GardenMama

.: Celebrating The Magic Of St. Nicholas Day! :.

.: Three sets of wooden clogs full with the gifts of St. Nicholas Day! :.

In the early morning hours as the sky was still dark, three little ones came in to wake mama and daddy exclaiming: "Saint Nicholas was here! Saint Nicholas was here!" He had paid them a visit!

Three sets of little feet ran down the winding old stairs while mama and daddy crawled out of bed into warm sweaters and into the kitchen to set out some tea.

 

.: The clogs were set out in the evening with hay for Nicholas' white horse! :.

The children had set out their wooden clogs the night before with hay for Nicholas' white horse. Now they were all full with clementines,  a symbolic gift to remind us to be sweet. Golden chocolate coins remind us of the giving nature of Nicholas, and that we too can give freely to others before thinking of ourselves.

.: I carved branches and painted them for each child's shoe to resemble St. Nicholas! :.

Wee handmade toys were wrapped in tissue papers and wool yarns--a handmade gnome girl, sweetly knitted bags for each child which held tucked within an old-fashioned game of jacks, carved branches painted in the likeness of Saint Nicholas, and chalk for three slates....

.: Hand-knit bags filled with an old-fashioned game of Jacks made by Julie! :.

On each day leading up to this magical morning we read a story of Nicholas' life and the goodness that he cultivated in the world. as we enjoyed chocolate coins and sweet clementines, we read the last story that reminded us to shine our inner lights.

.: We enjoy many artist's renditions of St. Nicholas in this St. Nicholas Day book! :.

We gave daddy a hug as he went off to work. The children and I went to gather pine tree branches in hopes of creating a winter wreath to adorn our door.  Each child took a turn weaving a pine branch into the form that was set out before them. 

The wreath was passed around with each child enjoying the weaving process that will create our winter wreath.

.: Clementines reminding us to be sweet! :.

.: Walnuts and golden coins--a traditional gift for us on this celebratory occasion! :.

The house become full with the gorgeous scent of pine as we wove the branches and the needles began to fall to the floor around us.  We continued to snack on clementines and the scents that filled our home on this celebratory morning warmed us.

.: Tucked away are beeswax walnut shell candles I created with sweet knit leaves and an acorn created by my friend Joy :.

.: Little gnome girl handmade by 'The little gnomes home' :.

The skies on this morning were white and the flurries began to swirl all around us.  Last St. Nicholas day the snow also began to fall as if on cue,  The air was full with magic adding so much joy into our day. 

As we walked back indoors the house was still scented with clementine and pine.  We decided to put all of our peels and needles to boil on top of the stove so that our house would continue to hold the warmth that was this days celebration for daddy to enjoy when he arrived home and we re-tell our adventures!

.: I look forward to sharing our magical day of wreath-making in my next post! :.

.: In Celebration of Giving Thanks! :.

.: As I look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving Day with my family, I thought it would be fun to take a look back to last year's Thanksgiving Day memories! Warmest wishes to all of you who will celebrate on this day with family and friends! :.

.:Bittersweet vines gathered by my daughter in preparations of weaving a wreath:.

Today we awoke with great anticipation of the celebration that was to come on this Thanksgiving day.  In preparations for our table that would hold the feast that soon would be set before us, our family ventured out into the gardens, fields and woods gathering the beauty all around us in hopes of a bountiful table display set with the beauty and scents of nature and of the gentle glow of candles all around as we express gratitude for each other and for the culinary delights that decorate our plates.

.: I wove this wreath of wild vines boasting warm tones of orange and yellow and growing around the fields. This Bittersweet vine was gathered up by my children and I in preparations of making another small wreath to decorate our favorite oil lamp. :.

There is still so much beauty to be found in the gardens even as it ages on stalk and vine. Vibrant purples, reds, and yellows have turned darker shades of brown, quietly preparing to turn back in to the earth for a long Winter's rest.  My heart still takes joy in their form and also I am reminded again of the gardens that were so recently alive with color and now still stunning as they are eclipsed and in repose.  I appreciate using what we have, crafting from the nature and expressing a true thanksgiving for its gifts that are so freely given.

.: We enjoyed our traditional Clementine's that were eaten up very quickly. They bring a bouquet of citrus sweetness to our palette and the memories of celebrations past. :. 

We adorned Clementine's using Cloves formerly used to stuff dream pillows.  It was lovely to watch each child's designs take form, leaving a memorable sweet and spiced scent on Thanksgiving day to hold close in our memories.

 

The Clementine's are also enjoyed by mama and papa when soaking in our festive drinks!

 

It is in these preparations that we find so much joy in placing care, togetherness and creativity into our day-- making our meal taste all the better.

.: Our Vegetarian feast of fruits, vegetables, and fresh salads! :.

.: Mama-made clove adorned clementine, scenting the air with spicy and sweet! :.

.: Chestnuts to be roasted on the wood stove in celebration of my Grandfather who shared this tradition with me as a young girl and through the years.  :.

Gentle tears well up in my eyes as we take some time in remembrance of my Grandmother and Grandfather.  We celebrate their memory by sharing small traditions of theirs with our children.  As a young girl I remember Thanksgiving and Christmas past when my Grandfather would carefully take out his pocket knife to score an x on each chestnut.  As carefully as they were scored he set them in the same fashion into a cast iron skillet on top of the wood stove.  Soon the buttery smell filled the air. As it slowly cooked the anticipation was great. My Grandfather would hand these warmed treasures out to each child.  I appreciate keeping these memories alive within my family through the stories and tradition shared with me many years ago.

.: My oldest son holding his hand-made lantern up to the sun, illuminating the semi translucent papers that cling to the glass :.

Our after dinner walk was held at golden hour. The sun began its descent into the mountains and we picked up our lanterns. I looked over and noticed my oldest son holding up his lantern over his head to catch the escaping twilight. It cast an orange glow into the translucent colored paper that clung to the glass.

 

 

On the way back we crossed the field,  making a point to stop in the center of the field and set our lanterns down. Once we had settled in, I asked each child what their favorite part of the day was and about what we were each thankful for.

.: As the sun continues to ease our days even earlier into nightfall, may we be guided by the light and give   thanks on this day and on every new day! :.

.: A Story-Book Adventure! :.

Many years ago (while my husband and I were just dating) we enjoyed visiting a very inspiring topiary garden that is home to eighty unique topiaries.

This whimsical garden was so inspiring to us that we decided to travel back here with our children to share with them these gardens that were established in 1872.

It is incredible while walking the garden to know that some of these same plants have been growing for over one hundred years.  You can feel the history in this place and the adventure while walking through the winding garden paths and happening upon giant topiary animals reminding us of the story of "The Garden of Abdul Gasazi"  by Chris Van Allsburg.

The trees on this seven acre estate are very old and very strong. Branches wind up high and then dip back down low.  The roots are planted firmly in the soil below creating an incredible invitation to play among their branches. 

We stopped along the way to view the garden from a birds-eye perspective.  While the trees cradled us we wished that they could speak to tell us a story from so many years ago!

The three children lead the way through winding paths drenched in color and filled with intoxicating scents of heirloom plants that still stand tall today.  We wonder just what will greet us along these paths next?


We happen upon a horse and rider that points the way to an old grape arbor. We take joy in walking this path alongside these new friends. Closing our eyes the sun warms our faces and the powerful scent of sweet red grapes fills the air.
 

The children take notice of an elephant, wide eyed with wonder and awe. We back up just a bit under the grape arbor giving him just enough room to enjoy a meal of fresh flowers that grow all around him.

 

After such a close encounter with this wild elephant we continue walking through the flowery path. among the flowers we find a pond filled with darting Koi. Soon we find ourselves weaving through a maze of bamboo. The children run and play hide-and-go-seek, enjoying this day of magic!

We ramble alongside a patch of antique damask roses that scent the air with a rich perfume that find us lingering just a bit longer...

Excitedly my eldest son finds the most beautiful and colorful Dahlias while large animals watch over us in the distance!

"Hello there friends" they call out to us! "We wish you a happy day in our garden!"

"Thank you for visiting with us, now come follow us right along this path and we will play!"

 We followed these playful animals and played alongside them too until our feet brought us into another garden room where colorful butterflies led us from flower to flower.

"Well hello!" We hear as we stumble upon the vegetable patch! "Let us show you around!" So we walked amidst giant rainbow swiss chard and  sweet yellow pear tomaotoes...

There she was, the same wild hare we had spotted earlier in our day.  She followed us here to tell us a very exciting message! With a twitch of her nose and a wiggle of her white cotton tail she said "Come, follow me past the rust-colored sunflowers and the windmill"...

"Come along, follow me through the lettuces, pumpkins and peas"...
 

"You will see a green archway in the distance. Walk under these arches and they will lead you to a wonderful place!"

"Here we are, you have found it! Now walk upon the grand veranda of this lovely home. Through the heavy doors you will find well-loved toys hidden in some of the rooms!"

A dainty set of miniature saucers and cups even tiny sets of silverware  are set out before us. We stop for a moment to wonder if  a mouse family that lives among this old home was told of our arrival!

Oh, if I could only find myself behind this glass  for some time of play I would be ever so happy says the little girl!

We linger for just a wee bit more over this perfectly lovely kitchen, imagining ourselves slipping behind the glass and shrinking ourselves for just a short time to cook up a mouse-sized cake to go with our tea!

In the halls of this antiquarian home we find ourselves in a childs room.Beyond the sheers there is such a lovely view of animals marching about in the flowering gardens below!

With a curious eye we see that yet another tea party is taking place tucked away in this room!

 

We continue to walk along into the rest of this home. My mind wanders with each new hallway and set of stairs imagining who used to live here in these rooms!

 
 

With books set out and saucers and plates upon a small table in the beautiful living room, it was an amazing place to visit. Yet, back outdoors is where I felt the 'heart' of this home still alive and growing strong!

The hands, hearts, and minds who dreamed of these gardens and poured forth their work to trim each shrub and plant and care for each tree were most certainly appreciated as we ended our day up in the arms of a very old tree.

Thank you to the gardeners and dreamers who lived in this place so many years ago who have also shared their creative spirits with my family and many other families on this day! 

.: May you experience magical adventures in your every day! :.