Chirped by Cass and Tina
Oh where has the summer gone? Our last Cheep Trill was in April and our most recent Chirp was June’s Crafting for a Cause. As is probably the case for many of you, summertime has been busy! Between having the kids home from college, vacations, visits to and from friends and family, etc… these days of summer are just flying by. Now we are in the midst of packing the kids up to head back to school again! But we’re taking a moment to breathe, and celebrate ten favorite things from the past few months…
Favorite Book
Our favorite book for the summer was The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah. Set in the 1970s in the wilderness of Alaska, this book could put a chill down your spine on the hottest summer day. We loved the descriptions of living off the grid, surviving the dark, cruel Alaskan winters, and a community that pulls together to help each other in times of trouble. More disturbing were the family’s constant battles with the father’s violent temper and PTSD from his days as a Vietnam POW. The writing beautifully captured Alaska in all its fearsome glory – as Continue reading
I’m guessing most crafty people love a good cause into which they can pour their creative energies. When you’re passionate about creating stuff, you start to run out of places to display your masterpieces around your own home. And there are only so many hats and scarves that you can reasonably knit for your extended family (or Blog Dog)! That’s why, when a non-profit or community organization issues a public request for handmade items, they tend to get an enthusiastic (and sometimes overwhelming) response, at least once word really gets out there. There are lots of organizations that could use the help of a hoard of crafters. Here are just a few that our own craft groups have set our sights on…
The 
Easter and Passover are nearly upon us! Cass was out of town last week, and I was charged with publishing my London post in her absence. But, as you may recall from the week before, I’m expecting an updated count of 27 people (plus one extra dog!) for Easter dinner on Saturday… I was way too busy prepping to have time to sort through all my England photos and notes. So instead, I thought I’d throw together 
Peter Cottontail will soon be hopping down the bunny trail, so it’s time to get creative with some Easter crafts before the pre-party crunch! Tina and her husband are hosting the big extended-family gathering for the first time this year, with a current headcount of 26. She wants to make personalized eggs for all the kids attending the big event – to use as place cards, then hide with the hard-boiled eggs they will decorate, and finally to give the kids to keep after all the festivities are over. So, at our craft get together this week, she brought out wooden eggs, paints, and paint markers and we all got in on the fun.