What we’ve been up to…

Posted on 4/22/2012 by Maria

As the school year comes closer to an end, we always seem to slack off in doing the actual school work, yet, somehow we seem to get more done. I guess I don’t feel as stressed to do this curriculum or that project, and in letting go of that I feel more free to experiment. I like that!

This past weekend, Kaia participated in the local Pine Car Derby race and took third place! Here is her car zooming past the competition!!

I’m not sure how she got comfortable on the rock wall, but she always finds fun spots to read! (yes, her ‘pleasure’ reading is any book from the Horrible series!)

I grabbed a book on Georgia O’Keeffe from the library for an impromptu artist study. What a neat woman! Kaia and I decided to try our hands at large flower art. She’s working on her purple pansy here.

We used oil pastels, so our fingers were very colorful from all the smearing on the canvas.

Here’s mine. I’m not sure what kind of flower I was looking at. It was from a bush up the hill that was covered in little flowers like this.

And tell me, what is it about 3 year olds and chocolate ice cream?

This is Leif from this past weekend:

And here is Kaia from when she was three years old. See any theme here? (yes, I know, that is a crazy picture. I think she stuffed most of the ice cream in her cheeks!)

Have a beautiful week!

Smooth Sailing

Posted on 3/30/2012 by Maria

Don’t you love those days when it feels like things just flow smoothly? Today was such a lovely day! Leif let me sleep in a bit and Kaia woke up early, so we were all up by 8am. We had a nice breakfast and then we just seemed to move from one thing to another. There were lots of giggles, nice quiet contemplation, and enjoyment in just being together. What a lovely start to the weekend!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Knitting for kids

Posted on 3/26/2012 by Maria

I’ve been knitting for less than 4 years, but I love it so much! It is such a soothing thing, the repetitive motion of the needles. And seeing the finished product, this thing that I’ve created with my own hands, gives me such satisfaction. I think this is such an important life skill for our kids to know. Not just with knitting, but with the creation of anything from their own hands. So many adults feel powerless to do things because they were never given the skills as kids. ”Oh, I can’t build something like that. I don’t even know how to use a hammer.” ”I don’t think I could ever learn how to knit/sew/cook/build/craft”

This semester, at Kaia’s homeschool co-op, I’m teaching a kids knitting class. I have 10 girls between the ages of 7 and 15. Some have knitting experience, but most are beginners. Right now, we are simply learning the basic knit stitch but it’s so wonderful to see their faces light up when they get it. They may only get a couple of rows knit in the hour long class, but each class they build on that and their confidence in their new skill grows. I’m hoping that, like me, they will find the joy in it to continue even after the class is over.

In today’s class, we took a break from the actual knitting to learn a little bit about where the yarn comes from. A generous spinner, Lorri Helms, brought in her spinning wheel and two of her angora bunnies and volunteered her time to give us a spinning demonstration and talk about angora fiber. The kids (and adults!) had a blast!

Yes! That is a bunny on her lap that she is spinning from! The loose fur comes right out.

She also talked a bit about caring for angora bunnies, and demonstrated the art of nail clipping. Too funny! He seemed to enjoy relaxing on her lap.

The girls then got to try their hands at spinning.

But, most of all, I think they liked petting the incredibly soft bunnies.

This week

Posted on 3/23/2012 by Maria

This sweet cat will put up with anything…

I know! I swore I was done chickening. But, I missed them!

Learning to have gentle hands with the baby chicks.

watching the world.

best friends

This is a picture that Kaia took of our tulips. I didn’t know it was on the camera! Doesn’t it look like a Georgia O’Keefe painting?

We know have 3 Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons, 3 French Black Marans, 2 Easter Eggers, and one true Ameraucana.

We are expecting 3 more Lavender Orpingtons in mid-April. Before they all need to go outside, Toby and I are going to redo their run and coop, and hopefully predator-proof it!

And I promise you, I didn’t give him illegal substances before filming this! He discovered this game on his own!

My baby boy turned 3!!

Posted on 2/19/2012 by Maria

What an amazingly lucky mama I am to have such a sweet, smiley, happy, loving little boy! He brightens my day, every day!

We had a wonderful little party for him today, with friends and family, and balloons and face painting, and construction cakes… he was a very happy little man!!

I know, he looks like a crazy red-eyed demon child here. I have a red eye issue with my camera

Lots more pictures below:

Continue reading →

Yoga Class

Posted on 2/13/2012 by Maria

I love it when I step away from the kids for a bit and come back to find them doing something like this:

Blue Back Hoe Undies

Posted on 2/11/2012 by Maria

The other day, Leif told me that he would start using the potty more if I could make him some blue back hoe undies. I said, ” you got it, buddy!”

Behold! Blue Back Hoe Undies

Cutest Butt Ever! One day, he’s is going to get tired of me chasing him around the house trying to grab those cheeks!!

Oh, the back hoe fabric is from Spoonflower and the undies pattern is from Fishsticks Designs.

38 Acts of Kindness for my 38th Birthday

Posted on 2/3/2012 by Maria

Traditionally, on my birthday, I get a fabulous breakfast in bed followed by a day of fun and a break from responsibilities. It’s always a wonderful day! This year, though, I was inspired by another blogger to make my birthday a day that has more of an impact. I decided to spend my 38th birthday doing 38 ~~Random~~ Meticulously Planned Acts of Kindness (MPAK). I am completely exhausted, but it was one of the most amazing days! Here is how I spent today:

MPAK #1 – Gave the kids the day off of school and chocolate cake for breakfast! (Yes, it is a heart shaped, super-duper, chocolate cake!) Toby took the day off of work, too, so he could join us! Awesome man!

Then we headed down the road to drop some chocolate covered bananas off at the neighbors (MPAK #2). We tried to be sneaky and left the treats on the doorstep. But, they figured it out

MPAK #3 – I mailed a letter to two special people who I haven’t talked to in a while, and left a thank you note and some chocolate in the mailbox for our mail lady (MPAK #4).

Next was off to the library, where I donated some books (#5), gave the librarians a thank you note and some goodies (#6), and left a few dollars for the next patron with overdue fees (#7).

At the grocery store, we had a great time helping people load their groceries into their cars (#8), and returning carts (#9). People looked skeptically at us when we asked if we could help, but I can understand that. Unfortunately, most of the time when someone you don’t know approaches you it’s for something they want, not for something they want to give to you.

I had written up a bunch of notes with inspirational sayings on them to pass out and put on cars. (#10)

Once we headed inside the store, we stocked up on a few things that we needed for the day: balloons, flowers, tea, pet food, litter, and a gift card for groceries, which we gave to a sweet lady in the line next to us (MPAK #11). She looked stunned and I don’t think she was quite sure what to do with the thing.

Then, it was on to the laundromat, where we taped some coins on the machine for the next unsuspecting clothes washer (#12).

We veered from my detailed and ordered list then, to make a stop at the local hospital. A dozen balloons in the back of a Prius makes for a bit of a driving hazard. So, we thought it might be a good idea to drop them off first.

We had hoped to give the balloons to the kids in the children’s ward, but we were turned away. They were concerned about the latex in the balloons. So, I headed up to the Labor and Delivery ward (where I use to work) and they were happy to give them to the mamas there (MPAK #13).

While we were there, we also dropped of some flowers and tea for the nurses (#14). It was a wonderful treat for me, too, because I got to visit was some friends that I hadn’t seen in a long time! Ok, really, this whole day was a wonderful treat for me. How can you not feel happiness seeing all the smiles created by kindness?

Then we snuck into a few of the public bathrooms and taped inspirational notes in the stalls and on the mirrors (#15)

From the hospital, we headed over to a couple of friend’s houses to put love notes and a little chocolate on their doorsteps (#16). Mmmmmm! Chocolate!

By the time this was done, we were getting a bit hungry and headed to lunch. While we were at the restaurant, Leif delivered some hand-made mint chocolate lip balm to a mama and her little boy, who were sitting at a table near us. She was very thankful. (#17) I also bought a white-chocolate brownie dessert and had it delivered to another table anonymously (#18). Because, again, who doesn’t need a little chocolate? Then, along with a tip, we left a lottery ticket for our waitress. (#19)

From here, it was over to the park where the kids could play, and drop coins in the sand and all around for kids to find (#20).

Leif buried a few in the sand box and then dug them up himself, then ran over screaming about the silver treasure he’d found

We ended up seeing a friend of Kaia’s at the park and she joined us in spreading the coins. She told me that I had to add that as a random act of kindness because she was having so much fun and it made her happy to join in the celebration. So, bam, #21!

We also saw the mama and little boy from the restaurant to whom we gave the lip balm. She came over and said hello, let us know that she really liked it, and thanked us again. By the time we were leaving the park, school was letting out and the park was filling up. I wish I could have set up a secret camera to watch the kids find their booty.

Before we left the park parking lot, Kaia and I ran across the street and left a bouquet of flowers on a random doorstep (#22). As we were getting in the car, we saw a woman and a girl come out of the house and pick up the flowers. They both had huge smiles on their faces. It was very sweet to see.

From the park, we headed to the Y where we handed out locally made soap to all the sweaty people (#23). They all loved it. One sweet man told me he couldn’t take the soap (this one was a little brown soap). He said, “I’m fat and you’re trying to give me chocolate?” He happily took it when I reassured him that it was only soap. Each soap was individually packaged with the information about the local soap business on the baggie. Free advertising for the soap makers (MPAK #24). Again, we met up with friends that we hadn’t seen in a long time and got to do a little catching up!

Then, it was off to the women’s shelter to bring some goody bags with toiletries. (#25)

Leif was getting pretty tired from all the running around decided to take a snooze in the car.

So, Toby dropped Kaia and I off at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, while he and Leif hung out in the car and relaxed. We brought them some dog food and litter (#26), then played with the kitties and a sweet dog named Ruby (#27). We also changed the littler boxes in the cat room (#28). Before leaving, I bought a raffle ticket, in Toby’s name, for a car! (#29) I have to admit to you that if he wins the car, we will selfishly be keeping it

Our next stop was downtown Asheville. I put on a sign that said “It’s my birthday! FREE HUGS!” and headed out into the streets. We gave flowers to strangers (#30). When we ran out of flowers, we gave inspirational notes (#31). When we ran out of notes, we gave chocolate (#32). I was stopped a few times by friendly souls looking for hugs (#33). One couple was super excited to see what we were doing, stopped to talk and gave us huge hugs and lots of smiles. (Yes, I have put crazy blur glasses on them because I forgot to ask if it was ok to use their picture on my blog. But, you can see their great smiles.)

One woman that I gave a flower to asked for a hug and then began to cry on my shoulder. I held on as long as she needed and then gave her another flower. I wish I could have given more.

We taped quarters to phone booths (#34), and put quarters in parking meters that were about to run out (#35).

I got a couple of movie tickets at the Fine Arts Theater and then left them for the next person with a little inspirational note. (#36) We stopped by the fire station and brought a thank you note and chocolate covered bananas for the firemen (they were very thankful) (#37)

As we were leaving the parking deck, I paid for the next person leaving the deck (#38).

That’s 38! But, we weren’t done yet. I still had a box of books in the back of my car that was destined for a friend’s house. So, off we went to bring her some homeschooling books that she has really been wanting but wasn’t able to purchase. (#39!!) She was super happy and said she felt like she was on a TV show with someone delivering a big prize to her doorstep. We visited for a while and then, after a wonderfully long day, headed home… for more cake!

It was an amazing day for all of us. Kaia is already planning the 9 deeds she wants to do on her birthday (Yay for role modeling)! But in the end, I know I’ve received more than anyone else today, and I think I will be high on all the hugs and smiles for many days to come.

Oh, by the way, Random Act of Kindness Week is Feb 13th – 17th. So, if you are feeling inspired, I challenge you to go for it! During RAOK week, or any time!!! And please leave me a note letting me know!!

Love to you all!

Maria

Encouraging writers

Posted on 1/9/2012 by Maria

It seems that every new school year Kaia picks a subject to rebel against. Last year, she did whatever she could to get out of writing in any form. So, this year, I’m getting super creative with her assignments. If there is more to writing than just sitting down at the table and putting words on lined paper, then it holds her interest more. Of course it would. Most kids don’t want to finish an assignment if they are bored.

So, lately we’ve been doing Sistine Spelling (tape the paper under your table and write your spelling words a la Michelangelo.

Then there’s Invisible Cursive:

Write your message in white crayon on white paper. Then watercolor over it to reveal the message.

Yes, Kaia’s secret message to me says “Hag but head. Bla Bla Bla. Bye.” She realized that she’d spelled ‘butt’ incorrectly. It is a very important word to know how to spell when you are 8!

Leif’s hands were definitely not idle while Kaia worked.

Speaking of Leif, he’s been begging me for his own curriculum (yes, he used that word!). So, we’ve started with All About Reading Pre-1 I wasn’t planning on starting any official schooling with him for a few years. He’s not even 3 yet. But he knows his alphabet and wanted more. So far this is perfect for him. Kaia likes to join in his lessons and be my assistant teacher, and they both love using their magnetic doodle writer thingies (what are those things called anyway?)

How do you get creative with your lessons? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Love my kids!

Posted on 12/31/2011 by Maria

And they sure love each other, too! I often look back at them when we are in the car and see them just like this…

They are the best of friends.

Hand Made Holidays

Posted on 12/30/2011 by Maria

What beautiful holiday celebrations we have had this year! I am so grateful for the time that I have been able to spend with my friends and family. We’ve spent many days traveling to others houses to participate in their revelry and had a wonderful time! At our own home, we had a small Winter Solstice dinner with friends, old and new.

Followed by a decadent, chocolate yule log cake, of course.

Ok, and I have definitely been feeling uber-crafty this year. I love to give hand made gifts!! I feel like they ooze with love and comfort… I hope the recipients feel that, too, cause this year, we couldn’t help ourselves. There was…

Rum infused with Banana and Vanilla

A Car Shirt for Dad to enjoy massages more often

And even when Toby sat up, Leif just kept on driving!

Toby turned a magic wand for Kaia

We all got some new flannel or fleece pajama pants

And Leif also got some winter pants. Both were corduroy on the outside. One was lined with flannel and the other with fleece. (and in case you are wondering, Leif did chose the cupcake fabric!! In fact, he begged me for it!)

There was also a puppet theater that you can hang in a door way.

The other side has pockets to keep your puppets in.

Holiday Cards

Wintermint Lotion Bars

Vanilla and Candy Cane sugar scrubs (made by Kaia)

Sea Glass Pendants

Hand knitted hat with velcro detachable hair for a little friend going through Chemo.

Hand turned wood bowls by Toby

Flannel pajama pants for Pop and a knitted purse for Mom

Now that the holidays are over, I don’t know what to do with myself. I feel like I should be crafting when ever I have a spare moment. Guess I need to learn to try to put my feet up. Ha!

Leif’s crafting

Posted on 12/7/2011 by Maria

It’s not just Kaia who’s been crafty lately. Leif has been holding his own. Aside from helping me create a parking garage for all of his cars:

He has recently had his hands in lots of gloop! We discovered a recipe during a science lesson and he can’t get enough of it. His little hands have been busy playing, making me gloop pancakes, gloop eggs, gloop on a stick… It’s more addictive than play dough!

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it yourself.

Sewing Lessons

Posted on 12/6/2011 by Maria

Kaia has been begging me for sewing lessons lately. She’s done a simple square purse on my machine before, but this time she decided to do something with a real pattern. She chose a fabulous owl pillow. I had to stop my hands from taking over and really let her do it all. I gave her instructions on choosing the fabric and how to cut the pattern, how to change your stitch and how to make your seams…. but she took off and made an amazing pillow! So proud of her! I love to see how her mind opens to the possibilities when she learns a new talent.

Yes, the pajamas have changed… we started the project late at night, so she had to finish the next day.

The back has a little pocket.

Lacey Frames

Posted on 11/23/2011 by Maria

Want a quick way to highlight your little one’s masterpiece? How about sewing a lace frame around it? Or, sew the frame on the paper first to encourage them to create.

Kaia’s Poem, FALL, introchaic bimeter

And Leif’s “blue train on blue train tracks in a tunnel”

Renaissance Faire

Posted on 11/14/2011 by Maria

Kaia and I have been planning and looking forward to this trip for many months! I knew as soon as we decided to study the Middle Ages that we would need to go to a Renaissance fair! The Renn Faire in NC is one of the biggest around. The village is built on 20+ acres in beautiful woods. We planned to spend the weekend there so we could see everything.

Kaia quickly settled into her own queen bed. (Oh, let me tell you, it was such luxury sleeping in my own squishy bed, all by myself. We almost skipped the festival so that I could just sleep all day!)

Kaia quickly discovered the joys of the ice machine.

We thought it was important to dress the part in order to get the full Renaissance experience.

Many, many more pictures to follow:

Continue reading →

The Healthier, Happier, Stronger Me!

Posted on 11/1/2011 by Maria

Two months ago, I took the huge step of clearing my house of all grains, legumes, processed sugars, and processed/prepackaged foods. From now on, my family and I were going to eat only meats (including fish, fowl, and eggs), veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy oils, herbs and spices. We were going Paleo. For most Americans, (especially us former vegetarians) this would be a huge and daunting task, but I felt like it was needed. We had become so use to grabbing a quick carb-loaded snack from the pantry and forgetting about the veggies in the fridge. Our daily intake was super high in grains (mostly processed) and very lacking in vegetables and digestible protein. I say ‘digestible’ because Toby and I have food allergies/sensitivities, and imagine we’ve probably passed these on to our kids. Toby and I are both sensitive to dairy, soy, and beans, which doesn’t leave much in the way of protein if you are vegetarian. I was vegetarian for almost 20 years and began eating meat during my pregnancy with Kaia. WOW! Did I feel good! My body had seriously been lacking in protein! Still, even after we added meat and eggs back to our diet, those made up a very small portion of it. The carbs led the way and with them came the frequent blood sugar roller coasters, anxiety, depression, temper tantrums, bowel issues, acne, weight ups and downs, PMS, bloating… (Obviously, the kids had the temper tantrums and I had the PMS…. OK, and the occasional tantrum). For many people symptoms run even deeper and they develop inflammatory and auto immune diseases, and more.

I saw and felt immediate changes, my energy was up and my moodiness was down, my blood sugar stabilized while I lost weight and inches. Really, I feel fabulous! I feel strong and healthy! I use to work out here or there occasionally, but I found that I needed a place to put all of my new found energy and decided to start doing workouts at home. This only increased the feelings of strength!

Since it was my decision to clean out the house and change my lifestyle, Toby and the kids can choose to eat as they please when they are out of the house. However, in the house we are strictly paleo. Nothing comes in that doesn’t fit into our new food pyramid and the whole family follows this lifestyle when we are at home. (Well, unless a certain Nana comes to visit and brings along tempting tasties. You know who you are!) But, I’ve found that I’m not tempted to eat any other way. I feel so nourished, and I don’t want to go back to the way I was. Our meals are nutrient dense and toxin free.

Now, I know many of you are saying “Oh, I could Never go without my morning toast!” or “I just LOVE muffins too much to give them up”. Well, here’s the kicker. I can still have toast and muffins, but I make them myself and I make them without grains. I use nuts, seeds, and coconut in most of my ‘bread’ recipes and love the results. That being said, I eat those bread-ish type of things much less than I use to.

I know I’ve not talked about the science behind paleo… I’m still trying to wrap my head around all the research and science behind the benefits of living the paleo lifestyle. (How the insulin and glucose are processed in the body from one type of food or another, the gastrointestinal inflammation caused by grains and legumes,…) But, there are many fabulous blogs and cookbooks out there to get you started if you are interested.

Mark’s Daily Apple

Everyday Paleo and her super, fabulous cookbook

Nom Nom Paleo

Primal Palate and their scrumptious cookbook

Paleo Comfort Foods and their delicious cookbook

The Foodie and the Family

The Paleo Home

Practical Paleo

And this is just a short list! There is so much information out there and so many recipes! I felt like it was a pretty easy change because of all of this support.

So, what do I eat, you ask?

Well, breakfast usually consists of eggs (fried, scrambled, omelets, egg muffins…), sometimes pancakes/waffles (yes, without grain and usually with veggies shredded up and added in), sausage or bacon, muffins, or leftovers. Lunch varies greatly and often consists partly of leftovers. Dinner… well, for the next few weeks are dinners look like this: Tex/Mex Chicken and veggies, Biscuits and gravy with mashed ‘potatoes’ and green beans (yes, all without grains or dairy), Farmer’s Pie, egg salad sandwiches (with paleo bread), chicken and vegetable ‘lo mein’, mini-egg pizzas , lasagna (ok, this one does have cheese, but zucchini instead of noodles), red curry beef stew, gingered butternut squash soup and lots of carrots, broccoli, other veggies and salads. Yes, we eat well!! No, I don’t feel deprived!

Oh, and please don’t worry about that fabulous new ice cream maker I just bought this summer. It will still get good use!

Vacuum Wars

Posted on 10/25/2011 by Maria

If you come to my house and it hasn’t been vacuumed, it’s because someone likes to play war with the vacuum! Check out the happiness on his face.

Creating

Posted on 10/22/2011 by Maria

When Kaia and I were at the conference this past weekend, we both entered a raffle for various fun prizes. Kaia has a hard time with raffles because she gets herself very worked up about winning. So, she was pretty devastated when she didn’t win the wire tree that she’d hoped for. And it didn’t help that I did win the two prizes that I’d hoped for. She begged me to buy her a similar tree from a vendor. But, I really wanted her to understand that she was completely capable of either earning the money herself, or of actually making her own tree. (I feel like I placate her too often by buying her things she wants.) The vendor heard how upset Kaia was about the tree she didn’t win and offered to teach us how to make them. This was extremely generous of her considering she was giving up her time and the money she could have made if I’d bought a tree. So, for the past two days, Kaia has been working diligently on her own personal tree.

She wanted a white tree.

Check out the concentration on her face:

I’m so proud of her! She finished her tree and glued it to a piece of Amethyst. It now adorns her bedside table where she can meditate on it as she goes to sleep. I think this is a craft that we will do over and over!

Southeast Women’s Herb Conference

Posted on 10/18/2011 by Maria

I spent this last weekend with Kaia at the Southeast Women’s Herb Conference. And what a wonderful weekend it was!! Though the wind threatened to blow our tent away a few times, Kaia came through her first conference with a big smile on her face and asked to go again next year. She went with me to learn about aromatherapy and candle making, and then headed off to play with friends while I went to classes on fermentation, the respiratory system, biodynamic gardening, and more. We danced the night away at a bhangra/bollywood party. We fell in love the Rising Appalachia (if you haven’t heard their music, you should get a CD right now!!!). It was a great mother/daughter weekend!

I know…

Posted on 10/6/2011 by Maria

I’ve been seriously slack in posting here. That’s because I’ve not been slack in the rest of my life. We are working hard in homeschool, playing hard in the beautiful fall weather, reading great books, picking apples, eating well, and enjoying life! That’s how it should be, right?! I have a feeling new posts will continue to be sporadic. I love you sweet blog friends, but once the kids are in bed and there is little time to blog, I just don’t want to be on the computer. I’m trying to make it work, though, because I want to keep in touch with you all. I will often post new homeschool, craft, and food ideas on pinterest. You are welcome to come find me there!

So, here are a few pictures of what fills out life lately:

Late night dance parties with crazy dad.

Woah! Step back! He’s going turbo!

Acorn crafts of all sorts

Life from the perspective of a 2 year old (Leif spent an hour with my camera this afternoon to show you what he’s been up to. I think he’s a fabulous photographer!)

Fundraiser for a fabulous resource

Posted on 9/14/2011 by Maria

Mathematician Maria Droujkova has been working on an amazing living math resource for babies, toddlers and their parents. Please take a moment to check out her newest project and think about donating!

First day of Anatomy

Posted on 8/31/2011 by Maria

We were super excited to start Anatomy this year. I have so many fun experiments planned. But, of course, we had to start with the Jello Cell. Did you create one of these in school? I remember doing it at least twice!

You can use all kinds of things to create your cell. This just happened to be what I chose: jello (Cytoplasm – I would advise using a light color if you want to see the details), Whoppers (nucleus), M&M’s (Lysosomes – I think Lemon Heads or jelly beans would have worked better here. The M&M’s bled their color into the jello and made it a bit murky), Fruit by the foot (we used two different kinds for the Mitochondria and the Golgi Complex), Fruit twists (Endoplasmic Reticulum – I was looking for licorice, but this is what I found).

We read a bit about what it means to be human and then about how cells work in the body. I found a book with a nice color picture of a cell that we could refer to as we built our jello cell.

I was surprised how much of the fruit and candy actually ended up in Leif’s bowl and not in his mouth…

“Mom, my nuculus won’t stop floating!”

Just as fun to eat as it was to make! (though, not as pretty!)

Last Lazy Days of Summer and Our First Day of School

Posted on 8/29/2011 by Maria

Yes! That absolutely is Nutella Ice Cream!! And OOoooh is it delicious!

Today was our first day of ‘school’. I can’t believe it’s here already! I never had a chance to chill out over the summer. Still, I’m excited about our school year. Leif was also very excited and insisted on driving the school bus to bring us to school!!!

The princess and the cowboy get hitched

Posted on 8/14/2011 by Maria

Yesterday, we had a wedding at our house. Everyone was required to wear hats. I’m not in any of the pictures, so I’ll tell you, I was a flower girl and I had a viking hat on. (Yes, Kaia is holding a glass graduated cylinder of flowers!)

Toby officiated, and read from the holy dictionary. I believe he defined the word “mush” for us.

The ceremony got a bit long for Leif, so he had to take a load off.

“Now you may kiss your cowboy!”

It was a lovely ceremony. We were all in tears!

My little splurge

Posted on 8/13/2011 by Maria

I brought in a little bit of money last month with some herb sales. So, I bought myself a fancy, new ice cream maker. I’ve never had one and boy, have I been missing out!!! So far, we’ve tried mint chip, peach yogurt, and strawberry. Leif waits patiently as the ice cream maker finishing churning…

Crafting flowers out of seeds

Posted on 7/22/2011 by Maria

Somehow, I’ve ended up with a bag full of extra garden seeds. Many are years old and some are just varieties that I didn’t care for and don’t plan on using again. So, I thought I’d use some up in a craft. Here’s what you need:

Seeds Pumpkin and squashes are best, but you can also use melon seeds and tiny seeds, like mustard
food coloring
rubbing alcohol
colored felt or fleece (this will be the background color of our flowers)
thin cardboard box, such as a cracker or cereal box
buttons for flower centers
hot glue gun
Elmer’s type white school glue
Optional: magnets, longer fleece strips for bracelets and headbands, velcro, sticks/floral wire…

First, pour a tiny amount (1/2 tsp or so) of rubbing alcohol into a bowl and mix with another tiny amount of food coloring. I have the gel type of food coloring and I simply stuck a fork into the gel and pulled it out again. What was stuck to the fork is what I then mixed into the alcohol. (You could also use water, but I like how quickly the alcohol dries on the seeds.)

Pour some of your seeds into the mixture and coat them in coloring.

Doesn’t the purple look lovely?

I ended up using 6 colors for the squash seeds and put a few cantaloupe seeds in green. I thought these would make nice leaves if I decided to use them. Place your seeds on paper towels (or in my case, just plain paper) to dry. I gave them a little toss every so often just to make sure they weren’t sitting in a puddle of fluid.

It takes a few hours for them to fully dry. So, while that happens you can take this opportunity to visit with the local merboys,

Or have a chat with the viking who lives at the bottom of your stairs.

You can also take this time to get out your felting supplies and cut up some flower backgrounds

Cut 1-2 inch circles out of your felt and glue it (I used Elmer’s type glue, but the glue gun works also) onto circles of the same size that you cut out of the cardboard box. Let this dry.

Now, once everything has dried, you can start assembling your flowers.

Pick out your petal colors and arrange them on your felt circle. Then decide what kind of center you would like. It helps to lay it out before gluing anything down so you can be sure you like the arrangement and that you have enough petals.

Then you begin gluing. We have a fairly ‘cool’ hot glue gun, but it can still give you a nasty burn. If you are working with younger kids, it’s best to let the adults use the glue guns.

Kaia liked the look of laying the seeds flat in a circle. I went for the layered look. With the layering, be sure to angle your first seed up a bit so that there is room to slide the last seed underneath it.

Once you have arranged your outer petals, you can do another layer of smaller petals, or use small seeds or a button for the center. (We really liked the buttons!)

And while the older kids are working with the glue gun, the little ones can make circle trains.

Kaia and I spent ALL afternoon with this craft. In fact, we were up until way past bedtime finishing off the last ones. It was so much fun! There are endless possibilities of what you can create with your flowers and they make fabulous gifts.

Use them as they are and tape them on presents. Glue magnets on the back to hang your favorite artwork or projects on the fridge.

Glue them onto felt strips to make bracelets, chokers, or headbands. A little strip of velcro makes the perfect closure.

Glue them onto barrettes.

Glue them onto a stick and create magic with your new wand.

You could also glue it onto a pin and make a broach. What about attaching the flowers to green floral wire and making a bouquet for your table? What would you make??

Sunday Rituals

Posted on 7/18/2011 by Maria

Cooking waffles with dad.

Visiting the outdoor kitchen.

And thoroughly enjoying it.

And spending at least half of the day in dad’s hats. Safety First!

Suminagashi

Posted on 6/30/2011 by Maria

Kaia has been in art camp all week, from 9-5. When I pick her up, she spends at least 30 minutes telling me about what they did all day and showing me her art before I’m allowed to pull out of our parking spot. She is in her element.

Last night, she just couldn’t get enough art and decided to break out the Suminagashi kit that I got her for her birthday (thank you Frugal Family Fun for the recommendation!)

It took just a little bit to get the hang of it, but once she did, Kaia covered our kitchen table and floor with her art.

We didn’t realize that this one had a heart in it until we pulled the paper off.

She would use an 8 x 11.5 piece of paper to pull of the first design. Those would come out bright and colorful. Then she would use half sheets of paper and do it again, without adding any more ink. These had more subtle colors, but were just as beautiful. I like the subtle ones the best.