All the Places to Love

Children's picture books

This book was one of the first I fell in love with when, as a young mother,  I discovered the world of Children’s Literature.


It is the story of a boy who lives on a farm with his parents and grandparents.


When his Grandpa first saw him, he carved his name on a beam in the barn next to the names of his parents.  Eli grows and through the years his parents and grandparents share with him the places they love most on the farm.


His dad teaches him to love the soil and his grandmother teaches him to love the river.


His mother loves the hill.


And now, today the boy sits with his grandpa waiting in the barn for the announcement that his new baby sister is born.


Her name will be carved on the old barn’s beam next to his.  He looks forward with eagerness to introducing his little sister to “all the places to love” in their little world.


Reading this lovely book always makes me sigh.  MacLachlan’s text is simple but evocative.  Wimmer’s illustrations are rich and beautiful.  To me, this is more than a story of a boy growing up in the country.  It is the story of a boy who is swimming in love, whose life is enriched by an appreciation of simple things.  The nurturing of his parents and grandparents have created this for him, and he waits patiently for the opportunity to share simple beauties with his sister.   I guess I love what this story implies about the relationships in this boy’s family.  They’re the kind of relationships I want to create in my own home.  You don’t have to live in the country to enjoy the world around you.  You just have to be aware and appreciative.  Every time I close this book, I feel more committed to slow down and create more of those moments for my children.  It is a book that makes me yearn to be better.  And I’ll admit that it also makes me wish a I had an old barn with our names carved on the beam!

If you’ve never read this book, I hope someday you have the opportunity to.  You can purchase it here .  Meanwhile, I hope you’ll share all of YOUR places to love with your family.

Hopeful Homemaker

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Parfait Pincushions

Quilting and Sewing

This quick and easy project was fun to make with my mom, sister and sister-in-law a few weeks ago.  We sat at one table and stitched while the guys sat at my dining room table and played a game.


The pattern comes from this issue of Quilts and More.  I purchased it at my local grocery store because it is full of projects I want to make.  I’m guessing you might still be able to find one at a Barnes & Noble.  If not, it would be easy to draw your own pattern.


You need a large circle of felt, about 8 inches in diameter, and two pieces for the “toppings.”


With two strands of embroidery floss, blanket stitch the first, larger topping to the center of your circle.


Repeat with the second, smaller topping.


Add a red or pink button for your cherry on top.


Your circle should look like this.


Turn the circle over, wrong side up.  Thread a needle with 36 inches of sewing thread.  Knot the ends of the thread together and begin a running stitch around the perimeter of the circle, about 1/4 inch in from the edge.


Gather the circle.


Stuff with filling.


Tighten thread until the hole is less than 1 inch in diameter and carefully knot your thread.


Cut a circle of felt to cover the hole.


Whip stitch into place.


You’re done.  All you need is a parfait glass.  We found ours at WalMart.  This pincushion is designed to sit on the top of the dish.


This allows you to store buttons or other notions in the glass beneath the pincushion.


It was so easy to make that I experimented with other colors, too.


My girls quickly saw the potential of these creations and whisked them away to the toyroom for use with their little kitchen.


I’ve seen some of the cute felt food that people are making for children to play with but I had no idea how much fun it might be to make it!  This project left me wanting to stock the playroom with sweet little bits of food.  Whether it’s used as a toy or a pincushion, this was a fun project.

Hopeful Homemaker Shared at DIY Day

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The Fourth Little Pig

Children's picture books, Out of Print books

This week is National Childrens Book Week.  To celebrate I’ll be sharing one of my favorite childrens books each day.  I’ve already shared my #1 favorite from my own childhood here .  There are a lot of gems that I’ve discovered as a mother as well.  Today’s book is, unfortunately, out of print, but it’s so good that I have to share it anyway.   You can find copies if you’re willing to pay a bit more for it.  It was already out of print when I purchased my copy years ago and I haven’t regretted it.


The Fourth Little Pig is written by Teresa Celsi and illustrated by Doug Cushman.  The story begins with three little pigs in a brick house, hiding from the big bad wolf.  Only they’ve been there so long that there is no longer a wolf threat.  Their sister knocks on the door and is surprised by their fearful response to her knock.    She insists that there are other things they should be doing with their lives.


When the three brothers continue to cower in fear despite her assurance that there is no wolf, in exasperation SHE blows their brick house down and forces them to face the world.


At last the brothers look around and discover a world full of  opportunity, with no wolves in sight.


They dust themselves off and get busy experiencing life.  Their sister departs for a life of adventure.


This is a short, sweet book with very few words.   What I love about it is the message.  I love the reminder that we cannot hide behind our fears.  We’ve got to make life happen and not waste it worrying about all the things that might go wrong.  The lesson is taught in a light, fun tone.  My children always want it read again, and it’s a clever spin-off on the traditional story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf.  I’ve also found that it can be a fun book to share with teens, as it is a good take-off point for discussion.

I’m off to find a door to open!

Hopeful Homemaker

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