Corn Bags

Posted on April 13, 2023April 14, 2023 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Heating up my corn bags at night is one of my favorite parts of the day. I get a touch of sadness when the weather becomes too warm to rationalize my corn bag.

Corn bags or heating pads, or whatever you want to call them, are these lovely filled bags which can be heated in the microwave and used for achey bodies or just for coziness and warmth.

What I love about this project is that it’s a really great way for novice sewers to practice sewing.

Here’s the basic idea:

–Cut a piece of 100% cotton fabric into the size you want.

This is another part I love about this project. It’s a GREAT way to reuse fabric. I’ve heard of people using cloth napkins they found at thrift shops, knee-high socks, bits from clothing that may have been holey or stained in parts and unable to go to a donation store. Just make sure your fabric is 100% cotton and doesn’t have any gold-type threads or glitter on it, since it will be going in the microwave.

–Cut your fabric to the size you want.

Since I’m a self-taught sewer, I really don’t deal in preciseness and measurement the same way others might. So, if you’re feeling you need that, check out some online tutorials on this topic. Regardless, the first step would be to decide if you want a heating bag to go around your neck or on your back or by your feet at night. Play around with what size will work best for you. My daughter and I recently sewed these bitty corn bags for her to use at night.

–With the fabric right sides together, you will sew all but one side. Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and the end. I always like to sew around the border twice, just to be sure that the corn doesn’t have a chance of escape.

–I usually like to wash my fabric at this point, if I haven’t already, just to be sure it’s clean.

–Next, once your fabric is right sides out again, you will fill the bag with your choice of filling.

Some people like to use rice. I’ve always used something called feed corn. I find this at a local feed store for ridiculously cheap. You could probably also find it a tractor type store. I personally can’t stand supporting Amazon or Walmart, so I always look for something local. Sometimes the corn needs to be picked through I’ve heard, if there are hay bits, etc. But the $4, 10 pound bag I get is always very clean. The one piece of advice I will strongly encourage though, if you are using feed corn, is, please microwave it right away. Not in its packaging, of course. But portion out a bit of it at a time in a microwavable bowl that you’ll clean and heat it up for at least a couple minutes. Do this before storing the corn with your craft supplies. Let it cool, and then proceed. Without this step, you may notice small, mysterious bugs by your bag of feed corn a few months down the road. Once you’ve heated it once though, this won’t happen, so don’t freak out.

–Fill your bag with the amount of feed corn (not unpopped popcorn, please!) or rice that feels right.

At one point, I used to use a funnel for this, but I often found that for me at least, this sometimes made it tougher than just pouring the corn in using a measuring cup or scoop. I do still like to do this over a baking tray or big bowl, so I don’t have run away feed corn everywhere.

–Fold the top closed and sew. Again, I like to sew it twice to ensure nothing will be able to escape.

Once you’ve got the corn and made this even once, the process is ridiculously simple. These are fun to make, so great to use (even those non-microwave people often make an exception for these), and they can make great, simple gifts.

If you’re gifting it to someone, you might want to heat it up once to test it before you gift it. It might be a good idea to make a tag with a label so the recipient knows what it’s for and approximately how long to heat it. Depending on the size of your heating bag and the effectiveness of your microwave and how hot you would like the corn bag, this could range from 1 to 2 minutes usually. If the bag is especially small or for a child, I would start with 30 seconds.

Once in awhile, I feel my corn bags need a wash. If that happens, I cut the edge, empty the corn into a bowl temporarily, shake out the bits of flaky corn pieces, run it with my wash, make sure it’s completely dry, put the corn back in, sew the end closed again.

Here’s a quick recap:

—100% cotton fabric (try to find material that can be reused)

—Cut to desired size

—With right sides together, sew three sides

—Turn right side out

—Fill with feed corn or rice (Heat that feed corn as soon as you get it!)

—Sew last bit closed

Enjoy! or Gift to someone else to enjoy

Bee Books

Posted on February 22, 2023February 22, 2023 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Being a Bee (2017)
by Jinny Johnson and Lucy Davey

This beautiful children’s book gives information about bees on each page. Not an overwhelming amount, but definitely educational and interesting. It has the feel of a picture book, but the added bonus of teaching us more about bees. There are great tips and resources at the end as well! Definitely one to check out if you’re interested in studying bees.

The Honeybee
words by Kirsten Hall, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault (2018)

This is one of my favorite of the bee books we checked out while studying bees. In this picture book, the author uses catchy, flowing poetry to show readers the journey of a bee’s season. It’s beautifully told and beautifully illustrated and designed. The book ends with information and tips for appreciating and protecting bees. Such an important book for our young ones to read, but also such an enjoyable one.

Beehive (2020)
by Jorey Hurley

This book’s pages are simple, containing just one word per page. But it is such a gorgeous way to tell the readers about a bee’s journey. Overly simple books can be very hit or miss, but this one is a definite winner. The author’s note at the end shares more information about each of the steps shown in the book. I can’t wait to check out more by Jorey Hurley!

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

Posted on February 13, 2023 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

by Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess) (2012)

Oh. My. Gosh. I have not laughed so hard while reading a book E-V-E-R. My husband kept checking in to make sure I was ok, because my whole body was shaking uncontrollably with laughter.

I had read a quote on the Internet from this book and checked it out from the library to see more. The cover and end papers looked bizarre, and I wasn’t sure what I’d think of this. Jenny warns in the introduction that at some point in the book she’ll probably offend you, the reader. Being a person who 1) is easily offended and who 2) was once told I have a more “narrow” sense of humor than most, I didn’t know how this book would go for me. Well, it obviously went very well. I looked forward to my healthy dose of laughter every time I indulged in another chapter. Jenny Lawson tells stories from her life, and no matter the topic, she is just flipping hilarious. As Neil Gaiman says in his review,

“The Bloggess writes stuff that actually is laugh-out-loud, but you know that really you shouldn’t be laughing and probably you’ll go to (heck) for laughing, so maybe you shouldn’t read it. That would be safer and wiser.”

So, I’m not sure how others would react to this book, but if you’re looking for some laughter in your life, and you take to it like I did, you will be very grateful you picked this up!

Sophie Mouse

Posted on January 20, 2023June 19, 2024 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

by Poppy Green, illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell

The Sophie Mouse series started in 2015 and the 20th book comes out this May, 2023. We did not read these in order when first discovering them. The first one I remember reading to the kids was Book 14, The Great Bake Off. And while these books all end with more of an “Awww…” than an emotional tear, this particular one hit me at the right time and I definitely got misty-eyed.

Sophie Mouse’s world in Silverlake Forest is charming. It’s lovely and ideal, with all animal species getting along, but without it ever feeling sappy. These books make me want to run and play outside, and if I could live in a book, this world would be a top-contender. Sophie and her friends deal with themes of jealousy, fear, doubt, feeling left out, even prejudice. But all of it is treated in an extremely light-hearted way. I ADORE that Sophie makes her paints for her art from items in Nature. I love that all the items in their world, from the brooms to the dishes are made with objects from Nature. I love reading about the culinary delights that Mrs. Mouse is baking! I love that the animals are all kind to each other. When reading out loud to the kids, I sometimes skip over parts when Sophie feels frustrated by her younger brother wanting to tag along, but even these moments are handled in a very nice way. These are relatively short chapter books, with about nine or ten chapters in each one and accompanying illustrations throughout. Everything about the Sophie books is endearing–the characters, the stories, the illustrations, the plots. My kids have loved these books from the beginning, and I definitely have too. I look forward to reading them just as much as they do!

They Grow Up So…Slowly

Posted on January 20, 2023January 24, 2024 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Almost every parent you’ll ever hear from talks about how quickly their children grown up. Or, they’ll quote the “days are long, but the years are short” bit. But, as an “at-home,” homeschooling mama, I get to be with these lovely kiddos ALL. DAY. LONG. (plus nights). Time doesn’t exactly fly. Not to say I’m immune to the gut-wrenching, bittersweet feeling of our kids growing up. Yes, of course, it’s wild to think about them as babies or toddlers and look at them now. Yes, when I want to scream and pull my hair out and run away from them, my heart almost immediately aches at the thought of our limited overall time under the same roof. But, I wouldn’t exactly say that their ages are whizzing by. Other people’s kids? Sure. Even kids who are the exact same ages as mine, will lead me into mind-boggling disbelief when I realize how old they are or how much they’ve grown. Friends’ kids, my siblings’ kids, celebrities’ kids? Where did the time go?! How are they so old?? But, my own little darlings’ timeline does not zoom by at the same rate.

Which is great, don’t get me wrong. This time is an absolute blessing, and as frustrating as it can be at times, I seriously wouldn’t have it any other way. But, because we’re in this unique position of spending so much time together, I just sometimes feel like I can’t relate to the tears of disbelief other parents might have upon their children’s birthdays or milestones. I’m more like, “Wait, aren’t you already that age? Cuz I really thought you were.”

So, I loved when a character from my favorite shows had this small, almost unnoticeable aside, while showing photos of her kids, saying, “They grow up so…slowly.” And then I overheard the stay-at-home dad on Bluey say something to his daughter, like, “Aren’t you already six?” And she assures him she’s not yet. Yes! Finally some parents who understand! Maybe it’s a SAHP thing, because I also remember some lines from one of my favorite books, More Love, Less Panic that allude to this stretching of time that can happen with young children. Maybe it’s because I’m given opportunities in my day to reflect on where the kids have been and where they’re headed. Maybe it’s because I really, truly do NOT miss their baby/toddler stages AT ALL. I don’t sit and weep over their old onesies. Those were some of the toughest years of my life, and I am grateful to be past them. But, whatever it is, it’s another of the zillion parent curses/blessings. I’ll certainly cry and shake my head at this ridiculous post someday when my heart is aching at how much they’ve grown and how I don’t hear running and whining and screams of “MoOoom” from the next room. I’ll always be grateful for this time I get to spend with our kids. Even when this treasured time seems to c…r…a..w..l… by, minute by long minute.

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