whimsical wednesday!

in honor of national native american heritage month, whimsical wednesday's activity was to include a craft, recipe, story, research about native americans.  i elected to craft two medallions that were inspired by pendants carved by the wampanoag.  the purpose of these pendants (or medallions) was to display symbols that held special meaning for their wearers.  the pendants were very elaborately ornate and were worn with honor. the medallions i crafted are for the grandchildren so they were made with simple materials; brown craft paper, decorative paper and yarn.  circles of  brown craft paper were embellished with successively smaller circles cut from green decorative paper.  a symbol that represented the grandchildren was stamped on the smallest circle.  a dark green length of yarn was laced through the medallion to form a necklace.  the medallions will be presented to the grandchildren during their next visit.  happy national native american heritage month!

miscellaneous

rain and cold have arrived and with it snow flurries;  not many and not consistently but snow nonetheless. sure makes being home feel even better....cozy and warm.

a bittersweet vine trails along the top of the dining room windows.  because it hasn't been trimmed in awhile, it has spilled across the back porch and touches a window in the sun room.  a house wren (or sparrow) has taken to perching on the vine next to the sun room window.  there must be a reflection on the glass because the bird pecks at the window, hops along the vine, pecks on the window again:  back and forth, peck, peck, peck......  both the kitties and i have taken an interest in this little bird's routine; perhaps for different reasons!

the nearest houses i can see in the distance are aglow at night.  christmas lights have begun to shine. christmas lights at dark, from a distance have always seemed magical.

success! the christmas cards, as planned, were mailed on the monday after thanksgiving!

get ready.....

november is native american heritage month.  let's celebrate by featuring anything native american this whimsical wednesday.  perhaps you would like to read about the history of native americans, make a craft or recipe that is native american inspired.  there are many online resources to help you decide what to delve into. enjoy!

photo friday

our thanksgiving give thanks tablecloth., a sheet of craft paper.  the centerpiece was composed of a new bird feeder, candle and stones; encircled with "give thanks" in fall colored letters.  a lovely container of markers were on the table to allow diners to share what they were thankful for.....by writing these thanks on the tablecloth.  

thoughtful thursday

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!!!

whimsical wednesday!

this thanksgiving eve is whimsical wednesday. with part of the family already gathered, the bunch that could be  known as the m&ms family because of their enjoyment of m&ms, whimsical wednesday was planned to be both fun and festive.

everyone received a small container of peanut m&ms.  each person then sorted their m&ms by color.  next the m&ms were eaten in the order of least to most favorite colors!  as everyone munched, i recorded the order in which they enjoy their m&ms.  (i do not eat candy due to the sugar content.)  the results, listed least to most favorite color:

sarah:     brown, green, red, blue, orange, yellow
megan:   brown, orange, yellow, red, green, blue
jacob:    brown, orange, red, yellow, green, blue
scott:     brown, orange, green, red, yellow, blue

it was fascinating, although not surprising, that everyone ate the brown m&ms first because it was everyone's least favorite color.  (remember the tan m&ms? those used to be the least favorite because they just were not at all pretty!)

after talking about everyone's color choices, scott suggested that a sentence be written using the first letter of each m&m color to reflect everyone's color preferences.  that was a great idea so that was done as well.  (articles were "free" if anyone wanted to construct a sentence with these)  the results:

sarah:      Bring granny rain boots over yonder!

megan:    Bring old yeller, Ruby G, bring!

jacob:     Boring old rain yells at my grisly bear!

scott:      Breakfast is ongoing gustatory revelations, yoga is a blessing!

this was a fun addition to just eating the m&ms in color order because, as the sentences were read aloud, everyone laughed and laughed!

another whimsical wednesday enjoyed! and soon it will be thanksgiving!

miscellaneous

three deer standing motionless on the back lawn caught my eye yesterday.  they were staring intently at something.  my gaze followed theirs and settled on what they were interested in.  a very large crow was eating corn that was thrown out for all the critters earlier in the day.  it appeared that the deer wanted to eat but were deterred by the crow.  when the crow was finished, away he flew.  only then did the deer approach the "table"!

today will be all about preparing for thanksgiving.  recipes to make and pies to bake.  tomorrow as well but there will be time for whimsical wednesday and eating colorful candy.  it's a rainy day.  that makes being home cozy and preparations all the more enjoyable.  why i have no clue.  it just works that way.

get ready.....

for whimsical wednesday we shall partake of any colorful candy such as m&ms or skittles.  we won't just eat them.  we will eat them in the order of the colors from least favorite to most favorite.  this is actually quite ritualistically enjoyable.  get your candy and get ready to enjoy!

photo friday

 roses in october? must have a photo! surprise!! one of the roses had a friend!

thoughtful thursday

a recent visit to the local secondhand shop netted an original watercolor painting for $2.25!!!!  i was over the moon because watercolor painting is my most favorite. it's lovely.  a landscape featuring a covered bridge with trees in fall colors.  the painting is in the room where i spend the most time so i can look at it a lot.  it makes me smile.  beyond being lovely and lovely at an extraordinary price, it reminds me of something else.  if we think of people as gems (and they are) we often find these precious gems in the most unlikely places; just like an original watercolor painting in a secondhand shop!  look for gems everywhere and treasure them once they are found.

whimsical wednesday!

while out on errands yesterday, i walked the craft supply aisles in the stores i visited in order to be inspired for today's whimsical wednesday activity.  i knew i found the give thanks avenue to pursue when i spied a very different craft paper. it's brown like craft (butcher) paper is, however, it was printed with an overlay of white vines, leaves and tiny flowers.  how pretty and just right for a thanksgiving day "give thanks" tablecloth.

it was unrolled across the table last night so that it could relax before being worked with this morning.  the centerpiece container for placed on the table over the paper so that letter placement could be determined for either side.  pre-formed letters in a variety of colors and design, spelling give thanks, were placed then glued on the craft paper.  it's very simple, however, on thanksgiving day, colored pens will be in a pretty container; available to the guests to write what they each give thanks for directly on the tablecloth.  the colorful sentiments will complete the design.

how about your give thanks project this whimsical wednesday?  are you ready for thanksgiving?

miscellaneous

the last few weeks have been filled with thanksgiving preparations. discussing and planning the menu for thanksgiving day (which actually provides much of what we eat all weekend), getting the grocery list written, cleaning the house.  it's our most favorite holiday of the year;  the one we make sure we gather for here on the farm. of everything there is to do and think about, the weather is uppermost in my mind. hopefully it will cooperate so people everywhere can travel safely.  we hope for mild weather here because it's a weekend filled with outdoor activities.  of course, there's always the fireplace in the living room to enjoy should we have to remain inside.  today i'm thinking about what to create for tomorrow's whimsical wednesday "giving thanks" project!

get ready.....

this whimsical wednesday, we will create something for thanksgiving (november 24th) that will help remind us of what we are thankful for.  create whatever will work best for your gathering on thanksgiving. 

it might be:

*a thankful jar in which persons write what they are thankful for on a piece of paper then put in the jar. 

*a thankful tree in which a small tree of some sort that persons can attach a small piece of paper that they have written what they are thankful for.

*a thankful tablecloth; a sheet of craft paper or butcher paper on the holiday table with colorful markers/pens available for people to write what they are thankful for.

*a thankful journal that can be used from year to year.

these are just a few ideas for creating a vehicle for giving thanks this thanksgiving.

photo friday

to honor fall, photo friday highlights nature-made art.  these leaf impressions were discovered on a driveway.

thoughtful thursday

the joys of cold weather:

*hot chocolate, hot cider, hot tea, hot dr pepper, hot coffee; whatever you enjoy!
*soups and stews
*earlier darkness
*earlier darkness creating perfect setting for candle burning
*warm jammies or sweats
*sunshine that makes the day feel "warmer"
*fires in the fireplace inside or fires in the fire pit outside
*playing games together in front of the fire inside
*popping popcorn in the fireplace to eat while playing games
*toasting marshmellows or making smores by the fire outside
*curling up with a great book
*feeling snug and cozy in the house
*being grateful that all these cold weather activities can be enjoyed!

whimsical wednesday!

no whimsical wednesday activity for me.  a friend in need required all my time, attention and energy.  that's ok.  i will just make tomorrow or friday my whimsical wednesday for this week.  how about you?  were you able to create holiday greeting cards?

miscellaneous

what do you do when you find yourself at loose ends?  you know, when you are restless, want to do something but don't know what that something is?  i have that today.

all the household fur are soooo happy that i returned home.  every morning i awake to all of them on me or snuggled close.  i can't move!  but i love that they want to be with me.  during the day, every time i sit down, one gets on my lap.  when that one exits another takes its place.   i missed them a lot while i was gone.

one of the outside kitties had babies not too long ago.  i'm working to socialize these kittens so they can become someone's pets.  of course, they are a set so they'll have to be adopted together.  once someone sees them, taking both will not be an impediment!  they are that cute and sweet and bright.

getting ready for thanksgiving.  my family's most favorite holiday.  hopefully the weather will cooperate for travel and outside doings on the farm.

enjoy a cup of tea!

get ready.....

hey!?  how are those holiday cards coming along?  we're going to devote this whimsical wednesday to holiday card crafting (or whatever you need to do to yours) again.  begin now or keep going!

photo friday

this is my halloween, fall, thanksgiving pumpkin.  it is a mini pumpkin that dad gave me.  he grew it in his garden.  a very special pumpkin at any size!

thoughtful thursday

while home last week, one of the tasks i completed for mom and dad was to polish their shoes.  (this is the first entry into the memory book i created yesterday for whimsical wednesday.) dad still has the same box of shoe shining materials he had when i was a little girl; the different tins of polish, the polish applicators, the brushes, the buffing cloths, the saddle soap and various other products for keeping shoes looking their best.

as i polished shoes during that afternoon, i remembered, growing up, my older brothers taking on the serious task of polishing dad's work and dress shoes.  they worked hard at this job because they wanted to please as well as the fact that dad paid for their services.  before payment was rendered, the shoes were inspected.  dad held up one shoe and then the other, examining them carefully before declaring that one of my brothers did a good job and earned their pay.  i watched, never participating, but wishing i could polish dad's shoes.  then one day dad asked me to polish his shoes!  not my two older brothers!  me!  i was proud and nervous at the same time.  dad provided a lesson in how to polish his shoes.  i knew it because of watching my brothers, however, i was very attentive to dad's instruction because it had to be right.  it was the first time i was allowed to participate in a ritual that had, until now, belonged to dad and his sons.

as i polished shoes last thursday afternoon, it felt like it felt the first time i polished dad's shoes.  i selected the correct color of polish for the different shoes, used the corresponding brush applicators for applying the polish to the shoes, allowed the shoes to "rest" prior to buffing them with the various brushes and then using the buffing cloths to finish the shine.  the polish aroma was just as it was when i was a child as was the sound of the brush being rubbed across the shoes.  i loved those sensations then and i love them now.  the task of polishing mom and dad's shoes no doubt was very helpful to them.  the memory the task of polishing mom and dad's shoes elicited for me was more than worth that afternoon's efforts.  

whimsical wednesday!

my memories book was created this morning using a regular notebook one would use in school (i enjoy lined paper and writing with pencil).  the cover was decorated with scrapbooking supplies:  pretty paper, stamps and colored ink, embellishments.  it's very simple, like me.  the results made me smile.  my name, address, the date and volume I were inscribed on the inside cover.  the memories book was ready to receive memories.  the first entry was a childhood memory that was evoked during my recent two week visit with mom and dad.  look for that memory to be featured on thoughtful thursday tomorrow.  how about you?  have you created your memories book this whimsical wednesday?

*another idea:  you can create a book that will contain general memories or you can create a book that will be specific to a particular event such as a wedding.  at the reception, the memory book can be available for guests to write a personal memory about the couple, either together or separately.  we did this at the 60th wedding anniversary of our parents.  instead of a notebook, we had 4x6 inch cards at each place setting for each guest to share something about mom and dad.  these memories were put into the scrapbook my sister made for the occasion.  it's a lovely way to include guests in any celebration as well as provide a written reminder of that happy event.

miscellaneous

after two weeks away it feels great to be home.  the time away was pleasant and productive but, as it is said, there's no place like home!

last week i was thrilled to see a license plate from virginia.  i was operating on what was needed from memory instead of the list.  well.  virginia had already been spotted.  at least it was fun to be excited!  on the drive home sunday, there were lots of license plates from very far away but none from the few that are still needed.  oh, delaware, where are you?!?!?!?!?

yesterday was halloween.  no human trick or treaters in the country but there's always an extra treat for the outdoor kitties and other assorted critters.  and for the indoor pets as well.

and here it is the first of november.  with halloween, the holiday season begins.