We are Celtic

It is important to me to introduce my sons to other cultures so we take them to parades, festivals, etc. But this last weekend we celebrated our own culture and heritage at the Bethlehem Celtic Classic Festival. The boys especially enjoyed the parade during which, Aidan pretended to play the bagpipes, and the sheepdog demonstrations.

I always enjoy the Irish dancers and the Massed Pipe Bands on Saturday evening.

Aidan marches with the massed pipe bands on the field.

My little lad, Shane.

Lowland lads may dress mair fine,

Woo in words mair saft than mine!

Lowland lads hae mair o' art,

A' my boast's an honest heart,

Whilk shall ever be my pride!

O row thee in my Highland Plaid.

~Robert Tannahill (my paternal ancestor from Paisley, Scotland)

colorful felt acorns

After seeing felted acorns on etsy, I decided it would be a fun craft to do with the boys, as well as another opportunity to encourage fine motor skills. I gathered acorn tops of all sizes from the big oak trees at work and yesterday morning the boys and I made colorful felt acorns for our nature table. We had such a good time that I'm sure we will make many more. I used the wet felted stones tutorial from The Magic Onions as a guide.

We started out with warm water and dish detergent in the boy's water table and some wool fiber. I began by taking a small piece of fiber and soaking it in the soapy water and gently rolling it in a ball. (If you press too hard, the ball will have creases. I learned the hard way.)

After about 30 seconds of rolling the ball, the fibers began to interlock. At this point we soaked the ball in the soaper water again and turned the rolling over to Aidan. (A great way to encourage his fine motor skills.)

While we rolled the balls, Shane churned the soapy water with a hand mixer.

To make the ball bigger or cover creases, I added more fiber,

folded it evenly over the felted ball,

soaked it in the soapy water and rolled again. After about 2 minutes they were done.

When the ball was the size we wanted, we rinsed out all the soap and let them dry in the sun. (They can also dry in a mesh pouch in the dryer.)

After they dried, we glued on acorn caps and added them to our nature table.

They are so colorful, I'm sure we will use/play with them for quite some time.

Corn Husk Dolls

In a previous post, I wrote about how much Aidan likes to shuck corn. Well, we dried some of the husks on the deck and used them to make corn husk dolls:

First, we bundled about 10 husks together, tying the bottom of the husks together.

Next we folded the husks over the part that is tied and tied it together to make the head.

To add flexibility, I added a pipe cleaner to the arms and tied them off.

After Aidan picked out yarn for the hair, we glued it on.

The corn husk dolls are our latest addition to our nature table.

I Am Thankful

Many times I go about my daily rhythm and suddenly the joy of my God-given blessings come to the forefront. Sometimes it happens when I hear The Elder son sing. Sometimes it is when I look out my window and see a lovely sunny day. Other times it is simply hearing, "I love you." Often the joyful blessed feelings last all day.

Yesterday was one of those days.

The Younger turned 2.

A bundle of joy from the start.

Always looking to make us laugh.

So willing to find joy at every turn.

Thank You

A wonderful giveaway at Rhythm of the Home

If you are at all interested in how to implement Waldorf theories into daily life check out Rhythm of the Home It has been a valuable source of inspiration and practical application for me this summer. Right now is a great time to visit the site as they are hosting some wonderful giveaways.