Happy New Year !

So, another year has come and gone and new one has begun. Personally, I have been in a whirlwind of change this past year and it will continue this year. I am in the "sandwich generation" which means I have kids who still need me and aging parents who also need me. It is an interesting road to be on and a bit stressful at times.

There are several dreams, goals and projects that I am looking at and they are all exciting to me. At the moment I am exploring the possibilities of great change and taking baby steps towards what feels right. Relocating my home base is in the future and I need to decide whether I choose what is best for me or what is best for my youngest son who will still be in high school for another 3 years. That is a tough decision but one that may work itself out. Time will tell and then I will know.

For now I trust that God is leading me where I need to be and he hasn't let me down yet. Even though I don't have all the answers and the whys, I am walking in faith and will continue to do so, and count my blessings everyday. Sometimes being thankful and asking for strength is all that gets me through the day.

So my dreams, you ask , they revolve around the possibility of restoring a historic home and having my own business both online and in brick and mortar with a couple of friends. My goals involve creating a business and a place where people can thrive financially and artistically so that we are able to give back to the community and help fill a need in the lives of others. My projects come from all of the above and as I go through the process, remember that word "process", of each project I will write about here and at a new site. So stay tuned and come along on my adventure if you dare. It's sure to be interesting.....................

Reminders of What Is Important To Us

I love this blog! Down To Earth.blogspot.com

Reminders of what is important to us

Most of us live on the edge. Although we live in cities, suburbs, rural towns and out in the middle of nowhere, we choose to live apart from what is considered to be "normal" nowadays. Even if we're surrounded by people or close to them, we are living on the edge of the mainstream because we've changed our mindset; we're on a slower and gentler journey.  And it is for that reason that I want to encourage you all to highlight what is important to you - to express what you love about the various things we do that others don't.  This is a reminder, or encouragement, if that's what you need today, about the life we live and why we live like this. People in the mainstream have a monotonous stream of information, advertising and peer support about their lifestyle, spending, shopping and fashion. That keeps them going - it reminds them of what they love, what is important to them. If you watch television, listen to the radio, surf the internet, read magazines or walk around the city, you'll see the current constantly changing cultural must haves; the products and services that help people live lives of convenience. 

All that glitters is not gold.

Floral fabric Birdhouse

      So now that we have fed the birds and given them nesting material, I thought they might need a place to build that nest. I went through my Mother's stash of quilting fabric for inspiration and added some touches from the sewing supply stash of mine. this is what I came up with.........................

I used Mod Podge to glue the fabric, ribbon and buttons to a wooden birdhouse. I painted the base with a coordinating color, added a thimble on the the roof top and then gave the whole house a coat of  outdoor clear coat spray. I am so happy with the result I will be making more!

Check it out at LifeSeasoning on Etsy - I will be adding a kit to make this soon too! Happy birding!

spring craft for kids and birds

Spring Break Activities For Kids

Spring Crafts For Kids – Helping Backyard Birds with “The Backyard Bird Bag”

The spring birds in our backyards are busy this time of year building nests for their new families. Your family can create and hang this bag from a tree in your yard to provide a new bird family with food and nesting materials made from recycled items in your home!

Click for a larger image

Backyard Bird Bag Materials – What You Will Need

• 1 square foot burlap (biodegradable, please!)
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• String
• Yarn or twine
• Strips of fabric or cloth remnants
• Shredded paper
• Leaves or pine needles
• Nuts, seeds, or even stale bread
• Optional: horse hair (we used sheep’s wool!)

Lay out your burlap square on a table or desk. (Make sure it’s biodegradable)

Fill the burlap square with all your collected materials like nutritional nuts and seeds and items that the birds can use to construct a nest! (Make sure to use pretty spring colors as we’re sure the birds want to be ‘in season!’)

Collect the four corners of your burlap square, but make sure there’s enough room in between the corners so the birds can pull out all of the goodies inside.

Tie your ribbon around your Backyard Bird Bag with a bow.

Hang the Backyard Bird Bag from a tree (close to a window in your house!) and watch the birds go “nuts”! Then pat yourself on the back for doing something nice for others that share our planet.

Woolly Bear caterpillars - weather predictors ?

The woolly bear caterpillar—with its 13 distinct segments of black and reddish-brown—has the reputation of being able to forecast the coming winter weather.

How the Woolly Bear Became "Famous"

• In the fall of 1948, Dr. C. H. Curran, curator of insects at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, took his wife 40 miles north of the city to Bear Mountain State Park to look at woolly bear caterpillars.
• Dr. Curran collected as many caterpillars as he could in a day, determined the average number of reddish-brown segments, and forecast the coming winter weather through a reporter friend at The New York Herald Tribune.
• Dr. Curran's experiment, which he continued over the next eight years, attempted to prove scientifically a weather rule of thumb that was as old as the hills around Bear Mountain. The resulting publicity made the woolly bear the most recognizable caterpillar in North America.

Do Woolly Bear Caterpillars Forecast Winter Weather?

According to legend, the wider that middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter. But is it true?

Most scientists discount the folklore of woolly bear predictions as just that, folklore. Mike Peters, an entomologist at the University of Massachusetts, doesn't disagree, but he says there could, in fact, be a link between winter severity and the brown band of a woolly bear caterpillar. "There's evidence," he says, "that the number of brown hairs has to do with the age of the caterpillar—in other words, how late it got going in the spring. The [band] does say something about a heavy winter or an early spring. The only thing is . . . it's telling you about the previous year."

info above from the Farmers Almanac

     What do you think? I knew a farmer who also predicted the winter weather by how up a tree trunk a certain insect built its winter home. I will have to do some research and get back to you on that one!

Stop Stressing Over Dinner

 This morning,  as I was thinking about my day,  the thought occurred to me that many of you may struggle with the same daily issues that I do. 

  One of the biggest issues that I face everyday is "what to do about dinner"? I sometimes cringe when a my kids ask me that question and I just love when there is silence after I give an answer. So I have decided to put my struggle out here for all the world to see and share what I have learned as I work through this daily issue. Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we go on this journey together. 

  For me,  the goal is to have a basic plan for the week,  so that I eat a home cooked meal that is healthy,and easy to prepare. In the long run, this will save money, time and alleviate the stress of dinner. I won't post daily because that might be way too stressful, so posting twice a week is what I am shooting for. Today I will look at how last week went, what did my family eat and how does this week compare between schedules and activities to last week. Why don't you do the same and we can compare notes!

   

Meatless Monday - veggie pizza

A recipe to start your week on a healthy note!

It's also very easy to prepare, delicious and filling!

From my Tastefully Simple website....................flattened and baked crescent rolls are the base, Vidalia Onion dressing with cream cheese spread on top, chopped veggies tossed with Bacon Bacon and Spinach and Herb, then some mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for a few minutes until the cheese melts and your ready to eat!