may faire time again

Poster up when we went to Rainbow Bridge last week. Yay! May Faire time again!

Bracken being pushed on the swing by his older friend, which he thought was very exciting.

Bracken insisting that he wanted to wear his sunglasses on the way to class last week.

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Last year we went to the May Faire at the Eugene Waldorf School for the first time. We had so much fun. We've been looking forward to going again. I asked Bracken if he remembered it and he said no, so it might be like experiencing it for the first time all over again for him. Like last year, we will be setting up a booth with our handmade goods. If you are a local: the May Faire is this Saturday, May 3rd, from 11 to 4. 

We'd love to see you!

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P.S. Thank you all so much for all your kind comments on yesterday's post. Your support and loving words are such a huge blessing in our life, more than I could ever say. Thank you.

a bit of handwork: sewing & a finished doll

 Recently I noticed a pile of forgotten sewing projects. Things needing mending, a doll almost finished, and something in need of buttons. My knitting is located downstairs and I can knit a stitch or two here and there, weaving bits of it into daily life. Downstairs is where I spend my days- in the kitchen, in the living room where the woodstove is, and it's where the stuff of life takes place. I pretty much only go upstairs to sleep at night. I don't really spend any time up there. And that's where my sewing projects were located. So it's no wonder that they weren't getting finished. Plus, I'm more comfortable with knitting than I am with hand sewing, so my knitting projects get more attention. I was bothered by the fact that I had all those unfinished projects laying around so I brought them downstairs and gave them a new location: in the living room, right next to my knitting. And when I had a free moment, instead of reaching for my knitting, I reached for my sewing. I talked to my grandma on the phone one day and finished mending a pair of Bracken's favorite pants. I was so happy to have one project finished! It empowered me to tackle some others. 

The next project I started working on was a little Waldorf doll from fall session. She was finished, except for one thing: her bonnet needed to be finished and then sewn on. That's it! And she had been waiting in the need-to-finish-pile since the fall. So I started working on her when I had a free moment here and there. Bracken wanted to play with her so he cheered me on and motivated me to finish her more quickly. When I was first creating her, I intended for her to be a grandmother doll. I gave her curly gray hair. I did a braid across the top and then was going to give her an updo. But then I fell in love when I saw a little bonnet on someone's doll and decided the grandmother doll needed a bonnet too. Then I just left her long hair down in the back. She has a flowery dress, a blue cape and bonnet, wild curly hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks (just like the snow angel.) She's a simple Waldorf doll and I like the sweetness she emanates. We were calling her "Grandmother Doll" and then one day, out of the blue, the name "Grandmother Larkin" popped into my head, so that is what we are calling her now. I like to think that Grandmother Larkin loves to grow flowers in her garden and sew for her grandchildren. On a sunny day, these little daisies made the perfect place to photograph her.

Most nights I ask Bracken if he wants to bring any "friends" up to bed and he usually picks a few to take with him. Ever since I finished Grandmother Larkin, he's been picking her to bring to bed every time. She's well loved. I have to say, there is something magical about making something with your hands and then watching your child love and play with it, breathing life into it. I feel there is a special joy in handmade dolls.

snow angel doll & winter songs

 The Tuesday before last we had our last class for the winter session of Rainbow Bridge and I finished this little doll. I've been meaning to share her here. I'm calling her a snow angel because that's what she looks like to me. I adore her bonnet. I really enjoy making dolls now and get excited about the next handwork project each time a new session of the class starts. I'll be attaching a little cord to her and hanging her up on the wall. I thought she would make a wonderful ornament, but I want to see her hanging up all the time and not just once a year. I love giving the dolls I make to Bracken. He plays with "Daisy" all the time (her wings have since been removed and I stitched little eyes and a mouth on her.) The moonbaby was an exception, it hangs on the wall in our bedroom. This snow angel will be an exception too. It just felt to me like she had a different purpose as I was making her and I like to think of her as a little guardian snow angel, watching over us. (Her rosy cheeks, in case you were wondering, were done by coloring on a cloth with a red beeswax crayon. Then rubbing the cloth lightly on the doll's face. The rosy cheeks are adorable, I think, and it makes her look like she just came inside from playing out in the cold.) Lately Bracken has been playing with toys and dolls in a whole new way and it's really fun to watch. It's inspiring me to make more dolls for him and the wheels have been turning in my head with ideas. 

On another note: we sing different songs for different seasons during our class. I wanted to write two winter songs down, so we won't forget them. I thought you might enjoy them too:

Where do you come from, little flakes of snow? 

(Traditional German Song)

Oh, where do you come from, 

you little flakes of snow?

Falling, falling, softly falling 

on the earth below.

On the trees and on the bushes, 

On the mountains afar,

Tell me snowflakes do you come from 

Where the angels are?

.........................

Quiet, quiet, 
make not any noise

Listen, listen, 
to the gentle voice

All of nature rests below

Waiting for spring's warming glow

(Movements that go along with the second song: 1) Finger to lips, 2) Hand cupping ear, 3) Hands waving back and forth along the earth/ground, 4) Hands rising upward and then outwards towards sun.)

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Bracken loves those songs and wants to sing them often, especially the second one with the hand movements. The only white outside our door right now are trilliums, not snow. I thought I best post these, as winter will be gone before we know it!

in the classroom: on the playground

 Going to the Eugene Waldorf School for Rainbow Bridge has become a part of our weekly rhythm. In the classroom you might find tent making, playing, circle time, songs, snacking, and chatting. I love the conversations we share there, around the table. To have other parents and grandparents to connect and relate to and laugh with because yes, we know how that is. The handwork projects we do are so fun, relaxing, and satisfying all at the same time. Going there is always a bright spot in our week.

These were some moments I captured there the last few weeks. 

And today? Well, here is a little peek at Bracken's new owl hat...

 After our time in the classroom, we head outside and over to the playground.

Inside and outside, in the classroom and on the playground, we love it all!

our first winter light faire

The previous weekend I was planning on bringing Bracken to the Winter Light Faire at the Eugene Waldorf School, but it was cancelled because of all the snow. It got rescheduled for this last Saturday. Jeff watched our booth at the Holiday Market and Bracken and I drove over to check out the faire. We had never been to the Winter Light Faire before and friends had told me how wonderful it was. When we got there we didn't know where to go first, it seemed there were activities happening in all of the buildings and we wanted to see it all.

Someone recommended the Ice Fishing, so we headed to the room where that was held.

Bracken reaching with the fishing pole (and wearing his dada's elf hat.)

I helped Bracken hook one of the little prizes.

Inside the fabric pouch was a little wool fish. Bracken was delighted!
After the fishing, we headed over to the wreath making room. It looked like fun, but I realized it was a more time intensive project than we had the time for that day. 

Our friend Lara recommended the Crystal Cookie Cave. We decided to go in for the experience, but we skipped the cookies. When we entered, there was a woman playing a small harp and there were glowing crystals all around. After that, there were many other rooms we wanted to visit. I wanted to make all the crafts in the craft room and make dipped beeswax candles in the building next door. They had puppet shows and musical performances... so much to see and do! These are all the pictures I took that day. We didn't stay long, our first time at the Winter Light Faire was short and sweet. We had another errand to run before returning to the Holiday Market and I didn't want to leave Jeff in our booth for too long, since I hadn't told him we'd be gone for that long. Next year I'd like to stay longer and participate in more activities. I'm really glad we were able to make it this year. We've loved getting to be a part of different festivals and celebrations at the Waldorf school.
On a side note: I feel funny writing a happy post today because I was such a grouch today. But I guess a happy post is good for me and will help bring some balance to my day!