Stock Show (again!)

Most of the family went to the Stock Show this weekend. Because Hannah had asthma after both days working there, she elected to stay home for this visit.

There are always interesting varieties of animals at the stock show!

Watching sheep dogs round up (you guessed it) - sheep.

Riding on a fancy tractor.

Riding on cousin Doug.

When they got to the bunny area, they took rabbits out of the cage to pet them... (notice-no one around them)

And were instantly surrounded by children wanting to hold the rabbits!

Abby ended up working in the rabbit area for an hour and a half- so many people came by once she arrived!

I think it's safe to say she loved every minute!

Hope by some bunny cages.

And at the "seed" exhibit.

Women were spinning and weaving wool- fun to watch.

Children showed their sheep to the judges.

Tired after a long day!

In the Sewing Room (Take 2)

I sewed a vintage tablecloth picked up at an antique shop last summer into a "shopper" bag today. It was too small to use on my kitchen table, but I liked the colors and the price was right. I thought it might enjoy a second go 'round as a purse.

A pocket, too.

In the Sewing Room

There are a couple of projects in this book that look fun to make. One of them is the "shopper" bag shown on the left on the front cover.

I don't have any pale linen like the one in the book, but I did have some sturdy cotton left over from sewing maternity overalls a looong time ago.

The directions did not call for lining the bag, but I did and added a pocket as well. I found some buttons and rick rack and had fun decorating the inside of the bag.

Now to go shopping!

Winter Days

More snow last night...

Temperatures hovering in the single digits...

How to add some excitement to the day when you are six years old?

By covering all your family members in stickers, of course!

Don't forget the dog- she might feel left out.

Stock Show Time!

One of the best parts of living in Colorado is the National Western Stock Show. After the excitement of Christmas, January tends to be a "low" month. However, the stock show is a big deal around these parts and a great indoor event for everyone (which is good, since the temperature usually hovers around zero with snow on the ground).

This year Hannah and Abby are planning to work a few days selling their bunnies along with three other breeders. Today the girls worked all day cleaning cages, making sure the rabbits had food and water and answering questions from the multitudes of school children that came in the afternoon.

Abby answered questions from children and placed selected rabbits on the display table for people to pet. They didn't sell any rabbits while they were working, but they sure had fun seeing so many people and talking about one of their favorite subjects!

One of the highlights for Abby was in the diversity of people who came to see the bunnies. Many handicapped people and people in wheelchairs came and Abby would place a bunny on their lap so they could stroke the soft fur. Many schoolchildren and their parents came and Abby talked for quite a while with another girl who is also homeschooled and raises bunnies.

Next to the rabbit cages is the "bird section". We always love to see the interesting looking chickens they have there.

Little dutch bunnies- not the ones we brought, but similar looking.

Look at the long ears of this Lopp! So cute.

One of the Best Parenting Tips I Ever Heard...

I read or heard this when Hannah was a baby and I don't remember the source of it, but it really stuck with me:

As a parent, never be the one who ends the hug first.

That's it. Let the child be the one who breaks away from you after a hug.

I have been amazed at what this can do- comfort for the child when I wasn't aware that they were having a tough time, especially in those middle years.

Sometimes I would hug one of my children and they would just keep squeezing me- they needed that emotional comfort- and I had no idea. But I kept hugging- not pulling away- until the child was "done". The change in the child's countenance was amazing- peaceful, relaxed. I didn't even have to know what was troubling them and most of the time they didn't tell me, but whatever it was, they felt better afterwards. The incredible power of human touch!


Now, if the child also receives this advice (never be the one who ends the hug first), you could be in for some REALLY long hugs...

There's a Boy in the House

Whose toys like to repel down the staircase.

Reading This Month:

Sorry for the blurry picture- the cover is shiny and I couldn't get the camera to focus.
Wow- what a thought provoking book. Although I disagree with some of the conclusions this woman comes to after she leaves a Muslim country to escape to Holland, reading about her life was fascinating, shocking, alarming and enlightening. How grateful I am to have been born in America and not a Muslim country!

I haven't read this book yet and I admit I'm a bit nervous to begin. But I hope it will be insightful - especially as I have been processing through spiritual abuse and its effects.

On a lighter note, I have checked out numerous craft books recently and have been disappointed overall. These two books, Romantic Home Sewing and Sublime Stitching have been the exception. I'm inspired to do a bit of fun sewing now!

I have checked out a mountain of books on Dyslexia, hoping to find other pieces to Abby's reading situation. Most of the books waxed on about how only professionals can help and parents should leave everything up to them. But this book above had a few helpful leads into other things we might look into.

And finally, two charming children's books that have made for nice bedtime reading. Hope LOVED Miss Suzy. I think she has it memorized already.

Very cute book for boys who love to build. If I can find either of these books at the bookstore, I may need to pick them up!

Grandpa and Grandma's Visit

Grandpa and Grandma came from California (where they are currently living) for a visit this week. Grandma showed Abby how to knit socks, something Abby has wanted to learn for a long time.

Now the challenge will be to remember all that knitting information so she can make the sock for the other foot!

Making lemon meringue pies with the lemons Grandma brought from their lemon trees.

A gluten free crust so we can all enjoy the pies.

Hope wearing Grandma's shawl.

Look! That loose tooth *finally* came out! A few days after Christmas, Hope was playing in the basement and it just FELL out of her mouth- I tell you that thing was so loose. She looked like an orphan for a couple of weeks, but at last it came out.

House Projects

Brian typically takes two weeks vacation at Christmas to work on projects around the house. This year he built six drawers for the laundry room so now the cabinetry in that room is finished. As soon as we find the paint we like and the weather warms up, he'll paint everything and put on hardware - and the room will look much better.

He also made a window seat for the back hallway and put up new molding around that window. Brian is putting Hannah's shelves back up (taken down when he re-did the molding around her window)- new shelving that will fit in with the new window molding.

Winter Fun

We have a *very* small hill on our property - so small I'm not sure it qualifies for the "hill" title. More like a slight incline perhaps. But whatever the official designation, the kiddos love to slide down it when there is enough snow.

They can have fun for hours, while I watch from the kitchen window, where it's warm and dry.

Abby having fun.

Jacob stays warm in his new Christmas jacket and snow pants (a birthday gift).

Hope loved to wear the new snow pants, boots and hat she received for Christmas.

Three girls sliding at once. Yes, they did crash at the bottom, but I didn't get a photo of that.