CHRISTEPHI

When we first moved to Missouri from Southern California, we didn't have much in the way of winter wear.  Miss M was only two when winter arrived and hadn't quite mastered the skill of napping without assistance, by which I mean she needed to be cuddled to sleep.  I spent a lot of time sitting with her asleep on my lap.  I kept my hands busy by knitting or crocheting warm things for us to wear.  One pattern I made was Suzetta's Fingerless Mitts . I made some for each of us! It's been four years since then and one of Miss M's mitts was lost, and she has taken to wearing the pair I made for myself.  Little Guy wanted a pair to wear too!  So I promised to make him a pair.  I chose a nice soft 100% wool yarn by Brown Sheep and whipped up a pair of fingerless mitts in one sitting. Wool is fantastic for keeping little boys warm, because little boys like to be independent and do things like wash their hands and clean up spills all by themsel...

Ugly dead grass and leafless trees are all we see during the winter months. By the time February rolls around, Christmas is a distant memory and the longing for warm spring days has set in.  Here in Missouri, we're torturously teased with the occasional 50 or 60 degree day that reminds us of spring, but doesn't last.  A mere 12 hours can bring those temps plummeting to sub-zero with flat gray skies and dull brown lawns.  The dreariness gets old mighty fast! Day 3: the sprouts are about a half an inch already. A couple years ago (before Pinterest!) I hit on the idea of growing some wheatgrass in little containers around the house.  It grows very quickly and the kids enjoy checking its progress everyday and running their hands gently over it. Less than a week and already the wheatgrass is lush and beautiful! I bought the wheat berries from the grocery store's bulk bin.  I soaked about 1/4 cup of grains in 1/2 cup of water overnight.  In...

Today's high, 58. Tomorrow's forecast: 3 to 5 inches of snow! We decided to take advantage of the nice weather with a little jaunt in the park. Of course, I forgot to grab my camera, so this one was taken with my phone. December Photo Project

This cheery fellow and his 7 pals will be much happier were there a dusting or so of snow this Christmas!  Until then, they're content to grace our lawn and warm our hearts! December Photo Project