image inspiration

 

 

 

 

I found this post that included not only an Autumn woods walk with kids but stringing found acorns.  I immediately thought of two places to go to that usually have an abundance of acorns in a couple of different sizes.  If the deer haven't eaten them or the red squirrels haven't snatched them already.  We can totally walk there in a good fifteen minutes and gather up what we need.  The drilling holes part would be more up to me and the older kids.  I will have to hit up Shaun for his tiniest drill bit because I know for sure I broke mine.  They're so delicate.  I love these!!!  Oh and the one picture in her home that shows antlers, feathers and books OH MY!  I love to see her son with the hatchet.  Makes me want to turn the boys here loose with one but scares me too.  They would love it.

 

Found on www.soulemama.com or click the pic for a direct link to the post.

 

 

Totally sold with the glitter... who doesn't know that about me?

 

A tip from her blog post....

(*A note about acorn crafting. I prefer to bake the acorns for an hour at 180 in the oven, to kill the grubs inside, rather than having them fall out as the acorns age. And we use a small drill bit to make holes in them, easy for stringing.)

 

 

 

Why oh why have I never done this or even thought of it??? When on walks or in the playground the kids and I spot mushrooms.  I seldom know what they are.  I generally advise the kids not to touch them and just leave them alone.  I'm funny about what they do with nature... even when they catch things that are alive I am adamant about them not harming them.  This post is from the same blog www.soulemama.com .  I have already looked up her books and have them coming from the library.  But this shows her with her children and a mushroom guide book which I know my library possesses.  The kids and I are for sure doing this.  We will go for a walk and learn by collecting mushrooms and trying to identify them using a guide.  How much fun!!! I mean seriously... look at that purple one they found! 

 

 

 

And I want to... have to... do this at the day care next year.  A pumpkin/gourd tunnel.  Even a small one... no a walk through one, where the fruits of your labor idly hang down in the center underneath for easy picking.  Bonus! You can mow underneath it... I think.  I would love one.

 

Yep... same blog www.soulemama.com I love finding a new to me blog and staying on it the entire naptime at the day care.  One that is filled with inspiration that fills my head with ideas of all sorts.

 

 

 

I must stop the madness of sharing this wonderful blog with you and all of the Image Inspiration.  Go see for yourself.  Her photography is wonderful and her life seems precious and nurturing. 



In Memory

Bless. I am saddened to report that our dear sweet Cotton Bottom is no longer with us.  Apparently, and it doesn't surprise me with snow on the ground for a week now, that something, a possum I expect, was pretty hungry last night and found it's way to our girl.  Cotton was the only chicken we have had for over a year now and was one of the finest layers I have ever met.  Not to mention one who laid the biggest eggs I'd ever seen.  Although I admit I don't get attached in my heart to our strictly outdoor animals around here simply because they are more vulnerable to hungry wildlife when we aren't looking.  It's just part of having them and I have to understand that.  I am sad but more in a smile way for the way she was and her personality than a sad and crying way.  When you have farm animals it just is that way.  I enjoyed taking care of her and getting to know her as our lone chicken for so long.  However, this does open up the possibility of getting a larger flock.  I didn't want to introduce new chickens and was protective of her because when you mix new chickens in with existing chickens they can tend to bully especially if they are already familiar with each other and I liked her and respected her enough to not want to expose her to that.

She actually spent the night in the shop two of the coldest nights and days this past week with the warmth of the heater and Miss Kitty's company and she had her usual appetite back from where she had molted during January.  We have been blessed with a couple of really sweet chickens during the last several years of raising hens and she was for sure a sweet soul.  I would carry her around and she would talk to me in her own way.  She loved bathing in the loose garden soil and when we'd take a walk along side the shop lifting rocks and looking for worms.  Ok.. now I'm getting emotional... a little.  Enough said.  Cotton Bottom will for sure be missed.

I used this picture in the calendar I made for my family this year and it brought home a ribbon in the county fair in 2014.

Shaun recently let her out to roam for a couple of hours only to find that he couldn't find her when it was time to put her up.  Oddly enough he could find Kate either.  Turns out they were both taking a nap in Kate's dog house.  How sweet.

lovin right now

Eek!! I love when it's not hard to come up with four or five things that I am "lovin right now"!  

For starters with this lovely list, I got the hankering for light blue toe nail polish.  I am usually a navy blue kind of gal... Russian Navy by O.P.I. to be exact, but a stop by Walgreens and a $1.99 bottle of polish was worth a try.  It turns out that I am fond of this color although it still surprises me when I look down.

Calamity Jane is a fantastic musical that has got me singing!  I especially love the part where Calamity and Katie fix up her cabin.  Such a super movie!

Glamping by MaryJane Butters has got me spinning and all geared up and inspired for our camping trip.  The more I look at this book the more I jot notes in my spiral on special touches and things to take.

Oh She Glows Glo Bars!  I checked out the Oh She Glows cookbook from the library a month or so ago and had to make these bars.  They are so simple and delicious.  I have made them a couple of different ways.  The only hard part was locating brown rice syrup.  I found it at out health food shop in White House.

And this song by Kacey Musgraves.

One of my favorite views of someone else's campy life.

Click the pic to see their trip.   Love it!

  Also views of our peace on earth that I am lovin right now.

The temperature change from up there to down here is fantastic.  

It can be hot as the devil at the house and cool as a cucumber at the creek.  

The sweet smell of honeysuckle is intoxicating right now!

This little blue gem with yellow petunias will be gracing the picnic table of our campsite!

Maybe the hens and chickens too!

I am loving Black Rose topless!  She so crazy!

days of our play care

So, when we were out at the dirt pile the other day, I noticed that there wasn't much mud leading up to the water and thought "we could actually get close enough to set some a-sail".  I almost couldn't wait for nap time to drag out my computer to see if I could find an easy origami boat tutorial.  I wound up finding a really good DIY and after nap time it was on.  The kids colored sheets of white copy paper and as they finished I neatly folded each one while I explained the rules of the pond.  

As we were lining up at the gate to head out the thought hit me.... "are you nuts woman?  You are taking these kids to water!  They could wind up wet.... muddy... wait and build something that can hold water in the yard or get a pool."  But if I listened to the sensible angel on my shoulder we wouldn't have had a ton of fun setting our paper boats in the water, with the wind blowing them just right, and having a terrific time.  We had to get our the black pipe we found at the dirt pile to help when one of them started to sink and all boats were retrieved with success except for the toppled one.  It was promptly crushed by it's owner.    

I wish the boats would have sailed all the way across the longer way of the pond but they chose to stay closer to the edge.  I did think ahead to warn the children that we may have to leave them in the water if we weren't able to get to them but luckily this wasn't the case.  When we got back to the DC we pinned them to the clothesline to dry.  I have a feeling this will not be the last boat race we will have!

HERE is the wonderful tutorial that I used to learn how to easily make paper boats that float!  Too cool!

weekend shots

My sister and I visited a barn sale in Madison on Friday.  These are a few of my favorite pictures.

Easter centerpiece decor maybe?

A tulip in my yard.

I wrote this last weekend on Sunday morning when it was raining.

One of my favorite finds.

Found a few violets blooming already.  Not enough for violet jelly.

My very favorite find!  Funny when asking for be directed to any morels if they are there I didn't expect to come away with an arrowhead, that in my opinion, is shaped like a small morel.  When I looked down and saw it in my path I smiled and said "my what a sense of humor you have."

The trout lilies are blooming by Sunday

Fire Pinks soon to bloom.

Frog eggs soon to hatch.

Katie Bug swimming.

I love this picture of her barking.  Which she is very loud when swimming.

Hiking buddy and niece Kris.

Another hiking buddy, sister Tracy.