GardenMama

.: Casting Our Wishes Into The Air :.

I was happy to see Suzy as well as Heather working from "The Dream Pillow" tutorial with their children!

.: A view of home as we emerge from the woods and cross the fields.  Can you spot a roof snuggled in among the trees? :.

We are appreciating these light-filled days, the crisp smell of the leaves and a subtle sweetness in the air.  This is a time to savor the golden landscape now surrounding us in preparation for when the cold season blows in and covers our world in a deep blanket of sparkling diamonds set out for many miles all around us. 

.: My littlest one walking the field "Looking for foxes and their homes" :.

On our walk home from spending time in the woods we set out across the open fields before our home. Emerging from the forest we spot turkey feathers, and tall grasses matted down in patterned circular impressions that tell the story of a family of animals who have settled into that hidden spot the night before.

.: He spotted a hole in the ground, wondering just who was living inside! :.

.: Walking into the fields looking for his older brother who is hiding amidst the tall grasses! :.

 An impromptu game of hide-and-seek ensued as we all enjoyed the magical hiding spots snuggled deep into the retreat of the tall grasses that sheltered us from plain sight. It was incredible just how quickly the hidden one could disappear without even traveling far.  
This little game helped the children to understand how the animals appreciate the fields as much as we do. As in our game, the animals are also playing their own version of hide and seek.

.: An intricately designed milkweed pod, so beautiful with its seeds and silk :.

.: Brother and sister working together to pull apart all of the silken threads in preparation of casting them high into the air in celebration of this day! :.

Fox holes dug out into the ground were spotted, as well as a few Milkweed pods scattered randomly along our path, still clinging to their fading stalks. My children were automatically drawn to these silken pods. Stopping for a moment, we each took time to notice their outer casing. Inquisitive little fingers explored the frothy silken threads that were woven inside each of these small gifts from nature. 

 

.: She counted "One, two, three...make a wish!" and blew the littlest piece of fluff into the air! :.

.:  Many pieces of fluff blown into the air! He chased and followed them all the way home! :.

As my children teased apart the fluff from the milkweed pods, I felt a profound sense of  beauty shown to me in the ever-changing modalities of nature.  These milkweed plants that were once food for the butterflies in the warmer months now wither and replace themselves with the seeds nestled within their silken pods. Today they nurtured young imaginations with tender fleeting moments of play...

I wish to you many warm memories and rich adventures in nature!

.: Hearts And Hands At Home :.

.: A bundle of wheat painted by my mother on this wooden tray. This tray holds sweet memories of my childhood as well as the cooked pumpkin seeds we made on this day! :.

The gentle tapping of the rain at the windows and the soft crackling of the fire in the wood stove orchestrate  a natural cadence to our day today.  The percussive melody of elemental sounds both inside and outside of our home brings to my mind the poem "Song Of The Rain" by Gibran... 

.: Pumpkin seeds waiting to be rinsed sit in a vintage collander passed down from my grandmother :.

.: We started scooping with wooden spoons, and ended scooping with our hands! :.

I decided to gather up some pumpkins we picked earlier in the gardens and cut out a circle around the stem-- knowing very quickly the three wee ones would quickly gather by my side to help without me having to say a word.  The four of us sat around a wooden table, wet seeds filling up the wooden bowls as each child busily scooped out the orange flesh of the pumpkin.  In quiet meditation we all sat together pulling seeds  from these mature pumpkins that once lived in our garden.

.: Some of our pumpkin seeds set out for a snack, others will be stored for use in winter :.

.: A pair of small hands help to set the table for snack and play :.

Taking the warmed pumpkin seeds out of the oven, I set them into pumpkin-colored bowls.  A small posey bouquet joined a pair of handmade beeswax candles that were lit to add a sense of sacredness to the moment on this rainy afternoon. 

.: Little ones taking turns stirring the doughy mixture in my favorite vintage bowl :.

The smell of warmed pumpkin seeds filled the air, a comforting and familiar scent that instantly brought back many powerful memories of fall's past. This special salty snack sustained us as we we started to mix ingredients together to make a simple homemade play dough. Flour, water, salt, oil... each child took a turn pouring and stirring  the ingredients in the bowl.  Soon a soft ball of dough began to take shape. 

.: Heart and hands working together to make impressions in the dough with my grandmothers vintage cookie cutters :.

Little hands delighted in the warm natural-colored dough. We each selected our favorite vintage cookie-cutter from a collection handed down to me from my grandmother. As my children cut out shapes I was reminded of my childhood, cutting out the same shapes with my Nana from the very same cookie cutters. In the evening we lit the candles in our newly-carved pumpkins and took in the warmth from their gentle glow at dinnertime.

 

.: The dough still warm from cooking on the stove and now from working with it in our hands :.

.: Gardenmama's Homemade Family Play dough recipe :.

One cup of flour
One cup of water
One half cup of salt
One teaspoon of oil
One half teaspoon of cream of tartar

Mix your flour, water, salt, oil and cream of tartar in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, continually stirring until the mixture holds together.
When the dough is cooled, knead it together and enjoy your time of play!

.: Homemade play dough will last for a long time. We store ours in waxed paper taped closed.  It also can make for a lovely gift when wrapped up with a pint-sized rolling pin, apron and cookie cutters! :.

.: Scenting Our Dreams ~ A Tutorial for making Dream Pillows :.

.: Patchouli, Rose Petals, Chamomile, and Lavender--each dried from our gardens and enjoyed on this day :.

Our summer was infused with the incredible scents of herbs that generously graced our gardens. We lingered over their sweet perfumes as we walked past them. They scented our dreams as they lived in vases on our bedroom windowsills, full with the sweetness the gardens had to offer us!

.: The soothing scent of chamomile set out on our crafting table.  A natural filler for our dream pillows :.

.: The spicy scent of aromatic cloves set out on our crafting table.  A natural filler for our dream pillows :.

As we moved along deeper into summer, our herbs were harvested and hung to dry. Many will be vital ingredients for use in family recipes, and they too will continue to scent our days...

.: Each child brought out a wooden bowl to be filled with colorful scented herbs, as well as small treasures we have found in nature. In placing the materials out for our craft, we are adding beauty to our table :.

 I appreciate finding beauty, meaning, and celebration in our every day life. On this day we moved our table alongside the gardens to enjoy a celebration of the Autumn harvest, enjoying crafting sweetly-scented pillows that will bring us extra warmth and love as we snuggle in a bit deeper under our blankets on these newly chilly days. Wooden bowls brim with lavender, rose petals, acorns, and wool.  Our hand-crafted glass lanterns from years past were lit, and flowers were placed on the table as we began to imagine the creative work that was set before us.

.: With a disappearing-ink pen an image of a sun was drawn on felt to form an outline for colorful stitches :.

With our disappearing-ink pens, my children drew out their designs on a square piece of felt.
I then drew a border around this square of felt and they embroidered their design, stitching three sides of the square piece closed, leaving the top open to  create the pocket to be filled with herbs and natural treasures of each child's choosing from the selection of treasures set out on our preparation table.  

.: Lavender is paired with tiny seashells that we found this summer during our time spent on the island:.

.: Beautifully colored wool roving from the wool festival we attended, paired with sweet miniature pine cones that line the forest floor :.

On this day we made "Scented Dream Pillows" We chose from many different  beautifully scented herbs and flowers. To add a special touch we decided to ornament our dreams by selecting personally meaningful  natural treasures. Memories such as an acorn or mini pine cone found during a walk in the forest.  A tiny seashell brought home with us on from a walk along the ocean.  These treasured memories were tucked in our small pillows to  mingle with the scents of our gardens. Pure wool roving from our time at the wool festival added an element of warmth and touch, as well as providing extra cushion for the ingredients that were inside them.

.: Choosing and adding the ingredients that will make up her dream pillow :.

.: A dream pillow halfway full, smelling of soothing Lavender and Chamomile herbs :. 

.: A few tiny pine cones and a small shell was added into my daughter's dream pillow. She tucked the soft wool roving inside to complete the filling process :.

 

.: Happily presenting two of our finished dream pillows :.

My children took much joy in scooping up Lavender and pulling at the wool roving like so many pieces of colorful cotton candy. They were delighted to carefully choose each special treasure that made their pillow unique and special to them. It was a way to complete the circle for them of the process of  tending the gardens and drying our herbs. They enjoyed the quiet meditation and the accomplishment of hands-on embroidery work, and most of all they were very excited for bedtime! They proudly carried their pillows around with them during the day and excitedly slipped them into their pillowcases at night.  These many memories all stitched together into our pillows made for a very memorable day and very peaceful dreams...