Felt frenzy bookmarks

Just one of those felt frenzy moments 

where I was suppose to be working on my soon to be little nieces blanket and I just started playing and ended up with some felty/fabric bookmarks. 

Here are some pics of my soon to be nieces blanket I am still working on.

(if you remember it was to match the felt tree pillow I made.)

Sorry this  has not been ironed out so it doesn't look quite as nice. 

Also I am going to have to finish everything but the tree trunks because I can not find the right color of felt. I will be returning to the States this summer so I will be able to pick it up there and finish it...hopefully just in time for the new little one who is due the end of July.

My dear friend gave me some of her fabric and this piece with the trees was apart of the stash she gave me. Isn't it perfect for the back? I am so grateful because I wasn't sure what I was going to use to bring it all together. (I love and miss you friend.)

Well I could say that was all of the felt frenzy but it was not... the kids and I had a felt frenzy day just a bit ago and resulted in some pretty fun headbands, little pouches and even my 6 year old up-cycling her little white shoes with felt embellishments. :) 

Yes I so think my 6 year olds upcylce project deserves it own post. Along with the other creations they came up with. So stay tuned... for felt frenzy #2 ;)

Using what I have in my little west corner...this time it was it was felt and fabric. :)

Becky

Homemade abacuses

I am in the process of teaching and my little guy is in the process of learning his numbers. 

Here was a fun hands on idea. 

What we used:

If you don't have all the items you could use: 

Popsicle sticks, skewers cut and small noodles. 

Here are our homemade abacuses. It is a great math manipulative. 

While learning numbers here we have also done a number train and a number snake which my little guy has really liked also. 

Here is the link for the number snake: Snake and Numbers

Learning and teaching...In my west corner,

Becky

Cultural jems ~ Teyze

The Story

The bus was crowded, the aisle so full there was no room for your feet. We, my daughter and I, squeezed on and stepped (tripped) over the luggage in the aisle. We were heading to Istanbul and had gotten on a service bus to take us to the bus station just outside of town. I was not concerned, this to shall pass was my thought. I have found myself (with and without my kiddos) in this sort of  crowed situation before, I was just wanting my 8 year old to have a firm hold on the bar beside her so she didn't fall. There wasn't enough room for me to be close because the aisle was so packed with lugguge our feet didn't fit next to each other. We stopped let on more passengers and had to inch our way up the aisle a bit more to make room. My daughter was now standing in a place that had no good place to hold on, before I could help her, Teyze (sweet Teyze) who was sitting down, grabbed her and drew her close and held on to her for the rest of the 15 minute ride.   Definition of Teyze: Maternal Aunt, Older lady in society

In Turkey this is so common, children are well looked after and so many look after other people's children with no thought of their own inconvenience. I am certain that was the same for Teyze, she did what was natural to her.

When you live in a different culture it can be easy to see the negatives...the irritations and to speak about them and then forget all the jems and all the precious things. I want my heart to be set on the positives on the little jems that shine out from time to time, I just need to keep my eyes open.

A thought that struck me the other day was, I am sure Christ saw and spoke the positives while on earth, even though I am certain He saw all the negatives. Christ is not negative, he is positive.

My gem for the day is Teyze and all the Teyzes who remind me to consider others and make me grateful for some of those 'inconviences' that keep me keen to others needs and wants and not just my own.

Sometimes you might have to dig a bit to find the jem ;) but they are there,  just slightly hiding beneath the service. Happy jem seeking where you are.


In my west corner... finding jems where I am.
Becky

Our 'ordinary day keepsake book'

An ordinary day turned into a keepsake.

This book is about one of our days... it was just another day, now it is a keepsake and a day we will remember. :) I love it when ordinary days get highlighted. 

I love the illustrations the girls drew in this book because they are of our little western town here in Turkey and there are certain landmarks and places we visit that the girls remembered and put in the pics. :)

The idea started because we were out of drawing paper...so I went and grabbed some white fabric and cut it into squares. I gave the kids some sharpies and our "Ordinary day Keepsake book" was born.  

Come and take a look and read about our day. 

*Isaac 'designed' the cover of the book. 

*Lydia wrote and sewed on the title. 

*Lydia and Autumn told the story, mommy wrote it. (just they way they told it, so there are some grammar issues. :))

*Lydia and Autty were the fab illustrators. :) 

*Mommy sewed the book together. (2 months after the writing of it ;))

We have all sat together and read this book several times and the kids have looked at it a bunch on there own. It was a great project to do with my kids.  Maybe we will do another someday...

~Remembering and storying the ordinary days that make up our together moments. 

In our little west corner,

Becky

The Bike Cake

Happy Birthday Lydia. :) 

The BIKE

The BIKE CAKE

The Bike owner

The Friends

The Party

The tired mom saying good night with a sigh of relief and joy.

I feel so privileged this year to have been able to buy our little girl the perfect princess bike for her and to have had the time to make a cake that she loved.

Thank you Lord for your constant gifts and tender care. ~ Thank you for helping me to know my kids and giving me the wisdom I need to be their mommy. ~ Also thank you for the privilege of being able to speak Turkish so I can be the mommy my kids need in this culture. ~

In our west corner, heading to bed ~ Becky