Warm Up!

Yesterday was our first raw, rainy, almost bone-chilling day - and it was the first day of first grade for my older son!  Today it's moderated in temperature and feels muggy rather than raw.  It's amazing how quickly the weather changes from blistering hot to shivering with a chill!

I decided since the cooler weather's moving in to put my scarves and hats on sale this week for WoodstreamDreamWednesday.  All of the "winter" items are on sale.  I have a few hats not on sale, but if you'd like to use the coupon code:  DREAMBLOG10 you can save 10% on your order - including any sale items!

I'm finishing up the mustard organic cotton hat.  It's incredibly soft and I'm tempted to keep it for myself, except I know there are others in the world who look far better in mustard than I do!  I may have to go back and buy myself a different color in that organic cotton!  I have enough of the yarn to do either a pair of mittens or a scarf - not both.  I think I'll put it up on my Facebook Fanpage to see what my fans would like to see me make with the yarn.

I'm single parenting this week while my husband is away on business on the west coast.  Summer single parenting is much easier - no alarms or lunches to pack and one doesn't have to be out of the house by 7:45 with two little people to drop off the older of the little ones!  I am grateful beyond measure that my husband has a job in this miserable economy.  His being away helps me be all the more appreciative of how involved he is with our day-to-day life as a family - I have a much heavier line to tow when I'm alone.  We're a truly blessed family!

Pictures tonight or tomorrow of the mustard hat.  I'm in love with this yarn & I'm sure the owner of this hat will be, too!

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!

Supplies a Plenty!

I am so excited to have a ton of new yarn on hand to work on short-term and long-term projects!
~raw silk yarn in an oatmeal color - softens up even more with each washing!  still working on plans for this
~jewel-toned (multi-color) fingering weight wool yarn that I'm making into a wrap or cowl (depending on how long it goes) - this will be a long term project as the stitching is very small.  This will be dry clean only because it's pure soft wool that's not superwash.
~organic cotton yarn in mustard - hat and scarf planned
~bamboo blend yarn in butternut - hat and scarf planned
~merino blend yarn in peacock - hat and scarf planned
~merino blend yarn in charcoal - to finish a cowl for myself... maybe mittens, too!
~bamboo blend yarn in kiwi - hat and mittens planned for my older son
~cotton yarn in lilac - something for my brother's new baby girl who should be born any day now

If you see a color here of yarn that you would like me to make a custom item for you, please email me at woodstreamdream@gmail.com to discuss size, pattern, and cost.  I have not started any of these projects, but I have enough yarn of these to do what I have stated.  Instead of a scarf, I can crochet mittens.

Right now I'm working on a little project for my mother and getting everything ready for my older son's first day of first grade tomorrow!  My younger son starts preschool in a week - I can barely believe it!  There are a lot of things happening here by the woodstream.  It's an exciting time of year!

Thanks for reading and have a blessed week!

August comes to a close...

This has been such a busy month... I learned how to can, experienced my first earthquake and landfalling hurricane (in the same week) and enjoyed so much time with my boys.  I didn't accomplish as much as I'd like for my business, but I will soon have time on my hands and will be able to keep busy with business stuff while my boys are down the road at school.  I will miss them greatly, but they enjoy themselves there and I will enjoy undisturbed time to work so I can focus clearly on them during non-school hours!  That is the one steady challenge during the summer months - trying to fit everything in because that's what us "perfect" mothers are supposed to do.  Well, that's quite the misconception.  Perfection is highly over-rated and unattainable by us humans!

We've been home - without leaving the house since last Wednesday afternoon and for the most part, we've had a great time together.  Scary with the tornado warnings, taxing with bouts of tummy problems for one of my little men, and grateful when a large tree came down on our fence & not on our home as Irene blew northward!  I love to gather them close and can barely believe how quickly they're growing before my eyes.  The sounds of their laughter just lifts my spirits when I feel my plate piled too high.  They are constant joys in my life - joy that we've been blessed with two smart and good-spirited children.  Perfection takes a backseat these days.  I was so very confused during the early years of motherhood - trying to have everything just so.  Life is meant to be lived, not admired from a distance.  I go to bed knowing that there's laundry in the washer, toys on the floor, and dishes needing to be unloaded from the dishwasher - but also knowing that I will wake refreshed and ready for another day of teaching my children how to care for one another and the world around them - the way our Lord teaches.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13 

Ah, I nearly forgot - earlier in the month I asked for scripture suggestions from my friends at Mary Jane's Farm Forum because I was going to paint some mugs so I could hold the Lord's words in my hands each morning.

They were a bit more expensive than I thought, so I painted two verses on each mug - one for myself  to read and one for my tablemate to read on the other side!  The inside I glazed with cafe au lait so that no tea or coffee stains would be noticed!

And now for the newest addition to my shop - Sky and Field Ripple Scarf in Acrylic

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80821508/crochet-sky-and-field-ripple-scarf

Remember tomorrow is WoodstreamDreamWednesday!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/woodstreamdream?section_id=10188743  All items in this section are marked 25% off for one week only!

Thanks for reading & have a blessed remainder to the month!

Give Away @ I'm Naturally Simple

Passing on the information via this link:  http://imnaturallysimple.com/2011/08/giveaway-ball-canning-book-and-kit/  Kim, another MJF Farmgirl, is having a giveaway that ends on August 30 at noon.  She's giving away a Ball Canning Kit & Book.  Click the link & follow the instructions to enter.  I was so excited to enter because I canned for the first time this week and I am planning to can again tonight or in the morning - despite this hurricane on the way!

Sweet & Hot Pepper Relish made on 8/22 for the first time by me!

Like I said, now I'm hooked - so I am going to be processing some peach preserves or sauce or something early this weekend.  I'm also working on a few projects that will be added to my shop next week.

Thanks for reading!  Please stay safe this weekend if you're in Irene's path!

Another Week...

It's been quite an exciting week!  I did my first BNR last Thursday & Friday.  On Saturday we discovered the patch was all but destroyed by the torrential rains from last week, I mourned my losses.  Sunday we had church and then went to the Collingswood Fine Arts & Crafts Festival and I was able to buy some perennials for my home gardens at a great price!  Monday I tried my hand at canning for the first time - I made hot and sweet pepper relish.  I haven't tried it, yet, but it smelled really good on Monday afternoon.  Yesterday we went to the shore and had a lovely time with my husband's family.  We felt our first earthquake while on the beach - 5.8 magnitude centered in central Virginia, but we were in Ocean City, NJ.  Then a couple of hours later a seagull was eating something while floating on the water.  The life guards rowed out and then pulled in the carcass of a large fish that had been filet and then dumped.  It stunk us off of the beach.  The kids had a great time looking at it, playing in the sand, catching jellyfish, and proclaiming that there was going to be a tsunami in one or two days (my six-year-old).  It was a beautiful day!


And that leads us to today...


It's WoodstreamDreamWednesday.  Click on WoodstreamDreamWednesday section of my shop and enjoy 25% off of a selection of items today next Wednesday when a new selection goes on sale.  This week's theme - Save a little Green when you buy a little Green for Mom or Baby!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/woodstreamdream?section_id=10188743


And now I'm off because today I am taking the boys to visit friends we have barely seen this summer to go on a fishing expedition to Parvin State Park!


Have a blessed day!

WoodstreamDream Wednesday!!!

It's WoodstreamDreamWednesday at www.woodstreamdream.etsy.com - come see the eight beautiful items I've put on sale for the week. Pink and brown are the colors of the week!


Stop in at the BNR Treasury for the coupon code to use (combine with my sale) and each purchase receives an entry in the giveaway Friday 6pm ET. *Please post a comment to let them know that Nicole from WoodstreamDream sent you over, I get credit for each person who stops in & purchases! Valid for any of the 14 shops involved in the treasury. TIA!
Link to the BNR Treasury:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTYwOTYwNTF8NTc1OTE5MTYy/sfgcteam-1st-bnr-pamper-teacher-momwww.woodstreamdream.etsy.com


The SFGCTeam is the Sunshine Farm Girl Coop Team that I joined on etsy last week.  It's made up of "farm girls" - we don't necessarily live on a farm, but we all belong to Mary Jane's Farm Girl Forum and met there.  Several of us have shops on etsy and that's how we formed - to support and bring more business to each other.  I may call it "my" team, but I didn't form it - I am a member and it's the only team I belong to at this time - so like church, I call it "my" because I belong.


I have my fingers in several crochet projects right now...  I am finishing up the last of the cotton yarn in pink, purple, cream, and brown with making one last washcloth.  I have two baby blankets in the works and one for my older son, although admittedly I have not been very good at working on that recently.  I am also crochet scarf in pale blue and green - I'm still trying to come up with a name... it's not really flowing, what I have in my head right now, so I'm going to think more while I crochet.


Thanks for stopping in to read!  Have a blessed day!!!

Sunshine Farm Girl Coop Treasury BNR on Etsy

Presale starts now for my team on Etsy - for every purchase you make, you'll be entered into a drawing that will be held 6pm ET Friday. Prizes are listed in the comments. To qualify, you don't need to purchase what is in the treasury, but from a shop in the treasury.  There are coupon codes listed for each of the shops that are selling, just look through the first few comments.
*Please post a comment to let them know that Nicole from WoodstreamDream sent you over, I get credit for each person who stops in & purchases!
Thanks in advance for your support!

Here's the link to the treasury:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTYwOTYwNTF8NTc1OTE5MTYy/sfgcteam-1st-bnr-pamper-teacher-mom

Have a blessed day!