

What is up next for you? What will you be spending your weekend doing?

Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long

2011-03-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Jacob is in love with a woman whom he cannot have, and Lilly’s life has been devoted to caring for her mother and teaching the children in their community. Jacob and Lilly had grown up together but never thought of the possibility of a relationship, until a series of unlikely events throws the two together. They impulsively decide to marry as a way to protect Jacob and save Lilly’s reputation and so begins the story of their courtship – after their marriage.

Issues of trust, kindness and compassion manifested in several ways that I found to be really interesting. Jacob’s love of and work with horses, Lilly’s teaching and efforts with a young special needs student Able (as well as Jacob’s caring for this boy), and the way that the community responded to Lilly’s mom’s depression. It was through seeing how Lilly and Jacob cared for others that they were able to trust each other at first to find a common ground, and later to discover a love for each other that they had denied due to their past hurts and heartbreaks. Long made sure that Jacob and Lilly had a strong foundation of friendship and respect before they loved eachother romantically.

The character of Kate Zook really bothered me and seemed so inconsistent with what I thought I knew about Amish youth – although her character helps to illustrate the Amish belief in forgiveness. “It is the Amish way, to go beyond fairness and to think about forgiveness first. Then we can be angry, or hurt, or sad” (p. 229). I can see why her character was developed as she was, but I could have done without this added drama.

Other than the story line of Kate Zook, I really enjoyed the second installment in the Patch of Heaven series by Kelly Long and am interested to see where the author takes the characters in her next book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

God's Wisdom for Mothers - Jack Countryman

2011-03-09T13:57:00.000-05:00

God’s Wisdom for Mothers is a beautiful Bible study and collection of verses relating to motherhood. It is well organized and easily facilitates reflection and prayer of those issues that are central to many mothers.

Found within this book are chapters about seeking and growing in your relationship with God, raising children in His wisdom, and receiving encouragement from His word to name a few.

If I am being perfectly honest when I first opened this book I expected a little more from Countryman in the way of a foreword or at least a written introduction to each section. If you are looking for a well thought out collection of verses only to do your own study and reflection, this book is an excellent resource. However if you are looking for a more guided study, or a collection of verses with questions, explanations, and discussion or thought points, this may not be the book for you.

I think that this is a volume that I will go back to time and time again, to read, and reflect, in small sections.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

WWW Wednesdays

2011-03-09T07:15:00.001-05:00

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

Left Neglected by Lisa Genovia, The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg, Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast, The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley (we have been struggling with Sweetpea for a few weeks now and I am desperate - have you read this? Can you recommend a good gentle sleep book for toddlers?)

• What did you recently finish reading?

If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Sarah's Garden by Kelly Long, Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long (review)

• What do you think you’ll read next?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett, God's Wisdom for Mother's by Jack Countryman (review), The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini (if it comes in the mail)

What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

Thank You God for Mommy by Amy Parker

2011-03-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

Thank You God for Mommy is a sweet children's board book about a young panda who is thanking God for all the wonderful things that his mommy does.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone with small children, it was a lovely read and my girls both loved this book (they are 2 and 3 years old, it was perfect for them, even though it is listed for the 4-8 year old crowd).

The illustrations are absolutely adorable and we loved the story. I chose to receive this book as an e-book, rather than the print form which is a board book, and I think that I would have preferred this as a board book. When we read it together on my computer we were able to really see the beautiful illustrations, however on my gray-scale e-reader it lost a little bit of its charm. Obviously that is an equipment problem of my own and not a problem with this book. Regardless I am still happy to have a sweet book on my e-reader to read to the girls when we are out and carrying an actual board book would be a bit cumbersome.

Off to read it again, I can hear their requests getting louder!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Next Up :: Pie Crust Pile-Up

2011-03-08T07:40:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling like I need a bit of an instant gratification quilting project right about now so I decided to make up this pattern using these fat quarters that I bought for myself ages ago. I wanted a nice simple, girlie lap quilt for reading. Considering the amount of baking that I have been doing lately I think the "Pie Crust Pile-Up" pattern is just perfect! I bought these fat quarters ages ago and I just love them because it goes so well with the woodwork in our bedroom and it also picks up some of the tones in the wedding quilt that Nick's mom made for us.

Before I get started I'm going to have to make a trip down to my local quilting store to pick up some fabric for the boarder. Or darn, I have to make a shopping trip!

Sarah's Garden by Kelly Long

2011-03-07T08:00:00.004-05:00

From Goodreads:

When Sarah realizes that she has fallen in love with an Englisch doctor, she must choose between loving a man and losing her family.

Deep in the heart of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains, shy Sarah King is happiest when working in her vibrant Amish kitchen garden, but new family responsibilities lead her into the confusing world of the Englisch.

Sarah finds her life turned around when she encounters the community's new Englisch veterinarian, Grant Williams. His blue-gold eyes and his obvious concern for her people attract her immediately. Sarah seeks solace and direction from the Lord as she creates a quilt pattern which details her struggle between two worlds.

The Lord is guiding Sarah to follow His will, but will she listen?

My Thoughts:
When I picked up this book I expected another predictable Amish fiction love story – don’t get me wrong I love Amish fiction, but sometimes the love stories can be a little unsurprising if you know what I mean. I was really happy to find that Sarah’s Garden did not follow the typical formula. The love story in this book was more of a struggle, and also about the development of Sarah’s love for the Lord and for herself.

I was happy to find that as the novel progressed Sarah developed into a strong, capable and rather independent woman. She was strong enough to understand herself and her needs and was able to turn down a life that would have been comfortable, and what was expected of her in order to wait for the life that she truly desired. She had enough faith in the Lord and in herself to know that she did not have to settle for second best.

There were actually a few shining examples of female strength and independence in Sarah’s Garden that are not always seen in this genre and I really appreciated these themes and the ways that Long developed the stories around these women. I am immediately starting in on the sequel Lilly’s Wedding Quilt by the same author.

I give it 4*s / 5!

Heirloom Baking and a Recipe

2011-03-04T12:46:00.000-05:00

Grandma taking care of the apples

There is nothing like baking to bring a little joy and warmth to our home but pair it with a baking day with grandma and well, it's just bliss! Today we did just that, we picked my 91 year old grandma up after breakfast and brought her home to bake some pies and teach this mama how to make her butter tarts.

These two will go in the freezer

Sweetpea was thrilled that she was old enough to help with the pies. First thing this morning she was practising - she put on her apron, grabbed an oven mitt and had her own apple pie in the oven before I even drank my tea.

The girls filling their second pie

I have been trying to learn how to make grandma's apple pie for about the last 6 years. I'm not terrible, but I just haven't been able to get the hang of working the dough by myself yet. Today I finally did it (and of course I tasted to be sure and... yep! I did it!).

The girls were excellent pie fillers... although if I'm being perfectly honest Ladybug did more eating than filling but that was to be expected (even Sweetpea told grandma "probably we will give Ladybug a bowl of apples to muck in but I will make the pie).

Ladybug eating more than filling

I've never tried to make butter tarts and I didn't realize how easy they were to make. Now I think I am in trouble! We called them heirloom butter tarts because we had 3 generations baking today and we were using my great grandma's tart cutter (so really, there were 4 generations present). Grandma still has all of her mom's baking supplies and we use them every time.

Great grandma's tart cutter circa 18?? Well over one hundred years old - crazy!

Tarts, pre-filling

Whats that? You want the recipe? Ok, well its a grandma recipe which means there aren't exactly measurements but I'll do my best.

Try to eat just one... I dare you!

Heirloom Butter Tarts
Makes 12 tarts
Using your left over pie dough roll and cut out 12 tart shells and gently fit them into muffin tins
Place 1/2 a crushed pecan and a few raisins in the bottom of shells

In a small mixing bowl melt aprox 2 tbsp of butter, combine with about 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 egg, a dash of vanilla and some corn syrup (there is where the recipe fails me, I used about 2 1/2 large 'globs' - which I think would translate to a bit less than 1/2 a cup). (You could also use fresh maple syrup for maple tarts)

Spoon the syrup mixture into the tart shells. They should be just under 1/2 full.

Bake at 425 for 8 min, then turn down to 375 and bake another 10 min, until shells start to turn golden brown. Allow to cool before removing from tins.

What makes your home warm and cozy? Did you make these butter tarts? Please let me know how they turned out, I love to hear from you!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

2011-03-03T07:50:00.000-05:00

From Goodreads: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

My Thoughts: I devoured this book within a 24-hour period of time. Once I started reading I could not stop. I would take breaks to change a diaper or feed my kids but as soon as possible I just had to have it back in my hands. After a horrific car accident Mia is left to make the impossible decision, to stay or go. Throughout this book Forman parallels significant moments in Mia’s life with her current reality of watching over her family, and herself, as her body is lying in a critical care ICU.

I had such a visceral response to this book. I found myself verging on tears as Mia spoke of what she saw and what happened to her after her accident. I felt her joy when she talked of her life before her accident, from her first real date, to afternoons with her grandparents, to her solo practice time with her cello. Mia was such a tangible character for me, she was so real and I think that is why I responded the way I did to her story. The people close to Mia waiting in the hospital for news, any news, were also unbelievably authentic. I could feel their pain and desperation. This book took me on a bit of an emotional roller coaster.

I finished this book with a renewed appreciation for the extraordinary, everyday moments in my life and I am really looking forward to reading the sequel.

I borrowed this book from the library.

WWW Wednesdays

2011-03-02T08:00:00.003-05:00

WIP Month Wrap Up

2011-02-28T07:00:00.002-05:00

All in all I think that work in progress month was a great motivation for me to finish some projects that have just been piling up for literally years. The best news is that now that I have cleared some space from my cutting table I can get started on some new projects (without the guilty conscience of knowing that I have other work to be completed). Here is a little recap of what I was able to accomplish in February in the WIP department.

As a reminder of how this month started this is what my table looked like at the beginning of February.

And here are the finished projects from the month:

Mom's table runner. I will be making more of these in the near future!

Nick's Quilt. Ah, I can't even tell you how good it feels to have this baby finished. I love love love how it turned out and even more than that I love being able to USE it!

Ladybugs Quilt. I still feel guilty that I didn't get around to making it when Sweetpea was still in a crib so I'm sure very soon there will be a single bed sized quilt for her as well. I really love how this quilt turned out, it is so bright and cheery. Perfect from my outgoing Ladybug. This was my first time machine quilting anything of this size on my home machine and not only did a learn a lot but I had so much fun doing it!

Nursing Covers. These had been sitting for a little while half finished and I just couldn't get myself motivated enough to actually finish them up!

Valentines Aprons for the Girls.

Here is my cutting/assembling space now. Thanks to Nick for putting up some much needed shelving! I still have some work to do but I would say it is a vast improvement.

And a big thanks goes out to my great friend Stephanie who also completed a major overhaul on the appearance and functionality this blog!

This Moment

2011-02-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

{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. Hosted by Soulemama

Ladybugs Quilt :: It's Finished!!!

2011-02-24T07:17:00.000-05:00

I am so happy that Ladybug's quilt is finally finished! I absolutely love how it turned out. I used a simple Yellow Brick Road quilt pattern and fabric that I purchased almost 3 years ago, so my apologies I don't know the designer!

View from the front

I had enough of the boarder left over to piece the backing fabric and make it just a little more interesting than solid purple hearts.

A simple pieced back

I came to a bit of a stand still on this quilt when I couldn't find a single piece of fabric in my stash that worked with this quilt. Not one! Somehow when purchasing the fabric all that time ago I didn't think to purchase enough for binding... So I put it aside for a bit and got to work cleaning off my WIP table. Lo and behold I found just enough scraps from this project to make a pieced binding and I think it worked out for the best. Not only could I use up scraps but a crazy patchwork binding is much more in line with Ladybug's personality than something straight and simple.

Showing the pieced binding made up of scraps from the project

WWW Wednesdays and a Quilting Update Tomorrow

2011-02-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

Virgin River by Robyn Carr, Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast,

• What did you recently finish reading?

The Red Thread by Ann Hood, The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

• What do you think you’ll read next?

The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini

What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

Seek Me With all your Heart

2011-02-22T07:10:00.002-05:00

Seek Me With all your Heart by Beth Wiseman

Seek Me With All Your Heart is the first book in Beth Wiseman’s “A Land of Canaan” series. We are taken to a new Amish settlement in Colorado where families from larger Amish communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania have settled to find land at lower prices and sometimes to start a new life free from the burdens and tragedies they have left behind. The most prominent story line is that of Emily and David, two young adults who because of hardships in their pasts are convinced that they will be unable to find and keep love, despite a strong desire to do so. It is through their friendship that Emily and David are able to reconcile and heal the hurts of their pasts.

My Thoughts:

I read a lot of Amish fiction, but have never read anything written by Beth Wiseman so it took me a little time to become used to her writing style. There were some things in this book that made me question its authenticity at first and at times I found the voices she gave to her characters to be a little modern to really connect with them as Amish. I'm not saying that she did anything wrong here, it really was a lovely story, it was just not what I expected out of the gate. Once I got used to her style I thoroughly enjoyed the book and devoured it over the course of two days. There were enough plot twists and interesting characters to hold my attention and I was really happy with the story that developed around Martha (the grumpy English neighbor).

She tackled some issues that are not often seen in Amish fiction and I appreciated this very much. I think that she wrote about these difficult subjects in a very realistic and sensitive way. Emily's character was beautifully developed and Wiseman did an excellent job of portraying the emotions that one would feel after a traumatic attack.

I was pretty excited to find out that Seek Me With All Your Heart is somewhat of a continuation of Wiseman’s earlier Daughters of the Promise series. I look forward to the next book in the Land of Canaan series and will definitely be picking up her earlier books.

I would give this book 4*s/5 and look forward to reading more from Beth Wiseman!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Red Thread

2011-02-21T10:15:00.001-05:00

The Red Thread by Ann Hood

From Goodreads: “In China there is a belief that people who are destined to be together are connected by an invisible red thread. Who is at the end of your red thread?”

After losing her infant daughter in a freak accident, Maya Lange opens The Red Thread, an adoption agency that specializes in placing baby girls from China with American families. Maya finds some comfort in her work, until a group of six couples share their personal stories of their desire for a child. Their painful and courageous journey toward adoption forces her to confront the lost daughter of her past. Brilliantly braiding together the stories of Chinese birth mothers who give up their daughters, Ann Hood writes a moving and beautifully told novel of fate and the red thread that binds these characters’ lives. Heartrending and wise, The Red Thread is a stirring portrait of unforgettable love and yearning for a baby.

My Thoughts: I really loved this book. I listened to it as an audio book and I think that was the perfect medium for this novel. I was able to listen slowly and really devour the story. Hood does a beautiful job of writing emotion into this book. I loved how interspersed in the story of the families waiting for babies are the stories of those mothers who gave up their daughters. She writes of the desperation felt by a girl who had a baby out of wedlock. The helplessness of a mother forced to give her baby up because she was an invaluable girl, and the grief felt by a father who give his baby up after her mother was killed in a car accident. The stories are heart wrenching and raw.

When Hood writes of the families in America waiting to adopt she tells of the desperation, despair and longing that these mothers who cannot conceive (or who are afraid to conceive). From their initial excitement to start the adoption process, the anxiety and cold feet felt by some at the news of getting their baby, and the excitement of travelling to China to pick up their daughter. I did not always like the families in America, at times they were selfish, insensitive, and made terrible choices but this is what makes them human and believable. Hood did a wonderful job bringing her characters to life and I highly recommend this book!

I give it 5/5!

Right Now

2011-02-18T07:55:00.000-05:00

Right now I am loving:

The rising temperatures :: I know it won't last but at least its a sign that spring is coming

Baby toddlers who finally slept through the night last night

The sounds of laughter as the girls play together this morning

The sun that is rising as I drink my morning tea :: As opposed to the darkness that we have gotten so used to

Left over veggie stir fry for lunch today

This is for the Everythingmom.com book club!

The review books that came in the mail this week

What about you? What are you loving today?

Where is the next Giveaway?

2011-02-17T12:56:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to pass on this great giveaway being offered at Historically Obsessed. Head on over there to try to win yourself a free copy of Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

2011-02-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

Book Review: The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

The Heretic’s Daughter tells the story of Sarah Carrier the daughter one of the first women to be charged, tried and hung for practicing witchcraft in Salem 1692. In the first half of the novel Kent helps to set the stage for the social context that would allow for the witch trials to occur. She describes the Church’s role as a governing body to be feared and obeyed, as well as the great fear that New Englanders had about Native American raids, smallpox and witchcraft. Her painstaking attention to detail may have made some feel as though the beginning of the book dragged but it is what drew me in. Kent transported you to the time and it was hard to not feel as though you were living in the fear and fervor of17th century New England. In the second half of the novel Kent describes the witch trials. The circumstances behind arrests, what happened in the makeshift court room and what happened to the prisoners after they were tried and convicted.

Most of the books about the Salem Witch Trials that I have read basically gave a broad overview, or survey, of the trials. One thing that I really enjoyed about the Heretic’s Daughter is that it really gave an in depth view of what the Carrier family went through as they were charged and tried as witches. From the fear of knowing that they would be arrested, the ridiculous nature of their ‘trials’, the way their confessions were coerced to the conditions of the prison cells in Salem, Kent truly painted a picture of how horrific the trials were. I always appreciate a story with detailed character development and this book lived up to my expectations every step of the way.

I give it 4 *'s out of 5

WWW Wednesdays

2011-02-16T07:39:00.000-05:00

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

The Red Thread by Ann Hood (audio book, I am starting to get into this audio book thing!), The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, Virgin River by Robyn Carr, Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast,

• What did you recently finish reading?

The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy (Review)

• What do you think you’ll read next?

An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller (not quite the right time but I've had it on hold at the library for months and it finally came in!)

What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

WIP Month :: Oh YEAH!!!

2011-02-15T08:00:00.028-05:00

ITS DONE!!!! I cant even believe it. I started this quilt so long ago, in a different town, before I had my two beautiful girls and I may or may not have been married (as my last post explained I have no idea when I started it). This was the sewing project that I started when I decided to take up sewing again. Nick's aunt taught me how to make a log cabin block and I went from there. I quilted it on my mom's friend's long arm and finished it up with a mock binding.

Now this is one more big project off my WIP table, and Nick can finally have a quilt big enough to keep his feet warm in front of the fireplace! February has been a good month.

Happy LOVE day!

2011-02-14T10:09:00.002-05:00

The finished product, only the 3 in the top right corner were Ladybug's, you will see why if you read on.

We are not huge Valentine's Day celebrators over here. Nick and I have always just gotten a card, and maybe a few chocolates if the cravings were there but that's it. Once, when we first moved in together, I came home from University to 2 dozen white roses (with a spotlight on them) and a candle lit home made dinner... but that was then and our current reality is that Nick is working overtime tonight and the girls and I are having a quiet day around the house.

Absolute concentration required

Our special treat for the day is sugar cookies. I baked them yesterday and today we are decorating some for eating and some to share with daddy when he gets home from his very long day at work.

We decided to put on our aprons as soon as mama realized that Ladybug was doing more eating than decorating

(Icing Disclaimer, we don't do store bought icing around here. Personally I can't stand the taste of it and my butter cream recipe is so much better. That being said yesterday I couldn't find any icing bags at the store and I also thought it would be tricky for the girls to use an icing bag so I broke down and bought them 'cookie icing' in a squeeze bag so they could decorate their cookies without any assistance... they don't like being helped!).

Proud Chef Sweetpea

This is what happens when you are 2, have the attention span of a fly and ran out of decorations!

Are you wondering about those sweet aprons? Don't worry I'll tell you soon. Stay tuned for more information and a giveaway!

What about you? What are you Valentines Day traditions? Did you blog about them? If so feel free to leave a link in the comments section!

The Promises She Keeps

2011-02-13T23:56:00.001-05:00

The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy

Promise is a young singer hoping that the fame she so desperately seeks will immortalize her, as she has cystic fibrosis and expects to die young. Portia is a witch and art gallery curator who has searched her whole life for the goddess that will give her immortality and has no regard for the people that will be hurt in pursuit of that goal. And Chase is a man with autism who uses his incredible artistic talent to draw visions of people whom he has not even met yet. At first glance his drawings appear to be of various species of trees and have an eerie ability to foretell the future.

At first the stories of these three individuals seemed so disconnected, and in truth I had a hard time believing in, or being drawn into, their connections once they were revealed. I found the ending rather abrupt and would have preferred a little more time being spent tying up those loose ends. I read one reviewer who referred to this book as “Christian Science-Fiction” and for lack of a better term this is the genre I would place it in as well. The story line was a little supernatural for me to really get engaged. For the most part I found it to be a fairly enjoyable read, but I see myself forgetting the plot and characters quickly. There were some broader themes in the novel, such as the idea of what immortality really is (is it being remembered, living forever, or heaven) that made me think. However, there was too much emphasis on the supernatural elements, and not enough exploration of these themes for me to really have loved this book. I felt it to be a good read, but not an excellent read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

One Lovely Blog Award

2011-02-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am honoured to be chosen to receive this award. In accordance with accepting this award I would like to thank Jessie D from Reader Between the Covers. I greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

And Now, here is what to do when receiving this award:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

15 Lucky Bloggers

Reading Without Restraint

Brush Up On Your Reading

My Bookshelf

Congratulations to the 15 lucky bloggers receiving this award from me Hands and Home! Please go check them out. When passing this award along please send to 15 other bloggers not on this list.

This Moment

2011-02-11T07:30:00.002-05:00

Quiet

The White Queen by Phililppa Gregory

2011-02-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

The White Queen is the first in Gregory’s series chronicling the War of Roses (or Cousins War) in which the Lancasters and the Yorks endlessly found each other, and eventually themselves in pursuit of the throne. In the White Queen we are first introduced to the widowed Elizabeth Woodville and follow her controversial marriage to Kind Edward IV and their struggle to maintain control of England through to the eventual rise of Richard III (also of the house of York).

Gregory weaves her story through major gaps in historical knowledge and I think that she does an excellent job of marrying sometimes difficult to follow historical timelines and facts with fiction. At the centre of Gregory’s White Queen is the idea of powerful and ruthless women, family loyalties (or lack there of) and the question of whether wealth and power are enough to grant happiness.

I found the first third of the book to read a little like a history textbook as we were introduced to characters, battles, loyalties, and rivalries but once I got through this section I found that the story really took over. I quite enjoyed the way Gregory told this story but I can see how some would find the amount of historical details to be tiresome. As a history major the amount of historical details is part of what pulled me in. I don’t know if the White Queen is for everyone, but for those with a strong interest in historical fiction I think it’s a good read.

All in all I give it 3.5/5

WWW Wednesdays

2011-02-09T08:00:00.059-05:00

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

The Red Thread by Ann Hood (audio book, I think that I'm going to have to actually check out the book from the library as I am really enjoying the story but am making zero progress on the audio book front), The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, Hunted by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast, The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy (Review) ... wow I didn't realize I had that many on the go! (I guess that 1 on the bedside table, 1 e-book, 1 ongoing audio and 1 review book add up!)

• What did you recently finish reading?

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Ken (review to come next week)

• What do you think you’ll read next?

The Thorn by Beverly Lewis, Virgin River by Robyn Carr (I'm looking forward to reading something a little lighter)

What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

WIP Month :: Progress

2011-02-08T08:00:00.002-05:00

I don't have much to report as completed on the WIP challenge but I have been making progress and that is good enough for me. I suppose I did finish up those nursing covers that were sitting on my table, but as they were already 3/4 of the way complete that doesn't feel like a huge accomplishment.

I finally started working this this quilt again. It is my longest standing WIP, in fact it was one of my first blog posts. I started it so long ago I don't even really remember when I started it, according to my blog post I started it before Nick and I were married but I don't remember it being that long ago. In any event its been a few years at least. The worst part is that all that I need to do to finish it up is trim the backing and make a mock binding.

This quilt is for Nick and I made it extra long as he can never find a blanket to cover his feet when he is laying on the couch. Unfortunately (as with the table runner from last week) the colours no longer match our living room, our old living room was brown/green, our new one is black and white. But I still love this quilt so it doesn't matter (I guess I will just have to make myself a black and white one next!).

I wish that I had a big enough space to lay out quilts... and as you can see I am never working alone!

Its Monday! What are you reading?

2011-02-07T07:45:00.000-05:00

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I've had a copy of The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent on hold from the E-Branch at the library since I purchased my Kobo in December and it finally came available last week. I'm right in the middle of it and am really enjoying it!

In honour of WIP Month I am also trying to finish up a book that has been sitting on my night stand for quite some time. Its Hunted, the 5th book in the House of Night series. I'm not enjoying this series as much as I thought I would which is probably why I have been a third of the way through the 5th book since well before Christmas but I feel like I am so invested in the series that I have to finish it.

I love to hear from you, please leave a comment or a link to your own It's Monday! What are You Reading? In the comments.

This Moment

2011-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

In my Kitchen

2011-02-03T08:00:00.003-05:00

I have to start this post my saying that I am really not a cooking show kind of girl. I occasionally enjoy watching them but often find that the recipes are either too complicated for my meagre cooking skills, take too much time to prepare, or involve ingredients that I just never have on hand. That being said, I love the new cooking show Kitchen Boss featuring Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss. Maybe its because I love Italian food, or maybe it is because these recipes are not too complicated... or maybe its because my girls will actually eat the food. But whatever the reason I have have great success with cooking recipes from this show.

This is the first recipe I tried from the show and it was amazingly delicious! I cooked for my parents and was a little nervous because in our family I am typically not the cook... and my parents are both really great cooks so I have a little bit to live up to.

Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli

It was one of those dishes that was actually quite simple to make but looked and tasted like I was slaving in the kitchen forever (my kind of dish). It was just so good!

Tonight for dinner: Grilled chicken with Spinich and Mandarin Salad.

WWW Wednesdays

2011-02-02T08:00:00.011-05:00

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
The Red Thread by Ann Hood (audio book), Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin,
• What did you recently finish reading?
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory.

• What do you think you’ll read next?
The Thorn by Beverly Lewis, Virgin River by Robyn Carr

What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

WIP Month Update :: Quilted Table Runner

2011-02-01T08:33:00.001-05:00

Did you do it? Did you finish up any of your WIPs (works in progress?). I think that I'm going to officially name February as WIP Month over here at Hands and Home. I will check in every week or so with an update on the state of that horrendous work in progress table that I showed you last week. At the end of the month I'll do a big round up post to see just how well I did.

Here is my first finished WIP: The quilted table runner that I planned to start years ago is finally finished and will be making its way to its new home shortly.

This was a super simple pieced table runner, which I machine quilted and hand bound. I had so much fun making this that I think I will make a few more. Usually I do straight line quilting for table runners but I decided to stipple this one. Now, I do not profess to be an expert stippler, in fact this is the first time that I have really stippled anything and I know that I have some issues with tension to work out. I tried to make it as fluid as possible with as few sharp edges as possible. It is by no means perfect, but you know what I discovered? I love to practice!

A note about binding. I think a big reason whyI have so many unfinished projects around here is that I absolutely dread sewing bindings on. I know that a quick fix would be to machine stitch them, but personally I much prefer the look of a hand sewn binding (its those invisible stitches!). Its funny because as I sit down to do the hand sewing I always find myself enjoying this slower, calmer rhythm that is missing so often in our every day family life. Its just a little bit of "all-me" time, and so very relaxing and reinforcing of the fact that I must look for a little more of this calm in our days.

I love to hear from you so please leave a comment. And if you have been working on your WIPs please leave a link to your WIP blog post in the comments section!

Off the Shelf Book Challenge 2011

2011-01-31T08:00:00.007-05:00

I decided to join just one more book challenge for 2011. Its the Off the Shelf challenge hosted by Bookish Ardour. I hoard books even more than a hoard fabric (hard to believe I know). I cannot walk into a book store without coming out with something and I have been buying faster than I can read them... so 2011 will be the year! I didn't want to take on too much so I'm entering at the "Trying" level meaning I will be attempting to read 15 books off my bookshelf that were purchased prior to the start of the year. Considering I'm already working on 30 library books and 20 e-books I think that's enough for now (lets not also forget I have a 2 and a 3 year old as well as 2 business that I run from home). So 65 books for 2011... we will see how that goes!

As usual I will add the link to this post in the side bar and will track my progress here.

1. The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding by La Leche League Canada

2. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
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10.

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this moment

2011-01-28T08:00:00.011-05:00

WWW Wednesdays

2011-01-26T08:00:00.008-05:00

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, The White Queen by Philppa Gregory, The Red Thread by Ann Hood (audio book - really not making much progress. I'm enjoying the story but can't get into the audio book format. I might just have to pick up a paper copy of the library)

• What did you recently finish reading?
The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares, Plan B by Charnan Simon (it was really bad), The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

• What do you think you’ll read next?
The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick,

What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

Work in Progress Week(s)

2011-01-25T08:36:00.000-05:00

Over the last few years I have accumulated a lot of unfinished projects. Some are half done and some are just piles of fabric waiting for me to start in on them. These works-in-progress have literally started to take over my sewing room. There is no more room on my cutting table, or in my drawers for anything else, so I am giving myself a challenge. Over the next few weeks I will tackle these works in progress and make some room!

I am about to show you some pictures, and I warn you it is kind of scary. Actually I'm a little embarrassed to share it in this space, it feels a little like revealing a part of my life that only my husband and children should see. But sometimes public humiliation can be humbling and encouraging... so here it goes.

This is currently my work in progress table... I know.. its pretty bad. See all that Warm n' Natural quilt batting under it? That is the stuff I got for 66% off during that boxing week sale.

First up is this table runner. I purchased the fabric ages ago... so long ago in fact that it used to match my home decor... now it really, really does not so when its finished it is going to my mom who upon seeing the fabric alluded to the fact that I should be making it for her!

And next after that is this pile of nursing covers for beebee buttercup. They were cut and 3/4 of the way sewn back in December... and then we got the stomach flu over and over again, so they sat... and sat.

Care to join in on my work in progress challenge? Leave a comment here with what you will be working on, or post a link to your own blog post about your works in progress... maybe we could encourage each other!

Sunday Sauce

2011-01-24T08:00:00.004-05:00

Our favourite dinner, spaghetti and garlic bread!

Sunday supper has always been an integral part of our family life. It started when my parents would go to my grandparents house every Sunday for their main meal of the week, then when my brother and I came along Sunday "suppers" became the day to visit in the afternoon, have a wonderfully big meal, and then more often than not finish it up with my grandma's famous apple pie.

My dad's spaghetti sauce has always felt like Sunday to me because he would take the whole day to prepare it, simmering in on the stove all afternoon, slowly adding ingredients here and there to get the perfect flavour combinations. There is something about Sunday Sauce that just feels warm and cozy.

Sweetpea working on her dinner!

Usually when I make my own Sunday Sauce I make a quadruple batch and freeze a bunch for easy weeknight meals. Spaghetti is such a go-to meal for our family, partly because it is Nick's favourite, and partly because the girls will actually eat it (they are going through a wonderfully tricky eating stage right now).

What Sunday dinner is complete without pie (at least around here)?

What about you, what is your go-to, or favourite 'Sunday' meal? How do you store your sauce? Do you freeze it or can it... and if you can it do you really need a pressure canner for meat sauces?

this moment

2011-01-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

Bread Bags (and warm bread to go in them)

2011-01-20T07:49:00.000-05:00

This week seems to be about food... and I'm ok with that, especially when I can find a way to sew for my food. We love homemade bread around here (note, I said homemade, not handmade. I use a bread maker and I'm not ashamed. I am convinced that I don't have the skill for making bread by hand - although I would love it if I did) but I always struggle with how to store it. Usually we use a super large zip lock bag and it works well enough but by the end of the second day (provided that there is any bread left) the bread starts to get a little soggy and sticky - especially in the summer with the humidity.

I remembered reading this post about using vintage linen tea towels as bread bags, and just happened to have a scrap of linen the perfect size. I whipped up this bag in just a few minutes while the bread maker was doing its magic and voila here is fresh bread and a new bag to keep it that way.

Swoon...

What about you, do you make homemade bread? What about handmade bread? And how to YOU store your bread ? Please leave a comment - I love to hear from you.

Queensland Flood Appeal Auctions

2011-01-19T08:38:00.003-05:00

I am sure by now you have heard of the devastating flood and the many, many Queensland Flood Appeal auctions and donation sites. It is so easy to donate, and quite touching to see how the handmade/crafting community is trying to help in their own way.

I wanted to draw your attention to this auction at the Mother Huddle starting today, as well as this master list of auctions and raffles.

Please donate if you can, and if you cannot please help to spread the word on your facebook, blog or twitter.

WWW Wednesday's

2011-01-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares, The Red Thread by Ann Hood (audio book)

• What did you recently finish reading?The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International, Harvesting the Heart by Jody Picoult

• What do you think you’ll read next?The White Queen by Philppa Gregory, The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick,

What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

2011-01-18T09:30:00.001-05:00

I recently finished the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (the revised and updated 8th edition) by La Leche League International for the second time and enjoyed it as much as the first time I read it. The first time I picked up this book I was pregnant with my first child and reading it as an expectant mom who had no previous knowledge of, or experience with, breastfeeding - I found it immensely helpful. Not only for the 'technical' aspects of breastfeeding, but also for things like what I can expect in terms of how often and how long my baby will eat for, emotionally how will breastfeeding make me feel, and what to do about nursing in public.

This time around I read it more critically as a Childbirth Educator for a book club that I am a part of. What struck me during this reading was the balance between the mechanics of breastfeeding (which it does an excellent job of explaining) and the emotional benefits to breastfeeding for both mother and child. I also found re-reading the sections on nursing older children, and weaning to be particularly interesting. I think that the first time I read the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding I was focusing so much on my newborn that nursing an older baby didn't really resonate with me.

Another thing that I love about this book is that it includes an appendix called the "Tear-Sheet Toolkit" (this information is also so helpful and essential that LLLI provides a pdf copy free on their website - I linked to it but I highly suggest picking up and reading the book in its entirety, not just the toolkit). In the toolkit you will find information about hand expressing milk and milk storage guidelines, hunger cues, and problem solving to name a few.

I highly recommend this book to any expecting or nursing parent, or anyone who will be coming in direct contact with new moms (health care providers, doulas, childbirth educators, grandparents, etc.).

Some Sweets to Share

2011-01-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

I didn't participate in a Christmas Cookie exchange this year, and I feel like I need to share some treats so I would like to share with you my absolute favourite cookie recipes!

Ginger Snaps

This has become my number one favourite cookie to eat and give (partly because this is the cookie most often requested).

¾ cup butter 4 cups flour
¾ cup shortening 2 tspn. Baking soda
2 cups white sugar 2 tspn. Cinnamon
2 eggs 2 tspn. Ginger
½ cup molasses 2 tspn. Cloves

Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and molasses, then slowly add in flower and spices. Mix well. Cool in refrigerator about 1 hours. Roll into balls and dip in sugar. Do not press with a fork. Bake a t 350 for 10 min.

Oatmeal

I love a soft, chewy oatmeal cookie and this one fits the bill. Sometimes I try to convince myself that it counts as a breakfast food because of the oats... I'll keep trying!

¾ cup butter softened 1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tbspn. Water
2 tspn. vanilla

2/3 cup all purpose flour
3 cups Oatmeal
¾ tspn. Baking soda
1 tspn. Cinnamon
1 ½ cups raisins or chocolate chips (optional)

Beat the first 6 ingredients with mixer until creamy. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Drop dough by tablespoon onto greased baking sheets. Press flat for crispy cookies or leave mounded for chewy.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden (check after 8 minutes).

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

I am sure that there are better, more complicated cookie recipes but this one meets all my requirements: super peanut buttery, soft and chewy.

In a large bowl, beat together until smooth: 1 (300 ml) can Sweetened Condensed Milk, 3/4 cup Peanut Butter. Add 2 cups Tea Bisk and 1 tspn vanilla. Mix well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place 2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten with fork. Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

What is your favourite cookie recipe? Feel free to leave it in the comments, or leave a link to a post about your favourite recipe from your blog. I love to read your comments so please leave one!

Support Your Local Library Book Challenge

2011-01-14T07:56:00.010-05:00

So I decided to join another book challenge for 2011, it is the Support Your Local Library Book Challenge hosted by Book Junkies Bookshelf. I signed up for --The Mini – Check out and read 30 library books. -- I figured that in addition to the 20 e-book challenge that I already signed up for this will be more than enough to work towards this year!

I added a link to my 2011 Read, and Currently-Reading Goodreads bookshelves on the right side and if you are so inclined you can check them out. Just as with the E-Reading challenge I will be updating my books read on this post, rather than creating new posts every time I finish a book.

1. My Name is Memory - Ann Brashares
2. The White Queen - Philippa Gregory
3. Virgin River - Robyn Carr
4. The Last Time I Saw You - Elizabeth Berg
5. Her Mother's Hope - Francine Rivers
6. A Gift of Grace - Amy Clipston
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Tie On Kitchen Towels

2011-01-13T06:40:00.000-05:00

Around here we are big fans of the hanging kitchen towel. Maybe that is because our girls are big fans of stealing the kitchen towels (not to mention the dish cloths but I think that we have covered that subject already). Sadly, I have but one hanging kitchen towel, it is a crocheted one that Nick's aunt made a few years ago and well - it looks like it has been in rotation for a few years.

See the sad looking, well used, old green towel? Vast improvement I'd say!

When I did the overhaul on the washcloth drawer, I started to think that I should probably do the same with the towel drawer and that is when I stumbled upon this tutorial by Trey and Lucy. So simple but so fabulous! Why didn't I think of that sooner? I made one up a few in no time while the girls pulled 'played' in thier rooms and am in the process of making a full collection for the kitchen, but its going to have to wait for the weekend as this is what happens when I try to work during the day!

I love to read your comments! Do you have any favourite simple tutorials you would like to share?

WWW Wednesdays

2011-01-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

WWW Wednesdays is hosted at Should Be Reading.
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International, The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and Harvesting the Heart by Jody Picoult

• What did you recently finish reading?

Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill, My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

• What do you think you’ll read next?

The White Queen by Philppa Gregory, The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick, The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares

It seems as though all my my E-Library holds came in at once

What about you? What is on your bookshelf right now? Please leave a comment or a link to your own WWW Wednesday, I would love to hear from you!

Fabric Wish List

2011-01-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm sure you have one, and the newest collection on mine is Greenfield Hill by Denyse Schmidt - in all colourways. I don't know of any local shops that have it, but I am scoping out a few different etsy shops (unfortunatley all in the US so shipping is a bit high) and am trying to decide on fat quarters of the entire collection, 1/2 yards or full yards.

I have a few projects in mind that would be beautiful with this fabric. What would you do with it? And hey, if you have a shop in Canada and have this collection leave me a comment with a link please!

Kids Art :: Making Books

2011-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

You might be wondering why the sudden shift to all this book related content? This was primarily a creative blog - so whats with all the literature right? Well for me reading goes hand in hand with creativity. My earliest creative pursuits were making my own books, even before I could write. My favourite school project ever was in grade 1 or 2 when we spent the whole year writing books. The classroom moms made book covers for us out of recycled cereal boxes covered with wallpaper samples and then "bound" them by sewing them together. I was in heaven.

Over the weekend I thought that the girls might like to try their hands at making a few books. When they are older I will have them write the stories themselves (even if I have to do the actual writing part at first) but for now I found this great website with all sorts printable children books. These print outs make a fabulous last minute art project as there really isn't much prep at all.

When we have a little more time I would like to make the girls some books a la this post from Soulemama (these books are also a little more reminiscent of the books I made as a child).

What are your favourite kids art projects? Do you and your kids make books? If so how? Please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!

Giveaway at :: Always With a Book

2011-01-10T07:59:00.000-05:00

You still have a chance to win a copy of A Royal Likeness by Christine Trent over at Always With a Book. Click here to go directly to the contest entry page. You have until 6pm January 15 to enter and will have 4 chances to win!

Machine Quilting for Ladybug

2011-01-07T07:52:00.000-05:00

I started machine quilting Ladybug's quilt this week. This is the first time that I have quilted anything this size on my home machine (my previous lap quilt was quilted on a family friend's long arm, and I don't know that rag quilts really count as quilting - at least not in this sense) and this is the first time that I have quilted anything on my new machine so there is a bit of a learning curve. So far I have managed to have only a few puckers and just a little bit of bunching so we will see how things look after I am finished. I am hoping that when I wash and dry this quilt the crinkle effect will hide any, shall we say imperfections. (I am wondering if this crinkles/bunching were because I didn't have things laid out quite right when I was basting??)

I am doing simple straight line quilting using my walking foot for the majority of the quilt and I am stippling in the large side boarders. So far I think its coming along nicely. I haven't had as much time to work on it the last few days but I am hoping to have the quilting part finished early next week and then I can bind it (my least favourite part of making anything quilted) and put it into use.

Do you have any machine quilting tips or tricks for avoiding bunching? Any suggestions? Please leave a comment because I would love to hear from you and your tips would be much appreciated!

2011 E-book Reading Challenge

2011-01-05T07:24:00.020-05:00

I came across this e-reading challenge at the perfect time. 1) Its only January 5 so I'm really not starting late at all, and 2) I had hoped to read more in 2011. Reading has always been an escape, an outlet and a way for me to recharge and I didn't do as much of that as I should have/would have liked in 2010.

I am going to enter in at the Obsessed level which means that I need to read 20 e-books in 2011. I am going to track my books through this blog post (rather than creating new posts for every book) so I will be updating and editing this post throughout the year.

1. Wicked Girls - Stephanie Hemphill
2. Harvesting the Heart - Jody Picoult
3. The Last Summer (of you and me) - Ann Brashares
4. Plan B - Charnan Simon (really bad)
5. Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortensen
6. The Heretic's Daughter - Kathleen Kent
7. The Postmistress - Sarah Blake
8. Seek Me With All Your Heart - Beth Wiseman
9. An Amish Christmas - Cynthia Keller
10. If I Stay - Gayle Forman
11. Sarah's Garden - Kelly Long
12. Lilly's Wedding Quilt - Kelly Long
13. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
14. The Storyteller - Sharon Tillotson
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

What about you? Do you love to read? What are you reading right now? Please post a comment, I would love to hear from you.

Boxing Week Sale Clean Up

2011-01-04T07:24:00.001-05:00

Last week my mom treated me to my annual New-Year's-Eve-Morning-Without-Babies. This started when Sweetpea had just turned 1, I was almost 6 months pregnant with Ladybug and exhausted and it just kind of stuck. I had a few errands, and a little shopping to day and on a whim I decided to pop into the fabric store on my way home (which is in the next town over so its kind of a big deal for me to actually be able to go). All I can say is that everything was 50% off, except for the Warm n' Natural quilt batting which was 66% off! Can you even believe it? I am still shocked.

Here is a little peak at what I came home with. Soon these will be receiving blankets, Multi-Bags, and I am using the batting for a quilt that I will tell you about soon.

Flannels for receiving blankets and a quilt or two

More sweet flannels

Cotton prints for multi-bags, tea totes and a few other projects

Did you pick up any great fabrics over the holidays or start any new projects? Please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!

Mail Bag

2011-01-03T08:27:00.007-05:00

I was asked by a dear family friend to make a mail bag for her father-in-law. He is in a nursing home and she wanted a bag for his door to serve the function of collecting mail, but also to triple as a bit of decoration and also a name plate.

I used the tutorial in One Yard Wonders. I made a slight modification in size because I didn't have quite enough fabric to use the authors measurements (I think the shape was cut 10.5 x 13" and I can't remember what I did for the hang loops). The fabric is a woven Nova Scotia tartan (Carl's favourite colour is blue) and it is lined with a pale yellow cotton. I used a simple block letter embroidery for the name, again on yellow cotton, and love how it turned out. I added a little Velcro to the middle of the bag to hold it closed when it is empty, because when it hung open it was a little difficult to read the name.

I'm really happy with how this turned out and will be making a few more projects from this book soon - so I promise to share when they are finished.

What do you think? Have you made anything from this book? Please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!

Hello 2011

2010-12-31T06:57:00.001-05:00

On this, the last day of 2010 I find myself reflecting less on 2010, than looking forward to all that 2011 will bring. Some years I find myself making lists of the preivous year's accomplishments, other years I make a list of goals for the year to come. This year I simply have a few hopes.

:: I hope for health and strength, there are some difficult things that my family is dealing with currently, and will be going through early in 2011 and I hope that somehow we will find the strength to handle whatever comes our way.

:: I hope to spend more time with the people in my life that truly matter. Family and friends who have always, and will always, be a special and important part of my life. These past 3 years we have existed in a bit of a vaccume and I hope to break the seal this year!

:: I hope for creative outlets, both for my children, husband and myself. Sweetpea's current passions are drawing, sewing and cooking, Ladybug is still coming into her own but seems to like water paints. For me, I wish for a little more free sewing time. In 2010 I was so concentrated on my business that I didn't have much of an opportunity to do much personal sewing. This year with better planning I'm sure that I will get that time!

:: I hope to go back to school, but more on that later. (I have a B.A. in Sociology, but ask any sociology major where just a degree gets you...)

:: I hope to laugh. For me there is nothing better than to laugh, and I hope to do a little more of that is 2011.

And I hope that you have a blissful 2011! Wishing you a happy new year.

Christmas Slow Down

2010-12-27T22:24:00.005-05:00

Ah.... it has been a lovely 4 days at home with my family. My husband and I don't usually have a lot of down time together as my work day begins when the girls go to sleep. This is when I teach, sew, or catch up on emails and all that fun administrative stuff that comes from being your own boss. Christmas Eve and Christmas day were blissfully spent with family that we don't often get to see, and those that we see all the time. The only hitch was that my mom came down with what I affectionately dub the plague that we all had a few weeks ago and is catching upon Christmas via photos.

As I mentioned earlier we are very much a baby doll family and the girls have spent the last 3 days rocking their babies to sleep in their new cradles. Ladybug is starting to sing and can often be heard singing at the top of her little lungs"Rock-a-my-baby.. on tree top, my cradle will... ROCK". My heart aches a little.

To be honest I was a little concerned about how the craziness of Christmas morning, a house full of people and lots of new gifts would affect the girls (as in I was afraid of the screaming and tantrums that might result from a 20 month old and 3 year old not quite grasping fully the concept of sharing their new toys) but I was so pleased to find that they naturally shared brilliantly and Sweetpea relished the opportunity to teach her baby sister how to play with her new toys, rock her baby, and stack her new blocks. With the exception of my mom being sick (and she is by the way on the mend) I really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful long weekend with my famliy.

I will be in and out this week enjoying a little more family time, and a little less work time and I hope you can do the same.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season!!!

A Little Christmas Making

2010-12-22T18:38:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure when or how it happened but somewhere along the line we became a "baby-doll" family. I mean a hard core, baby-doll family. Since day one I have tried to give the girls well rounded play opportunities: we have lots of books and puzzles, a play kitchen (that has been played with every day since they recieved it) and play tools, arts and craft supplies etc. and baby dolls. One day Sweetpea decided that her baby doll needed to be fed, changed, walked, rocked, sshhhhed and put down for naps (right about the same time that she noticed that I did these things for Ladybug each day) and she has passed this love for the baby doll on to her sister.

The girls have decided that our kitchen wash cloths really make the best blankets for thier babies. They are the right size for napping on the couch, riding in thier strollers, changing their bums (yes, they regularly change thier babies diapers) and cleaning up spit-up. I have noticed that our supply of wash cloths needs a little... attention. ahem (2 babies x 3 years of use = yuck!). So this year for Christmas the girls are getting a fully stocked drawer of new flannel washcloths for thier babies. I will simply switch over the wash cloth drawer and replace the old with the new, I have been aroud these girls long enough to know that if I were to actually gift these as 'baby blankets' they would never be used. I think part of thier fun is emptying the drawer.

Here is the update on Ladybugs quilt. I am piecing the top together tonight and wishing that I had a design wall or a large enough space to be able to lay things out on. I am aware that this photo is garbage but there is no lighting in my bedroom and no where else to lay out the blocks. Oh well.. my dream sewing room will have a design wall! I doubt if it will be ready for Christmas morning because baby girl is cutting teeth and I'm not getting much work time - but she won't noice if its a day or two late, I'm sure of it!

Sweetpea's Birthday : Handmade Edition

2010-12-20T09:15:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately there was not a lot of making for Sweetpea's birthday this year. I wanted to do more, however I was slammed with last minute Christmas orders for beebee buttercup and it became unrealistic to fit anymore into my already packed days (and our 3 weeks straight of sharing the stomach flu didn't help either!).

She did receive of course the pink princess birthday cake that she requested. I attempted to make somewhat of a copy of her birthday crown oh her cake, and she was quite proud of both of them.

I also made her a monogrammed library bag. I got the idea from this tutorial however I made a few modifications to suit our needs (namely making it square instead of round. I know that aesthetically it is more pleasing as a round bag but I figured that we would have some trouble with the large board books that the girls are so fond of checking out).

We are always misplacing our library books around here, so I wanted her to have a place that she could keep them between library visits. She is also very interested in checking out her own books at the library and now she can be just a little more independent in this by carrying her own books. She was quite excited. (The little pocket at the front can carry her card once she gets old enough to have her own). I made the straps a little long for her because I know that more often than not I will be carrying her bag to and from the library, but she really loves the idea of having her own bag.

I hope to share progress on Ladybug's Christmas quilt this week.

Kobo E-reader: My new best friend

2010-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have wanted an E-reading device since I first was introduced to the Kindle in December of 2009 while watching the Ellen show. Yes I was watching daytime tv, I am pretty sure that I was breastfeeding Ladybug and reading Sweetpea stories at the same time. I researched for the better part of this year and finally decided on the Canadian Kobo E-reader because it was important to me to be able to use my E-reader for library books (a function that the Kindle does not currently allow). I am an avid reader but cannot always get to the library, nor do I have the room in my house (or purse) for any more books so really the Kobo was a great solution.

Here are the facts:

The Kobo uses e-ink technology which basically means that you can read without glare, or the eye strain that is caused by reading from a back-lit computer screen. You can also choose from 5 different font sizes and 2 font styles.

The Kobo comes pre-loaded with 100 free, classic, out of copyright books. This for me was great as I love the classics, and was excited to have Jane Eyre, Little Women, and so many others at my fingertips. It can hold about 1000 e-books on it, but you can also expand the memory up to 10 000 books using a 32GB SD card (love that!)

The newest Kobo features USB and Wifi connectivity (however in my opinion it takes too long to search for books using the Kobo due to the fact that you can only navigate the on screen qwerty key pad using the 4 way directional button. I would rather wait and purchase my books from my computer).

The Kobo supports DRM Epub, PDF, and Adobe DRM files (which is why it is compatible with library books).

Battery life is 10 days or 10 000 page turns (according to the Kobo website)

No shipping/customs fees!!! (If you are in Canada)

The great:

Have I mentioned that I can take out library books??? I love that my Kobo does not limit me to either reading only free, out of copyright books, or purchased books.

Light weight and easy to travel with. I can toss my Kobo in my purse and have all of my books with me so I can read whatever I am in the mood for as opposed to what I brought with me. The convenience of the light weight design also means that I can comfortably read with a baby sleeping in my arms or hands free when I am eating or drinking a tea (without having to creatively prop open the pages of a book).

I love the e-ink technology, I can read for hours (after the girls are in bed for the night of course!) without eye strain, and if my eyes do get tired I can simply enlarge the font size. I can also read in sunlight (outside or in my favourite seat by the window) without a glare.

The not so great:

The Kobo website could use some improvement. I have often been frustrated with slowly loading pages, glitchy sales transactions etc. but all in all it does work - eventually.

I don't know if I really believe the stats on the battery life. In the first 2 weeks I had to charge my Kobo twice, but was around 800 page turns, not 10 000. Perhaps this was because I often left the device in sleep mode (however battery power is only supposed to be required when actually turning pages, or navigating through menus - I also have the wifi turned off). All in all the battery life is good, but I have to keep my eye on it.

My vote:

I love it! Really, I am so happy with my Kobo, the product is great, the customer service has been great and I am pleased with the selection of ebooks. I am confidant that the small glitches with battery life and the website will be resolved soon enough via. upgrades and new firmware downloads and certainly are not enough to make me even consider returning this product!

** please note that this is a non-solicited product review based on my experiences with a Kobo E-reader that I myself purchased in full. This review is based on only my own personal experiences*

How My Mom Shaped Me

2010-12-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today we are celebrating a very special day in our home. It is my birthday, but more importantly it is the day that I gave birth to our first daughter Sweetpea. Her birth was chaotic and challenging and a story left for another day but it was an amazing experience to share her birth with my husband and my mom when 24 years earlier my mom was experiencing the exact same thing.

Now Sweetpea is 3 years old and I find myself reflecting on the things that my mom did to shape me into the woman that I am, and hoping that I can do the same for my own daughter.

First and foremost my mom taught me to be kind. Not just say 'please and thank you' but really, truly be kind in actions, words and thoughts. I work on this daily to balance being kind and not being a push over and in the face of frustrations often have to remind myself as often as I remind Sweetpea to be kind.

My mom also taught me to work hard. I saw her from an early age going to night school and doing distance education programs to upgrade her education in the face of changing technologies. Never once did she complain about her workload or how after a full day of work, house keeping and parenting she then 'retired' to the kitchen table to work some more. She always told me that education is facinating, enriching and will take you further than anything else, it will open doors that you didn't even know existed. When I was graduating from highschool and applying to universities I was so worried because I didn't know "what I wanted to do when I grew up" and was afraid of "waising my time" with a program that wouldn't take me there. She always looked at me and said "Bonnie, an education is never a waste." She always encouraged me to follow my heart and my passion and this made me a much more well rounded and confidant person. She went from being a stay at home mom, to teaching at the local college to finding her dream job - and she fought tooth and nail every step of the way. She really has inspired me to do the same.

Most importantly my mom taught me unconditional love. She always kept it real. If I was being a pain in the butt, bossy or 'saucy' she let me know, and then gave me an example of how I could express myself in a more constructive way. She always had a fresh perspective on my problems and could help me work through them in a way that I was finding the answers for myself. And if there were no answers, she let me know that, that was ok - and then she held me while I cried.

There is so much that my mom did for me, and still does and if I can pass on a fraction of her wisdom and heart to my daughters I know they will be strong, capable and lovely women.

52 Books :: 52 Weeks back from Hiatus

2010-12-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

I have been conflicted about keeping this blog going the past few months, do I have enough time, do I have anything worth saying etc. but in truth I have missed this blog. Whether I post daily, weekly, or once a month I miss the way this blog serves to keep track of my creative pursuits, the milestones in our family life and the things that are on my mind. With that being said I think that I am ready to give it another go so to speak. I cannot guarantee that I will be posting daily (I can almost assure you that will not be the case), but I will do my best.

On to some blog housework... The initial 52 books in 52 weeks challenge of 2009 wasn't a complete success, but wasn't a complete failure either. I made it to 32 tracked books, but I think there were a few in there that I didn't quite make it to blogging about.

The 52 books in 52 weeks challenge of 2010 however was an epic failure. Did I even track a book? I don't really think that I did. I certainly read in 2010, a lot, but did I keep track of it? No. So what has brought on this renewed interest in the 52 books 52 weeks challenge? I stumbled upon this library where Art Garfunkel has kept track of every book that he has read since 1968. Seriously? That is amazing! It got me thinking, will I remember in 5 years or 10 years what I was reading when I turned 27? Probably not. Literature is such an important part of my life and who I am, The circumstances of my life at any given time are most certainly reflected in the books that I read and how fabulous would it be to be able to look back on my life via. my books? This blog will not be a space where I will do the tracking however I do plan to share those books and authors who I feel a deep connection with.

For 2011 I am going to set myself a different kind of challenge. I want to push myself to leave my reading comfort zone and am going to join the National Book Club on the Everything Mom site. I recently found out about this book club via Devan at Accustomed Chaos and I'm really excited!

Mama, can I help you?

2010-06-22T15:50:00.005-04:00

Some days when I am in a hurry, stressed out or simply don't have time the words "mama can I help you" can send chills down my spine. This afternoon I was trying to get a little bit of work done for an upcoming show and Sweet Pea decided that she needed to help me. So she came upstairs with me and I thought, ugh, as long as she plays in her room I can still work. A few minutes passed and she wanted to sit on my lap and sew with me. The mama in me melted and wanted nothing but to scoop this precious little bean up and hug her until tomorrow... however I know that I have a deadline and no product equals no sales.

We made a compromise I grabbed a scrap bin and set it up at the foot of my chair (ahem.... remember I do not have a large sewing space so I'm giving up a lot to loose my foot space!) and she decided to use a manual air pump for an exercise ball as her sewing machine. As I was sewing along I realized that we were working together as she happily chirped along about her work, her "fa-bic" and her "hot sewing machine".

This is the reason that I am working so hard to make beebee buttercup and Bumps to Babies successful. This is the point of being a WAHM. She is one of the reasons that I happily sacrifice sleep, free time and reading for pleasure, for working, website maintenance, and administrative duties! These are the kinds of days that I hope she remembers when she grows up.

Find of a lifetime: The Perfect Picnic Basket

2010-06-10T14:47:00.009-04:00

I have been on a quest since I was about 6 years old for the perfect picnic basket. It all started with a green, red and yellow plastic basket with decals on the side. I was so in love with this thing. I used to pack a snack and juice box and take the long, downhill walk to sit under the apple trees in my parents back yard. The trip never lasted long because a) my basket didn't hold much and b) I never thought to bring a blanket and didn't like sitting on the ground with squished apples (in my defence I was only 6!).

Now a little older, and hopefully a little wiser, every time I pass a store in the summer I can't help but look to see if they have picnic baskets. I am fully aware that picnic baskets are not hiding out there, and certainly there have been a lot of great contenders but nothing that really fit the bill and met my expectations. Until today.

Lady Bug and I were walking through downtown Fergus after dropping Sweet Pea off at pre-school and there it was sitting in a window all by itself. My perfect, extra-roomy, insulated, canvas picnic basket! Did you notice the matching cloth napkins? Fabulous! I would have loved to put it to use today but as we were walking into the store it started raining... so another day - soon!

Words cannot even express how excited I am about this here little treasure. The 6 year old in me cannot wait to take my girls out (with a blanket to sit on) and enjoy some meals under an apple tree (or pear tree, maple tree or open field).

Setting a Goal

2010-05-19T13:34:00.006-04:00

Ok, I know I'm lax at the daily blogging thing. I have offered a few excuses but really - there just aren't enough hours in the day. I am so thankful that I have been busy with both of my businesses lately but it hasn't left time for much else. What is the familiar WAHM saying? Something like "I worked a lot less when I worked out of the home." But I'm not complaining, I love it even if it does mean that most nights I eat peanut butter for dinner after the girls have gone to bed and my wonderful husband does the dishes the cleans the house while I'm sewing, studying, answering emails or putting together class materials.

So in the interest of keeping this blog alive, and of making sure that I still find time each week to be creative and create for myself and my family I have set myself a challenge. When Sweet Pea was about 7 months old I purchased this kit to make her a beautiful crib quilt. Shortly after I purchased it, morning sickness hit and my focus shifted to getting our house ready for our little Ladybug, and unfortunately Sweet Pea's fabric sat untouched. Now at almost 2 1/2 I am making plans for a toddler sized quilt for Sweet Pea's "big girl bed" and am thinking that Ladybug would love the bright colours of this fabric in her own little crib.

My challenge to myself? No matter how busy I am I will devote a little bit of time each week to finishing this quilt. Its a super easy Yellow Brick Road pattern so hopefully it will not take too long. This weeks task? Cutting.

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Happy mamas day!

2010-05-09T20:29:00.005-04:00

Here is to wishing all of you wonderful mamas out there a beautiful day. I hope you can take a second and appreciate all you have and be appreciated for all you do.

I had a lovely day that started with Ladybug's Church dedication and ended with a little bit of this:

This was the start of the girls very first handmade mamas day gift. I love how Sweet Pea's hand and Ladybug's foot are the same size!

Delicious day

2010-05-07T07:57:00.000-04:00

I'm a little last posting about the pure edible heaven resulted from this chaotic baking session last Friday and I have no excuse... well not a good one. My camera and I just have not been in the same place at the same time these last few weeks and the thought of publishing a post sans photos irks me... but I just cannot seem to find the time to take, edit and post said photos. So here are some lackluster photos... we were more interested in eating than photographing!

Sweet Pea and Ladybug had a friend over for a play date on Friday, which meant that mommy got to have a play date with her favourite cloth diapering, photo taking, sweet-tooth-having friend. In honour of this occasion (which doesn't happen as often as I would like since they live out of town and we have to rely on them to come to us on account of Sweet Pea's incredible car sickness) we decided to make two desserts. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake in the slow cooker from the year of slow cooking blog and Vanilla Bean Scones from the Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. I have to say, that entire blog is dangerous... dangerous. Firstly she loves butter, secondly she loves vanilla beans. I am in heaven!

Peanut Butter Cup Cake in the slow cooker. It tasted better than it looked but not much more!

The Peanut Butter Cup Cake left me wanting... but not more. I couldn't decide if it wanted to be a cake, or a cookie - the texture bothered me. It was ok, but I probably wouldn't make it again. The Vanilla Bean Scones on the other hand? PURE HEAVEN! There are not words to express just how good these were. YUMMM!!! I will definitely be making these again, and often.

Vanilla bean scones... YUM!

Guest Blog Post

2010-04-29T12:14:00.002-04:00

I will be travelling through the virtual blogsphere tomorrow to do a guest post at Accustomed Chaos about our journey into cloth diapering. Accustomed Chaos is a great blog find - you can follow Devan a SAHM as she navigates the chaos that comes with raising 3 little ones in a gluten free household.

Bloomin Earth

2010-04-26T09:27:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being a vendor at Bloomin Earth, a seriously fabulous annual event in Kitchener Ontario. Bloomin Earth is a handmade marketplace and eco-fair, there was everything from fibre artists to organic clothing and skin care.

Here is my table:

Here are my snuggle quilts (with Lynn from Patchwork Butterfly in the background)

And my good friend Lynn from Patchwork Butterfly (check out her blog for new dress listings that are available to go home now).

I didn't get a chance to take photos but I also wanted to share the shops of some other great artists. The event's creator, Megan of U ROCK, Jasmin of Ribbonheadz, and .... Stephanie of lealou..

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported KW's growing indie handmade scene!

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Mama and Baby Photo Shoot

2010-04-26T05:22:00.003-04:00

My great friend Stephanie over at SC Photography is holding her first ever giveaway on her blog for a free mama-and-baby photo shoot. Fabulous! If you are in the Kitchener area you really should head over, she is wonderful and so great at shooting with children (maybe it is because she herself is mama of 2 adorable little girls, with a 3rd on the way).

You may remember me talking about Stephanie back in November she did some wonderful family photos for us just before Christmas and we couldn't have been happier.

So go on over to her blog, check out the contest and maybe win yourself some great pictures!

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And the winner is....

2010-04-25T21:41:00.002-04:00

KELLY!!!!

Kelly, random.org said you are the one! I'll be in touch to get you your prize. Congratulations!!!

Apron Love

2010-04-23T13:31:00.001-04:00

It has come to my attention that I have never shared any apron love on this here little blog... which is strange considering I am completely smitten with the apron. I love everything about them, their look, thier function... and I just LOVE to wear them. Until recently I have never made one... again... strange.

Last night I was up sewing for Bloomin Earth (it is this Saturday by the way and if you live in the Kitchener area you should definitely check it out) and around 10pm I realized that I really needed (ahem... wanted) some sort of a "vendor's apron" to hold my business cards, change, pens etc. So off I went and the best thing was that I had the perfect amounts of fabric in my stash. My apron is based on this tutorial here by Kitschy Coo. I have seen vendor aprons before that have a bunch of cute looking pockets at the front, but was drawn to the clean look of this one. As Amanda says herself there is nothing worse than pens and cards falling out of those all too cute tiny pockets. This was a super easy sew but I did make a few modifications.

First, I made the actual apron part a little wider, I like to keep an order/reciept book with me and wanted to have room. So instead of making it 18" wide, I cut is 22" wide (I kept the length the same). I also decided against putting in a zipper pocket for change. I like to keep my money on me but don't like to to be zippered into the actual apron, so I will be using a separate zipper pouch for change and bills that will fit nicely in the apron but not be a part of it. Its nearly impossible to see in the picture but the apron part is basically 2 large pockets - which is perfect (nothing worse than a bunch of small pockets that nothing - including your hand - can fit into!).

I used a heavyweight brown linnen/cotton canvas for the backing fabric, my favourite carnival bloom for the front and a super fun coordinating aqua/brown dot fabric for the lining and straps. Speaking of straps, did I mention how much I love these thicker straps? Amanda was right, they really are the most flattering strap for this type of apron. I also love the look, they feel like they should be in a 1950's diner - which is fabulous!

Anyways, I am just in love with my new vendors apron, and am sure it will get a lot of use as a crafting apron as well (how many times can one loose her tape measure, pins and scizzors when sewing?).

I do hope to continue this little bit of apron loving around here... and hope that in the near future I will have a few new aprons to show you!

And don't forget about my give away for a free snack and sandwich saver from beebee buttercup! The contest is on until Sunday night. All you have to do is leave a comment on yesterday's post to be entered.

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Earth Day Giveaway

2010-04-22T07:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Earth Day everyone!

It is so important to do as much as we can, no matter how small an action, to promote sustainability. Whether it is cloth diapering, shopping locally, growing our own food, avoiding purchasing pre packaged foods, turning off the TV, walking or riding a bike, or repurposing and using what we have there are so many ways that we can each do our part.

So in honour of Earth Day I am hosting my first ever give away here on "Hands and Home". I am giving away one (1) Snack Saver and one (1) Sandwich Saver in the "Around the World" print (as shown below).

These Snack and Sandwich savers are reusable snack bags. Do away with bulky Tupperware and disposable plastic bags and wrap. Snack Savers are made from 100% cotton fabric and lined with water resistant RipStop Nylon making them the perfect choice for crackers, grapes or other fruit, trail mix, or sandwiches. The Velcro closure makes them easy for even the littlest of hands to use! These are perfect for storing wet washcloths, crayons, diaper creams or medicines you don't want to leak, or anything else that you need to carry with you!
Click here for more information
To enter simply leave a comment on this post. To gain an extra 3 entries mention this give away on your own blog (and mention that you have blogged about it in your comment here). The winner's name will be drawn via. random number selection and the contest closes at 5:00 PM Thursday April 29, 2010. The winner will be contacted via email.

Have a great Earth Day!

**Edited to add. 1 week is so far away, I will be closing the contest Sunday April 25 at 8:00 pm (and then this way the winner should receive thier prize by next Friday at the latest). Thanks for understanding!!

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Next up on the "TO READ" list

2010-04-21T15:54:00.003-04:00

If you have followed my blog at all you have probably noticed that I cannot go very long without writing about the latest book on my bookshelf, or on my "to read" list. You have probably also noticed that I am naturally drawn to books about natural childbirth and parenting. Well, Elizabeth Pantley has a new book coming out: The No Cry Separation Anxiety Solution. It will be a welcome addition to the "No Cry... Solution" series and I am particularly excited about it mostly because I am going through some major separation anxiety issues with my little Ladybug. At just 12 months it is positively earth shattering when I dare to leave the room without her, do anything that doesn't directly involve her, or have the audacity to ask someone to hold her for just a second while I... (insert action here). I don't (usually) begrudge her this because I know that soon enough she will not need, let alone want, me to be with her 24/7 - but for now I would love to make it a little easier on the both of us.

A little about the book from the author:

"SAY GOOD-BYE TO SEPARATION ANXIETY

Does it break your heart to leave your crying child at daycare, school, or with a babysitter? Do you worry and wonder how to help?

Nearly all children experience separation anxiety-it's natural-but finding a solution can be frustrating. That's why Elizabeth Pantley, author of the bestselling No-Cry series-developed gentle, effective solutions for every separation situation. Whether your child is a baby, toddler or first grader, these tried and true techniques will help them to:

* Say goodbye at the door - with a smile and a wave-and no more tears.
* Conquer anxiety at daycare, school, parties, trips, and play-dates.
* Go to sleep peacefully-and stay in bed - at naptime and bedtime.
* Feel comfortable with caregivers, babysitters, and new people.
* Explore new places with joy and confidence."

I'm still alive... but currently chained to my sewing machine

2010-04-19T21:16:00.005-04:00

I think it just needs to be said... I have turned into a very bad blogger lately. Its one part lack of time, one part lack of sleep, one part lack of new projects, and one part lack of having anything remotely interesting or worth while to blog about. But that being said I just thought I'd let you know what I've been up to these past few weeks.

I have been up to my eyeballs in fabric just trying to get read for Bloomin Earth this weekend. I am so stoked for this show I cannot even tell you. I mean, come on 70+ local vendors selling their handmade and/or eco-friendly wares? Um... YES PLEASE! (and it doesn't hurt at all that beebee buttercup is going to be there as well). I promise to have pictures first thing Monday morning.

And here is just a little sneak peak at what I'm working on tonight: Snack and Sandwich savers. A fabulously fun and colourful alternative to wasteful Ziploc bags and bulky Tupperware. More information here.

I doubt I'll get a chance to check in before the big show on Saturday so I'll see you on Monday (and thanks for stopping by even though I've not been over in this space as much as I'd like to).

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The project that took forever (and a day)

2010-03-30T12:01:00.006-04:00

I am embarrassed to admit how long ago I started this project. But I will tell you that it was 2009 and there were still leaves on the trees! I decided to make a quilted photo wall hanging for one of my best friends as a house warming gift. She and her boyfriend custom built their first home and moved in the end of October. I had a few challenges to say the least with this project that made it nearly impossible to have it done in time for her housewarming party. Some of it is my own fault, some was as a result of inferior materials and some issues were probably just because this was one of those projects.

Regardless of the issues that I had with this project I still had so much fun making it because the intended recipients are so close to my heart. Sometimes handmade projects take a little longer than expected (in this case 5 months longer) but its the fact that so much love goes into them that makes them special.

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Tea for Tutu

2010-03-19T13:24:00.006-04:00

I have been busy finishing up on some gifts for my nieces and at the same time getting ready for the launch of the Sweet Pea Tutu over at beebee buttercup.

Luckily for me my nieces loved thier new tutus and had no problem posing for a few pictures. My own little Sweet Pea had to get in on the action as well! Ah... little girls are so sweet aren't they?

I had about as much fun as the girls did taking pictures as they danced around to the "Nutcracker Suite" as hummed by my sister in law. It is such a rare treat that we are all together (they live 6 hours away, and my poor Sweet Pea can't make it 30 minutes in the car - with gravol or any other homeopathic remedy out there - without being sick in the car)... so when we are we make the most of it, heace the dance performance on the deck, the late nights talking, the chaotic swimming at the local pool and shopping trips, and the walks that go on for just a little longer.

Free Childbirth Resources

2010-03-08T06:36:00.005-05:00

I know that I usually limit my ramblings on this little blog to crafty bits and topics related to how my family spends our days, but I really want to share these videos with you. I am a huge fan of free resources for education about natural childbirth and natural parenting and really love these videos. They are 6 short videos put out there by Mother's Advocate and Lamaze International. In no way do these videos replace the need for a quality childbirth education series or prenatal care from a qualified health care practitioner but they are an excellent resource and compliment prenatal education.

Check out the Mother's Advocate Videos for Better Birth here

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What do you think about them? Please leave a comment - I would love to hear from you!