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Friday was crafternoon! It is so much fun – I am glad my sister suggested starting an afternoon of getting together and crafting. It’s giving the cousins a chance to play together and it’s giving my sister and I a chance to get to know each other a bit more too.
We worked on making wreaths for our doors.
Rowan started off by cutting strips of fabric for me to tie around the frame. It took a lot of thing strips to start covering my frame! Row got bored after about 10 minutes of cutting so then it was my turn. Instead Row started an embroidery project.
A horse of course! But she drew this free hand so I’m really, really impressed. When she’s finished we can back the project and hang it on her wall as is or make a pillow or wall hanging – oh the ideas go on and on!
Almost completed wreaths – my sister ended up finishing hers that evening/Saturday morning, while mine is still sitting in my van! Well….. in my defense I had to take Jaia to dance class Friday evening and then I helped with a birthday party at the farm Saturday morning – we were busy! And I was exhausted 🙂
Jaia helped by reading to her cousin for a bit.
Cute aren’t they?
Today (Sunday) will be spent getting my husband ready for travel and the girls and I ready for camps! Whew – They start on Monday! Time seems to fly by – just yesterday we had a good month until camps started and now they’re here. And! And – It’s going to be something like 97* outside (of course). Lovely.
Bright Blessings!
On Wednesday we go to the barn. We clean stalls and do the feeding at night . Which means we put grain in, put hay in, let horses in or out – sweep etc.. Both girls get to ride if they want and then we head home.
Jaia getting to ride a friends horse for the first time.
Jaia wanting to see how a real horse – Karoly – would react to the toy horse. Well – he tried to eat it 🙂
We’ll be using these play ponies for races during camps
Wednesday night Jaia also had 2 of her friends sleep over. Talk about busy. They’d been asking for quite a while now, but we were just waiting for the right time.
Jaia wanted to make sure her friends knew where they were going to be sleeping. In the basement with sleeping bags and toys!
Mom’s didn’t get to come down.
Thursday morning/afternoon while all the girls played so well together – Rowan included – she loves to do hair (fancy that) – I made the oil infusion for the plantain salve I’m going to make. Plantain is said to be good for poison ivy (which I now have thank you very much) and also mosquito bites and other skin ailments.
Simmering the dried plantain leaf in olive oil using a double boiler.
Straining.
I also decided while cleaning and rearranging some books that I really aught to work on reading what I have on our bookshelves –
when i run out of books from the library to read.
Today I “think” is crafternoon – Now what shall I make???
Have a wonderful afternoon – It’s supposed to be 90+ degrees here today!
Bright Blessings!
We had the most relaxing day yesterday. We got to stay home all day other than leaving for dance! Totally what we need the week before camps start.
Playtime in the morning with dolls. My girls are constantly making bridles, halters, saddles and carriages for the dolls and their horses.
Carriage riding in the kitchen
Jaia is wanting to learn to sew, so she dug out the old blue sewing machine, found some scrap fabric and got to work. I drew some lines so that she could practice her straight stitching and then she decided to make a pillow.
Sewing practice
First sewing project! A pillow!
Playing in the sprinkler with friends. Now that schools are out for the summer, Jaia’s friends are able to come and play! She’s so happy – ran out the door yesterday and I don’t think I saw her for a good hour!
Today we’re going to the barn and tonight we’re having some friends over for a sleepover – homemade pizza!
Bright Blessings!
A picture a day – okay 5 pictures a day. Once I started I couldn’t stop.
Cleaning stalls
Getting ready for a lesson
Putting away tack after her lesson
running herd
running herd
Bright Blessings – Have a wonderful day!
Well Friday we had our first “Crafternoon” with my sister. What a fantastic idea. It’s going to give me the boost I think to start crafting! (I’d forgotten how hard it is though, to get any work done with a 2 year old around :).
We had a great time – each girl brought a project. Each is working on a saddle pad! One for a real horse and one for a toy horse – too funny. After Rowan pinned her binding around the saddle pad she got busy working on barrettes for her other 2 year old cousin! Well almost 2 – her birthday is coming up here in June.
Jaia worked on making some autograph books – we were going to see Riverdance that Saturday – the 19th, and her teacher , a former Riverdance dancer, arranged for the students to go back stage and meet some of the dancers. They also got autographs so she wanted to be prepared. We ended up buying a poster that everyone signed!
I worked on a couple of potholders. Friday morning, when I still didn’t have anything planned for MY crafternoon, I dug through my stash to see what I could work on. Fabric for a skirt and vintage pattern? check. Scraps for potholders? check.
I attempted to start the skirt at my sisters house – but reluctant to delve too far into that messy project – it not being my house and all – I settled on making a couple of potholders.
The binding material is left over from the skirt I made Jaia. Read on! The main part is scrap fabric.
Crafternoon ended when my nephew got fussy. So we walked across the street to the school playground.
Have fun storming the castle!
When we returned from dance class that evening, I got busy sewing Jaia a new skirt with the material I had dug out earlier. I wanted her to have something cute for the show.
40’s, 50’s wanna be knock of skirt! box pleats and all. This is the skirt I started at my sister’s house. Finished it at home. It took about 2 hours and 1 yard of fabric. At first I didn’t think she was dressy enough for the theater, but hey – she liked it AND there’s always someone in shorts or blue jeans. She didn’t believe me when I told her men used to wear suits and top hats and women dressed up too in lovely gowns and hats. I’m going to have to find some pictures to show her.
Waiting in line back stage for her teacher to take them for autographs.
We were not allowed to photograph the interior of the theater – You’ll just have to go visit the Fox though, if you ever come to St. Louis. We had a wonderful afternoon watching the show. Jaia’s teacher had arranged for the school to be able to buy tickets together in a group so there were a lot of irish dancing students watching together. The kids cheered so loud when their teacher came out on stage. It was wonderful to be there. It gave me chills.
Cheering their teacher at the back stage door after the show!
Sunday was a completely wonderfully, lazy day! I worked on cutting out yew bushes and promptly go poison ivy. But 3 bushes are gone! We have got to figure out how to deal with that poison ivy though! It’s growing up over everything I need to pull out! Any ideas?
I eventually want to plant herbs where I’m digging up all the yew bushes.
How about picture a day week this week? Next week we start camp. Then we get crazy.
Bright Blessings!
We’ve been nothing but busy again this week. At least though, we did get to go to one of our homeschool groups park days. Totally wonderful and enjoyable to sit and talk with other moms. If I could only get Rowan out of her box to come also. There were some lovely girls there that I KNOW she would get along with if she only let herself. She is so much like me at her age .. Shy, introverted, unsure.
Today is Jaia picture day (some day I’ll have a Rowan picture day! even if it kills me)
Cantering up the hill for the first time. I told her duct tape was in order!
Jaia riding Jasmine the pony. A friend gave her the jump vest and Jaia didn’t take it off the entire afternoon.
Observation week at CAID/dance class.
Jaia figured out how to replace the batteries in the old cash register. I’ve been spending the morning buying things 🙂
Tomorrow (Friday) my Sister and I are having our first “Crafternoon”. She’s changed since she had her son and I think we may start doing more things together. We’ve never been close (one of the reason I want my girls to continue to do thing together) but last week we went to the zoo and this week we’re crafting. I need to figure out now what exactly I’d like to make or do!
Saturday Jaia and I are going to see Riverdance with her dance school. Her teacher actually toured with the group for several years and might actually dance again with the group Saturday. The girls in the academy are also going to be able to go backstage and meet some of the dancers! It’s so exciting! I’m waffling between hitting the thrift store and buying a new dress OR trying to make one in the 2 days I have.
Today is grocery shopping day!
Bright Blessings and have a Wonderful Weekend!
Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Did you have a nice one? My husband did everything yesterday, from making breakfast and loading up the dishwasher, to letting me do nothing and play angry birds all afternoon, to cooking me a lovely salmon dinner last night. Just like I wanted. 🙂 My girls bickered and were total girls yesterday. Yep – I’m a MOM.
How was your week? Ours – busy as always. Saturday was a family get together day (my mom likes all the cousins to get together every 3 or 4 months), Sunday…. don’t remember but I think it was Pony Club related. Yep. Barn on Monday, shopping for terrarium plants and then dance on Tuesday, Barn on Wednesday. We went early, there was a school group field trip coming. I love seeing and helping children who have never seen or been on a horse before. Helps me to realize just how much we do have. Something on Thursday which for the life of me I cannot remember. Oh yes! Terrarium making day! Totally fun and everyone seemed to have a nice time. Pony Club meeting in the pm. Jeopardy – pony clubbers vs. parents. Guess you won? Do I need to say it?
Friday we went to the zoo with my sister and then dance again in the pm. Saturday my husband and I went to see the Avengers (totally awesome movie) and of course Sunday ….. I really needed this almost nothing weekend. So burnt out. 🙂
But alas – here are some random pictures from the week.
Hitting the pinata at our family get together. Faces are blurred since I don’t know if they would want the babies faces shown. Niece and nephew. Brother’s daughter and Sister’s son!
Row at Pony Club mounted meeting.
Terrarium plant shopping
Plant shopping – so many plants so little space.
Driving the jeep at the zoo. Children’s zoo part. Faces look so odd blurred out don’t they?
Cousins.
Following a duck in the bird cage.
Same bird with his grass stalk. Building a nest maybe? He/She stared making angry sounds when someone go to close.
And last but not least. A very blurry picture of my yummy Mother’s Day dinner.
And this morning I was up at a time when no NORMAL person would arise – to take my husband to the airport.
Have a wonderful week – Hopefully it’s less full than mine 🙂
Bright Blessings.
Today is Monday and it’s the start of another non-stop week, after a weekend of non-stop going, going, after a week of non- stop going. Oh I’m getting so tired of going, going, going! Friday though – our plans got changed around a bit. We were supposed to go see a Seussical play with our homeschool group, but poor Jaia woke up and promptly got sick! – She wasn’t feeling horrible and after that she actually felt fine – but I decided to take it as a sign and called the coordinator and and let them know that we needed to stay home! It was a wonderful decision. The girls played, we accomplished some school work. Both girls are finishing up work books and history books. Only a few pages left in Row’s algebra book. School is almost finished for the summer! – Well science is not done and I think we’ll be working on that all summer but oh well! When you homeschool you don’t have to fit into someone else’s box right? You can make your own – and what ever size you want it to be too!
Since we were home I decided to to a project I’ve been wanting to do for a while – make Terrariums! Actually I offered this as a “class” in our homeschooling group so I needed to put some together – but I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, I just gave myself an excuse.
We gathered our supplies.
I’ve been grabbing jars and vases at the thrift store to create some of our terrariums in.
Moss, soil, jars, rocks from our yard (I’ll buy some smaller ones for the class – the ones from our yard were actually too big), and plants. Actually finding the plants proved to be very difficult. Now, granted I only went to the closest mega mart home center to look, but the girls and I had a hard time finding 3 that would fit into our jars!
Adding the rock layer first.
Soil next.
Plants nestled in there last.
There are so many different ways to put these together. I can’t wait to try others! Ours are only open terrariums, you can makes closed ones which require a few other things added to the jar – charcoal, for one, so that the soil doesn’t get moldy. I’d love to add some fun plastic toys next time also.
Total time making these? 30 minutes tops. I was planning a fun afternoon with my girls. Nope. They were like – rocks, dirt, plant, I’m done! Slow down ladies – enjoy the time spent!
Rowan made her fantastic ravioli lasagna for dinner. Frozen cheese ravioli layered like a lasagna with sauce and cheese. We always add veggies – so Row added mandolin sliced zucchini and spinach. It was delicious.
before baking.
After baking.
Both girls love to cook so I’ve started letting them pick out a meal or two that they can prepare (mostly) on their own for dinner. They love it and I enjoy sharing cooking duties with them.
We’re off to the barn again today!
Bright Blessings!
{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. From SouleMama
I thought I’d join it today.
My Sassy girl – Jaia
Bright Blessings
Jaia has been steadily learning about plants. How much do you really need to know about plants when you’re 9? I always struggle with the – what do they REALLY need to learn question – especially since we homeschool and it’s all up to me to teach them everything 🙂 For example – how much algebra does a teen really need to learn? Do we use it in our everyday lives? How many people actually use algebra? Trig? Calculus! I’m sure I don’t. And in all honesty, I could not tell you what professions would aside from algebra teachers and scientists.?
I would imagine that being able to convert meters into yards for sewing or ounces into cups or vise versa for baking and cooking might actually be a better way to spend time learning? Maybe how to repair a vacuum or replace a garbage disposal? I guess my point in all this, is that what our kids learn is all a matter of opinion right? SOMEONE, somewhere decided that all kids needed to go through school until 12th grade and all these subjects need to be covered. I now that to certain degrees all subjects need to be covered somewhat. It IS good to know the 50 states and their capitals and how to estimate a grocery bill by rounding up numbers and adding them in your head.. But is it necessary to dissect that cat or rat or fetal pig? hmm… I guess if you want to – but in high school I had to – or I failed the course.
But I digress – back to Jaia and plants!
So far, we’ve covered what plants need to grow, the parts of a plant and what we use plants for. (so many, many things!)
Jaia’s labeled plant.
What a plant needs to grow.
So I guess if she were a tad older and we actually had room – we could cover permaculture, plants used for dying fabric, canning, beneficial insects vs predator insects (oh! Might still – great idea) I think I’ll add herbs to what we’re learning – cooking herbs to start with and then healing herbs! Thanks for letting me get all that off my chest and working things out! 🙂 I’ve got some great ideas now 🙂
In other news or fun at the farm.
Guess what we ended up following down the lane to the farm?!
A buggy! I took this through the window – sorry! They didn’t stay long but they came back later when the owner of the barn was there. And then I got to drive the buggy! Too fun!
I didn’t drive it too much. It’s a lot harder than it looks – just down and around outdoor pen.
Goats wandering the barn getting into hay.
Dropping bags of bedding off at the stalls on Monday. With dogs following.
Today is an at home day! Well grocery shopping. But there is nowhere we need to be and no one we need to see. It will be good to stay home. I have some projects that need to get accomplished.
Bright Blessings!
Covered In Roses 