Birthday Wrap-Up

A couple weekends ago my daughter celebrated her 7th birthday. I realized this year when I turned 35 that we will both be going through our seven year changes together. I'm not really sure what that will entail but like Life itself, it is sure to be interesting!

Happy 7th Birthday!
Yellow arugula flowers are from the faeries.

Here are little glimpses into her special day(s). We celebrated on her actual birthday and also had an ice pop/slip and slide party with friends.  This year we were also able to enjoy the company of 2 other girls with the same birthday!

Gifts from mama

Thanks to some special friends who had Waldorf toy/book sales,  I got these great Kinderkram wooden castle walls and the LMNOP book (perfect for starting 1st grade!) at a great price.  Our school store had this great swing-a-round...perfect for faeries to have fun on.  The The Land of Long Ago is another beautiful Elsa Beskow book.  It just happens to have a little girl in it named Kelly who goes on a fantastic adventure.  My little one got a great kick out of having her name in the book. 

Pounce and Sneaky

A new friend made this cute set of felted animals.  There is a little rodent named Sneaky and a cat named Pounce.  Pounce likes to bounce and sneaky is really fast!

So Beautiful!

This is one of the most beautiful handmade gifts my daughter has ever received.  It is a flower matching game.  Each wooden coin has a flower etched into the wood via pyrography.   The detail is amazing.  A talented mom friend did this all herself!  It came in a cotton flower print bag.

Other notable gifts:  Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.  The Jabberwocky was one of my favorite poems as a child and to share the silliness with my daughter is fun..."twas brillig and the slithy toves...."  She also has been initiated into the American Girl franchise via her grandmother and got the girl of the year, Kanani (she's from the isle of Kauai).  With our trip to the island to visit family again in the fall, there will definitely be some interesting adventures with this doll.  I think any doll play should be encouraged...they will only stay little for a short while.

At her party, I made lots of food and it all was eaten before I could take photos.  There were summer rolls with peanut sauce, BBQ tofu, grilled eggplant, red & blue potato salad, garden salad, and of course the ice pops.   I used this great stainless steel popsicle mold for many of the pops. I took these photos after the party as so many were left over.  I also wanted to enjoy the fun of being with everyone instead of walking around with the camera.

Kiwi Strawberry

Orange Mango   &  Acai Berry

Chocolate Sundae & Root Beer Float

Since I'm not a great baker I decided to leave the cake to the professionals.  Here's my post about it on my other blog: www.veggiebytes.com

I want to thank everyone who has celebrated these seven years with Kelly.  All of you have created special memories for her.  I truly appreciate those of you who have taught me how to preserve the innocence of childhood, keep the magic of the world alive and nurture her love of nature.

Crossing Over

This is a bit late but still worth celebrating.  My sweet little girl finished her 3rd year in Waldorf kindergarten.  Here are some photos from her crossing over ceremony.
I attended the previous celebrations and always cried happy tears to see the children meet this milestone in their lives.  I was prepared this year for my own little girl to walk slowly over the bridge and only had big smiles for her.  We will treasure this innocent time and always be thankful for the beautiful foundation built to help support her growth for the years to come.

Almost forgot to go over the bridge :)

Smiling over the bridge

Gentle handshake

Thank you for a wonderful 3 years

Happy Easter!

A little Spring Bunny wanted to wish you happy Easter!

Ravelry info here

Daffodillies

daffodils, a photo by lalitaliving on Flickr.

A friend gave me these beautiful sunny daffodils and my daughter has been singing this song:

Spring is coming, Spring is coming,
birdies build your nest,
weave together straw and feather,
doing each your best.

Spring is coming, Spring is coming,
flowers are waking too,
Daisies, lilies, daffodilies,
Now are coming through.

Spring is coming, Spring is coming,
All around is fair,
Shimmer, glimmer on the meadow,
Joy is everywhere.

W.I.P - Spring is here!

Nature's got her own W. I. P!  We've already had a couple 80 degree days here in Central Texas. Flowers are blooming everywhere.  Here's the view under the tree in our front yard.

I've already done a bunch of Spring cleaning!  It's been so long since I scrubbed our bathroom baseboards with a toothbrush.  How satisfying that was! I also cleaned out my baking cabinet and found some items that I forgot I had, including some ceramic apple shaped ramekins.  They would have been perfect in Autumn!

I'm in the process of finishing a quilt that I started when my daughter was 8 months old.  I still have quite a way to go (making more blocks, picking a backing, sashing etc.)  Since it's been such a long time, I feel like I am learning to do everything all over again.  Do you have a favorite way to quilt or know much about the "quilt-as-you-go" technique?  I would love to hear your thoughts.  I would like to finish the quilt before Summer.

Here's what I have so far:
8 Grandmother's Fan blocks ( put 4 together to create a flower center)
4 Log Cabin
4 (made with triangles - don't know the pattern name)
4 Simple 9 patch
8 Flip and Stitch half blocks (top and bottom diagonal borders of central flower)

My mother and I took the quilt class together to learn many different techniques, so the quilt is more of a sampler.  She's given me her finished blocks for which I am very thankful! I plan on using a natural fiber batting.  I'm still not sure whether to use cotton or wool or even the newer cotton/bamboo blends.  The finished quilt should cover a twin bed.

Besides the quilt, I'm also working on a Lady Spring needle felted doll for our Spring nature table.
Here's some fairies that me and my little miss made recently.  They still have super long braids while our lovely locks got more than a trim on mother/daughter haircut day.

I'm also thinking of some simple way to celebrate Gaura Purnima this year.  It is one of most special Vaisnava holidays that happens on a full moon around this time in the Spring.    I may make some moon shaped cookies,  Bengali food and go to a kirtan the night before being led by the Mayapuris while they visit Austin.  Another fun festival is Holi - where there is a lot of merrymaking by splashing bright colors on others in a playful mood.

Hope your Spring is blossoming nicely!

Winter Time

I hope everyone is staying warm and relying on that inner sunshine!

We have had quite a few cold days and even a bit of snow!  Making snow angels, sliding down hills in a cardboard box, and eating Nature's shave ice by a frozen stream are rare in Central Texas. We've also enjoyed a couple slower days to recoup from night coughing and lots of warm soup.

With the coldest part of the year upon us, I have been quite inspired to knit.  I was able to send off some small gifts to a friend (Devadeva at Sabjimata) who had a baby with the most adorable name: Bindumati.  I am reminded of how fast babies grow and what a special time it is with a wee one.

I also made some super leg warmers for my little miss. They were finished just in time for her half birthday at school.  Since she is a summer baby, she celebrated with her class last week.  Her teacher gave her the sweetest peg doll with long dark hair and a cute acorn cap beret.  This will be her 3rd and last year in the kindergarten.  I'm feeling a bit wistful about the change but at the same time I feel lucky to witness all of the growth she's experiencing.



I am thankful for the cold and what it brings: a slower pace, a respect for Mother Nature and her power, and how good warmth feels from a cozy home and family.