mamaroots

over 100

When the temps start hitting over 105 degrees it is all about the pops!  Cooling off our insides is a high priority indeed!  Though the boys love the variety of pops they can feast their eyes upon, I think it is time we start making our own.  

I came across this really fun book and got the thumbs up from my sis in Brooklyn that has personally sampled their wares that People's Pops are a way to go!  Plenty of good recipes for the boys and then some adult options as well like cucumber, elderflower and tequila!  

One of my big hitches in wanting to make them is that I really have purged plastic, especially with freezing and heating so I am on the hunt for some metal molds.  I am having fun virtual window shopping for now! 

Stay cool and grab a pop this weekend!  Do you handmake your pops?  Any fav flavors?

give-away!

Herbal Roots Zine is ready for July!  Here is your chance to win a copy of the July issue- it is all about Oats! Who does not love oats?  Oatmeal in the winter, oats in my granola in the summer, spring, and fall!  If you love oats and love this fabulous resource for kiddos than this is the give-away for you!

Just leave me a comment between now and Sunday at midnight and I will e-mail the lucky winner on Monday afternoon.  

Bonus entry points for following 

herbal roots on facebook

me- mamaroots on facebook and twitter

I am looking forward to learning more about oats.  One little treat I recently discovered at the store is BelVita breakfast biscuits.  I am probably just a sucker for the slick Nabisco advertising, but I went for it and the Golden Rolled Oats with a banana was delicious for the mornings I needed a quick breakfast option. They have a pretty simple list of ingredients and most seem to be pretty whole.  

You still have time to win one of my wood critters if you pop on over to Herbal Roots Zine where I am sponsoring a give-away for the critter from this last month's Herbal Roots Zine- a green lacewing.  I had not idea how beneficial these fellas were!  It is one of the many wonderful side benefits of Herbal Roots Zine- you get the learn about a critter each month too!  

Good Luck!

Congrats- Mandy you are the winner, please check your e-mail for your copy!

long days

Happy Summer Solstice everyone!  Resident Fairy Miss Tangle Goblinwand left the boys each a firefly. I think it is pretty fitting for the longest day for us!  We are off for the boys last baseball game, a celebatory pizza and then getting home just time to hopefully catch some fireflies of our own before books and bed.  

Tangle left one of her sweet notes to the boys complimenting us on our new grassy clover glenn we have been designing next to the woods (named for her of course Tanglewood) and she left them reminders for gently catching the fireflies.  They are her friends and they light up the fairy parties at night.  Especially on Midsummer Night!

If you enjoy the fireflies in the summer too, I put together a quick little list of firefly books that you can print out and take to the library or your local bookstore to hunt down.  Enjoy!  

Download Firefly Reading

berry much

Because we love daddy berry much we had a slight theme to Father's Day this year that included a cinnamon rolls, lots of handmade expressions of love, family BBQ, strawberries with brownies and angel food cake, and just plain hanging out on the deck.  How else do you let your children's daddy and your own daddy know they make the world berry sweet?  Well, maybe by making some berry fun monsters!

why blue?

My mother in law, Oma stopped by this week for a visit while she was in town for quilt show with friends. I was able to give them a little quilt show of my own to get their expertise on aging a recent quilt that I got. One of the many tender moments from my 40th b-day from a couple months ago was the sweet gifts given to me by friends and family.  As if the surprise party and love was not enough they all showered me with such thoughtful gifts.  My crafty friends had gotten me a gift certificate to one of my most favorite antique spots.  Now you would think a place I frequent often, have no trouble finding goodies I would be able to narrow it down, but there I was and with big thoughts of it had to be something really special since it was from my tribe- my craft tribe of friends.

Then I saw this recently and knew that was it.  You will notice that fabulous turquoise teal primary blue color and alll the random feedsack fabrics with plenty of red.  I have really been adoring this color.  Could I really resist?  So my special blue quilt is essentially from my friends- just right!

When I asked Oma and her friends for their opinion on date, they all said 40's.  It is good to know that even though turquoise blue, teals, and reds are trending in our DIY/Shabby Chic world- it is really just cycling back!  

So cheers to whatever lovely tribe created this quilt in the 40's that was a gift from my tribe for turning 40- I like to think I will cuddle up under it when I am old(er)!

Deletrius

If you are a muggle you may not know the word Deletrius- but for you magic folk you know that this is the spell to make something disappear.  I work in the handmade toy biz as you know but also the book biz is my daytime job.  I have worked in indie bookstores since I was a freshman in college.  This past year has really been a crucial year to see what we have seen coming- sysmic shifts in how we read.  

On a daily basis I probably hear or read about how the traditional paper book will disappear.  I am a purist at the heart of being a paper book reader, and a paper book buyer for a bookstore, but even I have had to start to aclimate to some e-reading.  Now unless "He Who Shall Not Be Named" is casting a Deletrius spell on books, I believe the 2 shall co-exist.

One testament this week to the power of books and reading that will always be evident to me is the power of Harry.  Even years since the I hosted my last Harry Potter book release party Harry is still deeply a part of our culture.  Our community is doing some HP style events for fundraising for project ELIMINATE.  

We were able to go and grab some butter beer at our local handmade ice cream shop, have a wonderful Hogwarts inspired Astronomy lesson by one of our local talented professors, and inadvertantly the boys set up a quidditch game in our front trees!  Long standing influence of this series that began in books, books that require no wires or plugs is a testament to me that the Deletrius spell is not quite working.  Must be my witchy protections spells!

For you local folks- the big Harry Potter trivia night and carnival is next week!  

 

Slow Rhythms for Slugs and Snails

Welcome June!  Sometimes (often) summer is a busy time of trips, gardening, baseball etc . . . but I have been trying to be mindful of keeping it slow too.  Trying to get caught up on projects that keep talking to me in my head and just enjoy my home, my boys, and just being present. 

One project I have been wanting to make since I saw it in the Rhythm of the Home Spring Issue were some updated fancy cloth napkins.  Mind you we have our stack of everyday cloth napkins that are a hodgepodge of different napkins, but I wanted something fun and special for our little garden parties, birthdays, etc.  So I rounded up different patterns of vintage sheets and upcycled them up nicely into some fun napkins- now to just plan the next wee little party to use them!  I could not help but to make some little sleeping bags from the scrap fabric for some summer slugs in the shop!

Cloth just makes more sense to me- and not too hard to wash up, a good green option.  They make great gifts too!  Summertime makes washing so much more easy, rugs and laundry drying outside make my day!  

June 1 is also the day for the Summer Issue of Rhythm of the Home.  For the summer issue I contributed a Summer Snail Fingerpuppet pattern to help you slow down and enjoy some storytelling this summer.  I hope you enjoy it and the whole summer issue- I can't wait to take it all in nice and slow this weekend!

To help with your storytelling I am giving away the snail I made for the project to one of my readers- just leave a comment here between now and Sunday at 5:00 pm and let me know something you are doing to slow down this summer.  Bonus entry for following me on:

facebook

twitter

Good luck!

thyme winner!

Congrats to Eidolons!  You are lucky #3 and the winner for the June Issue of Herbal Roots- be watching your e-mail today for a link- enjoy!