Thanks again for all of your kind words after my last post; we're on the upswing here, and it's amazing what better health will do for one's mood. Things are once again getting done, albeit slowly, and I'll soon be sharing in this space a few ways in which I'm trying to lessen the weight on my shoulders. I should also mention that the Winter edition of Rhythm of the Home is now live, a publication that truly helps me to keep a balanced view of motherhood, and inspires me to keep things simple and keep my priorities straight.

In the midst of repeated nose-blowings (both mine and Finn's), I was able to do some "merry making" in preparation for our return home on Saturday (and tree decorating on Sunday!) Finn needed a stocking. The one I put up for him last year was a little knitted sock ornament, a gesture that was purely symbolic.

I used the pattern in Alicia's fabulous book, Stitched in Time. The result is very sweet and mis-matchy, but let me tell you, it is rather small. Alicia mentions this, but I just didn't think to enlarge the pattern more than the suggested 200%. Next time I make this (and there will be a next time) I'll enlarge it by 300% to keep mutiny at bay. You see, the stockings I knitted for me and Patrick many years back are humongous. As in, you could fit several animals in there, a la The Mitten. Those hand knits are stretchy. Finn's stocking is very modest by comparison, and I think I'll make a larger version in a few years' time, using this one as part of the holiday decor rather than a stocking to be stuffed. Either that, or I'll have to make smaller stockings for the adults in the house!

I've also started to gather some things to fill Finn's stocking, gifts that will pique a toddler's interest while avoiding the typical plastic trinkets. So far, I've found the most beautiful geode:

This will be a great addition to the winter nature table. Along with that, I'm putting in an amethyst and a piece of calcite. Finn's already seen these rocks/minerals, as his Papa (a geologist) was happy to introduce them to him. We all got a real kick out of hearing an 18 month-old say "calcite." He didn't attempt amethyst.

I also stopped by the local crystal shop and picked up a simple window crystal. My parents have one in their house (you can see it in the background) and Finn is so taken by it. He goes to look for rainbows throughout the day, and finds it endlessly amusing to try and catch them in his hands or "wipe" them off of pillows, floors and walls. The crystal will hang from the window in our new playroom.

Another idea I have in mind are a pair of fingerless gloves (I have this pattern - I'd like to give it a go as soon as I get home. I've noticed that gloves like these would be really useful for Finn during his outdoor explorations. Putting regular mittens on a toddler is like blindfolding an adult - so much sensory information enters the mind through those little fingers, that covering them up seems torturous! For those of you who don't knit, there are some reasonably priced fingerless gloves for toddlers available from various Etsy sellers.)

Other than a few art supplies, that's all I'll be able to fit in Finn's stocking, and it will be plenty, I'm sure. Now ... what in the world will I put in his father's bottomless stocking? That one's always a challenge.