Blog Archive
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2008
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October
(12)
- Skunked!
- A Hyena Hat
- Lolly Lila Has Arrived (in More Ways than One!)
- My Tardy Wordless Wednesday Entry (and my wordy ti...
- What Can Earth Belly Do For You?
- Decay and the Glory of Autumn
- Friday Finds: A Delightful Etsy Shop
- My Own Crowd Scene
- In Their Hands~ Opens at Noon Today!
- A Walk in the Woods~ My First Playscape
- Little Sweetings~ Good Rabbits
- Why I Wish I Lived in Oregon
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October
(12)

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Flash forward to Sunday night. I had a long day and it was nearly midnight. Andy let the dog out on the long line to do his business. Dog charges animal. Husband perceives animal to be skunk. Skunk sprays. Husband perceives skunk smell. Husband was at the above wildlife lecture.
What does husband do?
Let the dog INTO the house, of course!
Yup.
Dog proceeds to roll on carpet, couches and bolt upstairs to roll on our duvet.
I immediately smelled something~ like perm solution, and when husband moseys upstairs, ask him about it. Oh. No. Husband insists dog is clean. (And here is where my dumb moment comes in, overshadowed as I was by the enormity of my husbands bad choices). I stick my face into dog's fur and come up gagging and skunked.
Oh. No.
The blessing was that the dog had been shaved down this week and that the skunk seems to have chosen dispersed general attack instead of targetted spray. Poor dog had to spend his first ever night outdoors (in crate in garage) and had I a crate large enough, husband would have done the same.
Seriously. You see skunk, you smell skunk. Don't you assume skunked?
Thank goodness the baking soda/ peroxide/ dish soap solution does work.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Without a little one in diapers I rarely participate in a hyena feeding frenzy.
You will need to check out Hyena Cart (scroll over the upper left hand side where it says 'Why Hyenas') to begin to understand the hyena mentality by which items become hugely popular and in high demand at this 'collection of earth friendly shops' (that is the tag line, I don't mean that sarcastically with the little ' ').
Anyhoo.
I am not very hyena.
I rarely stalk and I tend to miss the big trends.
But not this time!

Anyhoo.
Focus.
We love our Hudson Hat and should get a good 2-3 years wear out of it. If only Rowan would stop tying herself into it with intricate knots in the darn thing! I want one for me, now.
Saturday, 18 October 2008

What, you may ask, is a Lolly Lila?
Here is the description from her creator, Sarah, also known as Freedom Rainbow:
This Lolly Lila is a little nervous. She is about to audition for a spot in the famous musical production, Put Your Clothes in the Dryer, by famous improv dancer and singer Rowan Tree.And Lolly Lila arrived at our house yesterday. She is amazing!
she is reserved for BTRT!
She's got a good shot at it! she happens to be Rowan Tree's favorite colors, she has a vintage dancing skirt, she has created her own dance prop bangles for the auditions, and best of all she is the sweetest, silliest, most loveable and capable improv dancing puppy ever to set paw on stage!
If she gets this part, she is a shoe-in for the up and coming release of the magicalsequel, Put Your Clothes in the Washing Machine. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and she is ready to travel to Canada and start a new life to realize her big dream. She also tells me she is lonely for a little mommy, around the age of 3, to take good care of her and help her with her moves..... maybe Rowan Tree herself will be the one!!! a dreamer can only hope.....
Her build is waldorf inspired and made from all natural, ecological materials. I say waldorf inspired because of the materials and also because her head is carefully sculpted in clean carded chemical free wool and strong hemp jewelry twine and then stitched and covered with a recycled felted cashmere sweater "skin".
Hereyes are hand painted acrylic Suncatcher eyes (etsy)- these eyes have so much depth and detail. She has merino wool felt lids which are well sewn down and tacked to the interior hemp twine on the head. Her body is also stuffed with eco wool and is made from a recycled felted 100% lambswool sweater! i have carefully handsewn everything including her cute little tail and paws!!! Her hair is an amazing artyarn and roving from one of etsy's very best - chimera.etsy.com . She comes with a vintage dancing skirt and some great little improv dance bangles.
She's a vegetarian, but needs a lot of protein due to her disposition, so hopefully you have protein powder for shakes!!! She is skilled with mantras and super sharp in shastra, but really loves climbing trees, improvisational theatre and dance, kundalini yoga, tai chi, and telling stories, being read to, and fetch.
Not only is she supremely talented and beautifully made, she is made especially for Rowan with her orange and red colours and dancing props. The inspiration for the dancing persona can be found here and here (the Put Your Clothes in the Washer/ Dryer videos, seriously hilarious).
Here is her arrival in pictures:
Lolly Lila hesitantly approaches her idol... Lolly Lila is nervous, she has heard about these show biz types, and Rowan Tree seems to be sleeping off her latest performance (in the company of Puppy, who makes Lolly Lila even more nervous, as Puppy is RTs right hand dog):





Wednesday, 15 October 2008

We are so thrilled to have such a high quality product to share with you~ all natural, organic and fair trade~ candy we can all feel good about eating!
One of the services we offer is the creation of custom candy~ perfect for birthday parties or events, ideal for shop promotions and giveaways, too. We include custom labeling in all of our custom orders, and we will work with you to choose a shape, size and flavour to suit your needs.

We recently filled an order for a little girl with a health condition that requires her to eat ginger~ not the favourite flavour of very many kids! So we made some custom lollipops, made with fresh ginger, and flavoured them with mango to complement the ginger. They are sweet and delicious. We then packaged them with custom labels just for her, including the name of her own imaginary business (Angry Bunny LOL , what a cool kid!). What a fun order!
So drop us line and see what Earth Belly can do for you!
Saturday, 11 October 2008

The colours are dizzying this year, with a wet summer and long, crisp fall, the show of colours on our hardwood forests are simply stunning. Breathtaking in the very real sense~ you turn a corner and gasp at the brilliance of reds and oranges and yellows~ the true colours which have

Today, we were serendipitously included in a drive to an art studio by the lake. Not our island-less lake, but one nearby with true Northern Ontario character. As soon as we stepped out of the car you could smell it. The beginning of the decay of the glory of fall. The smell of leaves on the ground.

It was the kind of day that makes you want to make full use of the word 'revel'.

For autumn really isn't about dying, and the decay isn't about loss~ it is about new life, as surely as spring will follow winter again, and there is beauty in every part, even the dying.
(Photos taken today)
Friday, 10 October 2008

We started with some wee birdies in a nest. Then came the customized Super Daddy (how

Take a twirl around her shop and I bet you'll be bringing home a little treasure or two, too!
Lori is a member of the Natural Kids Team on Etsy.
Wednesday, 8 October 2008

Anyhoo...
When I lined up my Nativity Set people tonight to gauge my progress I felt like I had my own epic movie scene unfolding! I am closing in on the end of the project, with some Wise Men and the angels left to complete this month. Whew!

Tuesday, 7 October 2008



So, if you are looking for quality handmade holiday (or any day) gifts for kids, take a peek! The shop stocks on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at noon, and you can browse any time.
Sunday, 5 October 2008

I wanted to create a centerpiece for our nature table, something that could help us visualize the transitions of seasons. I naturally gravitated towards a tree, and began by creating a tree with a pipe cleaner armature (only the second time I have worked with an armature, I am glad I did!). Then I needed a setting for it, and using recycled wool as a base and stream, I created a forest setting for our tree.
Rowan wanted a cave and I wanted a nice big rock to sit on by the stream for watching the water, seasons and my own reflections float by. We collaborated on the stepping stone idea! There is room under the

This was a real labour of love, and while there are things I would do differently next time, it was awfully nice to make something for us to keep!


Wednesday, 1 October 2008
I thought I'd share some very sweet little bunnies from the Natural Kids Team at Etsy.
It is probably better that I leave these rabbits with their creators, anyway, since my pet rabbit track record is pretty poor. It just never goes well.
Like Emerson, the little boy bunny I needed to get castrated because he turned vicious and started chasing people around the apartment (student days)~ including my then 8 year old sister who hopped up on a chair and then the kitchen table, and the rabbit jumped up right behind her! SO rather than castrate him, I sent him to a farm, where, in short order 'he' got knocked up and had babies. Think Monty Python... 'run away! run away!'
But I digress. I am sure these bunnies are good.
Adorable bunnies from Fairies Nest:
How darling! Momma Blackberry and babies from Hues of Nature:
A little bunny baby~ I actually have one of these in my office at work ~ from WoolComesAlive:
And look at this little one from OritDotan~ don't you want to squish it? (that is a different bunny story... just kidding!) ~ it is actually a good size bunny at 6" long!
And lastly, this is Bethie~ she has a sad story and needs a home! Created by Woolies:
To find more cuties, just search "naturalkids team" at Etsy and add a favourite tag, like bunny, to you search!
It is probably better that I leave these rabbits with their creators, anyway, since my pet rabbit track record is pretty poor. It just never goes well.
Like Emerson, the little boy bunny I needed to get castrated because he turned vicious and started chasing people around the apartment (student days)~ including my then 8 year old sister who hopped up on a chair and then the kitchen table, and the rabbit jumped up right behind her! SO rather than castrate him, I sent him to a farm, where, in short order 'he' got knocked up and had babies. Think Monty Python... 'run away! run away!'
But I digress. I am sure these bunnies are good.
Adorable bunnies from Fairies Nest:






We don't have many (and if you don't want to be on the highway for hours each day in our long winter~ any) educational options in our community. That is not to say our school isn't a good school, only that we find ourselves wishing we had alternative options for our daughter for the early years when tenderness and space to bloom are required.
As it is, next year will see the introduction of all day every day Junior Kindergarten~ meaning, if we choose to participate (JK is optional), Rowan would be days past her 4th birthday and going all day every day to school with one teacher who is responsible, alone for 15-20ish 3 and 4 year olds. The only way they can function is conformity

I have very few regrets about our choice of community, but the educational opportunities is one of them. I had been formulating a plan towards doing some part-time Montesorri for Rowan during the better travelling months, but with my husband's job loss, that one is out!
So the Serendipity School House (which I encountered in doing a custom order of playsilks this month) will continue to call to me, and I will continue to dream and watch for the path for our child and family (I'd love to say 'work for' but I have tested the waters on this one and the cheese stands alone around these parts!). So we will see!
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