Chocolate Eyes

Playing in the Garden

2015-06-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

When times are tough and it's hard to find beauty in my life, I take comfort in nature. I look for the beautiful moments I find in little things.

This week I found a caterpillar munching on a two year-old, flowering parsley plant. I've trimmed this plant down once already and thought of just pulling him out all together as he's in the center of my square foot garden and taking up too much space. Just as I was contemplating this once again, I spotted this beauty. We believe he is a Swallowtail butterfly in progress and we can't wait to see him transform.

We agreed not to move him or try to watch him in a jar. We talked about how the caterpillar needs a lot of nutrition and this plant was the perfect plant for him to eat in our garden as we are not using it. Meanwhile, Owen decided to make him a home, a little fairy garden of sorts in the garden bed. Owen played there for a long time. When he finished he wondered why the caterpillar wasn't coming down to his home. This gave us an opportunity to talk about how much caterpillars need to eat to survive and find the energy to transform into beautiful butterflies.

I loved watching Owen play here while I puttered about the garden.

Until next time...

Valentine Sweeties...

2015-01-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is coming up and I am having so much fun making little gnome & toadstool tot sweeties.

Little Valentine bears are in theme too. Come and visit my shop, MamaWestWind, to see all the Valentine pretties.

Until next time...

Christmas In Pictures

2014-12-29T12:10:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2014, Michael (10yrs) & Owen (5yrs)

Hope you had a lovely holiday. Until next time...

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

2014-12-23T08:42:00.000-08:00

I am in love with making these pretty heart ornaments. They are made out of cashmere sweaters & wool stuffing. I love cashmere but it doesn't make good, sturdy doll making material. Through the years I've amassed a small collection of it and I'm so glad I now have a project to use it all up. I embroidered a pretty snowflake design with shiny glass beads to sparkle on the tree. We stamped these cute little containers with the teachers last name initial and filled it with candy & a "heart felt" thank you note.

I think I'll have to make a ton of these for my handmade tree. I can't decide which I like better, the red cashmere with white embroidery or taupe with red embroidery. Which is your favorite?

Until next time...

MamaWestWind SALE

2014-12-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Hi all! I have so many lovely Holiday gifts, just waiting for the right home! Please enjoy this 10% off coupon (HOLIDAY14), to my shop, MamaWestWind! Now through December 19th.

Until next time...

MamaWestWind Giveaway Winner!

2014-12-12T19:15:00.002-08:00

I am very excited to announce the winner of the Snowflake Baby (by random number generator) is... Daffodil Angel who said, "I particularly like Waldorf Snowflake Baby Necklace. I have Favorited you on Etsy (a while back now)"

Congratulations Daffodil Angel!

Stop by and visit my shop for more Snowflake Necklaces, Gnomes, Angel Ornaments and more! Thank you all who participated and shared the giveaway!

Until next time...

MamaWestWind, Holiday Giveaway!

2014-12-08T16:20:00.001-08:00

I am having a giveaway! This time here at Chocolate Eyes. I'm giving away one of these sweet, Snow Baby Necklaces. This necklace is fun to wear or just display over the nature table. The little gnome baby can stay in his pouch or come out to play. Or if the winner prefers I can shorten the string to make it an ornament.

I am very excited to announce the winner of the Snowflake Baby (by random number generator) is... Daffodil Angel who said, "I particularly like Waldorf Snowflake Baby Necklace. I have Favorited you on Etsy (a while back now)"

Congratulations Daffodil Angel!

~~To enter this giveaway...~~

~~Go to my MamaWestWind etsy shop and tell me your favorite item OR something new you would like to see me make. Don't forget to favorite MamaWestWind on etsy.~~

~~For a 2nd entry become a fan or tell me you are already a fan of my MamaWestWind facebook page.~~

~~For a 3rd entry share this giveaway on facebook, twitter, your blog, or tell a friend.~~

The winner must be a follower of this blog. The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize by sending me their address or even an address of someone they wish to gift their necklace to.

I will end this giveaway Friday December 12, 2014 at 8 pm mountain standard time.

Let the game begin! Until next time...

Small Business Saturday, GIVEAWAY!

2014-11-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

I'm holding a giveaway at my MamaWestWind facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MamaWestWind.

Please come and enter and become a fan to get a special 10% off coupon code, valid for today and tomorrow only. I have some lovely items all perfect for tucking into a Christmas stocking. More dolls on their way to my shop as well, so keep checking in with me.

Visit them all at MamaWestWind. Until next time...

The Winds of Change...

2014-11-26T14:31:00.000-08:00

Well friends the winds of change have blown through here. Lately, I've had to do a few things I never expected or wanted to do.

My husband and I are separated and I need to find a job. After homeschooling for the last five years, I have put my littles in school. This was a painful decision. I felt like I was letting them down. I felt like my world was shattering and everything I knew to be true was coming undone. But we have been blessed with a great school, wonderful teachers and an amazing, welcoming spirit.

One of my very best friends works at the school where I enrolled the kids. She has been like a second mother to my boys. My son Owen just happened to be placed in her class. I didn't request this, though hoped and prayed for it. My son Michael was placed right across the hall with a really fun teacher, who is perfect for his personality & needs. They both are having so much fun in school. They enjoy it and are making friends and learning well. I'm so thankful for this smooth transition.

Please send prayers our way. We still have a lot of challenges up ahead. I don't know what this will mean for my little blog. It has been very quiet here and perhaps will be for awhile. I would love to share my MamaWestWind creations here though and I hope you will enjoy seeing them.

Until next time...

Oh October...

2014-10-01T10:49:00.002-07:00

Oh October, my favorite month., it's just the prettiest month in New Mexico. In October it finally begins to get cooler and the plants are full grown and happy after the warm summer rainy season. Our tomatoes are finally turning red after spending most of the summer green. While we were visiting family in NY the garden exploded into a tangled mess of tomato vines & flowers, mixed with a pumpkin vine or two. I've been planting morning glories the past two years in honor of my Grandma who passed on. They are just beautiful, the colors are so varied and truly glorious!

Right now my family is going through a really hard time, my husband and I are separated & it looks like divorce is unavoidable. I am so sad and grieving for our loss, yet my beautiful garden reminds me of all God's promises. My garden reminds me, "Be still, and know that I am God". The God that creates this beauty and wonder, miracles in their own right, will heal our broken hearts and show us the way.

Before we left for New York Owen was super excited to plant this giant pumpkin. I'm not sure if we'll see giant pumpkins before the first freeze. We shall see. We've harvested lots of sugar pie pumpkins though. I can't wait to process them and get them in the freezer for all things pumpkin; stew, pie, breads and muffins. I've processed and frozen zucchini too for our yummy zucchini chocolate cake.

Our tepee was supposed to be peas & beans last Spring, it didn't really take off until I planted pink morning glories & butternut squash. Now it's just gorgeous, creating a little hideaway for the boys.

I've also been harvesting lots of basil, making my favorite pesto and freezing it. Pesto is one of my favorite flavors, so comforting.

If you think of us, friends, send out a prayer or two for us. Until next time...

Camping...

2014-09-12T15:18:00.004-07:00

While visiting family this summer, my Dad planned a camp out. Me, my brothers and all our kids spent two days and a night hanging out and enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery. Above is my Dad's cabin. He took two small sheds and connected them. You wouldn't beleive how nice it looks inside. There's a wood stove, small shower, little kitchenette and full size bed. It's partly powered by solar and is so comfy inside. Everything is impeccably tidy and well made. After I saw my Dad's cabin I called my husband and told him, "My Dad is living my dream! He has a tiny house!" If you're familiar with the tiny house movement you know what I mean!

Yes, I even have to show the outhouse! Inside it was perfectly clean. He's thought everything out. It's odorless and composts naturally. The toilet paper is housed inside coffee cans so no spider webs and I imagine it keeps it from getting damp as well. He has even painted a moon and star on the door. A work of outhouse art, me thinks!

My brother brought his camper and a tent for us. Throughout the night our airbed slowly lost air, so I really got the camping experience; rocks poking into my back, sleeping under the stars and a little afraid of bears coming to visit!

My nephew sang us a campfire song on his "Geetar".

My brother and Dad sitting around the campfire. In the morning my brother & sister in law showed us the art of Dutch oven cooking. They made us all want to learn.

The cousins played in the woods the entire second day, we had a hard time getting them to take a break to eat lunch! It was a good time, with lots of sweet memories made.

Until next time...

Fresh Eyes...

2014-09-03T18:03:00.001-07:00

We are back from our blissful stay in New York! It was rainy and cool quite a bit during our month-long stay which was perfect weather for us sun worn, Southwest transplants. I won't say it was a vacation because there was much running around trying to see everyone, but it was really fun.

It's amazing how much your perspective can change through the years. When I was a teen in New York it was the place to leave. Even though I loved my family, I wanted to set off on my own and see the world a bit. I haven't really seen the world yet but I have lived in a couple different areas of the country. I've seen a bit and hopefully more to come.

What seemed a little dead about New York was my old, dead thinking. It was what propelled me off to new and exciting places. I wanted to learn and see and grow. Now, when I go back home to New York it's alive with a whole new world of life I never noticed before. From the weather, to the wild animals, maple trees, wild flowers grape vines, Lake Erie and it's beaches, the Amish and their beautiful, simple life, it's all alive with excitement. I see it with fresh eyes.

It doesn't hurt that I have my little boys now and get to see it through their eyes. Can you see the hummingbird in the picture above? I just had to see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird after being able to so closely observe our Black-chinned mama bird here. And yes, I remember seeing Ruby-throated hummingbirds when I was a child, but did I care then? Not so much, no.

My sister in law, niece, Mom & I had a great time looking around Amish country & shops.

Amish haystacks. Note boys walking up the road, far in the distance.

These are the scenes outdside of a beautiful, Amish toystore.

A little Amish boy we had fun watching. He had been enjoying a horse swing inside.

An Amish, one-room schoolhouse and boys and girls outhouses.

My brother & sis in law live right in the heart of Amish country. This is a typical scene outside their front door.

One of the many beautiful, Amish gardens we saw. Most of them boast a row of beautiful flowers around the outside edges.

I brought back a few items! An Amish cookbook, rug for my kitchen, clove scented heating pad, a cedar ornament for the closet, toaster tongs, a couple of cards drawn by an Amish boy, a lucet and my favorite, peach jam. What's not featured here? The chocolates from the Candy Shop. Yah, that was gone by picture time.

If you like images of Amish countryside, check out my sis in law's brand new etsy shop, SLPPhotographs. This photo is one of hers.

Until next time...

cold & wet... heaven

2014-08-13T07:47:00.001-07:00

We have been visiting family and enjoying the countryside of Western New York. The first day we went for a long walk down our dirt road. It was overcast and rainy the first week we were here, perfect weather for a few desert rats tired of the Southwest heat. We found two salamanders and the boys were interested in how they differ from our desert lizards.

It sounds funny but just wearing sweaters we never pull out until winter in the Southwest was super exciting for us. Silly Owen, who is used to warm rains went out in the cold rain here to play. Before I could get him dressed he was out in the rain in his undies. He came back 3 minutes later saying, "Whew, it's CHILLY out there!". We then got properly dressed and went out to play. We laughed when Gramma came out in her nightgown to take a picture of those crazy New Mexicans who were playing on the swing set in the rain. I said, "Who's crazy you're in your nightgown, in the rain taking pictures of us!" We all had a good laugh.

I have many more fun things to share. Until next time...

Leadership Education & Our Outdoor Classroom

2014-07-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

Schoolhouses are made wrong. If they must be, they should be built in a woods pasture beside a stream, where you could wade, swim, and be comfortable in summer, and slide and skate in winter. The windows should be cut to the floor, and stand wide open, so the birds and butterflies could pass through. You ought to learn your geography by climbing a hill, walking through a valley, wading creeks, making islands in them, and promontories, capes and peninsulas along the bank. You should do your arithmetic sitting under trees adding hickory-nuts, subtracting walnuts, multiplying butternuts, and dividing hazelnuts. You could use apples for fractions, and tin cups for liquid measure...

~Laddie, A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter

This is one of the most inspiring books I've read recently. It speaks of a young girl's love of nature, natural love of learning and exemplifies beautiful ways of mentoring children within a family. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time and coming back to it often for inspiration.

This book and many others are assigned books in a certification for Leadership Education also called a Thomas Jefferson Education. I'm working on this certification with a friend and it's been so much fun! We are reading all the texts, listening to audios and discussing it each step of the way, matching each others progress and what a gift it has been! We are both inspired in many of the same ways in regards to home education. We both love literature, nature and allowing our children's inspiration to guide us.

A big part of Leadership education is mentoring, not teaching. I found so much inspiration in Laddie, here is one example of the father in Laddie, mentoring his children.

He is always watching, observing, studying: the earth, the stars, growing things: he never comes to a meal but he has seen something that he has or will study out for all of us. There never has been one day in our home which he did not read a new interesting article from book or paper; work out a big problem, or discuss some phase of politics, religion, or war. Sometimes there has been a little of all of it in one day, always reading, spelling, and memory exercises at night.

In this way, learning at home becomes less about Mom or Dad coming up with lessons for their children, (although that happens in Leadership Education too). But it's more of providing an environment that is in itself educational. It means that the parents are committed to their own education and work to understand the world around them and having that process be very visible to the children. This is the part of Leadership Education that is most exciting to me right now. It gives me the permission to continue my education at home. Those of us that have been through public school and/or college often get the idea that education is for school and when school is done "real life" begins and education is over. In this method, the parents continuing to learn and grow is paramount. Finally I can give myself permission, and not feel it's a luxury, to read all the classics I've always wanted to read, sharing my interests and excitement along the way and in this way being an important example to my kids.

So, in our schooling we have been reading many classic books to the boys. My friend and I started a classic book club for homeschooling parents and children. We read classics and then discuss them at home and then with the group at the park. The kids, ages 4-9, discuss the books with us, then run off and play. Sometimes we notice aspects of the book come out in their play. We don't require them to discuss the book. We try to inspire them by asking what their favorite or least favorite character is, favorite part of the story, etc. Often the parents have in depth discussion while the kids are off playing & that is ok with us. The valuable part is in reading, enjoying and discussing it at home as a family. My son Michael exclaimed, "Mom, Alina knows ALL the books we know!" It's definitely a very special thing for him.

One of the books we recently read was, "Little Britches", in it there is a major tragedy within the family. Originally I thought, no way will I read that part to my son. Michael is so sensitive, I knew it would be hard for him to hear it and hard for me to read it to him. After much thought I did read it to him. I cried through most of it and so did he. That book changed us. We found such empathy for "Little Britches" and his family. Michael insisted we buy the next book right away. I could tell he wanted to make sure the boy would be alright. At the beginning of the book the little boy is 8 years old and helps take care of his family. This had such an effect on Michael. He began to feel more capable of tasks around the house he previously had not felt capable of doing. So, Classic books have become our teachers. They teach us morality, compassion and so much more.

We've also been letting the boys lead learning with their interests. They both love to learn about insects. We've gotten books from the library on butterflies, dragonflies, leaches, spiders, ants and more. Owen is very interested in cacti and so we've studied them and bought him one to take care of and watch grow.

I often joke about our outdoor classroom for backyard Science. We are always finding things to observe and study and research in our yard. One day we had a box turtle come to our front door to visit us. We learned all about her that day.

Another day we noticed a hummingbird who was building her nest about 8 feet above in our pine tree. We have watched her build her nest, lay eggs, hatch them & now are watching her babies grow. This is Lovely, the Mama, and her babies Lucy & Ruckus.

What a fantastic learning experience it has been. Shortly after the eggs hatched we found a hummingbird book at a going out of business sale, 45% off. We were able to identify her as a Black-chinned hummingbird. She has a beautiful greenish back in the sunlight. The males have a black chin that appears violet in the sunlight. We are hoping one of the babies is a male, so we can see their bright colors. Then we found a book at the library all about hummingbird stories & legends.

It seems that life can and will take over teaching our kids if we let it. It just takes an open & willing heart. Our "Science class" is not from a textbook. It doesn't follow a logical, by the book order. It follows the pattern of life in our own backyard, of seasons, our own questions and circumstance. It's real life unit study and we love it!

Until next time...

Happy 5th Birthday & Owen Says...

2014-07-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

Owen is 5! This year we had a simple birthday. We invited friends over for a playdate and made cupcakes. The boys had a fun time playing and frosting cupcakes together.

Both my boys seem to be growing up so fast. Michael is almost taller than some of my friends already. So, in effort to remember...

***

The other day Owen said, inquisitively. "Daddy is a worker. He has tools. But he doesn't USE them!?" (Such is the life of an academic, they have tools but they hardly use them, lol.)

Owen has a million stories about the "centipede spider". This is a mythical insect who is always changing & morphing into Owen's newest idea. Sometimes he lives under the barrel cactus. Owen is obsessed with the barrel cactus. He loves to see them, read about them and has a toy (train) that he says is a barrel cactus that he "plants" outside and waters. This Spring because of all his talk about cacti, we bought him a little one to take care of. He loves it and has figured out just how to touch it without getting hurt.

His favorite movies right now are all about letters. We found some at the library that he has been carrying around with him everywhere. Today, my boys and I started reminiscing about little things that have happened in our life together. I showed them old pictures here on the blog and realized how thrilled I am to have this space to record our family. I haven't been blogging much lately and I want to change that, but however life twists and turns we have such a beautiful record of our love here.

Happy 5th Birthday Owen!

Seedlings & Sprouts, an update...

2014-05-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

So much of the garden is volunteer this year, I'm not completely sure of some of what's growing. I love that! I love learning to recognize seedlings. French Marigolds & Nasturtiums are popping up everywhere and now that I've grown them from seed for the past few years I can recognize them. This time of the year is so exciting. I have the memory of how the garden looked last year at its peak and I want that! But that time of the year is just a fleeting glimpse of the very hottest point of summer. It's such a reminder to stop and enjoy this moment when everything is beginning anew.

This looks to be zucchini. I had wondered if it was summer squash but I compared pics from last year and it appears not. This is where I had wanted to have a butterfly/ bee garden. The Borage is
coming up beautifully and there are a few flower seedlings under the right zucchini. I wonder what they will become? Perhaps the zucchini knew right where it would be pollinated best.

Cherry tomatoes are popping out already, green and full of potential. Last year I tried yellow pear & grape tomatoes and I guess I decided I didn't like them much. I did try to enjoy them but we're back to cherry this year!

My other "sprouts" are growing well too. Lately wherever we go Owen has been asking women, young and old, for their hand, kissing it and then telling them they are beautiful. I'm learning this boy LOVES getting a reaction. It's pretty darn cute. Whenever he sees me annoyed or getting stressed about something, he forms his hands and forearms into a heart and says, "Mom. Hearts & love". It always melts my mood, how could it not?

Both of these little sprouts melt my heart and drive me crazy everyday. If you're a Mom, you'll know exactly what I mean by that.

In our front yard where the Spring bulbs came up, we threw shade flower seed. I can't wait to see what these seedlings will become. I love the idea of perennial flower/veggie gardens. I want to see this effortlessly beautiful all throughout the season.

There are plenty of other "seedling" projects going on here, including some really exciting Homeschool developments. More on that another time.

Until next time...

Easter Fun...

2014-04-21T17:59:00.003-07:00

Happy Belated Easter! We had such a beautiful day yesterday. The morning began with two, little boys waking and trying really hard not to be too loud. It was quite cute! My husband and I asked that they not wake us up until it was light outside so, they were quietly talking in their room. When I woke and came out with my camera to capture their wonder, I heard my eldest shush his brother because he heard the squeak of my door. Excited much?

This is the first pic I took of Michael's surprise coming out of his room. As you can see he was moving fast. It is our tradition to hide chocolate foiled eggs, or rather the Easter bunny does. So it's always a dazzling site to see all those brightly colored foiled eggs "hidden" about.

This year I painted some hollow, wooden eggs to fill our baskets. So the eve before I had the boys hide 8 wooden eggs around the house. We left a note for the Easter bunny inviting him to have an Easter egg hunt of his own and find the wooden eggs. We hoped he might fill them up, but we didn't ask of course, that would be impolite. I kept 2 of the wooden eggs and filled them with a special MamaWestWind bunny, from their Mama with love.

The first thing they spotted at their places at the breakfast table were some child-sized Bolga baskets from Cedar Ring Circle. Inside was their special bunny doll filled egg.

This year the Easter Bunny found some pretty awesome Mama makers to trade with and buy from.
The boys were especially excited about their adorable knit toadstool necklaces. The little cap can be raised to find a tube of Burt's Bees chap-stick. Plus we found that the Easter Bunny did fill those wooden eggs with candy & bubble gum and hid them with their Easter baskets. He did enjoy his hunt and left a drawn picture of himself on our note!

After a spot of breakfast & later a second breakfast of sweet rolls the boys spent all morning playing with their Mama made bunnies at their tree house.

I was so surprised that the bunny dolls seemed the hit of the day, besides the chocolate of course. I figured since they had seen me making them for my shop, they would be old news. But no, they really seem to treasure them. Warms this Mama's heart!

The rest of the day was filled with good food and family. I hope you had a lovey Easter too!

Until next time...

Vanishing of the Bees

2014-03-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

This season I'm looking especially to our beloved pollinators, bees & butterflies. I recently watched, Vanishing of the Bees, a fascinating documentary of the plight of the honey bee in this country. Let me just say, I had no idea. Did you know that giant farms are creating farming monoculture, making it hard for bees to survive? That bees are trucked all over the country to pollinate crops because of monoculture? Or that queen bees are artificially inseminated & later killed by pulling off their heads so that a new queen can be introduced to the hive? Did you know that bees are being killed by all the pesticides & herbicides that we use at home and on farms? Yikes!

From what I've learned it is especially important to know what kind of seeds and plants you are planting. Many companies are now selling genetically modified seeds & plants. This means, among other things, that they coat the seed in pesticides or other chemicals. This can potentially kill bees and butterflies, all the good bugs as well as the bad. Then if you eat the plant those pesticides are now in you! Again yikes! I knew some of this before watching, Vanishing of the Bees, but this film really brought it home. (By the way it's available on Hulu.)

So at any rate, this year we're planting a butterfly blend of flowers, Echinacea, Borage & lots of other herbs in hopes to attract loads of bees and butterflies.

You've heard of the bird's eye view, well this is the bean's eye view! I planted these beans weeks ago but it was still a little too cold, so they waited and took their time.

The greens and beets we planted here are coming up & seem happy. I'm interested in experimenting with this bed. I recently watched a video that explained how to create a perennial "food forest" garden. This is a garden that is basically untouched. The veggies are planted and then allowed to go to seed. Mulch, add a little compost, keep moist and leave it alone and when the seeds are ready to sprout they will. This leaves it all to Mother nature. The earth is never turned. The dead plants will keep it composted long term. I wonder if this can work in the desert? I think it will require covering for our Spring winds.

And those Spring winds are most definitely here! I hear the wind howling as I type. I think some row cover will be next on my list of supplies.

The onions, carrots, greens & leeks in this bed are coming up too.

Here's my current project. In my last gardening post I mentioned I had dug out a new bed that was really shady. So far the plants seem happy there, everything is coming up slowly. The rest of this side yard was old dry weeds from last year. I carefully burned them and dug them up & then thought why not plant all along this wall? So I'm currently digging out, sifting the sandy soil & sheet mulching. It's quite a job but I'd rather see flowers and veggies here than weed grass reappear. & I have some interesting squash on their way from Cedar Ring Circle's, Heirloom Seed order! I can't wait to see if they might like this area.

I wish I could turn my sandy, desert yard into beautiful right away! But alas, Mother Nature is teaching me patience. She seems to be saying, a little at a time will do it.

So everyone, watch Vanishing of the Bees. It's so important to have pollinators. It effects not only gardeners & farmers but anybody that wants to eat! Everyone can do their small part to help.

Until next time...

Fairy Garden Accessories...

2014-03-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

We've been in miniature mood lately. The boys and I began by making some sweet little bowls and cups out of acorn caps. They are surprisingly easy to make with just a file. Then we had to set the tiny table and of course Mommy decided a couple of place mats were in order. To be honest I'm not sure the boys really cared about the place mats. That's ok, Moms can play too.

We also played with some of the other miniatures in our craft stash. We made wreaths to decorate the fairy garden and our gnome tree house. We also made a little bird nest with wax eggs.

Then I happened to see this post & video, at Anne of Green Gardens. It's a whole fairy village! The video tells all about her process of putting it together and what plants she used. Anyway, in the video there is a cute little hanging basket behind them while they talk. Since I had a few of those baskets lying around I decided to make one! Owen and I went and bought little rosemary & lemon thyme "trees" & tiny peppermint ground cover along with some teeny tiny gravel. Where the pine cone is I want a little house. Perhaps I'll make one. I can't wait to see it once the plants have filled out a little. I can see the basket from my place at the breakfast table and I kind of love it!

We also bought some herbs for the boys' fairy garden or as they like to call it the "gnome garden". So far they have put it together all by themselves. When we're finished with it, I'll post some pictures.

Until next time...

Baby Lettuce Lesson...

2014-03-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

So recently we found these little guys, Gourmet Baby Lettuce growing in the oddest of places, between two railroad tie steps. Is life not amazing?! It's survives and strives & pushes through! I tend to baby my garden. I fret and fuss about the soil and how much water is enough or too much. This little lettuce had a lesson to teach me and Mother nature seemed to be saying, "look here's where baby lettuce wants to grow". The steps here get very little direct light. So, this set us on a new course.

My goal is to someday have enough vegetables to feed us, year round. I would love to can tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, pickles, all of it! To do that we'll need a bit more garden space I think. So I'm observing our yard anew to see where we can grow and how we can grow using what we already have.

This led us to dig out a new, in ground garden bed.

I'm so excited about this bed. It's on our side yard very near a large pine tree in our front yard. It's easy access from the kitchen, yay! Because it's so near the pine tree the soil seems to be perfect. It was easy to dig out. Michael and I finished it all including placing the rocks in under an hour. The soil is so rich and wonderful feeling, we didn't need to add a thing to it. We already had the rocks that we've been pulling out of the back yard in order to make more room for flowers and veggies. This area of the yard gets mostly indirect light so I researched plants that might like that (besides our baby lettuce) and today we planted Everbearing Strawberries, Purple Bush Beans, Contender Bush Beans, Lemon Thyme, Chamomile, Greek Oregano, Onions, Italian Parsley, two Spinach varieties, Kale, some of that rougue Gourmet Baby Lettuce and red cabbage.

In the Southwest the biggest garden hazards, that I've noticed at least, are the sun and Spring winds. I'm learning that the rules of Sun/ Shade & where veggies like to be planted are very different here than in other parts of the country. Now when I pick up a plant that says "plant in full sun" I chuckle a little bit. Unless it's a cactus almost all plants like a little shade here. I'm hoping these veggies will be happy. Eventually I would love to see the strawberries take over.

New in the garden this year are potatoes! I've never grown them before so I am super excited to see what happens. We started them in the mostly shady side yard in a big pot and coffee sack.

Last year, despite excellent soil, the plants in this bed did not do so well. After observing it for awhile we notices that the sunlight is spotty. Last year I tried planting nasturtiums, Sunflowers, cucumbers, zucchini and watermelon here, all sun loving plants. This year I'm trying some of the colder weather root crops like onions, Carnival Blend Carrots and leeks. We've planted spinach and lettuce here as well.

One of our square foot garden beds is also planted with Spring veggies, beets, spinach, Red Sail lettuce, Kale & Red Cabbage. This bed is in full sun so it will be interesting to see how it does.

Our tepee is planted with Peas at the moment. Purple Triumph Pole Beans will be planted around the poles. We're hoping for a play tepee by midsummer!

This bed at our front door is all about Spring flowers at the moment. The boys were so thrilled to plant flower bulbs. We're going to scatter seed here soon for Summer flowers and see what comes up.

We've been working so hard at getting our garden beds ready and I'm tired but it hardly seems like work to me, I love it so much. Are you beginning your garden planning? Any planting yet?

Until next time...

Guest Blogger & Wool Flower Tutorial

2014-02-19T07:09:00.002-08:00

I am honored to have Lori Campbell here today as my guest blogger! You all may know Lori from her awesome shop and blog, Beneath the Rowan Tree. Time to get out those wool yarn scraps, Lori has a lovely project in mind for them.

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Beneath the Rowan Tree has been making hand dyed and handmade children's toys since 2007. Artisan Lori Campbell has recently quit her 20 year career to focus on BTRT full time (along with parenting and homeschooling). To bring this dream to full life BTRT has launched a Kickstarter campaign to create a line of hand dyed wool yarns and a studio. Please visit the Kickstarter at
http://tinyurl.com/Kickin-itBTRT -- and consider becoming part of the project as a backer, receiving some wonderful hand dyed rewards and sharing the link with others. They have until March 5th to meet their funding goal. This tutorial comes from the Beneath the Rowan Tree blog.

This is a perfect project for using up pretty bits of yarn.

I love to make them with handspun and/or single ply, but they would work well with plied wool yarn as well.
Attach a bobby pin or hair elastic for a one of a kind hair decoration. Or add a brooch pin, even stitch them right to your finished garment for a sweet embellishment. Stitch a piece of wool felt to the back for stability and you have a pretty button!

Materials:

Various scraps of WOOL yarn in desired colours
Scissors
Felting needle (any size, I prefer 38 stars)
Hair elastics, bobby pins, brooch pins or button shafts as you choose
embroidery floss or thread for finishing
green roving and felting mat if you intend to make leaves OR green commercial felt

Instructions :
1) Choose a length of yarn (length will depend on size of blossom in mind).
18" will make a quarter sized blossom.
Start a spiral, keeping the yarn flat as you wind.

2) Using your felting needle, slide it carefully into the side of your spiral.
Take care not to bend your needle, as it may snap.
Also, mind your fingers! This craft is sure to give you at least a couple of good pokes!

Sliding it carefully in and out at various points around your spiral, you should hear and feel the "shh" sound of fibers locking as you withdraw your needle. At this point you simple need to tack the spiral together well enough to enable you to continue to wind it while maintaining a flat plane. (pardon my dye stained fingers!)

3) Continue to wind and tack until your spiral reaches the desired size.

4) When you have your blossom at the size you need, use your needle in the same manner as above, this time going carefully and intentionally around the whole spiral with firm stabs that reach to the center to stabilize the piece.
Avoid stabbing the needle right through and out the other side, as this will leave 'tufts' of fiber on your finished piece.
The tail is best slipped behind the piece and carefully felted down against the back (stabbing at a perpendicular angle to the piece in this case, careful not to go through the front).
Use your needle to tidy up the shape and any errant tufts.
When you are finished you should have a spiral that holds together like one solid piece.

5) Finishing:

for hair pretties, stitch the spiral securely to the hair elastic
for a bobby pin, use a strong adhesive and place a dab on the back of the spiral, 'smoosh' this in to the fibers and let dry. You will use this 'pad' you have created to adhere the spiral to the bobby pin plate so that you are attaching adhesive to adhesive.
for a brooch, stitch the spiral to a locking bar pin or other
for a pendant, either stitch or adhere to a bail (use adhesion suggestion as above)
for a button, stitch a piece of commercial felt to the back t ensure the spiral functions as one solid piece for buttoning. Stitch to garment or button shank.
make leaves with roving and needlefelting, felt to the back, OR cutout leaves from commercial felt and stitch to back.

Have fun!
This tutorial is provided freely, but it does represent hard work on the part of the designer and author. No part of it may be reproduced without the author's permission.
It may not be reprinted or reproduced for commercial purposes or for profit.
If you use items created from this tutorial for commercial purposes, credit to the designer would be appreciated!
Copyright, Lori Campbell/ Beneath the Rowan Tree, 2010 ©

Happy Valentine's Day!

2014-02-15T15:12:00.000-08:00

Hi all, hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day! I was so inspired by all of your comments about what you were doing with your littles for Valentine's Day. Ulitmately we celebrated very simply. We made eachother handmade Valentines and chocolaty brownie treats. My dear husband suprised me with chocolates and a hilarious card that my boys and I read over & over laughing about. I called my Gram who I hadn't talked to for far too long.

My husband took us all out to dinner and there was the sweetest Dad there with three Valentines. He was treating his three small daughters to a nice dinner. What a loving Dad! It made me think those little girls are going to know exactly how their future mate should treat them because Daddy already showed them how to love.

So how did you show your love this Valentine's Day?

Until next time...

Winner of the Valentine Bear!

2014-02-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Valentine Bear, by random number generator is...

Michelle Emery, who said,

Your creations are so sweet. I already made a needle felted heart bunting for the nature table. The kids and I plan to make beeswax and EO salve for daddy.

Thank you so much to everyone who entered & shared the Valentine Bear giveaway! I have loved reading your comments and hearing about all your Valentine plans with your littles. Warms the heart!

If you have a last minute gift to give, I have just a couple little Valentine items left in the shop. Visit MamaWestWind on etsy.

Valentine Bear Giveaway!

2014-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm so enjoying reading up on what everyone is doing for Valentine's Day! It's giving me lots of fresh ideas for my littles. If you have not yet signed up for the giveaway please do!

Visit the Valentine Bear Giveaway post, here.

Until next time...

{ this moment }

2014-02-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

{this moment} - "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."
Amanda Soule

Go to SouleMama to participate.

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Enter to win my Valentine Bear giveaway, here.