New Skills

So I decided to challenge myself to knit a jumper with a fair aisle motif, and with some rather heavy hints - well a list to be exact I received a kit to produce a jumper. The key thing for me is that it was all knitted in the round  - so no sewing!

When I started I realised that along side the fair aisle design working with a chart - my original challenge to myself - I needed to learn German short rows! It was interesting and am not totally sure  I didn't make any mistakes but I have enjoyed the process








 - its not finished - obviously!! But it already looks like a jumper and I have extended my skills.

Little did I know that these were not the only skills I would be learning and re-learning this year. I am not sure I did half of the maths the girls are doing the first time round.

Lockdown has made me extend my knowledge and skills in many areas!

I have learnt that zoom is not simply something you do on a camera!! I have had to learn to communicate in new ways, in different ways and to get over seeing myself on screen!

The children too have been extending their skill set, alongside the challenge of on-line studies.




Rebecca has extended her crochet collection and is reading patterns with minimum help and is working hard on her GCSE art work.

Anastasia is learning to knit, cook and to paint with watercolour.

Sophie has learnt block printing, growing strawberries and practicing cubism as well as extending her
cooking knowledge.

Together we are learning to paint a pear with water colours!
We are about half way through but so far it is looking kind of pear like!



For us we are trying to embrace the opportunities this experience has given us. To recognise that having a task or a focus helps our wellbeing and engages our brain. Over the years rather than crafts being something I 'just' did, I have recognised their value and the positive part they can play.  Never more so than now.

A case full of cute!

Being a crafter means I spend many enjoyable hours trawling through craft sites - as a result my facebook ads often feature craft materials which to be fair is great, though I ignore most of them!!

Shortly after Christmas with one Christmas present  project on the go already an ad popped up for the cutest little knitted dolls - and with a nieces birthday in April I couldn't resist!  I wasn't quite prepared for the learning curve knitting  with a bamboo and wool mix in 4 ply on four miniature needles - something I hadn't done before.




























I was so please with the result - not perfect but very cute.




I found a case in The Works (pre-lockdown!) and knitted a blanket and mattress with some spare yarn.
















I made a sheet and pillow from some scrap fabric to finish the bedding.

















Hope a little girl has fun playing with her dolly.

Glad Game

I love the story of Pollyanna.

For those who have no idea Pollyanna is the story of a girl who placed in a difficult situation plays the glad game - seeing something to be glad about in every situation. Her life has an impact on those around her as they also learn to play the 'glad game'.


With so much fear and anxiety in a situation beyond our control one thing we are doing as a family is playing the glad game.
Before each meal we all have to find one thing we are glad for. Somethings are obviously repeated but it has helped us as a family to focus and be thankful for the things that we have rather than the things that for a season we have had to give up.

Part of our lockdown scrapbook.

It is the simple things that have become so important in our day - sunrise on a run, birdsong on our daily walk, being able to purchase food and finding new ways to cook.


Today I did not want to play the glad game. I had had a difficult day and we had not communicated well as a couple or as a family. In normal life this would have passed quickly and we would have moved on  but in this pressure cooker environment things expand far more than they would normally. Having told the family at
teatime I didn't have anything to be glad for we sat and ate almost silently (almost unheard of in our house!)  - and I realised that that wasn't true - even now there were things I was glad for and we could work through this. So we played the glad game over pudding, and whilst the children played in the garden, differences were resolved and a way forward found. It was a reminder that we constantly have to adjust and adapt, we need to forgive and move on, but mostly we need to keep talking - to keep those lines of communication open.

Home baked Hot Cross Buns

Home Baked Bread

Whilst sometimes needing to find time alone we are glad for company and friendship, and try to connect regularly with those who are on their own. A good morning to a neighbour - from a safe distance, a smile and a wave - helps to reduce the sense of isolation. There are so many things we are glad for!

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Take a break!

With two teenagers and a pre-teen in the house I needed somethings that they could do to refocus when tensions became raised, or they had become frustrated. Both of these have occurred over the past two weeks - though possibly not quite as much as I feared!

I had seen a sensory trail on a link several months ago but the only link back to it was via Amazon where it was unavailable so I decided to make my own.

We have a relatively small space in our hall and it needed to be robust enough to survive said teenagers!! so I cut simple shapes out of felt. Circles, squares, handprints and footsteps. In addition I printed a finger maze and spiral to go on the wall.

Initially I set the trail, but as it was taken up each afternoon the following day I asked my youngest to set it up - however she chose - she made it far more physical and really enjoyed it - incorporating the stairs.
Todays version included a chair squat and the plank!

Simple things that gave them time away from their computer and a chance to re-centre.

Tea party!

Rebecca requested a mid - week party this year so that her friend who is unable to do weekends could come. Mid-week is not the best time for a full blown party so we chatted through the options, and essentially came down to a small group of friends coming to tea.

Rebecca loves being in owl class so chose Owls as her theme, which gave lots of opportunity to be creative!

Rather than games the girls were sent on a treasure hunt - it followed the form of a story, with Ginger a little pink and brown owl, looking for some friends....

Each clue had a problem to solve - a crossword, riddle or code and held a challenge for the girls to complete.

They made some paper friends but they were no good in the rain!

So they made some clay friends but they weren't very cuddly!

Eventually after wraps, and ice cream factory ... The clues led them to some cuddly owl cushions....

Each cushion had a pocket containing a journal

It was just lovely as the evening came to a close sitting with the girls as they filled in bit of their journal together.
It was very different to parties we have had in the past but it was great fun and just right for a 10th birthday!

Sidney's super secret science!

As you entered the church for this years holiday club you might think that you had entered the wrong building as you found yourself in a child's bedroom....

But lurking behind the bookcase....

Lay a secret tunnel, leading to ....

Sidney's secret lab!

 

 

Here the children, explored the miracles of Jesus through drama, music and stories. Sidney tried to do experiments but was sabotaged by the evil inspector Munch!

Each room also had a science theme - my group was the hazardous lab!

In our groups we managed to do some experiments that did work! Exploring paper chromatography, reacting acids and alkalis to produce CO2, secret writing and caramelisation, water tension, ph scales and

Slime!

We won belly flops ( mutated jelly beans!) for contributing to the group and for learning daily signs and memory verses.

I love being creative in prayer so we explored ways of talking to God, flip flop prayers, glo balloon prayer,

Thank you fish, even chromatography prayer!
We explored the stories we had learnt about ....

Using a scientific approach - what should have happened , what did we expect to happen. What actually happened and so what - what can we learn, what relevance might the story have for me?

We made crafts,

Kaleidescope

Weaving

Glass painting, as well as log boats and bead fish!

Mad, noisy, fun!