It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

I'm just winding down after a fun-filled Halloween evening. Since trick-or-treaters rarely brave our 800 foot driveway, we usually take the boys out as a family. It's actually a great way to catch up on some visiting with neighbours. It's always a fun event in our little community.

What I love most about Halloween is the dressing up, of course! It's a great excuse to make some fun costumes that the boys can enjoy all year long in their imaginative play. Not surprisingly, my bug lover wanted to be a spider this year, and his brother enthusiastically joined in. This was a super fun costume to put together and was also quite easy and inexpensive. The sewing was pretty rough and basic and I didn't even bother hemming the fleece head piece.

I used glow in the dark paint left over from last year's skeleton costume to add some fun to the outfit. The spider legs are made from men's dress socks, stuffed with batting. The little "hood" was made using a Spiderman PJ hood as a template. I think I've used this template for just about everything as it is so versatile and easy (space helmet, knight helmet, skeleton head, Ironman hood, Buzz Lightyear helmet.....etc). I love the googly eyes! Most spiders have eight eyes, dear Muffy tells me. We have to be scientifically accurate around here!

It is always shocking to me how much candy two small boys can collect from visiting less than a dozen homes! As soon as Chi-Chi and Muffy walked in the door, the loot bags were emptied and the tally was taken. As a bit of a last minute decision, I actually decided to try out the "Green Pumpkin" on my boys. They were instructed to leave any unwanted treats on their bedroom doors for the Great Green Pumpkin who would be visiting tonight. The Green Pumpkin exchanges the candy for little surprises. Somewhere in there I mumbled the words, "The more you give, the more you get". Well, I regret that statement just a little! Before I knew it, both boys had decided to give every single piece of remaining candy to the Great Green Pumpkin. I didn't really expect them to give it ALL away. I was really hoping they would give up about two thirds while the remainder would be handed out as dessert treats this week. Now I'm feeling a bit pressured to come up with something slightly impressive from my "stash" of trinkets and goodies. I'm not sure what I will pull together...but I better figure out something very soon as the clock reads 11pm (: As Chi-Chi was falling asleep, he told me he really didn't want all that much candy anyway. I'm sure this might have something to do with the belly ache he most certainly went to bed with!

Have you ever had a visit from the Green Pumpkin or the Candy Fairy? How well did this go over in your house?

Adorable Acorns and Creepy Crawlers

This past weekend brought lots of sunshine our way. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to get out my felting basin and enjoy some fun soapy, wet activity with the boys. Muffy didn't show much interest in the project! Chi-Chi, however, was right there beside me as we worked on a set of felted acorns for our fall decorating efforts. I was so excited to finally get to this project, which has been on my wish list for quite some time. I wasn't really sure of the best way to approach it, until I found this excellent tutorial! I followed the steps outlined in the video with great success, including the use of both dry and wet felting methods. We even got a little creative as Chi-Chi wanted to create a planet earth. So much fun!





I'm really pleased with the results. In fact, I really need to get out and collect more acorn caps, as I have grand visions of these little beauties dangling from the limbs of my Christmas tree! I think they make such a nice addition to our fall nature table. It was time to pack away the seashore/summer themed decorations in favor of items inspired by autumn. I really enjoy the process of completely refreshing the seasonable table and digging through my tucked away stash of trinkets. It's nice to pull out something that we have not admired in almost a year. The children are always drawn to the new display, and it was not long before I found Muffy adding a touch of colored leaves he collected outdoors. I keep a child-sized chair pulled up to the table so both Chi-Chi and Muffy can spend time admiring and rearranging the items when they see fit.

Our sunny weekend also offered lots of opportunity for backyard exploring. Check out what Muffy carted home from our tiny pond! Ok, I have to admit, I was glad to see it was dead. In fact, I confirmed it was dead before I let it enter our home. Yikes! What is this thing? Big Sister, is this one of those predacious diving beetles???? My bug-lovin' boy was pretty proud of this discovery!

Hoping everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Garden Treats and Family Eats!

Today I went to the dentist for a regular check-up and cleaning. Those of you who know me well know that this is the LAST place on earth I wanted to be on this sunny September morning. You would think that after giving birth to two babies, I'd be over my dental phobia. Apparently, I'm not! The sound and feel of that scraping chills me to the bone. I literally bolted out of the chair when the time was up.

My self-indulgant reward for being such a "brave little girl", and taking the initiative to actually book and attend that appointment, was the purchase of some delicious looking veggie and pork dumplings at a quaint little oriental lunch spot near my dentist's office. I felt I deserved a break from cooking supper tonight....at least a bit of a break. I'm going to whip up some fried rice and some of our home grown edemame to go with it. I'm SO EXCITED about the edamame harvest that's been going on in our backyard this week! This is always a favorite treat when we go out for Japanese food, so imagine the excitement when I spotted the seeds at the gardening store this spring. Even more exciting, is the fact that they actually grew (unlike other things...). Chi-Chi in particular can't get enough of them. I've included them in lunch boxes this week and they've been a huge hit. I boil them in the pods for 4 minutes and then lightly salt them. We eat them straight from the pods.

I've been thinking a lot about family meals these days. Now that fall is here and our lives seem to follow more of a routine, I'm ramping up my efforts to make mealtimes a bit more of a formal affair. By formal, I don't mean I'm pulling out the silver! Summer meals tend to be quick and casual around here - lots of BBQ'ing, light salads...etc. Less time at the table means more time outside in the summer. I'm a strong believer in sitting down as a family to eat supper - coming together, sharing food, sharing conversation and reconnecting. This can be tricky with my husband's work schedule, which can get pretty hectic. We actually sat down together and discussed ways we can keep this as a priority in our lives. Here's what we came up with.

- He has committed to be home every night for supper at 6pm, unless he simply cannot because of a work engagement. He has enough work on his plate that he could work 24 hours a day. This means that he picks and chooses carefully the events and business meetings he attends in the evenings, accepting those that are necessary.

-On those nights he will be very late for supper, the boys and I will go ahead and eat. I organize a bit of a dessert, so that when Daddy comes home, we can all join him at the table while he eats his reheated supper and we eat dessert. This has worked well and, although it is not perfect, it still brings us together at the table.


-At five o'clock, I often start hearing a bit of whining, "When is supper? I am hungry! When is Daddy coming home?" This can mean a long hour for me! I have come up with a solution that is working. I keep a ready-made tray of veggies and dip in the fridge. Chi-Chi and Muffy are allowed to eat as much from this tray as they wish before supper begins. Honestly, if they "ruin" their supper on carrot sticks and cauliflower, I'm not too concerned.

-I'm very fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom, so I ensure that an activity such as swimming lessons is booked at 4pm. As for our hockey schedule, I think it is ridiculous that 5 and 6 year olds are expected to attend three ice times per week. It is excessive, in my opinion, and limits their ability to be involved in other activities. We skip the mid-week session (which just happens to be right at supper time) and opt for the weekend practices. Twice a week is plenty!

-On mornings Hubby is not working out at the gym, we at least sit down together for breakfast, although it is very informal in nature.

I'm making an effort to set a nice table this time of year, along with fresh flowers and a candle. The children REALLY enjoy the atmosphere the candle provides. They are quick to remind me if I forget to light it. It makes it all feel more special to them I think. We say a little verse, "Hands on your lap, just like that. Bon Appetit, now you may eat." This is from their days at preschool and the tradition has stuck. We also go around the table and each person offers one item from their day that they are thankful for.

So, this is what is working for our family, right now. Things change, of course, but I'm happy with our current situation. What are some of your mealtime rituals? What efforts do you make to ensure your family comes together for meals in your busy lives? I love good ideas!

A Wonderful Weekend

On this Sunday evening, I find myself gearing up for the busy week ahead. We are all still adjusting to "back to school", so my mind is on bus schedules, lunch boxes and clean school clothes. I thought I'd take a quick moment to share some photos from this past weekend. So many moments that make me smile here! We stuck fairly close to home, tinkering in the garden, the yard, the kitchen and a nearby beach.


Oh, those boys of mine made me laugh today. I found them dressed in full battle gear, up to no good in their "secret hideout". They had confiscated an entire box of spare blades from Daddy's new reciprocating saw and were preparing for a very secretive and dangerous mission. I am a lover of dress up clothes! They are a staple in our everyday play around these parts. I've been trying to convince Chi-Chi all week that his skeleton costume is simply not a suitable choice for school. Though interesting, and adorable I might add, it would be a bit distracting in class! I made these knight costumes over a year ago and finally pulled them out of my stash this morning. I guess I was waiting for the right mood and moment! I'm thinking they would be perfect for Halloween....but I have a feeling I might be whipping up some spider costumes this year. It is all about bugs, bugs, bugs with that Muffy of mine. (I realize a spider is not technically a bug, but it creeps and crawls so it fits the bill)


We took a short jaunt to a nearby beach for an afternoon family outing today. What a gorgeous place. Low tide always provides the most perfect opportunity for discovery. Chi-Chi and Muffy had so much fun mucking around the tide pools, marvelling at the thousands of periwinkles. We came home with more miscellaneous bones for that growing collection of ours!

Hockey season is fast approaching. I have to admit, it feels too much like summer to even contemplate sitting around an icy cold rink. I don't understand the Canadian obsession with playing hockey all year round (I'll save my rant for another day). Anyway, Muffy will be joining big brother on the ice this year, so we did an equipment inventory this weekend to see what pieces we need to pick up. I love this shot of my sweetie enjoying a quiet moment of reading with all that gear loaded on. It really demonstrates his many sides - rough and tumble, yet sweet, curious and contemplative.

Hoping everyone enjoyed a wonderful weekend as we did!

The Latest Buzz

We took the boys surfing today at Rainbow Haven Beach, which is so conviniently located 2km from our house. Being an avid surfer, Hubby is super keen to get the boys in the water at a young age. They can't get enough of it these days, begging and pleading to be taken to the beach for a surf or "goggling" session several times a day. "Goggling" is a term coined by Muffy, defined as any underwater swimming, sporting his much loved goggles.



So, I'm not much of a surfer girl myself! I do so love the ocean and the beach, but I'm not a strong swimmer and I'm much more content watching from the shoreline with my knitting basket by my side. My role is to provide cheering, photography services, towels and post-session cuddles to warm up icy cold little bodies.

This afternoon, Muffy and I were lying on the warm sand in an effort to shake off his shivering. There were some beautiful round and smooth beach rocks within reach, and we soon found ourselves admiring them. My sweet boy suddenly exclaimed that he had a GREAT idea! "Mommy, let's collect these rocks and use them for crafts at my birthday party! All my friends can make rock bugs!"



My sweet Muffy has had a passion for anything creepy, crawly for as long as I can remember. So, once again this year, he will have a bug-themed party. This makes 3 out of 5 years he has requested bugs to take center stage at his birthday. His special day is at the end of the month, so I have lots of time to pull things together. I really do love planning these parties for the boys! I sat down tonight to make a list of some fun plans and ideas, keeping in mind I need to keep it simple. Thanks to Muffy himself, I've got a cute, SIMPLE, eco-friendly craft already planned (:



Bugs are seriously a form of entertainment in our house. I'm not joking when I say I use "my bug supply" as a method to provide Mommy with a break. I leave the porch light on every night to ensure a plentiful "supply". Most mornings, I just send the boys out to the deck to hunt so I can enjoy a quiet cup of tea to myself. Same goes at supper-making time. Those two boys spend at least 1 to 2 hours every single day hunting for new bugs and feeding the collection of "pets" we've got visiting our science table. This week they are collecting pairs of crane flies to see if they can get them to reproduce in captivity! Chi-Chi is certain of success since he collected both male and female specimens, caught in the act! We've also got quite an extensive moth collection going on - and would you believe Chi-Chi snuck into my wool stash for food!!





Remember that painted-lady buttefly science project from the spring? Well, it's still going on. I believe we are on the fifth generation, as the butterflies continue to mate, lay eggs, hatch caterpillars....etc. It's been a very interesting life cycle study, that's for sure! I'm actually going to see how long we can keep it going. We were also excited to find a couple of "mystery" chrysalides recently, which we took home to study. Two beautiful mourning cloak butterflies finally emerged, to our delight. We observed them for a day and then realeased them.



Yes, the place is certainly buzzing these days. Even though some of the crawlies give me the creepies, I do love to see them so enthusiastic about the nature on their doorstep. I will admit that the Wool Fairy is having nightmares about the moth family residing in our living room. I can't believe they survived the household purge! What I'll do for a boy and his bugs!

Back to School Blues and Lunch Box Love

The first day of school is fast approaching, though I hate to admit it. I simply don't want this summer to end, for so many reasons. I've got some "back to school blues" going on with Chi-Chi entering grade 1 and Muffy headed for primary (kindergarten). My nest is feeling pretty empty ):

Although keeping up with these two this summer had its challenging and exhausting moments, it's been a magical time. I'm happy with the time and freedom they had this summer - time to ride their bikes, catch toads, make sand forts, learn some ukulele, dine alfresco, hunt for beach treasures ......

So, with school approaching, my mind can't help but jump ahead to lunch boxes. This year, I'll be packing for Muffy as well, who is a bit more finicky than his brother. I've been making lists of ideas and will soon start stocking the freezer with kid-sized servings of chili and homemade pizza. It's convenient to have warm-lunch options on hand.

I also decided to make some new cloth/velcro snack bags. I picked up some super cute fabric on vacation that I thought the boys would enjoy. These bags represent one of my efforts to reduce the use of plastic in our lives. I usually fill them with a little "trail mix" of treats like dried cranberries, raisins, pumpkin seeds and breakfast cereal. This was Chi-Chi's first choice for recess snack last year. I was impressed, he always brought them home and not one went missing all year.



I'm adding something new and fun to this year's lunches. I made up a couple of these fruit cozies in an effort to keep apples and pears from getting bruised and beaten. Those lunches can take a beating on that bus ride to school! The cozies are easy for little hands to slip on and off and should do the trick!

I guess these little handmade offerings are my way of adding some fun to my back-to-school preparations. Oh, and for more back to school fun, check out this great giveaway over at Maple Tree Montessori! I am going to miss this special school so much!

A Penny for your Thoughts...and your Piggy Bank

We are currently in Stage 2 of our summer vacation. This portion is a bit of a "staycation" as we are sticking fairly close to home. Hubby has had the opportunity to pick away at the barn/church project, which is slowly but surely coming together. With Hurricane Irene creeping up the coast, we felt we better get things tightened down a bit! I'm trying so very hard to remain patient as the project creeps along. My mind gets ahead of me with plans and ideas!!



This week saw the addition of some old church windows. They are not from the original structure, but I like that we have retained a bit of the church look and feel. I'm also feeling good about the reclaimed aluminum roofing - both more economical and aesthetically pleasing. The barn is a blend of old and new as we try to incorporate reclaimed materials where possible.





Power tools, scaffolding and eager little helpers are not a great combination! I needed a solution to make Chi-Chi and Muffy feel like contributors, while keeping them a safe distance from the construction action. The boys have been put to work over the last couple of days, collecting pennies for their piggy banks. Their work contract provides them with a penny for every nail they pick up from the work site. There is certainly no shortage of work! At the rate they're going, they just might pay their way through college!

A Boy and his Hunt for Treasure

As a child, I spent my summers at the shore, living at our family cottage in the tiny community of Seaside, New Brunswick. It was lovingly referred to as Seaside Farms and was the back drop for many fun family adventures, activities and celebrations. It was close enough to my father's business that he could drive back and forth to work each day. The days were pretty much ours to design, free from schedules or plans. My sister and I spent an endless amount of time on the beach, searching for treasures, doing crafts, exploring the sea life.



Hunting for sea glass was a favorite activity of ours. It was truly a treasure hunt as we scanned the pebbled beach for those smooth and tumbled gems. The discovery of a rare piece of blue glass was always particularly thrilling. Much time has passed since those childhood days, but my thirst for this type of treasure hunting has not waned. It is being passed down from one generation to the next, as my sweet Chi-Chi recently caught a case of the treasure hunting bug. Last week we visited Northern New Brunswick where I grew up, and walked some of those same stretches of beach I explored as a child. It warms my heart to see my little boy share my love of this pastime. He and I enjoyed some quiet one on one time, on some long morning beach strolls. As we slowly walked along, patiently scanning the water's edge, we chatted leisurely about our discoveries, conjuring up guesses of where they came from and how old they were. I have to say, that little boy has a keen sense for spotting sea glass and even managed to find some impressive pieces of blue.



We came back home to our own Seaside Farms (II), but not without some special mementos to reminisce about our trip. Chi-Chi's got his sea glass proudly displayed on his dresser. I'm loving the wine bottle my mother gave him to hold his treasures - rather appropriate! Of course, his goal is to fill the bottle to the very top! Sounds great to me - let's go back to the beach!

The Blissful Beach

No time or need for many words today and the beach is calling my name. This photos says it all for me - the sky, the sand, the sea, the waves, the discoveries, the peace....and those two boys. It is my definition of perfection.

And They Call It.....Ducky Love!

The summer is flying by, and despite my good intentions and grand plans, I am neglecting this space! More than ever, I'm finding life with the boys busy. It's not hectic in the sense that our days are packed with planned activities, although we are certainly enjoying our summer swimming and tennis lessons. I'm learning that 5 and 6 year old boys are literally bursting with energy - energy that needs to be burned and refuelled constantly throughout the day! When they aren't sitting at the dining room table refueling their growing bodies, they are out the door in the blink of an eye.....off and running.....which ususally means I'm not far behind! We are spending our time soaking up as much of these summer days as possible, rain or shine or fog!

There has been lots of fun farmyard action this summer to keep Chi-Chi and Muffy occupied. Their pet ducks are now full grown and both boys are quite smitten with their special feathered friends. I'll take a pet duck over a puppy any day! Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, and have such fond memories of our childhood beagle, Barney. I am, however, happy to have any animal that lives outside the four walls of my home! Another creature to clean up after is not something this Mama needs right now (: We've had so much wet weather that the chicken/duck yard is pretty much a muck pit. Chi-Chi and Muffy don't mind at all, and are constantly "bonding" with Ducky and Lovey. It turns out we have two females - one Appleyard and one runner duck. We also have a male runner duck named Toyota. Do I hear new little ducklings in my future?? Our runner duck hen started laying this week, producing the most beautiful blue eggs. It took some Scooby-Doo style sleuthing to figure out that our duck was laying as opposed to our Americauna hens. I'm currently enjoying my first batch of "duck egg" brownies with my afternoon cup of tea. Any interesting suggestions for using my new eggs would be appreciated!!

We also have one new little baby chick on the farm, hatched by one of our broody mama hens. She's as sweet as can be...as all baby chicks are. The boys teamed up and named her "Sunny Rainbow". Ah, I do love the hilarious names these two monkeys dream up. How cute is that? It's enough to melt my heart.

Yes, lots to keep up busy in these parts and still lots of summer days to savour!

A Royally Good Time!

We are all coming back to earth after a wonderful birthday weekend. There is certainly a stillness that washes over the household after such an exciting event. With both boys deeply consumed in exploring some of the presents Chi-Chi received, Mommy actually had time to put her feet up and relax.
I think the party was a hit and everyone truly had a wonderful time. Blue skies and sunshine most certainly have that effect on people. The party was short and sweet and was wrapped up in about an hour and a half. Everyone had a chance to spend lots of time outdoors, running, laughing and just being boys. Good old Uncle P deserves a big thank you for playing the part of the evil dragon on the knight's quest. Allowing himself to be attacked by eleven little boys yielding swords was self-sacrificing and truly appreciated!

For anyone who might be interested, here is the link for the dragon cake instructions. I served it with sparklers flaming from the nostrils, which the children really enjoyed. It might look complicated and impressive, but when you break it down, it's super simple and easy. The key is freezing before frosting! I'm imagining major frustration trying to decorate the small crumbling parts otherwise. The only "roadblock" I encountered was trying to figure out how to create a cool set of wings. Thanks to my good friend Ms. M. for her fruit roll up suggestion. I simply cut the wing shapes out with scissors, wrapped them around skewers and...voila!

The knight costumes were also a bit hit with the littles one! My husband played The King, and knighted each child before setting off on the treasure hunt adventure. I imagine the costumes added a element of magic and fantasy to the event for the children. Once again, this was much simpler than a first glance might reveal. The tunics were made from cheap pillowcases. I snipped arm and head holes and they were done. This took about 15 minutes in total. The belts are just strips of read fabric cut on my rotary cutter. The helmets were the most complicated, but also very simple. I used a Spiderman hood that came with PJ's as a template, quickly sewing up the seems and leaving the rest unhemmed. The shimmery fabric gives them a pretty realistic chain mail look.

Well, back to lunch boxes and laundry with Monday rolling around. Hoping everyone had a great weekend!

Party Hardy or Party Pooper?

I'm in party prep mode today. Chi-Chi turned the big number 6 earlier this week, but the official celebration takes place tomorrow. We opted for a small intimate dinner with grandparents the evening of his actual birthday, but I think he's looking forward to getting together with his buddies for some fun.

Birthday parties are tricky business these days, especially for a mom who cringes at the waste and excess, yet finds herself unconsciously being a full participant in it. Now that my boy is getting older, it is getting harder to manage expectations as he is well aware of what a party can entail in this day and age. I'm hoping to strike a balance this year by attempting to stick to my guns on some issues, without being a party pooper! Hubby tells me I overthink everyhing, but that's my nature!

Food is an easy one for me! Cake and ice cream make a perfect treat and any junk food beyond that is really not necessary. I opted to have a morning party this year. I feel that children (and adults!) are at their best this time of day and is makes more sense to have everyone in good spirits when dealing with a large crowd of excited and energetic little boys. Snacks and nibbles will therefore be breakfast-like in nature as I'll be offering healthy options of fresh fruit, mini bagels and cream cheese and apple juice or milk to drink.

The cake is always my favorite part of party prep! I'm certainly no gourmet chef, but there are lots of fun things you can do while still keeping it simple. Since the theme this year is knights and dragons, I'm making a couple of basic dragon cakes from scratch. I find with parents often sticking around, one cake is simply not enough. Chi-Chi wanted banana and I did up another in chocolate zuchinni. I actually baked and assembled them lastnight and popped them in the freezer. Tomorrow morning I will frost them while they are frozen to limit the frustrations of crumb-filled frosting.

The "entertainment" offered these days at parties can be a bit intimidating for parents who want to keep it simple and host in their own homes. It seems that most parties involve a pool, bowling alley, magician, bouncy castle...the list goes on. My invitations advised parents that "His Royal Highness will be sending the knights on a secret quest. All noble knights are requested to come prepared for inclement weather (i.e. rubber boots and rain coats!)". Rain or shine, these boys will be heading outside to burn off that cake! King Hubby is in charge of this portion of the party. The boys will be lead on a treasure hunt through the woods which will result in the discovery of goodie bags. I did this last year, and it was a huge hit. The treasure in the previous year was a pinata filled mostly with candy. I was trying very hard not to be a party pooper when Chi-Chi requested that pinata - but I will never do another pinata. The candy was excessive and I hate the frantic scrambling that goes on. Muffy vomited twice afterwards - enough said! After the treasure hunt, they are free to play outside until the pick up time.

I've never been a fan of the traditional win/lose party games with prizes. I picked one quiet activity to get them settled at the table before snack. This is probably a bit over the top, but I decided it was something they would all love and it would have a use later instead of ending up in the garbage bin. Each child will get a bit of Lego for a "build your own dragon" activity. I designed a tiny dragon myself and purchased the invidivual pieces. I'm not giving instructions, maybe some samples to look at and they can do as they please.

The gifts are the trickiest business of all. I appreciate the generosity of people, but I feel like it is such an overload of stuff. Last year I put a lovely note in the invitations that gifts were not necessary, but if they wanted to bring one, a book would be perfect. Chi-Chi truly is a bookworm....but he was upset! I'm still getting flack about the fact that he didn't get any toys from his friends. He may be forgetting that we bought him a goalie helmet and both grandparents bought him Lego. I thought it was all appropriate, but this year I'm just letting go of things. I don't want to be a party pooper. Some people have asked for suggestions so I mentioned Lego and science-experiments. I read a great article once that stated we have 364 days a year to teach our children about limiting waste and giving to others, and that on that one day we should just let go and have some fun. So hard, but I'm doing it (:

The guest list is another tricky item. I really, really, wanted to keep it small and not too overwhelming for him. I'm at 11 right now, which I think is manageable, but still on the heavy side. So many people these days invite the whole class, which is sweet and generous, but I just couldn't do it.

I was doing great at keeping it sweet and simple. Here is where I went off the rails a bit and I always do! I love, love, love making things, so I could not help myself on this one. I wanted them to be "properly outfitted" for their adventure so I made little knight costumes for each of them. I'll show these in a later post, but they were very simple to make. I bought some pillow cases and cut out arm and head holes. I cut strips of red fabric for belts and sewed simple head pieces out of glittery fabric. I left the edges rough on everything, no hemming to save time and effort. Hubby told me there was no way we could have a knight party without swords. I tried making some out of foam and cardboard, but knew tears and injuries were inevitable. So......I bought some horribly junky blow up swords that don't hurt when you get accidently sliced in the head with them. It killed me to do it.....(still trying not to be a party pooper). I'm at least hoping the costumes will have some lasting value for imaginative play beyond the party.

So, now that I'm reading this over, it's looking way more complicated and excessive than I had dreamed of. See how it gets away on you, even when you are conscious of it? Is this all a sign that I'm getting old! Am I already of a generation that feels that times were simpler..."back when I was a kid"? My mom would host a handful of kids over to our house for a few simple games, a homemade cake and that would be it! I have a good friend who skipped the party, popped an ice cream cake in the trunk and invited a few families for an evening of skiing. I think she had the right idea! But I'm going to roll with it this year...

Lucky Duck

With spring in the air, I have been itching to get back into the blogging groove. My mind is bursting with fresh ideas and inspiration. I’m anxious to get the bleak and dreary winter behind me and embrace the excitement and freshness of the new season. I must admit, we awoke to a dusting of snow this morning and the kiddies and I were bundled up in our full winter woolies, chattering our teeth while waiting for the school bus. It’s a tricky time of year in these parts. The calendar declares the arrival of spring, but Old Man Winter doesn’t seem willing to say farewell just yet. Nonetheless, I’m moving forward. I have been struggling with some personal health issues the last few months, which certainly put a damper on my spirits, creative efforts and general mood. Although I am still awaiting tests and sorting things out, I’m feeling much better and have regained my energy and focus.

As a result, I’m doing my best to simply force the arrival of spring, despite the temperature readings, forecasts and that blasted wind-chill factor. On a whim, our family recently picked up a few ducklings to add to our back yard flock. I was craving a distraction and a new focus and these buttery yellow sweeties are just what the doctor ordered. It was love at first sight for all of us. Although I have adored our baby chicks in the past, there is just something so sweet and special about ducklings. Muffy remarked immediately that his new pet Ducky (how appropriately name) looked so happy! They have such a pleasant and comical disposition about them that you can’t help but feel joy in their presence. Chi-Chi named his new friend, Lovie and is demonstrating a new level of maturity. His relationship with Lovie is bringing to light a very nurturing and gentle side of his personality that is heartwarming to observe.

Yes indeed, I'm feeling like a lucky duck these days, with warmer weather and healthier happy days ahead! I look forward to sharing and exchanging ideas and inspiration in this space once again.