Flower Art

It's been a while, I know. I'm still here, just running around like a crazy lady in the end-of-school-year madness. Sage wrapped up her preschool year with a hands-on festival, where the parents planned and ran creative stations for the kids.

My booth was flower art. I picked zinnias and cosmos from my garden, as well as lemon basil, mint, pentas and more from the preschool garden, to display on my table. The kids chose whichever flora they liked and sandwiched them into a large folded piece of paper. Then they pounded the heck out of them with play dough hammers.

Let me tell you, the kiddos LOVED this activity. The results were stunning - especially the cosmos prints (pictured above). I think the children enjoyed the banging the most; and seeing the flower "guts" was a close second. Needless to say, I ended up with a mega headache from spending 2 hours with preschoolers hammering their little hearts out. But it was worth it!
For the less aggressive, I had a quieter table where the children could paint a still life of a small flower arrangement. So simple - just painting - and so much creativity from the little ones. I wish I had taken more pictures (I snapped all these quickly with my phone), but I was kind of busy.

Tomorrow is Selby's wacky water day class party... I'll be there working up another headache, I'm sure. But again, it will be worth it, because, despite the class celebration-award ceremony-end-of-year event madness that is right now, I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to share these special days with my gals, celebrating the accomplishments and developments they've worked so hard for over the past nine months.

Happenings In My Nest

In her book Radical Homemakers, Shannon Hayes says the happiest among the homemakers she interviewed "saw their homes as living systems and accepted the flux, flow, dirt and chaos that are a natural part of that." I've been thinking about this over the past week, as my nest has been full of all the above - and I've been quite a happy homemaker. We've been...
...composting. Our worms moved into a new two-level bin, ala the project plan outlined in The Urban Homestead. (Welcome new worm babies!) All the beautiful, rich compost from the former bins went into the garden.

...gardening. The garden is producing eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, beans and lots and lots of flowers.

...releasing. We've witnessed the homebirth of three monarch butterflies, released into our garden, and have four caterpillars on the back porch preparing for their transformation.
...nurturing. Tadpoles are back in our backyard pond, much to my gals' delight. Every morning before school and then again after school, Selby goes out to check on the tadpoles, which involves catching (at least) one and feeling it wriggle in her hand.

...reveling. Gorgeous, sunny, just-the-right-temperature weather has led to lots of dining al fresco.

...harvesting. I joined Rose from The Laughing Monkey at a local farm where we each picked approximately 75 pounds of vine-ripe tomatoes (for about $4!).

...preserving. All those tomatoes led to enough canned whole tomatoes and marinara to get us through the year (maybe?).

What's happening in your nest?

Earth Day-Easter Eggs

We dyed our Easter eggs today. In honor of Earth Day, we used all-natural dyes and created several botanical eggs.

Our dyes were made from beets (red), yellow onions skins (yellow) and purple cabbage (blue) [see this post for a list of natural egg-dying resources and recipes]. Then, we mixed the colors to create more shades.

The botanical designs were created by laying a flower or leaf face down against an egg, wrapping it in a square of pantyhose secured with a knot, then lowering it into the dye.

We wrapped a few eggs with rubber bands, and others we wrote on with a white crayon. I couldn't believe how many different colors and effects we got from just three dyes. Two dozen naturally, beautiful eggs.

*Note: This was not very time-consuming, difficult or expensive. The project held the attention of my 3 and 6 year old girls for well over an hour. They loved the idea of using natural dyes and materials from around our home and garden to color the eggs. And I love how simple and natural they turned out.

Domestic Bliss

Sunday morning sweetness: french toast made with locally-baked bread, farm fresh eggs & buttermilk. Homemade butter from local cream. Freshly-made orange vanilla marmalade. Sticky, smiling faces all around.

Wishing you a week of sweet, simple pleasures.

Dwellings

Our front garden was graced with a new fairy house yesterday. The girls and I spent a long afternoon scouring the yard for items to decorate a new space for visiting fairies. Selby set the rules for gathered materials: nothing was to be picked and everything must be natural. (Exceptions were made for two pink plastic heart rings hung from a stick, and a small broken fairy figurine.) It was magical work, and apparently much appreciated, as this morning the dwelling was covered in a sprinkling of pixie dust that shimmered in the early light!

During our hunt yesterday, two fallen birds' nests were discovered. We carefully tucked them both into the branches of a bush that holds an earlier found nest. The girls delighted in filling all three with leaves and flowers to "fix them up" for the birds. The birds in our yard have been particularly active the past few days and I feel pretty confident some new nest-making is about to take place. This week, we'll repurpose the three fallen nests into a nesting station, filling them with a sampling of materials the birds can use in creating their new dwellings.

It's such a blessing to watch (and join) my gals in their exploration and play around the outside of our home. Some of my fondest childhood memories were born in my backyard... baking orange blossom frosted mud pies, retreating to a secret clubhouse high in a grapefruit tree, running barefoot through the grass without a care in the world. There's still nothing better for a child than a slow sunny day with nowhere to go beyond the endless possibilities right outside their own dwelling.

Becoming Friends

One of my favorite parts of our winter break was how close my girls became. With two full weeks off school - and quite a bit of illness keeping us close to home - they had a lot of time together.

I'm amazed at Selby's patience with her little sister (Poochy); the time she takes to help her, to care for her and to guide her along is remarkable. And I'm enchanted by the way Sage admires her big sister (Bubba), watching her every move, striving to be just like her.

During the break, the girls truly learned to share - not just toys, but ideas and space and time. They discovered how to create together, rather than just along side one another, and celebrated their accomplishments hand-in-hand. They developed a little more patience for each other, and fostered a deeper understanding of who they are.

I watched with wonder as their friendship bloomed and their love for one another strengthened. There is nothing like the unconditional, enduring friendship of a sister.

New Year's Eve in Our Nest

Homemade party hats.

A bit of bubbly.

Wishes, resolutions and intentions shared.

Sparklers and some serious noise making!

Happy New Year!

{this moment :: friends}

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A Friday ritual, inspired by SouleMama. A single photo capturing a special, simple moment from the week.

Happy New Year!

Honoring the 12 Days of Christmas

As we readied for bed on Christmas Day, Sage whispered to me "I wish it was still Christmas." I assured her it still was, but she replied, "No, it's dark now." I knew there would be some letdown after the big day, no matter how gently I tried to ease my girls in and out of it this year. So I shared with them that Christmas was, in fact, not over. I told them how it extended for 12 days and assured them we would continue to enjoy all we had created this holiday season for many days to come. I let them know the tree and decorations would stay up a while longer. And that we would keep trying to eat through the gingerbread house and the wealth of cookies we baked on Christmas Eve. We would spend lots of time together huddled in front of the fire, playing with our new toys, reading our new books, and enjoying each other's company. And we would be visiting with more friends and more family. They went to sleep content in these thoughts.

And so yesterday, the day after Christmas, we all stayed in pajamas all day, snuggled by a fire that roared from dawn to bedtime. We ate cookies and leftovers from our Christmas feast. The grownups enjoyed eggnog we forgot on Christmas Day. I read and knitted and the girls played with a new fairy house and created with new art supplies. We went for a short winter walk to gather a few items for the nature table and to feel the nip of the cold wind. And sometime toward the end of the day, Selby said to me, "It still feels like Christmas... like it has been one long day." I felt it too. For the 12 Days of Christmas, we won't be exchanging any gifts, or celebrating any specific days. We are simply and gently honoring this special time with a lot of togetherness, reflection and appreciation for all the wonder the holiday season has held. Merry Christmas!

Winter Solstice II :: Honoring Nature

We celebrated the Winter Solstice with a party for the little creatures in our yard. The kids strung Cheerios and oranges and made pinecone bird feeders to hang from a tree in our backyard.

In the branches, we tucked ears of dried corn, saved from a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Oh those lucky little squirrels!

The children also made a Yule Log for the evening's fire. They wrapped a whole log with evergreen branches from our Christmas tree and tied on as many items from the Fall nature table as possible with raffia.

The log was adorned with dried leaves and flowers, moss, pinecones, seed pods, feathers, wheat stalks... even a snake skin! As evening approached, we turned out all the lights and prepared for the darkness. Candles were lit around the house and a fire was built, awaiting the Yule log.

The whole family gathered around the fire for an early supper. The Yule Log snapped and sizzled as the flames engulfed the offerings we'd collected throughout the Fall. Everyone lingered here for the evening, telling progressive stories, singing a few carols, and soaking in one anothers' company. We welcomed Winter with an abundance of warmth and light and love. Here's wishing you the same all year long!

Winter Solstice I :: The Nature Table

Of all the Celebrations of Light we decided to honor this holiday season, I've most been looking forward to the Winter Solstice. I love the changing of seasons and the feeling of a new beginning each season brings. So in the spirit of a fresh start, I cleared off our Fall nature table, making room for some new residents and setting the scene for the first day of Winter.

Our new residents are two little tomten inspired by Astrid Lindgren's The Tomten. They are standing upon snow (foam circles) underneath enchanted, glittering spun-cotton mushrooms. The tomten and the mushrooms - one each for each of my girls - were crafted in under two hours using mostly materials I had in my supply. Each winter scene also includes a new crystal - green calcite for "joy" and an amethyst for "peace."

Another addition to our winter table are beeswax candles, poured into seashells this afternoon. The wax came from a local bee farmer and marks my first foray into candle making. We'll light them after the sun sets on the Solstice, as we plan to enjoy the evening hours in the glow of only candlelight and a yule log (more on this to come). Happy Winter Solstice! I'd love to hear how your family celebrates the return of the sun.

The Gingerbread House

We made a gingerbread house! After much debate (in my mind), in the name of simplicity I purchased a pre-baked kit. I figured the experience would be more about the decorating of the house than the eating of it (although I'm certain my girls would give equal importance to both). The kit came with an assortment of gum drops and candies for embellishments; we also used leftover Halloween candy I'd put aside just for this purpose.

Ta-da! My gals had a blast making our gingerbread house. And I did too; I completely let go of expectations and let my little chicks direct the creative process. I'm so glad I did, as I was relaxed, the girls were empowered and the house turned out really darling!

Feather Ornaments

Inspired by these gorgeous floating feather ornaments by Roost, I gathered my little chicks for a quick craft project yesterday afternoon. We filled inexpensive glass bulb ornaments with peacock feathers we found at The Ranch this Fall, and craft store feathers leftover from my Halloween nest hat. They are gorgeous! Each gal wrapped one up as part of their teacher gift; the rest will adorn the tree right here in our nest.

St. Lucia Day

In the dark of a cold, windy morning, I met her in the kitchen. She was dressed in a gown of white with a red silk sash. Upon her head sat a crown of candles, nestled into an evergreen wreath. The candles illuminated her face in the darkness and I could see excitement dancing in her eyes. On this morning, for the first time ever, she was Lucia.

Quietly, she went about her duties, arranging plates of homemade lussekatter buns (recipe here) and pepparkakor, traditional Swedish ginger cookies. She poured cream into freshly brewed coffee. Then ever-so-carefully she made her rounds, delivering her treats to each family member in their beds. She visited DaddyBird first, followed by Nana, Papa and finally (after I snuggled back in bed), me.

As she entered each room, Lucia's sweet voice softly sang the words to a simple Santa Lucia song she'd memorized the day before. In the quiet darkness of the early morning, her glowing presence was nothing short of magical.

Under the weather, Lucia's "attendant" slept through the bedside visits. So upon waking, Lucia presented her with a plate of goodies. She ate them reverently, by candlelight, in honor of this seasonal celebration of light.

Although St. Lucia Day is not linked with traditions of gift-giving, each of my gals received a new holiday outfit - simply wrapped in a red ribbon, with a candle card. This is a tradition I hope to carry on annually, as it is clear to me now that St. Lucia Day will be part of our winter holiday celebrations for many years to come.