family week, day 2

Today started with oatmeal around the campfire (resurrected by Sugar from last night's coals), me marveling over my coffee that I had not once heard the back door during the night.  Best first night ever!

Breakfast completed, we walked over to the neighbor's yard sale to see what treasures we might find.  A tall, elegantly carved bird for me, wind chimes for Spice, a clock and photo frame for Nice, and a collapsible tin cup and two wooden cars for Lil' Snip.

Home again, the children headed off with my Farmer to fish, and I set off grocery shopping.  Unfortunately their outing ended with . . . .

{Read more, here ... }

family week, day 1

It's family week at our farm.

The tent has been taken down from the attic and set up under the sweet gum tree, by the hammock.

The brush was burned away and a campfire laid in its place.

Sleeping bags, thrown out of upstairs windows, have been arranged in the tent - four this year.  Lil' Snip is old enough to brave the elements with his sisters, he thinks.  I hold my tongue, and pray.  They bring down pillows, too, warm pajamas, and flashlights.

. . . .

[Read the rest, here ...]

why the chicken crossed the road

To the drivers who play chicken with me (and win) on the shoulder-less country road where I walk in the evening:

Your ability to drive precisely down the middle of your own lane is admirable, but misplaced.

Out here in cornfield country, double yellow lines are viewed as a mere suggestion, to be ignored in favor of giving wide berth to walkers, joggers, bikers, buggies, and the random stray dog or cow.  Or when driving a four-mule team on narrow roads. 

[read the rest here ....]

to carry each other's burdens

[two new bags pictured at bottom of post]

"Carry each other's burdens," Paul tells us, 

"and so fulfill the law of Christ." [Galatians 6:2]

Bags that carry your groceries (or other goodies) can buy meals for hungry children.  How?!  Read on:

It all started when I ran into an old friend in a thrift store.  She was carrying a most intriguing bag, and when I asked her about it, she said she had crocheted it from plastic grocery bags!  I came home and told my daughters about it, and light bulbs went on.

Before Christmas Sugar, Spice, and Nice had worked together with me to make hymnal angels to raise money for Feed My Starving Children.  We made and sold ten (!), enabling us to donate $250 to the fund.  Sugar, Spice, and Nice were properly impressed that they - mere children, so they had thought - could earn such a sum to give away.

What if we made bags, too?!

So we did.

First we used the grocery bags we had around the house.  Then we asked the Grandmas if they had any to contribute.  Then my brother's wife caught wind of the project and gave us her generous stash!

We sorted them by color and type, and began making "plarn" (a.k.a. "plastic yarn").  Here's how it works:

Flatten the bag.

Fold it lengthwise; snip off the handles.

Snip off the bottom, then cut the length into one-inch sections.

Pull the cut sections open into loops (Lil' Snip and Nice are pros at this!), and then loop the loops together to form the "plarn" - !  Just like that.

Getting ready a new stash of "plarn" to crochet more bags!

If that looks like it takes a lot of time ... you're right - it does!  But withe all five of us working together (when that happens they call it Plarn Factory), progress is encouragingly visible.  And watching the bags form is exciting.  

Here's what we've made (so far):

{this bag is now SOLD!}

{this bag is now SOLD!}

There you have it!  Sturdy upcycled totes to carry your groceries, books, beach towels and more. If you'd like more information, or to buy a bag, contact me by email {buretachi [at] gmail [dot] com} or drop me a line in the comments! {All donations go to Feed My Starving Children.}

moving glitches

Just a note:  the blue "join this site" button at the new address is [temporarily, I hope] out of order.

Fortunately, there is a way around that - click on the tiny red boxes to the right of the blue button, and a window will pop up displaying followers.  At the top right of that window is a "follow" button.  Click that and you'll be able to go through the usual process to receive new posts.

Thank you!