Dress-up is pretty big in this house. I think the reason I go through all the trouble of making halloween costumes, is that I know I will see them in action for months, maybe years to come. I didn’t get as early a start on costumes as I usually do, but I managed to pull […]

Here is another set of handmade toys that the Daddy Monkey and I made for the kids. I’ve written before on how I feel about these home made toys. It really warms my heart to see them being played with again and again. Providing my children with something that requires their imagination rather than something […]

On day three of our Michaelmas celebration, we began with a retelling of my story, “The Brave Dragon,” (originally told on day one). Afterwards, we made wooden swords. The Daddy Monkey and I have collaborated on many swords over the years, so this one was a very simple process. I simply traced my sword template onto […]

Now that the holidays are over, I can show off some of the toys I made for the kids. Here are the fairies I made, to go with these from last year.  All of them get played with a lot, by both The Boy and The Girl. I won’t show you how last year’s look […]

I made these quills today for a birthday party we will be attending this weekend.  Nothing like waking up one morning, deciding to make quills, then watching a few videos, raiding the craft stash for feathers, and then making them.  All in the span of about an hour.

The Girl just turned three last month.  How did that happen?!  Three?  Really?! We had a simple and sweet party at home.  She invited two girl friends and the rest of us were family. Here is the fairy set I made for her. They are so cute, I could nearly explode.  And the boy fairy!  […]

This year, we decided to put together a farm set for The Girl.  This is the second batch of wooden animals that The Daddy Monkey and I have made, and they are fun and easy to make. I’m very proud of these because the designs are entirely my own.  I’m especially fond of the dog, […]

Many years ago, I’m not sure when, The Daddy Monkey’s Babci (“babci” is Polish for Grandmother) made for him a little stuffed red horse.  It became his lovey when he was a small child.  Over many years, Horsey (as he came to be called) was dragged everywhere and became quite dirty and worn.  His mother […]

I had been wanting to celebrate Michaelmas with the kids since I first read about it, thinking it would be a great fit for The Boy, who has always had a passion for all things knightly.  Since I learned my lesson to not try to cram it all into one day like I did with […]

Is it really September already? One can never start too early on Halloween costumes.  This is the scene on my ironing board right now. The Girl has chosen to be a fairy, and did we ever have fun choosing the fabric for this one.  She wanted pink, of course. No matter how many times I […]