So, when we graduated from college and moved to Albuquerque I found a table at a flea market and brought it home.  It matched the two white and natural wood chairs we already had, and it wasn’t hard to find two more.  We’ve been eating on that table ever since.  Our family grew from one child, to 2, to 3, 4, then 5.  Our table didn’t grow, though, and that has posed a problem as of late.  We could squeeze 6 of us around the table (with the baby securely strapped into the high chair beside us).  We could even fit place settings for 6, but fitting the food got to be tricky, and having company really complicated things.  We looked in furniture stores, but there just wasn’t anything there that was what I wanted.  I wanted a rustic handmade table or something old with character.  Oh, and it needed to be square and extend to get bigger.  I scoured craigslist and happened upon a listing for a table made from reclaimed barn wood.  It was gorgeous.  I wrote the carpenter.  What I wanted would be way more than we could afford.  I kept looking, kept pouring over craigslist and nothing could float my boat.  Then out of the blue I got an e-mail from the carpenter.  He changed his mind!  He could make my vision a reality well withing our budget.

Now, several months later, it is sitting in my dining area.  Wanna see?

It’s made from reclaimed Douglas Fir beams from an old bridge in Kansas.  The trees were probably 150 years old or more when they were cut to make the bridge.  I’m not sure how long the bridge was standing, but I think it’s safe to say that the wood for our table has been around for centuries.

He made us 2 matching benches too all with through mortise and tenon joinery.

The ends extend so it can go from being a 54″ square that seats 8 to being 54″ x 84″ to seat 12!

It’s finished with a natural beeswax and mineral oil finish.  This has to be reapplied every few weeks, but it actuall makes the care of the table easier because I can sand out inevitable pencil marks and keep it looking perfectly beautiful.

I got new seating for the littlest guys too.  A Svan highchair for Hunter and a Kaboost for Ian.

I love it.  I love the natural beauty of the wood, the texture of it, the smell of it, the handcrafted nature of it.  It is perfect and will be for generations to come.

To see more tables by Jeremy Glenn of Elemental Table Company check out his flickr page here.

I just read this NY times article.  All I have to say is read with your kids.  Read aloud.  Constantly.  It will work wonders.

Ever since I dreamed up my baby carrier pattern writing project I wanted to design a bag to go along with it.  I needed to be something that could attach to the carrier to make it function like a back-pack and have enough room to keep essentials on hand, and also work as a stand alone diaper bag that would fit the carrier inside along with the essentials.  So, I’ve been working on (drum roll please…)

the SweetPod Saddle Bag!

It attaches to the carrier!

And makes a great diaper bag!

This design definitely needs some tweaking and refining.  First off, I think this first run is too big.  I was able to fit diapers, wipes, a blankey, and my camera– not to mention my wallet, keys, and water bottle.  In addition to my nearly 30 lb. baby it was WAY too heavy!  But I’m on the right track.

Any of you SweetPod users out there want to try it out?  You should be able to use the home dec fabric left over from making your carrier.  This initial test version of the pattern won’t be super detailed, though, so I’ll need anyone wanting to try it out to be able to do it with minimal instruction.  I’d love to get 4 or 5 more people (RaeLyn is already on board, of course), so if you’re up for it shoot an e-mail to jessica {at} seedpodcraft dot com.  It’ll probably be another week before I get the pattern pieces digitized and ready to send out, but I’d love to get an idea of who I’m going to send them to!  You’ll need a 7 inch zipper, a 1 inch side release buckle, 2 1 1/2″ snap hooks, 1 1 1/2″ single bar slide (I found both of these at my local REI,, but I can’t find any on the REI website), 1/2 yd of 1 inch webbing, and 2/3 yd of your heavy weight solid, lining fabric and neutral flannel for interfacing.

If you’re interested please let me know!

UPDATE ***I think I have plenty of testers!!  Thanks!**

The first thing I ever really researched and obsessed over using the internet was cloth diapers.  I figured it all out with help from many, many online cloth diaper users and sellers and makers, many of which aren’t around anymore, some who are under different names and locations.  My main source of information was the FAQs at the One Stop Diaper Shop (now Very Baby) and the Diaper Pin.  Anyway, back then I tried my hand at sewing some diapers, but it was a long process to get just one done without a serger or a snap press.

Just a few weeks ago Jessica came out with a one size version of her fitted diaper pattern with a snapless option, and since I do have a serger now I thought I’d give it a go.

I learned that serging around curves is hard.  It is definitely something that needs more practice and time than I had to give it.  I made 3 with stretch terry on the outside and velour on the inside.  (I don’t know what I was thinking with my color choices, though.)  My chubby baby likes to pull them out of the laundry basket and bring them to me so I’ll put one on him.

I’m a big fan of one-size diapers.  I absolutely loved my Mother Ease One-sizers when they were in their prime.  They lasted through 3 babies, but by the time they got to this guy they were scratchy and stinky. 

I’m not sure about the snappi fastener on these, though.  My climbing, running, climbing, dancing, climbing baby seems to get his diaper all wadded up.  If I could somehow find 2 days to sew I would get myself a snap press and push through making a dozen of these the real way.

I’ve also got another bum that needs covered.  We’re working on the potty learning here with Ian, but it’s a process.  I hate putting him in diapers, though, so I’m making him some Tinkle Time Trainers.  They offer more protection than the training pants you can find at Target, can snap off for messy accidents, but still feel like underwear.

I’ve got one done.  Let’s see how long it lasts today.

And let’s see how many more I can get done.

I am playing catch up here…

We got a lot of snow on March 25th.  Over a foot.

Which gave the kids the opportunity to try out Jonah’s invention– the Rocket Chair.  It’s made from a broken dining chair and a pair of old cross country skis.  Oh, and a rope to pull it back up the hill with, of course.

Now for photos.  I think I’m done with the words for this post.

My Jonah had a birthday nearly a month ago.  We had a fun party.  I took 3 of his friends swimming with us at the nearby rec center, then we came home for pizza, cake, and presents.

This wasn’t just any birthday, it was his EIGHTH birthday!

The Saturday morning after his birthday he was baptized.  My parents and grandma came for a visit.  My dad gave a sweet talk about baptism, and Barry did the baptism and confirmation.

It is so fun to watch my sweet boy grow up.  From the instant he came into this world he has been determined and persistent in getting what he wants and doing what he thinks is right.  I have said many prayers that we can help channel his strong will toward good, and he seems to have a innate sense of what is right and fair.

And he’s super cute.

I love you Jonah!

Lest anyone get the idea that we’ve enter into organized tranquility, I thought I’d post some photos of real life here.  The big table is no longer out of reach.  As you can imagine, this really complicates things around here.

I hope you all had a good Easter weekend.  I love it when General Conference falls on Easter weekend.  Don’t get me wrong, I love going to church on Sundays (all 3 hours of it) but the biannual break is most welcome, and when it falls on Easter it gives even more time for thought and rest and contemplation.

I try to be really positive here on the blog, try to make it a place where I can record my successes and hopefully inspire someone else out there, but I have to admit lately that I’ve been a bit overwhelmed.  There are times and circumstances that just  make us painfully aware of our weaknesses and shortcomings– and I feel myself in that place very frequently lately.  I am doing exactly what it is I’ve always wanted to do.  I’m the mother of a large family.  I get to be with each of those little children everyday to help them learn and to try to help them discover and reach their full potential.  I’ve been blessed with a view of the big picture, of what I want to create– I might even say I’ve been called to it.  I always knew it would be hard, really hard, but there are just some things I didn’t have any clue would be this hard.  Being a parent is difficult on so many emotional and spiritual levels I didn’t even know existed.  Throw on top of that other relationships, church responsibilities, and never ending mountains of laundry and sometimes I just want to say– “Sorry, I just don’t have it in me.  This whole thing you’ve asked me to do, Lord, is way more than I’m capable of.  Is there some other way?  Can it be easier somehow?”

And this weekend I realized I’m not alone in feeling that way.  Jesus felt the same way.  He knew what it was he was called to do.  He knew the beginning from the end, the essential nature of his role in God’s eternal plan, but still he said, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.” (Luke 22:42)  Somehow, even with his infinite knowledge, the weight of what he was called to bear was surprising when he was actually experiencing it– more than he thought he could endure.  But, he knew it was his role to fulfill, his feat to accomplish, and so he faithfully said, “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. ” (Luke 22:43)

I know what I’ve been called to do does not compare in magnitude to what the Savior did, but it is important, even essential in some sense.  And, it probably can’t be easier.  I just need to trust in his will,

and draw strength from my angel(s).

So, here’s our new April Fool’s Day tradition.  The No Manners Dinner.

We had friends in Ohio whose Christmas Eve tradition was to have a huge family gathering for a meal of spaghetti.  The catch was that each person got the “dishes” and “utensils” they would eat with in a brown paper bag.  Inside would be things like a pot lid, salad tongs, and a ladle and they would all have to do their best with what they got to eat their meal.

Naturally, my kids beg on a regular basis to have a No Manners Dinner of our own, but Christmas Eve just never felt like the right time.

But April Fool’s Day is perfect!

We had breakfast for dinner, of course, and instead of hiding each person’s place settings in bags I just let the boys set the table in whatever manner they chose.

Waffles, berries, and whipped cream from a steamer basket with a rubber spatula, anyone?

Or off a cooling rack with shish-kebab sticks, maybe?

How about with big tongs from a pot lid?

How about drinking out of the gravy boat?

Tonight certainly wasn’t the ideal night to do something new and crazy.  We were gone all afternoon with our homeschool group, Brenna was swimming until 6, Jonah had to be at Cub Scouts at 6, Barry got home about 5:40 and had to leave again at 6:45– but today was the day I needed to make it happen.  It’s all about the memories, right?

And so, it happened.  The kids didn’t stop talking about it all night– about how when I left to run Jonah to scouts and pick up Brenna from swimming they put salt in my quart jar of water, about Brenna eating sausage with a whisk and how it was actually fun to eat out of a cupcake pan because there are so many compartments.

It was worth the extra effort, which really wasn’t extra at all, just a little more fun.