In My Nest....

It's been a very busy spring in my nest so far, with lots of good happenings, creative projects, and signs of the season! I packed up a beyond-beautiful harvest of edible flowers this week - all grown by myself and a gardening friend - and sent them off with the recipe editor of Edible Sarasota for a photo shoot. My article on edible flowers is slated for the spring issue, as well as a piece on growing microgreens & sprouts.

The girls are in the spirit of the season - Sage made a countdown to Easter sign, and Selby made spring table settings for dinner one night (so sweet accompanying a small harvest of baby French breakfast radishes from the garden). I love seeing how they express themselves!

We've been learning all about naturalist, explorer, and artist Maria Sibylla Merian for Selby's school research project (check out this delightful children's book about her). And Sage has been faithfully working in her nature journal; this week she's practicing drawing trees - pictured here, a tree and a tree lady!

I've been working to establish spring gardens for each of the girl's classrooms. We started seeds for "kitchen gardens"; sowed seeds for Florida-native-style "three sisters gardens" of sweet sorghum, seminole pumpkins, and yard long beans; and installed "food pollinator gardens" to attract butterflies, birds, bees, and other useful critters. I'm loving working with all the children and seeing their enthusiasm for digging in the dirt!

I've got a few other projects underway this season... each of which will likely get it's own post soon! Currently, I'm:

• hosting my spring nature journaling eCourse, A Sense of Place,
• planting my spring edible garden, which has now spread to include my front yard,
• fixing up my butterfly garden and pond for the arrival of new spring critters,
• planning & compiling an At-Home Summer Nature Camp eCurriculum (available by preorder),
• and creating a space to house some soon-to-come new additions to our nest... bunnies!

Like I said, we've been so very busy! What about you... what's happening in your nest? I'd love to know!

Feathering the Nest ~ Dream Catcher Garlands

When I saw an eCourse titled Feathering the Nest on Skill It, I was smitten. And then, when Leah gave me this beautiful tutorial to share with you for Dream Catcher Garlands, I couldn't wait to make my own! I gathered up a selection of found feathers and shells, some repurposed material, and some herbs from the yard, and strung them up on twine. Dreamy, for sure!

Now I get to share this oh-so-lovely project with you! Find the tutorial here, and then when you want more (and you will!), head over to Feathering the Nest for details on the course - a two-week journey created to guide you into making your home a beautiful space that mirrors the love and dreams you hold in your soul.  

 

The course starts April 1st - and I'll be there (of course the Natural Nester wants to feather her nest!). Want to join me?

 

Get 15% off with the code "naturalnester"!

 

Here's a little of what's included:

 

Inspiring Exercises ~ Step by Step Tutorials ~ A Feng Shui & Home Chakra Map ~ Natural Cleaning Recipes ~ Much More!

 

The "Welcome Spring" Party

The changing of seasons is always a big deal here in my nest. Living in Florida, the natural seasonal changes are subtle (though present if you look!), so we try and make a big tadoo over the arrival of a new season in other ways. We have solstice rituals, and equinox parties. Yesterday, we held an after-school celebration with ideas inspired by The Artful Parent's new eBook The Artful Spring. This is my family's third season enjoying these eBooks that are packed with seasonal arts and crafts, decorations, recipes, ideas for celebrating the holidays, and children's book recommendations.

For a treat, we followed the Bird's Nest Snack recipe to create adorable, edible nests from a peanut butter-cocoa based dough and pretzel sticks. First, I took my little birdies to the grocery to gather mud and sticks for their nests (and was talked into some candy eggs and Peeps to accompany!). Then we came home and got to building and snacking, which my girls really enjoyed.



We also spent some time resetting our nature table for spring. We've kept a seasonal nature table in our home for years, however I love the inspiration provided in the eBook's list of  Spring Nature Table Ideas.

After I cleared off our winter items, the girls enjoyed arranging and displaying a collection of spring mementos, including feathers, crafted nests, seashells, found bird egg fragments, dried insects, fresh flowers from the garden, and some springtime fairy friends. We'll continue to add to the table throughout the season.

Before the kids came home, I'd decorated a bit with a new flower arrangement from the garden, surrounded by crafted eggs, and a fabric banner we made last summer. I also brought out our spring books and a Peter Rabbit tea set I'd found on clearance around the holidays. It always amazes me how much my girls anticipate and appreciate these little parties... as soon as she got in the car, Sage asked me if the spring books were out yet. And Selby always rushes in when we get home to see what decorations I've put up!

How do you celebrate the arrival of spring? I'd love to know!

** The Artful Spring eBook is only $9.99, a super deal for 109 pages of Easter crafts (including 12 egg decorating ideas), spring crafts and recipes, family garden ideas, and lots of children's literature recommendations. It is a full-color PDF eBook that can be read on a computer screen, iPad or other tablet, Kindle Fire, or printed out. To order a copy, click here. I know you'll love it!*

Spring Break, Day 5 :: A Global Farm Field Trip

I've been wanting to write about our final Spring Break adventure here since last Friday... but it was so much to take in, I honestly am just now processing it all. We took a field trip with a couple other "gardening families" to tour a global demonstration farm in a neighboring town. This working farm, ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization), offers demonstrations of plants, animals, and techniques for farmers and gardeners working in challenging habitats, from rural to urban to tropical. It was so inspiring and informative, exposing all of us to new, creative, and sustainable agriculture techniques. The kids enjoyed some parts more than others... among the favorites were: "tippy tap" hand washing stations, tropical leaf & fruit samples, and of course, the farm animals. For my littlest, it took a promise of ice cream later to get us through to the end.

But first, lunch... we all piled into an old-Florida style seafood shack and feasted on fresh-caught local crabs! It was really a perfect spring day that I can't stop thinking about.

 

Want to see more pictures from my ECHO Global Farm tour? Check out my full photo album for ideas on recycled planters, bamboo garden structures, interesting plants, and more... oh, and a few really cute kids too. 

Spring Break, Day 4 :: A Nature Party!

A very special little friend of ours celebrated his 8th birthday today with a super-cool party! We met at a local state park for a day full of nature exploration and fun. The gathering was simple, yet thoughtful and so inspiring. If you're planning a birthday for a little person in your life, this idea was a big hit with all ages! Read on for details...

There were two activity stations set up - animal track stamping (with picture books on animal tracks to look at) and leaf rubbing.

The kids went on a scavenger hunt in the woods, which I heard about all day. They loved this so much! To make it manageable, the children were split into three groups by age, with the youngest having a simpler list to seek out.

In addition to exploring the nearby river and its wildlife - fiddler crabs were abundant on the bank, and a blue crab & jumping mullet were spotted in the water - the kids enjoyed a visit from the park ranger. He stopped by to welcome the party guests and let them see a baby vulture he had rescued in the park that morning - amazing! (It was then on it's way to a rescue center, being only about 2 days old!)

I couldn't help but photograph the darling serving ware... compostable bamboo plates and utensils! The utensils were wrapped in a napkin and tied onto the individual plates with garden twine (through two holes punched in the side of the plate). This made serving from the buffet so easy, even with tugging kids and a gusty wind.

We toasted s'mores over a fire, a special treat since it started out an unusually cold morning for us here in southwest Florida. And we ate birthday cake too! My girls were over the moon.

Finally, to top off a wonderful party, each guest went home with a personalized magnifying glass and a really nice set of binoculars so they can continue exploring at home. What a great time!

Spring Break, Day 3 :: Picnic at the Park

Before each of them started school, the girls used to spend a day every week with grandpa. And it was usually Wednesdays. So today was a throwback day of sorts, as they spent the afternoon at grandpa's house playing games and eating his famous triple-decker PB&Js. I used the time to catch up on computer work, so by late afternoon we were all ready for some movement and time outside.

We had a simple, family picnic at the park, followed by a bunch of good, old-fashioned playground fun. It was a sweet way to spend a spring break evening together, and a really good reminder of how much we all love dinner-time picnics.

Spring is the perfect time to enjoy eating al fresco...

read more about creating a picnic rhythm here.

Spring Break, Day 2 :: Watercolor Flowers

Today's been rainy and grey - the perfect day to invite some neighbor friends over for playtime and crafts. Inspired by the watery feeling of the day, I pulled out all our watercolor paints and brushes and a stack of coffee filters for painting on.

The girls experimented with all kinds of techniques, from stripes, to "tie dye," to flicking paint, and even blotting the filters on their palettes. We made a big, wet, colorful mess... that turned into a beautiful garden of flowers, hung on a glass door to catch the sun. Which is starting to peek out now!

Spring Break, Day 1 :: Nature Journaling

My girls are on spring break this week, so it seemed like the perfect time and season for them to start new nature journals. This morning, I spread out a quilt in the backyard, then piled it up with pencils, colored pencils, blank books, a camera, and a copy of The Nature Connection, a great resource for nature journaling with children.

From there, they stayed at it for a couple of hours... observing, drawing, taking pictures, and then, eventually, digging and playing in the dirt. Yay!

Are your kids on spring break? What do you have planned for fun?

 

Want to learn more about nature journaling? Join in A Sense of Place, Spring - my pay-what-you-can e-course that guides you through the process of keeping a seasonal nature journal. It's geared toward adults, but everything can be easily shared with little ones too. Starts March 18, so sign up soon!

Simple Pleasures ~ Button Play

If you're looking for some simple, old-fashioned fun for your kids, help them start a button jar (children 5 and over, or with adult supervision, please). My girls started their button jars after reading about making a button string in Little House in the Big Woods. In the story, Laura and Mary strung buttons from Ma's button jar with beads they found at an Indian camp, to make jewelry for their baby sister Carrie. So when Nana cleaned out her button collection shortly after we read this, my pioneer-enchanted gals were over the moon to start jars of their own!

My daughter Sage had a button & bead stringing station at her Wild Child Tepee Party last fall!

Over time, the girls have added to their jars with buttons found at craft stores, thrift shops, and yard sales. They love to trade buttons with each other (this is serious business, folks!), and sort them by color, shape, and design. The buttons are also used for all kinds of imaginative play and art. They're added to sewing projects, used as game pieces in handcrafted board games, and served as play food. As with all good play items, the imagination is the limit!

All you need for this Simple Pleasure is:

• a recycled jar
• buttons (easily found at craft stores & thrift shops - or ask Grandma for a few!)
• optional: beads, string, craft scissors

To make a pioneer-style button string:

1. Cut a length of string and tie a knot in the end (larger than the hole in the first bead or button). Or, tie a bead or button to the end.
2. Thread a selection of buttons and beads on to the string.
3. Tie both ends together to make a necklace or bracelet, or simply knot the finished end and hang the button string as a decoration. 

Start a Spring Nature Journal!

Are you thinking about joining in the Spring Session of A Sense of Place ~ Keeping a Seasonal Nature Journal?  Read my article in the latest issue of Rhythm of the Home for a sample of what's in store!

 

Spring is an ideal time to begin a new, creative journey into nature and self, through keeping a seasonal nature journal. The earth is warming up, the days are brighter and greener, blooming flowers scent the breeze, and birdsong fills the air. This time of rebirth, reawakening, and new growth begs to be discovered and explored on the blank pages of your journal.... continue reading here.

 

Take a Creative Journey into Nature & Self

Connect to "your place" in nature with this 6-week journaling e-course.

Spring Session ~ Starts March 18, 2013

A Sense of Place ~ Spring will guide you through the basics of keeping a seasonal nature journal. You'll learn to record your observations, perceptions, and feelings about the natural world around you with:
 

* six comprehensive, themed lessons on nature journaling

* creative writing prompts to build your nature journaling practice
* seasonal writing prompts to help you discover and connect to the natural wonders of Spring
* creative exercises to get you exploring, recording, and connecting to your natural world
* access to a private Facebook Group to connect and share with others in the course.
* plus... resources for further exploration & inspiration, journaling tips, and more!
 

You can participate in the A Sense of Place e-Course at any level, and at your own pace. Over the span of 6 weeks, you'll receive weekly emails with a themed lesson, journaling prompts, creative exercises, and inspiration.
 

Registration is now open for the Spring Session!

"A Sense of Place" is a Pay-What-You-Can e-course. 

Pay what fits YOUR budget, from $10 to $50, I really want you to join in!

 

On Gardening, Mothering & Abundance (+ a Giveaway!)

These gorgeous sunflowers sprouted up under the bird feeder in my backyard. They were a gift of neglect really, because if the ground below the feeder had been mowed within a reasonable time... well, I would never have seen the sprouts and allowed them to grow into all their grandeur. In retrospect, many of the gifts from my garden have been harvested despite neglect, or out of accident, or experimentation.

Conversely, many harvests have been the product of clear intention, focus, and best efforts. These flowers (above) also came from my garden; they were all grown and nurtured from seed. This bouquet of wild flowers, snapdragons, and broccoli blossoms represents a mix of well-researched and planned out endeavors to grow a butterfly garden, a flower garden, and an edible garden in my small, tropical backyard space.

My experience of gardening closely mirrors that of mothering... somehow, a random mix of intentional, loving attempts and chaotic, best guesses come together to grow something amazing! And when the fruits of my labors, and sometimes gifts of faith, manifest as a display of flowers on my dining table, or as my sweet girls engaged in play, I'm humbled and amazed at the abundance of my world.

Right now, I'm entering a new season - both in my garden, and in mothering. My girls are growing up, and as a family we're entering a new phase. Diapers and sippy cups are well in the past, and bigger questions, different interests, and new concerns are surfacing. As I prepare the soil and plant seeds outside for my spring garden, I find myself doing the same internally to help me transition into this new phase of mothering. I'm amending my toolbox, experimenting with new approaches, and nurturing new ideas.

It's my honor to share a glimpse of my experience, as I pass into this new phase of motherhood, as part of the Abundant Mama Project on Awesomely Awake. 

I'll be a guest contributor in the Spring 2013 Abundant Mama Project, themed The Passage of Motherhood, which begins April 1st. This 5-week e-course helps support you on your journey through motherhood and will "bring new life to old routines... strengthen the bonds you have in your relationships... provide comfort on those challenging days... and add a little bling to the ordinary."

Want to join in? Awesomely Awake is offering one reader a spot in this course! Simply leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a space in the spring Abundant Mama Project. For a second chance, like Awesomely Awake on Facebook and leave a second comment here to let me know. A winner will be announced next Wednesday, March 13. Comments closed.

 

And the winner is: Kali Hatala!

For more information on the Abundant Mama Project, click here.