The Rainbow Connection

My good friend Nurturedmom will be celebrating a milestone birthday in a few short days. I wanted to give her something unique and special that I knew she would love. I didn’t have to brainstorm for long. The gift of wool in any shape or form would be a sure hit since she shares in my passion for the stuff!

Nurturedmom is a colorful kind of gal who is quite partial to rainbows. Why not try to combine her love of wool and rainbows in a perfect gift! A quick rummage through my ever-growing yarn stash and a couple of kitchen cupboards provided me with all the supplies I needed to create this one-of-a-kind present.

My “wool inventory”, as I like to refer to it, includes a few dearly loved skeins of natural merino wool that I picked up at Gaspereau Valley Fibres in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. I thought it might be fun to tinker around with my dye pot again in an attempt to produce a skein as bright and beautiful as a rainbow. I believe I am now the proud owner of every color of icing dye manufactured by Wilton so I had a full palette to work with! The greatest challenge this project presented was achieving minimal mixing of the colors. By immersing just a portion of the skein in the dye pot at one time, I was able to achieve the desired effect. I’m so pleased with the results.

Today was yet another foggy day in our seaside community. I felt compelled to take this cheerful skein outside to add a splash of color and light to the pea soup atmosphere.

Happy Birthday Nurturedmom! I know you’ll think of a creative destiny for this vibrant and lively bunch of wool. A zany scarf? Warm woolies for the kiddies? Crazy hair for a punk rock Waldorf doll? It’s your choice! Have fun with it!

Mommy's Little Helper

As much as Chi-Chi and Muffy find enjoyment in the magical world of their imaginations, they’re definitely always game to roll up their sleeves and get to work around the house. It never takes much convincing when it comes to helping Mommy in the kitchen.

We just returned from a trip to Nanny and Graga’s house in the Annapolis Valley. After a visit to the strawberry u-pick and a stop at a roadside farmer's market, we came home with a plentiful supply of tasty, fresh local produce to feast on. With big plans for my berry harvest, there was plenty of work to be done!

Chi-Chi loves his chef suit and he takes his role very seriously when decked out in his apron and hat. It’s an adorable vintage Robin Hood Flour set that my mother gave to me as a child. It warms my heart to see him taking such pride and joy in wearing the set. I’m flooded with fond childhood memories of working alongside my mother in the kitchen, baking up a storm and making a huge mess. Whoopie pies were my speciality!

With Muffy napping peacefully, Chi-Chi and I enjoyed some quality one-on-one time this afternoon. We had a lovely time smashing berries for freezer jam. This no-cook jam is the absolute best option with little helpers around. Chi-Chi also assisted with dinner preparations by ever so carefully shelling a batch of fresh garden peas. He only dropped one pea, which he speedily retrieved.

It’s not always practical to have the little ones underfoot in the kitchen, especially when hot pots are boiling on the stove. There are often days I’m simply too tired and impatient to deal with the additional mess that inevitably occurs. I am, however, trying to make an effort to get them involved more regularly.  Even if it's just tearing a couple of lettuce leaves for our salad, it makes them feel a part of the meal preparation process.  I'm hoping this translates into better eating habits.  Chi-Chi certainly gobbled up his peas at dinner time.  The jury's still out on this theory when it comes to finicky little Muffy!