Spring Fairies

As we settle into new life here in Wagga and setting up the new house we finally exchanged our Winter theme for a Spring one.  Son't you just love the Spring Fairies? They are so much fun to make!

Believe me when I say Spring is really here this far north and I am enjoying it and the children are sooooo very keen to get into the pool as soon as possible. They look out the kitchen window each morning and just bask in the Summer possibilities.

Next week we are hoping to get started back into lessons, even though we are still not completely organised. In fact my desk and other lesson essentials are still in Melbourne waiting to be shipped here.

I am really looking forward to starting some Spring themed activities from the Spring book I had in my giveaway recently.

The younger children are really searching for some structure and the big kids are saying they need to do  some more constructive work which to them means lessons.
They are starting some new English based work that we bought before the move and are anxious to get started on them.

With the start of new themes and chores next week I hope to get some more time for relaxation and crafts and perhaps some more blogging too!!

Linking to Nicole today

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

Holy Week Activities.......

Holy Week Activities~

We are looking at different Egg activities and I am thinking these look like fun: (list below)
Most we won't do but will attempt a few new ones this week. They will be a great resource for future years!

We actually have started some of them and enjoyed them. Although I really MUST remember for next year to NOT do multiple activities with ALL the children, both older and younger at the same time on the same day. I have some examples of what we achieved from both this list and our 'normal, every-year' activities too.

I know I keep saying 'I won't do that next year' BUT I get so very excited to be trying something new each year. Although Autumn says to me that I should stick to the same things each year.

Now while I LOVE traditions and reusing them each year I also love to try new things.

Some days I love to compare myself with Ms. Frizzle of The Magic Schoolbus DVDs (Free Online). I love how she says "take chances, make mistakes, get messy" I can so totally relate to her and her enthusiasm.

1. Surprise Crack Eggs
2. Surprise Plastic Eggs ( you can even post them)
3. Spring Easter Download
4. Cute Egg/ Spring Ideas
5. Knitted Nest with Eggs or felt eggs
6. Felt Hide-a-way Eggs
7. Spring Baskets
8. Montessori Easter Activities
9. Pom Pom Chick
10. Fabric look Icing Eggs
11. Spring Egg House
12. Spring Sensory Box
13. Eggs and Nests
14. Activities- eggs and baskets
15. Easter Baskets
16. More Easter ideas
17. String Easter Eggs 
18. Sugar and String Crystal Easter Eggs
19. Crepe Paper Carrots
20. Easter Egg Finger Puppets
21. Wool and Glue Bird Nest
22. Decoupage Eggs

I would like to share this link for a quick round up of Holy Week with you.
apart from our activities we are trying to accomplish a few reflective times as well

Here are our  plans from Last year...really there are so many ideas and links. I do think sometimes I look at re-inventing the wheel each year.

We are planning on attending these special events this week too~
Thursday: Mass of the Lord's Supper
Friday: 11 AM Confession and 3 PM Commemoration of the Passion
Friday we will Start our Divine Mercy Novena too
Holy Saturday: 7:30 PM Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday: 10:30 AM Easter Mass

Spy Wednesday
We will also do our Seder Meal on Thursday before the Mass on Thursday
Hot Cross Buns on Friday
Stations of the Cross and box
Make a Pascal Candle-
We usually use a simple version of cutting out decorative wax and 'sticking' it on the candle.It is relatively quick and looks very good.
In past years we have 'cut out' with a sharp knife the shapes we want and then painted in oil paint the colours to fill in the shapes.
Decorations for our Egg tree (pictures top and bottom from past years) using some of the egg ideas we are making this week.
Last supper Presentation
Journey around Jerusalem
Preparations for the Easter Table for Easter Day

One day we dream of attending this wonderful Passion Play

May this Holy week bring each of you closer to our Lord and be ready for the excitement of  Easter this year.

Blessings to you and your homes,

Spring is in the Air!

Everything on the allotment is bursting into life which must mean that Spring is on it's way!

I'm hoping for sloes on this blackthorn bush this year..

I was worried that I may have planted this garlic a little late due to all the rain that we had last year but it's all sprouted, I love garlic!

The slightly warmer weather made the natural dyeing session we had at Sam's last week a lot easier - Jane Southgate is busy preparing for Rural Collusions and needed a load of stuff dyed blue with woad.

Dyeing with woad is always exciting so we didn't need a lot of persuading to get the dye pots out again!

The dyebath is yellow and the blue only develops when the dye reacts with oxygen in the air. We were dyeing some of the crocheted puffballs along with some wool blankets and some cotton interlining. Jane uses the interlining to make the gills of bracket fungi!

After a great day of dyeing I paid a visit to another artist's studio My Red Studio is just up the road from Halfpenny Home and is where Amy Louise Nettleton is currently working - we were really excited to hear that she had found somewhere nearby and I couldn't wait to see her studio.

Red, red, red!

Jacqui very generously treated me to a glass workshop with Anita Honeyball for Christmas with the condition that she came along too! Jacqui has attended a couple of these sessions before and I've always been so very impressed with all of the things that she has produced and it's almost all made with recycled materials that would otherwise be thrown away.
Jacqui and I were joined by our good friends Lisa and Gay as well as Maria B who organises the Ark and Craft Markets in Needham Market held on the 3rd Saturday of every month. Anita will also be at this month's event which will be on Saturday 19th February.

Anita's studio is a treat for the eyes - there are beautiful objects everywhere! These cheese plates are made from bottles that have been heated in a kiln.

You can't help but be inspired to create when you see all the pieces of coloured glass...

As you can see in the picture of the table below we were all very productive!

All that creativity can make you very hungry!

We even managed to make good use of one of the bottle cheese plates during lunch, I love glass so a whole day of playing with it was a real treat for me - I can't wait to see how all the pieces look after they have been fired!

Just look at the fantastic colours of the 'Stingray' glass bowls - I have a one in a kingfisher blue which I brought from Anita the very first time I met her at Treasures of Suffolk and I really love it! What a great way to spend a week, Nic x