A Beautiful birthday....

Cornflower
Wildflower
Goodness, how nicely the fairies have been tending their little plot :) Bringing so many colours and fragrances to the garden to attract the bees and butterflies.

These beautiful flowers decorated our small but homely garden in Summer Birthday style!

Here is the Birthday Girl with her Birthday Badge!




I made a lovely (even if I do say so myself:) layered carrot cake with buttercream filling and orange glaze. My Mother's very favourite.... and apparently it's quite popular around here too!

A beautiful rainbow of silk and satin inspiration.

Helped create...
The gift...
I made this embroidery by tracing a sweet picture that Matilda drew of her granny onto some cotton fabric.
I have always loved embroidery since a child. I shall enjoy finding some more sweet drawings from our *very* full drawing cupboard to embroider onto cloth.
The embroidery sits quite beautifully in a simple wooden frame and both Matilda and Granny were "over the moon" with it which is what counts.

And to finish things.... here is a beautiful poem for all mothers over at my daughter Emmy's little blog :)

Blessings to all!

I see Children as Kites

"I see children as kites....

You run with them until you're both breathless....

You watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that someday they'll fly.... 
 
They need more string and you keep letting it out. But with each twist of the ball of twine, there is a sadness that goes with the joy.

The kite becomes more distant, and you know it won't be long
before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds
you together and will soar as it is meant to soar,
free and alone. Only then
do you know that your job is done."

Excerpts of a Poem called "Kites" by Erma Bombeck

Fairy fun

Fairy kitten Florence, fly watching.

Fairy houses...

Made for flower fairies... freshly picked.

Here are some real life fairies all of our own :)

Tilly and Boo dressed and *fairified*, ready for their matinee performance last weekend.

 

I found this sweet hair style over at An Aspiring Homemaker. I only adjusted it slightly by adding french plaits and using hairbands instead of a clip so that the plaits could be brought into more of a traditional ballet style bun.

Wash Wednesday

Today
I had a little help

with my wash wednesday post!



The ordinary everyday brims quiet with sacred moments...

From the rousing sounds of children within the walls of the house I step, unnoticed into birdsong and the rustle of leaves overhead.

Small hands, grasp and clutch and bury and reach. And I inhale deep the moment, learning the blessing of slow lived, *real time* life.

The space it opens for me to simply be and enjoy the moment with her.

The embracing of the dawning day with a basket load under arm, and a silent, waiting line.

The decoration of socks and skirts abundant in late afternoon breeze.

Making Cornflour Gloop

Just one cup of warm water...


And two cups of cornflour later...

Makes hours of messy gloopy, tactile fun....

But here's the science bit...

Apparently this mixture is a non Newtonian substance.
The surface wrinkles and forms ripples when blown on, you can drag a paint brush through it and even slide it right out of the bowl.

However the substance is responsive to pressure and when touched or hit with an object it immediately hardens to a solid.

It has the weirdest texture and is really fun to play with.



Here's a step by step guide on you tube with lots of great ideas for playing with your own gloop.

Live Slowly and Simply... Have Eyes of Wonder

"Live slowly and simply, so that you have the time and space to love deeply and well. 

Hold your children close, as often as possible. 

Look deeply into their eyes, speak words of life, love and acceptance, into, and over them."

Jewels (Eyes of Wonder)