We just found out last week that my son Drew, and his wife Meghan, are having a baby girl! We are all very excited… well ALMOST everyone is excited. Poor Bug is surrounded by girls and was hoping that his new cousin would be a boy. Pixie and Fairy couldn’t be more excited and are already …
The children in The Thicket always look forward to the approaching summer months. This means the days themselves grow like weeds, with more hours of daylight allowing for more hours of fun. But this also means, that at the close of the day, the wee ones are often allowed to sit around the campfire with their …
Today I spent an entirely exhausting but wonderfully fulfilling day in the gardens. Michelle’s family came over to “Help Gammy”. Seven year old Bug learned to prune a small crab apple tree. Five year old Fairy showed her might as she hauled bags of mulch. And three year old Pixie impressed us all as she shoveled pea …
Now that spring has sprung, our pond has come alive! Reeds and lily pads, ducks and water lilies… not to mention our newest addition… frogs! In my humble opinion, every household needs its fair share of frogs. Literature would back me up on this. Think of how many fairy tales, poems and songs have frogs as their …
If you haven’t done it already, it’s time to get your gnome home ready for the warm days of spring and summer. Below are some of our past gnomey spring things. Just click on the picture to take you to the tutorials. I have a few other warm weather accents I’ll be adding soon! Felt Flower …
First posted on One Generation to Another on May 13, 2008. I brought my mother buttercups one day when she was weary, She said I brought the sun inside, so shiny bright and cheery. And then my mother winked at me, and then I heard her mutter, I’m glad there’s sun in buttercups, instead of …
I don’t know exactly what made me think about this the other day, but when Tim and I were talking and it occurred to me that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a “Just Married” sign on the back of a car or the ubiquitous Kleenex Carnations from our youth plastered all over …
I don’t know exactly what made me think about this the other day, but when Tim and I were talking and it occurred to me that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a “Just Married” sign on the back of a car or the ubiquitous Kleenex Carnations from our youth plastered all over it. …
I have always been fascinated by unique collective nouns. For instance, did you know a group of mice is called a “mischief”? Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Or that dolphins travel in pods? Other names are band, horde, tribe, and coalition. (For a bunch of animal collective nouns, check out this list.) When I went to post this tutorial, …
Three selfish frogs learn a valuable lesson about sharing from a toad and a very scary thunderstorm in Leo Lionni’s It’s Mine. I created the pattern for the Water Lily and the Lily Pads to extend the story but you can certainly use these for decorating or adding to a nature table. I made 3 …
Recently I started replacing my old, dearly loved, but showing their age play silks with new ones. (I’m mulling some ideas around on how to repurpose them!) I wanted a way of storing the silks that was accessible to the wee ones but added to my home’s decor. (I am working on a blog “Hidden in Plain Site” …
It began as a desire to have a few props for some of Leo Lionni’s books. I especially wanted to focus on It’s Mine. I began by drawing a frog and toad to be cut from wood, which I shall be sharing as soon as I cut out my toad. I then decided the frogs needed lily …
