Misadventures in wet felting.

Yesterday was the Elf's birthday. Things were very busy - hence the lack of posting. However, as promised, I am here to share my wretched failures in wet felting. And my last not-so-wretched not-quite-failure end result.

To start with, I didn't have any bubble wrap, bamboo place mats, etc. So I used a large trash bag. It worked pretty well, all things considered. For my first attempt I thought I would be clever and use undyed wool for the core. So I felted a mass of wool and attempted to add color to the top. No, this does not work. Some of it stuck a little. But for the most part... no. So I stuck it in the washer in hopes that it would help. Ha. Ha. Ha. No. It did not. Rather, it fell apart. The white core didn't shrink, though. Weird.



My solution? Needle felt the colored bits back on. Only, the colored bits were much smaller now. Oops. I eventually gave up. However, since showing it to the Elf yesterday, he has asked that I finish it anyway and let him play with it. Was all my extra work a waste? Who knows. Sometimes the kid is easier to please than my perfectionist side.

My second attempt, I did not use the white core. I dyed up a bunch of green and made a roughly 12x24 inch mat. Doubled sided, too! I was thrilled. It looked great. My not-so-brilliant mind decided that rolling it up in a pillowcase and washing it could only improve the awesomeness of the mat.



Well, the mat fell out. And it shrunk. A lot. It now measures something like 6x10 inches.



On to my third attempt! Here I thought I was super clever. Make the mat huge (roughly 2.5x3 feet)! That way, when it shrinks in the washer, it'll be the perfect size! This time I had bubble wrap. I bought a roll of it and taped it together to be roughly twice the size of our table. I laid everything out (mostly forgoing the double-sided idea) and lo! I really didn't have enough green wool for this. So it was *really* thin. "No problem," thought I, "it'll shrink and thicken in the washer!"



So I put the gorgeous (but freakishly thin) mat on a sheet, wrapped it up, pinned it shut, and hoped for the best.



It definitely shrunk. And it did thicken up a bit. It was still too thin, though. And now we had the added bonus of being completely misshapen! Whee! But it was extremely late and the night before his birthday. What's a crazy mama to do? Shrug and move on, that's what.



I spent the rest of the night sanding a stacker from Clickity Clack and finished it with my homemade beeswax goop. I wrapped everything in tissue paper and went to bed.

Wouldn't you know it? It was all accepted with love. Though he did seem more enamoured with the plastic junk from other people - of course. He has played with it several times, though - even incorporating his new legos into the mix.

Despite my massive failures, I plan to try this again - with thick enough layers and no more washing machines!

Shopping and gifts.

This weekend we went to a farmer's market. I've always wanted to join CSA but it's too expensive - and we're not great veggie eaters. So we hit the market. For $11 I walked away with: five organic apples (four of them didn't even make it home - we ate them in the car), a white onion, six or seven roma tomatoes, a yummy ear of corn, a bunch of basil, some peppers (hot, but I don't know what kind - I'm going to use them to pickle garlic), and a box of blueberries. Whee!

The opressive heat has calmed a bit. It's still humid as all get out, though. There's a delightful breeze today. At least, it looks delightful. I haven't actually been outside yet.

I tried to make a play mat based on this tutorial on Morning Sun Rae for the Elf's birthday present. Only, I thought I'd be clever and use white for the core and colored stuff on top. And wouldn't it be easier to felt the core and then add the color? Excellent! Only, once you felt part of it, the rest won't felt to it. Gah!

So I dyed up some more wool and set about doing it properly. It worked! It was awesome! But it was a little thin. So I searched my memory banks and decided that washing it in hot water with the diapers would be a good idea to help thicken it up. Well, it did get thicker. And shrunk to a third of the original size. Gah again!

Last night I dyed some more wool. The last of it is soaking right now. Tonight will be my third attempt. And I better get it right this time. The poor kid's birthday is on Wednesday!

I'll take photos of all the attempts and post them once I've finished. It'll give you a good laugh.

Also. I seem to have won two more giveaways! One was a book from MamaRoots. It arrived today and my oldest and I have already read it. It's such a sweet, sweet book. The other is an assortment of LuSa products from Progressive Pioneer. There's a bug spray included and I can't wait to try it out. The mosquitoes around here are the size of large cats.

Anyway. I feel the need to host another giveaway. Karma sort of demands it. So I'm working on some ideas of things I can make that won't take too much time (and that other people would actually want to own). Keep an eye out for that in the coming days!

{this moment} - Pilot

A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember.

Caterpillars!

Mere days after releasing our first Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly of the year we found another caterpillar on our parsley in the garden. Since my parsley is looking pretty sad outside (I never trimmed it and it was nearly three feet tall and going to seed) I bought another from a local native nursery. The next day I decided to buy some dill to add to the garden, just in case any more butterflies cared to lay their eggs in our yard.



Imagine, if you will, how surprised I was to notice teeny little black and white squiggles on the dill (which had been sitting in the bedroom awaiting a time for me to plant it outside) when I went to lay the Imp down for his nap. The Elf and I quickly rounded up the dozen or so caterpillars and added them to the vivarium.



Now I have to go out and buy more plants to feed them. Again. If you've never raised a caterpillar, let me assure you that they eat just as much (if not more) than an almost-eight-year-old human boy during a growth spurt. Now multiply that by the 12+ little critters we have in there. Yes, I see more parsley in my future.

Also. Happy 100th post to me (even if most of them are old book reviews)!

Black and White, Wandering Wednesday!

Another Wednesday with GardenMama's Wandering Wednesday photo challenge. Read about it here.



Here I sit with my two older boys, enojying a rare (mostly calm) dinner out. Despite the sweltering heat, we had a great time.

Which brings me to my contribution for Natural Suburbia's Black and White Wednesday.



My oldest (the Elf) had me buzz his hair the other day. Here he is being goofy at Panera while we ate dinner last night. Out of focus in the background, you can almost make my husband holding my youngest (the Beast).

Life.

I haven't forgotten about this space. I have a number of things I'd like to write about. Life just seems to keep getting in the way. I'm trying to be more present with my kids and I have to admit that it eats into my computer time.

Things I hope to eventually post about (mostly listed so that I don't forget about them):
- new caterpillars
- the toys I ended up buying for the kids
- the Elf's birthday gift flop
- my recent kitchen adventures

Eastern Black Swallowtail

This is the second (third?) year that we've raised Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars. Normally we find teeny ones on our parsley around the Elf's birthday (the 18th of this month). But this year we found giant ones a few weeks ago. I was able find one of them after buying myself a new vivarium. So we fed it parsley, watched it form a chrysalis. And today - when no one was looking, it hatched.



This little guy is now out in our (extremely hot) garden feasting on a dark purple butterfly bush. I love the way my kids' eyes light up when they see things like this.

{this moment} - Figuring out the Kangaroo hold!

A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember.

A Lovely Swap!

Let me preface this post by telling you that my photographs simply cannot do justice to the amazing creations that I'm about to share with you (holding a squirmy baby at the time did not help, either).

Marie, the incredibly talented fiber artist of Softearthart, was kind enough to swap goodies with me. Receiving her package in the mail yesterday truly brightened my whole world.



She was so generous. Just look at all those adorable gnomes!




I couldn't help myself. Don't they look happy next to our tree stump?

Thank you so much, Marie - you're an amazing woman!

Wandering Wednesday

Another installment of GardenMama's Wandering Wednesday photo challenge. Read about it here.



Here I stand, taking a *very* brief pause in my near ceaseless pacing. One little three-month-old Beast has discovered that facing out while in my arms is infinitely preferable to any other position in any other location. Just call me the baby chauffeur.

Adventures in Tie-dye!

A week or two ago I tie-dyed some onesies for the Beast and a few of the Elf's stained white shirts. I was so tired of putting plain white clothes on such an adorable baby. Something had to be done! Little did I know that the Imp would become emotionally attached to wearing his older brother's much-too-large tie-dyed shirts. So I vowed to dye some appropriately sized shirts just for him. Also, it wouldn't hurt to dye up the rest of the Elf's shirts and some tank tops for myself - to speak nothing of my attempt at dying wool yarn!



I laid everything outside on an old, greyish fitted sheet yesterday. I figured that it would make the sheets more fun, if nothing else. The heat was near unbearable. After being outside for only a few minutes I had sweat dripping off my nose. Heat indices have been between 106 and 115 for a few weeks.



I was supposed to let the dye sit in the fabrics for six to eight hours. After five and a half hours I just couldn't wait any more. It was getting dark and I just *had* to see my yarn! This picture was taken while the yarn was still damp. It's a bit lighter now, but I'm in love with it! I'll be using it to knit felted bowls for the Imp's birthday. My goal is for them to be nesting bowls, but we'll see how that turns out!



This morning, after sleeping on lovely and colorful sheets, I laid some of the shirts out for the Imp to choose from. Apparently he agrees with my husband and prefers the first dying attempt with the darker colors. He passed up all the new shirts and opted for his older brother's previously dyed shirt. Bah. Oh well. I suspect he'll wear the new ones eventually.



People have been posting images of themselves on their blogs lately. It seems to have all been prompted by Shaktimama.

Well, let me start this with the confession that I've never been comfortable with my physical self. Never. I was labeled "fat" by peers and ridiculed in school. It wasn't just peers and strangers, my father (who has changed considerably with age and grandchildren) was never much for tact. I'd been made to feel ashamed for who I was.

Nine glorious years with my husband have helped to change all of that. He's helped me to see that I am not repugnant. That I am worthy of love. That other people can see my beauty, even if I cannot.

So I've posted an unaltered (aside from cropping and resizing) picture of myself (in which my head looks teeny). In all my bleary-eyed glory, this is me. This is also my fabulously dyed tank top (yes, I'm quite pleased with it).

{this moment} - Learning to Knit!

A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember.

Wandering, Wordless, Black and White Wednesday!

Look at me trying to shove so much into one post.

Wandering Wednesday:
I'm joining GardenMama's Wandering Wednesday photo challenge. Read about it here.



Here I sit (because holding babies and taking pictures of my feet while standing is beyond me today) feeding my babies much too early in the morning.

Wordless Wednesday combined with Black and White Wednesday:
Black and White Wednesday is from Natural Suburbia. I'm not sure where I first heard about Wordless Wednesday.

Giveaway winner!

I know I said I'd announce the winner tomorrow. But it's late and I can't imagine that anyone else will enter before the end of the night.



A zombie-eyed, fruit popsicle-faced Imp helped me pick a name for the giveaway. For a kid that doesn't really understand what "one" means, he did pretty well.



Congratulations Softearthart! I'll get the book sent out to you before Wednesday. I hope you enjoy it!

I look forward to hosting more giveaways in the future. Thanks to everyone who entered!

{this moment} - late and Swappables!

Yesterday was crazy. So here's my late {this moment} post.

A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember.


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News! I've added a page to my blog. It's called "Swappable" - there should be a link at the top of the page. It's a list of things (mostly handmade books at the moment) that I have for swapping. I love swaps, don't you? So if you're interested in a trade/swap check it out and let me know. My swaps know no bounds - international posting is totally doable.

If you'd like something needled felted, I can work on that, too.
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Also! Don't forget that my giveaway ends tomorrow (very late at night, likely). So feel free to enter!

Gift Ideas!

Okay. I've been "given" a moderate amount of money by my lovely husband to spend on whatever I want (we are not financially great which is why this is a rare thing). Being who I am, I'll probably spend 95% of it on my kids. Here's where the needing of help comes in. We're fairly new to the natural/Waldorf way of *living* - we've always been of the mindset but the implementation is recent. So there is an excess of junk in our house. I've been slowly doing away with the junk and trying to encourage the kids to play with more natural things.

A lot of what I've read in Waldorf forums is that you should just have baskets of rocks, shells, blocks, etc. That's great in theory. But my youngest two are too young for that. And we have cats. Oh my, do we have cats. So wool being left out and nature tables aren't realistic for us.

Here's what we do have: play silks that I dyed. Blocks (regular mass-made unit blocks). Plastic dinosaurs (they're too well loved for me to get rid of). Balls of all sizes. The rest is junk, in my opinion (or slipping my mind). And now, here are extremely brief overviews of the kids:

The Elf: Will by eight in August. He has a very addictive/obsessive personality. We "screwed up" with him early on and he's more quantity oriented rather than quality. For his birthday I've bought him an Earth stacker and some figures - they will all go with a felted play mat I'm going to make for him. His current obsessions are Spore (a computer game) and Toy Story 3 (ugh). I want to get him a Waldorf doll (he babies lego creations and plastic toys) but I'm not sure where to start.

The Imp: Will be two in September. He doesn't talk a great deal yet. He's recently discovered that blocks are stackable, loves to paint with (those crappy dry) watercolors, loves spoons and balls. Six months ago he accidentally swallowed a marble so we're leery about small toys now. Mostly, he seems to throw things and dump things out. I'm afraid that he's not playing "right" because he's learning from the Elf.

The Beast: He's almost three months old. He loves to watch the mobile I made for him and a knitted bird we hang in his car seat. We have a wooden teether that we'd gotten for the Imp when he was wee (a rattle, too, but I've no idea where it is).

I'm considering dolls for the older two. Is two too young for a dressable doll? They're so expensive. I can't see being able to afford the different stages that seem to be encouraged. I've thought about making them, but really, I don't have the time. Also, I'd like to actually see and touch one in person before embarking on that particular adventure. So. Any suggestions on where to have one made? Do your kids have dolls? Do they actually play with them regularly? I didn't have dolls growing up - I had stuffed animals. And well, I was never a little boy. So I'm at a loss.

I want to learn to knit, but I need someone to show me. Books and videos are not helping. So simple knitted things, I'd have to buy. Things I've thought of: knitted and felted rings and knitted/felted nesting bowls.

I'd also love to get them some wooden figures - animals and people. But my goodness, they're expensive! I'm not sure what would be best or what would be played with most. There are too many decisions!

So I need help. What toys did you love growing up? What do your children love? What have you seen that my children might love? Do you make something I should consider? Do you want to do a swap? I've birthdays and the Winter Solstice to shop for and limited funds. Help!

Needle felted tree stump

I've been working on this tree stump off and on for a long while. Mostly off, to be honest. I made the stump core and then had many failed attempts at dyeing wool brown. After I finally broke down and ordered some.. well.. I just didn't get to doing anything with it. That is, until earlier this week. Maybe I started last weekend. I can't recall.



Next time I make one of these, I'll start the inside of the core with brown - adding it after was interesting. I can't say whether or not this will stand up to being played with. In fact, I don't know that anything I've made thus far (aside from a car and a few balls) would tolerate playing well. I'm game to find out, though.



The stump (ignoring the branch) is roughly five inches tall, four inches wide, and three inches deep. Roughly. The leaves are cut from a wool blend felt that I had laying around. I can't find 100% wool felt locally and don't have the currently financial resources to buy any at the moment. So it's not all wool, but I'll live.

Next up will be a wee round gnome to live in the stump. Maybe more than one gnome - it depends on how it turns out. After that, I think I'll take up the challenge of possibly making a dragon. Of course, I also need to make the play mat that I have planned for the Elf's birthday in mid-August. I think I've found affordable plain wooden figures to go with it, though, which is an accomplishment I think.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment to pause, savor and remember.

A Giveaway!

I have had some extremely unusual luck lately with online giveaways. Karma tells me that I should pass that on. I wanted to needle felt something special to giveaway, but that would take me too long right now (though it will happen in the future). So I've fallen back on a past trade.



Once upon a time I called myself a bookbinder. It was something I picked up on a whim to make a gift for someone. The binding bug struck and I couldn't stop. The walk-in closet of our teeny one-bedroom apartment was becoming overrun with handmade books. The solution came in the suggestions of friends - sell them! So I set up an Etsy shop, my own website, and hooked up with a local artist's market.



To say that my business bombed wouldn't be fair. It would be close to accurate, though. I never made enough money to justify the costs of art shows and seller's fees (not to speak of time and supplies). People wanted my work for mere pennies and I tired of hearing people exclaim "I could buy a notebook at Wal-Mart for a third of this price!" It became stress and work. It was no longer fun or rewarding. So I stopped making and selling books.

After the birth of my second child I no longer even felt bad about having abandoned bookbinding. It was fun, but it passed and I moved on. Instead I started playing with fabric - making toys for my kids, blankets for my family, bags for my husband. Creating was fun again - because I was doing it for all the right reasons.

Years later, I've had my third child and have moved on to an obsession with wool. However, I still have a closet shelf full of handmade books that I couldn't part with (the ones I could part with were gifted - mostly to the Elf for drawing purposes).



The book in this post is one of my favorites. I love the look, the heft, the sparkle of the endpapers (those are the decorative pieces on the inside covers). What better item to offer in a giveaway than one that I hold dear? So here it is! I offer this book to one randomly chosen person. I'll ship it anywhere (with a properly given address), so don't be shy. Leave a comment - any comment (just one, though, please). Tell me the weather, what I should needle felt next, your favorite time of day, just say hi! Any comment gets you entered. If you care to share this giveaway with others, feel free to post about it and leave another comment with a link - it'll get you another entry!

I'll write everyone's names down on slips of paper and have the little monsters pick one on July 25th with the winner announced on Monday the 26th. Make sure I have some way of contacting you (email left in the comments or enabled on your profile).

Have I forgotten anything? I'm having the hardest time waking up today.

New loves.

Last weekend I made my own granola. I'd been wanting to try to make my own and this post by 5 Orange Potatoes gave me the push I needed. The thing is, though, that I don't like dried fruit. No raisins, coconut, cranberries, cherries. Ick. I really don't like fruity granola.

Okay, you know what? I wrote the above on.. Saturday? Friday night, maybe? It's Monday. Have I lost my train of thought? A bit.

Let's sum up the granola, shall we? I made granola. I looked at a mess of recipes and concocted my own basic one. It was oats, peanuts, olive oil, honey, and brown sugar. It didn't turn out particularly clumpy or crispy. However, a week later I'd finished it all off and was quite happy with it - even if it was too peanuty. So yesterday I made another batch based on the above posted recipe. Only I left out all the stuff I didn't have or didn't like. The bulk of it was oats, sunflower kernels, chopped up peanuts, and wheat bran. It's clumpier, but still not exactly crispy. I think I'll add some puffed rice next time for crispiness. I haven't had any in milk yet, though I have been snacking on it.

Last week we watched the new Alice in Wonderland movie for the first time. I've watched it at least a dozen times since. I've always loved all things Alice. Did you know that Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) and I share a birthday? That has always pleased me.

This weekend I went on a baking/cooking binge. Every weekend I make meals for the week and freeze them. This time I made more "big" dishes than usual. Cincinnati chili, stuffed peppers, the aforementioned granola, some peanut/tahini sauce for pasta that B's boss recommended for the kids, hummus, peanut butter, and oatmeal peanut butter cookies. I was going to make bread but just couldn't be bothered.

I've had too many interruptions with this post. I can't focus so I think I'll just draw this one to a close and attempt a more.. coherent post later - complete with pictures and a surprise!

Mushroom House the Second

When I took my first mushroom house to my father's to show off at his birthday party, my youngest niece expressed some desire to have one of her own. And with her own birthday coming up (it's today, in fact), how could I say no?



My youngest niece is a girly girl. She loves pink and purple - all things fairy and princess. I had a mess of wool that I'd dyed when I'd first started playing around with colors. It seemed that a whorl of pinks and purples would be perfect for a girly mushroom. I'd contemplated putting pink spots on it. Do you think I should have?



I didn't have any more of the wonderful green wool yarn left, so instead of vines I added grass to the bottom of the house. It's hard to see in the pictures but there are little blue flowers sprinkled about.



It isn't perfect and I'm not 100% happy with it. Still, I think it's serviceable. My sister (her mother) said that the dolls she was likely to use with it were about four or five inches tall. I hope that the doorway isn't too large. I just wanted to make sure that her toys would be able to fit inside.



I hope she likes it. We'll find out tomorrow!

Blog Carnival: Nursing in Public with Ease

Welcome to the July 2010 Carnival of Nursing in Public


This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Nursing in Public hosted by Dionna and Paige at NursingFreedom.org. All week, July 5-9, we will be featuring articles and posts about nursing in public ("NIP"). See the bottom of this post for more information.


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Nursing in Public with Ease.

I nurse in public all the time. That is to say, when I manage to leave the house, I almost always nurse in public. My youngest son is two months old. Without fail, he wants to nurse whenever we're out. And I'm okay with that. I can't remember ever being self-conscious about feeding my children in public. It's a totally natural thing, so why would I?

I've nursed in parks, parking lots, the patio furniture section of Target, waiting rooms, restaurants, walking through the grocery store, at the library, in book stores, on benches outside. No one has every come outright and said anything to me about it. I've had my share of nasty looks and snide remarks spoken just loud enough to ensure that I hear them. But I've also had women smile at me as they walk by - some even stop to say hello.

It has helped to have an incredibly supportive family. My husband has always been 100% behind my decision to breastfeed. Both he and my oldest son are always willing to lend a hand while I'm nursing. My extended family is mixed on the subject, but in all honesty I don't see them outside of their homes so it doesn't come up much.

I do not use any sort of cover when I'm nursing. I've seen some nicer nursing covers, and they work for some women and their children. But they aren't for me. That's not to say that I hop up on table and make a big production out of breastfeeding. I endeavor to take other people into consideration. When around children (as in the kids' play room at the public library) I ask the parents present (in general) if they mind me nursing there as I have no problem walking five feet away to another part of the library (for the record, no one has ever said that they mind). At restaurants I sit on the inside of the booth if I'm going to nurse - not everyone wants to see my breasts while they eat and I can respect that. I wear clothes that allow me to nurse easily and somewhat discretely. I'd rather not have the entirety of my breast flapping in the wind. However, if my child is hungry, I will feed him regardless of clothing, company, or location. And I will do it with pride.

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Welcome to the Carnival of Nursing in Public


Please join us all week, July 5-9, as we celebrate and support breastfeeding mothers. And visit NursingFreedom.org any time to connect with other breastfeeding supporters, learn more about your legal right to nurse in public, and read (and contribute!) articles about breastfeeding and N.I.P.


Do you support breastfeeding in public? Grab this badge for your blog or website to show your support and encourage others to educate themselves about the benefits of breastfeeding and the rights of breastfeeding mothers and children.

<center><a href="http://www.nursingfreedom.org/p/carnival-of-nursing-in-public.html" title="Carnival of Nursing in Public"><img src="http://www.babydustdiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/inip1.png" alt="Art by Erika Hastings at http://mudspice.wordpress.com/" border="0"></a></center>

This post is just one of many being featured as part of the Carnival of Nursing in Public. Please visit our other writers each day of the Carnival. Click on the links below to see each day’s posts - new articles will be posted on the following days:

July 5 - Making Breastfeeding the Norm: Creating a Culture of Breastfeeding in a Hyper-Sexualized World

July 6 – Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers: the New, the Experienced, and the Mothers of More Than One Nursing Child

July 7 – Creating a Supportive Network: Your Stories and Celebrations of N.I.P.

July 8 – Breastfeeding: International and Religious Perspectives

July 9 – Your Legal Right to Nurse in Public, and How to Respond to Anyone Who Questions It

Blog Carnival: Tandem Nursing a Baby and Toddler

Welcome to the July 2010 Carnival of Nursing in Public


This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Nursing in Public hosted by Dionna and Paige at NursingFreedom.org. All week, July 5-9, we will be featuring articles and posts about nursing in public ("NIP"). See the bottom of this post for more information.


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Tandem Nursing a Baby and Toddler.

My second child (the Imp) was eleven months old when I became pregnant again. Many people thought we should wean. I cannot even begin to tell you the looks of utter disbelief I received when I declared that we would continue nursing throughout my pregnancy and beyond. "You won't be able to handle it" I was told. "There's no way you can do that" complete strangers exclaimed. Even my obstetrician was concerned. I stuck to my convictions, assuring her that I'd done the research. I knew the "risks" of pre-labor and that I was competent enough to seek help if I felt it was needed. My pregnancy was not high risk, there was little reason to be concerned.

We nursed without any problems throughout the entire pregnancy. I didn't experience the soreness some mothers report. I never felt that he was asking too much of me. Instead, it was a blissful peace in our otherwise crazy days. We could slow down, cuddle, bond. I knew it would be a great comfort to him, especially when the shock of a new baby was likely to turn his world upside down.

The day my third child was born was a joyous day for me, but not so much for the Imp. He was confused, tired, cranky, maybe even feeling deserted. My husband kept the older children at home while I recovered in the hospital with my wonderful mother-in-law and my new baby. When the boys came to see me the next day, the Imp was not a happy camper. He didn't want me to hold him, he clung to his father in a way that made my heart hurt. But when I offered to sit with him and nurse him, he crawled into my lap like he had never left. He looked into my eyes and I imagined my love and reassurance passing to him through my milk. It was like a little bit of magic and I knew the temporary rift was closing fast.

In the days that followed, the Imp began to nurse more frequently. Having read about how toddlers and older babies handle tandem nursing, I wasn't surprised at all. It was a comfort to him (and to me, truth be told). He needed to know that I was still his - still accessible to him. We had some rocky moments when he didn't want to wait, when he didn't - couldn't - understand why I was nursing this tiny person instead of him. I think he truly came to accept his brother when I put them both to breast at the same time. It wasn't always easy and sometimes required a bit of juggling (or the extra hands of my spectacular husband), but I really think it helped to show him that I belonged to them both.

It's been two months now. My little one is thriving, my toddler is contented, life is good. The Imp has come to understand "in a minute" and "as soon as the baby is done " do not mean "no." He even tries to help me when I nurse his brother - bringing me blankets and pillows, petting his brother's head gently. There are still times when I nurse them both together. The Imp lays his head on the baby's legs and
smiles so contentedly. His obvious joy at nursing is enough to show me that I made the right choice.

I can't say it's always been easy. My husband and his mother have been extremely supportive, as has a friend of mine who recently had her first child. Most people still look at me askance when they find out that I'm breastfeeding both of my younger children. Some come outright and tell me that I should wean the older of the two. This experience has helped me gain confidence in myself (something I've always lacked). I don't feel that I need to defend the choices I've made, but that doesn't mean I will let the naysayers walk all over me. I hold my head proudly when I nurse my children in public, ignoring the nasty looks I may receive. I applaud (sometimes literally) other mothers that I see nursing their children when we're out. I've tried to lend my aid and support to every breastfeeding mother that might need it. I'm proud to be tandem nursing my children and take comfort in knowing that I am doing what is best for myself and for my family.

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Welcome to the Carnival of Nursing in Public


Please join us all week, July 5-9, as we celebrate and support breastfeeding mothers. And visit NursingFreedom.org any time to connect with other breastfeeding supporters, learn more about your legal right to nurse in public, and read (and contribute!) articles about breastfeeding and N.I.P.


Do you support breastfeeding in public? Grab this badge for your blog or website to show your support and encourage others to educate themselves about the benefits of breastfeeding and the rights of breastfeeding mothers and children.

<center><a href="http://www.nursingfreedom.org/p/carnival-of-nursing-in-public.html" title="Carnival of Nursing in Public"><img src="http://www.babydustdiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/inip1.png" alt="Art by Erika Hastings at http://mudspice.wordpress.com/" border="0"></a></center>

This post is just one of many being featured as part of the Carnival of Nursing in Public. Please visit our other writers each day of the Carnival. Click on the links below to see each day’s posts - new articles will be posted on the following days:

July 5 - Making Breastfeeding the Norm: Creating a Culture of Breastfeeding in a Hyper-Sexualized World

July 6 – Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers: the New, the Experienced, and the Mothers of More Than One Nursing Child

July 7 – Creating a Supportive Network: Your Stories and Celebrations of N.I.P.

July 8 – Breastfeeding: International and Religious Perspectives

July 9 – Your Legal Right to Nurse in Public, and How to Respond to Anyone Who Questions It

I'm partcipating in a blog carnival this week. It's about nursing in public and is being organized by Code Name: Mama and Baby Dust Diaries. I have two posts that have been assigned days, so I'm trying out this whole "scheduling posts" thing.

Basically, this is a test to see if my post shows up immediately or tomorrow.

In needle felting news, I'm working on a mushroom house or my younger niece's birthday next weekend. It's slow going and I need to dye some more greens and purples.

Food. Why is it such a problem in our house?

We are a family of five - though I only need to account for four of us at the moment. We don't eat red meat - in fact, the only meat we eat is poultry. The problem is that there isn't a whole lot that we like or that we can get the kids to eat. Pasta, rice, bread - not a problem. Vegetables? Fruits? Those are harder. Tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, corn, onion, zucchini, yellow squash - okay, no problem. Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, pineapple, watermelon. But not everyone eats all of these things. The Elf loves fruit, not so much with the vegetables. The Imp.. he has a whole mess of issues with eating at all. Mostly, the Imp will eat meat. And cereal. And popsicles. Oy.

We want to eat healthier. We want to *be* healthier. We also want our toddler to realize that there is food beyond breast milk. I just have no idea how to do that. Food shouldn't be such a problem, should it?

We've cut back (massively) on prepackaged/processed foods. I make our taco seasoning and chili seasonings. I want to try baking sandwich bread so that we can stop buying the mass-produced stuff. I don't think I can ever give up my Eggo waffles, though. Maybe when the kids are older and I have more time in the mornings I'll be able to make my own. It's just not realistic right now (and I loooove my Eggo waffles). I'm going to make my own granola this weekend. But we're unlikely to give up boxed cereal, either.

Right. Am I missing the point? Did I have a point? The Imp is scaling window sills and carrying around a step stool - it's a little distracting, I must admit.

Blergh. I cannot, for the life of me, manage to make a sheep that looks decent. For now, I give up. Perhaps in time I'll try again.



I tried to base it on a kit I found on Etsy (big surprise there, right?) but it appears that I'm just destined to fail. The face is too small, the ears are crooked, the tail is pathetic, the body uneven and not round enough. Oh well.



At least I got to use some of the brown wool that I'd purchased for my tree stump. It's luxuriously soft - much softer than I expected. And the Imp seems to like the sheep, even if it does look.. well.. sort of like a dog, really.



Not sure what I'll move on to next. I need to try and make a monkey, I know. And I ought to work on that tree stump. Oh. And my younger niece wants a mushroom house for her birthday (in a couple weeks! eek!). Not to mention the really great book I'm reading (that will actually get reviewed, too!). I also want to try wet felting with the Elf some time. There's a great tutorial here that I want to try out as soon as we acquire some bubble wrap. So many things to do!

Needle felting - Part three

The Beast let me put him down! My hands are free! Though I really ought to wake the Imp. He's just so adorable snuggled on the couch. Due to the unusual quiet, I thought I'd try to wrap up my recently-made-needle-felt-creations posts.

A friend of mine expressed an interest in having a needle felted sheep (she also mentioned a monkey, but I haven't gotten there yet). How could I resist trying?



You can say it (she did) - it looks like an exceptionally fluffy polar bear. Well, it does. And that's what comes from using the same techniques and base ideas for two very different animals. You live, you learn, right?



I have another sheep in the works. My hopes are high that it will look.. well.. like a sheep! In the meantime, the Beast was in need of a mobile. When the Imp was a baby I rigged a mobile out of scraps of paper (colored with contrasting patterns), an old record case/envelope/thing, and some string. It was sad. But he loved it. I couldn't bring myself to be so sloppy this time.

Based on (you guessed it) a mobile I found on Etsy, I decided to make little felt squares with needle felted contrasting patterns. The Elf helped me sew them up before I stuffed them. I'd wanted a better way to connect them to the ceiling, but with the urging of my husband to *just finish it so he can enjoy it!* I rigged it all up to a piece of cardboard with hemp cord. Needless to say, the Beast loves it. He'll lay and coo and giggle at it. This, of course, makes it all worth it.



Thus concludes the backlog of things I've needle felted. Whee!

Needle felting - Part two

I was able to attend a breastfeeding support group meeting this morning. Having the opportunity to discuss some of my tandem/toddler nursing issues and concerns with a lactation consultant (and a group of fairly like-minded women) was.. refreshing. Calming. I feel better able to approach life in general today. So I thought I'd attempt this post while the younger kids are napping. Of course, since typing that the youngest has decided to sleep nowhere but in my arms - which makes typing... special.

After completing the mushroom house I decided to try making a hollow tree stump similar to a sewn one I'd seen on Etsy. By the time I'd gotten the core done, I'd discovered that dying roving brown was harder than I thought it would be. Using things I had on hand I managed really great red-oranges, tan, beige, purple - but no deep browns. So I eventually gave in and bought some from an Etsy seller. This was at least one month ago. I have yet to actually open the bag of wool, let alone complete the tree stump.

One of many things that distracted me from the tree stump was the realization that I needed to make a birthday gift for my father. I don't know how it started, but the man loves polar bears. With that in mind I set out to make him one.



My husband lent his critical eye to help me round it out some. As my first animal sculpture, I think it turned out rather well. Which is more than I can say for my second animal attempt (to be seen in a forthcoming post).

Needle felting - Part one

I've been meaning to post for a while now. It's taken me this long to bother tackling adding photographs here. This is what happens when you've gotten used to one journalling platform, I suppose.

In the recent past I fell in love with needle felting. It was a fluke, really. A lark. But it grabbed me and hasn't let go.

At first I just made dryer balls. I had wanted to buy some through Etsy but couldn't justify the cost. As it is, I hardly ever remember to use the ones I've made. Mostly the Imp plays with them - or the cats do when they're left out unattended. Oops.

For Earth Day I took one of the dryer balls and added blue and green to it to make an Earth ball for the kids to play with. I also made a little green car with wooden wheels (and had plans to knit a road despite my lack of knitting skills).

Eventually I came across a neat video tutorial for a toadstool house. Being an avid mushroom lover, how could I resist? I can't recall how long it took me to completely make the house. With small children it's a wonder it was finished at all. I used roving that I'd dyed myself and a bit of yarn that had come as part of a swap from the amazing Suzanne.

Here are some photos of it. I've learned some things since making this and have thought about going back and touching it up some. The thing is, I've never seen (in person) nor held anything needle felted, so I've no idea if I'm doing things the "correct" way. In any case, I enjoy it. When I get the opportunity to work on these projects I find a bit of peace.

I'm doing it again. I'm losing steam with this whole review thing. And yes, having a newborn (not to speak of the other two monsters) will do that to a person. Mostly I'm just reading for brainless fun. I don't want to have to think, let alone form coherent sentences describing why I do or do not like what I'm reading.

So this blog will be veering. Temporarily? Permanently? Who knows. Life is all about change, right?

Right now my main focus in life is my kids. They're very time consuming. In the midst of all the family craziness, I'm trying to simplify my life. Which is a little laughable since I seem to keep adding things to it (children, crafts, hobbies). But in my own way, I'm working on it. Less junk, less waste, less spending. At the same time, I'm working on more. More patience, more fun, more mindfulness. Clearing out the clutter (mentally and physically) to let in the air. I think it's time, don't you?

Last week I was unofficially diagnosed with migraines (and there's apparently nothing to be done about it while I'm nursing). For the most part, I get some visual hallucinations that last twenty to thirty minutes (this is apparently called a migraine aura) and a slight increase in the headache that I've had for two weeks now. Sometimes, though, I get the awful stereotypical migraine headache pain. This makes for shoddy mothering skills, to speak nothing of my inability to care enough to review books.

I'm fighting a lot of doubt in my ability to be a decent mother, an adequate homeschooler, a reasonable wife. The constant pain clearly isn't helping.

Strangely (or not so much), I have still been managing to read. It helps that I've packed my ebook reader (Cybook Gen 3) with "quick reads" that aren't terribly thought-intensive. I've enjoyed all the books that I've read so far, but I can't bring myself to care enough to actually review them. Suffice it to say, these are good books and you should read them if you get the chance:

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Changes by Jim Butcher
Lover Mine by J. R. Ward
Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

I was lucky enough to receive this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. The premise for the book is that Nathaniel Cade is a vampire in the employ of the President of the United States. He's bound to stop the forces of the Other Side.

This isn't a new concept. Think Hellboy crossed with general political thrillers. With a little Heroes thrown in, maybe. But it was still original enough to be intriguing. I didn't expect much from the story and was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a hard time putting it down. I'm fairly certain that I was supposed to become more endeared to Zach as the book progressed. Truth be told, even at the end I still felt that he was a sad replacement for Griff. Cade, on the other hand, was awesome. How could you not like a vampire who has a conscience, but also freely admits to being evil?

I look forward to future novels featuring Nathaniel Cade. The paranormal aspects of this book made the political thriller side of it less dull and predictable. I'd like to say that I have someone in mind to pass this book on to. But most people I know who like politcal thrillers aren't really big on the whole paranormal thing. There's an audience out there for this book, no doubt. I just don't know them personally.

And then there were five.

Well, the Beast was born a week ago Thursday. I'm finding that reading has taken a back seat to life for now. Reviews will resume as I find the time.

I'm still working my way through the fourth (third for me) Indiana Jones book, but it never seems to be conveniently located. My ebook reader is soon to be filled with fast and fun books to read while nursing the monsters - provided I can manage to have my reading glasses handy.