Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

...knowing green: watercolor clouds...

Walking out of the grocery store one evening I was met with this beautiful sight...

... luckily I had my camera with me to capture the fleeting moment...

... the impressionists sought to capture the essence of nature in their works of art, and when I see sights like this I understand why.

Nature itself is a work of art, and cannot be copied exactly, but it can serve as incredible inspiration.

With striking contrasts between dark foreboding gray and delicate pastel color gradients , this cloud reminded me of a watercolor painting...

...which I think I just might have to paint!

How does nature inspire you?  We would love to hear about it in the comments section below!

~Jordan

*Last time in Nature: Moss

... giveaway: $100 gift certificate!

Sometimes waiting can be a great thing...

... it can cultivate excitement and anticipation for projects and activities...

... for epic adventures...

... to mystical castles...

  ... along side frog princes and fairy princesses.

Patience can be a powerful tool for the imagination, and waiting for something special can make it become all the more magical. 

When we started our Layaway Program last year we did so with the intention of providing a way for individuals and families to take a little stress out of the shopping experience both in terms of time and money.  We wanted to offer a program that could make special occasions like the holidays and birthdays more about spending time together and less about having to run around to stores and malls, and to offer a way to plan for these events on any budget or timetable.  Yesterday we received one of the greatest gifts the program could offer when Lori shared these words with us about her Layaway experience:

Thank you so very much, this takes so much stress off the holidays, you have no idea and my children still love and use everything they received last year.

So, in the spirit of contributing to a few special somethings and perhaps making a little more time for bubble blowing and tag playing in your day,  today we are offering a $100 gift certificate to our shop ready for immediate use or to put towards a Layaway Program!

To enter for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to our store simply respond to the forum topic in the comments for this post.

Forum topic: What are you finding special in your life right now?

***Comments Closed!***

And the winner (chosen by random number) is Bloomingheather who said:

"I'm finding these last days of summertime "free play" where my two girls are playing together in their imaginary worlds all day, creating, inventing, using simple toys and their imaginations -- watching and being a part of that -- it's been very special"

Thank you to everyone who participated!  There are so many beautiful and special things going on in all of your lives right now and each comment was truly heartwarming to read.

And for all the families expecting new additions (there were quite a few!) many, many warm congratulations from all of us here at Imagine Childhood!!

... barn stories: hay is for horses and sheep

Our farm is forty acres and forty acres feeds one AUM year round. One AUM is a cow/calf combination, two animals.

We lease an additional seventy acres but that only provides two to three months of summer grazing for all our horses and sheep...

... so, we need to buy hay for the Fall, Winter and Spring.  In the past we would get loads of 250 small bales at a time and have to unload ourselves then reload it into the hay barn. This year we ordered a semi load 600 small bales and at one half the price, it's like shopping in bulk.

The hay is called North Park Hay, it comes from high up in the mountains, grown on the side of a valley. The farmer cut the hay for us in the early morning when the sugar content was low, great for our pony Merry Legs.  We did not have to unload the hay this time, the truck did that for us, a self unloading truck, yea!

Believe it or not we got all but 35 bales into the hay barn and only broke a few.

Quite an adventure for all on the farm, the horses got in on the excitement prancing about watching with very big eyes.

They all really like this hay, once they tasted it they did not want to eat their old hay and I think the pasture did not taste as good either :)

~Deb

*Last time in Barn Stories: Backyard Treats

...knowing green: moss

There are few places that remind me of a fairy world more than the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, WA. I just returned from a week-long stay on the island and it was top on my places to visit.

I had been once before in the early summer, and completely fell in love. From the open blank canvas of the initial grass field to the delicate nuances of the Japanese garden, each section of the reserve is mesmerizing. I felt like kid again meandering down the winding paths, imagining what it would be like to live under a canopy of trees, and explore the ravine.   But, I would have to say the moss garden is my favorite...

Patches of sunlight shine through the delicate tree branches...

... moss covers the ground like a plush carpet (it really is so tempting to just go lay in it!)...

... and everything seems to meld together into one seamless and effortless landscape.

It was amazing to me that something as seemingly simple as moss could make such an impact, but I welcomed it, and made sure to take my time on the trail...

~Jordan

*Last time in Nature: Hiking Together

... nature walk: chesterhill, ohio

This week's beautiful nature walk comes to us from Chesterhill, Ohio.  There Kirsten wandered the grounds of an old farm and found that often, it was difficult to tell where architecture ended and nature began.  Thank you Kirsten for sharing this wonderful trip!

If you would like to contribute to our weekly Nature Walk series, you can learn more about submitting photos here, or you can also visit our Nature Walk Group Pool on Flickr to add your adventures to the collection.

Thanks again Kirsten for sharing!

*Last time in Nature Walks: Wateringen, The Netherlands