Wired For Noise

Help a mama out.

I’ve been hunting everywhere for a button to put on the purse I knit a few months ago. The bag is hot pink and black, very “punk princess” looking. I have been searching for a big funky button with a skull and crossbones on it in hot pink and black. I’m dying to finish this purse!

I’m also looking for some good books on being thankful and grateful. Something a preschooler could understand, not religious, and not packed with shame and guilt. Maybe that doesn’t exist, as all I’m finding are either straight out of the bible or dripping in shaming kids into appreciating what they have.  Got a good book suggestion? Let me know!

A knitting pattern for something small yet fabulous. I won 42 gorgeous yards of wool yarn from Sew Spun and I want to make something I can wear and show off.

More great suggestions for my vacation post. If you haven’t added your 2 cents run over and do so now. Everyone is pushing camping, which I love. But Dearest wouldn’t be caught dead more than 5 minutes from cable TV and refrigeration.

Tags: blogging, knitting, crafts, vacations, books, kids, parenting

A while back I was sent copies of books 1,2 and 3 of The Lucky Foot Stable series by JoAnn Dawson. This is a cute series of books for young girls (ages 9-12) that parents will actually want their kids to read. No adult topics, no hours at the mall shopping, and no mean girls are present in each of these stories. Something that is pretty darn amazing considering how prevalent these are in today’s society. Instead they are just simple stories about girls, their horses, and their adventures.

Jody and Mary, the two heroines of the books, are fun and lively full of adventure. They are real and fresh and without the ugly trappings female characters are usually written into. Both are intelligent and athletic, their connections with the horses is written much deeper than the typical “little girls and ponies” imagery we see. When adventure calls they jump in and use their own spunk to get themselves through it.

I’m not a horse person myself, I think they’re beautiful animals but I’m a bit too timid for them. So I was thrilled that the back of each book contains a glossary of horse terms. Whenever I had no clue what they were talking about I could just flip to the back of the book and find out. Even if your daughter isn’t a horse girl (like me) she can still learn something about the, and maybe even start to want one.

Right now I have a copy of Lady’s Big Surprise, Star of Wonder and A Star Discovered (was Willie To the Rescue) brand new to give away to one lucky person. All you have to do is leave a comment here telling me what was your favorite book as a child. What story drew you in and never let go?

This giveaway will run until Friday the 21st. A random comment will be choosen as the winner and announced Saturday morning.

Tags: books, giveaways, girls, horse

The Sky Isn’t Visible From Here by Felicia Sullivan is a book that has been on my radar for a bit now when I saw it mentioned on another blog. So when Mother Talk sent out the email asking if anyone wanted to read a copy and talk about it on their blog I had my hand raised and was jumping up and down in my seat. “Pick me! Pick me!”

This book tells Felicia’s story. One of a drug addict mother who was never around, of her own downward spiral into drugs, her ability to blend in and hide her dark secrets, and finally her ability to step out. You have to know why I absolutely had to read this book.

My own mother had me when she was far too young, not yet ready, not done with her wild days. How often was I left for days or weeks at a relative’s house while she went off chasing cheap drugs and strange men. By kindergarten I knew more about sex than most married women know. By high school I was drinking daily, doing what ever drug I could get, and going home with what ever man said something nice to me that day. I was the spitting image of my mother.

So reading The Sky Isn’t Visible From Here really hits home. Her story touches on raw spots from my own life that I don’t often like to think about. There are memories that I would rather erase than concider what they mean. But Felicia doesn’t let me get away with that. She tells her story, brings it all out into the light, and in a way forces me to look at my own as well.

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A few weeks ago I was the winner of the book The House That Jill Built. It’s one that has been on my wish list for quite some time, ever since a friend mentioned it. I was very excited to finally be getting my hands on a copy. And I wasn’t disapointed at all once I did.

First of all the photos are amazing. It helps that the houses are absolutely stunning themselves. These aren’t the typical cookie cutter houses that match everyone else’s. These are unique homes, designed and built by the women who loved them. I spent the first two days just pouring over the photos and drooling over the houses. The cohousing community, the cabin in the woods, the tiny house that I almost expect to see elves and fairies dancing next to. There are huge windows over looking a lake, a giant dining room big enough for two tables, and giant brick fireplaces that I long to have. But more than just the photos of the houses there are plenty of photos of women swinging hammers and sawing wood. These are their homes, they hand made them. I fell in love. And then I finally sat down and read the stories behind the homes.
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I hit the thrift shop yesterday and today for the last minute bfore Christmas bargains going on. There’s nothing like getting lots of crafty supplies and fun stuff for cheap. I really hit the jackpot too as today all Christmas related items were a quarter. Woo-hoo!

I got this cute starry platter to use for cookies. I don’t normally like the color gold but this was just too fun to pass up. Most of the others had the typical Santas or trees on them so this platter really stood out to me. I’m still not sure what cookies I’m going to make to take over for Dearest’s parent’s Christmas thing. I tried talking him into getting me some peppermint flavored sprinkles at the store last night for my cookies but the price was a bit steep. 

Then I found this fun fur yarn in a swirl of bright pink and blue. It really is much brighter than it looks in the picture. My neice has a birthday in January so I’m hoping a scarf will be a great gift. It’s really just her kind of colors.

Just before we were leaving I saw Noel for Jeanne-Marie tossed on the book pile. It’s so cute I had to get it! Wooden shoes and Father Noel and a sheep named Patapon. It’s an original copy from 1953 and the illistrations are so folky and wonderful. I really think the boys are going to love this story when I read it tonight.

I also got a huge stack of felt for a quarter. Almost every color you could imagine. We already had some fun with it last night making small felt stocking ornaments to give. They were very cute and very simple to make. And you should have seen Evan beaming with pride as he handed them to everyone. So sweet!

Tags: thrift store, shopping, crafts, books

On Friday a book that was meant to be a Christmas gift came in the mail. But me being me couldn’t wait and immediately opened it up for Evan to enjoy. I was originally excited when I found A Child’s Garden of Verses at PaperBackSwap and swiped it up. I expected to get an older book, well used from years of reading. Instead the book I hurriedly pulled out of the package was brand new! The book had never been opened as far as I can tell. We spend a big part of the afternoon curled up on the couch reading the poems one after another, breathing in that new book smell.

With each book we add to the collection the more I wish for a sudden lump of cash to fall in my lap. I could easily spend a few thousand dollars on gently used books and still yearn for more. Especially during the winter months when it is cold and grey out. There’s nothing like curling up to hot cocoa and a good book after flinging snowballs. Make that a doulbe of hot cocoa after being the sole target of the snowballs the entire time.

Hopefully the snow isn’t so bad as to cancel the homeschooling moms meeting tonight. We had to postpone it last Monday because of the ice that covered everything. I’m looking forward to getting out tonight. Ahhh, adult interaction!

Tags: books, A Child’s Garden of Verses, children, Winter

Children learn about the rain forest, but usually not about their own region’s forests, or … even just the meadow outside the classroom door.

I’m finally getting close to being done with Last Child in the Woods. The more I read the more I love this book. It’s one that I really think every parent needs to read.

I’m in a part where he is talking about children’s experiences with nature shaping how they feel about it. Sitting in a desk reading about rain forests thousands of miles away may teach them the logistics of being environmentally friendly, but it does nothing to teach them to love the environment. When we love something we are more likely to want to protect it, we feel a deeper connection that stays with us.

I didn’t learn about pollution or rain forests or destruction as a child. What I learned was the best way to climb the old apple tree in my grandmother’s yard, how the wet grass felt between my toes, and what animals would come close enough if I offered the right treats. I fell in love with the prickly silver tinted plants that grew along side the dirt road, the ones with the purple flowers shaped like stars. And I found peace on warm nights when not a single cloud covered the billions of stars in the sky. Learning the natural history of the world around me.

I do think that kids need to first know the nature around them before they can begin to love the nature they will probably never see. Learn the names of the lizards and bugs that crawl around outside, find out which local plants are edible, and most importantly feel the grass under bare feet running. Louv talks about how important nature is for emotional and intellectual health in children. He says that children exposed to nature are better socialized, are calmer, and are learn at a better rate than those who live in concrete world full of video games. He also emphasizs that kids need to really get out in it. Not just take walks but build tree houses and chase lizards. Fall in love with nature first.