Alliums

Last fall, I planted about a dozen allium bulbs and it's been so fun to watch them pop up!  Since the foliage of alliums isn't all that attractive I've planted low, full plants in front of them and my hope is that they eventually fill in and the alliums look like they are floating in the garden.

This particular variety of allium is Globemaster and it's giant.  Last year, we had one in the children's garden and once its bloom was done (they last a long time!) the children used it as a septor!  Perfect!

Chalkboard Placemats

Grace sets the table every night for dinner at our house and I'm getting ready to start Harris in the rotation as well.  Something that I would like to become second nature to the children is how to properly set a table.  To help them along in this path, I recently made chalkboard placemats.  I bought chalkboard fabric online (I'm told Joanns also has it) and used an old placemat for a pattern.

Harris had a blast helping to "season" the fabric.  I don't know that we really needed to do this part of the process because they are being wiped down every night with water, and therefore lose the seasoning, but he sure did have fun doing it and created a chalk dust nightmare in the house!  Also, we used a chalk pen to outline the various utensils so that we didn't have to start over every time we wiped the placemats down.  If we did vigorous scrubbing of the mats I'm pretty sure the chalk would come off.

 All in all, this was a very easy project and I think that it's been helpful to the children.  As an added bonus we can write fun messages on the placemats if we wish.

Hello! And Happy Belated Memorial Day!

Hello!  It's been a busy couple of days/weeks and I've barely taken pictures of the happenings, comings and goings, and celebratory moments we've had.   Happy belated Memorial Day to you all!  And thank you to those who have bravely and courageously fought for our freedoms and those that continue to do so.

The First of the Season...

I'm giddy with the arrival of the first peony blossoms...

Great Expectations

Years ago, while a student at The University of Georgia, I set a goal for myself to read all of the classics.  One of the first books I read was Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and I immediately loved it.  I've just finished it again and though I found the first half slower than I remembered, I still loved it even though I knew all the major plot-lines!

This past Valentine's Day, Bryce gave me the Kate Spade* Great Expectations Book Clutch and I adore it.  It's such a fun clutch to carry and I adore the colors and graphics (and it was perfect for Valentines!).

*He got the clutch during one of their private sales- with the use of a coupon it was well under $100!

A Memory Quilt

Al and Marilyn were recently here for a visit and Marilyn brought another beautiful quilt she made out of the children's baby clothes!  She had previously made one from the "dressy" clothes and this one is from the sweet onesies, pajamas and cotton rompers that the children wore.  It's amazing and I love it.

Each square immediately reminds me of an occasion or time that was special.  There's the top from the hospital where Grace was born, ribbon fabric from a favorite nightgown, a precious hat worn in birth announcement pictures and an embroidered onesie from a dear friend.  There's also everyday pieces that were worn on countless playdates, trips to the park and hanging out at home. 

I love that I have these wonderful memories that have been made into something useful and beautiful.  It's truly priceless!

Parenting

Ever since the children reached five years of age, and then some, I've been amazed at how very hard parenting actually is.  Before five it was so physical and all about meeting basic needs.  I'm absolutely positive that I believed it to be hard, and it was, but in a very different sort of way.  The knowledge that parenting is overwhelming, huge and really, really hard comes in waves and I will go for days, weeks without thinking about it, but then I will be reminded in small and big ways that it can be difficult and that these beautiful people we have been entrusted with are ours to help mold and teach to go out as citizens of the world.  Lately, I can't tell you how many times I've overreacted to a situation and then had to circle back around and talk through it with one/both of the children.  I often have a hard time separating myself from the children and how I might deal with a situation is totally different than how they might because they really are their very own people and not just an extension of me.  It's hard to watch as they navigate through this tricky world of ours and I so often want to jump in and "help."  When in fact I'm learning that it's really something they must learn for themselves even when it's difficult to watch.

And the worry!  It's a constant factor too!  Do they have enough activities?  Friends?  Too many activities?  Too many friends? Are they smart enough?  Personable enough?  Are they respectful?  Are they good, moral people? Do they know the value of friendship, working hard, thinking of others and learning?  It can also be hard to separate those things that our society values but aren't really what is most important to us to teach our children.  Almost every single day I wish I was wiser/smarter/better but I, like most of us, am just doing the best I can and I hope that it's enough for these complicated, unique and lovely people who are our children.

The Olympic Pentathlon

As part of the Waldorf curriculum, several Waldorf schools come together to  participate in an Olympic  Pentathlon.  Throughout the school year the students have been studying Greek history and this is a wonderful way to make it come alive for the students.  Of course, we've never been a part of one before and we didn't really know what to expect, but it certainly exceeded our expectations!  It was a thoughtful, beautiful, fun and inspiring event to be sure!

The Olympic Creed 

(as printed in the program for the day)

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.  The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

Part of the purpose of this event is to make new friends and enjoy a bit of friendly competition among classmates and other schools.  Therefore, each student is divided up into city states and mixed with other Waldorf schools.  Grace was put in the city state of Corinth.

Grace was thrilled and honored to be a torch bearer for the opening ceremonies.  She said this was the most exciting part of the day!

The children participated in five events; running, long jump, discus, wrestling and javelin throwing.

A delicious Greek lunch was served.

At the end of the day each participant was given a medal and one boy and girl from each school was given a laurel wreath.

It was truly a great, great day!

Pewter Plates

Last fall, while shopping at a local consignment store, I came upon these pewter (actually an aluminum based alloy) dishes and bowls.  I loved them right away, but was unsure if the price was reasonable or not (just under $100 for 12 dishes and 6 bowls!).  I did a bit of research and discovered that they were Wilton Armetale and still were being sold new and for $45 a plate.  I even came across a post where Design Mom wrote about her Armetale dishes!

I snatched them up and have been so glad that I did.  I love that they can go from oven to table and are virtually indestructible.  We've decided to use the plates in the airstream and we purchased beautiful wood handled silverware to use as well.

Favorites #34

The post about the "classic wardrobe" items generated a lot of interest (if you asked for the list and didn't get it please let me know!).  I've found that I do best if I don't try to force an item but rather adapt it to my own style and comfort level.  

I'm not much of a jewelry person and tend to wear the same things day in and day out.  One of my everyday staples has always been diamond stud earrings.  Whether they are real or fake, they always look good.  Two years ago, for Christmas, Bryce gave me these bow earrings that I absolutely adore.  At first, I put them away for "special occasions" but then I started wearing them everyday because I figured that I might as well use what I love!  Love them I do!

Travels

This weekend, I flew to Chicago for a quick, but loads of fun, girls trip.  I didn't pull out my camera once, and I'm disappointed that I only have semi decent phone pictures!   On another note, Bryce's Grandma passed away on Friday and he flew out yesterday to attend the funeral.  We probably passed each other in the air!  And so continues our crazy travel schedules, as Kelly recently mentioned, we've been traveling fools!

Teacher Appreciation

This week was teacher appreciation week and to show our appreciation for all that the children's teachers do, we made sugar cookies.  We used a new recipe and they are perfection; soft and chewy!  I found a cute printable to use for the packaging and wrapped the cookies up in a simple white box.  It wasn't anything elaborate, but the children were able to make the cookies mostly by themselves and I think that goes a long way!

A Tree for Grace and A Tree for Harris

When we were still living in Georgia, and right after Grace was born, we planted a beautiful tree that bloomed right around her birthday!  I loved having a tree that heralded her birthday with beautiful pink blossoms!  However, once we moved here it was clear that nothing would be blooming at the end of February, no matter how early of a bloomer it was.  Therefore, a tree was never planted for either of the children.  This past fall we set out to rectify that sad oversight!

Even though we couldn't find a tree that would bloom around February, we did look for a tree that bloomed earlier in the spring and one that was feminine, pretty and graceful.  We chose a weeping cherry tree and were so excited to see it bloom this spring.

For Harris, we chose a maple that would show it's beautiful colors around his birthday in November.  A maple seemed like a masculine and strong choice for our very boyish boy!

I'm so looking forward to watching the children grown right along with the trees!

An Airstream

I have such exciting news today!  We bought an Airstream!  I can hardly believe it, I've wanted one for so long!  Of course, our dream of owning one took a few turns in that we ended up buying new instead of vintage.  Once we actually went on an RV trip, we decided that long term it would be better for us to buy new and grow vintage along with our trailer.  We are super excited and can't wait for our first trip out!  These are pictures of the airstream right off the lot, I'll post more pictures as we make it "home away from home."

(where the children will sleep)