IcE ArT

You never know where you might find inspiration.

Through my perusing of flickr members' images, I found some wickedly colourful ice art by Cliff. He appears to be the master at this and is doing an art show with his work! He kindly passed along tips and ideas on how to do this.

Basically, what we did was put about 1/8th to 1/4 of an inch of water in clear pyrex pie plates and other plastic containers and froze them. Then, added a few liquid materials like: acrylic paint, food dye, glue and oil to see what mixed together and how they flowed. As the ice melts, new shapes take place and the liquid expands and splats out. The kids had fun watching and then we made our own swirls with a spoon. I took pics as we went along.

Through flickr, I have been drawn to textured work and therefore, I put a piece of somewhat wrinkled aluminum foil under the pie plate in case I could use it in the photo. It worked well especially, when using a photoshop filter called, liquify whereby I added a few of my own swirls to the image.

Then, today we considered integrating natural materials into the ice like bright coloured leaves. Josh froze a few different items and we photographed the red maple leaves today. Tomorrow, will see what happened to his other concoctions. Through Carol's ice art inspiration from last year, we lit the ice up by candlelight. That was fun! I look forward to using cranberries and other forest materials as did Carol this winter and see what surfaces from that too.

Another twist that came up was this. My mother-in-law collects tons of gift bags that have all sorts of colourful designs on them. (So, that's where the butterflies came from. )I placed the clear pyrex plate on top of a butterfly bag and could then see it in a textured and muted way underneath. We also used other patterned bags and bags with bright flowers. The ice for this was a little too thick, so next time I will wait for it to melt more or make it thinner from the start. Then, I used a couple of filters in photoshop for fun to finish off image.

This is a great project as we can all be involved, the cost is little to none and we can try something new often and the results will be different each time!

Not only that, after we were done with today's ice, Josh got to 'smash' it outside which pleased him to no end. Plus, we made some small round ice mounds that he felt looked like hockey pucks and thought that playing with that was the greatest thing. Go figure...:)

Kidlets happy, mommy happy... great fun... thanks to Cliff and to flickr!

free to learn my way, everyday

what KNOWLEDGE is TIMELESS?

This question has been surfacing for me lately.

Yesterday, it came up in conversation at Moondance and Kim said, " are ya ready for it? NATURE."

Which of course makes so much sense.

Nature sustains us in so many ways, physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually if we so desire. It's always there and it gives us life.

---

The question had arisen related to learning... as in the context of a quickly moving information and technological age, things are changing all the time and they are changing fast. In many cases, by time you have learned something new, that information is not necessarily relevant anymore... especially related to technology...as soon as a new item comes into public view, the inventors, researchers, programmers and scientists have come up with something faster, smaller and lighter that will hit the shelves or the newsstands before you know it. If technology is supposed to be the wave of the future, what is important to learn when so much of it is obsolete as soon as it is introduced?

Of course what is important to me, will be different from what is important to you, or the next guy... and well, that's the point... learning and interests are individual.

Some people, say the basics are a necessity for learning.... reading, writing, math, science, history and geography. Some people would believe the arts are essential. However, there are others that say you can live a successful and happy life without learning everything a school, a parent or a government tells you you need to know to survive.

If we go on the premise of Holt, that 'children are hard-wired to learn' and we leave them to their own devices to discern what learning is most important to them at any given time, we will likely find that they are adept at flowing in and out of our changing world much more readily. They will be one with the flow as it happens because they are living in it, observing and experiencing it first hand. They will have a greater awareness of what is going on in the world and in their own personal world if given the time to interact, process and explore it.

They may not 'know' everything that the kid next door knows ... but who is the best person/organization to say what any one of us should know? When do we attain those rights as individuals?

A lot of people I know think we are born with those rights.

What knowledge is timeless to you?

---

"I like nature because it makes me feel happy to be free."

Maeghan Redmond, at age 7

making calendula salve at moondance

at moondance, kim came up with an idea to make calendula salve

2 weeks ago we harvested the vibrant flower-heads

they were dried

looking smaller and orange in colour

we noted much lighter once dried as well

we filled our jars with the flowers and added grape seed oil until they were saturated

you can also use almond oil, but grape seed oil is more economical

the infusion sits, sealed for 3 weeks to 3 months

then we will strain the salve which will be rich in vitamin E

and we can use it for dry skin and abrasions

kim swears by it and uses it in her natural body products

thanx kim! we had fun with this project!

I haven't left the building....

Just a quick note to say I haven't 'left the building'.... just having trouble with my iphoto library... trying to merge over 35,000 photos to a new library as the original one was failing...

I'm telling you, it is not easy to be without my pictures... I cannot upload new pictures until this process is done and it could take all week!

The thought of losing my work and memories makes me sick to my stomach...so wish me luck that this will go through without a hitch!

Anyone have ideas on good ways to store/save digital photos so they will last??? This is currently a limitation of the digital image age we live in... discs don't seem to survive usage... hmmmm

flickr fanatic

okay

this isn't good

or is it?

i'm addicted to flickr

there, i have admitted it...:)

it didn't take long...

i read a suggestion by Mon (holistic mama @ http://holisticmum.blogspot.com) about shutter sisters (shuttersisters.com/) and one thing led to another...

now i'm a 'pro' and have joined 16 groups ranging from unschooling to landscapes to beach scenes to loving pet owners rule!

i have been adding pics daily and am rather obsessed. i check to see if someone has commented and review my current files to find strong photographs that make sense for the groups my work seems to fit into...already reconsidering and deleting some of my choices... also, considering using this site as a place to highlight examples of my work for potential clients...who knows? right now, it's more a creative outlet...

i have been looking at other people's work and am amazed at the endless talent that exists out there.

i have been inspired by varying subject matter which gives me ideas for my own image-making as well as ways to be creative in our space...

i am excited to see other home/unschoolers living and learning through their daily activities and adventures and look forward to making more connections there.

i have noted that compared to many, the colour in my work can be intense... while i like contrast and definition, i am excited to experiment more with natural light and try out more of the functions on my camera.

i like immersing myself in photography...it makes me feel more alive... more aware of what is going on around me... i love the process as it doesn't just end with the inspiration and capture...it goes on to the processing, production and display.

bring on winter and all that ice and white stuff! great subject-matter coming my way! yay!

and well, being obsessed about flickr can't be a bad thing if it makes me happy and inspires my passion...it also doesn't hurt to find a global community of people with shared interests providing positive feedback to what it is you love to do...

*click on my flickr photos @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplymelg/ if you wanna take a peek-you may just get hooked yourself!

lucas's photos from today...

today was a home day

it involved much reading, creating, imagination play, computer time and monkeying around

matt continues to love the big i spy books and science experiment books

josh loves comics and any tiny book he can get his hands on

he likes small things, always has

lucas is reading harry potter-again-we are on number 3 again this time! :)

our day flowed in and out of all of these activities

with visits from grandma caines too!

josh wanted to learn to make apple sauce

we painted and traced

and willow went on a 'mission' walk with the boyz

so, she had fun too!

yesterday, was similar plus visiting with grandma goodman

watching a video about pond animals

making a feel better pic for andy

another library visit

a walk at fairy lake

reading under the tree

ball hockey with the neighbours

of course nighttime reading with daddy

and daily organization and tidy up in constant motion

although, sometimes you wouldn't know it!

ah well... life goes on... what's a little mess ? :)

Raw Lunch at Avalon Organic Orchard

Can you say raw and yum?

My dear friend Cindy brought along delicious raw delights for a picnic lunch at Avalon Organic Orchard on Monday.

I didn't think to take a pic of the fennel-walnut salad until after I had eaten it all up! Boy was it good! So refreshing, tart and light. The pics above are of the raw brownies and zucchini pasta she made for us. I love trying Cindy's delicacies because they are always good and I can enjoy new recipes to try out later.

Admittedly, I am a baker at heart. I don't have the ambition for cooking, but love it when others do it for me! (aren't we all a little like that?) The great thing about raw is that no cooking is involved and it's that much healthier for you as you haven't heated out all the nutrients. There have been times when I have been more inspired than others to try out something new, but my crew aren't always willing taste-testers which is kind of discouraging but also provides me with a good reason not to spend a lot on expensive ingredients that may go to waste. However, going to Moondance gives us a chance to try out new things as everyone there is a little more open to it-plus, my mom, Jeff's mom and some other friends are more than happy to try new yummy foods. So, sometimes we share larger recipes together-then you can decide if it's something you want to invest time and money in-or, just continue to share.

But this day wasn't all about lunch... it was about the glorious-tart'n juicy-Ontario Nova Macs!

We really did enjoy a leisurely time picking the apples and observing various-shaped holes and scrapings on some-guessing what kind of bird or insect had invaded the fruit. We also chatted and watched the kids play, pick and munch. They took off down a windy trail we had been on years ago and hung out in the teepee too. What fun... Of course, we found lots of great apples to bring home to make into sauce, eat raw and of course make apple crisp with!

As winter will fast approach, we hope to go back and enjoy the orchard again and get more fresh apples to enjoy for the cold months of the year.

Wish me luck with my raw and 'from scratch' recipes!

Cooper's Farm

On Sunday afternoon, the whole family joined Anna, Aidan and Julianna at Cooper's Farm just outside of Mt. Albert, ON.

It's been years since we've been to Coopers and it was amazing to see how its grown and the focus it's taking.

Anna has been getting her veggies there for a while now and loves it. Over the past four years they have created giant mazes out of corn and this year the maze represented the faces of the hosts of Breakfast Television. There were several smaller mazes and two large ones that apparently are easy to get lost in. But our crew did well and had lots of fun!

We were able to lay low under a big old tree while the kids played in the corn boxes, climbed hay bales, visited the goats and bunny and swung on the horse swing.

This was a special visit for Jeff as he hadn't seen Anna and the kids since last fall before we left on our trip.

We enjoyed great corn from the farm! It's so good this year eh?

Thanks for the invite Anna, looking forward to our next excursion!

more MOoNdAncE memories

getting filled-up with joy, fun, friendship and a sense of belonging

at moondance

thanks to kim and family for including us

and to our good friends for all the laughs!

only as free beings can we discover the breathtaking joys of human existence,

much like children play gleefully experiencing an apparently unlimited world.

-marietta mccarty

One of those 'feel good' days!

Meet the new residents of Moondance Organic Farm - Toby and Jammers ... These bunnies were soooo adorable! The kids loved them!

Today was an exceptionally productive and rewarding day. We started our day at Moondance. I harvested beautiful yellow calendula flower heads with Mina which will be dried in order to make salves next week! I love chatting with Mina-what an inspirational woman! Meanwhile, the children harvested potatoes together. Josh had a bucket overflowing! After a deliciously healthy and fresh lunch, Josh took the initiative to collect many many cherry tomatoes! The boys were introduced to some hot peppers, green onions, brie cheese and celery-like fennel today-always trying new things at the farm. We were sad to have to leave to head back for the dentist. However, it had to be done. Afterwards, we visited the library, a new bookstore on Main Street in Newmarket and a pottery store. We decided to stay and the boys painted mugs and magnets. All in all, a great day! Looking forward to a fun weekend!

Celebrating Ali's 13th Birthday!

On Wednesday, we spent the afternoon celebrating our friend Ali's 13th Birthday with several home/un-schooling friends in Barrie, Ontario at Queen's Park.

We have long-awaited this celebration as Lisa and I often spoke in amazement of the fact Ali was turning 13 on his next birthday while we were on the road together. Another year is always a big deal in the lives of our children-but wow-when one of the kids in our group is becoming a teenager, that's a colossal event-life and family - altering! :) It's a whole new world for us as parents and I'm not completely ready to face all that it entails! Lucas will be 12 in November and that's awfully close to teenage-hood to me!

Needless to say it was a great success with several families there to extend their best wishes and share food and play. We were excited that Lisa included Daniel in the day (our nephew). This was the first time we've taken Daniel on a major outing. He had no problems throwing himself into the fun of the day and you wouldn't have known that he was meeting these people for the first time. It was great to have him along-and I must say, hearing him call me 'Auntie Laurie' was terribly endearing. We'll look forward to bringing him along for more good times in the future.

I enjoyed reconnecting with my peers and gathering their words of wisdom, frustration and joy related to life, society and the choices we make to be with our kids everyday. It's a great reminder to me that there are so many people who are there to discuss, share and support each other and that they aren't too far away!

Happy 13th Birthday Ali! I hope you have a year that brings you much happiness, tons of creatures and lots of adventures!!!