In These Hills: July 2007

Summer Sleepsacks

>> Tuesday, July 31, 2007 – Crafts

We are heading off to Prince Edward Island in a few days. As we began to look at our gear, we realized that H needed a new sleepsack. The one she made last year is much too short because she chopped off part of it and turned it into a pillow. Last year, we made sleepsacks by taking two pieces of fleece, 2 yards long and laying one on top of the other. The girls then cut strips around 3 sides and tied the strips together. The resulting sleepsacks have been used on sleepovers, while watching movies, on the porch--everywhere.

For our new sleepsack, we sewed around the three sides and made a casing at the top for 1" elastic. I think this will actually be cosier and hold up a little better. We had enough fleece left over to make a carrying bag. We're getting excited for our camping trip!

The Lake House

Our family has had a lake house in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for 5 generations now. It began as a small camp, but is now a year-round home that my grandparents built for retirement. One of my favorite things to do is read the guestbooks which go way back detailing family events over generations.

The house is packed with everything necessary for a lake house--a big stone fireplace, a porch with rockers, a boathouse with lots of little boats, a sewing machine & cuisineart, books and more books, and every Martha Stewart ever published!

We are here for a few days to kayak, swim, read, sleep. It's going to be really hot, but what did my kids decide to bring along to craft? Fleece--they want to make fleece sleepsacks while it's 90!

Those great Martha Stewarts? I already found the idea for N's handmade Christmas gift in the recent June issue :-). Don't go finding it, dear.

Knitting Wire

>> Monday, July 23, 2007 – Crafts

We've been trying a new craft to possibly take on vacation--knitting little wire bag pendants in which to put seaglass or rocks. We got the idea from HomeWork a new blog I've recently begun reading. After showing H the photos from HomeWork, we had to try it. The little bag she made didn't quite come out because she ran out of wire and sewed it too tightly, but we're definitely going to try again. Very fun.

A Good Day's Work, A Good Read

>> – Books

Sunday was a very satisfying day for all of us. N and I (with some help from the girls) spent two days putting down soil, raking, seeding, rolling, and watering the beginnings of a lawn. What a big job.

I can understand why the old-timers used to say that Vermont's two biggest crops were rocks and children. The rocks seem to pop out of the ground overnight. Wish we had more children to pick them up!

H held down the fort in the kitchen by keeping it clean and making brownies. Of course she managed to get in some Harry Potter as well.

What could be better on a summer day.....

than playing your favorite game all day in your pajamas??
Skip-Bo is the game of choice this summer.

To the ER or Not?

This is E waiting at the door of the schoolhouse. The arm? Well, she fell on it. I spent quite a long time debating whether or not to have it xrayed as the picture below was the scene last spring when she broke BOTH arms from a fall while jumping rope. Luckily, by the middle of the day she was using it more and telling me it didn't hurt quite as much, so we didn't go get it checked.

It has been a great week of time traveling. The girls have had sewing and weaving projects, gone to school, contradanced, and made new friends. Old Sturbridge Village is near and dear to my heart as I grew up there. I'm glad my girls have the chance to spend time at a place I love so much.

Time Travelers

This week H and E have blasted back to the past with their cousins. They are attending camp at Old Sturbridge Village. They assume 1830s names, put on costumes, and do a variety of activities including spinning & weaving, hearth cooking, fishing, and other crafts. It has been over 95 degrees, so they shed their sunbonnets--made for much better photos!

In the photos above, they are playing the game "Graces" where you toss a hoop and your partner catches it on two sticks. They are having a wonderful time and, best of all, making friends. I was so happy to see H with a big smile on her face, chatting comfortably with a gaggle of girls!

sapling + string + pocketknife

>> Thursday, July 5, 2007 – Crafts

Bows and Arrows have been the craft and game of choice around here this week---inspired by my trip to Montana I think. The girls laid out a course with rocks so they could measure how far their arrows went.

E cut the sapling--beech seemed to be straightest.

H used her pocketknife to strip the bark, making sure that there was some left for a good grip. We found some good waxed twine. They also made fletchings out of leaves for the arrows and sewed up arm guards.