The Playful Pioneers

June 21, 2018June 21, 2018 ~ Crystle ~ 3 Comments

This summer we’re embarking on new territory!

I gifted Margot the box set to the Little House on the Prairie for her 5th birthday back in March. We read our way through the Little House in the Big Woods, and have gone through half of the Little House on the Prairie. Then I caught wind of a school age curriculum based around the Little House Series called the Playful Pioneers from the Peaceful Press; it expands on the books by using worksheets, crafts, recipes, and bible studies. The concepts from the Little House lifestyle are emphasized with supplemental book recommendations, practical art skills (weaving, natural dyeing etc.) and rounded out with theology lessons.

The curriculum is for early elementary students, and since Margot only begins Kindergarten this fall, we have plenty of time to work through the concepts in the next couple of years. For now, I read the stories aloud and help reinforce the ideas throughout the week.

It’s a loose approach to keeping my kids busy during the day, and to prepare Margot for the upcoming school year. And what a great way to bring scripture into our daily lives!

And for those who love the world of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I highly recommend Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller. It’s a wonderful take on the Little House migration from Caroline’s perspective. Historical fiction at its finest! I uniquely felt the highs and lows of the Pioneer experience while camping at the lake earlier this summer (hello hot days and cold nights). I checked it out from the library, but it’s worth the purchase!

I should also mention our family foray into fiber arts this year. As per my last post, needle felting has become a favorite way to pass the time. We’ve now caught the weave fever. Margot loves working on her mini lap loom, and I’ve gotten around to warping and weaving on my second hand rigid heddle loom.

Eventually I’ll join the Bisbee Fiber Arts Guild so I can work on their giant floor looms, I’ll need to get some more practice in before hand. I’ve also been kept busy with crochet projects. I’ve made a couple of hexa-cardis (see Margot modeling hers above), a Cal Poly Pomona themed afghan for my sister Kelli (she starts school there this fall), and a reading blanket for Margot (below).

Woody is waiting patiently to be the recipient of a fiber arts project by me; so I’ve begun a reading blanket for him using a gradient yarn in the Cupcake line from Lion Brand.

I’ll have to share my sewing projects as well! My Creative Bug subscription has kept me busy; I love the 100 Acts of Sewing patterns and tutorials. Most of that content has already been shared on my instagram page. Check that out for more details: Shirt No. 1 – @thatyeayealife

Happy Solstice, folks, I’ll be sharing more craft projects soon!

Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch

January 18, 2018January 31, 2023 ~ Crystle ~ 1 Comment

Welp, I’m down the rabbit hole in fiber arts. It’s a good thing!

At the Farmers Market I happened to come across a booth for the Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch. They sell the roving I need for felting, and they source it themselves. They often bring their alpacas out into the community for meets and greets. I learned they offer tours of their ranch, and jumped at the opportunity. I brought along my family and friends for the visit.

We fed the animals and learned a lot about raising alpacas and chickens. I had lots of questions about wool processing, and made sure to stock up on roving. Of course I’m now committed to having my own alpaca ranch. I’m not sure how I’m going to juggle that with my Alaska plans, Olympia dreams and world-traveling ideas. But the allure of living off my own garden, and earning revenue from chickens and alpaca wool sounds so appealing and rewarding.

Thunder Mountain Alpaca Ranch - Sierra Vista, AZ | Yea Yea Pueblo - Yea Yea Photography

Adding to the appeal of ranching in high desert Arizona: my grandpa Don used to have his own Emu ranch about an hour away from where we live now. He lives here in Sierra Vista, and I’ve had the opportunity to ask him questions about his ranching over dinner. Entrepreneurs are so interesting to break bread with! Emus were trendy right after my Grandpa invested in them, and the revenue from egg and chick sales supported him for a long time. He also served in the Army at Ft. Huachuca. It’s like this place is calling to us to stay and raise livestock!

We recently visited Tubac, AZ and chatted with the owner of a wool shop. She told us she raises Alpacas in Minnesota and boards them during the winter when she snowbirds in Arizona. So of course I’m researching, and studying, and dreaming up the ways I can have my cake and eat it too. With alpacas.

An Oklahoma City Holiday

January 14, 2018 ~ Crystle ~ 1 Comment

OKC Holiday | Yea Yea Pueblo This year we made our way to Oklahoma City for the Christmas Holiday. We hadn’t visited for over a year, and the last time we were there for Christmas was when Isaac and I shocked everyone with our Elopement just days before Christmas proper. We are a spontaneous and fun-loving couple, and that’s the kind of thing we do; but as we age, we try to take a more regulated and mature path to fulfillment.

OKC Holiday | Yea Yea Pueblo Oklahoma hasn’t changed dramatically since our last visit. We were able to catch up with a few people, one of whom happens to be my best friend from Alaska; the wonderful Jax Harmon. They were recently sent to Fort Sill in Oklahoma, lucky me! We spent a day at the Science Museum where our kids all happily ran wild, and we were able to trail along behind them, chatting about all the new and old things going on in our lives. It was wonderful, and despite my laryngitis, the time spent with family-friends was energizing. OKC Holiday | Yea Yea Pueblo

What a great reunion. Sister-in-law Anna was recently accepted to Medical School (OU, Boomer Sooner!), Ethan got a new kidney and is enjoying all the freedom that good health brings, all the siblings were together for the first time in forever, and Pop-pop and Cece got to enjoy Christmas morning with Margot and Woods. So much to celebrate and rejoice in. I’m glad to be a part of this family, and to have honorary family like the Harmons to share life with. Peace to all in the new year! OKC Holiday | Yea Yea Pueblo