snapshots

Srawberry Fields....forever. (I know, lame.)

It is September 21st, and we're still getting a cup or two every day. I am dreading the first frost.

SFG envy

On Father's Day we wandered around in Fairhaven with the in-laws. I stumbled across this heavenly square foot garden. Next year, maybe...

 

How-To: Make A Fairy House

Guest blogger, Mady Ellars, 13

This is my first time ever blogging, so please excuse any errors. I have only been a teenager for two days anyway!

Fairy houses are miniature houses built in the forest, perfect for fairies! It is a great activity for young kids, especially little girls, and it is wonderful for older, more patient kids as well. They should be made of only natural materials, but a little bit of glue won't hurt.

Finding a location is the hardest part. If you are camping, there are often many trees close to the campsite that will be close enough for safety, but still private enough for imagination. Try to have your kids work alone, or perhaps an older kid with a younger kid. This allows them to be creative and have their own special project.

What you will need:

• An oldish sort of tree, with two roots creating a semicircle
• A forest, with a clearing near the tree
• Natural objects (shells, leaves, ferns, twigs, rocks, pebbles, grasses, berries, bark)
• Glue (optional)
• A creative and imaginative mind!

First, look for a tree. Red cedars are just right, as well as abundant, but really any tree will do. It should have a little hollow at the base, shaped as a little semicircle. It will take some time to find the right one, but it is very rewarding when you find the perfect one. Look for a location that isn't too close to a path or where people come frequently. A great place to find is one with a bit of sunshine that can poke through, making a very magical atmosphere!

Next, collect a couple of natural objects that seem to already have a purpose. For example, a curved piece of bark for a slide, bright berries for hanging lanterns (make sure your kids know which are and aren't poisonous), or a lumpy rock that looks just like a couch. You can go and collect more as you need it, but it is good to have a few things to begin with so you don't have to keep running to the hill where the blueberries grow just to find you forgot which tree you were working at.

Then begin to build! Your house should be small enough that only your hand can fit through the doorway. Start by making walls, which you can do by poking sticks into the ground next to each other and weaving a little bit of grass in between them, or by piling up rocks. You can then make the roof. Fairies like green rooftops to blend in, but really any material will do. The house Keston and I built had large ferns curved with their stems tucked under some twigs, and a few twigs poking across to hold them up. You can then decorate the inside. Here are some ideas:

• A leaf covered "carpeted" floor
• A daisy rug
• A stone couch
• Grass and leaves in a pile to make a beanbag
• A round piece of wood for a table, with smaller round pieces for chairs
• A piece of bark wrapped in a leaf for a bed, complete with pebble pillows

You can then choose to make a doorway. You do not have to, because you may want the interior showing, but you can use bark, twigs, or rocks to make a front wall. A door is, again, optional.

After the house is built you can make a yard. You can build a fence, a garden, ladders, swings, or whatever else you can come up with.

Swings are quite lovely, and very simple to make. You use a curved branch, then tie two pieces of grass to it. Then tie a small, rectangular piece of bark onto the bottom of the grass. The swing makes it look like a house, instead of (in little kids' cases) a pile of sticks and leaves.

You should also make a dancing circle. It is something faries are quite famous for, and they will appreciate a permanent one that doesn't have to be remade for each of their parties (which are very wild and last all through the night). Just place pebbles into a circle, making sure they are slightly pressed into the dirt. A lantern is also nice, and it can be made by poking a berry onto a curving stick.

Once your house and yard have been built, a fairy is ready to move in! Check back at your fairy tree about once a month, and make any repairs nessecary. You might just find tiny footprints, or even additions to your house. This isn't very common, but occasionally a person might stumble upon your house and find a need to make a fire pit, or a tree house. Always remember to be courteous when you find other fairy houses, and do not break them.

Here are more ideas, and here are some fun books to read to your kids about fairy houses.

This is a pretty long post, so I will now be finishing it. Feel free to comment about any fairy sightings...Check back for more possible guest bloggings!

Square Foot Garden

Anyone else doing a Square Foot Garden? So far, it's been really easy. My kids are looking forward to the strawberries, and I am looking forward to not paying for organic strawberries anymore! I should have planted a whole box of strawberries...   We have one box of salad stuff, one of dinner veggies and fruit, and one box of late summer harvest.   If you missed it, this book is awesome! It's not too late!

Summer Plans and Activity Ideas

Each spring, just before summer gets into full swing, we make a list of all the things we want to do in the summer months. Then we fill it all into a calendar, just to make sure we get to do everything we want, without the days slipping by.

{To make your own list, start by looking in the Sunday papers for ads of local events, and then look to your Parks Department for free activities and community events.} Click on the links I have added, there are lots of great ones!

Here's our '08 list:

1. go camping, at least twice. (tips here.)
2. make smore's in our backyard firepit.
3. birthday parties for Jenson, Mady, and Frank
4. have a memorial day bbq (recipes here.)
5. go to Jetty Island
6. spend a day at Forest Park, including swimming and petting zoo
7. road trip to Ocean Shores to use our timeshare 'bonus'
8. use our timeshare 'bonus' in Lynden at Homestead
9. many trips to Bloedel for beach play
10. trip to Granville Island
11. Whistler business trip
12. read books in the backyard on blankets with iced tea
13. garage saleing to hunt for fun outdoor toys
14. make our own ice cream
15. go for drives in the MGB with the top down
16. Birch Bay Discovery Days parade
17. Buy candy and snow cones at the C Shop
18. waterslides (my own childhood favorite!)
19. participate in the Barnes and Noble summer reading program
20. Participate in the public library reading program
21. go to a couple outdoor movies
22. go to the free Regal children's movies
23. have an Alex's Lemonade Stand
24. Square Foot Garden
25. picnics at out local water spray parks
26. many walks along Taylor Dock, with treats at Woods Coffee
27. Faith Academy camp
28. Relay for Life
29. plant more trees in the backyard
30. shop farmer's markets
31. go to the zoo
32. play horse shoes at Cornwall park
33. Park days with our Mops group
34. Edaleen Dairy for the famous 35 cent cones
35. pick strawberries, blueberries and raspberries locally
36. take many beautiful photos
37. Children's Art Festival, a yearly tradition
38. chalk art festival
39. many walks to Starbuck's with Jen
40. Brown Bag Children's Concerts
41. trip to Tahoe! (aunties, when do you want us?)
42. watch my uncle Johnnie play. He's a rockstar, you know,
43. swim in Lake Tahoe (aka - lay on the beach like sea lions at Skylandia)
44. 4th of July picnic and fireworks
45. invite myself to harvest lovely flower starts from my 'adopted mom's' garden
46. take our little raft out in Lake Whatcom
47. try lots of new recipes for 'summer' foods with our SFG harvest
48. hike
49. day trip to Friday Harbor
50. summer art projects

Make Your Own Small, Free, Compost Box

Per my 2008 Goals, the kids and I are almost finished with the construction of our Square Foot Gardens. If you are Square Foot Gardening, (or growing anything, anywhere!) having your own source of compost is going to be very helpful. So I came up with this little free version this weekend. Here's what to do:

1. Find a plastic tote with a lid, from around the house (large one, like a Rubbermaid type bin).

2. Fill it with a layer of soil or peat moss, from around the garden. Maybe about three or four inches deep or so. I used peat moss, since I have plenty around from making the Square Foot Gardens.

3. Add a layer of shredded strips of newspaper. We used about half of a Sunday paper for this.

4. Add a good layer of "brown matter". Brown matter is dead twigs, leaves, hay, prunings, and plant stuff, like last summer's dried up blooms.  You actually need more brown matter than food scraps, so just look around your garden at anything dried up.

5. Now the fun part... food scraps from your kitchen. Orange rinds, coffee grounds and coffee filters, tea bags, spoiling produce, avocado peels, banana peels, carrot peels, apple cores, egg shells ( crushed), watermelon rinds... you get the idea. If the bits are small, it is best, and will break down quicker. (So chop your junk!) For this compost, don't add any dairy or meat type stuff, and stay away from bread too. Keep adding this stuff until you have only a little space left in the box. Add more brown matter as you go, too. A good balance of brown matter is very important for the process. Not enough brown matter could result in a yucky, slimey situation.

6. Cover it tightly with the lid. To make sure that little creatures don't get involved,  put heavy stones on the top.

7. Tuck away, somewhere close. Mine is right out the glass doors, tucked under a chair. When summer gets nearer, maybe I'll find a more out of the way spot.

8. The next step is to turn the compost every few days. This will make the process happen more quickly. To turn, just use a rake or some other thing you can fit in, then rinse off when you're done. Stir it up, move it around, get some air into it. The one other factor is moisture. You definitely don't want it soaking wet, but slightly damp will help the process along. Just add some fresh water as you notice it is dry.

9. That's it! Keep stirring, wait about six weeks or so, until it is crumbly like dirt, and you can't recognize what you put into it to start with. You'll know when it is ready! That's that! You can add it to your flower gardens, or vegetable gardens and it will add lots of nutrients.

Other tips:

• If you need more compost, you can start a second bin a couple weeks after the first one, and then another a couple weeks after that. This way, every couple weeks, you'll have fresh, finished, compost to add to the garden. I am just going to stick with one I think, though!
• The brown matter really is important. Do make sure to add equal-ish amounts of it, along with the food scraps. Sawdust will work too.
• Worms totally aren't required!
• If it gets too stinky or gooey, you probably have either a.) too much water, or b.) not enough brown matter. It will be a little unpleasant smelling, but shouldn't be gross-bad. :)
• If it really floats your boat after this trial, you can buy commercial bins made specifically for composting. But really, this free approach should work just fine!

For more info., you can look here or here.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out! Happy composting!

oh, my sweet daffodils,

you have come back to me!

For good reason, daffodils are my favorite. A sign of new and fresh. (Nadine, as you can see, your photography expertise is much needed!) The tray was a Christmas gift - I love it! It is spun bamboo. The little bird was thrifted last week.  This little collection on my dining table just makes me happy.

lovely

We had a lovely evening this week to celebrate a special birthday.  She and I have been friends since we were five years old.  She has been gracious enough, over the years, to share her whole extended family with us.

And aren't we also blessed to get to enjoy such a beautiful home and garden?  Lots of my own chilhood memories are here, too. We ate our dinner and dessert in the gazebo with birds singing in the background. It is straight out of Country Living, don't you think? Vintage dishes and embroidered lace tablecloths at each little rustic table.

And my "adopted mom" is the sweetest, best hostess!  She pulls off these family get-togethers for almost every holiday, everyone's birthdays (including mine!), and a few more for good measure throughout the year.  She never gets worried about the kids breaking things, and is quite gracious when accidents do happen, and says, 'it's just stuff!'.  She is an incredible matriarch.  Her other half is pretty wonderful too, along with the rest of the family.

Everything is so picturesque, I couldn't decide on just a few.  Incidentally, this is the same garden where I took the photo of the bird's nest with eggs that is my banner. Enjoy the tour!

 

 

S'more firepit love

And a fun time was had by all.  The kids gathered the firewood, built and lit the fire.  Lots of smores were consumed, and then we all went to bed smelling like chain-smokers.

while he was out

Frank was out of town on a business trip this week.  Every time he is gone, some version of While You Were Out is happening around our house.  Usually I paint some walls and re-do rooms. This time was a little different, and the kids and I While You Were Out-ed the backyard.

Now it is not because Frank will particularly enjoy the re-dos, it is more because I feel like there's a little more time to do big projects that I want done. (As in, cereal for dinner and not stopping to clean the rest of the house.)  However, I pretty much always welcome him home with "Look what I did for you!", as if it were all done for his benefit.  I think he is on to me, but we seem to have a little unspoken agreement worked out, where he pretends it was all for him, and how nice of me it was.

My first plan for this trip of his, was to paint our master bathroom, which is just short of huge.  It would have taken me two weeks.  But then, I was inspired by this little scene.

So I dropped him off at the airport Sunday morning, and the kids and I started gathering supplies.  The woman at the place we bought the tree (a purple leaf plum) was very doubtful that we'd be able to get it into my vehicle.  We proved her wrong, and away we went to ditch it and load all the car seats into Frank's car.  Off we went again, this time it took a forklift to put all the pavers into the back.  And bags of sand, pea gravel, and other such necessities.

Next, some stops at thrift stores to re-create the little table that started it all in the first place. It took some searching, but we found exactly what we needed.  It went along the lines of scraplifting, except that I was table-lifting.  Right down to the little Mexican vase and yellow glassware.  The sincerest form of flattery?  A thrifted bed sheet was the perfect table cloth, and some assorted matching cloth napkins.  And because I envision a summer that includes lots of outdoor eating, I bought both flat sheets, one for washing, one for eating.  We found a yellow vase and an aqua citronella candle.

A few more plants and we were ready to go.  We got everything home and started the project.  Unloading the bricks was the perfect job for developing a boy into a man.  I felt like I was Renee.  We had also discussed our budget ahead of time, reminding me of Renee's post about home-economics.

So the work began and we managed to dig (forever, like four hours in the hard clay) a hole to make the drainage system for our fire pit!  It turned out well, and we're pretty excited for the maiden voyage with the s'mores, sometime this weekend.  I think the kids were more excited about the idea of eating a lot of s'mores all summer than anything else.

Next, we planted the tree, and the other assorted plants, including an herb garden pot.  I scrubbed the deck with some kind of nasty chemical, and it is looking like new.  A few cushions for the chairs, and it is just what we were hoping for.  It is a place we'll want to be this summer.  Anyone want to come over?

                                          

gardening with the babe

 

I did some gardening last week with the small one.  She was a very good helper, especially at working in some fresh topsoil.  My favorites in this little area right now are the pulmonaria and the foliage of the coral bells and spirea.  I love the contrast of the burgandy and lime.  Yay for springtime and gardening!  My helper and I have big plans in the back garden today. :)

happy easter!

 

Happy Easter!  We had a lovely day with lots of family, a delicious meal, and thankfulness for Jesus rising.

And, the egg hunt.  Such a beautiful place for our egg hunt every year! My "adoptive mom" is an amazing gardener.  We also had the 5th annual "grown-up" hunt alongside the kids'.  The rule is that the big people don't touch the plastic eggs, and the little people don't touch the bottles.  I'm proud to say I came up with the tradition myself.  :)

I'm a lover, not a fighter.

This is the nice officer that came to investigate my "Assault 4th Degree" this morning.   Not exactly the morning I had planned.  I was working on a happier post about my trip with lots of photos, but it got lost in the shuffle today.

As a result of some yucky stuff in my childhood, I tend to not want to take much crap from people, and am pretty good at standing up for myself.  So when the lady let her dogs pee in my grass this morning for the hundredth time, I opened the door, in my pajamas, and said, "Please don't let your dogs pee on my grass." ...on the advice of my auntie who said it was rude, and she is a dog lover.   

Simple enough request, right?  Well she stood there, and said "What are you gonna do about it?  They're just peeing."  I told her I didn't like the spots it was causing in my grass (because they do it two times everyday on their walk), and that my kids play in the grass and I'd just prefer she didn't let them pee there. 

She kept at it, all the while one of the dogs still in my grass.  Not just along the edge near the sidewalk or something, but in the middle of my lawn.  The other dog was at my garage door by then, both on those retracting leash things.  Long leashes.  By then I was shouting at her, get your dogs off of my property!  She told me I better call about all the dogs that run loose in the neighborhood.  Very rarely a dog might get out, and that doesn't bother me, stuff happens.  But when she deliberately lets her dogs pee in my grass twice a day, I get a bit annoyed.  I told her I didn't need to call about any dogs, I don't even have any dogs!  She continued on with "What are you gonna do?", at this point in the middle of my driveway.

By now Jenson and Keston were there, wondering what was going on.  I was about to tug at the long leash to pull her dog away, and before I saw it coming, she hit me!  In the back of my head & neck.  In my driveway, with my kids watching.  I went in to the house, and she mosied on down the street, dogs stopping in every yard.  

I called my friend-neighbor Jen who came over and she called 911, and her big husband got in the car and chased after crazy lady to get her address.  They had some words, where she admitted her dogs were peeing in the grass, she knew I wasn't going to hurt her dogs, and she shouldn't have hit me.  Um, duh.

Sherriff came, got the story, went to speak with her, got the same story.  He said she seemed reasonable. I mentioned that I thought not so much. :)  My choice is to press charges of 4th Degree Assault, or let her go with the sherriff's talking to.

Of course she hit me in the neck and head, where I have injuries from the car accident.  Went to the chiropractor a bit ago, and feeling pretty sore.  For a 50-ish year old lady, she was tough. And mean.  Tough and mean and kicked my butt. 

Maybe tomorrow I'll have a nicer post with lots of fun vacation pictures. :)

So I listed this under the category "Gardening", because I don't have an Assault category. :) 

Edited: We drove by her house to see which one it was.....   all rocks, no lawn.  Go figure.  And, Edited again: She moved away. Her house is still up for sale, but I've never seen her or her dumb dogs again. :)