Log Reindeer, Xmas crafting for the boys

 

Log reindeer inspired by Better Homes and Gardens. Just cut to size, drill holes and insert twigs. Such a cute threesome on my horse poo mulberry/zuchinni patch. A great father and son bonding exercise. They also suggest a mini version using corks which we have none of, so middle Bowerbird improvised and used some toilet paper rolls.

In a flicker - Write on Wednesday

In a flicker,

She was gone,

And I never found out,

What she wanted to tell me.

That day,

The last day,

I saw her,

I said I’d come back.

But the kids were tired,

I was tired.

I thought there’d be more chats,

Slightly delirious conversations,

By her bed.

She held my arm,

Tightly,

Kirsty, she whispered,

Urgently,

I couldn’t understand what she wanted to say.

We cuddled and kissed,

So safe and loved,

In her snuggly embrace.

I’ll come back later,

I promised.

I wonder what it was,

It sounded important,

But it could have been anything.

In her last months,

She made some sense,

Some nonsense,

Her memories were jumbled,

Words didn’t fall in all the right places.

I took her for granted,

That awesome nanna,

Who loved kids, scones, and gardening,

Who gave me nothing but pure love,

Whose vague and messy ways,

I’ve inherited.

How I wish,

I could have that one last chat with her.

More stories with Ink Paper and Pen here

The Write On Wednesday Rules: Get creative with the writing exercises - there isn't a right or wrong. Please do try to visit the other members of Write On Wednesdays and leave a comment of support and constructive criticism. 


Write On Wednesdays Exercise 26 - Look at the photo at the top of this post. What does it inspire in you? Set your timer for 5 minutes. With the photo in mind, write the first words that come into your head until the buzzer rings. If you aren't a visual person, you could try lighting a few candles and writing by candlelight. Different sensory experiences can be useful for inspiring creative writing so please play around to make the prompt suit your writing needs. If you do try writing by candlelight, let us know. I'd love to know how it works for you!

Had myself in tears remembering my dear Nanna.  Amazing what a candle can do. 

Home grown Alpine Strawberry and Raspberry Jam

The big Bowerbird went outside to pick our first summer raspberries from the garden yesterday, they are so delicious!.  She also collected a heap of Alpine/Wild strawberries.  After eating quite a few she thought she'd like to make a jam. Our kids love jam.  I told her she could do it in the microwave.Off she went and found this recipe http://www.commonchefs.com/2009/05/microwave-jam/

She also read a couple of others. Her adjusted recipe was as follows

• 250g mix of alpine strawberries and raspberries
• 200g sugar
• 2 slices of lemon
• Place in glass bowl and cook for around 15 mins, stirring after 5 minute intervals
• Created 1 jar of jam and took 15mins to cook.

Remove lemon and place jam in sterilised jar

 Perfectly set delicious jam

 Not even much washing up

She's just so independent and clever, how proud am I of this 10 year old who makes jam at the end of a busy day with extended family?

Watching and Waiting

Saturday was so rainy, the wet stuff just kept falling. The ground is lovely and sodden again, the garden is thriving. Little one instructs - "Mummy take a picture of the rain, it's a dark day mummy".

 

We've been watching these grow in their sandwich bag for the last few weeks, it's amazing how self sufficient they are.

And so the zuchinni glut begins - the little one and I planted these last week and they are starting to emerge.  I think we have 5 plants, which I know will produce a lot of zuchinni, I have missed them over winter but will probably drive every one nuts with them come summer.

 Middle one was playing with our latest op shop find - snake pick up sticks when a discovery was made.

 The little Bowerbird was in love.

  

We have been watching and waiting for something to happen with our cocoon for weeks. I went to give the cocoon a spray of water, as I'd read it was good to keep them moist, gazing at the cocoon thinking it didn't look right, and then I saw a flutter. We have finally reared a butterfly, even if it is the undesirable variety, it was pretty exciting. It flew around our house all day after the little one accidentally released it in her excitement, and is now in an unknown location.

Still watching and feeding aphids to our baby praying mantis, think there is only one left now. Big Bowerbird spied a mature one in the garden today.


So much to watch grow around our house in Spring.


Playing along with 1000 Homes of Happiness - The Playlist, middle one is quite enamoured with this linky and wants to know what the weekend theme is. He rushed to Google it on Friday night. Usually glad to rise to the challenge, he was too busy playing to plant a seed for me.

Getting Xmas Crafty snowflakes and egg cartons

I had the Preps for Junior Landcare this week and wanted to trial a craft activity first. Enlisted the help of my little ones to make paper snowflakes.  They're so much fun.  Such a joy to unfold.

The preps used some beautiful bright coloured semi transparent paper and I plan on stringing them together for the school fete. They were tricky to cut for little ones but they enjoyed talking about symmetry and giving the adults instructions.  A good lesson on how to use scissors for maximum cutting power was had. 

The kids also had a go at making flower book marks by bashing flowers with stones.

They made a fairy scare crow, put up crafts in the fairy garden, and helped get the vegie patch under control with some straw and newspaper.

There are so many snowflake tutorials and amazing patterns you can do but it's fun going freestyle and seeing where your imagination takes you.

http://jillilystudio.blogspot.com/2010/12/snowflake-tutorial.html

http://zoomdoggle.com/2010/12/make-nerd-flakes/

How cool are these!

 Also had fun making a fairy and xmas tree out of egg cartons with the middle one. Might be a fete activity. There are sooo many things you can do with egg cartons.

I like the look of these bells (click picture for link).

How awesome are these from Live Your Art? I'm a big fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

http://www.liveyourart.net/2011/09/egg-carton-creations.html

I went on a bush walk along the train line with the little one on one of the glorious sunny days this week. We brought a basket and gathered treasures. So many butterflies filling our skies this Spring.  When we got home I pulled out the little mermaid light box from the craft room.  This op shop treasure hadn't seen the light of day for a long time and had nasty batteries lurking inside, miraculously after a clean up and battery replacement it worked beautifully. It kept the bush walk joy going for a little longer. There were some amazing growths on gum leaves that looked like blueberries bursting open, perhaps a type of gall but they were quite soft.

for more Friday happenings