Yarn Along

I thought it would be fun to join Ginny from the blog Small Things and share what we are reading and what is currently on the knitting needles. Reading and knitting, two of my favorite things so this weekly meme is right up my alley.

At the moment, most of my reading is aloud to the children. We are reading the third book in The Mysterious Benedict Society series, The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma. All of us have really enjoyed the books in this series.

I have found it hard to find time to read a book for myself. It seems cookbooks and magazines are more my speed right now. Currently I'm enjoying Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. I need to bite the bullet and whip up a batch of dough. for some reason I'm having a difficult time putting aside our tried and true bread recipe to try something different.

As for my needles, this is one of the sweaters I am making for a special someone for Christmas. That is all I can say, as I don't want to spoil the surprise. I do have a few other projects in the works as well. Seems that one knitting project is no longer enough. When knitting a sweater or other large project I need to have a small project going that gives me that sense of finishing something. Anyone else feel this way?

Soule Mama Book Signing

I have been following Amanda Blake Soule's blog, SouleMama, for about eight months now. It sounds a little crazy, but it is pure inspiration - from her family friendly craft projects to her re purposing of vintage materials to her pure enjoyment of her family. I love taking a peek into the lives of this creative family. It never fails to inspire my day with mine.

It wasn't long before I was hooked and purchased Amanda's first book The Creative Family. You can read my review of the book here. Four months later, we still turn to it for inspiration and ideas. So when her second book, Handmade Home, came out this month it was on my wish list. Little did I know that not only would I get a copy of the book, but I would also get to meet Amanda and get her to sign both books!

The whole family headed to Boarders in Portland, ME, but only Sarah and I were truly excited about this part of the trip. Here is Sarah with our books in her lap waiting our turn to sit and chat with the author. (The rest of the clan was exploring areas of the book store that suit their tastes.) Hannah was only curious to know it Amanda had on her red sandals.

Amanda was so real. So genuine. She was truly touch by all of those that turned out to hear her speak. And she graciously took time to chat with each and every one of us. It was a great experience for Sarah to meet an author, especially one so real and passionate.

So far Handmade Home has lived up to my expectations. Filled with essays from the author and projects for the whole family to make and enjoy. Sarah and I are having a hard time deciding which to do first. You can preview some of the projects from Handmade Home as well as tons of other inspiring ideas on the SouleMama blog.

The Creative Family - Book Review

I recently finished reading The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule, and all I can say is WOW! Not just another kids craft book, The Creative Family is more of a guide to help you tap into the creative genius in your family - children and adults alike.

Page after page you will find ideas that encourage discovery and exploration with a purpose. Amanda Soule activities and suggestions build character as well as family and community connections. This isn't a book of clutter creations as so many children's activity books. Rather The Creative Family aims to strengthen the child's spirit and the family unit through creative exploration. She stresses focusing on the process, exploring traditional and useful skills, and the role of family and relationships during creative adventures.

Not to be feared by the uncrafty or uncreative among us, The Creative Family will help you overcome the hurdles that are holding back your creative juices. Many of her suggestions revolve around play and exploration, most take only a handful of supplies, and all focus on the energy and happiness of just creating. She does a wonderful job of showing one how to adjust their perspective about creating with children from a chores with clean up to a privilege to be cherished.

I honestly can't say enough about this book. It has changed my life and the life of my children. Our home is a better and prettier place. We have already tried many of the suggested activities in the book and the children have loved every minute of it. We have a list going now of all the projects and ideas we want to try. It is a book EVERY family should own. Thank you Mrs. Soule.

You can find The Creative Family at Amazon, your local bookstore, or one SouleMama for an autographed copy. And be looking for Mrs. Soule's new book Handmade Home due out in August. You can bet I'll be one of the first to have it and a review will follow as well.

And not to be missed for those of us blog addicts is SouleMama. Mrs. Soule's AWESOME blog where she shares crafting, cooking, exploring and living a creative life. Check it out you wont be sorry you did.

Check back next month for my review of Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan.