halloween

Happy Halloween! The little ladies were dressed in a princess style! READ MORE.

get well gremlin softie (free pattern)

The Get Well Gremlins are finished and I have 2 little ladies who are quite excited about them! They are kind of a twist on a dream pillow but you don’t use dry herbs as the stuffing. Each gremlin has a pocket to hold a cotton ball or........READ MORE.

get well gremlin and vegetarian chili

I forgot to mention one more flu comfort the little ladies enjoy. They love to take a cotton ball to bed that has 2 drops lavender, 1 drop peppermint, 1 drop eucalyptus and 1 drop tea tree essential oils on it. This makes their breathing better and opens up those stuffy nasal passages. Now the problem is where to put the cotton ball, it tends to get lost in the bed? Today I came up with this little........READ MORE.

easing flu symptoms

Well, the bad germs hit us this weekend. Saturday morning the little ladies both got up with high fevers, sore throats- “like I’ve never felt before,” claimed Fauna, and swollen glands. The day continued with Fauna not talking and barely moving, she couldn’t even watch the silly Halloween shows we had running. Araina sat in......READ MORE.

polka dot trees

Back in early August we put stickers on our trees’ green leaves to see if they would by effected by the lack of sunlight. We kept checking to see if a change was taking place......READ MORE.

leaf mask

A fun Autumn tradition for us is making masks of pressed leaves.....READ MORE.

Bog and Pollywog

I was up very late last night finishing Bog and Pollywog here. I made Bog out of a green cotton sweater sleeve. Pollywog was made from a piece of scrap wool sweater. This pair is for Araina for....READ MORE.

scarlet maple

Our scarlet maple is at its peak of color this week! READ MORE........

black cat superstitions and folklore

I am a sucker for superstitions. I always throw salt over my left shoulder, only pick up a penny if it’s heads up, plant rosemary by the front door, FREAK OUT if I break a mirror, won’t trim the hawthorn tree, try to exit the door I enter, and many more silly little quirks. Personally, I think it makes me more interesting, but some people think I’m just a little crazy and ridiculous (Granny;))!
Black cats, however, I embrace! I LOVE them. We have......READ MORE.

autumn splendor

After a wet and cloudy week the sun decided to show her face this morning. We are having a knockout Autumn full of color thanks to our beautiful Ohio deciduous trees. I found myself being beckoned outside to photograph the sun’s rays hitting these beautiful trees. Our “baby” ginkgo is putting......READ MORE.

caterpillar and mushroom

The little ladies came in the other day with gifts for me. They left the last few flowers blooming in the yard to reseed and found different sorts of gifts.......READ MORE.

handmade holidays- flower monsters

This colorful and very soft corduroy fabric is part of a work in progress for the holidays. As soon as I saw the bright and colorful flowers, I knew it could be used to make something really fun for the little ladies. READ MORE

simple food chain

Araina is fascinated with the food chains of different animals and plants. She is also very crafty with our big box of recyclables, felt scraps, markers and tape. Put the two together and she made this little food chain over the weekend.....READ MORE.

science songs and videos (ptoe)

Here’s a little post for my “science nerd” friends!

They Might Be Giants came out with a new science CD/DVD collection called Here Comes Science They Might be Giants! TMBG has always been a favorite band of mine and I find my little ladies loving them as well! Here’s a sneak peek video of their PTOE....READ MORE.

split stitched felt leaves

I have been busy hand-sewing felt oak leaves wherever I go lately! Each leaf doesn’t take very long once you get the hang of a split stitch to create the veins of the leaf. To see some things I have done with these leaves READ HERE.

spit stitch

Learn to sew a split stitch. READ MORE

overwintering eastern black swallowtail caterpillars

This week we have been preparing for the cold weather. We have been harvesting herbs like mad, digging up annual herbs to bring indoors, bringing in the houseplants and scented geraniums, and finding many......READ MORE.

natural dyes- walnuts and goldenrod

Making natural dyes from backyard plants (or frontyard) is an activity we enjoy to do in the Autumn, when we can heat up the kitchen and still have a window or two open. Yesterday we gathered goldenrod, walnuts and pokeberry to dye a thrifted wool blanket and some wool roving. READ MORE.....

kitchen witch cookie jar by the r.j. drinkwater co. (1980)

I received this wonderful kitchen witch cookie jar from my grandparents many years ago. I love her as much today as when I first saw her. Granny thought she was the ugliest thing she had ever seen, but she purchased her for my birthday anyway! She is on my counter year round, not just for the month of October, she has way too much character to stash away! However, I thought it was.......READ MORE.

handmade holidays- (MY SISTERS- DON'T DARE PEEK)

The handmade holiday making has begun! It started with an inspiring post on how to make a no sew shawl from........READ MORE.

Gear-Fest 2009

The little ladies and my sister Robin had a great day today at the local park districts’ Gear-Fest! The little ladies did some things they have never done before……READ MORE

ladybugs and poems

We were harvesting herbs the other day and found ladybugs, ants, yellow jackets and swallowtail caterpillars all over the fennel! Here is a little dedication to the ladybugs! READ MORE

perfect autumn day!

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