Quilt Update

Well here is the long overdue quilt update. The quilt top and back are complete and basted. Today I will drop off my quilt sandwich at the local shop for it's machine quilting. Then comes the binding...I am a bit intimidated by this step. It may take a few attempts but I am confident I can do it...it's all about having the right attitude. This is to be a baby quilt for my dear friend Dixie's new daughter. I have named the quilt "Triumph" for my victory over quilt phobia and Dixie's HBA2C! So here it is......

Wordless Wednesday

Easter.....A Bunny Tale in Pictures

On Island Time

Yesterday was a glorious spring day here in the Mid-Atlantic. We took full advantage of the weather and visited our local barrier island.  This island has three half mile hikes that are perfect for small children.  We were able to do the salt marsh, and maritime forest hikes but were unable to do the dune hike because of recent storm flooding.  These hike are only doable for a few months each year....the flying insects are insaitable once it warms up!  

We also visited the island nature center and took full advantage of the touch tank. We are currently studying invertebrates in science and were able to observe echinoderms, mollusks and crustaceans in the nature centers aquariums.

We capped the day off with a frolic on the beach, where E got sand in his toes for the first time. I am so lucky to live in an area that boasts such an array of natural habitats. My little nature explores are always ready for their next adventure.

Wordless Wednesday

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

This mornings spring showers brought a welcome excuse to get wet and muddy!  While T was finishing up school O did a hands on weather study:) She merrily laughed as she jumped from puddle to puddle.  The grey skies certainly didn't put a damper on her spirits.

Later, T joined her to perform buoyancy experiments in our newly formed backyard lake. First we collected various yard objects: twigs, pinecones, leaves, barks, and stones. We then hypothesized which would sink and which would float. Objects that float are considered positively buoyant and inversely objects that sink are deemed negatively buoyant. The idea of buoyancy was summed up by Archimedes, a Greek mathematician, in what is known as Archimedes Principle: Any object, wholly or partly immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object. From this principle, we can see that whether an object floats or sinks, is based on not only its weight, but also the amount of water it displaces. Next we built craft stick rafts to further explore buoyancy.

We then added various objects to the rafts in order to determine how chaning an objects mass affects it's buoyancy.

I love how homeschooling allows me to turn even the most mundane object (puddles) into learning opportunities. We all had a blast and were amazed by how educational a good rain storm could be!

Bulbs, Bulbs, Everywhere...and Corms Too!

Outdoor Hour Challenge-Winter Series #10  Early Spring Bulbs

While it is now officially spring we completed this challenge last week when it was still "winter". We walked around our neighborhood searching for the welcome sight of spring bulbs and corms. These bright flowers seem to shout out "hooray for spring", it is a much needed reminder that spring will indeed return again. We were able to find crocus, daffodils (jonquils), and hyacinth.

"Daffodils" (1804)

I wander'd lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

Wordless Wednesday

Streamer Eggstravaganza

Today O and I used up leftover party streamers to make some colorful spring crafts. Our theme of the day was most definitely EGGS...I tried to branch out but O was very adamant about our subject matter! To create our collages we used a paintbrush and applied watered down white craft glue to our cut out images.

  

O needed a little help cutting out here collage pieces but was able to adhere them all herself. The results were beautiful.  At first we just did eggs.

Later we experimented with pictorial scences.

Finally, we used up our paper scraps to craft this beautiful egg. 

We twisted each scrap tightly around the end of a pencil, once firmly attached we dipped it into glue, and then applied it to our template.  This was a time consuming project but it was the perfect way to spend a rainy Monday afternoon.  We were able to chase away the gray skies with our colorful masterpieces.

Glass Beach

I know spring has finally arrived when I find myself once again strolling down glass beach.  We are lucky to have our very own treasure cove just around the bend. At low tide this small strip of sand reveals it's bounty.

  The sea loosens it's grip and the beach is awash with the fragments and trinkets of days bygone.  Each piece holds it's own secret history.  I wish I could exhume these stories, instead I must revel in their beauty alone.  Time and the sea have transformed these discarded objects into some of my most prized possesions.  I have amassed quite a collection.

Here are a few of my favorite items:

I know this spring and summer will include many more trips to glass beach and I can't wait to discover what the sea returns to me.