My mom and I began working on this tiny house when I was about 8 years old. But we had left it just shy of complete and it had sat untouched ever since. As we were packing up our art room it became very clear what we needed to do.

So, Mom and I got to work and lots of glue and sandpaper and one funny trip to the dollhouse store (they have tiny Playg!rl magazines!) later, we finished it up just in time to gift to my niece.

Granted, she’s still a little young and the front door now needs new hinges. But it was fun watching her eyes light up and I love passing along something we worked so hard on.

More dollhouse photos here.

I also discovered something about myself – and it applies to all areas of my life: I enjoy things much more when they aren’t for me. I enjoyed growing my veggies last year, but loved giving them away even more than eating them. I’m learning to enjoy cooking and when I can keep my focus on giving my husband and son nourishing foods as a gift of love it becomes much easier. And for nearly two decades I put off finishing this dollhouse until I had another person to keep in mind while I worked.

I just hope she continues to love it as much as I loved watching her with it. Something to always remember me by.

And something to remember her uncle by as well…

We didn’t do a lot for Christmas (including blogging about it) but I did enjoy making Justin this Manly Scarf (found here on Ravelry – and also on this blog).

It wasn’t difficult but it did require I pay closer attention. Did you know they make these cool little do-dads that fit over your knitting needles to help you keep track? Yes, you probably did. But I was pretty excited when I figured out what the pieces that came in my teach-yourself-to-knit kit were actually used for.

I made this super long; longer than Justin is tall. Also, the original pattern didn’t call for stripes; that was Justin’s request and my workmanship. Yup! Learned how to change colors! I think I may have done it wrong but I couldn’t find any directions for changing colors when the first stitch is slipped. Anyone?

Something else I learned while working on this: I really enjoy knitting. And it keeps me sane, especially when I’m overstimulated. It gives me something close by to focus on, and something to do, while still being in the middle of any hubbub (like busy family gatherings). It’s centers me, pulling me inward a bit…but not too much.

Yes. It’s my new thing. Now I just need more patterns. But how do I narrow it down??

• Love, love, love this jacket!
• This cowl is calling my name.
• I’m fairly certain this sweater is a must.
• And I’m totally tempted by this skirt.

I’m feeling a bit over my head, but a whole lot of inspired.:D

Organizing our lives into a 22 foot home on wheels is not going to be easy. The shelf Justin built above the cab is going to be a HUGE help. My only clever contribution was the snap-on laptop sleeves.

I got the laptop sleeve pattern from Ali Foster Patterns on Etsy. It was a great pattern, simple (once my mom explained it to me) and they turned out great.

I wanted a safe place to hold our laptops while traveling but also wanted them to be removable for heading out to any free wi-fi spot. So, I added the heavy-duty snaps – one on each corner of the backside of the sleeve – and screwed the other side of the snaps into the benches.

I got the exterior fabric on clearance at the store; the lining was leftover from my old curtains and the batting was leftover from our djembe bags. I’m going to miss not having my sewing machine on the road. I’ve really enjoyed learning more about sewing. I have a few more small projects to attempt before I decide it’s fate (storage or sale).

On the agenda for this week: Installing a water filter, sorting through/packing the art room, finishing my childhood dollhouse to gift to my nieces and…

Taking a maiden voyage! We’re heading out to Death Valley at the end of the week!

I ended up crocheting this, instead of knitting. (I prefer knit but let’s face it, crocheting is FAST.) My sister picked the yarn (and boy was it a PITA) and I decided on the pattern. The blanket is 150 stitches across and enough half double crochets to make it square. The pattern was 5 rows of green, 3 of pink, 1 of green, 3 of pink and ended with 5 rows of green.

The hood was an improvisation and if I was wiser with these things I would have written down what I did. I think I started with 20-30 stitches and decreased by 2 each row. But don’t quote me on that. I finished it with a single crocheted border of green, then pink around the edges.

Zeb tried it out to make sure the size would last her many years. Her 2 year old sister is still using hers, as is her 15 year old sister (my second-ever crocheted blanket!). Hopefully Shelby will love this one as much.

Even with the knit hat I’m making her, I’ll still be left with WAY too much yarn. I guess that’s a drawback of not following a real pattern.

He plans to blog about full-time RVing, sustainability issues, home brewing, and other personal interests. He feels as if he’s at the start of something and wants to chronicle his journey through it, without feeling locked into any one topic.

The problem is he has no idea what to call it!

I’ve given him two suggestions – UnlostWanderer (inspired from the quote “Not all who wander are lost”) and for laughs, SustainInTheMembrane, cuz he’s a Old School dork with a sustainable streak.

But he’s unsure. So, he’s asking for your help. Do you have any suggestions for him?

I used a bunch of old greeting cards, watercolors, embroidery thread, and Mod Podge to make this…this…whatever it is. I don’t know what I’ll do with it but I really enjoyed the process of making it.

Then I opened one of Zeb’s sketch books (How To Draw Mythical Creatures or some such title) and followed line for line. It wasn’t nearly as fun as allowing the colors to drip and meld and allowing what comes, but it was fun to stretch myself more methodically.

It reminded me of my dad’s sketches – the one he drew before his hands lost feeling. I use to marvel at his talent and lament my own lack. And for a few peaceful hours I felt some small connection to him I hadn’t felt before. Like we were both artists, even if I had to practically copy mine.

I have to admit I was a little taken aback by the fact that someone viewed me as creative. To be fair, they are newly following me, so maybe they just don’t know that a couple recent tweets don’t really constitute creative genius.

But at the same time the title “creative mother” felt a bit inspiring in and of itself. As I read it a little something twanged inside my head and stated with a bit too much pride, “Why the hell not?” I may not show my creativity fully or often (or in some ways, ever) but that doesn’t mean the title still doesn’t belong to me. “Dammit, I am creative and I don’t care what anyone says!”

Look at him just run into the unknown!

This word, creativity, has been on the tip of my tongue for the past few weeks. It’s not something I’ve dedicated much deep thought or time to but it’s there, dancing around me.

And despite my inactivity on the matter, I have been feeling insanely creative. I’ve been feeling inspired to create. I can feel it bubbling. But even in those moments where I almost let it out, I routinely put it away, allowing myself to become distracted or interrupted. Motherhood, obligations, huge tasks we’re trying to accomplish. I haven’t even made time to blog!

I won’t say I haven’t enjoy it, all the time spent in frenetic activity. I’ve even enjoyed keeping some thoughts to myself, letting them play out in my mind, not writing them out for all posterity and then losing them amidst the commotion.

There’s a time for that. I think.

But there’s also a time for more. And I’m not even exactly sure what that means!

Loved watching this woman sway and dance under the water,
hands in the air without inhibitions.

I want to be creating more, not just with my words or my eyes, but with my hands. I want to get lost in the flow, where movement transcends thought and you just are: in that Moment, feeling more than thinking.

Most of my “art” has been of a practical nature. Growing things that feed me, talking of things that inspire me, exchanging philosophies or ideals that will shape my actions as a person or parent. Even my photography has turned into a documentation of my practical side.

But today as I worked on decluttering and packing our “art room”, I realized how strong a pull it was to be wildly impractical. I couldn’t bring myself to pack anything. I looked at my childhood dollhouse that I want to finish. I saw the photo frames I’ve been dying to alter. I saw our paints that have sat untouched for months. And I just knew I have to find a way to do this.

Is it the impending divergence from “normal life” that has me out on a limb? I began to feel it soon after we finished painting the interior of the RV. Clean, bright, crisp, full of possibilities and one step closer to unfettered dream chasing, and I feel we’re on the brink of soaring right off.

Weeping Rock @ Zion;
thousands of years of pent up water seeping out

I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m doing. I only know I’m sucking in all I can find on creativity like a vacuum and I can feel the shine of it seeping from my eyeballs and I just gotta get my hands on something, anything. Just like these words, I want to find a way to let it all spill out.

In this moment, I don’t feel like I can Be until I can Create.

Regardless of the manic tone of this post, I hitting Publish anyway. If authenticity isn’t organic, what is?

I learned to knit last fall, thanks to my friend Rachel. And seeing as how hats no longer fit over my dreadlocks, my first project was a warm winter beanie:

It’s just a regular beanie done in a round but left open at the top. I learned the basics with this hat, such as working in a round, decreasing and casting off. It’s pretty simple, 100% wool and keeps my ears warm.

I just finished my second project, also for my ears: a headband!

This one I’m most proud of since I used NO pattern; I made it up completely on my own! I also taught myself how to do a buttonhole and re-enforce it and how to knit-on cast on. (Thanks to hubby for getting me The Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques for Christmas last year!)

Speaking of books, I ran across this one earlier this year: Knitting With Dog Hair. Um. Hmm. “Better a sweater from a dog you know”? Sustainable, yes. But it sorta gives me the image of a crazy cat…ur, dog lady.

I’ve decided when we’re on the road I’ll be keeping my hands busy with lots of knitting (probably not with dog hair). Socks or toys both intrigue me. Have any good patterns for beginners?

**And since it’s the first Wednesday of the month, don’t forget to pop on over to Not Dabbling In Normal to see me talk about my dysfunctional pumpkin!**

A lot of time, sweat and tears (oh, a whole lotta tears) went into this project. Friends and family contributed what they could. And I spent several 10+ hour days trying to crank this puppy out in time to have it shipped for his birthday. And it was worth everything when my 10 year baby cuddled up with me and asked me to read it to him.

The book is professionally printed and bound and looks *amazing*. It chronicles his “Story” – from how I found out I was pregnant, to choosing his name, all the way to to present day favorites. I included pages with letters and favorite memories of his grandparents and silly poems from his friends. The effect it had on Zeb was wonderful. He was and still is in awe when he reads it. I really can’t say enough good things about this company. I just wish I had given myself enough time to add more!

And because we so loved our book, I sweet-talked Teri into being a blog sponsor. Yay! If you’re looking for something really unique, extremely well-made and totally inspiring (anything from a storybook like ours to a personalized deck of cards!), be sure to check out her site. The company is amazing and Teri’s even available through email or phone to help you. Her link will be found in my sidebar for awhile.

If you’re considering making a book like this, take my advice: The program was simple for me to use (all of it was drag and drop and easy enough to edit) and they offer thousands of really great embellishments. It’s a lot like scrapbooking but I enjoyed it more. However, give yourself plenty of time.Going through hundreds of photos, uploading, organizing my thoughts and editing would have gone so much smoother had I given myself at least a month or more (not including the week for printing and shipping). There are so many things I wish I had remembered and so much more I wish I had done.

That being said, with only a week to work on it, I’m so happy with it. And most importantly, so is Zeb!

If you’re interested, you can see all the pages and read most of the text here.

I got home to this: My 9 year old liberally adding a litany of ingredients, taste-testing then adding more. No recipe. No real measurements. Pure experimentation.

He brought his creation to park day the next day to share with friends (after saving a piece for Dad and Gramma). His verdict: The icing was great but melted quickly out of the fridge. The cake was more like a bread or biscuit – sweet enough but more dense that he had hoped. It was all still very yummy and quickly gobbled up.

He plans to make another one for the next park day. He wants to add more baking powder to the mix to get it to rise more and he’ll experiment with the measurements to try and get a “less sticky batter”.

Yummy!

[P.S. Be on the look out for an awesome giveaway this week. ]