SouleMama

standing s t i l l

making the s t i l l

(Yes, I do realize I may be taking a bit of liberty with the theme of s t i l l:body with some of these images. I couldn't help it.)

We watched Rivers & Tides (a little clip here) - the documentary about Andy Goldsworthy - with the kids this weekend. I don't know why I hadn't shown them his work before - they were so mesmerized, intrigued, and...inspired. Ezra made it only a third of the way into the film before he was up, putting his coat on and heading out the door to create his own 'something.' The rest of us trickled out one by one. And quietly, with the wind whipping the wet leaves all around us, and the trees moaning in the wind above us, this little 'something' was made. And truly, amidst the noise and the movement and the busy work of children and adults at play in the woods...everything felt still.

Sponsor Giveaway :: good-ness japanese fabric

Well, happy Saturday to you!

I have a fun Giveaway and discount for you today from SouleMama Sponsor good-ness - an Etsy fabric shop chock full of Japanese treats. Leslie also has a blog, which you can find here.

Just in time for some holiday crafting, she's offering...

Fabric Bundle A includes 1m of each of the fabrics photographed above.

Fabric Bundle B includes 1m of each of the fabrics photographed above.

To be entered in the drawing for one of the Fabric Bundles, simply leave a comment here in this post! I'll close the comments and announce the two lucky winners on Sunday at 7pm EST.

But there's more! good-ness is also offering a discount for SouleMama readers through the end of the November. You can get 15% off fabric costs (before shipping) by entering soulemama in the 'notes to seller' box (a refund for that amount will be issued to you).

Good luck & happy fabric shopping!! And thanks to good-ness for your support here on SouleMama!

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Comments closed! I'll be back to announce the winners later this evening...

And the winners are...

Bundle B:
leslie has such fun fabrics!
and what a fun give-away, too, amanda!
Posted by: cloth.paper.string 

Bundle A:
oooohhhh...i would love to win these!
a
Posted by: amanda o

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Congrats to the winners! Thanks to all for playing! And a big Thank You to Leslie for sharing the good-ness with us this weekend!

s t i l l :: next week

Martha will be hosting a week of s t i l l:body ("still life photos that include a little part of a person") next week at the s t i l l flickr pool (really great inspiration in this beautiful photograph).

I've been playing along for a few days now with my camera and my own interpretation of the project, and will continue next week, sharing the photos here as I go. The timing feels like a little gift - so much of my thought and energy is focused at the moment on embracing and loving the still....without letting it slip into the waiting. Because while what is to come is incredibly special, so is right now... 

Happy Weekend to you!

 

a Mama to Mama update

I don't intend to cross-post here every time I make a little update over at Mama to Mama, but there have been a few additions in the past week that I want to direct you to.

• The Caps are coming in! And they're wonderful! I added a Cap Counter in the sidebar of Mama to Mama to track and share the total with you as the project progresses. I had great hopes of sending notes of gratitude to all who submit, but I quickly realized that's going to be impossible. I hope this little counter - and a few other ways of updating that I have planned - will bring you some satisfaction in watching the craftiness-for-good grow!

• I had been receiving one (really good, I might add) question more than any other since the project started - given the climate in Haiti, are infant caps really necessary? - so I asked Konbit Sante for some help in answering. The short answer is 'yes!", but the long answer is highly informative and helpful and right over here on the Mama to Mama website.

• Lastly, I added one more crafty project that can be contributed to this phase of the project! So many of you have asked what else you can make, and lightweight receiving blankets would be so helpful for the healthcare workers to give out at birth. There are some basic instructions - and a description of the kind of blanket needed for the project - on the Mama to Mama site now.  Should that be something you'd like to make instead of - or in addition to - the Caps, give it a peek.

If you want to stay current on all the updates as they happen on Mama to Mama, be sure to subscribe to the feed there, or visit www.mamatomama.org from time to time.

Thank you all so much for sharing your hearts and your hands with this project!

from where I sit

Things are moving slowly from here in this rocker. Lots of knitting, lots of slow-playing - cards, stories, and art.  Interrupted here and there by a walk in the woods. Or a little more baking. Hibernating.

With the holidays coming up, I think I've taken most of my knitting and some of my crafting underground for a bit (well, "underground" and over to Ravelry, where I'm pretty sure my sisters and kids can't find out what I'm making them!). But a few peeks here and there won't say too much, will it?

How about you? Have you begun any holiday crafting? In the words of my littlest, 'Chamakin'?

Portrait of Mama & Baby

Ah, so that's what I look like right now.

(By Adelaide.)

november at the shore

The weather here has been so mild for November. Strangely mild, actually. Because of that, though, we found ourselves not once - but twice - at the shore this weekend. Comfortable and warmish  - it felt like a little November gift.

All around us right now are signs of late Autumn in our world. The leaves are mostly gone, save the oak leaves that hang on most of winter. The critters out there are slowing down and hiding in the woods more. The garden bed is covered over and at rest. And the general color of the world changes from bright, vibrant greens, yellows, oranges and reds...to a whole lot of shades of brown. It seems as though the living of the woods - from both the plants and animals - has gone underground now. And it's calmer, quieter out there for the most part.

But it felt very different at the shore this weekend. With all the 'people' of the beach gone, the evidence of sea life is easier to find - starfish, large shells, full sand dollars - all washed up on the sand aplenty. The cold, cold ocean waves rolling in (that you just can't resist putting your feet in), are the ultimate reminder of how alive it - and we - are. And the autumn winds whipping around us - however warm they may be - add a noise and a vibrant energy to the whole visit that force our eyes open a little wider, and our ears open a little bit bigger to take it all in.

Some images from the weekend...

Sponsor Giveaway :: Lisa Leonard Designs

(Thanks for your sweet birthing & baby emails and comments yesterday - but there's no baby yet! It was just an unexpected day off...)

I do have a little weekend surprise for you, though! Today, I'm hosting a Giveaway from one of the lovely Sponsors here at SouleMama. This weekend's treat comes from Lisa Leonard Designs!

Lisa is offering a beautiful sterling monogram necklace like the one pictured above. Details:
"A 1" sterling pendant is strung from 18" sterling ball chain with your monogram front and center.  Simply beautiful!"

We have three of these lovelies to share with you! So if you're interested in entering the drawing for one, simply leave a comment in this post. I'll close the comments and announce the winners on Sunday around 7pm EST.

And be sure to check out all the loveliness over at Lisa Leonard Designs! Happy Weekending to you!

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Entries closed! I'll be back to announce the winners in just a few moments...

And the winners are...

Oh how I love her work! Please enter me!
Posted by: elizabeth of course, November 08, 2008 at 8:45 AM  

Wow, that is absolutely beautiful so please enter my name! Thank you for your generosity... ;-)
Posted by: Berlinswhimsy, November 08, 2008 at 10:49 AM  

thank you, both Lisa and Amanda, for an opportunity to win such a lovely piece of jewelry. Yipee!!
Posted by: robin, November 09, 2008 at 4:19 AM 

Thanks to all for playing! And thanks to Lisa Leonard for her generous giveaway!

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the legwarmer set

Oh, let's talk about knitting today, shall we?

Stumbling around Ravelry one night, I found this (free!) pattern for Legwarmies by Alana Dekos. My Adelaide is such a fan of legwarmers - just like Mama - so I needed to make some for her right away. Looking through my stash, I found these some half-finished socks (whose life was blogged here and here - yes, their entire evolution has been blogged) that I could finally admit - were never going to be finished. They were happily unraveled, and I used the resulting Rowan 4-ply Soft to make the legwarmers. (For sizing reference, I did add 4 extra rows of the pattern to make them just a bit longer for her three year old legs.)

And then she needed a matching hat, right? Sure! I didn't easily find just the right simple pattern for the yarn weight I had, so I made my own. The math? It kind of stretched my brain more than I care to admit. But...I can happily report that it fits. And that she loves it all. Except that the hat has since gone missing, which is driving me nutty in the search for it. (My guess? In that pile of leaves somewhere! Luckily, I know three good Thing-Finders - a la Pippi Longstocking. Time to put 'em on the case...Yup, looks like I just came up with a plan for the day.)