It's mythologically cold around here. Today the low is -45. Parts of the big lake are frozen. We've got to get outside every day to check on the chickens and our sledding hill. But with the threat of frozen skin being very apparent, the duration of our outdoor excursions is getting much shorter. It is these days that I am grateful that the kids like to read so much. And I'm grateful for rich parenting resources like Sparkle Stories. The stories are endlessly entertaining. My son listened to one story three times last week on one of those cold days. And they are often very funny. Our current favorite is "Woodelves" or "Sylvia as Squirrel" as we call it. I find that the fictional parents employ strategies that are useful to me as well. Did you hear the one about canning and Sylvia making foot sauce? Inspiring folks, Sylvia's parents are - to let her use her feet to help with putting up food for winter.
Currently we are making our way through Sparkle Stories' Advent Calendar series. A printable calendar goes along with the stories and provides a visual clue for each day's new story. An advent story scavenger hunt. Last Thursday, the visual clue was a stack of books. Unexpectedly, my mom dropped by that day with a stack of new Christmas books - magic! One of those books was Astrid Lindgren's The Tomten and the Fox. With a pile of new reading and an indoor afternoon ahead of me, I quickly cast on for this great pattern to compliment our new story. The kids turned pages while I knitted the cold afternoon away.
I've long wanted to do some crafting with peg dolls but this was my first go-round. And I think that I'm hooked. I like this sculptural knitting. My ravelry notes are here if you want the full details.
Many thanks to Frontier Dreams for the opportunity to share.
