{this moment} ~ Chores with Chickens

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

Leprechaun Magick

Each year our household is graced with a visit from a wee little Irishman that goes by the name of Lucky.  He usually shows up sometime around St. Patrick's Day, wreaking havoc through our home and leaving goodies behind to endear our hearts.  This year was no different, though he came a day late just to trip us up I think! 

Upon waking up on the morning of the 18th, we were quick to discover that our faces were covered in green leprechaun kisses and a wild Irish light up headband had been placed on Raine's head sometime during the night! 

After a quick glance out Raine's bedroom window, we notices a trail of golden coins and shamrocks leading down the stairs and out to the chicken coop!  We threw on a robe and ran down to see what that trickster had done.

What a funny shock it was to find that Lucky had taken all of our regular chicken eggs and replaced them with green ones, and they weren't even hard boiled, we found that out the hard way ;)

Though the real shock came as we opened the coop door to find our rooster Silkie had been dyed green to match!  Oh glory be, the poor little devil must have messed with the wrong leprechaun! 

Now you'd think that the madness would have stopped here, but as we left the coop to go back to the house, we noticed that my brand new green car had been driven onto the lawn and covered in graffiti!  As you can image I was outraged, that the little trickster would dare to drive my car and sure hoped that green paint would come off!  How does a tiny leprechaun even reach the gas pedal I ask you?  Well as you can see, he is quite the artist, drawing tiny shamrocks all over the windows and putting the phrase, "leprechaun lightning" across the back, whatever that means!  I just hope he didn't go joy riding!

I'll tell you the best part was driving down the road later, looking out the windshield through a giant green smiley face with freckles, and enduring the many crazy looks from fellow drivers while on the way to the car wash!  If I ever catch that Lucky, he is in big trouble!

After running back into the house to check for any other mischief managed, we found another trail or coins and shamrocks leading us to the living room where we were greeted with this sight...

A letter from lucky himself, explaining in rhyme no less the tricks and treats left behind, and that he loved that we read all those traditional Irish stories from his homeland the night before.  He gifted us each a pair of green foil wrapped chocolate lips, to match the kisses he left on our faces, and a wacky candy wand of sorts for his favorite freckle faced girl.  The chocolate calmed this mother down enough to not get mad at the still to be discovered bathtub filled with green water and matching toilet, oh and we must not forget the milk and cream being treated to the same tint!  All's well that ends well, even if the mashed potatoes we ate with our corned beef and cabbage dinner that night was the last joke as I had no other cream to add :)

Hope you all had a great St. Patty's Day too!!

{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

{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



Snow Art!

Are your kids tired of making snowmen and just can't seem to bear the thought of another snowball fight or snow fort?  Do they want desperately to do something else that doesn't require barreling down a hill at breakneck speeds?  Well then, Ive got just the thing-Snow Art!  What's that you say?  Here, let me explain...

Take some of that crusty old food coloring out of the pantry that you are never going to use, grab a set of squeeze bottles or squirt bottles from the local discount store, add water and presto, you've got endless hours of fun!

Fill each bottle up with water and add a few drops of food dye to give your creative kids a spectrum of lovely color. Squeeze bottles work great for precise lines and drawings and the squirt bottles are great for larger fill in jobs.

Sit back and watch as their imaginations run wild with possibility and they bring a world of color and life into your once boringly white yard! 

Rainbows will appear before your very eyes.

Caterpillars will emerge from their cocoons as beautiful butterflies,

and secret messages will be written for the stars.  Even you will want to get in on the action because all the world is a canvas!

As the end of the evening your kids will fall happily into bed, exhausted and dreaming of all of the magickal things that they brought to life that day.  This will go on for days and as long as the snow lasts you will have some very busy kiddos, though you may have to talk the neighbors into donating there yards for the sake of art! ;)



A few belated class parties I've done for Raine...

Christmas Party 2010

Full Spread

Peppermint Forest

Candycane Cupcakes

Christmas Fairy Fruit Wands

Fairy Wands Close Up

Halloween Party 2011

Full Spread

Healthy Witches Brew (Applesause tinted green with festive sprinkles)

Wide View of Witches Brew

Monster Munch

Creepy Cones

{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

Wisdom, Walks & Waterfalls

A few months back we had a very special visitor show up for my birthday!  He flew in from Washington to spend the week with Raine and I and spoiled us rotten while he was here.  We had great week that was blessedly laid back and relaxed, and just what the doctored had ordered.

One of the things that we tried to do daily was to get out and walk.  To set aside moments to simply be together and immerse ourselves in mother natures loveliness.

The place that we chose to visit most often was Christman Sanctuary.  Raine and I had discovered it this past summer and have been going ever since.  It is a beautiful place not 15 minutes from were we live and so unexpected in it's hidden and quiet presence, that when you come upon the first set of falls it literally takes your breath away every time.

We knew that dad would feel the same way about it that we do and were very closed mouthed in not telling him what to expect when we took him to s it the first time. 

Both Raine and my dad are very nature and animal oriented and have a great bond between them.  In person it is fun to watch them interact but I was so very pleased to see it reflect in some of the pictures I took of them together.

They both take joy in so many of the same things and spoke on a level that needed no words.  It was so wonderful to watch the flow of energy between them.

I think that this may have been my favorite part, that quite understanding between them that has nothing to do with generational gap and seems to span beyond earthly wisdom.

It is a gift in life to have these great connections with those that you love and I can see that this one will last as I am sure it has before, throughout many lifetimes...