October's Snail Mail has arrived at both its destinations and I thought I would show you the results over two days. Today I want to introduce you to my swap partner, Jennifer, of The Prairie Girl blog and show you the stunning shawl she made for me. Tomorrow I will show you the items I sent in return, a hand-knit scarf and some mittens with a difference.
*A Box full of delicious gorgeousness*
Hi Jennifer, as my first blogging friend, I have loved sharing your journey over the last year. What made you want to start posting and what have you enjoyed most about having your own blog?
I first started my blog as something I could do just for myself, it was somewhere I could blather on about things that interested me. The things I have enjoyed most are the friendships I've made with such wonderful women. It's amazing how all across the world, no matter how different our circumstances, there are so many things that are common to us as women, moms and creative people.
* A shawl that looks like captured waves*
What made you chose 'something to wear' as a theme? How did you chose the lovely project you made for me?
Honestly, I was in the middle of a huge declutter and was hesitant to add anything else to the house. I thought it would be really nice to have something to wear that was handmade, so I decided to make you a shawl. I figured it would be useful and could be used in the spring, fall, a cool summer evening or even a warm winter day.
You grew up in Cornwall, and I vacationed there when I was a girl and we lived in England. I wanted to pick something that reminded both of us of the sea and those memories. The colour was perfect and the edges of the shawl remind me of the waves. Now we live across the world and we are both connected and disconnected by the sea, and this shawl just brought all of that together. (I love this Jennifer - thank you, it makes it even more special!)
* Edges inspired by waves*
With four little ones, home-schooling, crafting and taking such great pictures (plus everything else life throws at us!) how do you find balance in your life?
Balance? I'm not sure I have any, but I am striving for it. Life is busy, constantly busy with four kiddos at home all the time. Some days are full of grumpy kids, bickering between siblings, trying to catch up on laundry, or dishes, or housework. Some days are full of working together and peace and harmony. No two days are ever alike, but I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I try to make sure that the kids and I have some quiet time each day and then the kids all go to bed at 7pm so I have a little bit of time in the evening to gather my thoughts and if I have enough energy, work on a project or two.
* Perfect balance*
I know you have visited many places as you were growing up - where would you like to go again if you had the chance? Is there anywhere you haven't travelled to that you would love to see?
I would go back to the U.K. hands down. I feel like it is truly my home and can't wait until we are able to take our family over there, hopefully in a couple of years. One place I've never been but would love to go is France.
What three blogs do you read when you only have a few minutes to yourself?
Ooh, that's a toughie. There are so many great blogs out there, but the three I would visit if I only had a few minutes would be yours (of course:), SouleMama, and Farmama. That just isn't a fair question, as there are so many amazing women out there that I draw inspiration from.
Just for fun :
Tea/Coffee? - Hot chocolate. I do love an iced coffee on a hot day, but in the winter when I'm trying to stay warm I go for tea.
Beach/Mountain? - We visit the mountains as they are only a couple of hours away from where we are, but I'd take a beach any day over the mountains. Not the super sunny, way too hot and overcrowded beaches, I prefer sandy/rocky beaches in the cooler weather.
Morning/Evening? - Before kids I used to be such a night owl. I could do my best work/thinking/whatever between about 10:00pm to 2:00am. Now the kids go to bed at 7:00pm and I am ready to head that way myself at around 9:00pm. On the rare occasion that I beat the kids up, it is really nice to sit with a mug of cocoa and listen to the morning sounds out of the window.
Cat/Dog? - Well, I'm allergic to both of them. With dogs, I get itchy and sneezy and with cats I have difficulty breathing, so ideally I'm not around either, but I do prefer dogs.
TV/Radio? - Here the radio stations are either all music and commercials or a bunch of talk radio, which I don't really care for. If there were some radio stations with great programming, I would choose radio.
Town/country? - I like to be in the country but close to a small town. I don't care for big cities at all.
Neat/messy? - In my head I am very neat, but my house tends to disagree.
Eat in/take away? - Most of the time eat in. I love homemade food especially in the winter when baking seems to heat up the whole house. Occasionally I do like to eat out, though I think that has more to do with not having to clean up afterwards. The food always seems to be disappointing though, compared to homemade.
Thank you so much Jennifer for joining in with my swap, I am so glad that we have got to know each other and treasure the friendship that has strengthened between us over the last year. As a favor to you as a special friend, I will now share this incredibly awful photo of me wearing your scarf - It looks lovely in real life but I really do have to work on the self portrait thing! Get ready for a good laugh and I'll see you again tomorrow for part two!
