I believe it’s been a full week since we’ve seen the sun.
And I think that’s about all I can say.
Okay, maybe I can manage a little more.
You see, Wednesday I was away from home for most of the day. I arrived home late to an email from a very nice sounding woman named Heather who writes for the homeschooling portion of The Pioneer Woman’s blog. She wanted to know if she could feature my blog there. (What????!!!!) I sent a very calm and collected email back, saying that of course I’d be honored. What I was really thinking was that someone must be pulling my leg with this one. But I got a reply from Heather thanking me and saying that the article might go up on Friday. I still didn’t really believe it. Evidently Heather worked late Wednesday night, because when I checked in on my computer for the first time late Thursday morning, there was another email from her saying that the article was already live.
The last time I was written about (do you remember the French parenting website thing?) it wasn’t a very pleasant experience and I felt terribly misunderstood. It’s no fun being portrayed as the “perfect” mom whom everyone loves to hate, living the “perfect” life. The reality is that I am knee deep raising six kids wondering if any of them will grow up to be socially acceptable. It’s terrifying sometimes. So I was nervous about this Pioneer Woman article, actually really nervous. I didn’t need to worry though. Heather wrote an entirely wonderful and humbling post about Small Things. In the words of one of you on my Facebook page, ” I thought it beautifully represented your site.” I quickly emailed Heather and thanked her because she had clearly spent enough time here that she came away with an understanding of me and what I attempt to do here on my blog. Then I got in touch with my web hosting company because all the traffic was making my blog crash! Thankfully they were able to do get it loading properly again by some web magic.
So, If you are new here thank you so much for visiting. I am waving at you with a very shy but enthusiastic, “Hello!” I am so glad you are here.
Back to our gray week:
It’s all a bit of a blur, but according to my photographs the girls made homemade stamps. I drew little grids on cardstock for them to illustrate and then we cut them out with those special curvy edge scissors (I can never think of the right term for things.) I also printed up some free birdies to cut out and make stamps out of. We tweaked the stamp glue recipe we’ve used in the past because we didn’t have any corn syrup.
Stamp Glue:
1 packet gelatin
2 Tbsp boiling water
2 Tbsp cool water
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp almond, vanilla, or mint extract (whatever you’ve got.)
Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, then add cool water, honey and flavoring.
Brush the glue on the back of your stamps. Once it dries you’re ready to lick and stick. The gelatin will firm up after a little while but heating it up will liquify it again.
Last night, we were supposed to get some snow. I went for a walk hoping to catch the first flakes as darkness fell. The snow didn’t come though, it was all rain and mud. We were all hoping so much for even just an inch. Maybe next time. Today we are supposed to have sun.
Martha says
I found you through PW as well. I was happy to read your post about how you homeschool, because I feel like I have arrived at the same point. I take what I can from each style and use what works for my kids. I am home with 4 boys right now, and in 1600 square feet. It is definitely crazy some weeks, but then makes perfect sense on other weeks 🙂
Melanie says
I too am a first time visitor, having learned about your blog from Pioneer Woman. I love it. Thanks for the ideas! I’d love to know what you think of my blog sometime! 🙂
Tina K says
Hi! I am a first time visitor after seeing your lovely blog pictured on PW. Congrats! I think I will be easily addicted. By the way, I loved the sink full of dishes and shirtless kid picture that Heather included. It’s nice to see “real” people online that aren’t afraid of just being themselves. It’s also nice to see another kitchen that looks like mine. 🙂
megan says
Love the stamp glue! I can’t wait to make some for our postoffice preschool unit!
Also, I’ve been thinking about how you said you need to get outside every day. We have been spending days at a time inside lately (due to illness, cold weather, no motivation to dress two littles , ect.) and I think it’s been taking a toll on me. With out you putting it into words, it might have taken me longer to put my finger on what was wrong and how I could feel better. Thank you. And thank you for all you share!
Now to PW to check out the post!
Heidi says
Congratulations Ginny!!!! Every Friday morning I go to Pioneer Woman and check her blog….and what to my amazement did I find today????
YOU!!!!
I was so excited!!! I squealed that is MY “Small Things” blog!!!! I am so very happy for your accomplishments and glad that the world will get to experience your blog and enjoy the happiness it brings to me every time I read one of your posts.
I found your blog thru another blog last year and have been hooked ever since!!!
kate C. says
found your blog through pw too, and will probably follow for a while, though I am neither a christian, nor homeschool, nor do really good photography. I have half the number of kids as you and I do like knitting and other crafts (whenever I get a sec free from work and then kids.) I appreciate good photography and good stories though, and from first glance this blog has it! Thanks for the welcome.
Where (roughly) are you in the world? (sorry if I missed this as a new reader) I’m in IA and am getting to the point of winter where I could be done with snow!
Katrina says
{Waving Hi Back}
New here from PW.
Thank you for your realness.
Love,
Katrina
Melody says
Hi Ginny!
I found you through Pioneer Woman, and I can’t stop reading. Your blog helps me to remember that even in the midst of my own crazy homeschooling/crafting/thelaundryneverends journey, there is much beauty to be had.
Blessings and Thanks,
Melody
Nikki says
Yay! What a lovely little synopsis of your lovely blog 🙂 I have read your blog since your gorgeous Larkspur was about as big as your adorable Beatrix is now. I love it….. because just like the article said you are brilliant at catching the small things that make life beautiful. Have a super lovely day Ginny and bask in the glow of all the love for your beautiful blog 🙂
Courtney says
Ginny, I have been following your blog for awhile now. I just clicked over to the pw post. I think it’s a great article and you deserve it. Even though I don’t homeschool I enjoy your blog and look forward to your posts.
Melissa N says
Congrats to you Ginny! I am off to read the article next. Thanks for the stamp idea, my 5 year old boy would love doing that, so I think we’ll try it this weekend. Have a great weekend, hope the sun shines for you. It’s shining here in Vermont, but it’s cold!
Laura says
Congrats Ginny! I just read the article and I agree with the comment that it “beautifully represented your site”.
Did you see Ann Voskamp’s comment to the article saying that your blog is a visual and soul feast and a daily must-read for her?
Keep up doing what you do, the way you do it, with its ups and downs, you are doing a great job! And I’m glad you share it with us!!
Sara McD says
See? My favorite bloggers liking each other again! I love it!
amberca says
I am new to your blog because of the Pioneer Woman blog and I am in heaven! I love the feel and ‘realness’ of your blog. Your photography is amazing! I am finding myself with a new Nikon after the Holidays and not quite sure how to bring it to life. I would love to read on future posts about your aproach and style of photography, practical stuff. Good day to you.
Nellie says
I am waving Hello! I visited your site for the first time yesterday after seeing the article on the Pioneer Woman site. I love your photography and your homeschooling adventures (my 3 hooligans are happy homeschoolers). I also love that your daughter’s name is Larkspur – it is one of my favorite flowers! 🙂 I’m looking forward to checking your blog each day – thanks for sharing your world. 🙂
Jennifer @ Little Blog in the Big Woods says
A really well done article on your blog! I’m glad your site (and your hard work) is getting the recognition it deserves. Thank you for your continual inspiration to us your readers!
Baby by the Sea says
Yea! I just read the article. It’s real, full of love and tiny miracles and honesty and a sense of calm. I didn’t need the image of the dishes in the sink to get your purpose, your balance and love. It exudes, friend.
Christina // InThePineTree says
Yay! I was so excited when I saw that yesterday! Much deserved 🙂
Love the stamp idea! How cute! We’re a bit gray over here this morning… but as another commenter said, here in Western WA we’ve been having some dry, sunny (albeit COLD!) days! 🙂
heathermama hawkes says
lovely photos as usual. 🙂
what a great idea with the stamps. and all those wet soggy days in a row can really wear down a soul. i hope you are getting some lovely sunshine.
Sonja says
We must have your sunshine here in Western Washington! We’ve had it all week and I’ll be happy to trade back. It would be a shame to lose my webbed feet now. ;). Again, so happy and proud to be a part of your beautiful space.
Renee Anne says
I can tell you live in the area of my brother-in-law’s family. They’ve had very little snow this season, much to their five year old daughter’s dismay (she can’t wear the hat I knit her last year in the snow).
I love the glue recipe! I have a few pins on Pinterest for homemade cards and I haven’t made any (yet) but this dryable/lickable glue combination would be perfect if I give them as gifts (and then you don’t have to use regular glue, which probably won’t work too well).
Missy says
Sweet little project! I am going to give it a try – I think my little ones will really like it. Does this glue recipe work better or worse than with corn syrup?
Ginny says
I didn’t notice a difference!
Meryl says
Was so excited for you to see the Pioneer Woman post–woot! Love the stamps and the beautiful sweater, as well!
Laura F. says
I am new as well! I am considering homeschooling and love to see how others do school. I can’t wait to peruse your older posts.
Stacy @ the World of Wiedz says
I’ve been reading your blog for a while and thought Heather’s write up was beautiful. She nailed it. Your warmth, honesty, eye for the small things, and real life make your site one of my favorites!
kimberly schildbach says
See the thing is, dear Ginny, is that we like the realness that is you. The knee deep in raising kids. The worries that they will be socially acceptable 🙂
We just LOVE that you are one of us. And you are honest about that.
Please don’t ever stop “being the mom people love to hate” 🙂
Cuz’ none of us do.
Kisses!
Trish says
I’m waving “hello” back at you! I’m a regular reader of Heather’s — mainly because every year we debate if we should be homeschooling. Your blog is great and I love that it shows the HOME part of homeschooling more than some others.
So glad I found your little corner of the internet!
Lynda says
I’ve just come over from Heather’s post from Pioneer Woman. I love your photography! You and I are very different. I live in Canada, am not a Catholic Chrisitan and didn’t homeschool my ( now grown) children. However, for a long time, I lived in a one hundred year old farmhouse on ten acres and I also love all sorts of textile arts, including knitting. Thanks for sharing, particularly the photos showing real lift right down to the sink full of dishes–I still have days like that!
Betsy M says
Ginny, I laughed yesterday when after visiting your blog I clicked over to Pioneer Woman and there you were again. I love your blog, it is wonderful – I am sure that many visiting here will agree! Hope that you get some sunshine today. God Bless.
Andee says
What a wonderful article! You have such an amazing site here and Heather wrote a beautiful piece. And how exciting is it to have your site crash over so much traffic for a good reason!!!
Rachel Goode @ Heirs with Christ says
I’m new to your blog, new to homeschooling, inexperienced with photography, and clueless about knitting and sewing. All this to say… I’m already learning a lot from you. 🙂
Your photos, family, and life are beautiful. And I say that with no misguided notions that any of them are perfect, nor do you seem to want us to believe in their perfection. Even broken glass catches light. Yours is certainly shining brightly.
Amy says
I’ve been reading here for a while. I really enjoy your blog….the photos, the knitting, the homeschooling,the books, the glimpses of outdoor life, and sometimes ‘the mess'(dirty dishes in the sink). The post at PW was perfect! Your post about people in pots for Silas made me laugh. My youngest(of 6), just turned 3. He is very possessive of his toys and I often see a similar scene being played out here with his only brother who is 8 yrs older.
amy says
I’ve never visited the Pioneer Woman’s Homeschool blog before, so thank you. (Some reverse traffic!) Thanks for the stamp glue recipe. I need that and hadn’t even thought to go looking for a recipe to make it. This will be so much better — and tastier too, I bet.
Bake says
I’m also here having seen your feature 🙂 Have loved looking through your website and look forward to seeing more in future. Don’t be nervous, just keep doing what you are doing, it’s obviously working! xoxo
Summer says
What a lovely post about your wonderful blog! You deserve it! The stamps are so neat! I’m going to have to file that one away for when my little one is old enough. Happy Weekending to you!
Jenni says
Love the stamp glue idea, my girls will love that, thanks, I wasn’t around with the French parenting website things but thought the pioneer article was lovely x
Rachel Wolf says
What an honor for you Ginny! You deserve it. xo (P.S. I’m having trouble with the bird link. Am I missing something? It’s going to a post about a downed tree.)
Ginny says
So weird! Sometimes for some odd reason, wordpress changes my links, and always to that old downed tree post! I just relinked–and it seems to be going to the right place. Here’s the link: http://blog.worldlabel.com/2012/sweet-birds-address-shipping-round-labels.html
Cathy L says
What a blessing your site has been. We have similar homeschooling techniques, and reading some of your posts has helped me think through a problem with math and my son. I am so proud of you for sharing your faith and especially for mentioning my precious Jesus in one of your posts.
christine says
Hi. I’m a new follower of your blog having read about you through Pioneer Woman. I was immediately hooked and what did it for me were your wonderful photos. Seeing your fun activities, beautiful children and well lived in home. I loved the pile of dirty dishes and laundry that you let us see in your photos. Such a real example of how life truly is in a large family–lots of love and fun, with plenty laundry, dishes and life to go around. I grew up on a small farm and am the oldest of 6 kids. Seeing your photos brought back some fun memories of that time in my life. Thanks for sharing your life here. I’m looking forward to getting to know you a bit through sneak peeks here on your blog. Oh, and I’m excited to see the knitting projects too.
Happy Friday!
karen says
I am so thrilled for you and your feature on the Pioneer blog (I followed your tweet). I thought it beautifully portrayed you and your lifestyle. I hope that the sun shows it’s face and you get to go soak in some of that much needed Vitamin D. (I think it’s been non sunny here but I really do not notice since I love to stay indoors).
Heather says
Very nice, Ginny. And snow – we leave in two weeks and were thinking the recent “cold” snap here was a doozy (it was 50)
Wendy N says
I’m glad Heather posted your blog as I’m loving it. Love the idea of making your own stamps and love the photos…Have a great weekend
Lisa G. says
Well, you got some mighty pretty pictures out of it, at least!
Jenny B says
Good Morning! I checked out your site, because I go to The Pioneer Woman every morning. I have put you on my favorite list, and will now visit you every morning also! I like your peace.
I am a third grade public school teacher with two years and two quarters until I can retire and do what I want, teach reading with preschoolers. I have two grown children and always wish I had homeschooled them. I always wish I had more children. I always wish we had adopted children. I have a lot of wishes, but, it is fun to watch someone living the dream.
Thank you for sharing a little of your life with us. It starts my day out well before I go to the chaos of third grade!
Jenny
Melanie says
Congratulations on the article! I love visiting here! I’ve got your site bookmarked under “fave blogs” and read it nearly every day. Your snapshots of daily life are a little bit of inspiration/fun/distraction/food for thought in a very long–albeit amazing–day with my own three kids.
meghann says
Oh my goodness, Ginny – look at you! I clicked over to read the piece about you & it is so beautiful – she captures exactly what it is about this space that keeps me coming back. I’m so glad that so many other people will be introduced to you because of it. xo
Lisa says
I am also new to your blog due to PW. I have been pouring through your photos and feel connected to you. I also have six homeschooled children and can relate. I absolutely love your site.
Anna Magga says
Hi there, I stumbled to your page through the PioneerWoman blog, and wanted to say hi 🙂 You write a wonderful blog and your pictures are so lovely. You seem to have a very sweet family and home. Warm greetings from a reader in Iceland.
Wendy says
Ginny–I was so thrilled to see you featured on PW Homeschool yesterday! Congrats, and here’s hoping for more sunshine for you in the coming days! You’ve built such a lovely, honest space here–keep doing what you do!
Tracey says
Oh dear Ginny, you are wonderful and I always enjoy my visits here.
Thank you for the stamp idea, I have a four year old that will be here
for the weekend and I needed something new to do as she is all about
‘doing crafts’!
Have a great weekend.
Amy Marie says
Yep. I new here due to the PW article…I’m so glad to have found you. You capture GLORIOUS images! 🙂 I <3 them! To be perfectly honest though, the thing that made me click over to here was the sink full of dishes in the background of one of the photos in the article! YAY. Reality! 😀
Bless ya.
Ginny says
I can’t tell you how grateful I am that she included the dirty dishes photo!
Ginny says
Oh, and “Hi Amy Marie!” I should have said that first. A little nervous this morning.
Amy Marie says
No problemo! 🙂 Your family is beautiful! I also love to read, home school, & enjoy photography! I’m a VERY novice knitter. 🙂 Although I’m a Canon woman! But I’ll forgive you since you take such wonderful photos. 😛