On Belonging, Astonishment, and Becoming Spring

Each Petal a Heart... My Heart

“Every spring is the only spring—a perpetual astonishment.”  ~Ellis Peters

There are mornings, such as these, when I am baptized by astonishment.  And in these moments of breathtaking wonder, I belong—I belong to the land, to the first wildflowers of the season, to the mountain chickadee and bluebirds, the oriole, the purple martins, and the mighty hummingbirds.

What is the purpose of green living if not this—to belong to that which is a perpetual astonishment?  Without that sense of surprise and sheer delight, the days would merely be hours.

I’m supposed to be writing reviews, but my spirit wants to sing a different song as this glorious day unfolds.  To deny the song would render my writing moot.  One can only write what one feels deeply, madly, and truly. 

On what feels like the first day of spring I have ever truly known, the words that want to be written are tender, unfurling leaves.  To stand under a young elm tree, witnessing buds giving birth to green... how does one review that? 

Perhaps, if I get still, and quiet, and deeply absorb all this green, it will become embedded in my DNA and I can be a perpetual spring. Wouldn't that be something to write on my heart?

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The 2013 Travelers' Choice Destination is Located in Adams County, Pennsylvania

Driving through town

Adams County, Pennsylvania is a highly rated tourist area.  However, Adams County probably does not sound at all familiar to you.  But I bet you have heard of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  Gettysburg is listed as “Travelers’ Choice 2013 Winner – Destinations on the Rise” by Tripadvisor.  

Ghettysburg is a historic town, steeped in civil war history.  Military and architecture buffs love touring the area.  I have driven through historic Gettysburg more times than I can count.  I always think that I really should stop and enjoy the sights someday. Or perhaps, make arrangements to spend a night.  Somehow, I never do.

Perhaps, I have only a lukewarm interest in the Civil War era.  That could be the reason why I only drive through Gettysburg year after year on the way to the National AppleHarvest Festival, which is also located in Adams County.  Or maybe I feel like I’ve already seen Gettysburg as I drive through. I’m not sure why I don’t feel the need to stop. Today, however, I read a Squidoo lens by leahjsongs that gives me even more reason to stop and enjoy Adams County.  Leahjsongs tells us about the award winning wines at Adams County Winery.  If you enjoy wines, I hope you take a peek at her Adams County Winery review.

Are you surprised that there are award winning wineries in the mid-Atlantic states? Before moving to this area, I had never imagined that wineries existed here. Not only do they exist, but they produce wines that I like very much. Boordy Winery is a good example.  Boordy Winery is not located in Adams County, PA. It is located in Maryland. But since we were on the topic of good mid-Atlantic wines, I had to mention it.

Returning to the topic of Adams County attractions, you can learn more about Gettysburg at

Destination Gettysburg  which is the official Gettysburg website and see more of the National Apple Harvest Festival in my pictorial.  

If you are familiar with any more Adams County gems (or mid-Atlantic wineries) please let me know!

Monuments seen from the highway

  

Image Credit: Images are mine and were taken during drives through Gettysburg, Pa.  ©Dawn Rae – All Rights Reserved (Click on photo for larger view)

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Do Not Toss Your Greeting Cards--Reuse Them!

I am a hoarder! I will admit that to you, but you have to promise not to tell my friends and family.

I mostly hoard greeting cards that I cannot bear to toss into the recycle bin or trash barrel. In order to save space, I usually tear off the front of the card so I can use the artwork again in some other form (ie. gift tags -- see the image below, the stocking tag used to be the front of a greeting card).

However, the one practical use is to recycle the front of the card INTO another greeting card. That is actually very easy to do. All you need is some card stock or blank greeting cards and envelopes. You then just cut the original front to fit on the new blank card. Sometimes I find the written verse in a card to be so very good that I trim off the signature on the card and so I can "borrow" the sentiment and glue it into my "new" card.

Having been the "official" Glue Gun Slinger Contributor on the now defunct website, Squidoo, I do have a few adhesives in my crafting tool kit, but my knowledge about glues for "paper" crafts is mostly limited to book repair. However, I have been know to make a paper craft project or two, and I highly recommend Elmer's Washable All-Purpose School Glue Sticks

While you are on the site, be sure to check out "Card Making and Craft Budget Tips" by writer/crafter "paperfacets". If you are at all interested in making greeting cards, this page will be helpful, indeed.

I have read that it is best to use a glue that will not "wrinkle" the card stock when making a card. Does anyone have a good suggestion for me to try? I am thinking that a glue stick might work. What about glue dots? Has anyone used them? I really like to know about a product before I invest my hard earned cash.

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Crafty by Nature

 One of my favorite ways to craft is by using natural materials from the world around us. Every week my daughter and I head off to forest school and then have a wander through the forest afterwards, and invariably she will pick up some bits and bobs to take home and craft with!  

There are lots of gems to be found on the forest floor, from pine cones to twigs, leaves to moss. These can be used in so many ways - leaf printing, glitter pine cones in pots or to use on festive wreaths, nature cards and more! 

Our very own mbgphoto shares this tutorial on How to Make a Pine Cone Angel, which you can adapt to make into angels, fairies or elves with your little ones!

Another great source of natural craft materials is the beach. How many different ways can you get creative with a shell? Lots, I tell you! We've made sculptures and mini mermaids, painted pebble friends and treasure boxes, to name but a few things, out of the shells, pebbles, rocks and driftwood that we've encountered on our meanderings.  

Shells - image from JupiterImages Corporation

 

Scarlettohairy shows us How to Paint Rocks in her craft guide, and for more beach-themed crafts, I put together a few ideas to get you started in my guide to Sea Crafts for Kids. You'll also find plenty of inspiration in Homemade Beach Craft Ideas by studentz, which includes lots of projects from basic to advanced, many of which can be adapted for children. Which reminds me, if you see a craft you like in a book or online, but it's for older kids or adults, don't write it off straight away - can you come up with a toddler or preschooler-friendly version of it?

Natural materials can be so much fun to craft with, and they can be excellent teachers, too! As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, during the Easter break we had a go at a willow weaving workshop at our local zoo, and came home with two lovely birds nests, which we've been using for all kinds of things. Needless to say, we learned a lot about how clever birds are at making their nests, and how they have to make them strong enough to hold the eggs and soft enough for the babies when they hatch! Greenspirit has a wonderful guide to making Bird Nests Crafts, which little ones would love to help with creating. 

Finally, even if you live in the middle of the city or miles from a beach or wood, you can still find nature's bounty on your doorstep! Find sticks and flowers in the garden, leaves from trees in the street or park... or combine nature and crafts by creating a mini indoor garden in a pot or barrel - perfect for small world play, nurturing green fingers and stimulating creativity! Think fairy garden, dinosaur terrain or even a Lego adventure park. There are lots of Miniature Fairy Garden Ideas to be had such as these by LoveEmbroidery.

Elsewhere in the world of nature, seedplanter shows us how to have Fun with Flowers, while vallain reviews these awesome Model Insect Kits, which once built would look great as part of a nature diorama for small world play. And I just love some of the ideas on lbrummer's Outdoor Crafts for Kids, especially the twig frame, garden markers made from sticks and the super cool grass house!

So, next time you are enjoying a walk out in the natural world, why not have a look around and see what treasures lie waiting to be found?

(c) All photos copyright of the author unless otherwise stated



Posted by MissMerFaery

About the Author

MissMerFaery was previously the Little Crafty Kids Contributor on Squidoo (a website that is no longer in existence).  That position allowed her to explore and write about fun craft ideas.  Plus, she shares about her own crafting adventures.   When reading during her down time, she prefers the fantasy genre in books.

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Holiday Cookbooks: Perfect for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner, so now is the perfect time to pull out your favorite cookbook and plan a special treat for mom.  

If you or your mom love cooking for the holidays, or anytime, a holiday cookbook is also the perfect gift for Mother's Day.  I know I personally have a collection of specialty and holiday cookbooks that I absolutely love and frequently grab for reference.  I enjoy "pouring over a cookbook", as my own mother would say, reading recipes, making a grocery list and planning to try a new recipe.


The Pioneer Woman Cooks A Year of Holidays

Our very own pioneer woman, RenaissanceWoman2010, reviewed a fabulous cookbook for all of us recently in her article entitled, I'm Spending the Holidays with Ree.  I was so impressed by her review, that I simply had to purchase my own copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks A Year of Holidays.

I have my own grandmother's Pecan Pie recipe that I use, but the recipe and featured photo were all I needed to see to know I had to have the cookbook!

The Pioneer Woman's Holiday cookbook is chock full of some great recipes and while I don't know Ree personally, I do know she will now be a part of my holidays too.

May You All Have a 

Happy Mother's Day!

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Basic Techniques for Digital Photography

Last week I shared my notes for the first session of our Nature Photography class.  Here are some additional points from that first class Nature Photography Class.  The photo of the tulip is one that I took using some tips I learned in that first class.

In our second class our instructor went over some basic techniques for photography.  The list below includes some of the points he made in class that were of particular interest to me.  I hope  you find some that will work for you too.

• Vantage Point--  Look for a different vantage point for your photos.  Everyone sees an object straight on when they see it, help your audience to see it differently.  Take your time, walk around an object to find just the right place to take the photo and then set up your tripod.
• Take Both Vertical and Horizontal Views--Even if you think one way would be best try taking it both ways.  You never know when the other way might be what you need for a certain project.
• Watch Your Background-  How many times are we so focused on the person or object that we are photographing that we don't notice the background till we see the finished photo.  Before you hit the shutter, make it a habit to run your eyes through the outside perimeter of the picture.
• Waterfalls- To get that beautiful blurr of water take the photo at a speed of 1/15 sec or slower using your lowest ISO.
• Animals- To get the best reaction from an animal shoot 2-3 shots in close succession.  The first one will get the animals attention and the second will usually have the best reaction.

Each week our instructor gives us an assignment.  This week's assignment is to take an artistic photo of a flower.  Next Thursday I will share my photo with you along with the tips that we get in our third class.  The subject next week will be on Macro Photography. Stay tuned!

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April Baseball

Source: Pixabay

Baseball fans love the month of April. It's a magical time which includes Opening Day of a brand new baseball season with all its promise of a successful winning season and the possibility of making and breaking records.

"Hammerin' Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron with the Braves 1960

One of the most famous 'broken records' occurred 40 years ago on April 8, 1974, when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's 'unbreakable' home run record by hitting home run number 715. “Hammerin' Hank” would go on to have a career high of 755 home runs (a record broken by Barry Bonds in 2007, as baseball records are wont to do). Carolan Ross (Crosscreations) has included Hank Aaron in her HubPages article about the top ten baseball players Best in Baseball - MLB Heroes - worthy of April Baseball recognition.

Jackie Robinson Day

And the most special moment of April Baseball is celebrated every April 15^th – the day in 1947 that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. On that day, every baseball player on every team honors Jackie by wearing his number 42. Ellen Brundige (mythphile) tells us how this Baseball Player Changed the World.

Back in 1947, the father of Hank Aaron told his son that no black man would ever be allowed to play on a Major League team. Jackie Robinson changed that forever.

April Baseball Moments...

A few other 'April' moments in baseball...

• On April 4, 2003, Sammy Sosa became the 18th member of the 500 Home Run Club 
• On April 22, 2014, Albert Pujols became the very latest member of the 500 Home Run Club, an 'unofficial' honor held by only 26 players in the history of baseball.
• On Sunday, April 8, 2012, first baseman Prince Fielder recorded his 1,000th hit while playing for the Detroit Tigers.
• On April 29, 1986, Roger Clemens made MLB history by striking out 20 Seattle Mariners in a 3-1 Red Sox win. He would go on to win the Cy Young Award later that year and lead his team to the 1986 World Series. 
• There have only been 23 'Perfect Games' by pitchers in the entire history of Major League Baseball.  Two occurred in April - Charlie Robertson (#5) on 4/20/1922 and Philip Humber (#21) on 4/21/2012 - BOTH for the Chicago White Sox!

April baseball

My favorite time of the year when it all begins again!

Baseball reviews from Baseball Fan Wednesday-Elf.

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The Sky is Falling!

Little Henny Penny

Do you remember how it felt when you were expecting your first child?  Perhaps you poured over books like What to Expect When You are Expecting.  Wasn’t it fun to prepare the nursery and begin to shop for baby things?

That’s exactly what I am feeling and doing these days.  There is so much to do to get ready for my little bundles of joy.  I thought I was having triplets, but it turns out it will likely be sextuplets.  Now that was a real shocker. 

I’m hoping to extend my due date for a couple of weeks.  I know that’s counter to what most new mothers-to-be want.  My sister was begging her doctor to induce labor near the end of her first pregnancy.  Given the snow and freezing temperatures, this is no time to be bringing a baby into the world. 

Perhaps you’re thinking I’m a wimp… letting a little April snow and frigid weather take precedence over childbirth.  Um, perhaps this would be a good time to let you know I’m having chicks.  And, those little peeps will be living outdoors at some point.  Since newly hatched chickens cannot regulate their body temperature, even with a heat lamp I don’t dare have them out in a coop in the fickle Ides of April.

So I continue to happily work on the nursery and pour over books like Chick Days.  As I turn each page, my excitement and anticipation grow.  I never imagined having a baby at this age, but I’m told the pleasure is even greater when you're a midlife mother. 

While you wait for the baby announcements to arrive, I invite you to check out my new Chick Days review.  Any advice for this new mother hen?

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