Full Circle

I Can't Help It... More Rocks

It's addictive, I tell you, ADDICTIVE! We've been back to the same spot on the river several times now, always coming home with a bag full of rocks. But as soon as we've dumped it out and gone through our treasures, all I can think of is "I wanna go back!" Rock-hunting may be the poor man's treasure hunt, but it's still an obsessive quest. Especially when you look down in the dirt and find a dark, tomato-red stone looking up at you....



My heart jumped when I saw it! I feel pretty confident it's
red jasper...



Idaho is nicknamed The Gem State because it has such a large variety of gemstones. According to this source, "Idaho has seventy-two kinds of gem stones. This is more than any other state, and second only to Africa in the rest of the world." That statement really adds more fuel to the rock-hunting fire, if you know what I mean ;)

A little research on the internet shows red jasper to be a strong protection gemstone which sends out calming vibrations and absorbs any negativity, and it's good for balancing energy in the body - I can always use that. It feels so incredible that the earth offers up such amazing bits of itself. Whether it's micro-striped, crystal-embedded, heart-shaped or tomato red, each rock is truly unique and a wonderful lesson on the magic of Mother Nature.

Patterns

The kids brought home bones and flowers and such, I brought home some of nature's patterns to play with...

black and white stripes and zebra swirls



vertical ocher shades and flowing organic circles



I'm trying to copy these in my sketch book for practice.

A Sunday Afternoon

I marked the calendar today. Our first day getting out, rock hunting, rock throwing, sitting and enjoying the sun and the reflections of the water as it bubbled past. The elements fell into alignment this afternoon, warm, sunny and only a slight breeze, so we jumped into the car and drove to one of the nearby rivers for some casual exploring.



It's all still pretty bare, hardly any signs of green shoots coming up and only the faint sound of birds, but the sun was shining and it was WARM and it felt like a celebration.



We looked for items to bring home and draw in our Nature Journals. Little Brother found an animal bone, Middle Brother brought home a dried flower, Big Brother found a beautiful twisted branched and Sister brought home a leaf that reminds me of Lamb's Ear.



And, of course, we found rocks, lots of rocks. Looking for rocks with white lines through them...



looking for ones to make the colors of the rainbow...



and looking for heart-shapes...



Yellow-branched shrubs lined the highest parts of the riverbed, making a stark contrast with the otherwise drab surroundings.



The kids found sticks that became swords or guns or simply for dragging through the sand.



We heard some geese overhead and I managed to get a quick shot...



Faces were beginning to feel rosy and our rock bag was getting too heavy to carry so it meant time to go home. But, I felt content, knowing we're done with winter and that we have many rock-hunting river days ahead of us!

If You Build It...

Let's just say it's a balance problem. If I'm making regular posts, reading blogs and commenting, then the laundry isn't done.

If the laundry is SO done that I'm wandering the house looking for more things to wash, then I haven't been posting or reading or commenting.

Add to that a washer that gave out and multiple trips to the laundromat waiting for the new (very cool front-loading machine) to arrive and my blog posting is all out of whack ;)

I can't seem to manage to do both things at once, it's either one or the other. So, from my absence for the last week (or two?) you can rightly assume that laundry baskets are empty and drawers are full of fresh clothing and all's well in laundry-land. Phew! Now, to get back to posting....









Last year, we started a project in a corner of our backyard and it's *almost* finished.  My husband built us a studio/school room/get-away spot. I'm so excited I get butterflies every time I walk in that red door! We really needed an area away from our living room to get messy with crafts and art projects. Our dining room table was in constant use - eat breakfast, clear table for drawing project, clear table for history project, clear table for lunch, clear table for folding laundry, clear table for painting, clear table for dinner... I'm sure many of you know how it is. So, we're all thrilled to have a place to go to, solely devoted to artistic and creative pursuits. I purchased a crocheted rug ($4!) at the thrift store a while ago to use in the studio



and also this trash can at a flea market.



I can't believe I finally get to pull them out of storage and put them to use :) I imagine it will still be a couple of weeks before all the last bits are done, but we've already been hanging out back there and getting the feel of it. I'll keep you posted with our progress!

Over Under, Over Under

When we were visiting the gallery the other day, we learned they were offering a free weaving class hosted by Minnesota artist/instructor Becka Rahn. To my chagrin, I've never really been excited about weaving. I tend to pursue crafts that are not only creative and beautiful, but have a practical aspect as well. Weaving, to me, meant wall-hangings, and, well, I just don't need a wall-hanging. But, we've enjoyed getting out lately and this was a free class for the family, so I thought, what the heck, let's go ;) Well, we had so much fun and Becka showed us such an easy technique that I must say I'm now a convert. I still don't need a wall-hanging, but I've discovered there are many other practical uses for weaving, i.e. rugs, place mats, coasters, etc. I thought I'd share with you the technique we were taught. This is appropriate for any beginner (there was even a 3 1/2 year old at the class).

::Materials::

yarn, as many colors as desired
styrofoam tray (like a meat tray)
scissors
masking tape
something to use as a shuttle (a popsicle stick, a bone tool, etc.)
large plastic needle

1. Tape one end of yarn to the backside of the tray at the bottom corner as shown.



2. Wrap the yarn around the tray, back to front, until the whole tray is wrapped. Try to make the wraps equally spaced apart and finish with an even number of wraps. In this photo, I've wrapped around 8 times.



3. Turn the tray over to the front. The parallel lines you've just created is the warp. Now, cut some yarn about the length of your arm. You can use a new color or keep it the same. Tape one end of the yarn to your "shuttle". In the class, we used popsicle sticks, but at home I used one of our clay sculpting tools.



4. You're ready to start! Place the shuttle over or under (doesn't matter which) the first yarn and continue going over/under pulling the yarn through. Leave a nice sized tail.



5. If the shuttle finished by going over the last yarn, then go under the same yarn when you return and vice versa.



6. The yarn being woven through the warp is the weft. When you've used your length of yarn, cut, leave a tail, and tape on a new piece of yarn. Anytime you want to change colors, use the same technique. Again, if the shuttle finished by going over the last yarn, then start the new yarn by going under. If you finished under, then start by going over.



7. Here, I'm changing yarn colors. I'm using a bone tool as a shuttle and instead of taping the yarn, I'm just tying it through the hole.



8. I'm finished with the weaving part.



9. Turn the tray over and cut the thread through the center and un-tape the ends to release your weaving.



10. Now, you're ready to tie up all those loose ends!



11. Knot off the warp ends (the ones on the top and bottom) by tying in pairs.



12. The knot-tails can then be threaded through the weaving using your plastic needle. Don't do this step if you want to leave the threads for fringe.



12. Next, thread your plastic needle with a tail from the side and thread it through the length of the weaving. Continue until all tails are nicely tucked in.



13. All done!



Now, to give it a practical purpose, how about a nice cup of tea using your new woven coaster ;)

A Stitching Time

We had a nice break from our regular routine and went with our little homeschool group for another docent tour at one of the local galleries. This one was called The Seditious Stitch. The artists in the show seek to demonstrate that fiber arts, usually relegated to domestic and decorative craft, can be on par with modernist painting and sculpture.



Pieces above and below by artist Sheila Hicks



Work by Stephen Sollins...



Artist Hildur Bjarnadottir stitched "moss" on this tablecloth...



Sitting in the middle of "Lost in the Tall Grass: Sunday" by local artist Stephanie Marvel...



Sister trying her hand at weaving...



Our docent had a small activity for the kids afterwards - gluing a variety of yarn, in any inspired pattern, to a piece of black construction paper. The kids enjoyed the tour and it was nice for me to be able to sit back and let someone else be in charge for a bit ;) I enjoyed being a "bystander" and observing the kids in a different setting. I was able to concentrate on picture-taking and absorb all the creativity on display. Very relaxing and a good outing for all of us!

So Berry Easy

We almost always have fresh strawberries at the house, but the last couple of months they've been so expensive for just a few measly berries that it irked me to buy them. At the market the other day, they finally had a *somewhat* decent price, so we picked up a few baskets. We usually have them with granola and yogurt or just for snacking, but this time we decided to do something a little more decadent - white chocolate dipped strawberries! Mmmmmm.

These are so easy, you can have yourself a really special treat in no time. All you need are strawberries and candy melts. I'm sure you could use a package of white chocolate chips, but we had these left over from another project. We buy the candy melts in the cake decorating section of Michael's.

Melt the candy according to the directions (in the microwave). Wash and dry strawberries.

Dip. Lick your fingers. Place strawberries on wax paper. Place in frig. Gobble up.

Happy Spring!

Woot woot! The long awaited day is here! We celebrated the Equinox today. Although the calendar says it's the first day of spring, the three feet of snow still piled in our backyard says otherwise. We've lived here for 13 years now and have never had even close to the amount of snow we have right now for the Equinox. But, it still felt like Spring was in the air and we were there to welcome it with open arms!
We started the day with family tea...

then the kids found their baskets...


and explored the goodies...


They had a few chocolates and jellybeans (I don't see how they can do that so early in the day) and followed up with pancakes for breakfast.

We had our egg hunt indoors this year...

then, put our shoes on for a morning walk to greet the sun. We were hoping to find some signs of spring, but, alas, only saw... well... dirty snow and chatty magpies.

Tonight, we'll bundle up and go for a walk to greet the moon as well. The kids received some seeds in their Spring baskets, so we'll try to start those indoors in the next couple of days. It's been so nice this week; public schools had their Spring break, so we haven't had karate or horseback riding. I LOVE not having to be somewhere at a certain time; it feels so free and relaxing :)

Happy Spring Equinox everyone!

Hot Rock Eggs

I've been wanting to make these gorgeous hot rocks that Blair did with her kids for a while now, but we're waiting for the snow to melt so we can go rock hunting. In the meantime, I thought we'd give it a try on hard-boiled eggs instead! We hadn't done any egg-dying for the Equinox, so these were a quick remedy ;)

We hard-boiled the eggs first, then put them in a 350 degree oven to keep them hot. You must use tongs or a hot pad to remove them as they get VERY hot to touch. It was easiest to rest the hot eggs on the empty egg carton to keep them from rolling around.

We focused mostly on the "upside" of the egg since it's awkward, hot and messy to pick it up too much. It's very satisfying to see the crayons melt as they touch the egg, not to mention the nostalgic smell of warm, waxy crayons! I shaved some of the crayons with a paring knife and the kids used the shavings to sprinkle on top.

After they've completely cooled, you can give them a coat of Mod Podge to keep that "just melted" wax look ;)

To Hell With Scarlett's Curtain Dress...

I want Mammy's blanket! The kids and I have been learning about the Civil War and in the process have been watching a few related movies. We watched the second half of Gone With the Wind last night and I fell in love with the blanket shawl Mammy is wearing in one scene. It looks like crocheted granny squares to me, but its pattern is so much more detailed than you usually see. I tried to get some photos of the TV screen and this was the best I could do :( I guess you'll have to rent the movie to really appreciate it!

Retablo Refashioned

We thought it would be fun to make our own version of the retablos we saw the other day. I asked my husband if he could bring home some metal sheets for us to paint and he got some perfect ones from a roofing contractor. My husband is a general contractor and has access to lots of neat materials we can use in our art projects. I realize not everyone knows a roofing contractor to get metal sheets from ;) , but this project would be just as fun using a piece of cardboard or wood for the background.

Retablos are devotionals, generally reserved for saints, but we identify with a more Buddhist/Pagan/Pantheist theology. So, when I asked the kids who they wanted to show gratitude to, they all agreed on the sun.

We used this book to get some ideas for sun designs, then we got out our acrylic paints and metal canvases and the kids went to work! Little Brother told me what he wanted to write on his retablo. I'm not sure how to add Braille to it, I'm going to try making clear label tapes, but I'm not sure if they'll stick. Anyway, everyone really liked how they turned out and it was fun to have seen something in a gallery, then come home and transform it into a meaningful project.

Retablos

We met some fellow homeschoolers at the Art Center here in town for a docent tour. The Center is featuring an exhibit titled: Retablos, Reinterpreting a Tradition. A retablo is a small painting, usually on wood or metal, representing a saint from the Catholic religion. Part of the Mexican tradition, they were purchased for the home for devotionals or as a way to show gratitude to the saint.

The exhibit had antique retablos and ex-votos as well as new work by Boise artist Alma Gomez.

I liked this painting of "Saint" Frida Kahlo...

The docent gave a good explanation of this generational painting by Gomez.



The Center is located in a historic home built in 1883. The poet Ezra Pound was born in the house in 1885. In recent years, it was remodeled in the appropriate style of the late 19th century. Downstairs is the gallery and upstairs is reserved for visiting artists and musicians. Since no one was using it while we were there, we were lucky enough to get a quick tour.

Six Word Bio Meme

I was just kindly tagged by Penelope at Roots and Wings with this unique meme. Six words is just about my speed as I'm not a real "wordy" person in general, I feel more comfortable with visual images ;)  I usually labor over these things, but, to my relief, this one just popped into my head! Here are the rules, followed by my bio, attending photograph and others I'd like to tag....

Here's the story behind the meme (as copied from the original post):

As I read yet another book review of a memoir this weekend, my husband told me that I should write one. I said that my story would be much too short and rather boring so when I ran across the following book I decided it was just my speed. A six word memoir! Written by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure is a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were- For Sale: baby shoes, never worn. There’s a video on Amazon with examples from the book, it sounds like a fun read! I’d like to start a six word memoir meme and here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir

2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like

3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere

4 .Tag five more blogs with links

5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

Reads directions, doesn't necessarily follow them.



Now, if these folks would like to play along, I'd love to read their mini-biographies!
Becky at Farm School
Amber at Berlin's Whimsy
Denise at Mom in Madison
Zoe at Vale of Evening Fog
Elisheva at Ragamuffin Studies

Hello Kitty!

Ellen at Hurrayic hosted a give-away recently to everyone who made a comment regarding her little cat bags. We were one of the lucky recipients and Sister is thrilled with her sweet new kitty! Thank you so much Ellen!

"Jelly Beans" in the Snow

I was so intrigued with Ellen's cool "colored glass" I just had to give them a try. She has a great tutorial, so I don't need to add anything here. Although, in my haste to do this project, I picked up the only package of balloons they had at the market, not thinking much that they were marked Water Balloons. Apparently, "water balloons" break way easier than regular balloons so we had a lot of casualties :( Instead of putting ours in the freezer, we hung them in the tree outside so they could freeze over-night.



As I said, casualties significantly reduced our supply.



But the results are truly magical!



Little Brother was carrying around a stash of jellybeans as I was writing this post and I couldn't help but notice the symmetry....



Thanks, Ellen, for the wonderful idea!

DNA and Calendar Days

I like to use sites like these, Teacher Vision Calendar and The Teacher's Day-by-Day Calendar of Events, and this book, The Teacher's Calendar to add some "spice" to our daily life. These are resources of the What-Happened-Today-in-History variety. The kids enjoy it and I like the wide variety of topics it brings into the house.

So I wanted to share with you that on this day, in 1953, DNA was discovered. From my understanding, scientists knew it existed, but James Watson and Francis Crick identified it as the means of carrying genetic material in living organisms (or ones that reproduce). In my research, I came across this video from TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design). Filmed in February of 2005, James Watson tells the story of how he and Crick discovered the structure of DNA. It's about 20 minutes long, but worth your time. He's very funny and I thought the whole talk was extraordinary.

Sojourner Truth

For Black History Month, we've been focusing on some well-known African Americans. As always, there's GREAT information on the web, but I came across a video of Alice Walker reading Sojourner Truth's speech "Ain't I A Woman" that's just fantastic. I've listened to it many times now and it becomes more powerful with each reading. If you'd like to watch, click here. I also just finished reading her book, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. It's only 74 pages, so a quick read and easy to fit in when all those other books are stacked up waiting for me!

Snow Days, Gray Days, Blue Days

We've had so much snow this year, more than the usual amount. In the middle of the yard, it measures over four feet with drifts and piles easily twice that high. It's meant a lot of shoveling and snowblowing and ice chipping. When the kids hear it's supposed to snow again, they just groan, knowing more snow=more work. We aren't big skiers or snowboarders, although we do go occasionally. We're more likely to grab our ice skates and head to the nearby outdoor rink or hike down a snowy trail. We've had some overcast, gray, "here comes the snow" days...



and some bright, sunny blue days...



The photos above show ski trails that are groomed in a hay field for Nordic skiers (and their dog pals).

Nesting

As a follow up to our book the other day, we thought it would be fun to make some nests of our own. We gathered some materials: Sculpey clay, feathers, twigs, beads and a variety of string and thread. We also used some hay from our guinea pig.

We shaped the Sculpey then added beads and string before putting it in the oven to bake.

Afterwards, we let the nest cool then glued on feathers, hay, twigs, etc.

Looks cozy, don't you think? ;)

Did you know February is National Bird Feeding Month?

Click here to learn how to make your backyard a sanctuary for birds.

And So They Build

I'm always drawn to books with beautiful illustrations especially if the pictures are from nature, so when I saw this book a while ago at the book store, it's no surprise it ended up on my bookshelf at home. And So They Build is written and illustrated by the award-winning artist Bert Kitchen and can be enjoyed by any age. Don't be deceived by the cover, this book contains information about a variety of fascinating animals that build intricate and complex nests for their young, not just birds. The bird on the cover is the Satin Bowerbird and we thought it was one of the most interesting animals in the book. We did some research and found this video clip hosted by David Attenborough. Take a moment and click through, you won't regret it! Here are a few photos from the book to give you an idea how exquisite the artwork is.

Male Satin Bowerbird

Cubitermes Termites

Harvest Mouse

Swallows