Story Pieces & Five Suggestions

Anything might happen when the box of story pieces 

comes out of the buffet drawer. 

Using these tiny plastic characters to act out 

spontaneous stories always results in shared laughter. 

Will the horse take the flamingo for a ride?

Will the alligator and the pig be friends or foes?

Will the bucket-carrying girl trip over the hedgehog?

Story-loving grandkids want to know.

FIVE SUGGESTIONS

 for using your own box of Story Pieces: 

* A timer can be handy when one of the storytellers is ... 

long-winded. 

* Storytellers who are waiting for their turn must listen 

quietly to the current storyteller. Ask questions at the end, 

but do not interrupt the flow of the story.

* Keep interest high by rotating the story pieces. Look for 

new ones in toy stores, craft shops, and at second-hand sales. 

* Licking, biting, and/or eating the story pieces is frowned upon.

* Use the concept of chapters for older storytellers. Each player 

can continue the story using the same core characters.

More on hopeful stories here. 

 

Teetering toward Christmas

It's commonly thought the main purpose of an Advent house 

like this one is to bring daily delight to tiny drawer-openers. 

But I think it might be to 

s l o w   d o w n 

the season.

Without one of these, my December has flown by, and 

I find myself teetering unsteadily on the doorstep of Christmas. 

The decorations are up and shiny bright.

I've grabbed a few chapters of this to  

enlighten and encourage my spirit. 

But I find myself needing more time to ponder the manger. 

While I go do that, here are two Christmas posts from the 

person I used to be—a mom with little boys to entertain over 

a long Christmas break. 

Christmas Conversations - 

Ask your littles what they think about some holiday topics. 

Questions included.

 Christmas Risk -

Risk and win points by answering Christmas questions (included).

 

Backyard Days and a Story Snapshot

It was my last year as a homeschool mom.

The sweetgum showered red-gold leaves, the bees buzzed lazy tunes,

 and my youngest teenager read aloud from Tolkien.

It was a memory moment—the kind meant for savoring.

Today was the same kind of day, but I didn't get to read in the backyard. 

I hope you did, though.

 

I took this photo of a pair of glasses I found at a sale. 

Purchased for a few quarters, they sold again for much more. 

My writing fund appreciated the small contribution. 

So, here's a bit of flash fiction inspired by these seen-better-days specs. 

     Missing

     "Where are my glasses?" Craig ran his hand up his forehead then back down, mashing his nose flat. "Every time I lay them down, they go missing." He flopped into his armchair and a slight veil of dust puffed into the afternoon sun and floated toward thick window panes. 

     Janice handed him the newspaper. "You had them in the church this morning, didn't you? Then you stopped at the Danaher's on the way home ..." She glanced up at him from her own reading, hoping for a clue. Craig had gone still at the mention of the Danaher home, the crazed epicenter of the once-quiet village. "Did you have a chance to talk with—" 

     "No." Craig shot up from his chair and the newspaper fell to the floor, unnoticed. "I remember now. They are at the church." At the door, he grabbed his hat from the hook and pulled it low on his forehead. "You're right, Janice," he said. "You're always right." 

     

Christmas Conversations

As parents, we spend LOTS of time telling our kids what to do and when; we go on and on

 about how things should be, or at least, how we think they should be.

Christmas is a chance to change that a little bit. Instead of telling, do some asking. 

ASK THEM what they think.

 Draw out their opinions, then pose the question WHY? Their answers will surprise you.

First, find a Christmas cup or bowl, grab a holiday box or bag to hold 

the conversation starters.

Write questions on paper slips, fold each, and tuck them in the Christmas Conversations container. 

Or you could call it the  the Christmas Hmmmm Cup, who knows what 

clever name you'll invent.

Every day at a meal time, pull one out, and let the conversation flow. 

You might want to set up rules if you parent some siblings who love to argue: No put-downs. Everyone is allowed to say what they think. This is just for fun.

Here's a list of question ideas to get you started.
Why do you think God led wise men to Jesus with a star?
What do you think the star looked like? Could everyone see it?
What do you think the gifts of the wise men really meant?
Was the innkeeper a hero or a villain? Under the same circumstances, what would you have done?
What do you think the shepherds thought when the angels began to sing?
The shepherds made haste to Bethlehem. Do you think they left anyone behind with the sheep?
What do you think the sheep did when the angel proclaimed the Good News? Did they bleat? Lie down? Run around?
A Christmas hymn says about Baby Jesus, "... no crying he makes." Do you think this was true?
What are swaddling clothes? Do people use swaddling cloths today?
Why do you think Baby Jesus was laid in a manger?
What do you think the place where Jesus was born actually looked like?
What is a like to be in a barn /stable? What does it look like, smell like, feel like?
At Christmas time, why do people use lights to decorate?
Why do you think we use an evergreen tree at Christmas time instead of any other kind of tree?
What if there were no presents under the tree on Christmas morning - what would you do?
If you could give ANY Christmas gift, with unlimited budget, what would you give?
If you could get rid of any Christmas tradition, what would it be and why?

Fairies and Photography

Last fall, I took a leaf photo that I loved. You know how good can be born from 

the very painful things in life? Well, that's exactly what happened.

My returning RA made it much too painful to get low enough to capture the light 

beaming through fall leaves scattered across our patio. So I fiddled with settings and 

took the photos 'blind' by placing the camera on the ground and pressing the shutter release.

 Every photo was a surprise, since I had nothing to do with the

 framing or focusing of the shot.

It occurred to me that photos taken from this vantage point  display what a fairy might see.

Guess I read a few too many books about woodland fairies in my childhood 

because it sure stuck with me!

 And now that spring is swelling into summer, I find myself  wondering what those

 fairies 

might see IF they wandered through my flowerbeds -

 Oriental poppies from below - quite an impressive sight!

 Painted ferns would make a colorful overhead display.

Lily of the valley blooms could replace church bells on any clear morning!

***

This would be a fun photo project for children this summer.  Any point and shoot camera, 

a DSLR with an 'auto' setting, or an iphone camera will do the job. Be ready 

to delete many photos that focus incorrectly, come out blurred or poorly lit. 

But wait for it ...

... they will be thrilled when they get a photo that perfectly portrays the everyday 

viewpoint of  the common garden fairy. And you have a chance to talk with them 

about seeing things from another person's perspective,

 and the effort and payoffs that are involved in that sometimes difficult  task.

Just a thought.

Link to more kid photography ideas here.

November Closings

The gardens are almost 'put to bed' for the season.  

The perennials are trimmed to the ground, and the annuals have been yanked.

We've added umpteen bags of compost and all that has to be done is a thick blanket of leaf mulch.

This seems like a bigger job every year, and for the first time, I'm thinking 

maybe I'm to old to keep this up with all of this.

The gardens were my distraction during the intense years of childrearing.

The boys wanted to be outside and were happy to follow me around, 

digging in the dirt, swatting leaves with sticks and occasionally tasting a worm.

Yes ... it happened.

* I am completely in love (gushgush) with these photos of the morning sun on fall leaves. All I had to do was juggle the dials a bit and set the camera on the patio. Press the button and check the result - each photo a great surprise. Photography is so much easier now than the film days when each shot mattered since it cost dollars to develop. 

But now my occupations are mostly indoors and no one is coaxing me outside 

to play. And so the gardens are not as well tended as in years past.

We actually took one out last week; moved the plants we wanted to keep 

and threw the rest on the reject pile.  It was a relief to see bare space where 

a garden had been - isn't that sad?! 

** Is it sick that I'm happy to know that all spiders have frozen?  This guy lived, rent free, in the Lily of the Valley patch for at least a month.  Pretty generous of me... I think I've earned some grim glee at their passing.

*** I was sitting outside looking up into this HUGE sweet gum tree with My Youngest. "Remember how we used to sit out here and read Lord of the Rings, Mom? Those were great days!"  The words of a teenaged son can be brutal or blessing, and they seem unaware of either effect. I'm savoring these as a special blessing.

Balloon Buddy Tutorial - Meet Henry

  Meet Henry.

 He's been floating around our house since last Friday night, an envoy of all things Valentine. 

1.  Buy any helium inflated balloon at your local Dollar Tree or other super-deep discount store. 

 When I taught first grade, I used to get a Christmas air walker for my classroom - sometimes a snowman, a reindeer, and once - a Santa!  Carried by air currents to visit desks  and perch on bookshelves, occasionally the silent wanderer would drift across the heat vent and go shooting at high speed across the classroom.  

(producing screams and giggles of delight)

2. Use any color crepe paper in lengths of 12 inches or so to make arms and legs. Attach them to the bottom and sides of the balloon with clear tape. I used packaging tape.

3. Cut gloves and shoes from light paper and attach to the arms and legs with tape. I used the paper insert from a box of candy, but you could use construction paper, wrapping paper, a magazine cover, etc.

 An impulse buy at the Dollar Tree, this re-made Valentine's Day balloon has made for some cheap entertainment for my family here at home. I wish I had made these for my kids when they were little! But even as teens, they are enjoying the travels of this little character around our house.  

He does turn up in unexpected places...

We've found him waiting at the top of the stairs and staring into the computer screen.

He's been found by the back door waiting to go out with the dog, and he's 

hovered in front of the TV screen for a better view of Olympic curling.

4. Make eyes from a scrap of computer paper and tape or glue them to the balloon. I traced the bottom and top of a vitamin bottle with a Sharpie marker to get  nice round circles. To save weight, you could draw the eyes (and other features) directly on the balloon with a permanent marker.

 

It's been a nice distraction from the 

snow/ice/sleet/rain/snow/ice/sleet/rain!

5. He (or she!) should float with shoes coming to rest every now and then. To add weight, attach paperclips to the shoes.  As the balloon begins to deflate, just remove paperclips. You may need to shorten the arms/legs, or trim the shoes and gloves to keep your character light enough to float as the helium escapes.

Extra Thoughts:

- The possibilities for these are endless, and they last for about a week! 

- Spring-themed balloons will be in the stores soon - a Flower Balloon Buddy?

- A Birthday Balloon Buddy would be a fun surprise to find at the breakfast table. 

- Use a plain balloon and allow a child's imagination and creativity lots of room for expression. How about using some feathers or and shapes instead of gloves? 
 You might add yarn shoestrings for weight instead of paper clips. 
Print photos of real eyes/noses/smiles instead of hand-drawn.

- A Balloon Buddy would make a perfect 'listening pal' to hear stories 
read by an otherwise reluctant reader.

- Have your Buddy hide in the closet of an unsuspecting teenager...
 or behind the shower curtain... in the garage? 

So much excitement - for so little money!

A Whiff of Spring

 We are deep, deep in snow - yet again. 

The roads are covered, and a very few cars are edging their way past our cozy home.

BUT

It smells like  SPRING  in my kitchen!

I snagged these paperwhite bulbs (narcissus) on clearance at Meijer about a week

after Christmas. The bulbs had already begun sprouting inside their box, and for $3, I was

happy to take them home. After letting them sit on the kitchen table for a week, I raided

the vase box in the basement and came up with this large-ish, and I think graceful, container.

(I promptly cracked it adding the stones. Try to overlook the big crack on the side!)

Next, aquarium stones were scavenged from the supply box my sons keep, and just a few 

minutes later, everything was arranged. 

Growing paperwhites could not be easier, and fast! They were in bloom only 8 days after

being set in the vase. If you have little ones around, this project makes a rewarding one, since

the growth is amazingly quick and visible from day to day. Oh, I miss the days of home science

projects!  All that curiosity and enthusiasm just surging around - 

the measuring, the drawing, the charting ...

the bending, the pinching, the tossing 

(there are always a few unapproved experiments).

The tiny blooms resemble small daffodil clusters and have a really BIG scent. 

These roots - so swanky!

Everything I've read says that the bulbs are no good after one go around, 

but I'm going to save mine,  plant them in the garden, and see if 

I might get some blooms next year, in their proper season.

You could still buy some for yourself, something to brighten up these snowy days and

remind you of the spring that is surely on the way. 

It IS on the way, right???

Tree Gazing

My favorite tree in the fall is the sweetgum. 

It's in the side yard, right outside the window.

When I'm in my workroom, it beckons to me.

 When my boys were little, we used to go out and just lay in the grass 

and marvel at its wide and thick strong arms. It's a huge, ginormous tree, stories high. 

That being one of the beauties of home education! I must confess that as a former teacher  in

an inner city school system, I was never afraid to send my sons into the public schools.

While many portray the public schools as bastions of evil, I know that there are many, many 

caring people there who shepherd their students along in the most positive ways. 

No, I didn't begin home educating because of fear. 

I just wanted more tree time! 

Shared moments of laughter, tree gazing, grass rolling - as many moments as we wanted. 

 It makes a person a little dizzy to think about climbing all the 

way up and getting a view from the tippy top. 

The squirrels and birds peered down at us from their heights - worlds in reversal. 

Now that I'm on my own this fall, I haven't been out there to tree gaze.

It seems like something that begs for a companion, doesn't it?

I brought in all of the plants I'd like to save from the frost to begin overwintering in the greenhouse.

Their stems must be pruned down pretty severely - it's a little bit sad to break back all

of the splendor of summer, but necessary for the plant to survive, if it will survive. 

I thought it was particularly sad to see the long vines of this gorgeous mandevilla in the weed heap.

All in hopes of enjoying it again next spring! 

Gardening produces so much HOPE, don't you agree?

Bracing to Surge

It's been some years since we had an amaryllis bulb shooting up to brighten the winter months. The last one produced huge red, red blooms just in time for Valentine's Day.

I found this one in an after Christmas clearance bin for $3.98, so I snagged it, 

and added the random $4 to the grocery tally.

Back then, my small boys kept a fascinated watch over the pot next to the kitchen table, marveling at the rapidly increasing height and girth of the stalk as they lunched on sandwiches and orange slices. I remember being amazed that it made it was able to bloom after being heartily jostled about during some 

overly thorough examinations.

This bulb, which should have pink stripes in its bloom, has been shuffled  all around the house, as I

 try to put it in the right spot - where I won't completely forget about it and which will be convenient to trucking 

outside to get some dirt in a pot. Over the past weekend, it was zipper bagged and shoved in the bread box.

Are you familiar with the "They'll be here in 20 minutes!" panic?

Despite the late start, it's finally potted and is bracing to SURGE.

Savoring the Sun

My Husband says it's Indian Summer for a few days.

Temps reaching as high as 80 today and tomorrow!

School books are being spread out on picnic tables in the early afternoon sun -

one of the truly great pleasures of home schooling.

We're not the only ones soaking up those rays and frantically savoring the warmth!

This tiny, perfectly white butterfly reminds me of fairy stories I used to read as a little girl.

That would probably make the bumblebee a wicked villain... 

Park Walk

Friday turned out to be a great day for a park walk. 

This time of year goes so fast. 

A few blinks and a doze or two - and the beautiful fall weather will be over!

As it turned out, the litter on the trails around our local park caused 

My Youngest to decide to write his first letter to an elected official. 

Nature Appreciation AND Community Involvement all in one afternoon - 

a perfect home school day!

Pretend

October, you've finally arrived!

It seems a little bit early to go full on with the color show, but I'll get behind it.

Photo was taken at Conner Prairie. 

I love this place - it's like walking right into history.

And if I can't have Colonial Williamsburg, then I'll have to stay faithful to CP.

Historic persons interacting with you just as 

if you're their favorite nineteenth century neighbor - 

what more could a gawker like me ask for?

It's a great big, educational game of pretend.

And last Saturday, it was free too!

Vacancy at the Gourd Hotels

So I bought these large dipper gourds at a yard sale a couple of years back. They were straight out of some guy's garage, still all moldy and raggedy from his garden. I got them for a dollar. I envisioned some lovely birdhouses when I looked at these, and I played the "Mother's Day" card pretty hard. That didn't quite work out, though, so the birdhouses turned into a school project.

First thing to do was to get rid of all that scaly scubbiness covering the outside.

Did you know that steel wool sands that stuff right off? 

And soaking can take you a long way, too. 

We preferred soaking to sanding, since we quickly found that stuff to be a lung-clogger.

Underneath the scaliness, we found beautiful, lovely patterns graining the surfaces of the gourds.

It's like ink-blot samples straight from nature.

Measuring out the holes was a careful exercise of newly learned compass skills. Even the difference of a tiny, weensy 1/4 inch can discourage a bluebird while encouraging a wren. Weird.

Those miniature spinner gourds were bought at a flea market - five for ..... a dollar! I drilled some tiny holes in them, too, making what --- a fairy abode? a lightning bug retreat? I don't know yet, but they're so diminutively awesome! I got plenty of seeds out of them, and they're sprouting out in the greenhouse. I plan to run them up a small teepee, spray the heck out of any white mildew that appears and harvest my own crop of spinner cuties.

I think they look great hanging out in the red maple, even though they're still empty.

I plan to put up a VACANCY sign in the morning.

A Lowly Spot

Our spring trip to the zoo - EVERYONE else in the tristate area was there, too.  

But there were so many cute little ones, so very excited about the a'mals. 

I had to snicker a tiny bit at the intensity some parents were applying to a simple zoo visit. Does that darling, blond three-year-old really need to be able to distinguish between an emperor and a king penguin? 

There could be a time for just enjoying, right? 

How critical are these facts, anyway?

I guess I always leaned a tiny bit toward an 'unschooling' attitude in my home education - at least toward some things. If they don't wonder aloud about something, then I'm not going to throw out endless trivia. 

If they don't ask, "Mom, what do you think that bit of floppy skin at the end of his nose is for?", then I'm probably not going to say a word. 

Because most of the time, it's ME voicing those crazy questions aloud, instead of them.

This is a source of embarrassment for my almost-teen, who will still go to the zoo with his mom to get out of a day with the Book Stack. He might wincingly hear any number of musings from his mom:

"What in the world are those monkeys doing?"

"Why in the heck is that swan doing that neck thing?"

"How do you think it can eat with that kind of mouth issue going on?"

"What is that in its eye, anyway?"

"Do you think they can see us if I wave like this?"

(his very favorite...)

So, anyway. Lovely photos is what I really meant to post about. 

Youngest son is not embarrassed to have me stop to take photos in random spots, 

even if the zoo is very crowded. 

He is a very tolerant son. 

Or maybe he's just relieved that I'm not trying to communicate in any way with the a'mals 

(or tiny, adorable children in strollers).

2012 Garden Resolution: 

After seeing these at the zoo, I'm going to find them for my garden this year. 

AND I'm going to force myself to plant them in November when I am otherwise completely finished gardening. Daydream Tulips. They sort of glow in the morning sunshine. 

Beautiful from above...

... and from below, too.

Side Note That Might Only Make Sense To Me:

Life can be filled with beauty when you're up and walking about, on top of it all, viewing the Lord's handiwork from an upright point. 

It's a very different view from below, when you're down low, and at the bottom, so far from where you were before. But still, from that humble position, there is beauty, and life, and there can even be joy. As long as we don't squeeze our eyes shut in pain, misery and/or rage, we might get a glimpse of something not seen by all those lofty individuals who have not had the privilege of seeing life from a Lowly Spot. 

Yet.

Isaiah 61:1-3 

Isaiah 55:8