9 months

:: my little guy
:: walking at 8 1/2 months
:: loves bananas
:: he is sooo excited to see his daddy comes home
:: saying mama, dada, baba, A-a (for his sister) and we had a few uh-ohs
:: loves nursing morning, noon, and night
:: loves emptying baskets

it seems a fitting time to say that i have been having a difficult time here. while i know there are many new changes that come with a new baby, things should get a little easier as they get a little older. but, this has not happened here. my little one had been sick since halloween and thankfully has recovered a few days before christmas. as any mother would do, i have done everything possible to get him nursing and well. he has been slowly slipping down on the growth chart. he has gone from 90% in height to the 25% in height and his weight is below the chart. friends and family have been so kind to help ease my worries with their words. but in my heart, this has been very unsettling for me. another round of recently blood work came back normal, which my doctor is content with but it leaves me with so many unanswered questions.

... i held off from publishing but a recent visit to another doctor in search of answers to my questions and concerns has brought new hope and something positive to report to everyone. our doctor thinks that my little guy is reacting to something i am eating. so we are adjusting our diet. in addition to being free of cow's milk products, i will be gluten-free, egg-free, and soy-free. with that comes some changes to the family's diet as well.

and i wanted to thank you and this space for giving me a little escape and outlet. truthfully, i have not been taking time for myself, as i know so many other mothers have trouble finding the time, especially with a new baby. with my little one's last round of testing, i had to do some tapping techniques or eft that i learned years ago to center myself, release some emotions, and keep me in the now. i feel great gratitude that i was able to utilize this technique and it reminded me of a time when i was more at peace. and it is something that i need to work on, so i will be taking some time to soak in the tub and do some reading, to start off with. if you need some time for yourself, i hope that you allow yourself some time as well.

childhood memories

from as young as i could remember, my family had the tradition of gathering at my great grandparents house to celebrate and rejoice in the holiday with food, good cheer and song. the house was filled with great aunts and uncles and lots of cousins and our evening went late into the night singing christmas carols together. when we decided on which song to sing, everyone would be flipping through their books trying to find song, some seemed to flip longer than others because back in the day, we all had different song books. these days, we all have the same song book which makes it very easy to help each other find the page. this year our helper announced the song and the page and gave us a 10 count. and i sit back, filled with great joy and gratitude to share these beautiful traditions with my little ones. and as we start new ones of our own, i know they are the beginning of new magical childhood memories.

the gift of light

The gift of light

We thankfully take,

But nothing may be

Just alone for our sake.

The more we give light

To one and another

It shines and spreads life

Growing still further,

Till every spark is set aflame.

Till every heart,

Joy shall proclaim!

                                                                                                            -M. Tittman


wishing you a wonderous and joyous holiday.

handmade for the holidays

:: little glimpses of some of our handmade goodies

celebrating the forth week on advent

:: as we celebrate the forth week of advent, i am reminded of so many things. i feel very very very thankful for my family, the time we spend together and for every little blessing we have. i am just not courageous enough to share all of my thoughts and feelings at this time, like my friend over here, who touched me with her beautifully words. today, we have some beautiful snow to be thankful for. a magical covering of sparkling white brings a silent stillness outside, keeping us tucked inside, creating new family memories.

parcels in winter

:: one of my most looked forward to threads on the mothering boards have been regarding books. i love mothers coming together to share their favorite books to mark the seasons or celebrations with their children and family. lovely books to celebrate winter and wonderful classics that i feel blessed to have found and be able to share with my little ones. especially the out-of-print books, which i would not have discovered on my own. it is a wonderful feeling to be apart of keeping these stories alive and be able to pass them on.

the beauty of buying used books is that your parcels trickling in a lovely manner. some books will be wrapped and tucked nicely under the tree and other's have been enjoyed on cozy, snuggly, hot chocolate-filled afternoons. winter stories we have enjoyed in the past like 'twas the night before christmas, owl moon, the big snow, the snowman, stranger in the woods, and stone soup. and a few new stories to read and share togther, like, night tree, when winter comes, snow tree, the christmas magic, the story of the snow children, frog, bee and snail look for snow and baking bread with children. i shared some pictures of a new favorite book by tasha tudor's, a time to keep. what are you favorite books for the season?

holiday tunes and a playsilk

as the countdown to christmas is happening quicker than i can keep up. i look at my list of gifts i intended on making. i look at which ones i actually have the supplies for and then i look at the ones i might have time for and i look at the ones that could wait until the spring. by my oldest, little and innocent comments have been made regarding gifts from santa and a recent visit to santa's lap revealed a new gift. i know my children are blessed and A has more than enough, but some sort of guilt is festering inside of me. i try and lose this feeling, for i know i need not run out and purchase the gift. i know the gifts i have chosen from the shops are well intended, i know that what i have had made and what i will be making comes from the heart. i try and find peace, i try and slow down. i find peace in the simple things, in making pancakes, in baking, in sitting down on the floor and watching my 9 month old continue to take steps, in snuggling in and reading holiday books, and in singing and dancing to holiday music (with a playsilk, of course). wishing you peace

advent week three

:: setting our animals out in our nativity scene. as i child, i always loved setting up the nativity scene with this set, which was made by my grandmother. i love the holiday traditions that have been passed down, that i have held close to my heart and i feel so lucky to bring them to my family. my little one held each one with care and i see that this is something that she is treasuring and holding close to her heart.

santa lucia story

saint lucia a symbol of hope, bringing the light and warmth during a cold, dark season. as we celebrate st. lucia day for the first time, i searched for the stories, songs, activities and food we could share together as a family. as with everything we choose to celebrate, we try and make a connection to our family, helping us to nourish our souls and find greater meaning. we celebrated by making an evergreen crown, watching some santa lucia day processions on youtube, making the recipe for santa lucia buns in the waldorf kindergarden snack book and reading this lovely story that i'd like to share.

Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia, thy light is glowing
Through darkest winter night, comfort bestowing.
Dreams float on dreams tonight,
Comes then the morning light,
Santa Lucia,

Santa Lucia.


SANTA LUCIA A story written by Tiziana Boccaletti
Once upon a time, a long long time ago, in a far away land there lived a young woman. Her name was Lucia and she liked spending time on the lake, quietly listening to all the animals and the sounds the water made. The swans knew her and liked her and would come feed from her hand during winter time. Mama hawk would often salute her with a loud screech when circling in the cool sky. She was a young girl like many others, she liked what everybody else liked and enjoyed spending time with friends in the woods, playing games and baking cakes with her mother. She always felt gratitude in her heart for what she had and her good kind loving family but there was one thing she always wished for. Lucia wished she could see with her eyes. Born blind, she had learned at a young age to use her ears, her hands and her heart to listen. One day, after going for a long walk in the woods, she sat under a mighty walnut tree and fell asleep. She dreamt many colorful dreams of faraway places, unicorns, knights and palaces and in her dreams her eyes were as bright and clear as one thousand candles. In her dream, an old good witch from the castle told her that soon the light from her heart would travel to her eyes and she would be able to see. Lucia woke up and was at first startled by her dream but then she realized in was time to go home. It was the darkest night of the year and she could smell the sunset dampness coming from the green grass. On her way to town she heard an old woman asking for help. Lucia immediately ran to her to see what she might need. The old woman asked for help walking home. Lucia immediately offered her arm and the two of them walked for a long time. They had been climbing up a hill when a young boy approached them and asked for food. Lucia was very hungry herself but she reached into her apron pocket and offered him her red apple. He thanked her and devoured it right away. Lucia was hungry herself but didn’t say anything..she was happy she could help. They had almost reached their destination when Lucia heard the voice of a man calling her. He was sitting by the side of the road and told her he had been robbed of all his clothes. Lucia took her shawl off her shoulders and gave it to him. It was her favorite shawl, the one that her grandma her patiently knitted for her by the fire, but she didn’t mind. When she asked the old woman if they had arrived yet, the old woman said, “Yes, you have arrived”. Lucia asked: “Where are we?”. The old woman replied: “Look up at the moon in the sky and you will know”. Lucia raised her head and saw the full moon with her own eyes. She looked at the old woman and realized it was indeed the witch she had dreamed of. The old witch said: “The golden light from your good heart grew so strong that it had to find a new home and that new home is your eyes. Go and use the light to be of service to others and light their way”. Lucia was overfilled with joy and ran all the way home to tell her mother and all her friends. And if things haven’t changed, they are still the same!

cinnamon spice ornaments

:: there is nothing like the smell of cinnamon spice ornaments to warm up your home. oh the sweet smell, it's so delightful. we used a recipe of 1 cup of cinnamon, 3/4 cup applesauce. i saw a cute little idea of stringing them with a jingle bell, which we will gifting to some of our friends and family.

pomander balls

:: the elves left out out some clementines and cloves. my little one immediately started decorating her pomander ball when she walked in the door from school. we all had a hand at decorating our clementines in all sorts of patterns. last year, my little one created this one for her school christmas tree. smiley faces seems to be a reoccurring theme, as this is the one my husband decorated years back. i remember decorating pomander balls as a child, which we finished up by rolling them in cinnamon.


:: my little one taught dad how to weave a pine cone. she was holding his yarn ball and let him know he was doing a good job. it was so sweet to witness these moments between my daughter and husband.

pine cone weaving

:: a little gift from the elves. some pine cones and little balls of yarn, for some pine cone weaving. a few for our tree and a few to gift our family and friends.

surprise bulbs

:: the elves gifted us with some magical bulbs. "they are like surprise bulbs" because we don't know what type of flower they will grow into. she admired the bulbs and wondered what they would become.

advent - week two

:: as we celebrate the second week of advent, i am organizing myself a little better, getting us ready for some fun seasonal crafts. the pine cones we've collected throughout the last few months will become beautiful ornaments that we will gift our family. my little one ended up gifting us with last years beaded candy cane ornaments. i hope this year her gifts will make it over to their intended recipients. i think we will put gift tags on them as we go, which may help.