To The Outskirts

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T07:16:00.000-04:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mother Nature gave us a wonderful Valentine sunrise this morning...

I know it has been a little while since I have posted. I promise to give a little update soon.
Lots going on here.

Hope you are all well and have a wonderful day of loving kindness.

White Christmas

2011-12-28T18:21:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful white Christmas with Grandma and Papa...

Filled with all the goodness of the holiday, along with a beautiful sunny day for sledding and hiking fun.

I will have a few handmade things to share soon...

But for now I am wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!

Be back in 2012...

Art to the rescue...

2011-12-20T18:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning was a bit rough. Even though we are keeping things mellow around here the excitement of the holidays sometimes gets a couple little people I know a wee bit riled up.

So what was a mom to do? Art of course!

I cancelled afternoon plans and trekked out to the shed to pull out the stamps and Sizzix, a wonderful gift from Grandma. We punched out some tags, trees, snowmen and lots more, using recycled file dividers, and set into creating...

All this punching, drawing and stamping led to even more art and a wonderful quite afternoon... just what we needed!
And now we have some tags for those gift bags!

~

I don't think I will be back in this space until after the holidays. With the not-so-kind help of the gusting wind I smash my finger in the car door today. Lucky we were meeting Wes for lunch and he was there to doctor me up and sit with us until my faint feeling passed. I have a pretty bad gash but I don't think it is broken. As I was changing bandages tonight Dylan took a peek and said, "That's gnarly!" Yes indeed.

Needless to say the timing is awful, but I do feel lucky it was not my right hand so I can still finish up some stitching I want to get done for these kiddos.
Typing is not easy so I might just pop in with some pictures over the next week or so...

Happy Holidays to you all!
~ Dawn

Weekend Goodness

2011-12-18T19:34:00.000-04:00

Bits of weekend goodness...

Acorn Mushrooms ready for gifting...

Gifts bags sewn up, with this adorable fabric my mom sent, and ready to give...
These are so super easy and a great alternative to gift wrap. Over at Eartheasy you can find intructions for fabric gift bags and more ideas for wrapping gifts with less impact on the environment.

Scraps... Am I the only one who things scraps are just too neat?

Birds. This yucky plastic planter has made the most wonderful feeder. This morning the doves provided some fun morning bird watching.

Saturday Wes had to work so after a day of crafting I took the kids to the beach before dinner...

We do love the beach...

And it was great to be there at sunset, but once the sun dipped down the cold set in quick!

I am also lovin' these little bits from around the web...

~ Annie's winter edition of Alphabet Glue. It is full of fun winter activities and her wonderful book lists. I am looking forward to making the double-sided center-stitch book for Dylan and Salt Sparkle Snowflakes are on the list for sure. She has also given readers the option to purchase all four editions from this year at one time. It would make such a wonderful gift to a Mama friend.

~ Krista sent this link for saving snowflakes my way and I am looking forward to a good snowstorm to give it a try.

~ I can't wait to make a Felt Painting Board found over at the Living Crafts blog. So fun!

~ Kristy's flickr faves for the season. So pretty and festive.

What have you been lovin' lately?

Acorn Mushrooms

2011-12-16T22:33:00.000-04:00

I had to share this adorable idea from Lisa over at Lil Fish Studios. These little acorn mushroom are so cute and easy I made few the other night. She has a wonderful tutorial over at her blog.
We have already gifted a few to friends and the others are taking up residence in the terrarium we put together the other day.

So sweet!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Dawn

Shark

2011-12-15T22:29:00.000-04:00

When you have fossil shark teeth on your wish list it is pretty exciting to get up close to Jaws.

The Museum of Natural History was given the head of a great white shark that was caught in a fishing weir in the Bay of Fundy. I had no idea what a fishing weir was until today. I found a very informative post about fishing weirs and how they are used in the Bay of Fundy, if you are interested click here.

While I feel bad that the shark was caught and died, I am happy that in the end it was used in an educational setting.

We were able to see it at the museum during the cleaning process and had a wonderful conversation about how they prepare the specimen and clean it for display. Fionna was very happy to see it today and loved the way it was displayed.

We learned that they are the only sharks to have serrated teeth on both top and bottom. It was amazing to see the rows of teeth down inside the jaw just waiting their turn in the line up.

After all our usual stops around the museum Fionna was able to spend some time with her favorite Naturalist, while she cleaned out the turtle tank, or at least tried to while answering all of Fionna's questions. We are so lucky to have this museum so close to home. And so fortunate that Fionna has found someone at the museum to talk with and look up to... Thanks Mary!

Counting Rings

2011-12-14T23:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday in the forest we did lots of measuring, which I will share about soon, and some counting. We talked about how trees grow bigger as they get older and Dylan wanted to count the rings of the "Great-Grandma" oak to figure out just how old she was. She had died and was cut by our neighbor this summer so with a little patience we could count her rings.

I am no expert ring counter but I did the best I could and came up with 130...130 years!

It was neat to see areas where the rings grew very close together, lean years when she did not grow much, and other rings that were quite large, showing years of abundance.

It is amazing to think about the things that occurred during the lifetime of this wonderful tree. She is not too far off the trail, where she was witness to trains rumbling by, then the taking up of the track for trails. She grew beside a very old rock wall that is crumbling around her now, but was once newly laid by the hands of those who worked the land here. Dylan talks about all the other oaks around being her kids, grand kids, great-grand kids. So true.

This boy is all about the trees...

I will share about our measuring soon...

Winter Day in the Woods

2011-12-13T21:14:00.000-04:00

Running and jumping....
Searching and finding...
Measuring and counting...
All in a days learning in the woods...

Have you been in the woods lately?
We would love to hear about what you have been spying.

Geminid Meteor Shower

2011-12-12T22:43:00.002-04:00

Photo of the book The Kids Book of the Night Sky

We are hoping to see some meteors this week during the Geminid Meteor Shower. I wrote about it over at The Magnifying Glass.

In writing up that post I remembered a poem made up by Fionna, with just a little help from me, when we were trying to remember how to tell the difference between a meteor and a meteorite. Love it.

Is it a Meteor or a Meteorite?

Meteors fly across the sky

And make it shine so bright.

The one that makes it to the

Earth is called a meteorite.

~ by Fionna

Are you going to be watching the show?

Wire Slate

2011-12-09T16:16:00.000-04:00

Dylan's plane inspired some wire work last night...

When we went to Blue Beach we not only saw fossils but we also found some really neat bits of slate. This rectangular piece was my favorite so I brought it home, not really knowing what I would do with it. A few twists and bends later it became a hanging chalk board. Now I just need to find a stud in the right location to hang this very heavy object. For now it is resting on the mantel sending a message of peace...

I remembered that I still had the metalworking toolbox my dad put together for me my first year of college. It still has my maiden name stenciled on the side... just the way my dad labels everything. Love that.
I dug it out of the shed today and showed the kids. It even had a bit of metal from an old project.

We will see what happens...

Wishing you all a peaceful weekend filled with fun and creativity!

Wire Flyer

2011-12-08T21:54:00.000-04:00

It all started with a book Fionna found at the library about building your own dinosaurs (hopefully I will be sharing that project & book soon). Dylan realized that the same techniques could be used to build all manner of things. He had his sights set on a plane and started sketching some designs... I should have known then and there that I was in trouble.

We stopped by the local hardware store on the way home the other day to acquire some wire. Our choices were slim at our little hometown hardware so I ended up with 20 gauge galvanized steel. Once we got home I realized I had no way of even cutting this wire. We asked Wes when he got home and he came to the rescue with some serious "pliers" from his toolbox... and much doubt that we could make anything from this beefy wire.

Today I did my best to help Dylan make his drawing come to life. He was not super happy that I could not work miracles with this insanely thick wire... oh, this kid is all about the little details sometimes. It did not turn out much like his drawing, but I did my best to finish it up, after he abandoned the project for more drawing, and hung it up in the living room. I thought it looked pretty cool and knew that once he got over the fact that it was not the plane he drew, but still a neat plane, he would come back to it.

It was not long before I spotted him trying to get it down. I helped out and covered the sharp wire ends with duct tape. He played with it all afternoon and was delighted to find that Lego guys had just the rights hands to hold on to this stupendous wire.

While I was starting dinner he came in with a shy thank you. Perfect.

Now on to Fionna's dino with muscles and skin and all... Yes, the wire is just the skeleton.

I have a few other projects in mind too...

Do you have any ideas for this mass of massive wire?

Geodes Giveaway

2011-12-07T15:05:00.001-04:00

We are having a geode giveaway over at The Magnifying Glass. Click on over and leave a comment for a chance to win!

Fossil Beach

2011-12-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

Fionna has been "diggin" into fossils again. There seems to be a pattern forming...The bugs die down and the study of ancient dead things begins.

She recently purchased a book about fossils, rocks and minerals of the Maritimes at the book shop and looked up the hot spots for fossils in Nova Scotia. She Googled the one that looked closest on the map, Blue Beach, to find out it was only about an hour and a half away on the Bay of Fundy. This weekend we ventured out to see what we could find.

We think these are fossilized water ripples - yes those are considered fossils too.

Possibly fossil mud cracks filled in?

Wes looked it up and is pretty sure this is fossilized cracked mud. This was totally fascinating and indicated that this area was an area with fluctuations in water level that alternated between saturated and very dry. This type of fossil can tell a lot about the environment at the time. So interesting.

Some things are easier to look up than others. We have contacted the founders of the Blue Beach Fossil Museum, which is closed this time of year, and are hoping to organize a field trip/tour with them in the spring. It will be so nice to have a knowledgeable guide on the beach to help distinguish a fossil from a "neat rock" and give some insight into what we are seeing.

The thing that is especially interesting about this area for Fionna is that the fossils are from the Carboniferous period... the period of the large insects. See the connection... always back to the insects. She is holding out hopes of finding an insect fossil. I can see many more trips to Blue Beach in our future.

Do you have any fossil spots close to home? Have you ever been fossil hunting? We would love to hear about your fossil adventure.

Borax Crystals

2011-11-29T15:32:00.000-04:00

There have been lots of books checked out about rocks & minerals lately. We recently read about borax in the National Audubon Society First Field Guide Rocks and Minerals, and talked about how we use it in our laundry soap. Then we came across an activity in The Kids Winter Cottage Book for growing our own "icicles" using borax.

We gathered the supplies and gave it a go.

All you need is a tall glass jar, string, pencil, paper clip, borax and water.

~ For every cup of water you mix in a quarter cup of borax stirring to dissolve as much as possible.
~ Tie the pencil to one end of the string and at the other end attach the paper clip. Adjust so the clip does not touch the bottom of the jar when the pencil is placed across the top of the jar.
~ Wait about 24 hours (good time to discuss the concept of 24 hours with Dylan). Pull out your icicle, cut off the paper clip and hang up to dry.
~ We had extra crystals growing in the bottom of our jar so we scraped them up and set them on a plate to dry out.

They look really neat under the microscope too.

My friend had the great idea of using a pipe cleaner to create a snowflake shape then place that in the borax solution. Thinking we are going to try that next.

There are a few other activities in the Winter Cottage Book we are looking forward to trying as winter moves in... fun stuff.

Snow Day Creepy Crawlies...

2011-11-28T15:52:00.000-04:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. We had a quite Thanksgiving here and Grandma and Papa came up for a visit this weekend. Great fun!

We have been doing lots of indoor activities but I am trying my best to get these little ones out as much as possible. For Dylan getting out is not usually a problem. Fionna on the other hand has decided to wait out until spring, when the bugs come back... needless to say that is not going to work. Surprisingly, the other day I had some help getting her out the door from a little friend...

A few days after our big snow storm last week Fionna was looking out the window at breakfast and spotted a little flyer on the porch. I have never seen her get her jacket and snow boots on so fast. She was out the door for buggy exploration before I knew it.

We have only seen this little insect one other time (earlier this fall) and have not identified it yet. It's wings look a lot like a maple tree seed.

Once this little fellow flew away Fionna found a moth and then came upon "Big Mama"... a spider we had been watching all summer. Fionna even saw her catch a June Bug one night while watching insects fly around by the porch light. I guess Location. Location. Location. works in the spider world too. The porch light is a great location for catching a spidy meal.

But no matter how big one gets the cold wins out in the end...

Fionna gathered her up and continued the observations under the microscope. Dylan was more than happy to join in... considering the specimen was dead.

We took a close look at her spinnerets and the amazing hairs on her body. There is a great drawing and information about spider anatomy over at this Wikipedia page. Fionna is not ready for any dissection just yet and I must admit that I am thankful for that. It was enough for me just to help her get it on the the microscope for a closer look.

I have been looking at winter books and writing projects down in my planner to help promote getting out this winter. I am afraid that the novelty and wonder of the snow has never grabbed Fionna enough to make up for the fact that it is cold out there... very cold out there. I am happy when nature helps out in it's own way to get her out in the cold.

Have you been doing any snowy winter projects yet? Any plans? I would love to hear about them.

Let it snow... Let it snow... Let it snow...

2011-11-23T22:13:00.000-04:00

And it did snow.... all day long.
The kids had a wonderful time sledding down the big hill and were very happy to have dad home early to join in the fun.

Much to be grateful for...

Wishing you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Geodes

2011-11-20T23:31:00.001-04:00

Back in October I saw this post by Tara... thought it looked like too much fun... and decided to make some egg shell geodes.

As I pulled out the salt and food coloring the kids gathered round... they always do when the food coloring comes out.

We mixed with warm water with the Epsom salt and added the color... then we waited.

When we took a look sure enough there where crystals in there.

We pulled a few out to examine...

Then they sat... and sat... and sat... in their carton on the kitchen shelf... untouched... until last week.

Fionna pulled out her microscopes and started looking at some random things and Dylan joined in. I asked if they wanted to look at the geodes we made with the salt. Yes.

We were short on egg shells when we made them and made a few with waxed paper. Those turned out great and ended up being easier to look at under the microscope. We even managed to get a tiny crystal under Fionna's new digital microscope for an even closer look. So great.

Last weekend while we were at the Museum of Natural History I happen to pick up a few geodes to have on hand. I turns out I had good timing. After looking at the egg geodes up close they were very receptive to the idea of cracking open some real live geodes.

Dylan was up for the task.

There are more precise ways to crack these open but I would have to be in charge of that process and what fun is there in that?

We cracked open two and found they were very different inside. Dylan's was filled with white crystals and Fionna's had dark, almost black crystals. So fun to see the difference.

They spent over an hour looking at them under the microscope...

Then decided to head out for a rock hunt around the yard... and neighbors yards... and across the street the the beach...

All the rock and mineral guide books were gathered and we perused them over lunch looking at all the rocks and gems and making guesses at what they had found. We read about how geodes are formed. Looked at diagrams of the earth and read about how volcanos work.

Dylan has decided that he is going to travel the world to find all the "pretty gems" and have a big collection when he grows up. I think he just might do that!

We have seen collections displayed in a typesetters tray like this one... maybe someday we will get all these rocks they are collecting organized!

Books. Books. Books

2011-11-17T20:31:00.000-04:00

Every so often we do a book rotation. For them it is like having a library explode in the living room. Old books become new again. Books that once held no interest take center stage. New ideas are hatched...

Tomorrow the hard part.... deciding which books rotate out the the shed.

Rubber Band Gun

2011-11-16T10:41:00.000-04:00

What happens when you get the clothespins out for a math project and happen to be working with a gun obsessed little man? A rubber band gun... of course.

We don't have any guns in the house, and I refuse to buy him any "toy" guns at this point, so he has had to get creative. He brings me sticks to duct tape together. He works on different designs. He solves problems and tries to make them as realistic as possible, adding triggers, scopes, etc...

He had this stick gun next to him while we worked on math. I could see the wheels turning as he started to work with the clothespins. He placed one on the top of his gun... push down and smiled. He thought about shooting a string... that did not work. I suggested a rubber band... Oh... did he like that idea. It has been a constant companion since it was built. He has gone through three clothespins and tried different rubber bands to see which ones shoot the farthest. He is continually working out the kinks and trying new things...
Love this kind of learning...

Busy...

2011-11-15T11:23:00.000-04:00

Just checking in to say hi...

Our days have been busy with life and making. Hope to get back to this space for some sharing soon. Wishing you all the best fall has to offer.

~Dawn

Saturday & Halloween Fun

2011-10-29T21:29:00.000-03:00

The light today was wonderful and we had a lovely quite Saturday.

The table was glowing this morning after breakfast...

The go-to snack of the moment... simple and yummy... made my little ones happy.

A few little cheery faces welcomed the lunch crowd...

More decorating was done...

And a skeleton with Dylan hands and Fionna feet was added to the door to greet visitors... (The idea came from this Usborne Things for Boys to Make and Do Book)

And... we made it to the beach for low tide. So fun...

There are a few more things to do around here to prepare for our little Halloween Party... The kids have been looking through our holiday book collection and some from the library for ideas.

Here are a few of the books we like best:
Halloween Tricks and Treats
Halloween Treats
Creative Costumes and Halloween Decor
Better Homes and Gardens Halloween Pumpkins and Parties

Of course these are just for ideas. I usually adapt the recipes to fit our eating style and use the decorating ideas as a jumping off point to use/reuse what we already have around the house. It is all in fun!

Grandma and Papa are coming to spend a few days and I have the apple cider ready for the stove top and thinking an apple pie will be making it's way into the oven....

Do you have any special recipes you like to make around this time of year?

High Tide

2011-10-28T22:05:00.000-03:00

It is not often to get over to the little beach when we are having such an extreme tide. Today we were out for a cool little walk and ended up at the beach. The kids were fascinated with the how high the water was. They were walking all around talking about all the places they normally play but could not get to with the water so high...

They did some experimenting to see just how deep some areas were...

Dylan was more than happy to let Fionna see if the water would come up over her boots. Thankfully it did not... the water is a might bit chilly right now and I am sure we would have had one unhappy explorer on our hands if she was sloshing home with cold wet feet.

Tomorrow afternoon-evening we are going to be experiencing a very extreme low tide and I am thinking we will need to get out to the tide pools down the way from us. Such an awesome time to be there and explore... lets hope the weather holds.

We have been keeping busy with making and doing around here. The weather is starting to cool off and we are having morning and evening fires to take off the chill. We saw some very light flurries this afternoon. Fionna pulled out her winter coat for the first time today and the hats and mittens are back in business. I have been doing lots of knitting to get "geared" up for the season ahead. Dylan's hat is the newest addition to the hat bin...

What has the weather been like in your neck of the woods?

Sick Day Supplies

2011-10-24T00:01:00.001-03:00

Our sick days are mostly behind us. Dylan has a lingering cough... when he gets worked up... and Wes is still a little tired but everyone is well on the mend. Since my kitchen was in full gear making remedies during our sick days I thought I would share a little more about the things we do when a little bug makes its way home.

I posted last fall about our Get Well Ginger Tea which I make when anyone is feeling like they are coming down with something. Since I never know just when that is going to be I always keep cinnamon sticks and cloves on hand and a good size piece of ginger root in the freezer.

Last summer I started making lemon cubes to have on hand in the freezer for the winter. This worked really well for adding to and cooling down the Get Well Tea and other warm drinks for the kids. Summer is a great time to prep things like this because lemons are much less expensive in the summer... a great time to stock up. I am making more of these even now before winter prices kick in.

The pantry always has honey and we use it often in our tea to soothe a soar throat.

Garlic is a welcome addtion to our meals anytime but even more so when we are sick. I try to add more garlic to soups and pasta dishes when there is sickness in the house.

The other item I always have in the kitchen is onions. When someone in the house has a cough they work wonders. I chop up the onion and wrap it in a thin kitchen towel. I secure the ends of the towel with a rubberband then I place the towel next to the bed... or hang in on the bedpost. You can also place a bowl of chopped onion next to the bed. The onion vapors help to clear the cough and make for a much better nights sleep.

The onion also makes an amazing "antibiotic" syrup. For which you can find the recipe in A Kid's Herb Book. We checked this book out from the library and it is now on my list of books to buy. It is full of wonderful herbal knowledge and recipes.

The other book I turn to is Natural Baby and Childcare. I own this book and use it often... as needed. It has wonderful descriptions of ailments and gives details on what the conventional treatment would be along with alternatives. I love all the options for care.

And of course there is rest. Lots of rest and reading and sunggles. Those always help too!

And so my kiddos are out exploring again... kicking off a new week healthy and happy.

Do you have any special homemade remedies for sick days at your house?

Happy Monday!
~Dawn

Fall Color...

2011-10-21T00:01:00.007-03:00

We have not been getting out much lately....
Sick days and lots of rain have kept us housebound...
But I have been lovin' this splash of fall color on our table...
I am in love with these Chinese lanterns...

There are many good things about spending lot of time at home. I have been doing lots of knitting snuggled up on the couch with my munchkins... I shared a bit over at Nana Boo Dilly... a little crafty blog I started for fun.

Wishing you and yours a great weekend!

Math

2011-10-20T07:44:00.000-03:00

Math can be shiny...

Math can be dull...

But it is never boring.

Oh where were the acorns and shiny glass "fairy pillows" when I was learning multiplication?

We love using all kinds of things to manipulate math concepts but some of our favorite things are nature things.

We also love to share our nature things. Yesterday I posted about a Nature Exchange happening over at the Magnifying Glass. If you are interested in sharing your nature finds and getting a box of nature goodness from another part of the country... or maybe even another part of the world... click on over and check out the post.

Grandma's Visit

2011-10-17T17:01:00.000-03:00

We had an amazing time with my mom while she was here visiting from Colorado. Each morning the kids rose to early morning snuggles and reading with Grandma, there was all kinds of crafting...wait until you see the Halloween costumes she made for the kids... exploring and playing, along with late night mother-daughter stitching sessions, and of course lots of showing Grandma around the hood. The kids were thrilled that she could sit in on their classes, meet their friends and see all of the special spots where they spend their time.

The day before she left Fall started to show it's true colors. I was so happy she could see a glimpse of our beautiful Fall...
She has only been gone for a week and we miss her greatly. Can't wait until her next visit!
Thanks for everything Mom!

Adventures and Crafting with Grandma

2011-10-02T10:00:00.005-03:00

The kids have been having lots of fun showing Grandma around the hood... including the trails and beach. And there has been a whole lot of crafting going on...

The other day we returned from our walk on the trail with pockets full of acorns, pine cones and more...

So what do you get when you put together craft time with nature goodness...

At the request of our little man... Pine cone soldiers of course!

After gathering a few supplies (glue gun, pine cleaners, black pen) Grandma and Dylan started to work...

The pipe cleaners became arms and legs...

A little face was drawn on with the black pen... paint would work better for the face... but when you have a little man who really wants to play with his pine cone men right away pen works good too.

Dylan said they needed a tank... a rock with stick attached did the trick and they were off and running... The opposition was made with green arms and legs.

Fionna has plans for some pine cone fairy folk... They could become anything you wanted them to be. Too cute.

We have been having a wonderful visit...
Off to get some more crafty supplies today... more nature and crafting on the way.

Ross Farm and WWII Encampment

2011-09-28T08:30:00.000-03:00

Two farms in two days...

After apple picking at Noggin Farm on Friday Grandma and Papa joined us for a trip to Ross Farm Museum on Saturday. This trip was planned around the WWII Encampment being recreated over the weekend.

There was plenty of farm life to observe...

Sheep, oxen, cows, horses, chickens, barn kitties and the unforgettable pigs...

We enjoyed taking with the Cooper. Making barrels is quite the art. Handmade barrels once played a big roll in Nova Scotia agriculture but now most are sold to shops for display...

The Blacksmith shop is just down the path from the Coopers. The shop is working just as it did back in the day... including using coal as fuel for the fire.

Oh... how could I forget to mention the geese? So fun to see them waddle along down the path to the water.

I wish I could have taken more picture inside the house. Laundry hanging inside on this rainy day... drying from the heat of the fire. There was a spinning wheel with a basket of raw wool in the corner and fresh baked cookies right out of the wood fired oven... so yummy!

The wood shop was full of wonders... including this wood broom. An amazing piece of work.

It was a rainy day but that was part of the fun and allowed us to have the farm to ourselves...

And that was really great when it came to taking with the gentlemen at the WWII Encampment. They were very knowledgeable and Dylan was very attentive. Although he would not ask questions there he had many questions and observations in the days that followed.
While war is not the project topic I would choose for my five-year-old I have learned over this past year to allow him to pursue his interest and guide him to the information he needs at the moment. The difficulties come in the balance between protecting him from the most extreme harshness of war while still alerting him to the hurt and heartbreak that war brings. It is good to see all he is learning about geography and history. It is also encouraging to hear him come to his own conclusions about right and wrong...

It was a good day at the farm...

Pictures of our last trip to Ross Farm can be found here... Such a great place to visit and learn.

My mom is here for a few weeks.... we are are super excited to have her here. The kids have all kinds of plans for Grandma.... Great fun!

Fall Apple Pickin' & Fun

2011-09-26T22:37:00.000-03:00

Our trip out to the Noggin Farm included apple picking and so much more...

There were lots of fun things for the kids to do while we waited for the wagons to head out to the orchard. On our way out to pick apples we stopped near the eagle nest for a little nature walk and a peek at the raccoon condo... way up high in an old tree. Then there was the apple picking of course. The kids filled their bags and then some. After lunch there was more climbing, running and jumping before we headed into the corn maze with friends.... A very wonderful way to greet Fall.

This weekend we read Apple Cake... a magical little book about an old woman and her journey to find apples for an apple cake and how she gives so much to others along the way. We have plans this week to make the apple cake from the book... the recipe is on the back cover! Yum!

Do you have any favorite apple recipes? We would love to hear about them!

Happy First Day of Fall

2011-09-23T00:01:00.000-03:00

The kids and I toss around a few ideas to welcome fall and decided apple picking would be great fun. So we organized a First Day of Fall Apple Picking Trip for our homeschool group. I think it is going to be a wonderful way to welcome the new season today!

Are you doing anything special to welcome fall today?

Keji... Not-Back-to-School Camping

2011-09-21T21:00:00.002-03:00

Every year our local homeschool group has a Not-Back-to-School camping trip at Kejimkujik National Park. It is a wonderful time for the kids to connect with each other and for parents to catch up and connect as well. One thing I love about it is talking with the parents of homeschooled teens... and that the younger kids get to see the teens and interact with them. Dylan was keen to keep tabs on what the "teenagers" were doing. So fun.

This year we were not able to attend the whole week... With rain in the forecast, and the possibility of leaving early looming before we even got there, we planned to arrive early and pack as much as we could into the beautiful time we had...

The highlights:
~ Spotting sundews, small carnivorous plants, along the lake shore.
~ Finding a cicada. This is the insect responsible for that very high pitched sound you may hear coming from the forest canopy. We have also heard them called Heat Bugs because they tend to be the most vocal on the very hot days of summer.
~ Taking a self portrait in the bathroom mirror while waiting for the kids and having Dylan join in the fun when he came to wash up.
~ Learning about saponins, a property found in some plants that makes water soapy looking when agitated... like by a really cool water fall called Mill Falls.
~ The swings... all those swings.
~ Spotting our first leopard frogs in the wild.
~ An early dinner of sushi rolls.
~ The after dinner swim
~ and of course smores with friends around the campfire.

Big plans in the works already for next years trip... including dad taking the time off to camp with us... for the whole week!

Have you done anything special, big or small, to celebrate back-to-school or not-back-to-school in your neck of the woods?

A trip to Maine... Reversing Falls

2011-09-20T10:03:00.001-03:00

We have been busy with camping, visiting family, festivities, homeschool planning, beginning classes and lots of hiking around discovering late summer goodness....

Our trip to Maine was great fun. The Pirate Festival was full of everything from biker pirates to baby pirates... lots of talk of rum... Arrrr!!!! The Jolly Roger... or some version of it... was on every post and path. Those who dared to brave the Pirate Bed Races down Main Street got quite a show. And that was only the first day...

While the Pirate Festival was exciting my favorite part of the visit was our hike to the Reversing Falls... of course.

Reversing falls occur in areas where the tidal flow comes and goes through a narrow spot in just the right way... in this case Falls Island and Mahar Point just outside of Pembroke, Maine. This results in unbelievable water falls and whirlpools.

The Fisheries and Oceans Canada website describes reversing falls this way:

Reversing Falls are phenomena resulting from tidal action. At low tide, the inland waters empty into the sea over a rocky shelf in a waterfall. As the tide rises above the falls, the seawater forces its way against the river flow. The resulting turbulence in the form of whirlpools, eddies and rapids, makes the falls appear to have actually reversed.

You can also click on that link to find the three reversing falls in Canada... the closest one to us is in Saint John, New Brunswick. We pass by it on our way to Maine.

From what we could see it also brought in the fish, or just corralled them, because there were many seals hunting in the falls and surrounding areas. On our hike we stopped near an inlet and counted nine seals in a small area. From the viewpoint of a large rock overlooking the clear water I was able to see a quick seal catch a fish right below me... so sad Fionna had left just a moment before. It was a amazing sight to witness.

As you can see from the pictures above there were also fossils to find... thanks to Fionna's keen eye... interesting plants and shipwrecks to explore. It was a beautiful day for it as well.

Many thanks to Grandma and Papa for a wonderful weekend.

Wood

2011-09-04T23:31:00.008-03:00

Today turned out to be a busy and very productive day... even though we did not planned it that way.

While we were eating lunch the wood delivery truck pulled up. We were happy to see the wood but where not expecting it until the beginning of the week.

We then knew what they rest of the day was going to look like...

Wes stacked a whole lot of wood while I was finishing up some baking and mowing the lawn...
The kids played outside all afternoon... Dylan close by and Fionna off hunting bugs and chatting with the neighbors... about how hard her dad was working!
Finally as the sun was setting Fionna decided to don her work gear and help out...
Then Dylan joined in... they made a great little team.

With a family push at the end of the evening we got it all stacked up... and headed in for a late night dinner of fruit and popcorn... and a little of my baking.

Feels good to have the wood shed full!

I am taking the kids to the Not-Back-to-School camping trip.. then we are visiting with family here before we heading down to Maine for the Pirate Festival. A busy week ahead...

Wishing you all a great week!

Good Morning...

2011-09-02T00:01:00.000-03:00

We have lots of plans in the works for the weekend...

~Baking for camping next week

~Sitting in the sun while it still packs some heat

~Riding bikes on the trail

~Picking berries in the patch

~Helping to bring some of Dylan's ideas to life with the sewing machine... wish me luck

~Assisting in some research for an upcoming guest blog post from a certain little lady... can you guess what it might be about?

Do you have any plans for the weekend?

The Backyard Mystery Game

2011-09-01T05:00:00.001-03:00

Fionna has loved the game Clue (the old school version from my own childhood) since we taught her to play... so one day when we were sitting around trying to think of something to do we started making up our own mystery game using the animals we see in our own backyard as the characters, locations around the yard as places and natural things we find in the yard as implements for causing mischief...

The Backyard Mystery Game was born... but is was a long way from being played.

There was a board to draw up...
Some poster board from the craft shop did just fine. The kids sketched in the locations around the yard... the great lawn, the wood shed, the fire pit, the bird feeder, the spring, the garden... etc... then I came through and added the grid.

Then there were game pieces to make...
After much debate and lofty dreams... we decided to use wood from the forest (cut and sanded) for the implements, which include dirt, water, bird seed, a dandelion seed head, and even scat among other things.

We found some good rocks at the beach to paint for our character markers. The character list was getting rather large but we finally narrowed it down to nine creatures featuring the likes of Professor Chip... the chipmunk, Mr. Grackle, Mrs. Fox, Lord Baldy... the Bald Eagle, Mrs. Butter... the butterfly... for some insect representation, and a few other mischief makers.

We could not play without cards so the kids got to work on those... I helped write in the names for all to easily read.
Was it Mr. Grackle in the garden with the dandelion seed head?

Or was it Mrs. Butter with water at the fire pit?

To solve the mystery we had to have game sheets. I typed everything up... with the kids over my shoulder making sure I got everyone on there. Then Wes worked some of his table making magic to make it look professional.
We were finally ready to play...

Great fun!

Who would be in your backyard mystery game?

Growth

2011-08-31T00:01:00.000-03:00

During out last little rainy spell we went for a hike in the woods behind the house. We were amazed to see all the fungi growth and at so many different stages....

I don't know if this one is a flower or fungi... I know there are two that look alike.

We have the Audubon Guide to North American Mushrooms but have not had a chance to look these up. Fionna and I have found it a bit frustrating to use for identification... I think that is why we stall in trying to id fungi. If you have a guide you like please do tell us about it. We don't plan on eating anything but would sure like to know more about them!

Spelling...

2011-08-30T08:49:00.000-03:00

When Fionna was about two my dad cut these letters and numbers out of wood and they have been well used and loved over the years... we have played with them while learning our letters, they have been parts of castles and villages, used to title project displays and now they are being used to mess around with wonderful words. Who knew learning to spell could be so fun?

And Dylan... the little math man that he is... is lovin' the numbers.

Great fun!

If you don't have a handy grandpa willing to spend what I am sure was hours and hours cutting out letters you could make some out of salt dough... 4 cups flour, 2 cups salt, 2 cups water, 2 Tbs cream of tarter... mix it all until it looks like playdough. That would be great letter making fun all on it's own. It is great to have letters and numbers they can hold on to while they learn.

Thanks Dad!!!

Sushi Rolls...

2011-08-29T05:00:00.005-03:00

Fionna requested sushi for her birthday... homemade sushi!

So I gathered all the ingredients and gave it my best shot... and she was the happiest one to have mama made sushi on her birthday.

That night they were eaten up much to fast to get pictures but this weekend we made some more... yum!

I had some left over crab to make California rolls... then I just gathered what I had in the frig for some veggie rolls... this day that was avocado, cucumber, carrot and finely grated radishes. I loved the radish in there but Wes did not... those were for me. The kids both love the California rolls and Dylan, who usually just pulls out the crab and cucumbers, ate the whole roll.

I made these based on my many years of eating sushi.... but after I did some searching around I found this post.. it might be helpful if you are just beginning. This recipe looks yummy too.

I am so happy Fionna asked me to make these. I was intimidated at first but after talking with the wonderful owner of our local organic market I felt better. She encouraged me to just get sticky rice at the store and not worry about a "rice recipe" for now... it worked. I don't even have a mat for rolling. I just made them with the rice on the inside and tried to make them as tight as possible.

We all love sushi so we are excited to have at least a taste of it at home whenever we like now... at a fraction of the cost of going out!

**Storm update**

We have had crazy winds all night and they look like they will be with us through the day. We lost half our cherry tree. When the sun comes up we will see if there is any more damage. Just happy we have power... lost power for four days when Earl came through last summer.

Calm...

2011-08-28T20:47:00.002-03:00

There was a still calm before the storm yesterday...

We are having some winds and a bit of rain today but it missed us for the most part...

Been thinking of all of you in the path of Irene...

Hoping you are all well!

Eight

2011-08-27T22:22:00.014-03:00

This last week our little lady turned eight!

She had a day filled with all the things she loves...

Time up on the trail with family and chasing brother on his bike.

Time to explore the forest and fields... finding bugs and flowers of all kinds...

Time with friends... a beach party across the street with 12 little lively spirits running around! Great fun!

And time with Dad for a birthday adventure to the city... for the surprise of a new bike!
She topped it off with a dinner of salmon and homemade sushi rolls... along with wonderful gifts and yummy red velvet cake...

It was a full and exciting day...

I extend many thanks to Grandma and Papa for coming to make her day all that more special and for helping me bring it all together!

It is a birthday that will not soon be forgotten...

A Sign of Fall...

2011-08-22T23:50:00.002-03:00

I really did not want to do this...

But I had to share our first true sign of fall. Apples. Apples. Everywhere!

When our neighbor told us to take as many as we like we could not resist. As I sat on the deck peeling, with the wind swirling all around... blowing in the storm... I could not help but feel fall in the air.

Since I was not quite ready for an apple pie I froze most of these... to come out some mid-winter day when a pie will be just what we need.

Some of these will find their way into smoothies and some will become apple sauce in the coming days.

There are many more where these came from and with all this time being spent in the kitchen lately some more apple recipes would be wonderful.

Do you have any favorite apple recipes?

2011-08-19T22:34:00.002-03:00

I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen this week... and not much time on the computer. I will return those e-mails...soon. Promise!

It has been great fun to try out all of the new recipes I have been getting in class.

When we were not venturing around the forest... on our rainy days... we have been at the beach. Not a bad place to meal plan if I do say so myself!

Tonight while Wes had chicken cooking up on the BBQ I made this yummy BBQ portabello mushroom recipe. So easy and so yummy.

What have you got cooking up in the kitchen this weekend?

A Castle... and War

2011-08-18T06:50:00.002-03:00

Last week Dylan asked to look for "knight books" at the library. I was happy to search with him and we found three that he liked. One was a history book with neat projects called The Knight's Handbook.

The first project that caught his eye was a castle... We gathered supplies from around the house and shed (plastic bottles are not easy to come by around here but I rememberd some I had set aside in the shed for another long forgotten project. Yay!)

Now we just have to make this kid some knights so that his little green army men don't have to protect the castle walls!
Dylan has been in a military phase, specifically WWII, for awhile now. I was hoping it was just a phase but it is sticking with us like duct tape. I have set parameters and tried to protect him from certain images (think concentration camps) while also trying to keep it real. I have to monitor the books he finds at the library... they don't make much on WWII with the pre-schooler in mind! And the non-fiction children's books are mixed in with the non-fiction adult books at our library. I did not have a problem with this until now.

In my efforts to redirect his interest I have tried to get books about the Coast Guard and fire fighting, focusing on rescue. No deal. When I suggested Knights one day he just looked at me and said, "Mom, knights are soldiers too. They killed people."

So now, weeks later, we are into knights and swords are being made and battles fought... and I look back at the wisdom of his words. What is it that makes knights so much easier to take than "modern" soldiers? Is it the idea of a "fair" fight and chivalry? Is it because it is "historical?" Is it just because it doesn't hit so close to home?

I find myself asking these questions throughout the day. He is learning a lot of history and geography in his quest for more knowledge about WWII... and now knights... and the countries and people of those time periods. I try to help him answer his questions. Of course when it comes to questions about war there are some that just can't be answered...

So next on the list... some knights for that castle!

Kitchen Tour

2011-08-14T20:13:00.000-03:00

The other day I shared that I would be taking the 30 Day Vegan class with Heather. After we received all of the delicious looking recipes we also got a kitchen tour and inspiration from Heather. It was great motivation to get the kitchen in shape.

I thought I would share our quirky kitchen... in the middle of our home.

I have mentioned before that our house was once a post office so the lay out it a bit strange.

Overall I like our kitchen and love all the light but there are a few things that I have to work around... like the single sink in the corner and the apartment size dishwasher. It just takes a bit more planning for food prep, fruit & veggie washing and dish washing. I took the picture with dishes drying on the counter because that is often the case.

The door you see in this picture leads to the back room where all manner of nature study and crafting takes place.
This little hall of sorts leads to the bathroom... another unusual thing since it is on the other side of the house from the bedrooms. It is also a very tiny bathroom with no storage so the kitchen pantry also works as bathroom storage. My mixer stays out on the counter because I use it often. On the other side of the frig is a little nook with a counter. I have started keeping my Vitamix there and have used it much more just in the last few days with it out on the counter.
This shelf holds dry goods and aprons on the bottom. The next shelf up has water bottles and other items for taking food and drink out and about, a basket with place mats and table cloths, cutting boards, and a basket for napkins. The fruit and veggie shelf also has large jars full of nuts. Above that are the cookbooks and more room for fruit and veggies. On top is my canning pot, gathering baskets, and Fionna's microscope.
Our dining table is right here in the kitchen and I love it. It is used as a work area for both cooking and projects of all sorts. We love having the windows and all the light in the kitchen. We watch the birds and look out at the water while we sit to eat and work. The door by the table leads out to the porch in front... the other door leads to the living room. This kitchen really is in the middle of our home. The prefect spot for it!

I have some more work to do in the pantry but it has been fun focusing on the kitchen this weekend. Looking forward to spending even more time in there over the next month!

Harvesting....Growing... Learning

2011-08-12T00:01:00.001-03:00

Yesterday I shared about the berries that we have been picking, eating right off the bush, sharing with neighbors, freezing and of course baking into yummy treats....

This weekend we also harvested the garlic Dylan helped me plant in the fall...
I think it could have waited another week but seeing that we had a week of rain in the forecast I wanted to get it out of the ground... last year I left it a little too long. It has already made its way into soup and a baked tofu dish. So yummy.

The rest is drying in the wood shed. I love having it so much that we have plans to dedicate more garden space to garlic next year... bonus that the deer stay away from this crop!! Yay!

Our wonderful neighbor, who grew up a few doors down and now lives next to us in what was once her grandmother's house, brought us a lovely handful of mint from her father's garden... did you get all that...

We have been making mint tea from the mint she gave us last year to plant in the herb garden... this batch is getting dried... hopefully with this wet weather... for tea this winter. Anyone have any tips for drying herbs in high humidity?

My little gardener has decided to start measuring the growth of the potato plants... the one thing we planted in the garden... lets just say the rest of the garden, taken over by grass, is fallow this year...
Great fun!

On Monday I am starting the 30 Day Vegan online class offered by Heather over at Beauty that Moves. I am exited and looking forward to learning more about eating a plant based diet.

The inspiration?

Since moving here... and leaving behind our year-round farmer's market... two days a week... our diet has slowly become less and less healthy, to my standards. We have also made some wonderful friends who follow a vegan diet so we have been making more vegan snacks for when we get together with them. It has been fun to experiment.

I have a feeling... okay... I know that some members of this household will never be able to give up meat but my little gardener has decided to be a vegetarian and I have been thinking of joining him in that choice. I have followed a vegetarian diet in the past and it feels good to me.

It is always fun to experiment with food, I don't do it enough... I will keep you posted on the goodness that will be coming into and out of the kitchen.

Have you found any new recipes you are lovin' this summer?

Raspberries

2011-08-11T06:15:00.006-03:00

Wes was the first to discover the ripe berries in the raspberry patch...

Since then we have been in there almost daily pickin' the sweet goodness of summer. There have been lots of berry smiles, sticky fingers, full baskets... and a few batches of Annie's yummy Raspberry Oatmeal Scones.

And that is just the raspberry patch...
The blueberry patches have been keeping us plenty busy too.

Summer goodness...

Have you been enjoying some yummy eats this summer? Please do share....

Alphabet Glue

2011-08-09T22:10:00.002-03:00

The other day Wes came home with reports that he felt a bit of a fall breeze. With all of the dreary weather we have been having I must say that it has not been much of a summer. I have found myself looking forward to fall just a bit... just a bit... I am not totally ready to let go of summer.

One thing we have been having great fun with this summer is the summer edition of Alphabet Glue. Annie over at Bird and Little Bird has done it again with even more wonderful projects for book lovers like us. We have been making up funny stories with the story starters. Summer reading is being reviewed as we read with the "Review as You Read" bookmarks. And the concept of the secret message (aka... anonymous letters), inspired by letters provided by Annie and supplemented by our own stash of old magazines, has been embraced by one little man in the house... what a concept.

We are diving into some of the wonderful books suggested and have plans to make Story Lanterns in the near future.

With a Do-It-Yourself Detective Kit, a Detective's Notebook, a Super Sleuth library list and much more I know this edition is going to be keeping us busy on these last summer days...

and maybe even on into those first crispy days of fall.

This week Annie is contributing all proceeds from sales of Alphabet Glue to charity... please read here for more details and consider purchasing this delightful edition and in the process help others in need.

Listening...

2011-08-04T00:04:00.000-03:00

We have had thundershowers off and on over the last few days. While we are still spending a fair amount of time outside between the rain and lighting the tent has made it fun to be inside a bit more than some little people would like...

We have also been listening to Story Nory to pass the time... Such a wonderful site filled with great stories.

How do you pass the rainy days?

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

2011-08-03T10:46:00.002-03:00

Awhile back I picked up the Allergen-Free Bakers Handbook by Cybele Pascal and have not been disappointed.

Dylan has been asking for these cookies from the moment he saw them as we thumbed through looking at the wonderful photos of baking goodness.

They are gluten and dairy free and every bit delicious. A prefect treat for those in the house avoiding gluten and for a playday with our vegan friends... letting the kids build their own sandwich... so good.

What have you been baking lately?

Explorer Dress...

2011-08-02T05:00:00.001-03:00

We are not big shoppers around here but few times a month we venture into the local thrift shop. Sometimes we are in search of something specific... other times just looking to see if something we will need in the future happens to be there (snow boots, rain jackets, etc...)

Occasionally something is found that, while not exactly what we were looking for, just has to come home with us...

Fionna found such an item in this dress...

She calls it her "Explorer dress" and loves it...

It has been to the pond, the creek, the beach and all around town...

Have you found something you just can't live without this summer?

Wild Edibles... wild beach pea

2011-08-01T06:57:00.000-03:00

Since I did not get a big garden planted this summer I have made it my mission to learn about wild edibles. I have been taking lots of pictures of plants along the trails at the beach and through the forest, referring to them later in attempts to identify what I have seen. At night I pour over books from the library... trying to get familiar with those plants that are common edibles of the Maritimes... so when I do see something out on the trail I will be more likely to recognize it. I am also very fortunate to have a new local friend who knows a whole lot about local plant life.

I saw the wild beach pea (lathyrus japonicus) last summer but it did not register that it might be edible. After my summer research project began I learned that it is indeed edible... as the occasional side dish. Wild Food Girl has a very good post about her research and experience with wild beach peas.

The other night I was hiking with Fionna and gathered enough for a small experiment. I shelled them and boiled them for 15 min... added some cream and pepper... as recommended in this book. How were they? Yum!

I am not a big fan of peas but these were very tasty. I will be going back for more very soon.

The books I have found most helpful are:

Edible Plants of Atlantic Canada

The photographs are amazing and I like how it is organized by habitat... healths, clearings, forest floor, etc. There are also recipes I am looking forward to trying.

Wild Plants of Eastern Canada

While the photos in this book are black and white, the detailed information and common uses and medicinal properties, makes up for the lack of color.

These foraging guidelines at Wild Edible are a great place learn more.

Please be sure to properly identify any plants you plan on consuming.

Happy gathering...

Public Gardens with Grandma

2011-07-30T18:50:00.010-03:00

This last week we had the chance to spend the day with Grandma. It was her birthday and what better place to take her than the Halifax Public Gardens...

The kids loved seeing the birds, squirrels, flowers and trees but were especially excited to take Grandma to the coffee shop in the middle of the gardens... A birthday treat and latte in the gardens... hard to beat.

We went on to the Museum of Natural History and later met up with the guys for a fun birthday dinner and celebration.

We were all very happy to spend a very special birthday day with Grandma...

Away...

2011-07-25T14:33:00.002-03:00

I will be away from the computer for the next few days...

Wishing you a great start to the week!

The artist...

2011-07-23T22:09:00.007-03:00

Observing...

Drawing...
Showing...
Love this little artist...

He is doing great about making observations and drawing what he sees. In this case, a pond skater.

There are days when he is not thrilled about spending long periods of time at the pond because the biting flies can be very bothersome. He hates them... while sister does not seem to notice their incessant buzz and painful bite. I always bring along a sketch book for him and point out things that would be fun to draw. I also take some time to draw a few things myself and that seems to help keep him motivated even as he is getting bombarded by flies... who seem immune to our spray sometimes.

While time at the pond is not always his favorite time he is a trooper and make the trek with us... he does not have much of a choice I afraid. He makes the best of it and as a result we get to spend some time drawing together and it has been exciting to watch his observational drawing skills grow.

Observe. Draw. Show. Love.

More Pond Life...

2011-07-21T23:54:00.013-03:00

It all started back in June but July has truly been the month of the pond. We hike up to the pond at least two or three times a week now. A twenty minute walk each way, with some rocky terrain to navigate, it makes for a good hike. But as with all things motivation plays a huge role. The lure of creatures big (relatively) and small inspires little feet to keep moving along...

Our backroom and become a laboratory of sorts. The tank is occupied by the algae eaters, while the predators have been quarantined in order to monitor their feeding habits more closely... and so that they don't eat up all the algae eaters. While Fionna does most of the observations, Dylan stops in for a quick peek and is picking up quite a bit of entomological and biological knowledge along the way.

Fionna spends lots of time looking things up in our many field guides, this one is one of her favorites. She reads about their life cycle, habitats and feeding habits. We work together to record things we observe such as eating habits, moltings, additions to the lab and release times in a little journal.

One big step in the increase in variety of species we have been observing has been the addition of a net to Fionna's ponding experience.

Because... while she is usually into the pond at least knee deep... some thing are just too quick or small to be caught by hand...

Bull Frog tadpole... almost a frog

Skimmer Dragonfly nymph

Water Boatmen

Salamander baby

With the exception of the bull frog tadpole all of these have come home with us for short periods of time... usually a day or so... sometimes longer if they are eating and healthy. One of the most difficult things for Fionna is the release...

She is getting better and realizes that they need to be in their natural habitat. We stress the idea that we have the privilege to learn from the creatures we see but we always need to release them back into their home pond or whatever habitat they were taken from.

For such a small body of water the pond has given up some wonderful experiences and knowledge so far this summer... and I am sure there is more to come.

Do you have a special place you have been returning to over and over this summer?

Emerging...

2011-07-20T21:30:00.000-03:00

Earlier this week we had the privilege of watching damselflies emerge from there nymph skin to become adults.

While swimming around in the waters of it's habitat this little nymph seemed amazing but so unassuming.

Seeing it bodly crawl out of the water with such purpose... knowing to it's core that the timing was just right... was exciting.

Seeing that ... while we were away taking care of other things... it had emerged from it's skin was both shocking and expected.

Once it finally took flight after all the watching and waiting we were torn between excitement... at watching it go... and the desire to grab hold of it to keep it close by a little longer.

It is no small feat to break out of your childhood skin and become the adult you will be for the rest of your days...

But I could not help but think... if only it were that easy to break out of childhood and into adulthood. If only we knew with such certainly when the timing was right for such leaps forward. I am sure at one point we did. Somewhere along the way some of us have lost that instinct to trust ourselves. Trust our own timing...

As a parent I see myself thinking the same thoughts that went through my mind as I watched this beautiful creature cycle through life.

The unassuming nature of a child can lead to discounting their thoughts and desires.

Fears can cause me to hold them back when they know the timing is right.

Sometimes I turn around to be shocked at their growth, both physically and intellectually, even though it is all very expected.

Then there is the excitement of seeing that growth coupled with the desire to hold on to that little kid a bit longer...

It is no small feat to be the parent I always hoped that I would be and let my children break out of their childhood skins, taking those leaps, when the timing is right. Fostering that trust in themselves that so many adults have somehow lost along the way...

While studying nature is teaching us a lot about the world around us... it is also teaching us about the world within us.

Summer

2011-07-19T22:33:00.004-03:00

Summer feels like it is whizzing right by... Thank goodness there is still so much more to come.

We have been busy with new pond creatures... insects of all kinds... beach exploration...wild plants.

I keep taking pictures knowing the day will come when we will have time to shift through and identify everything we see. Dead of winters sounds about right.

And that is just the nature part of life.

Feeling... good about all that we see and do in each very full day.

Appreciating... those moments of calm so needed in these busy days.

Hoping... to share what we are learning about soon.

Happy summer days...

Would love to hear what you have been up to this summer.

Our Family...

2011-07-16T23:21:00.002-03:00

By Dylan...

His first of our family...

Can you guess who that little person with the pig tails is?

He is adding a tank to his hand... that is what he has been drawing most lately... tanks.

I was a little surprised to see this. He does not draw people often.

So fun to see his art grow...

For Mama...

2011-07-14T21:28:00.003-03:00

Some kids come running to the back door with wild flower bouquets to share with their mama..

My little lady runs down the hill to the back door with clover and eggs to share...

Now under quarantine until they hatch into what we think will be spiders...

Hoping that does not happen in the middle of the night...

Hoping they don't crawl thru the tiny holes in the lid of their jar...

Hoping she will not want to 'raise' 100 spiderlings...

Hoping she keeps bringing me cool little bits of nature like this for many... many years to come.

Small wonders...

2011-07-13T23:00:00.006-03:00

Today Dylan took me on a texture walk... which you can read about here. Along the way we found lots of textures but also a few surprises.

The yarrow was teeming with life... and death.

First we spotted this crab spider with her freshly caught fly...

Then this other pretty spider hanging out... which we now know it the male crab spider.
We watched the flies land and feed not knowing the danger they were in.... do you see the spider in the picture below.
We spent a lot of time watching...
And while we continued our texture walk the yarrow was a great source of fascination for the rest of the evening...

Fionna found this rather large lady in white in another patch of yarrow... tucked away and ready for the kill...
Backyard entertainment at it's finest... with a bit of the cycle of life thrown in for good measure.

Have you been spotting any small wonders lately?

Sweet Toad...

2011-07-11T23:24:00.004-03:00

On our hike today Fionna found a sweet little Eastern American Toad...

It was very tolerant of the short exam and observations...

Then was happy to be on it's way.

Sunday

2011-07-10T22:51:00.002-03:00

It was a good... good... sunny Sunday.

Wishing you a great start to you week....

Garden...

2011-07-09T19:08:00.009-03:00

The better-late-than-never garden...

The garlic was planted in the fall so it is right on schedule and doing great. Dylan said these garlic scapes are hugging. Not that I want to break up the sweet love fest but I am going to cut them tomorrow and do this...

The rest of the garden... well... not so on schedule.

dill

mint

pepper

rosemary

potatoes... a first for me

I am trying to plant a few more herbs than in the past... I have some basil out there too... a favorite... and cilantro. Might even swing by the wonderful garden shop down the road to pick up some parsely, oregano and thyme this week.

I also wanted to plant mostly perennials or things that will easily self seed (like the dill)... in hopes that they will visit again next year... coming when they are ready... in their own time.

Lots of reasons for the late start... but the good news is that because we have had such a cool spring... beginning of summer... the wonderful gardener at the garden shop said that these little plants should catch up in no time...

A small garden but better than nothing...

A late garden but better than never...

I caught my reflection on the way in from the garden... So I snapped... a happy gardener.

How is your garden this summer?

Happy Weekend!

Dawn

So far...

2011-07-06T22:30:00.012-03:00

this week has been filled with things that hop, fly, scamper, slither, bloom and... hopefully... hatch.

Summer is good... yes, it is...

Have you been seeing signs of life this week?

Happy 4th of July...

2011-07-04T09:15:00.000-03:00

Wishing you all a wonderful 4th!

Where wild strawberries grow...

2011-07-01T00:21:00.006-03:00

The other day the kids wanted to take Wes up to the pond. He had not been there since early spring when it was still covered in ice.

As we look the turn to hike up the rocky hill Wes stopped and pointed out some wild strawberries. We had walk there just a few days before but missed this most amazing wild strawberry patch... lucky Wes was along to find it this time!

The kids had fun picking. Dylan was happy to pick... and even happier to eat what Wes and I had picked. I don't know how long they will last but I am going to be sure to bring a special basket just for tiny strawberries on our next venture to the pond.

It is wonderful to have those moments when someone sees a place with new eyes and finds something you missed along the way.

Hoping you get the chance to find something new in a well trodden place...

Wishing all of your who are celebrating a wonderful Canada Day!!

Cecropia Moth

2011-06-28T23:26:00.004-03:00

I can't begin to tell you how happy this little lady was to find this most amazing moth on our screen door this morning...

After a very close examination she went in for her guide book... begging Dylan not to touch it as she bounded away.

Back in a flash she identified it as a ceropia moth.

She sat on the porch patiently waiting for our friends to arrive for some playtime at the beach... so desperately wanting to share our find. When they did get here they got quite a lesson in entomology.

Fionna told me the other day that she is going to be a professor of entomology. I believe her!

Summer

2011-06-27T23:46:00.008-03:00

This afternoon we went over to the bay to "check the water"...

It was not long before a little slip led to boots full of water... which had to come off... of course.
After a bit was wading around she took the leap...
It was all swimming after that!
Dylan was more than happy to watch...
And gather water to play with on shore....
After a nice warm bath she was ready to dig out her bathing suit...

I guess it is official... Summer is finally here in Nova Scotia!

Pond life...

2011-06-22T23:49:00.008-03:00

Today was beautiful and we decided to take a hike down the trail and up to the "power line pond" where we had seen larva under the thin ice this spring.

While she hunted...

Green Frog

Predacious Diving Beetle Larva

He drew...

And after a fresh set of dry clothes they discussed their finds...
Before we hiked the power line trail back home... with a few frog eggs to observe in our glass jar.
A good team they make... working together... each in their own element.

I must remember these days... moments... they are good ones for this brother-sister pair!

Do you have any memories of working together with your siblings?

Summer

2011-06-21T06:32:00.004-03:00

Happy Summer Solstice Everyone...

Art

2011-06-17T23:49:00.001-03:00

Dylan...

Inspired by Eric Carle...

A collaboration...

Great fun...

Still here...

2011-06-15T20:10:00.005-03:00

We are still here...

Enjoying::

Time...

Family...

Nature...

Life...

OX

2011-04-07T16:40:00.002-03:00

We are off to the Mile High City until the end of the month...

Wishing you all well...

Best Playground Around...

2011-04-06T22:33:00.011-03:00

Today we went to the best playground around...

There were rocks to find and boulders to climb, birds to watch, paths to follow and a "shipwreck" to walk on. Huge driftwood boats were awaiting launch. Roots were begging to be played on...

Collecting was free of charge... some conditions applied (room in your pockets.)

Shells...

Rocks of all shapes...

Mermaid purses...

Sea glass...

This place had it all.

Cloud watching was also available for those interested...

We highly recommend any of Mother Nature's playgrounds!

Have you been to one you like lately? We would love to hear about it.

A snake and a guest blogger... of sorts

2011-04-05T23:30:00.011-03:00

For awhile now Dylan has been asking me to sew him a snake. I was thinking off all kinds of cool plans for stitching and stuffing... he was thinking of something a little more basic.

Some of dad's old jeans... simple snake outline... french knot eye... zipped it through the machine (with him sitting eagerly on my lap)... and a snake was born.

The other morning I was heading out to get some wood for the morning fire and he quickly geared up to come out and instructed me to bring my camera. It seemed that this was the perfect moment for a photo shoot with "Snakey" because he needed to be "on the blog."
He set up all the pictures and asked me to post everyone of them.

I love how he took his time setting things up just the way he wanted for each photo. Love that he wanted to see each photo after it was taken. Love that he designed his very own snake... from old jeans. Love that he is so happy with such simple things.

Snakey goes everywhere with us now. Dylan has big plans to make Snakey some friends out of his old jeans and a tree for all of them to live under. A tree that looks like this one from our hike the other day.

Great fun!

Have you made something new from something old lately?

A New Favorite

2011-04-03T23:35:00.013-03:00

I recently met another nature lovin' mama, Krista, that lives right here in the Halifax area. She has given me some suggestions for some great hikes and parks that we had yet to explore.

Today we ventured out to one of the city parks she suggested and now the kids have a new favorite.

There are lots of great paths...

and amazing trees.
The kids spotted lots of little hideouts under this beautiful tree.
They speculated about the many little creatures that may live there. A pretty magical place to live. I think the kids could have spent the rest of the day just playing here.
Along the path we found what we think is some sort of fungi growing on the rocks. Still need to work on an id for this one.
Dylan spent most of our walk around the pond tracking a T-rex. You can imagine his delight when he found this "dino print."
There were lots of great rocks to climb and ducks in the pond to watch.
Each time we passed over some water the kids stopped to look for signs of life. On another hike recently we saw some caddisfly larva under the ice moving around. Ever since then any water holds the potential for life.
Along with the water there was lots more to observe.
Rocks, roots...
and knots.
Keeping true to our fascination with trees.
We ended our hike with a stroll down by the sea.

There is much to love about this park and I give many thanks to Krista for leading us here!

The funny thing is that when we got home I e-mailed her and told her we went for a hike here and when I signed on tonight I got the return e-mail... they were hiking there at the same time! To see their day at the park you can click on over to her blog Our Wild Corner. So fun! Too bad we missed out on meeting up.

Have you found any new favorite spots or just fun things springing up in your old stomping grounds?

A Mirror to Write... and Draw... on

2011-04-01T23:22:00.010-03:00

While this house has lots of windows and wonderful light there is no big window, or door, that is great for window crayons.

Since we moved, almost a year ago, I have had my big mirror leaning up against the wall in our bedroom. With our wild and windy spring weather today we needed something fun and unusual... mirror fun did the trick.

After the kids got over the fun of spying themselves on the floor I pulled out our wonderful window crayons...
We did some letters with drawings. Can you spot Dylan's alligator with its open mouth and big teeth?

Dylan picked the letter. I wrote it in upper and lower case. He did the same. Then I had him think of words that began with that letter. He drew the pictures...
It was fun to see his focus.
Fionna joined it with her own creations incorporating Dylan's letters and some of her abstract art...
After a few letters we moved on to mazes. They had a great time coming up with the travelers and destinations while I drew simple mazes to solve... with some "predator traps" thrown in the maze for fun.

I made them more difficult for Fionna. It was fun to hear them cheer eachother on and call out the places to avoid for fear of the "predator."

We have been doing lots of writing activities around here... did you know solving mazes is a great "writing" activity?

I will try to share what we have been up to and a book about writing that I have been lovin' before we leave to Colorado next week... yay!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

No pants... just boots

2011-03-31T23:26:00.003-03:00

We have had a string of amazing days and there are some sure signs of warmer weather. One of those signs...

No pants... just boots!

His pants finally dried laying out on the rocks but he was having too much fun splashing around to put them back on.

So looking forward to our summer beach days!

Winners

2011-03-30T23:07:00.003-03:00

Both giveaways ended today...

And the winners are:

Alphabet Glue

~ Tara... a.k.a Tara.Mama.Wendy

~ Annie from Annie is Twenty Nine

The bookmark

~Annie from Sensible Living

Thanks for playing along and for all of your great book recommendations!

Aphids are so cute...

2011-03-29T21:39:00.004-03:00

What do you do when you see that the flowers on the table are not only beautiful but harboring fugitives?

Well... you cut those flowers and pop them under the microscope. Of course!

Then you listen to your bug lovin' daughter exclaim... "Aphids are so cute!"

After my own look I had to agree. They are kinda cute.

They are not cute in the garden. They are not cute on my beautiful flowers. But under the microscope they were a wee bit adorable in a buggy sort of way.

Then what happens next?

Your daughter begs you not to "dispose" of them... continues to beg you to head out to the shed for the bug boxes that have been stored since the frost drove all the bugs into hibernation... or death.
And you give in...

We are now keeping aphids... and I have the happiest little bug lover...

Birds... Beach... Beautiful Day

2011-03-28T21:05:00.010-03:00

A beautiful day. It was just what we needed and we got out to take it all in...

The robins have been scurrying around the yard in search of worms. Fionna was the first out the door this morning and quickly returned with a request for a blanket. A big blanket.

She had set up some sticks around the base of the cherry tree and wanted to make a blind to watch the birds. Can you see the robin they are spying on?

Dylan lasted a little while in the blind before getting antsy and opted for the army crawl bird observation method...

Love it...

After checking on some signs of spring around the yard we headed across the street to the beach.
They walked the plank...
Dug in the sand...
Tried my seaweed stew... skeptical...
and wrote names in the sand...

A good day!

Bright spot...

2011-03-27T22:22:00.002-03:00

Seeing the light hit these flowers on the kitchen table this evening was a much needed bright spot for a tough weekend...

Wishing you many bright spots as you start your week....

Alphabet Glue Giveaway

2011-03-25T13:07:00.009-03:00

You all know how much we love to read...

So when Annie, of Bird and Little Bird, fellow contributor to The Magnifying Glass, master of the book review, reading teacher and mother said she was starting an e-magazine about books and reading I was excited. Then when she asked me to review the first edition I jumped at the chance. What fun it was to read through Alphabet Glue...

It is filled with great printables and activities to help inspire little ones to take their reading and storytelling a step further.

I was immediatly drawn to the Mix and Match Story Cards.

Once they were printed up and cut I stashed them in my bag for our trip into town the next morning. That 45 min drive never went by so fast. The kids were excited to draw cards and make up stories about their fun characters, who found themleves in crazy places, with wild problems to solve.

Like the famous chef, who found himself on a tiny planet, with more cake than he could ever eat! Well... of course he called his space circus elephant friend to help him sell cake at the space circus.

Some stories were short, others went on and on. These cards were a great launch for imaginative and amazing stories.
With the blank cards we made up our own characters, places and problems. It was fun to see the kids thinking hard to fill in the blank cards.

Fionna has even spent time with them on her own...

I am looking forward to printing up the old style library cards for "checking out" books, doing the wildflower seed pods inspired by one of our favorite story books... Miss Rumphius... and many of the other activites found in Alphabet Glue.

If you just can't wait to see all the goodness in Alphabet Glue you can order it for $4 from Annie here.

Or you can take a chance and leave a comment for a chance to win one of two free subscriptions Annie has been kind enough to offer up. Just leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway.

Winners will be announced on Wendesday, March 30th.

Books & a giveaway...

2011-03-23T21:45:00.006-03:00

We always read a lot of books around here.... early readers, chapter books, picture books, fiction or non-fiction... all are welcome here.

While the kids were sick we read even more...

Along with all of our ongoing Titanic research, we have managed to read through few chapter books and more picture books and graphic novels than I can remember.

Here is a little of what we have been reading...

~ Lucia recommended The Trumpet of the Swan because we love birds and live in Canada... the kids loved it.

~ Fionna is always up for a trip with the Good Times Travel Agency and we have joined the Binkertons on all of their adventures in history (again) in the past few weeks.

~ We have also been reading through more of the Magic Tree House series and the research guides. I can't believe was first introduced to this series when my nephew was just a young reader... he is 18 now... wow!

~ The Titanic books have been endless (in a good way.) Our library has an amazing amount of books on the subject. The one above, Inside the Titanic, is very neat and the kids have spent a lot of time with it this week.

As longer books have been making there way into this house so have bookmarks. For so long we have only needed a few bookmarks... I typically have a few books going at any given time, Wes one or two, so our bookmark population has not changed much over the years.

Back in November I saw this post from Eren and loved the idea of knitting bookmarks. I gave some as gifts, made a few for us and kept on knitting.

We have an ample supply here now and I would love to give one away to a fellow reader...

For a chance to win a bookmark please leave a comment telling about a favorite children's book or just about what you have been reading lately.

I would love any recommendations for a chapter book we can take on our trip to Colorado next month.

I will pick a winner by random draw on Wednesday, March 30th.

Happy Reading!

I also have a book review (one I have been lovin') and another giveaway coming up later this week... stay tuned!

Thankful... for things big and small

2011-03-17T21:35:00.009-03:00

This last two weeks has been a bit of a blur. Along with all of the events in the international news we have had our own little and not so little challenges.

Sitting back to process it all makes me realize that we do indeed have much to be thankful for...

Things big and things small but all meaningful just the same...

I am thankful for:

~Artful cherry blossoms alongside their very real counterparts...

~ Building sand castles...

~ Answering questions like, "How do they make balloons?", "How do they make marbles?" and "How do they make LEGOS?" with very cool YouTube videos. Be careful they are addictive and did I mention very cool.

~ Finding animal homes in the forest... Look dirt and moss... it does exist!

~ Our Halifax library system... Have I ever mentioned how much I love our libraries? They are awesome.

~ This little baker... Her cute little apron & hat my mom made... and boxed brownies - just because we needed them.

~ Brown paper bags and mixing the dry ingredents for our favorite recipes (waffles and muffins) in batches ... for three weeks worth of breakfast.

~ This squash & apple bake recipe... I used cinnomon and nutmeg. Had it for dessert and in my oatmeal the next morning. Yum!

~ These Giant Ginger Cookies...

~ This new life poking up in the garden box... the garlic Dylan planted with me in the fall.

~Knowing Shelterbox is in Japan working with local aid organizations to asses need but keeping in mind the time needed for the Japanese government to come up with a plan and truly asses what is needed. This post from Nancy said it well... sometimes it is hard to wait in the face of disaster.

Even in the face of our own sicknesses and other trials these last few weeks there is indeed much to be thankful for...

What are you thankful for these days?

Blossoms and Help for Japan

2011-03-16T22:47:00.008-03:00

I must admit that I have not looked at the news today. I am a bit overwhelmed. But as I looked at the cherry blossoms in the windowsill today I saw many things...

When I saw them in the early morning all closed up tight ready to burst I thought of my little ones filled to bursting with life...

When I saw them midday slowly start to open I thought of how changes can happen so fast...

When I saw them this afternoon open wide and bright in the sunlight I thought of the beauty that emerges from the littlest things...

Ever Ours and Utterly Engaged are teaming up with ShelterBox to bring aid to those impacted by the devastation in Japan.

Their campaign is called For Japan with Love

They are also encouraging bloggers to observe a day of silence on March 18th.

You can click on the links above for more information.

Thank you to Eren for passing on news of this loving campaign.

Beauty does emerge from the little things... every little bit helps.

My heart...

2011-03-11T21:35:00.003-04:00

My heart goes out to all of those in Japan and elsewhere who have been devastated by the catastrophe today.

Bud hunt and drawing...

2011-03-07T23:13:00.007-04:00

On Friday the kids and I went on another bud hunt around the yard and up in the forest. We collected some more hardwood samples to bring inside... since our others are starting to get leaves... and we are all a little too excited about that.

Even Fionna... a little bit.

They also liked checking out the new growth on the evergreens...
Dylan has always been more of a plant/tree lover than Fionna. Give her a bug and she will draw it and it's life cycle... but plants, well... I don't think they are dynamic enough for her. So when I suggested we draw the new leaves on the lilac Dylan was excited and Fionna headed off to work on her maps... the bugs will be back soon!
He made his observations.
And his drawing.

We had some great quiet time at the table drawing together. It is nice to bring nature inside for drawing. This winter with all of the cold and wind we have not been doing as much nature drawing as I would like. Spring is a perfect time to get back into the routine again.

I posted about drawing nature with kids over at The Magnifying Glass if you want to read more about that.

Have you been doing any drawing/art lately?

The Titanic

2011-03-04T20:43:00.012-04:00

The R.M.S. Titanic has sailed into our lives once again. Over the past three years or so interest in Titanic has wax and waned. Now that Dylan is old enough to join in the exploration and learning it has taken off in whole new ways. Instead of just reading about the tragedy they are reenacting it, interacting with the ideas and asking... and answering... amazing new questions.

The renewed interest started with a DVD Fionna found at the library called Ghosts of the Abyss. It follows James Cameron and his team down to the wreak of the Titanic. It is full of amazing images from both inside and outside the wreak along with the history of the ship, the people who sailed on her and of course the events that led to her demise.

We talked and read more. They used the little wooden canoes they had to play out events. We searched the library for more books.

Fionna requested a trip to the Maritime Museum to see the Titanic exhibit. They had seen it before but I had a feeling it would be looked upon with fresh eyes this time around...

The lifeboats on the model were of great interest. They were counted and there was lots of talk about where they could have fit more lifeboats.
The model there is amazing.
We watched a movie at the museum about the role Halifax played in the recovery of the victims. I was a little nervous at first but the movie was very well done and both kids watched with great interest.

Halifax was the closest major port and also had cable ships which were used to repair the transatlantic cable. These ships were well equipped to handle the rough seas of the Atlantic and were dispatched to recover the bodies of the victims. There are three cemeteries here in Halifax where Titanic victims are buried. It really is an amazing story. One I never learned about in my history classes in the U.S. (Did those of you who went through the Canadian school system learn about the role Halifax played in the Titanic tragedy?)

One of those ships, the Minia, recovered a deck chair from the waters. It was given to Rev. Henry W. Cunningham for his work giving memorial services for those buried at sea. That chair was then later donated to the museum and is on display there. They made a replica for those who would like to sit in a little piece of history. Dylan was more than happy to test it out. Such a neat opportunity. I wondered what was going through his mind... he was very serious about it.
The museum has a large area upstairs dedicated to shipwrecks. One part of that is the informative section on underwater archeology. The kids always seem to pick up something new each time they listen here.
As we made our way out of the shipwrecks we found ship building... models that is. In the middle of the museum is a wonderful room where the model shipbuilders work. There are great glass windows that open up and encourage you to step up and peek at what they are working on. On this day a battleship that was originally built by a German POW was in the process of being refurbished.
Dylan was fascinated by the aircraft on board. The model builder was wonderful with Dylan and answered all of his questions. When he found out that we came specifically to check out the Titanic exhibit he gave each of the kids model kits of the Titanic to build themselves.
Today was spent building.
Talking about different parts of the ship.
Reenacting the trip through the icebergs.
And even coming up with alternative endings... Like Titanic making it to Halifax for repairs or Carpathia showing up in time to rescue those passengers who fell into the icy waters and on and on.

I love to see all the layers of information learned each time we revisit a subject. They are learning because they are interested and engaged. They are using what they learn in play and in turn that brings up more questions to be investigated.

I am not sure how long we will spend with Titanic this time around. There are plans in the works to build a Titanic deck chair out of tooth picks and some tiny toothpick people to walk the decks of these tiny models. I do know that they are not just learning about the Titanic but learning how to dig into a topic with gusto... to squeeze out all the information their brains can bring in at this time... to play with it... change it around... ask questions... bring new ideas to old stories. And all of these things will serve them so well no matter what they decide to learn about next.

For those of you who are interested here are some books we like about the Titanic:

Titanic

Magic Tree House Research Guide: Titanic

You Wouldn't Want to Sail on the Titanic

The Titanic: Lost and Found

Do you have a story about the Titanic? We would love to hear it!

Spring Preview

2011-03-03T07:48:00.005-04:00

Sunday Dylan went out with me to collect some branches from our trees for a little spring preview...

We collected cherry, maple, apple and lilac...

Yesterday the lilac buds started to open up...
So fun!

Today I am seeing some patches of grass out there...

Let the melting begin!!

Have you seen any signs of spring in your hood?

Lovin'

2011-02-26T21:05:00.007-04:00

It's always good to remember that there is lots to love in life...

Lately I have been lovin'

~ That there is still someone who loves the snow right now.

~ Awesome handmade bubble blowers... so very neat.

~ Revisiting Ancient Egypt... again...
~ Fionna's jokes... My favorites from this week:

What did Galileo have for dessert?

Moon cakes

What did Cleopatra have for lunch?

Caesar Salad

Too fun!

~ The DIY Mini Crocheted Bunting by Molly... soooo cute!

~ Map work... Dylan has caught the bug.

~ Kristin's cloud cookie cutter.

~ The Magnifying Glass.

~ Nights filled with fun dinners, music, dancing and great visits with Grandma and Papa.

~Mornings of blue sky and sunshine.

What have you been lovin' lately?