About Me

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i am a stay-at-home mom living, learning and loving by the bay!I love to take pictures. I love to crochet cozy things for my family and friends.

August 30, 2010

Oregon Memory Albums


Binky petting Sumba the lion cub


Goose's cover



map and postcard from Coos Bay, Oregon



Holding the caracal cat and ferret was very cool!



Binky's cover



Both Goose and Binky went up into the lighthouse.
There is something special about lighthouses.
My favorite memory of a lighthouse is from the movie, "Pete's Dragon."
How I loved that movie as a kid!
Both kids enjoyed making these albums.
They can't wait to make more.  I'm thinking of making one for each season with
photos, stickers, poems, found treasures, birthdays, and holidays.
We are starting to see some leaves changing here by the bay.
Just a hint of red here and there.
Have you noticed any changes where you live?

August 18, 2010

pointillism and graffiti art

 This is Binky's graffiti art.
He is really into hip-hop dancing right now.
Sometimes he will dance for hours!
Notice "Born from a boom box."
We are checking out some dance classes this weekend.

 Goose was inspired by Georges Seurat's pointillism paintings.
For the first attempt we used a canvas with a drawing already in place
and q-tips.  They worked really well.
I love the colors she chose.



I've said this before, but I love the calm and peaceful energy when the kids are creating.
Days filled with art make me happy!
Today, Goose and I are making some fabric draw-string bags for the first time.
We are having a lot of fun with her sewing machine.
Binky is working on a map of Warrior cat territory.
He loves maps.
3pm is reading hour around here.
The whole house is quiet!
I love reading hour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Goose is now reading Guardians of Ga'Hoole.
She finished the Warriors series and is a little sad about it!
She received the Culpeper Herbal for her birthday.
This is the herbal the authors used in writing the Warriors series.
The medicine cats use herbs to treat the sick and wounded.
Goose has spent quite a bit of her allowance on herbs from the farmer's market.
She loves using her mortar and pestle to grind them up.
We are going to make some sachets and dream pillows for the holidays.
Yep, we are already thinking about the holidays.
They sneak up on you!
Especially here by the bay where autumn feels more like summer and then, one day, it's suddenly winter!
The sun is shining already and it's not even noon yet!
Very strange... the fog and cool temps have dominated our summer so far.
Perhaps reading hour will be outside today!


August 12, 2010

i've missed you

It's been a pretty mellow summer so far here by the bay.
Quite cool and foggy.  More so than usual.
I don't think we've seen the sun for a few weeks.
The kids and I returned from Oregon last Saturday.
Where it was cooler and foggier!
We are easing into more of a schedule.
A little math here, a little history there.
We meet with our educational coordinator on Monday.
Can't wait to come home with lots of new curriculum!
Goose is really into the Warriors series right now. 
She can read 3 books a day sometimes.
And now Binky is reading  the first book in the series.
I can't tell you how excited I am about this!
He is reading this all on his own, one chapter a day(his idea.)
I found this link to Warriors reading guides, with great activities to do with Binky.
Goose is studying California.
I can't wait to visit the San Francisco Mission Dolores.
My grandparents used to take my sister and I to Mission San Juan Capistrano every year to watch the swallows return.  Such fond memories.
Daddy is working a lot.
We are grateful for that.
Life is good.
How is your summer going??
I've missed you!