Old Lady Who Lived in A Shoe

That's me there...the old lady with the laundry and the many children! Ok, so I only have 2, but our "Shoe" looks as if there were many more. Have to take the day off from the blogging to, I hate to say it, tidy up.

A Little Tale of Mice

The little mice came out to play,


One very smart mouse ran away!

"Where did he go?" The red one said, "I sure hope he's found well and certainly not dead!"

Joyous reunion!

He's been found!

All is well, safe and sound!

Story written by the little ladies. Red mouse sewn by A (with a little help).

The King of the Forest...The Great Oak!

We have twin oak trees in our front yard that my parents planted when I was 8 years old; wow, was that really 30 years ago? They were just sticks when they were planted and now they tower over our house! These beautiful trees inspire me in so many ways!

Did you know that if you wear or carry an acorn in your pocket it brings you good luck? They are symbols of immortality, protection, healing, fertility, strength, wisdom, money and longevity. Acorns placed in the window keep your home safe from harm and from being struck by lightning.

Also, did you know that if you catch a falling oak leaf you will be free from colds all winter?


Knowing this inspired me to make little acorn pendants and oak leaf hair pins for my family and friends. Doesn't everybody need a little luck, protection and longevity in their lives?

Making Snow Cream

With a lot of fresh snow on the ground we thought, "What a perfect day for snow cream!" Here's whatcha need:

1 gallon snow, 1 cup milk (we used soy), 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla

Go outside and get some snow, preferably not the yellow kind!

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl.

Stir with a whisk.

And finally taste.

It keeps in the freezer for about a day or so, but is best when eaten fresh! Enjoy!

Mystery Plant

Near Akron, Ohio there is the neatest houseplant shop called Glasshouse Works. They sell all kinds of interesting and rare plants. Sometimes when you get a plant from them there will be a volunteer plant sharing the pot with the one you bought. This gorgeous guy was a volunteer.....

Not too long ago we discovered that it grows plantlets right along the edge of the leaf.

I decided this would be a great lesson on propagtation, so we planted the plantlets in old yogurt cups. See the little roots?

The little plant grew....

And grew.......

And grew.......
Now we have many of these mystery plants to admire!

My mom saw the plant and called it an airplane plant...which she had as a child. I believe this is a great common name for the plant because the plantlets seem to end up everywhere, as if they flew to other pots! If anyone knows another name for this plant please let me know.

Little Quakers

I found this cute little duck tutorial at the Nosey Nest http://noseynest.blogspot.com/2008/06/lucky-ducky-freebie.html.

The girls found them quite cute so they were off to pick their colors for their own individual duck! The girls helped stich them. F is getting quite good with the blanket stich, A is desperately trying....

With more practice, I keep telling her, she'll get it! I'm impressed with how hard she tries!

Great Alternative to Plastic Cups

There was an accident in our house the other night, Bam Bam (nickname for my hubby), dropped our last little juice glass and it shattered to pieces. My youngest immediatly started leaking tears! She loved this little glass, it was the perfect size for her little hands to hold. I have never allowed plastic cups into our house....too many toxins, so we have always provided little glasses and juice glasses for the girls to drink from.
I have never spent over $.50 for these glasses, knowing they will eventually break in a household of small children (and a Bam Bam). We always find small glasses at thrift and antique shops. My mom purchased these glasses for $.5 each at a local thrift shop. These should keep the little ones happy for a while!

Growing Little Potatoes Indoors

Inspiration

Potato salad, potato pancakes, french fries.....where would we be without the potato? We are big potato eaters in my house and my youngest finds the word "potato" quite entertaining. She uses the word all the time and even has a song about potatoes. She is the reason for "5 Orange Potatoes," she just blurted it out one day and it stuck.

The girls found a spotted cucumber beetle sucking water from a potato slice. A (my youngest) was inspired to draw the little creature in her journal.

Indoor Potato Garden

Materials needed: sprouted potatoes, soil, pebbles, a large deep pot, little things to decorate your potato garden

I thought I would start the blog with a fun science experiment...growing potatoes indoors. If you don't have any sprouting potatoes just hanging out in the kitchen, you can sprout them by putting them in a paper bag and placing them in a dark place for a week or two.

When they begin sprouting you can cut a little bit off the ends, actually this probably isn't really necessary, but F likes to practice her cutting skills.

Find a large deep bowl. Place some pebbles on the bottom for drainage and then fill the bowl with soil. We used a commercial potting soil.

Place the potatoes, sprout side up, in the soil. Gently cover the potato with soil.

Water, place in a sunny spot and decorate with pretty glass if you feel the urge, as my girls did. In a few weeks long vines will be growing from the top and new potatoes will be forming in the soil. You will be surprised with how many potatoes you will dig up!

A Family Portrait of Shoes

big sis (7), lil' sis (5), mom, dad

I was so inspired by Michelle at www.greenkitchen.com/blog/ that I had to do a family portrait in shoes as well! However, the family was not as inspired....especially my hubby, but they were still good sports! The girls picked out the shoes that they feel represents them most. It was fun to see what shoes they picked!

Inkspot

One of our inkspots playing peek-a-boo!

Oh, Lovely Felt!

Oh, lovely felt! After a busy day with the girls I love to sit back and sew. It really relaxes me, only problem is I lose sleep! When I have started on a felty, it's hard for me to stop until it is completly done! All of my creations are done by hand. I make necklaces, hair pins and brooches.