August 2010

NOTE: Michelle shared this post a couple of years ago. We have a project to share this week, but before we do, we wanted to repost this story on Letterboxing. If you haven't discovered this past time with your children, you are in for a treat :) 

This summer we have discovered a fun new hobby... Letterboxing or as my kids call it... Treasure Hunting.

What is Letterboxing? It is a fun hobby that combines hiking, clues/maps and stamp collecting. You follow the clue to find a box. Inside the box you will find a special stamp and a notebook in a waterproof container. You stamp your notebook with the found stamp and the Letterbox notebook with your signature stamp, then you re-hide the box. This is a great way to encourage kids to hike! The first time out my little ones did a 3 mile hike and wanted to keep going for the next box.

What do you need to get started... just a journal for collecting stamps, a signature stamp to leave your mark (homemade or store bought), an ink pad and pen, possibly a compass and a clue map. I also keep sunblock, bug spray and a water bottle in our pack.

To find lettingboxing hunts in your area log on to Atlas Quest. Choose a hunt that is active (been found recently) and has in fact been found before. Some letterboxes are not maintained well and it is very discouraging if you can't find the box, especially the first time out.

I have printed out a bunch of hunts in our area and we leave our letterboxing kit in the car. It has become a fun spur of the moment, afternoon activity for us. We have not created our own signature stamps... yet. We will sometime soon but I was anxious to get started so we grabbed what we already had and set off on an adventure.

Have any of you tried letterboxing yet? Our favorite find so far was found in a small, old cemetery. It was a very cool fairy stamp.

Last week was Drew and Meghan's baby shower. Whole families were invited to attend and this was the post script on the invitations, "Gentlemen: You are welcome to bring a Daddy Survival Gift."  Not surprisingly, Drew received assorted libations, several books like 50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children to Do and The Dangerous Book for Boys and even a coveted set of vintage Lawn Jarts with the original metal tips! BOYS! It seems like whenever they... meaning men and BOYS... get together, they find new ways to flirt with danger, and the larger the "pack" the more perilous their feats become! The photos above were taken at a backyard barbecue last year, when the boys decided it would be great fun to deconstructed part of the play structure to caber toss??? Now, this doesn't mean women and girls are incapable of behaving in a reckless manner, I'm just saying... Anyway, all of this reminded me of a post on One Generation to Another, first published June 24, 2008. Enjoy!   

Is it just me or as a girl is it sometimes hard to totally get BOYS? I should. I didn’t have sisters. I was raised with 3 brothers, so by association, I probably did more boy things than many girls. And I had 2 boys of my own. But there’s this line…let’s call it, hmmm…common sense…that most girls won’t cross. I don’t mean to be sexist, but in my vast years, it has been my experience that boys will often do things that most girls wouldn’t consider. Before anyone says anything, yes, I know, many of us were “Tom Boys”, loved to run and play sports, weren’t afraid of spiders, and could spit with the best of them. What I’m talking about here is that unexplainable willingness to put your body at risk and do unimaginably gross things for, for, see, there’s my point, I really don’t get why they do some of the things they do! BOYS!!!

Take the movie Jack *ss. Now, this is a movie you couldn't have dragged me bound and gagged to the theater to view. But, while visiting my son in South Carolina, he was flipping through stations and stumbled upon it. I sat there for about 20 minutes watching this movie with Adam and Tim and saw one man put a leech on his eyeball, another strap a rocket to his back and allow himself to be shot out into the middle of a lake, and another drink an unmentionable animal excretion. While watching this I groaned, but Tim and Adam chortled, and used words like “Sweet” and seemed to be cheering the men on from the couch. I found myself asking “Who in their right mind would do something like that?” and the apparent answer…BOYS!

Sure, you say... but that’s just a movie. Those guys get paid a ton of money to do stuff like that. Again, referring to my vast years, it has been my experience that most men and boys don’t need an incentive beyond a dare to do something totally moronic! For example, one of my brothers’ favorite pastimes was playing a variation of dodge ball. In their version, they’d turn off all the lights in the basement, stealth around the room, and throw darts at one another. They encouraged me to join in the fun, but I was disinclined to acquiesce to their request! Common sense and a healthy fear of pain wouldn’t allow me. Our daughter Liz's boyfriend, Kyle was relating a story about when his family was putting a pool in his parent’s backyard. They were unearthing tons of worms. At one point his dad held one up to his sister and said, “I’ll give you $20.00 right here, right now if you eat this.” She grimaced and shook her head. “No way,” she said. Kyle then offered to eat one for $20.00. When his dad refused, he shrugged his shoulders, and let one slide down his throat anyway. BOYS!

Boys dare each other to put their tongues on batteries, jump off anything that is high, and sneak into any place they are forbidden to go. They also possess, what can only be a throw back from Neanderthal days, a fascination with fire. Every man I have every known has some horrific story involving fire. And if you think they outgrow this, look no farther than your backyard barbecue. It might be hard to get your hubby in the kitchen to throw together Mac N’ Cheese, but give him a slab of meat and a healthy fire, and wah-lah…dinner! (Of course any real man will make the distinction between cooking and grilling!) Add their incomprehensible fascination with blowing up things, and it’s no wonder they have to fight the urge to cut across 3 lanes of traffic whenever they pass a roadside fireworks stand! BOYS!!!

As a young girl I did not question the adage “BOYS will be BOYS” I just had no idea that the average 65 year old man still possess a healthy dose of BOY. When traveling in a pack, grown up men still do idiotic things. Go to a chicken wings bar with a group of men. You’ll still hear comments like, “I dare you to put 10 drops of Diablo Hot Sauce on your tongue.” I can guarantee you there will be at least one taker, if not the whole table, that will do it. A couple of years ago, at a family backyard picnic, the men decided it would be great fun to take turns running across the backyard as the group on the sidelines tried to shoot bottle rockets at them. The women watched, occasionally putting out a smoking shirt, and plotted the quickest route to urgent care. There is no doubt that men can be mature. They are doctors and lawyers; factory workers and mailmen; pilots and priests. They do their jobs…we count on them. But every once in a while, the 10 year old resurfaces, and they are invincible…able to leap tall buildings, jump through burning hoops, or eat a garden worm on a dare. BOYS!!!

You might wonder what inspired the theme for this week's blog. Well, with summer upon us, I'm sitting here listening to fireworks going off in our neighborhood. Besides trying to encourage our gun shy border collie to stop shaking, I have this unexplainable desire to keep our fire extinguisher at arms reach. Let's face it, with boys around you can never be too careful!

So, what's the craziest BOY thing your dad, brother, son, boyfriend, husband, or other significant male has done that made you shake your head and say, "BOYS!"?

This project started off on a whim. I was at my mom's and had forgotten my knitting bag at home. What to do while enjoying a cup of coffee while the kids played? I raided my mom's stash of felt-able wool and came up with this cute little pouch.

I was originally intending it to work for me as a cell phone/wallet carrier. My hubby harps on me because I never have my cell phone on me... I always leave it in my purse in the car. The pouch size turned out perfect for my cell phone and wallet... but the strap wasn't quite long enough to work as a messenger style strap... which is what I wanted. BUT it makes the cutest purse for my girls! Fairy inherited this one and I will be making another one for Pixie... and yes probably a third for me with double the length in strap.

Needed:
Worsted Weight Felting Wool (don't know how much... I was stash busting scraps)
Size 11 needles
Large button
Gauge is 6 sts = 2"

Cast on 41 sts with two strands of worsted weight 100% wool. Work with double strands of yarn throughout the piece.

All rows: Slip 1, Knit to end until piece measures 6" x 13".

Fold in half and stitch up the sides.

Cast on 7 sts. Work in garter stitch for 3 feet (for child), 5-6 feet (for adult). NOTE: I like the 7 sts width for the child pouch but I will probably only use 5 sts when I make one for myself. Stitch the strap in place.

Braid 6 strands of yarn into a 4 inch long cord (or make an i-cord). Sew it in a U shape to the top edge of one side of the pouch.

Wash and dry on hot along with a towel to felt. Sew on a large button on the opposite side of the opening for your closure.

Last week we dusted off some of our books, pushed aside the stacks of papers I never got a chance to organize from last year and dove into a new school year. Although I didn't feel totally prepared myself (our library needs some serious purging and reorganizing), the kids were ready for their routine to be re-established and were begging to start school.

This year in history we will be studying the Middle Ages. Bug is chomping at the bit to get into all of our history lessons... he has ear marked many, many pages in our Days of Knights and Damsels Activity Guide. The first project on our list were these Medieval Pockets. Clothing during the Middle Ages did not have pockets sew in and were instead worn on belts.

This felt version was fun to make. The kids helped cut out the pockets. Then they decided that they wanted to embroider pictures on the fronts of their pockets. Bug had a very specific spiral motif in mind, Fairy wanted to add her name and a flower and Pixie had the grandest plans of all... she kept telling us she was making a cow. LOL - squint, stand on your head or well hmmm... not sure I can get it to look like a cow. But she was pretty pleased with her pocket. Gammy joined in and made a beautiful flower pocket. I was busy helping little hands. After completing their pockets, the kids took them outside to fill with little treasures.

 

We haven't started up with everything yet. We will not be starting our Harvest Unit until September... the week of the seventh most likely. And, for everyone who keeps asking, I plan to have my Winter Unit posted in the next week or two. It is all done, it just needs some editing. The Spring Unit will probably not be posted until sometime later in the fall. I haven't even started typing it up. You can start looking for it at the end of September... my personal due date though is Halloween.

"Nooks and Crannies" are special places in our homes and gardens that deserve mention. It is not a whole room, but rather a single element that adds to the overall charm or functionality of the space. Words may accompany photos or photos can speak for themselves.

If you would like to share one of your "Nooks and Crannies", just link to it in the comments and others will be able to stop by and take a peek!

Although we are empty nesters, we still need to share our space with visiting children and grandchildren. My craft room needs to double as a guest room when the need arises. My totally brilliant and accommodating Timothy introduced me to the wonders of a Murphy Bed, then built one in my craft room. When guests are visiting, we pull the bed down. When they leave, we fold up the bed, return my table, and wah-lah, I have my craft room back. BTW... I am aware that I have not finished painting the door panels of the Murphy Bed... I've been aware of that for 6 years :) AND, before anyone asks... No, we did not trap little George in the bed! 

For more information about Murphy Beds check out these two sites.

http://www.Wallbed.Com
http://plansnow.com/dn1117.html

{this moment} - A Friday ritual began by Amanda at Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment you want to pause, savor and remember.

Have a lovely weekend ~ Kimara and Michelle

Winter Wonderland 12 Week Curriculum
(Preschool-Kindergarten / Ages 4-6)
CLICK HERE FOR PDF

Here is the second preschool/Kindergarten term that I know many of you have been anxiously waiting to see. It has a very similar rhythm to the Harvest Time unit with a focus on animals in winter and simple nature studies. Enjoy!

(I have noticed that for some reason Winter Wonderland has the alphabet scheduled in alphabetical order whereas the other units are scheduled base on the ETC order. Updating the unit to flow with the ETC is on my to-do list... in the meantime I just wanted readers to be aware of the mix-up. Use the order that works best for your family.)

If you are working on the unit and would like to include the button on the blog... here it is. You can copy and save it to your computer or just copy the text below and paste it on your page.

Fall is just starting to creep in around here. In the past week we've noticed a few trees in our yard that have leaves that are tipped with gold. Chilly mornings have led to the kids digging deeper into their drawers pulling out long sleeved shirts (although by mid-afternoon these are really too warm to wear) and maybe most noticeably the food requests have started changing. Chili with cornbread and Vegetable Beef Soup with dumplings have made it to the table in the last week. Today after school we plan to switch out our seasonal decor and prepare our nature table for the fall.

This has reminded me of a fun project the kids and I did last year around this time. We made this Felt Fall Leaves Garland together. This was originally posted on Wee Folk Activities in September 2009.

It has been cold and rainy all day. So after we finished up our school activities we raided the craft cabinet for a project. This is what we came up with... a Felt Leaves Fall Garland.

What you need...
Various pieces of fall colored felt (craft felt is perfectly fine here - no need for wool)
Yarn
Yarn needle
Lots of beads with large holes
Leaf Pattern (get one from Wee Folk Art or collect leaves from your yard and trace)
(Embroidery floss or fabric paint if you would like to add the leaf vein details - after trying one, we decided to leave ours plain).

Cut out a bunch of felt leaves (we used 13).

Cut a long piece of yarn (3 to 4 yards) or for multiple family members cut out a yard of yarn each.

Poke the yarn needle through the top of a leaf about 1/2" from the edge and tie a large knot on one end.

String about 12" of beads and then add another felt leaf. Continue until you have strung all of your garland.

We each beaded a one yard section starting with a leaf and ending with a section of beads.

I took all the completed sections, tied them together, added the last leaf so both ends ended with a leaf, then trimmed the yarn to make our one long garland piece.

I think it adds a fun festive touch to our mantle.

NOTE: This give-away is now closed. Congrats to the 2 winners!

I can remember the excitement of back-to-school shopping. Even as a child, fall was my favorite season... the sites, the smells, and yes, even the start up of another school year. Fall clothes were my favorite. I loved corduroy and tights, sweaters and autumn prints. The world was experiencing an explosion of earthy colors, and I loved my clothes to reflect the change.

Today, I still love preparing for fall. And it always means changing COLORS. Recently, Michelle and I have been talking about giving Wee Folk Art a bit of a face lift. We wanted to maintain the "feel" of WFA, but wanted to bring in a little more color. Michelle got right on it. I love our phone calls when she's designing... "Hey, Mom, check this out". I'm always so impressed with her work and her attention to detail.

So, after a couple of weeks of planning and designing, here's Wee Folk Art's new "rainbow" look. Hope you like it... I LOVE it! And it couldn't come at a better time... the start of Fall and the changing of colors. Over the next couple of weeks we will be doing some reorganization, and we will keep you updated on our changes and offer some highlights. In the meantime, we wanted to celebrate our new look, with a little giveaway.

Pixie's birthday is September 17, and this year, I'm making her gifts with the same "rainbow" theme as Wee Folk Art. (More about THAT later.) Anyway... one of the things I'm making her is a set of 6 lavender scented, rainbow beanbags. (Yet to be made... waiting on the lavender.) We decided to make an extra set to giveaway. So, if you'd like a chance to win a set, simply leave a comment below. Share the giveaway with your friends through tweets, Facebook, or your blog, and get another chance to win for each posting. (Make a separate comment for each and leave a link.) The contest will run until Wednesday, September 1, at 9:00 pm, when a winner will be drawn at random. Good luck to all... and THANK YOU MICHELLE! I love the new look!