Spring Flowers

4/14/2012

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This spring has brought us many beautiful flowers in our butterfly garden and back yard.  I have been taking photos of these flowers for a few months now and have decided to compile them into a slideshow to share with you.  There are even some flowers that may otherwise be considered the oh-so-scandalous weeds!  However, a plant is only a weed if it is growing somewhere where it is not welcome....all flowers are welcome in our yard!

Our butterfly garden was planted last April and has grown and flourished.  We have really enjoyed seeing the many different critters that come to enjoy the garden.  (Post on critters coming soon!)  This spring, as the plants started to take off growing again, I transplanted the purple porter weed and some of the fennel to my back yard where they would have more room to grow and could take up as much space as needed.  To fill in a few gaps, Riley & I sprinkled a butterfly seed mix which has quickly filled up our little garden and surprised us with a huge variety of flowers to enjoy.

If I had to pick favorites, I would say the Jasmine & Gardenia have the most lovely aroma, but the Passionflower and Hibiscus are probably my most favorite to look upon.  What do you have growing in your yard?  What are your family's favorite flowers?
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Easter Eggs

4/8/2012

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My friend and I dyed Easter Eggs naturally, using the water from boiled fruits, vegetables, & spices.  We added designs to our eggs by using plants from my butterfly garden as a stencil, attaching the plant to the egg with a piece of nylon before soaking it in the dye.  

We used:
Onion skins
Red cabbage
Beets
Spinach
Turmeric
Blueberries

My favorite is the red cabbage - it turned out to be such a beautiful shade of blue!  The beets made a lovely rose color, the onion skins turned a deep orange, turmeric a light & bright yellow, and the blueberries made a speckled gray/brown color that another friend said looked like a dinosaur egg!  The spinach barely changed the egg to a pale grey, so I switched those eggs over to the turmeric instead.  I think perhaps we didn't have a high enough spinach to water ratio.

Check out Two Men and a Little Farm for a beautiful chart of color options!  

Sources:
Adventures in Cooking
Big Sis Lil Sis
A Storybook Life 
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Riley's New Table & Chairs

4/5/2012

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Last month, Henry & his brother built this wonderful table & chair set for Riley!  I was soooo excited!  I had come across this tutorial awhile ago and couldn't wait for us to have a chance to finally make Riley his very own special place to work, eat, & play.
After Henry & his brother, Dan, did the woodwork, Dan's girlfriend, Suzie, & I painted everything.  I had already decided to paint everything bright, rainbow colors, but was stumped on the table top.  Suzie & I came up with the drizzled paint effect while shaking off some excess in the grass.  We had so much fun!  Then, as a final touch, Riley had to have a part in the making of his furniture with his hand prints.
Of course, the boys tweaked the directions a bit to suit their own needs, but everything worked out just fine in the end!  Now Riley can enjoy eating his lunch while looking out the window, doing crafts, & creating masterpieces with his playdough!
If you would like to make your own table & chairs, check out the directions here: table & chairs. 
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