Fall Journals

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of crafting with 18 first graders at Selby's Fall party for her class. Charged with leading the craft, I decided on these darling journals. The books were preassembled (see directions below) so they were ready to be decorated by the kids.

I provided a pile of leaves and triangular crayons for leaf rubbings, as well as a plate of apples and red & green stamp pads for apple stamping.

The kids were enchanted! It was such fun watching their wonder at how a leaf appeared right before their eyes... or how the shape of an apple was miraculously reproduced on the page.

The results were fantastic! I went home feeling so grateful for the opportunity to work with these unique children, and overwhelmingly grateful for the teacher who guides these 18 six & seven year olds all day, every day. (Whew!)

And the kids went home with hand-crafted books filled with samplings of Fall's natural beauty. How 'bout them apples!

How to Make a Fall Journal:

1. Fold 1 piece of construction paper and 2-3 sheets white copy paper in half.
2. Punch 2 holes in side of book at opposite ends.
3. Push rubber band through top hole and loop around end of a stick. Pull rubber band down backside of book and push through bottom hole; loop through other end of stick. The stick should now be secured along the "spine" of your book.
4. Decorate and fill with pieces of Autumn nature, such as leaf rubbings and apple stampings.

The Halloween Nester

Perhaps I've taken this "Natural Nester" thing too far? Last weekend, I attended a Halloween party as a tree with a nest on top, complete with bird and eggs! My sweet husband indulged me and dressed as a bird watcher, including knee high socks, binoculars, sun hat, canteen and a field guide tucked into his shirt pocket.

 

This was such an easy costume: hot glue Spanish moss and feathers on a skull cap, then top it with a bird and eggs from the craft store. I wore a brown shirt, brown pants and lots of glittery, bronze eye makeup.

 

How are you dressing up for Halloween?

It's Creepy and It's Kooky -

- Mysterious and Spooky -

- It's all together Ooky -

We're getting ready for Halloween!

October Peace Intention

When I read about the Piece Together Peace project on Threading Light, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. But with chaos heavy upon me, like a dense morning fog, I knew not where to begin. I searched for a point of clarity, a beam of light in the dark, and it finally appeared. The message I received was simple: start at the beginning - start within. And so it is, my October peace intention is a straightforward commitment to live with a constant, calm heart. To find peace in the sanctuary within me. To help me along this path, I'm committing to meditate every day. Even if it is just for one minute, I intend to sit quietly, to breathe deeply, to feel peace in my heart, and to fill my body with light. From here, perhaps, I can begin to transform, to create something new... to piece together peace in my world, and the world around me.

First Meal of Fall

Despite the craziness of the move, I managed to pull off a proper "Welcome Fall" dinner on the Autumn Equinox. We feasted on a few of my favorites: Kale Salad from Love Soup, Butternut Soup with Pear, Cider and Vanilla Bean from A Homemade Life, baked chicken with herbes de provence and ginger cookies for dessert. There was no time to make homemade cookies, so I tried the organic Ginger Spice cookie dough from Immaculate Baking Co. The cookies were nowhere near as good as our favorite Fresh Ginger Cookies, but OK in a pinch. Yay to the flavors of Fall!

Expanding My Nest

It's been over a week since I've visited this space. And for good reason - I have two new residents occupying my nest! Due in part to circumstance, and in part to choice, my parents have joined us in our family home. We are now a multigenerational household of six!

Everyone is trying to get settled. Things are piled up everywhere, looking for a new space. On my end, we condensed three rooms to one, combining the girls' bedroom and playroom into one space (my former office & project room). My project space now lives in the former brunch area off the kitchen - I love it!

My mother, a professional artist, has artfully merged her full art studio & bedroom into one room with good light. And my dad, who has special needs after a permanently disabling spinal chord injury, is gracefully managing a new space and new routine.

It's BUSY here! Everyday after school we also have my 8 year old nephew with us through dinnertime. We have occupational therapists a couple times a week, working with my dad. Oh, and did I mention we have a dog now too? My parent's Westie Daisy is also part of the new mix!

It is chaos, but it feels like relief to me. The time and decisions leading up to this move were mentally and emotionally draining, and dragged on for months. The move itself was physically exhausting and took two full weeks of sorting, packing and heavy lifting. So this aspect - this crazy mix of people and things all bunched up in one space - I can handle this.

One. Breath. At. A. Time.