passengers on a little spaceship

chicken vs. lion

2012-03-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Dandelion that is.

It's that time again. And whenever we head out to weed (not fun), Naiya and I like to turn it into a game (fun)! We call it "Lion Hunting" and we even have a special song... (to the tune of "Going on a Bear Hunt" from an old ditty I remember singing at summer camp)...

Going on a Lion Hunt

(A Dandy-lion Hunt)

I'm not afraid

(You're not afraid)

Got my weeder

(In my hand)

And some chickens on my side...

(It somehow seems much more amusing when its sung with the tune.

You might have to be five to appreciate the song.)

When we've got a big tray full we offer them up to the chickens. It's not much of a battle there really.
The chickens win every time.

paper butterflies for spring

2012-03-06T22:47:00.001-08:00

For Spring there are so many sweet butterfly crafts. This year we discovered this really easy folded version that can be made quickly by both adults and children.

There are endless variations on this theme and all sorts of alternative materials and designs that could be used. We started with some crayon drawings we had laying around but one could just as easily use patterned scrap book paper, card stock or even pretty recycled magazine pages for the wings. In addition to the paper we needed scissors, some wire (I like copper), needle nosed pliers and beads (optional).

Begin with a rectangular sheet of paper.

(Any size will do. This one is about 4" x 2½". )

Fold it in half length wise.

Fold in the corners on each side.

This can either be done so that the sides form points (as seen here) or have a flatter edge (depending on the wing shape desired).

If using a thicker card stock, one may wish to cut off these folded corners. For thinner paper, leave as is.

Fan fold from the center out on each side.

Repeat with a second rectangle that is about two thirds the size of the first.

Bend a length of wire around the two pieces, binding them together with a twist at the top.

Slide a bead over both wires (if desired) and curl the antennae by wrapping around needle nosed pliers or a pencil.

We thought these could be hung from a Seasonal Tree, used on a Nature Table or even placed inside of Easter eggs.

Flutter by,
Butterfly,
Floating flower
in the sky.
Kiss me with your
Petal wings---
Whisper secrets,
Tell of Spring.

waldorf felted wall hanging

2012-03-05T12:00:00.001-08:00

This year for our schools annual fundraising auction, I helped organize the creation of this delightful Felted Spring Wall Hanging. We wanted both parents and children to be able to contribute to the project and so worked it out in stages using various felting methods and materials.

The children in the kindergarten class range from four to six years old and therefore have limited skills and attentions spans but untold wells of creativity. The basic image was inspired by their daily art work and, as you'll see, their contributions were what made so much of the piece original and interesting.

While the children were participating in the classroom, I didn't want to be too distracting by snapping a bunch of photos (also, the light in there is quite low and terrible for picture taking) so, this first part of the photo exposition is a smaller reproduction of our project that I did alone at home.

We began by using duct tape to piece together many scraps of recycled bubble wrap to make two 5' x 3' sheets with which to felt. The tape was stuck onto the smooth side of the bubble wrap at each of the seams.

(I should note that I first tried using packing tape, but it didn't hold up to the water and all the friction and rolling that this project required.)

After a suitable size, colors and desired image were chosen, one sheet of the wrap was laid bubble side face up on a water resistant surface to receive the layers of wool roving.

Upon this sheet, the first layer of clean, carded wool was laid out with the fibers running all in the same direction. (The roving shown here was composed of very short fibers and so looks rather haphazard...still, it's mostly laid down in one direction.)

The first layer established the size and outline of the piece (taking into account that it would shrink by about 20%).

On top of the first layer, a second layer (in the same or different color, depending on the effect desired) was laid with the fibers in the opposite direction.

In the classroom, the children wandered over three or four at a time to assist the parents and teachers in this step. They were surprisingly adept at criss-crossing each successive layer and especially enjoyed laying down the wool where the two colors met.

A third, and fourth layer were then added, each perpendicular to the prior layer until the piece was three or four inches thick.

For this scene, we worked it out so the final layer of "grass" was vertical and the final layer of "sky" horizontal. The children in class were getting excited by this time and the sky wisps especially were not so exactly applied. There were swirls and curves that, in the end, made it even more surprisingly beautiful! One person commented that it had a sort of Van Gogh "Starry Night" quality. Such is the magic that the children's so-called imperfect contribution brought!

We then laid down some yarn and wool to represent sun and flowers (a common theme in the daily art of the children).

On top of this whole picture we gently placed a sheet of tulle (window screen or other types of netting can also be used). This helped hold the fibers in place while little and big hands started the felting process.

Using a warm water and soap solution (about 2 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of dish soap) we sprinkled the entire project until it was all damp but not soaking.

We then compacted the wool by gently pressing down with our hands, adding water to noticeably dry portions until the sheet was evenly flat.

(Where water pooled and overly saturated any particular area, we soaked it up with a dry towel.)

When the fibers felt fairly stable, we began to pat and rub across the tulle in various directions, lifting it occasionally to keep the wool from felting into it.

Basically, what is happening in this process is that the movement in various directions and the friction of the hands is binding together the microscopically barbed fibers of wool into a solid mass.

(Note that the next photos show the actual larger work of art we made in class...)

When it seemed the fibers and yarn were firmly held in place by our initial rubbing, we removed the tulle and placed the second sheet of bubble wrap over the project.

We wet the top of the plastic with the soap/water solution so that our hands could glide smoothly over the surface and continued stroking in various directions and circular patterns. The two layers of bubble wrap pushed against both sides of the wool act like hundreds of additional tiny fingers that help further knit the fibers together.

The children got a bit wet but seemed to love this portion of our craft.

Since our project was quite large, we had many hands rubbing for at least 45 minutes before we moved on to our next step.

We would have liked to have had the children help with this next stage also but ran out of time in the classroom.

Instead, at home, I rolled the project (still inside the two layers of bubble wrap) around a pool noodle (which is just a big 2" diameter length of round firm foam...one can used a rolled up towel if a noodle is not available) and tied it firmly in place with some stretchy bits of scrap fleece. I rolled this cylinder back and forth for another 30 or 40 minutes, occasionally untying and unrolling to check on the solidity of the fabric.

The felting/fulling process was complete when the individual fibers could not be separated from the mat when pulled up between pinched fingers.

On another day in class, the children had used their craft time to make flowers and butterflies from more wisps of pastel roving and lengths of yarn. We had experimented with placing these on before the wet felting process with little success and so decided to needle felt them instead. (With adults only it may have worked but we wanted the children involved as much as possible.)

For kids this age, needle felting isn't really an appropriate activity, so a group of parents then took the beautiful creations and needled them onto the dried felted base.

In the end, the combination of wet and dry felting gave the project a soft and breezy, three-dimensional quality. We thought it would make a great wall hanging in a child's room or even a festive seasonal backdrop for a Spring Waldorf Nature Table.

collecting eggs for easter

2012-02-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

I realize it's a while until Easter arrives but it's never too early to start collecting eggs I think. In the past we've had a number of crafts with blown or hollowed eggs and again this year we'll be saving our clutches for decorating...

(these are silk dyed)

displaying...

(stuffed with moss and little wooden bird)

and for filling on Easter day...

Those for filling are what we need a lot of and so have begun saving already. For this particular use, we don't carefully blow them out but just cut off one end with a serrated knife.

We carve a fairly large hole because the Easter Hare will use these as delivery vehicles for little trinkets. They're dyed just as one would dye any regular hard boiled egg. A treasure is then placed inside and using paint brush, glue and a bit of tissue, the hole is sealed. They can then be hidden on Easter morning to be found by throngs of delighted children.

I think they're best just tucked away in outdoor hidey holes and in the tall grasses so they can be stomped open right on the ground (great fun for kids, assuming that the contents are not breakable). Because here in the Pacific Northwest our holiday is often Very WET however, they can also be opened indoors. (As seen in the photo above, our daughter placed hers a towel then cracked them open with her hands.)

Now, what is that Bunny going to fill them with this time around?...

the lenten season

2012-02-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

“No, we’re not Catholic,” we tell our friends, “but, it’s true, we often observe Lent.” Some people think this is kind of nuts. Admittedly, it seems odd, but I was reading this article on the science of self denial by Jeffrey Kluger of Time today and I feel like it offered some insight into why the observance of holidays like Lent can be beneficial for those of both the religious and secular persuasions (and to some degree explains why we have taken to observing it ourselves.) It was about how this season is not only one of spiritual penance, piety, and submission but also one which leads to the development of impulse control and, ultimately, can lead to greater self confidence and even increased happiness. Kluger writes:

When it comes to good-time holidays, Lent does not rank very high. Nor do Ramadan or Yom Kippur, of course, and no wonder. They are all about saying no to something (or many things) you love. Where's the egg nog and holiday joy in all that? But we observe these less-than-festive celebrations all the same -- and we have good reason to do so. There are hidden benefits to so much ritualized self-denial...

Lent has traditionally been a time of penance and abstention, a time to contemplate the sufferings and temptations of Christ as he fasted for forty days in the wilderness. Historically, this was a time when certain Christians removed all animal flesh, dairy and eggs from their diets and gave renewed focus to prayer and charity.

Neither Ryan or I grew up observing this kind of asceticism, but there’s something about the Lenten season that has always appealed to us. It’s the focus on temperance and self sacrifice and the turning inward toward contemplation and stillness that just seems appropriate for this time of year. (Also, my willpower could really use a whole season dedicated to its strengthening any time.)

Every time an observer of Lent craves -- and resists the lure of -- a forbidden indulgence is a tiny reminder of a commitment made... Neurologists and behavioral psychologists generally think of willpower as what's known as "domain general," which means that the more you practice it to control one behavior -- say, overeating -- the more it starts to apply itself to other parts of your life like exercising more or drinking less...

   Additionally, there’s something in knowing that there is a whole community of folks out there struggling to strengthen their will with me. Through the experience of abstention, I think, we all come to foster gratitude for the plenty that we regularly enjoy. With our modern culture’s tendency toward overindulgence, many of us live in varying states of excess, almost always giving in to our impulses. We’re quite attached to food, drink, media, comfort, pretty things and modern conveniences of every kind. It’s easy to forget that all over the world (and even in our own local communities) people struggle just to survive. Giving a vice or a pleasure up by choice, it seems to me, helps to strengthen something within us and also connects us, in a small way, to the greater community in which we live.

   For the children in our lives (who are forever living in a world of imitation), I think the Lenten mood helps cultivate a feeling of reverence and gratitude as well. Who doesn't need more of that, right? Despite religious affiliations (or lack thereof), maybe it's not so strange that folks embrace this season of sacrifice and all it has to offer.

   "Happy Lent" surely isn't the proper salutation here but... I'd like to wish that the spirit of this season rests untroubled in your hearts. Happy renunciation to all?

   (Crafts for Easter coming soon...)

video tutorial: paper star lantern

2012-02-24T22:46:00.003-08:00

I've had numerous folks request a video of the Paper Star Lantern tutorial since still shots and written instructions are not always clear. This is my first video attempt. It took me thirteen minutes to make the video and three hours to figure out how to get it into the blog. (A sad commentary on my technological savvy.) Let me know if you think it's helpful. And enjoy your lanterns!

recycled quilt pillow

2012-02-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

Before we leave the Valentine season behind, I wanted to share one final heart craft idea. This one is not my own but was a gift to Naiya that her Oma found whilst local artisan shopping last year.

Though the front of the pillow is cut from a vintage quilt (that likely was not entirely intact), the back is of a new, soft, plush material. I occasionally find beautiful but somewhat edge worn, hand made quilts in thrift shops and have the instinct to rescue them from their lack of appreciation. What would I do with another old (albeit exquisitely crafted), frayed blanket I wonder? Well, now I know. This one has been well loved.

the razor

2012-02-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not especially coordinated. I tend to have a somewhat exaggerated fear of being hurt or even uncomfortable while pushing the limits of my body. I'd rather lounge on the patio than bungee jump any day. I can't dance. I have absolutely no interest in extreme sports and hardly an interest in regular sport of any kind. Also, I'm not good at learning things I'm not immediately good at. I didn't learn how to ride a bike until I was ten and was always chosen last for team games in school.
Yeah, I was that kid.
I'm not proud of these facts. I'm not especially ashamed of them either. But I have given some thought to normalcy in childhood and the influence my lack of interest and my dis-abilities in this area might be having on my daughter (or might have in years to come).
She's not especially amenable to physical risk either. She only climbs the lowest branches of the trees while her friends scale the heights and after struggling two or three times to ride her bike more than ten feet many months ago, she gave up and reacts unkindly to that contraption's infrequent reappearance.

That's why when a few weeks back she asked us for a scooter, Ryan and I started immediately searching them out and, after finding one on Cragslist for $10, gave it to her without it even being a special holiday or occasion.

We like to encourage her adventurous and daring side at any opportunity. (I know scooter riding is hardly daring to those of you with regular tree-climbing, monkey-bar-swinging kids, but we're working within differing confines here.)
We're on day three.
She's fallen a few times even though she barely lifts her foot off the ground. Even so, she glows when she rides this thing - laughing and smiling as she putt, putt, putts down the sidewalk. I think she thinks she's doing something absolutely amazing.
In my book, she totally is.
Maybe she'll be her father's daughter in this after all.

Go, my little Razor girl! GO!!

happy valentines day

2012-02-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

"Valentine's Day follows the heart-warming mid-winter festivals of light, and it is said that on this day the birds choose their mates. I've always liked the contrast of the beautiful frozen filigree of snowflakes juxtaposed against the warm, round red image of a heart at this time of year..."

(from a recent note written by our dear Waldorf kindergarten teacher)

Happy Valentine's Day to All!

hand made paper valentines

2012-02-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

In the end, we ended up not adding anything to our hand made paper. We thought of gluing on additional paper shapes, adding flowers, stickers or ribbons or even a poem but most of the children in Naiya's kindergarten don't read and we liked the simplicity of the heart inlaid in the paper without any bling.

Tonight before bed I told the story of the Valentine Sparrow to prepare for the joy of the class exchange in the morning.
Additionally, for the past few days I've been telling the story of The Valentine Baker of Pink and his magical heart shaped cakes. This sweet tale is from Juniper Tree Puppetry and Suzanne Down's most recent monthly newsletter (which I enthusiastically encourage all those interested in seasonal story-telling to join). We loved this story as read and also worked it out as a little puppet show. Mostly I was using it as preparation to transition out of "gifting" our daughter for every little holiday. (I do so love to make things but even our hand-mades are getting to be too numerous.) Instead of making her yet another special holiday craft then, tomorrows "gift" will just be a nice spice cake in the shape of a heart that our whole family can enjoy as a Valentine treat together.

self styled

2012-02-12T23:57:00.001-08:00

This morning Naiya picked out her clothes and dressed herself. She's been doing this now and again lately and, I have to say, she has a sense for style that I have never possessed myself.

With those naturally wild curls, she looks especially good in hats I think... and also with things just wrapped randomly around her head.

making paper for valentines cards

2012-02-07T22:04:00.001-08:00

Naiya and I have been trying a few ideas out for this year's Valentines.

We really liked this concept, but after cutting out all the little hearts for just the two we completed, we didn't think we were up to making twenty more of these. We do know that we'll be working in the paper medium this year though, and although we still haven't formulated the entire design, we decided to make the paper ourselves!

   Paper making is an old art and, once you have the equipment for it, is pretty easy to do.
   I've had this pour mold/deckle for years and have no idea where it originally came from but after searching online found something very similar here. One can also make the equipment from fiberglass screens and old picture frames or even from cardboard and duct tape as seen here.

   Once your equipment is set up, making an actual sheet of paper takes only a few minutes and the possible variations are endless.

This is a great craft for kids. What child wouldn't want to make from scratch their own paper, note cards, gift tags, ornaments and Valentines? Naiya loved adding glitter and confetti, flowers, leaves and even wool to create a plethora of one-of-a-kind pages.

To begin you'll need:
some kind of mold/deckle set-up
a bit of window screen
a shallow tub
a tray or cookie sheet with high edges
a sponge
a blender or food processor
absorbent blotter paper, felt or other rags
a pulp source (recycled paper, paper towels or tissue you've already got or even lint from your dryer will work)
water and a place to work that can get wet

I've seen people make paper from equipment somewhat different than mine. There is usually a wooden mold with a screen attached and a separate deckle (an empty wooden frame) that sits on top of the mold that serves as the boundary to keep the pulp in place and define the page size. In place of the mold, my kit just has this plastic platform/drain rack and a very fine rigid but flexible plastic screen is strapped between it and the deckle before it is turned over and lowered into the tub to receive the pulp.

The tub is filled with warm water enough that the screen sits below it by at least 3/4 of an inch.

The easiest way to make pulp is in a blender or food processor using paper, paper towels, newsprint, tissue, shopping bags or even lint from the dryer. One sheet of paper makes one sheet of paper of similar size and thickness so find the appropriate mass and tear the recylables into small bits. Blend the material with 1 -2 cups of water for about 30 seconds to make the pulp.

Pour the pulp into the mold and spread it evenly around in the water using gentle fingertips.

Since we're working on Valentines, we set a cookie cutter on top of our screen and carefully poured a contrasting pulp within its boundaries. (Naiya also added a huge handful of chunky glitter to this batch of pulp.)

Holding the mold/deckle very level, lift it out of the water and set it in a cookie sheet to drain. (Technically, the cookie sheet isn't necessary. It's used to keep countertops and floors dry but I suppose one could do this project out of doors and forgo this piece of equipment.)

Carefully lift the deckle from the screen. This may require pushing edges back in place or using a flat edge to help separate the two pieces from each other.

Remove any additional interior molds (the cookie cutter in our case).

Gently place the piece of screen over the pulpy sheet. With a sponge press firmly down on top of the screen, wringing out the water as necessary, until no more can be extracted.

Lift and slowly remove the screen.

Place blotter paper (thick absorbent paper, fabric or felt) on top of the pulpy paper and press it with a wood block or rolling pin to extract more water and flatten the page. Flip so the blotter is on the bottom and remove the screen. Place another dry couch sheet (that's the technical paper-making term and is pronounced kootch) on the pulp and blot it again. Repeat this with as many couch sheets as are necessary until no water comes through the blotter.

Gently peel away the couch sheets and bask in the beauty of hand made paper.

The sheets will take anywhere from a day to three to dry. For instant use try a blow dryer or place the sheet between two thin pieces of fabric and iron on a flat surface until dry.

And now on to card making...

candlemas/imbolc

2012-02-02T22:23:00.000-08:00

Today we saw our first snowdrops on the way home from school.

Mother Earth is already sending forth blossoming bulbs and today we marked this seasonal midpoint by gathering with friends to celebrate the infant light of Spring. We reflected on the fading of darker days kept illuminated by hearth and candle and the much anticipated return of dear Father Sun with his natural, radiant light and warmth.

We gathered up candle scraps left over from Autumn and Winter and melted them down to create new votives and tapers for all the celebrations of the year yet to come.

Candle, candle burning bright

Winter's half way done tonight

All a-glowing, we are knowing

Spring will come again...

A joyous Mid-Winter to you all.

children's valentines greeting ideas

2012-01-31T10:31:00.000-08:00

It's about that time when we begin to play with ideas for our Valentine's Day cards. Naiya and I like to come up with some creative way to use a new skill or apply an old crafting method for simple greetings for all of our friends. Luckily we get a lot of inspiration from the many beautiful hand made notes we've received over the years, so while we ponder our upcoming afternoon of hearts and flowers, glue, ribbons, felt, crayons and glitter, we thought we'd share some of the lovely felicitations we've been given in the past.

These are made of fabric and felt by both adults and children. As with most that follow, the methods of fabrication seem pretty obvious, so I'll not insult anyone with unnecessary instructions. If you're not overly familiar with felting though, I can point out that the one on the right was wet felted inside of a cookie cutter to help keep its form. (I believe the children helped make these a few years ago in Naiya's Parent-Child class.)

This larger one was also done with a cookie cutter and utilizes two colored beeswax sheets. (The flip-side is purple.) We hang a lot of these on our Seasonal Tree in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day.

Naiya made the little one on beeswax day in school last week.

I loved the idea of using a hand print for this paper note. And, of course, you can't go wrong with glitter and paint.

Our friends Ilana and Rowan gave us the card on the left either last year or the year before and I love the little poem:

Upon this day at winter's end

We send a note to all our friends

Reminding them our love is true

And so we send this one to you!

Last year we both made and received greetings that used wax paper and melted crayons to create a beautiful kind of "stained glass".

To do this, simply arrange crayon shavings between two sheets of wax paper, lay them between fabric or towels then iron. Cut to any shape and frame between sheets of craft or watercolor paper. (click for step-by-step)

Paper seems the easiest medium for children and there are so many cute and simple ideas that make adorable cards.

And kids love to glue and paste. I remember doing something like the one on the right when I was young. We used the eraser end of a pencil to attach the bits of glue dabbed tissue onto the paper.

And then, of course, we need something in which to gather and carry all those love wishes!

This was made by our amazing parent-child/pre-school teacher using watercolor paintings the children had done themselves.

Another year, she also gifted each child with a warm and beautiful felt bag. (This design would work for a simple paper valentine too.)

So many lovely ideas. We hope they offer up some inspiration for you as well!

nowhere is nowhere

2012-01-30T10:10:00.000-08:00

Laying in bed waking up this morning Naiya and I were staring at the ceiling.
"Mommy, where is nowhere?" she asked me.
I'm still a little groggy.
Before I answer she says, "Is everywhere somewhere or is there even a nowhere?"

Indeed, my dear child. Indeed.

chinese new year

2012-01-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know much about Chinese New Year (other than what I just looked up on Wikipedia), but today in her kindergarten class, Naiya ate sticky rice with chopsticks for snack as part of their commemoration of the occasion. Each child brought her special child adapted utensils home and my dear daughter couldn't wait to show me her new skill.

2012 - year of the dragon...

(The chopstick for kids is made using the paper sleeve wrapper of the chopsticks and a rubber band. The wrapper is rolled up and placed between the sticks. The rubber band holds it in place as shown and effectively creates a kind of "spring" that pops back to the open position when the child lets her grip slacken. It's kind of like giant tweezer.)

things you need (or really don't) for kids

2012-01-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

   I started reading blogs when I was a new parent. I often felt like I didn't know what I was doing, was unsure of what my child needed (mostly in terms of material things) and, having never really been around small children, I was always wondering what would come next and the developmentally appropriate timing of her growth and movement as well as her emotional reactions and thought processes.

   The blogs I found were helpful and encouraging in so many ways. In great part because I found that others were just as baffled and confused by these tiny beings they cared for so deeply (but, like me, just kept them thriving with basic intuition and all the love they had to give). What the blogs also offered were some fundamentally simple approaches to trusting my own instincts and simplifying our entire lives.

   Over time, I felt released from the need to purchase all the paraphernalia the warehouse baby stores wanted to sell us and embraced the natural world as the wonderful play thing, teaching tool and provider that it is. Our toys were stones and pine cones, leaves and sticks. Our daughter also loves jar lids, pots and pans and all manner of wonderful objects that already existed in our home. She used dishes we already had, clothes that were handed down and, for the most part, we made due with the plethora of appliances and whatnot that we already owned. Children don't need much specialized equipment or toys to thrive I discovered.

   Occasionally though, some item - a product we buy or something we make (like the work stand my dad built) will strike me as a valuable "thing" to have for a child at home. Of course, for thousands of years people have done without these Things and certainly we'd survive just fine without them as well. But they make our lives a little easier and, in this particular case, this object made a developmental leap rather enjoyable for both child and parents.

   We've had this for over three years and I don't know why I've not mentioned it before. We're actually at the point where we hardly use it anymore and are thinking of getting rid of it. Perhaps that's what prompted me to share. Yes friends... after that long rambling intro, the fabulous Thing I so want to make my personal contribution to the blogosphere with is... a Toilet Seat!

Once Naiya was able to use a step stool to climb onto our own toilet, we found this very convenient and rather attractive (compared to the character- laden plastic padded alternatives) built-in child's toilet seat.
It has that smaller opening that keeps her from falling in but is permanently attached so it never wandered out of the room to act as a rather unsanitary queen's crown or other imagined play thing. It's easy to clean, doesn't take up any space and just looks like it belongs.

This particular model is made by Bemis and we got ours at Home Depot for around twenty bucks. (I'm sure there are other brands and models based on the same concept.)

It's one of those innovative things I would never have thought we needed, but, man, I totally dig it and it has been an inspiration to many of our friends with children at home as well.

bubble trouble

2012-01-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

I usually post a list of our favorite books for the current season and, most often, they're based in a world of gentle imagination or in a wholesome farm, field or forest environment and include one or a number of spirits of nature. I'd like of step out of that mold and talk about one of our very favorite children's publications that's just a silly and whimsical, rhyming and rollicking good read.

Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy begins with Little Mabel blowing a bubble that ensnares her baby brother and wafts him away. She and Mother take off after him as he blows over various townspeople who join in the attempt to bring him safely down. The story isn't much really but the ridiculous, nonsensical (and sometimes tongue tying) rhyme scheme in this book has us giggling every time. Just read this excerpt...

...There was such a flum-a-diddle (Mabel huddled in the middle),
Canon Dapple left the chapel, followed by the chapel choir.
And the treble singer Abel threw an apple core at Mabel,
as the baby in the bubble bobbled up a little higher.

Oh, they giggled and they goggled until all their brains were boggled,
as the baby in the bubble rose above the little town.
"With the problem let us grapple," murmured kindly Canon Dapple,
"and the problem we must grapple with is bringing Baby down..."

So much fun, don't you think? Ryan and I actually beg to be the one to read this to Naiya and she nearly knows the entire thing by heart. (My husband is the one who encouraged me to share this gem on my blog.) Actually, we've given this book to a number of friends and family and I'm not sure if it's the parents or the kids who enjoy it more. Maybe it can become one of your favorites too.

powell butte nature park

2012-01-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we wanted to get out of the house and so took a drive to Powell Butte Nature Park. This is another of Portland's extinct volcanoes and, on a clear day, one can see five mountains from its peak viewpoint. It's only 15 minutes from our house.

We were able to view Mounts Hood, Jefferson and St. Helens on our way up the low hill.

We did a little impromptu ice skating on the trail.

And just as we reached the top, the sun began to set...

first snow of 2012

2012-01-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

A week ago we were wearing flip flops and bathing suits in Southern California. Today in Portland, Oregon we had our first sprinkling of snow...

This is the way the snow comes down,
Upon a winter day,
But soon the golden sun comes out,
And melts it all away.

waldorf day of the week place mats

2012-01-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

When school started, one of the items we were requested to have for our Waldorf kindergarten was a small place mat and napkin for lunchtime. Just a few days before school began, then, I made a little mat and five napkins for my daughter and each day packed the pink fairie table setting in her basket.

Turns out, one mat will not do.
Three months later, that thing is disgusting, and I have to wash it at least twice during the week and hope it dries prior to lunch packing the following day.
Better, I thought, to have a mat for each day and wash them all at once at the end of the week. I still have some of the pink fairie fabric left over but decided instead that it would be nice to use the traditional Waldorf colors for the days of the week to designate a specific setting for each day. And while I'm putting them together, why not share the how-to with you? (Let me just say before I begin though that sewing is not my area of expertise. These are a little slipshod in execution...)

Monday: purple
Tuesday: red
Wednesday: yellow
Thursday: orange
Friday: green

These place mats require little in the way of materials. They're intentionally small (about the size of a sheet of printer paper) to fit at the lunch table. Of course, one could make regular sized mats using this same method as well.

Each child's mat requires:
two 9"x12" pieces of fabric
one 9"x12" sheet of interfacing
matching thread
18"- 42" trim (optional - 18" if trimming only the short sides, 42" if trimming the entire mat. The tutorial is shown trimming only the two short sides.)

Begin by washing and ironing your fabric. Then cut the two sheets of 9"x12" fabric, one 9"x12" sheet of interfacing and (optionally) two 9" strips of trim.

Lay down the interfacing. On top of that lay one of the fabric sheets right side up. If using trim, lay it along both short sides of the fabric before laying the second sheet of fabric wrong side up.

My fabric is identical on both sides. If one is using fabric with a right and wrong side, the right sides should be facing each other with the trim in between and interfacing underneath.

Pin all four edges in place.

Hand or machine stitch around the perimeter with a 1/4" seam leaving about a 3" gap along one edge.

Reach in between the two layers of material (not between the material and interfacing) and pull the inside out until the mat is right side out.

Iron to press the edges flat.

Using matching thread, sew up the hole.

That's it!

I made some really plain mats and another set with the fairie panel. All kinds of creative quilting and color combining is possible using the same basic idea.

For the fairie mats , I simply sewed two strips on either side of the printed panel, pressed them flat with an iron and put the pieces together as shown above. Instead of sewing trim on the inside, one might also consider finishing the edges with binding tape.

Have fun!

winter in california

2012-01-14T21:55:00.000-08:00

We're back from vacation!

This is an old photograph of my brother and me standing in the back yard on Christmas day in Southern California. (Thanks Dad!) I think we were about 3 and 5? I've always loved this picture. Partially for the color (which is better in the original but perhaps lost something in the scanning) but primarily because it's so representative of the strange (and sometimes wonderful) uni-season of the Golden State. I grew up there. I know it's almost always warm and ridiculously comfortable but, having lived in Oregon now for a decade, I forget about The Light in Southern California.
Man, it's beautiful. I don't think I ever noticed it when I was there. It's just what I always knew. But it's so...so...(this is going to sound sort of stupid)...it's so... BRIGHT!

On this last trip we were out picking citrus on my grandfather's property. In January. In flip flops.

And I remembered that photograph. And I remembered, despite the sprawl, the traffic, the excess and the haste, why people like to live there...

winter books

2012-01-02T23:17:00.000-08:00

We've begun to put our festival books away already and I realize I never posted about all the sweet stories we read and re-read throughout the season. There are so many that I figured I'd dedicate this post to those primarily associated with winter and not so much with specific holiday celebrations. (Perhaps I'll back-post a "Christmas Books" list in the weeks to come.)

One of our long-standing winter favorites is The Mitten adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett. In this traditional Ukrainian tale, Nicki loses his white knit mitten in the snow. The mitten is subsequently discovered by a growing number of animals who crawl inside the ever expanding weave to try to keep themselves warm on a cold winter day. When finally a mouse crawls atop the bear's nose to snuggle in as well, the bear sneezes and the whole lot of furry friends are expelled from their makeshift shelter.
We like to re-enact this tale for puppet shows using our animals and any stray mitten or glove we find laying about.

A new addition to our winter collection is Owl Moon by Jane Yolen with illustrations by John Schoenherr. This is a Caldecott Medal winner that we love for its beautiful and touching simplicity. There isn't much of a story with this one - just a girl and her father walking in the woods on a winter night looking for owls. It's a tale of wordless companionship in a hushed but magical world. The understated narrative is a testament to the power of silence and the enchantment of the natural environment.

Two years ago, when storytelling as applicable to the seasons really became relevant for our young toddler, we discovered The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren with illustrations by Harold Wiberg. I hadn't previously heard of this mythical little Scandanavian creature who guards farms at night but, from what I've read, he's somehow connected to the "soul" of the farmland over which he watches. In this story, which so beautifully depicts the soft snowy silence of the forest farm, the Tomten looks after the various animals while the farmer and his family slumber.
(For an additional treat, check out The Tomten and the Fox by the same author and illustrator.)

Another offering from Jan Brett that provides a nice transitional tale from winter into spring is her beautifully illustrated Annie and the Wild Animals. In this sweet story, Annie attempts to find herself a suitable new companion after her cat mysteriously disappears. As with all Jan Brett picture books, what we especially love is searching through the borders and rich, imaginative drawings for clues and surprises. This one contains foretellings of the birth of spring as well as the return of the missing cat with a new litter of kittens. (Especially appropriate for us considering the newest members of our family.)

And what seasonal book list of mine would be complete without the pertinent book from Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairie Collection? Flower Fairies of the Winter is another gorgeous assemblage of water colored fairie illustrations with accompanying poems and amazingly accurate botanical drawings of common winter flora.
Naiya loves the rhymes and I, as always, love that I can not only enjoy the beautiful pictures, but use them to help identify all the lovely winter foliage sprouting up around our neighborhood.

What are your favorite Winter books?

snow

2012-01-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

This winter break weekend we got a chance to get up the mountain (Hood) and into the snow. I think most folks come here for the crafts but we've gotta get these shots in every now and again for the grandparents. There's even a rare photo of me which is, of course, completely ridiculous.
Hope all are enjoying a Happy New Year!

pippin and scarlett

2011-12-29T20:45:00.000-08:00

Pippin and Scarlett

In case it wasn't obvious from that previous post, for Christmas we got Naiya a pair of kittens. They're brother and sister and, impatient as kittens can sometimes be, they let themselves out of the box before our dear daughter was really ready to open presents on Christmas morning. After she figured out what was going on and really grasped that they were hers and that they were staying, she was delighted. Ryan and I have also been captivated by their adorable nature and are pleased to welcome these new little lives to share our home for, hopefully, a long, long time to come.

Current count: one mommy, one daddy, one adorable child, one angel in our basement, five chickens, two kittens, one garage full of many, many mice.

3 winter crafts

2011-12-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

Now is that time when the excitement of Christmas has passed... but here are our children, out of school, away from friends and (depending on which part of the world in which we reside) perhaps stuck indoors with little to do. What a perfect time for some indoor winter crafting!

Naiya and I like to use this part of the season to return our home to some version of normal (although we do have two new kittens rampaging about) and also to sit in cozy comfort working on some old craft favorites and a few new projects as well.

One of our standard winter undertakings is glamming up all the natural treasures Nature is offering for us when we take our afternoon walks.

With a little glue, paint and glitter, we make baubles to hang from our seasonal tree, decor for our Nature Table or even a festive centerpiece that, although made by a child, looks like it might have come right out of a Pottery Barn catalogue.

New to us this year is pouring beeswax to make these cute ornaments. We simply melted the wax in the mini crock pot we keep just for this purpose and Naiya poured it from a ladle into the mold herself.
(Alternately, one can melt wax in a double boiler. Safety note: Beeswax has a melting point of about 145° F. It can ignite if heated past this point, so don't put it in the microwave as temperatures there can be unpredictable. Remove it from the heat source once it has dissolved.)

The mold we used was a non-stick molded cookie sheet we purchased on sale at our local craft store. We poured in the wax, let it cool for about 20 minutes and the snow flakes just popped right out. We bored a hole into a few of these using a small length of wire coat hanger that we heated on the stove. (We wrapped the "handle" end of the wire in duct tape to keep the conducted heat from burning our hands - safety first!) The heat and a little pressure were enough to melt a small hole for stringing up these cute decorations.

Another of our winter favorites is making pomander oranges. Actually, since the skin of oranges are a bit tough, for little hands we use satsumas or mandarins. Children just press cloves through the rind in any pattern they wish. I've seen very skilled and creative adults form very intricate and complicated designs on these. Either way, the smell is divine and they're so bright and beautiful.
These can also be tied with ribbon and hung as a decoration or placed into a bowl for a festive display.

What kinds of crafts are happening in your home during this post holiday lull?

merry christmas

2011-12-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas to all!

(The best Christmas present ever!)

'twas the night before christmas

2011-12-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
He whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and Saint Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Saint Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes, how they twinkled, his dimples how merry,
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry,
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

our winter nature table

2011-12-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Winter Solstice to all!

Softly, softly, through the darkness
Snow is falling.

Meekly, meekly in the meadows
Lambs are calling.

Coldly, coldly all around me
Winds are blowing.

Brightly, brightly up above me
Stars are glowing.

the light of humankind

2011-12-21T20:46:00.000-08:00

A few days back I posted that I was needle felting the human figures arriving this last week of Advent for our Nativity Scene. Each day a new effigy arrives in Naiya's Advent bags. I'm about one day ahead of completing one figure a night. (whew)

Behold...the three wise kings.

more classmate gift ideas

2011-12-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

I got a couple of appreciative bits of mail regarding the idea for a classmate gift I posted a few days back so I thought I'd share some other sweet hand made presents that we gratefully received. There are so many crafty and creative folks out there!

One classmate made these adorable walnut shell candles that were delicately bundled in a cloth with a Christmas wish attached.

(Just out of curiosity, I set these in a bowl of water and, as I suspected, they float!)

From another friend, Naiya received this enchanting gnome topper on a rainbow Lyra pencil.

She carried this one around for hours banging the poor gnome's head on every
surface she passed.

(I found out this idea came from The Gnome Craft Book by Thomas and Petra Berger.)

From Naiya's kindergarten teacher, she was thrilled to receive a holiday offering of a gnome and a stone that were part of a story told in class that day. The connection to the day's tale, of course, made this present extra special.

the fourth light of advent

2011-12-19T10:14:00.000-08:00

Advent, Advent a candle burns

First one then two then three then four

Then stands the Light Child at my door

The fourth light of Advent is the light of humankind

The light of love, the light of thought, to give and to understand

As the fourth light is illuminated on our Advent wreath, the human figures begin to arrive at the manger.
Although I wasn't able to hand make the animals this year, I am frantically creating one human figure each night to place in Naiya's Advent bag before she wakes in the morning. I started with a couple of shepherds (do they look like shepherds?) and next will be adding the three kings and Holy Family.

(If you're interested, I'll be posting a tutorial on how to needle felt these little dolls within the next few days.)

zoo lights

2011-12-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

Another of our annual holiday traditions is visiting the Oregon Zoo for their Zoo Lights extravaganza.
(One day I will learn how to take photographs in the dark...)

papier-mâché stained glass advent window

2011-12-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

In the kindergarten class next door to Naiya's, the teacher each year papier-mâchés a "stained glass" window above her Advent Nature Table. It is just so beautiful that I wanted to share it. I'm not sure (since it isn't actually from our class) but I believe the image is from a story she regularly tells at this time of year. (That's a little gnome in the lower right hand corner!)

(For tips and a bit of how-to for tissue paper stained glass, I recently came across this post from Jessica at Moonbeams and Applesauce.)

no candy in this land

2011-12-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

I'm not a huge fan of board games but a few years ago someone gave Naiya the classic favorite - Candyland. I never had this game as a child so, unlike some friends of mine, the thing holds no sentimental value for me and, frankly, I find it rather boring. I suppose board games can help children learn to follow instructions, instill patience and teach them that sometimes there are winners and losers in life. I don't know... I'm just not good at enforcing the rules when we play and often the game degenerates into something it was never meant to be.

Yesterday when Naiya pulled out dreaded Candyland, she (thankfully) didn't even ask me to participate. I couldn't actually tell you what went on with these game pieces but I don't think there was any candy in her magical land.

the third light of advent

2011-12-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

The third light of Advent is the light of beasts

Who all await the coming in the greatest and the least

As each week passes, we remove the previous offerings from our Advent wreath and set them around the perimeter. In celebrating this week of animals, our seashells, stones, seedpods, herbs and flowers now clutter the table. I had hoped to make the manger animals from felt but with the season being what it is, our week of animals is (somewhat sadly) store bought. (I'm still hoping to felt the holy family and their visitors before next week arrives!)

little waldorf classmate christmas gifts

2011-12-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Around this time of year, Naiya and I try to come up with some small hand made gift to give to all her classmates for the holidays. We often draw on successful craft projects from the past and this season we feel especially pleased with our results. Since I've only got about three people (other than my mother) who are local readers, I'm going to risk surprising our school friends and go ahead and share our idea (which we're not handing out until Thursday) for those who might still be looking for inspiration for similar purposes.

We had everything for this craft leftover from the year, but even if supplies were purchased, this little holiday offering ends up costing less than a dollar per.

For a recent local craft market, we helped our school fashion over a hundred of the paper lanterns seen in the tutorial here. Since the paper started as a rectangle but required a square, we were left with many, many scrap strips and from them made these teeny tiny lanterns as our gift "containers".

Then, re-using an idea from Naiya's birthday treasure hunt, we made these holiday themed "dragon tears". Like in the tutorial shown here, we painted the backs gold and also glued on a magnet. They're pretty and useful!

We laid a tuft of wool roving in the star, nestled the magnet stone inside and wrapped the whole thing in some white tulle bound with a red ribbon. With a little more of that scrap water colored paper we also attached a brief greeting.

Children can contribute to the making of these presents by painting the watercolor sheets for the stars and gluing the little paper pictures and magnets onto the stones.

... Hand made, inexpensive, small and ready for sharing on our last day before winter break. Merry Christmas friends!

(For additional hand made little gifting ideas, try also clicking here for a pocket pal tutorial, here for a sand candle how-to, here for some super easy to sculpt little oven fire clay houses, here for a beeswax polish tutorial or here for a play dough recipe. Alternately, try just scrolling through the "crafty craft" label list seen to the right. Happy holidays and happy crafting! )

making our own wrapping paper

2011-12-12T22:20:00.000-08:00

Every year around Christmas I try to come up with inventive ways not to purchase (and waste) wrapping paper for holiday gifting. In the past I've sewn and put into circulation oodles of reusable fabric bags or wrapped presents in bits of fabric or play silks.
This year, since our afternoons are often filled with arts and crafts, I have had the additional waste-not-want-not dilemma of what to do with the plethora of beautiful drawings and paintings my daughter turns out week after week.

You see it coming of course... Why not put all of those lovely watercolor paintings, stamp works and crayon drawings to good use? We've got wrapping paper galore just waiting to be wielded! When I mentioned this to Naiya she suggested we make a few larger sheets in case some big gifts needed a little bundling up.
Another new holiday tradition is born.

outdoor play on a late autumn day

2011-12-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

the grotto's festival of lights

2011-12-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

Every year we visit The Grotto (The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother) in Northeast Portland to see The Festival of Lights. It's a really splendid spectacle and the pictures don't do it justice.

In addition to the amazing light display, the festival hosts the largest Christmas choral festival in the world with over 170 holiday concerts performed from November 25th to December 30th. Also offered are warm beverages and snacks, a life size nativity scene, a petting zoo for the children, a holiday puppet show and outdoor caroling.

Despite the fact that it's outdoors and COLD, we always enjoy stopping by.

lighting the path to christmas - the advent spiral

2011-12-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

     Last week we participated in the annual Advent Spiral at Naiya's school. The spiral is a longstanding Waldorf tradition whose origins seem to be a bit vague. Like many symbolic traditions of the season, though, it is a beautiful ceremony lighting our way toward Christmas Day. (Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture that actual day in pictures.)
     Parents were invited to come watch as our children walked the spiral of boughs laid out on the floor in a darkened room with a beautiful lyre being played in the corner. After the children arrived and were seated across from us, one by one, each child was handed a red apple holding an unlit candle. Following the example of their teacher, each boy or girl reverently carried their candle along the path to the spiral's center where a larger lit candle burned atop a tree stump. There, the apple candles were lit from the existing flame and, somewhere along the path back out of the spiral, the children placed their apple candles wherever they chose on one of the many golden stars along the path. With each new candle the room brightened slightly and, in the end, the spiral glowed amidst a palpable sense of wonder.
     In our class, my daughter was the only child who refused to take part in this beautiful event. She wouldn't get out of her seat.
Not alone.
Not with her lovely teacher.
Not with me.
She does, of late, have an inexplicable aversion to candles. Perhaps that was it. Perhaps it was something else. No one pushed it. She shared the experience even if she didn't take the steps herself I thought and I know now that something of it is working in her still...

...We've been playing a lot with ornaments as we unpack them to decorate the house and today I placed this string of stars in a spiral on the table. I didn't think much of it but thought it looked pretty and didn't know where else to put them.

Naiya saw it and almost immediately, in movement and voice so indicative of that reverent day, proceeded to gather little people to walk the spiral path.

She asked me to help her form the candles for children to carry (using scraps of beeswax) and each one made its way to the wax flame she placed in the center. There they lit their tapers and, just like at school, left their little flames on the golden stars as they made their way back out.

She didn't walk the spiral with her classmates that day but I know, somewhere inside, she's holding the light in her own heart and sharing its warmth and glow as she travels her own path.

The gift of light we shall thankfully take

But it shall not be alone for our sake

The more we give light, the one to the other

It grows and gives light, and shines even farther.

the second light of advent

2011-12-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

   So we had a little glitch in our Advent plan. In years past, we have always had our wreath on the dining room table and the nativity scene was set up in its entirety when Advent began on a table near the Christmas tree in the front room. This year I wanted to put both wreath and the crèche on Naiya's Nature Table and after placing the stones and plants from the first two weeks on the wreath, I wanted to put the animals and human beings that arrive in the third and fourth weeks into the awaiting manger.   (I had laid this all out when I talked about the first week of Advent here.)
   After much dramatic opposition, wailing and gnashing of teeth, it didn't work out. It was a nice idea but it involved change and, if there's anything that pushes my daughter over the edge, it's change.
   No, absolutely not would she accept that the wreath wasn't on our eating table. Definitely intolerable was the empty manger on her Nature Table. Everything ended up exactly as it was in years past.

What I did manage to alter were the verses we've previously used for each week. I had found portions of our old collection a bit forced in rhyme scheme.

In the morning Naiya finds a little gift in her Advent bag to place upon the wreath. This week we're celebrating the richness of the Earth's incredible plant life. With each meal we light the candles and sing our daily verse.

Advent, Advent a candle burns

First one then two then three then four

Then stands the Light Child at my door

The second light of Advent is the light of plants.

Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.

st. nicholas day

2011-12-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

A Story for the Day of St. Nicholas...

Long ago a poor man and his three daughters lived in a little village. The man had once been rich but now had almost nothing. He and his three daughters barely had food to eat or clothes to keep themselves warm.
Now, Nicholas was the bishop of that village. He heard about the man's family and their suffering and it made him very sad. He wanted to help but he didn't want to call any attention to himself. Finally, Nicholas hit upon a plan, and this was it: One night, the poor family went off to bed as usual. Nicholas though, didn't go to bed. He waited in his house until the middle of the night, when everyone in the village was asleep and no one would see him. Then he made his way quietly to the poor family's house and crept up to the window, keeping out of sight. When he was sure no one was nearby, he quickly stood up and tossed into the window enough gold coins for the family to get by— and hurried back to his own house before anyone there missed him.
Well, you can imagine the family's surprise and delight in the morning when they found the gift! The man gave the coins to his eldest daughter, to help her and her sweetheart get married, which they had been wanting to do. And he thought that perhaps she and her new husband could help by sending the family some money sometimes so they would have enough to live on.
Alas! The daughter and her new husband soon had a family of their own, and moved away, and couldn't help much. Before long, the man and his remaining daughters were just as poor as they had been before. Again, they suffered. But again Nicholas heard of their adversity. So once more, long after everyone had gone to bed, and everything was very still, Nicholas crept to the family's house, pitched his gift of coins through the window and ran home without anyone noticing him.
Once again the family found the gold coins in the morning with tears and joy. And once again the man gave the coins to his daughter, the middle one this time—thinking perhaps she and her new husband could give some help to him and his remaining daughter.
But you've probably guessed what happened. The second daughter too quickly had a family of her own, moved away, and couldn't contribute anything. And so the man and his remaining daughter were again destitute.
This time, however, the man didn't go to bed when his daughter did. He had a feeling that the bag of coins would come and this time he was going to find out how it happened. So he waited.
Sure enough, in the middle of the night, Nicholas came quietly to the house. He saw a candle burning in the window though so instead of dropping the bag in there, he crawled up to the rooftop and dropped it down the chimney where it fell into the youngest daughters stockings which hung drying on the fireplace mantle. The man heard the clanging of the coins in the stocking and ran out of the house. Nicholas slid off the roof and ran but the man chased him all through the streets until they were both out of breath. He finally caught up with him. The man looked at his face and saw that it was Nicholas, the bishop! He fell to his knees, and thanked Nicholas for all he had given him. But Nicholas did not want any credit for what he had done. He told the man not to tell anyone (although I don't think the man kept the promise, or else I would never have heard the story to tell to you.)

(Adapted from a tale at St. Nicholas Center.)

the first week of advent

2011-12-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

Advent, Advent a candle burns

First one then two then three then four

Then stands the Light Child at my door

Here in the Pacific Northwest the dark and cold are weighing heavily upon us as winter approaches. Now is when we burrow into our homes with their warm hearth fires, ovens full of delicious goodies and creations of all kinds coming forth on our craft and Nature tables. It is also a time when many candles are lit in our home to remind us of the sun’s rebirth and longer days to come as we prepare for a new year.

Over the course of our daughter’s life, we’ve tried to pare this season down to its minimum, renewing its internal meaning and diminishing the outer trappings and stress which often accompany what is supposed to be a joyous and contemplative period. To prepare for the birth of both outer and inner light, we try to use this quiet, peaceful time for self reflection and renewal but still enjoy all the traditions that we remember as children and relish handing them down to our dear daughter.

I usually had the chocolate Advent calendar with a treat behind every door when I was a kid but I’ve tweaked that a bit with Naiya. Instead she opens one Advent bag each day of the season and in it discovers a treasure to place upon our Advent wreath. It’s usually some token of the kingdom of the week: mineral, plant, animal or human. This week her bags held shells, stones and crystals. Next they’ll hide sprigs of herbs, seed and pine cones. The following week, the animals from our nativity scene will fill the bags and the week before Christmas, the human figures including the shepherds and the holy family will appear. Occasionally, the bags will hold a sweet treat as well.

making advent wreaths

2011-11-27T01:23:00.000-08:00

In preparation for Advent, a few members of our Waldorf community got together to make seasonal wreaths. My good friend Chrisi has held this tradition, passed down from her grandmother, for many years, but for most of us it was our first foray into creating our own. It was so surprisingly simple that I wanted to post a tutorial and encourage everyone to try these but with the first Sunday of Advent tomorrow, I don't think I'm going to get to it.
Perhaps these in-process photos of our festive but relaxing day will inspire folks to look up a how-to elsewhere and give them a go at home.

We gathered in front of a cozy fire with a collection of branches, berries, pods and cones for all to share. Chrisi, our gracious hostess for the day, gave basic instructions before each of us combined various elements to make unique and attractive wreaths for doors and tables both.

We worked with pine, fir, larch, cedar, juniper, poppy pods and a few other shrubberies I was unable to identify.

Most of us built on a simple wire circlet (sometimes bent from a wire hanger), laying overlapping short clumps of greenery held on by florist wire.

Such inspired artistry and each one a unique expression of holiday spirit.

After a delicious Thanksgiving leftover lunch, many warm and intimate hours of relaxed conversation and an inspiring day of story and tradition sharing, we brought home one smaller wreath (to which we'll add four candles) to use for our Advent table and daily celebration and one larger that I think we'll hang over the mantel.

Thank you again to Chrisi for this wonderful day. It seems another new holiday tradition has begun.

dress-up beard

2011-11-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we had some friends over and the children were playing Christmas Santa. This game started off as fancy silk wrapped present delivery game and progressed into making a sleigh from overturned chairs for Santa to sit in as he (she) flew over familiar houses deciding where to drop precious gifts. There was an Ice Queen complete with fancy dress and crown somewhere in there and when Naiya wanted dress up for Santa, I whipped up this quick beard. (I have to confess that this idea wasn't my own. I saw something like it somewhere recently but can't for the life of me recall where that was.) Surprisingly, Naiya thought it was pretty nifty. (I say surprisingly because often when I try to interject creations of my own into her games, they're promptly rejected.)

We used this felted wool yarn and simply tied it at both ends to fit around her ears.

We then cut a bunch of shorter bits and looped and tied them along the yarn until the "beard" was full.

These could, of course, be used for gnome or old man play as well, and another cord braided across and attached would serve as a cute little mustache!

I have some friends with boys who love dress up play and although we made this for girls, I was thinking it would be an especially great addition to a small gentleman's wardrobe.

It could even be attached directly onto a gnome hat!

hanging paper snowflake star

2011-11-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

With snow on our minds and winter fast approaching with its accompanying festive mood, I decided to finally figure out these paper stars (which look a bit like giant snowflakes) that I saw in a local shop window last year. Paper is such a great (and inexpensive) medium for holiday decorations I think, and this particular ornament is relatively easy considering how impressive it looks.

These snowflake stars can be made in any size and color and require only a few supplies (glue, ruler, pencil and scissors) in addition to six square sheets of paper. In the tutorial below, I used regular printer paper but I'd recommend something thicker to give the structure more support especially if one is making a large version.

Begin by creating a square of the desired size and folding it on the diagonal.
(One could just begin cutting freehand at this point creating a number of lines parallel to the outer edge but I'm not great at freehand, so I pre-mark my cuts using a ruler and pencil...)

Very lightly mark the long folded edge at even intervals with small hash lines. (I'm using a thick red marker here for illustration purposes.) When working with an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper cut down to a square, the diagonal will measure exactly 12". I marked my fold at each inch.

Using those hash lines as an interval guide, lay the ruler parallel to one shorter edge and lightly draw a line from the bottom fold to just short of the center point. Repeat for the other edge creating guidelines like those shown here in red.

With scissors or an exacto knife, cut up through the fold toward the top point along the lines stopping short of the center by about 1/4" on each side.

Unfold the paper. As seen below, the un-cut center line holds a number of cut squares together right down the middle.

Starting with the center square, fold the smallest two triangles together and glue them. (I used the pencil to help support the rounded shape as the corners were pressed together.)

A glue stick works fine for thinner paper. For thicker stock a different adhesive and paper clips might be needed to help maintain the bind. (The paper clips would, of course, just be temporary.)

Turn the paper over and glue the next two triangles on the opposite side.

Continue gluing on alternate sides until the sheet is complete.

It's pretty already isn't it? Naiya and I painted, glittered and hung a number of these in our windows last year. We used the squares and also tried diamonds, ovals and even a star shape. They're lovely as they twirl in the slightest breeze.

To make the beautiful snowflake star though, you'll need to make five more of this same design.

When they're all complete, the six pieces get glued together at the centers as well as at the mid-point corners. Again, I just used a glue stick.

Thread and hang from one point when complete, then marvel and your handiwork.

a cup of joe, a cup of snow

2011-11-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

We're in the midst of Autumn, but last weekend I had some time up in the Cascades and it was my first snow encounter of the season.

I didn't have Naiya with me and felt a little guilty about this first encounter of the year with Father Frost without her to share it. I wanted to bring something home for my little one and having finished my morning coffee just prior to heading back down the mountain, I packed her up a travel mug of the fluffy, frosty stuff. I wasn't sure what she would make of it and, I have to say, her initial impulse was a bit of a surprise. When she opened the cup, she promptly asked for a spoon and ate up her taste of winter wonderland after garnishing it with a splash of maple syrup.

pocket pals

2011-11-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a little busy here for a few weeks and blogging fell by the wayside to allow for some dedicated family and personal regeneration time. One of the events that was part of the hectic past few weeks was our school's annual Heart of Advent crafting day. It's an afternoon for our Waldorf community to come together and share time, ideas, stories, traditions and inspiration for the upcoming holiday season.

This year I was on the organizing committee and so devoted the weeks building up to the affair making sure all the pieces were in place. I then spent the entire Saturday of our gathering enjoying teaching friends new and old how to make these cute little Pocket Pals. With St. Nicholas Day fast approaching, I think they make a perfect boot filler but they would, of course, make great stocking stuffers or gift toppers for Christmas as well.

To make these darling play fellows, one will need:
1 16mm wooden bead
2 8mm wooden beads
1 pipe cleaner
a small piece of felt
embroidery floss
an acorn cap (optional)
wool roving for stuffing and hair (optional)
glue
scissors
an embroidery needle

Begin by bending the pipe cleaner into the configuration shown here so that the distance from A to B is only slightly wider than the width of the fabric (enough to accommodate the bead hands). This one is about 3" from tip to tip. Twist the two loose bottom wires together.

Glue the small beads over the two side ends of the pipe cleaner to make the hands and the larger bead onto the top for the head.
Set aside to dry.

Trace a body pattern onto the felt fabric. Lay two sheets, one atop the other, prior to cutting or cut each separately to create two identical body pieces. Feel free to make these two different colors or even to change the body shape. (At our Heart of Advent table, folks made heart bodies, angel bodies and even one shaped to look like a little Lego guy.)

If desired, embroider a symbol, design, letter or pattern onto one or both body pieces (or sew on a button or patch). (For Basic Embroidery Stitch instructions search the internet or click here.)

Lay the two body pieces together with embellishments facing out and, using embroidery floss, begin blanket stitching them together just slightly off center (at one side of the "neck"). (For very clear blanket stitch instructions, click here.)

Before turning the first corner (at the wrist), place the pipe cleaner armature inside the two felt pieces. Stitch around the corner (holding the hand in place) and continue until reaching the next "wrist".

Before finishing off the top of the arm, stuff the figure with a bit of wool roving (or whatever stuffing you have on hand) being sure to pad the pointy wire bits.

Decorate the face and head as desired with wool roving, an acorn cap or even a felt gnome hat.

Gift or keep for yourself and enjoy!

another mushroom

2011-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

The day after I published that post about all the cool mushrooms we've been finding, we discovered this behemoth at Naiya's school. Three days later (when I finally remembered to bring my camera) it's a much subtler shade of orange and starting to crack in places but impressive nonetheless. At first we both thought it was a garden sculpture and were looking for the accompanying gnome. Turned out it was real. We think there must be a whole village of fairies somewhere nearby.

For a sense of the scale of this thing,
here's a shot with Naiya's hand in it!

martinmas - in the spirit of giving

2011-11-10T06:07:00.000-08:00

As we transition out of harvest time and celebrating the abundance of the Earth and all her gifts, we move into a season of expressing gratitude for all we have and celebrating the spirit of giving. This is really how I think of Martinmas which is coming up on Friday. We decorate our Nature Table with a scene from the popular story of Saint Martin wherein he cuts his cloak in half to save a beggar from freezing in a storm. The theme of giving carries us nicely from the bounty of Summer's end to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Last year right around this same time, Ryan and I were listening to a talk by Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield speaking on this very subject. I can't recall his exact words but he was telling about how he sometimes has the impulse to give, second guesses himself, reflects upon what might be personally lost by handing over something (tangible or intangible) that belongs to him and, after much more thought, finally decides for or against the giving. Actually, he says he used to do that.

He talks about how we probably all have gone through this same process in our own ways. "Should I donate this sweater to Goodwill? I might need it... But it isn't my favorite... but I might wear it if I make it to the snow this year... No, I probably won't. Okay, I'll donate it...." "I could go down and volunteer to help at the shelter, but do I really have the time?... Would a couple of hours make a difference anyway? Well, maybe next year..." "A lot of people have a lot more than I do. Let them be the ones who give away their money, their things, their free time..."

More or less, I think we probably have all had this kind of internal dialogue. Jack says at some point in his life though, he made the decision to just always follow the initial impulse to give. He no longer agonizes over the decision or wonders if it's the right or best thing to do. He says that when the first inclination of giving arises, he doesn't stop to think about it or reflect on it or weigh the consequences of his actions. He just does it. As immediately as possible.

Not once has he regretted it.

A wise approach to living I think. Something for us all to reflect upon.

Within the fullness of our lives, how might we share our time, our money, our food, our energy and even the oft overlooked but immensely valuable gift of our undivided attention both with those we love and with those to whom we are still strangers?

the three billy goats gruff

2011-11-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

One of Naiya's favorite telling stories is the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Last weekend when we were walking with some friends in the woods we came to a bridge which inspired an impromptu reenactment of that cherished tale. Daddy, of course, had to be the troll (although his eyes are NOT as big as saucers, nor his nose as long as a poker).
We had some hungry goats who needed to travel across to the hillside to make themselves fat. Trip, trap, trip trap went the bridge...

"Who's that tripping over my bridge?"
"Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff, and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat," said the little pink and polka dot goat.
"Then I am going to gobble you up," proclaimed daddy troll.
"Oh no, don't take me. I'm much too little," said the first billy goat. "Wait a bit till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. She's much bigger." (Of course, "billy" goats are boys but we work with what we're given.)
"Well, okay then, be off with you..." allowed the big ol' troll.

Trip, trap, trip, trap went the bridge again.
"Who's this now tripping over my bridge?"
"Oh, it's just me the second Billy Goat Gruff. I'm going up to the hillside to make myself fat."
"I think I will gobble you up," the troll said.
"Oh no, don't take me. I'm much too little," said the second billy goat. "Wait until the Big Billy Goat Gruff comes. She's much, much bigger."
"Well, be off with you then..."

When the third Billy Goat came trip, trap, tripping over the bridge it creaked and moaned under her. (Well, my friend Lisa is pretty small so there wasn't really any creaking, but she can stamp rather loudly).
"Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll.
"It is I, the biggest Billy Goat Gruff!" she cried.
"Then I am going to gobble you up!"
"Well, come along! I've got two spears. I'll make you live your greatest fears. I'll throw you into the water cold. No longer will you be so bold," said the last Billy Goat (or something like it) as she pretended to toss big Daddy Troll into the rushing river.

Of course, there were more bridges. At the next one the troll was petite and had two cute little heads. Very fierce.

there's a fungus among us

2011-11-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

Mushrooms are cool. They're everywhere around us at the moment.

I also love jokes for five year olds, so... here I am to torture you with two I remember from my youth...

Why did the mushroom get invited to the party?

Because he's such a fungi (fun guy)!

Why did he leave?

Because there wasn't mush room!

Please forgive me.

beeswax leaves

2011-11-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite Autumn crafts is beeswaxing leaves. We do this sometimes a couple of times a week and end up waxing all manner of Mother Nature's treasures. Last year I found a "Crockette" (mini Crock Pot) at Goodwill for $2.99 and it's one of the most useful items for crafting I've ever brought home. The Crockette is dedicated to this one use so I never have to clean it out and, as long as we plan ahead (it takes an hour or two to melt the full hardened pot back down to liquid wax), we've got a sweet smelling, entertaining, natural activity at our fingertips.

After a gathering walk, when the leaves (or seed pods, or sticks or whatever) are still fresh, we dip them into melted wax, gently flatten them a bit and leave them to dry on parchment paper. If we want them extra thick, we dip them in a bowl of cold water to harden the first wax layer then dip them again. It's easy for kids of all ages and takes no skill at all.

In addition to our Nature Table, we have a Nature Tree in one corner of our living room. Its branches are filled with butterflies and dragonflies in Spring, flowers and fruits in Summer and waxed leaves in Autumn (held in place with mini clothes pins).

The wax preserves the leaves for longer than they would normally last but, over time, they still fade and return to the earth as the season passes.

hallowe'en

2011-11-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming, soon we'll be
Dressed in funny clothes and then you'll see
Pumpkins in the window shining bright
Oh we'll have a good time on Hallowe'en night

I've noticed that a lot of people have really strong feelings about Hallowe'en. Some folks just can't wait to dress up in crazy, grotesque or provocative outfits, go to all sorts of haunted houses and parties or decorate even more elaborately than others do for Christmas. Others seem to despise the very notion of the day for primarily religious reasons that I don't quite understand. To each their own I think. I can respect both ends of the spectrum. Me, I'm indifferent to Hallowe'en. Some years I've even forgotten it altogether and was only reminded when running into costumed folk in the grocery store whilst doing a little late afternoon shopping.

It's fun to see kids dress up though. We dress up at least three times a week at all times of year and I think it's kind of thrilling for children to have grown-ups join them in this delightful game they like to play. Grown-ups, kids, everyone is playing and no one even had to convince anyone else to wear to most ridiculous hat.

Of course Hallowe'en changed for us a few years ago when our daughter became aware enough to know something strange was afoot. We had our first go at trick-or-treating then and it was somehow much more magical than I had thought it would be. Perhaps I had merely forgotten having, you know, grown up too much. It was just fun to roam the streets in the dark with our lanterns and costume silliness and see everyone else doing the same. That first year I also had the notable realization about what an unusual show of generosity and community this night is. We dress up, knock on the doors of people we barely know and they welcome and greet us, smile and give us a sweet treat before wishing us well on our way. Aside from all the ghouls and gore, doesn't it all seem so shockingly hospitable and benevolent considering the age we live in? Maybe our wholesome experience is somewhat unique since we've spent Hallowe'en night for the past three years in the neighborhood where my parents live. It's mostly small children out and about and a lot of the houses are quite done up. It's like an after school special as dusk turns to darkness on tree lined streets with laughing children running hither and thither. Everyone's just so darn friendly. And they're giving us candy! (I had forgotten how unbelievable that seemed to me when I was young.)

As those memories return, they're full of such simple, lighthearted joy. So, despite some discussion of turning this day into a smaller, more nature based, sugar free affair, we'll likely continue this mainstream tradition. Of course, we will somehow get rid of most of the candy. She'll get to keep a few choice pieces of her hoard of tasty treats and the rest are destined to feed the Sugar Sprite. (For more on the Sugar Sprite click here.)

However you all celebrated, we hope your Hallowe'en was as fun filled, happy and safe as ours.

autumn celebrations

2011-11-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

So much has been happening this past week and I've had hardly a moment to share any of it. Our school hosted its annual Lantern Walk, there was Hallowe'en, we forgot to even acknowledge Samhain and the Sugar Sprite has a basket of goodies just waiting for her in our kitchen. (We're still working on composing our letter to that sweet pixie.) I've got a lot of stories to tell and soon I will find the time.

For now, since I opted out of taking the camera on the Lantern Walk, I thought I would share just this one picture I got of Naiya before we left the house in the cute gnome hat made especially for that event. Of course, she refused to wear it when we actually took our walk through the magical garden but she did bring along both this and last year's lanterns. More to come on those soon too...

five little pumpkins

2011-10-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate

The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."

The third one said, "But we don't care."

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run!"

The fifth one said, "Isn't Hallowe'en fun?"
Woosh went the wind, and out went the light
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Naiya brought this little fingerplay verse home from school last week. We've been collecting these gems from memory, from rhyme books and from Waldorf friends and teachers for years now. I've finally added them as two separate tabs at the top of my home page. Enjoy!

autumn nature table

2011-10-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

We've been making lanterns, filling our Nature Table with an array of Autumn goodness (it's rather a jumble) and have begun re-telling this beloved story from year's past as we prepare for our school's beautiful Lantern Walk tomorrow...

There one was a girl called Naiya who had who had been outside in the garden all through the Summer running after the butterflies, jumping like a grasshopper, singing like a bird, and trying to catch the sunlight. One day when she was lying on her back in the meadow gazing up into the sun-filled sky, she said, “Dear Brother Sun, soon the Autumn winds will blow and wail, and Jack Frost will come and make us all freeze, and the nights will be long and cold.”
Brother Sun pushed the clouds aside and said, “Yes, it will be dark and cold. In the deep midwinter, warmth and light live deep within, hidden from sight. In the time of dark and cold, you will tend the Light Within.”
“But,” said Naiya, “How will I tend this Light when it’s dark everywhere around me?” “I will give you a spark of my last Autumn rays once you have made a little house for it, for this spark must be guarded well. It will light the way for you to tend the Light Within throughout the time of dark and cold.”
And then Brother Sun once hid again behind a cloud. Naiya went home and wondered how best she could make a little house for the spark of the sun. She took some tissue paper and some beautiful Autumn leaves and with glue pressed them onto the outside of a glass jar. Then she bound the top with a handle and formed it into a lantern. She took a candle and put it into the middle of her lantern. And, as it was growing dark, she went outside with it.
Naiya held the lantern up above her and said, “Brother Sun, I have made a little home for one of your golden sparks. Please may I have one? I will guard it well.”
Then Brother Sun looked out from behind a cloud and said, “You have made a beautiful home. I shall give you one of my golden sparks.”
And suddenly, Naiya saw how the sides of her lantern were lit up, and as she looked into the lantern, she saw a spark happily dancing on top of the candle. Oh, how happy the light was in her lovely lantern! It shone and shone so brightly.
“Thank you, Brother Sun,” Naiya called out, “Thank you.” And she took her lantern and carried it carefully home singing:

The sunlight fast is dwindling,
My little lamp needs kindling.
Its beam shines far in darkest night,
Dear Lantern, guard me with your light.

(from Autumn: A Collection of Poems, Songs and Stories for Young Children)

pumpkins, pyramids, flowers and ferries

2011-10-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

This year, once again, we visited the Phoenix & Holly Railroad and Pumpkin Patch at The Flower Farmer just outside of Portland in Canby, Oregon. This adventure starts for us as we take the Canby Ferry over the Willamette River on our drive out to the farm.

The ferry is tiny. It holds only six cars and takes a scant 3 minutes to cross the river. It's a novel activity and although I don't get as giddy as Naiya every time, I enjoy the brief ride.

Of course, it's not nearly as fun as the pumpkin train at The Flower Farmer. Two trains actually run the tracks there that take both kids and adults on a circuit that stops once at a small critter petting area and again at the giant hay pyramid and pumpkin patch.

The pyramid is fun to climb but also holds in its interior a small, dark maze that the children played in for over an hour.

With a bevy of pumpkins from Naiya's birthday already carved up at home, we didn't gather any more but did enjoy the hay, the play, the bursts of sunshine and the crisp Autumn day.

not two heavy pumpkins

2011-10-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

"I should feel this," Naiya says, picking up her pumpkins each in turn "...to see how heavy it is."
"Okay," says I.

"It's not too heavy," she declares.

"It's not three heavy," she continues.

"It's FOUR heavy!" she exclaims.

old woman autumn, la befana and a needle felted doll

2011-10-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

A while back I made a needle felted Mother doll for our Nature Table. Later I fashioned her a little family (daughter and farmer husband) and, as the seasons changed, a Lady Spring joined the clan. For Autumn I wanted to introduce an older relation. There was a story I remember hearing of an elderly woman (symbolic of the fading of the year) sweeping away the falling leaves and shushing all the little critters into the warm underground earth. I thought I'd add both doll and that tale to our growing collection of afternoon puppet shows. Alas, I couldn't find the story but went ahead and made the doll anyhow. I figured I'd think up some yarn of my own and use this figure as grandmother in any number of other narratives as well.

Here she is from the back with green shawl and silver braids wrapped round the crown of her head. Naiya saw her sitting on the mantle but really I wanted to introduce her in action...

When I asked my friend Yvonne if she knew of the story I had been unable to find (I mentioned it had an old woman and a broom), she gave me a copy of the beautiful Italian folktale "La Befana and the Royal Child of Light" as told by Carolyn McVickar Edwards. It isn't the one I recalled but what a gem it is! It's actually an Advent/Epiphany story very similar to that of St. Nicholas.

The legend tells of La Befana in her roll as a solitary baker and perpetual house cleaner and sweeper. One day when a procession passes her home on its way to offer gifts to the Royal Child of Light, La Befana declines to join it but later has a change of heart. She spends all day baking many delicious offerings, but when she finally finishes, the procession and the child are gone. With broom in hand, she runs in search of them, is lifted into the air and flies off into the night with her basket of goodies tucked under her arm. She never catches them, "but she flies each year across the sky, stopping at every house below. She is looking for the Child who will light up the world. La Befana is never sure what the Child may look like. So she leaves her gifts at every home in case the girl or the boy within is the Royal Child of Light."

So while in Germany (and in our home) St. Nicholas sneaks in and leaves small gifts in children's boots on December 6th, on January 6th in Italy, La Befana flies on her broom and leaves them sweets.

I liked the idea of telling this story now, as the lantern season and Hallowe'en approach. The Child of Light has yet to enter our tales but the theme of bringing light into the darkness has already come and the imagery of a kindly woman flying on a broom to deliver sweets offers a nice correlation to all the witch lore and depictions we can't help but encounter during the season of goblins and ghouls.

If anyone knows of the sweeping Autumn woman story however, I'm still searching! We can always use another seasonal narrative and with all the wonderful story-tellers and home-schoolers out there, surely someone must know the one I once heard... Won't you please leave your Autumn stories and ideas in the comments?

paper star lantern tutorial - revisited

2011-10-21T07:21:00.001-07:00

Since it's now lantern season, I thought I would re-post this tutorial I had put up some time ago...

During last lantern season I was looking everywhere for instructions to make these beautiful paper lanterns and couldn't find them anywhere. I ended up purchasing a lantern that was already made and since I've been struggling with some difficult folds and designs of other paper crafts, I decided to unfold the seemingly simple lantern I bought and figure the thing out for myself. Like all traditional origami, no glue or cutting (once the basic outside shape of the paper is made) are required. I feared that once I unfolded my lovely store-bought version I wouldn't be able to get it back together but thankfully it wasn't nearly as difficult as I assumed.

Since in my own quest for instructions I crossed paths with many other people looking for the same thing, I thought I'd do my best to share what I learned. There may be better ways to do this and certainly my origami terminology will lack a little something but this is how I worked it out:

Begin with a 12" square of paper to end up with a lantern that is about 7" across when complete. (Those beautiful wet-on-wet water colored paintings our children are turning out each season make for the lovliest lanterns. Also, 12x12 is the standard size of the amazing array of scrapbook paper found at local craft stores.)

With what will ultimately be the outside of your lantern (the painted side) face up, fold the paper in half horizontally and vertically and then again on each diagonal effectively dividing the page into eight pie wedges.

For crisper creases and to help fold thicker card stocks, try using a bone folder. The more exact the folds, the nicer the finished project will be.

(The dashed and dotted lines shown here are guides for the next step.)

To further divide the paper into 16 wedges, turn the paper over (painted side down so this second set of 8 folds are "valleys" to the first 8 fold's "hills") and make another fold between each of the eight sections by lining up the existing folds and the center point.

To help illustrate I marked the paper with dotted and dashed lines. The dotted lines (marked on both the front and back of the page) fold to align directly on top of the dashed line. (For more exact alignment, check the line at 90° and make sure it also aligns exactly with the corner fold underneath it.)

At the same time these folds are being made, lightly mark with a pencil the triangle piece that is sticking out at each of the four corners.

The only scissor work of this project takes place here.

Cut off the four marked corners of the paper.

With all of these folds complete and the corners removed, the octagonal "pie" will now have 16 wedges.

With the painted side down, using the existing lines between the eight points as a guide (the dotted lines), fold down the paper edge (on the dash-dot line that connects the end points of the dotted lines).

For extra visual assistance, note that the solid lines lay one atop the other.

Repeat this fold eight times.

It might be easiest to understand this by first folding in the top, bottom and two sides, creating a square, then unfolding the paper, rotating it 45 degrees and repeating the process of creating a second square.

In the end there will be an eight pointed star formed by the folds (or two squares - one overlaying the other).

Fold in the edges of one of those squares.

Again, if the paper has a painted side, it is face down for this step.

Flip over the paper (so the outside is up) and fold in the already creased corners.

This is where it gets tricky and the instructions are best understood with paper in hand just trying to work it out I think...

Between each folded-in corner, reach around to the other side of the paper and gently grab the center point (where the arrow is pointing) from the back side.

It will, by nature of the existing folds, turn into a triangle as it is pulled.

Flip that triangle over the edge until it too points to the center of the side of the page that is currently face up. (For illustration purposes I drew the arrow on both sides of the paper.)

The center of the paper will start to crinkle and this is totally fine.

Continue doing this all the way around. By carefully cupping the paper and helping pop the folds into their proper place when necessary, the star pattern will begin to take shape.

I have to say that when it all just fell into place I was quite surprised.

Press the project down onto a flat surface to flatten the bottom into a level cup shape.

The lantern I purchased was coated with oil which increases the translucency (and sort of magical quality) of the paper. To do this simply rub with any vegetable or olive oil prior to folding and let it dry overnight. (I would suggest perhaps attempting your first version without. )

Of course, these beautiful pieces are made of paper and so are quite flammable. I would suggest placing a glass votive around an open flame prior to putting it in the lantern and, as with all burning objects, caution should be used and candles should never be left unattended.

My mum likes to use those little battery powered tea lights and they are, of course, quite safe and a great option for very small children.

(Feb., 2012: A video tutorial of this project can now be found here.)

squirrel food

2011-10-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

When we saw this squirrel on top of the play house this afternoon we couldn't initially figure out what giant morsel she was enjoying. Turned out it was one of our old dried out sunflowers...the one's out by the fence that are looking quite ragged and are falling over onto the sidewalk.

I'd like to say that we intentionally and considerately left these lingering in the garden to feed our sweet rodent and feathered friends. The birds and squirrels are extremely fond of the seedy treats. In reality, we just hadn't gotten around to pulling them out and now, well, we're considerately leaving them in the garden to feed our little rodent and feathered friends...

backyard eggs

2011-10-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when people find out we have our own chickens they get really excited about the idea of fresh eggs. It is pretty exciting when that first egg comes and it's great to just always have them on hand. The chickens themselves are rather entertaining too. Currently we've got five girls in the yard. Three are young and between them, one egg was produced before laying season apparently came to an end. At the moment our daily egg search yields zero. Sadly, it's been that way for a couple of months. (It is typical for production to slow or cease in the colder months although this has never happened to us in the past.) Before they and our older girls decided on their current hiatus though, I took this shot of some eggs as we were baking one day. Since we had so few, we used both a store bought "organic, free range" egg alongside one of our own. (What "organic, free range" actually means in terms of how the chickens live, eat and die on a big farm probably varies from brand to brand.)

Backyard egg on the left. Factory egg on the right.

In a blind taste test I don't know that I could tell the difference between these. The flavor is pretty standard although I wish I could say otherwise. It's the thing about having chickens that makes it less exciting than we hoped. An egg tastes like an egg tastes like an egg. What is striking about an egg from a chicken you feed yourself, hold in your arms and whose name you know is how it looks. When you scramble these things they're a beautiful, warm sunny orange. The yolks are firm, stand taller and are harder to break than factory farmed eggs. Depending on the diet of the hens, the shell can vary from extremely thick and difficult to crack to almost paper thin and quite fragile.

Jak Juniper Persephone Amelia Jellybean Puffball

Chickens aren't for everyone. A lot of cities have ordinances against them for reasons I can't fully fathom, getting started can be expensive, they can be messy and they indiscriminately enjoy all the lovely plants in the garden when they escape their appointed area, but we just get so much from our girls even without their eggs. They're surprisingly relaxing to watch, take advantage of nearly all of our food waste, are so incredibly sweet (and educational) as they grow from tiny chicks, eat all the slugs they can get their beaks on, create a richly fertilized soil and help our daughter learn yet another lesson about where our food really comes from.
Since our last cat passed, "the girls" (as we like to call them) are our only pets. Just a few days ago I found out that when my husband puts them in for the night he tells them that he loves them. Who'd have thought? Chickens. They're not just for eggs. They're part of our little urban family.

giant potato

2011-10-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

Last year we had potatoes growing in the park strip we dedicate to food production. While this year we reaped a magnificent crop of beets from that locale, there were a few potato volunteers that came up as well. Since it's been so cold and wet we thought we ought to get the stragglers out of there.

We were shocked to harvest almost 30 more pounds of this root crop that we thought we had entirely gathered up or plowed under. One particular giant weighed in at over 2 1/2 pounds! Such is the bounty of Nature or, as was said in my favorite line from that silly dinosaur move, "Life...uh...finds a way."

peter pumpkin's house

2011-10-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a craft night where some good friends and I gathered for wine and conversation without our children underfoot. We try to do this now and again to nourish our relationships with each other apart from our kids as well as to share our skills and ideas.
This time we used one of the many wonderful projects included in the monthly newsletters from Suzanne Down of Juniper Tree School of Story and Puppetry Arts. Suzanne is a frequent contributor to Living Crafts magazine, tours around the country to teach workshops, has her own blog to share many of her delightful stories and adventures and also sends out her seasonally inspiring message which, this time around, included this cute needle felting project and her original Autumn story of Peter Pumpkin's House.

Her stories are meant to be told using the little dolls as "puppets." (For a post I wrote a while back that gives an idea of how this looks, click here.) I like to change up our stories each season but tend to tell one for as long as two or three weeks before I move on to another. Sometimes I just make them up but Suzanne's stories are some of my favorites.

In this latest tale, Peter and his wife have recently moved to a new village where he sets up shop to sell vegetables from his prosperous garden. The vegetables are loved by all and Peter's heart is warmed by the sight of all the beautiful growing things in his fields. No matter how he searches the town though, there isn't a house to be found for he and his wife to live in. One day, however, as he stands admiring his bountiful garden, he sees something hidden under the branches of the willow tree at the edge of the pumpkin patch. It's a giant pumpkin! It's spectacular! With his pocket knife he cuts here and there and scoops out hundreds of seeds into his basket. Later he brings his wife to the field and shows her, tucked under a willow tree in the corner of the field, her new perfect pumpkin house. The classic old rhyme of "Peter, Peter Pumpkin-eater, had a wife..." is read as Peter places his bride inside the pumpkin at this point. In the end, Peter and his wife sell the pumpkin seeds at their shop and the following year, it is told, there is a whole new village of pumpkin houses giving shelter to happy little farming families.
(For the actual tale, try joining the newsletter here.)

Both the large and tiny pumpkins shown above were wet felted for another of Suzanne's stories that we used last year and the little people were needle felted (dry felted) on a pipe cleaner armature using basically the same method found here.

They're fun little friends to put together especially when enjoying wine with regular sized friends on a cozy Autumn night.

harvest festival

2011-10-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Harvest Festival at Naiya's school. This year the annual celebration had a greater focus on caring for the grounds and the gardens. I thought I would really miss some of the sweet activities of year's past but with the focus shifting somewhat from recreation to community building and the betterment of our already thriving natural surroundings, we still managed to have a really wonderful day. In addition to our harvest pot luck, seed and recipe share, the day nourished us in a number of ways.

The high school kids created this amazing mandala from dried grains, beans and seeds. As always, the enthusiasm, tenacity, thoughtfulness, eloquence and competence of these teenagers impresses me to no end.

These two sheep entertained the young ones the entire day as they were shorn the old-fashioned way with manual shears. With un-washed but somewhat clean wool, the children were invited to card and spin the fiber with a small wire and their ever-capable hands (after the spinning wheel encountered some kind of malfunction). With a length of her own two-ply yarn, Naiya fashioned herself a sweet little wool bracelet.

In addition to the spinning, there were still a few really fun activities for the wee ones including pumpkin carving and some gleeful, high-spirited square dancing.

While Naiya and I made merry, Ryan made our family's contribution to grounds keeping by helping spread bark chips on the playground and clearing sod in the orchard.

The children helped in the creation of the school's first larger scale biodynamic compost pile. Here you can see them sprinkling water with cedar boughs as the pile nears completion.

As the day drew to a close the children were thrilled to be able to play in the cistern (where they normally aren't allowed) to help clear duckweed from the spring source and creek.

Yet another amazing festival from the community we are ever so grateful to be part of. Happy harvest to all!

birthday treasure hunt & some natural party favor ideas

2011-10-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Included in Naiya's birthday celebration at the farm last weekend was a delightful birthday treasure hunt. I thought I would post about our search and find game both as a way to record our fun adventure and because I've had several folks in the past ask me for ideas for Waldorf style party favors made from natural materials. Feel free to share one or all...

We began with a basket full of simple sewn fabric bags which had the name of each child on the drawstring in letter beads.

In field and farm and all around
Our elemental friends abound
Fairies, gnomes and mermaids too
A dragon even, in one clue!
Take a bag and start your search
Begin where birds and pixies perch...

I got the beads at the craft store, and this was a handy feature that proved useful in helping avoid conflict over which bag belonged to each child after they were all left laying about.

Using the first hint, the children located a tree close by where hung a number of sweet fairie necklaces. The next clue also dangled from the branches below a fairie cut out that swung overhead.

Take one fairie flying sweetly
In the branches so discreetly
Seek next for an underground dweller
He’s a jolly little feller...

The necklaces hanging in the branches were made of wooden nickles (purchased at a craft store) which had been drilled with a tiny hole. The hole had a little wire loop through it and the pendants hung from an assortment of colored ribbons. I used a regular stamp and stamp pad to mark a different image on each side of the medallion. I couldn't decide whether to coat them with beeswax polish or not so I did some with and some without. (The wax seemed to very slightly blur the image but made the whole thing look richer. The one shown is without the polish.)

Following the fairie's directions, the children next found our beloved garden gnome behind a nearby shrubbery with a basketful of gnome hats.

One hat is for me and one for you
Choose one and follow your next clue.
Look for the place where mermaids hide
A silky blue beach where they play in the tide...

The hats were super simple to make and could be done from either fleece or wool. I don't know where I got the pattern but there is one similar in the Fall 2010 issue of Living Crafts Magazine. They're cut on a fold and require only one sewn seam. Each hat took less than five minutes to make.

The gnome's clue led the children to a tableau of the sea complete with toy boat and seashells. Sprinkled on the silky tide were little mermaids for each child to put in her collection bag.

You’ve found us here! Take one mermaid tear home
We’re glad to go wherever you roam
I know of a dragon who hides in her lair
She’s friendly and wants us to find her there...

At our festivals the children often dig for small "dragon tears" in the sandbox. I'd seen this larger mermaid "tear" idea at several craft fairs and shops including our own school store. I hope I'm not giving away any trade secrets by revealing how simple it is to make these magical stones.

The clear glass gems are about an inch in diameter and can be found in the floral section of some craft stores. The images were collected from the internet and sized in my photo program to fit the stones. (Alternately, pre-rounded 1" images can be purchased cheaply through lots of folks on Etsy for very little money. Try searching "digital mermaid image" or "digital fairie image" to see or buy the cool collections enterprising folks have created.) I printed my mermaids on a heavy card stock on my own printer and after cutting the pictures to fit the stones, I painted some Mod Podge (non-toxic, clear drying adhesive) onto the printed side and stuck them face-up onto the flat underside of the glass. To give them a nice finish I painted the blank backs gold.

Lastly, the mermaids led the treasure hunters to the dragon hidden under the canopy of a low tree. I made this papier-mâché life sized dragon for no good reason about 20 years ago. I was just really into papier-mâché I guess. She's been sitting in the garage and it only occurred to me a few weeks ago that I might put her to good use. As much as the children seemed to like her, it was her eggs which were their final prize.

I’m a friendly dragon just relaxing
I know all this searching can be taxing
So glad you made it all the way through
As a final prize, one egg is for you!

The eggs were made using the simple wet felting technique shown here and filled with a couple of dragon stickers I purchased at one of our favorite local toy stores.

The children seemed to enjoy the treasures and the quest and I too had loads of fun putting the whole thing together.

birthday the fifth

2011-10-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

After a quiet morning at home with a simple breakfast and search for the now FIVE birthday fairies (I'm still wrapping my head around that number), we once again celebrated Naiya's birthday at Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island.

We love the relaxed, natural atmosphere and the wide open space where the children can run, play, visit the giant pig, hide in the corn and search for the perfect pumpkin.

Mostly we just like that we're able to have this gathering out of doors. We're lucky to have given birth to our child in the early Autumn when the weather here in the Pacific Northwest can be somewhat wet but is almost always comfortable. With outdoor celebrations it seems like Nature does a lot of the decorating and hosting on her own and even provides a fair amount of entertainment.

We did furnish a spread for both adults and children that included five cakes. Yup. Five cakes. This bit is really Ryan's doing. On Naiya's third birthday he couldn't decide which cake to make her so he made three. We both thought it was kind of cute because, you know, she was three. But then came four with four cakes and now five with cakes a-plenty. At some point this will have to stop obviously (or we'll need to get some smaller cake molds). Naiya helped with the decorating of one of the sweet treats and, not surprisingly, this was the one that nearly all of the children wanted to eat. Any guesses?

We laid out a table with tiny pumpkins and stick on decorations and these ever so creative children were in fine form.

Like last year, we had a treasure hunt for the little ones to follow at their own pace. Most tried it out as they arrived alone or in pairs and it worked out quite well. (I'll post more about the crafts for that soon.)

We also took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where all the children found the very best of pumpkins. They, of course, have to be just so.

I tried out my amateur face painting skills but I think what the children liked most was decorating the mommies and daddies.

Most of the day was just spent frolicking and enjoying the farm and its many inhabitants.

We were lucky to avoid the rain and enjoyed a beautiful, festive day with many of our beloved friends and family. Just as we unloaded the last party remnants from the car at home the sky opened up and poured out a storm.

Happy birthday to my wonder-filled little girl.

she's five

2011-10-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my dear five year old.

When I was One, I had just begun.

When I was Two, I was nearly new.

When I was Three, I was hardly Me.

When I was Four, I was not much more.


Now I am Five, and I'm so alive. (poem adapted from Now We are Six by A. A. Milne)

michaelmas

2011-09-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

A festive and meaningful Michaelmas to all on this profound holiday.

I thought I was going to write something about Michaelmas that included an explanation of the beautiful and quite esoteric nature of its symbols and stories but with all the birthday planning and visitors and cleaning, I'm afraid it will have to wait. What I would like to do is just share the way the struggle of will and consciousness conquering desire and psychological sleep is manifesting in a cute and cuddly way for our daughter in our home. As with all meaningful celebrations, we don't talk to our almost-five-year-old about the internal significance and substance of these observances but just let the stories and pictures act upon and through her in a gentle subconscious manner.

For a few days now we have been reading (with a fair amount of editing) the wonderful story of St. George and the Dragon as retold by Margaret Hodges. There aren't a great many picture books out there for Michaelmas and this is one we really enjoy.

To hold the pictures of the story, we set up our Nature Table for Michaelmas to include a scene from this book (as seen in the photo up top). A pattern for the sweet Michaelmas dragon can be found at Rhythm of the Home.

When Naiya arrived home from school today we decided to bake Dragon Bread for the first time using a recipe we found here.

Additionally, at school today, some of the classes died silks with calendula flowers for the children to wear as capes, others crafted paper crowns from their yellow watercolor paintings. In Naiya's kindergarten, the children helped to make the darling throwing stars seen below to celebrate the day. (Inside is a sealed cloth packet of corn kernels with ribbons sewn on. The children's portion of the craft was to place the packet inside and then stitch up the star's edge with yarn.)

Since we're always looking for ways to bring these holidays to the children I thought others might find some of these ideas and discoveries useful. To that end, lastly I'd like to share this story that I found in Autumn from Wynstones Press which is especially nice for very young children:

"The Kite" by U. de Haes

    Once upon a time there was a boy whose father helped him make a kite. They worked on it in the winter, until its wooden cross was surrounded by transparent paper of yellow, red and blue.
   In the summer the boy flew his kite and the sun was so pleased with its colours that he sent his clearest rays of light. And so the kite looked like a flaming cross in the sky. The boy let his kite rise as high as it could until the string came to an end and the kite could go no further.
   Whoosh! Then came a gust of wind. The string snapped and the kite went flying into the sky. The boy saw it rise higher and higher. Soon the kite had gone so high that he could barely see it.
   Up there in the blue there was much to be seen. First the kite saw a crow.
“Good morning,” croaked the crow.
   “Good morning,” replied the kite.
   “Are you a bird, with your flaming wings and long tail?”
   “No, I am not a bird.”
   “What are you then and from whence do you come?”
   “I come from the lad standing down there; he made me himself.”
   “And where are you going?”
   “That I do not know. I want to fly into the sky.”
   “Then you do not belong here. Up here every being knows whence he comes and whither he goes. I fly every winter to the south, and every summer to the north. I advise you to return to the human beings below, for if you do not know where you are going, you will lose your way in heaven.” But the kite was determined and rose further into the heights.
   Then the kite met a seed.
   “Good day,” whispered the seed.
   “Good day,” replied the kite.
   “Are you also a seed with your roots and shoots?”
   “Not I.”
   “Where are you going?”
   “I do not know. I want to travel into heaven.”
   “Then you do not belong here. Up here everyone knows where he is going. I sail through the air and take in that which moves from the east to the west - the warmth of the sun. When I have taken it into myself, I travel down again and bring it to the earth. The earth then lets a flower grow out of me. If you do not know what to do, I advise you to descend to the earth or you will lose your way in these heights.” But the kite did not hear and soared higher.
   Then he glided past a cloud.
   “Good evening,” murmured the cloud.
   “Good evening,” said the kite.
   “Are you a cloud with your flaming sunset red?” asked the cloud.
   “No, I was made by human beings. I came from the boy down there.”
   “And where are you going?”
   “Oh, only into the sky.”
   “Then you do not belong here. Everyone here knows his purpose. I collect the last red of the sunset and turn it into the red of the sunrise. I rain down with the red of the sunrise and bless the earth and when I have done that the sun carries me up once more, so that the red of the sunrise can again be made. And so I travel up and down. I advise you to go back to the boy, for without a goal you will lose your way up here.” But the kite would not return and rose higher.
   Then he came to the stars.
   “Good night,” sang the stars.
   “Good night,” sang the kite with them.
   “What news do you bring to us, you comet of the earth?” sang the stars.
   “I come from the boy who lies sleeping down there on the earth,” said the kite. “He is waiting until I return but in the meantime he has fallen asleep, and is dreaming about me.”
   “We ask you to take our blessings back to the boy,” sang the stars and every one of them gave the kite some of their light.
   Then came the Angel Michael. He took a star and hurled it towards the strange newcomer. The kite burst into flames and like a torch plunged into the depths.
   The boy awoke from a dream. But when he looked around he realised that it could not have been an ordinary dream for next to him lay the cross of his kite and the coloured paper had been devoured by flames.
   And the cross was no longer wooden but was of bright, heavenly iron. The boy was astounded when he saw that. But he was also vexed because his beautiful kite was gone.
   At home his father comforted him: “Let us be glad. If your kite was not burnt you would never have received this cross of heavenly iron. This iron is lighter than the lightest wood and stronger than the strongest steel. Let us use it to make a new kite.”
   This they did. And next summer when the kite rose to the heavens he again met those who traveled from north to south, from east to west and from heaven to earth. And when he came to the stars he again met Michael and again he plunged burning to the earth. But the cross of heavenly iron shone even more brightly than before.
   And this happened for many years and with every year the cross became brighter and stronger. And when the boy had grown up the cross took on a different form: it turned into a shining sword which gleamed with the light of the stars. With this sword the growing man traveled through the world and he became a knight and servant of Michael.

look mommy, i made a boat

2011-09-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Naiya has had a fascination with water lately. She called me upstairs just now so excited to show me this. "Mommy, mommy....come look! I made a boat!" It's an index card, a piece of paper, a colored pencil and a flower petal. "I even colored the bottom to help it float!" she explained. (The wax crayon coating does, in fact, make the paper less water permeable and so increases buoyancy time.)

My dad, who for some reason isn't able to leave comments here said, "It's in the blood." His father, Naiya's great grandfather, is a boat designer by profession. Come to think of it, I don't know why I've never mentioned this before. My grandfather is the very interesting and talented Glen L of Glen L Marine Designs. He's been designing and building boats since 1953. If you've ever wanted to build your own boat or even just check out boats (you know, real boats, not paper toys) made by amateur boat builders (including that guy on NCIS), I'd totally recommend stopping by their site. You can even see my lovely Aunt Gayle right there on the home page... http://www.glen-l.com/ or http://www.boatdesigns.com/

the 36th annual cider squeeze

2011-09-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we enjoyed the whole day over in Eagle Creek at the 36th Annual Cider Squeeze at Philip Foster Farm. It's just so dang wholesome.

picking apples

grinding apples

pressing cider

wringing laundry

de-cobbing corn

grinding corn

building log cabins

play and dress up in the historic log cabin - "for kids and Omas only"

fuzzy caterpillar

making rope

Across the street from the Cider Festival we found a lovely family running an alpaca farm. The children played with the litter of kittens there and enjoyed the alpacas a bit as well.

autumnal equinox

2011-09-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

   It feels like we barely got a taste of Summer and here it is Autumn already. Today is the Autumnal Equinox when light and darkness balance on the wheel of the year. From here into Winter, the nights will grow longer than the days. And oh, how I’ll miss those warm, long nights (brief though they were this time around). It’s an interesting time, entering my husband’s favorite season; one to celebrate equilibrium before preparing for the colder, darker time to come.
   Historically this holiday was an observance of the last crops coming in and so a time when the bustle and hard work of summer decreased along with the light. For us, with school beginning, it seems just the opposite. We do however make the transition from lots of hectic time traveling and playing out of doors with many friends and family to the more solitary, calm, indoor activities and crafts that the cooler weather inspires.
   This seasonal transition is a time when those contrasting lifestyles meet. At our bonfire gathering this evening we’re wondering how we (both adults and children) can inwardly and outwardly celebrate this moment of balance and also honor all the goodness that the earth has given us.
   We’ll bring the bounty of our separate gardens to share with those we love but what of activities? I’ve read about games symbolic of balance (like races carrying eggs on spoons) that are held at Equinox feasts but I’m wondering what other traditions and festivities folks might enjoy for their Fall celebrations.
   Any suggestions? I’d love to hear how other people acknowledge the turning of the year (even if this rotation finds you in another hemisphere and you’re welcoming Spring instead of Autumn). Won't you please leave a comment/suggestion to help enliven our observance?

Happy Equinox to all!

Autumn winds are sighing

Stealing through the forest brown,

As they softly pass the tree trunks

Little leaves come falling down.

But a stronger gale is blowing-

Than the leaves themselves

Rise and dance about the forest

Just like little elves.

Faster, faster see them whirling

Till the gale has passed.

One by one the tired leaflets

Sink to rest at last.

from Autumn by Wystones Press

tea time

2011-09-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

As a part of our daily rhythm we have tea time each day in the afternoon. Our meals and snacks are the anchors of our day and when the planned story-times, outdoor adventures, crafts and special activities slip through the cracks (which is frequently I must say), the moments when we sit down to eat together remain the regular beats in the pulse of our lives.

Tea time, which falls between lunch and dinner, is Naiya's favorite. It differs from all of our other meals in that it always takes place on the floor, picnic style. We have a special cloth that we sit upon and we serve our tea from a sweet little kettle. We usually also indulge in a small snack of fruit, veggies, toast or crackers. (Sometimes we even have a muffin or, dare I confess, some cookie nibblets.)

We've been having tea time for so long, it's a wonder my little one is still so delighted each time we lay out our afternoon spread. Maybe it's the special place or the promise of dainty serving dishes and cups. Mostly, I think that she just loves the name.

easy waldorf doll coat

2011-09-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

A while back Oma made this sweet Waldorf doll for Naiya. Some of her clothes were purchased, but my mom, clever woman that she is, made the cute coat out of an old sweater. Like me, mum is not a button hole maker and is kind of a stitch-it-quick sort of sewer. I thought the idea so clever that I wanted to share it.

Since it was already put together this isn't a great pictorial how-to, but I think you can see how it was done fairly easily just by looking at the finished product.

The front two panels were taken from a button up sweater my mum pulled out of her clothing donation bag. She cut the body/sleeve pieces with buttons already in place. The bottom edge was the existing bottom edge of the sweater and so needed no finishing.

The back panel is a single piece including arms that was sewn by machine onto the two front panels.

The sleeve ends were turned inside to give them a finished edge and sewn in place with a very simple decorative embroidery stitch.

Lastly a strip of the sweater was folded over the top of the coat (as seen in the above photo) to make a collar. Again, this was sewn on with a machine.

I don't know what kind of fabric this is but it doesn't seem to unravel on the edges. That may not be true of all material.

I think she said this took only about 15 or 20 minutes to make.

Thanks Oma! We love both sweater and doll (and feel inspired to sew some more simple outfits on our own).

for those who wonder from whence come those curls

2011-09-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Naiya with her daddy.

Our last hurrah of Summer was celebrated with a day at the cold Oregon coast.

gnomes in the garden

2011-09-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

   Back in the day, I was one of those folks who thought garden gnomes were kind of tacky. It's funny how having children with magical imaginations can change one's perception and judgment of the world.
   This guy made his first appearance at Naiya's birthday party last year surrounded by a troop of toadstools. After that festive event he somehow found his way to our back yard and every now and again we find him hidden under different shrubberies. Sometimes he disappears for days then resurfaces, to our daughter's amusement, hidden beneath a fern or amongst the bamboo stalks. I'm still wary of plastic pink flamingoes but I have to admit I enjoy this fellow quite a lot.

   Ryan sometimes tells stories to Naiya about Ladybird the Ladybug and a few months back, Ladybird came across a gnome in a tall blue cap (just like the one in our yard!) I didn't hear this narrative firsthand, but I later learned from Naiya that the reason he (and all gnomes) appear to be statues is that they're only awake at night. The sunlight apparently freezes them in their tracks. How Ryan learned this bit of lore I do not know. He's got some otherworldly knowledge that trickles out of him now and again.

A few weeks later, another gnome was introduced in the Ladybird story. This one had a racing snail and, wouldn't you know it, the next day he showed up in the back yard too. They're sneaky little characters and oh so tastefully enhance our enchanted garden.

super sculpey mini fairie crafts

2011-09-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Last week the Fairie Queen left these sweet little houses on the back doorstep for Naiya.

So for crafts today Naiya wanted to make something to gift back to her beloved monarch. We pulled out our old, old eight pound box of Super Sculpey and set to work.

In case you're not familiar with Super Sculpey, it's a pretty pliable oven fire clay that's fairly easy for children to manipulate and bakes into a hard, paintable, water resistant finish in just 15 minutes in your home oven.

Regular Sculpey comes in a variety of colors but at the time I purchased this bulk Super Sculpey (which is a little less brittle than the regular) it only came in this odd flesh color. Because of this unique tone, it's particularly good for crafting people or magical creatures.

It's available at most craft stores.

Years ago I was making little elfin dolls with it and after two decades in storage (wait, does that make me sound incredibly old?), the stuff is still good. Gotta love Sculpey.

Naiya had the grand idea that she'd mold and carve a new set of dishes for the garden sprites and set to work.

I helped her with a few of the shapes and the flatware but all the decorating was of her design. Dishes and cups are pretty simple for a four or five year old to turn out and she felt so accomplished when viewing her finished products.

She preferred them unpainted and in no time at all the table in the fairie garden was primed for tea-time.

I'm sure the Queen will be pleased.

vocabulary bombs

2011-09-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, can we play bomb cellar?" Naiya just asked me.
I'm a little taken aback by this question. Where on earth did she hear about bomb cellars? I fear someone has been telling her frightening stories. Maybe, as is often the case, she just overheard someone talking and so is trying out some new vocabulary.
"How do we play that?" I ask, worried about where this is going.
She looks at me a if I'm a bit dim witted. "I'll go get the balm," she replies, "and you be the seller."
"Oh," I dumbly respond as she runs in the next room for her lip balm collection.

papier-mâché doll furniture

2011-09-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

Our whole family cycled through some kind of stomach flu this week so I haven't posted in many a day. This morning though, I had this nifty craft idea. I'm still working on the execution but I thought the notion was a good one. It's likely that there are a number of folks who can turn out something more beautiful than my first couple of tries. (Run with it I say, if it strikes your fancy.) The idea was papier-mâché doll furniture.

There are a few great companies out there making cute stuff of sustainably harvested, fairly traded this and that for, I suppose, not a huge fortune. But why not manufacture just what you need to the scale of your homemade fairies and dolls with the satisfaction of having done it yourself for only pennies from your pocket? (And kids love to help with papier-mâché!) Well, that's what I was thinking when I looked at some furniture in our home and tried to reproduce it in fairie size.

Naiya and I decided to start with a bed. The framework is a reproduction of our guest bed made out of pipe cleaners.

We laid a bit of thin cardboard (cut from a cereal box) onto the raised base and then proceeded to wrap the entire thing with thin strips of paper grocery bags dipped in a mixture of white glue and water (about 4 parts glue to 1 part water).

It took about 2 hours to dry. We glued some little beads on for bed knobs and covered it with a little pillow and spread.

Next up, a rocking chair...

swan island dahlias

2011-08-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

On our way home from Laurel Hedge Oma, Opa, Naiya and I stopped by the Swan Island Dahlia Farm for their Annual Dahlia Festival. This family run farm has been in existence for 84 years and has expanded over the decades to grow over 350 varieties of dahlias on their 40 acres of lush land in the Willamette Valley in Canby, Oregon. They're the leading dahlia grower in the U.S. and their gorgeous fields and display room are a delight to the senses.