Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

... nature walk: vilnius, lithuania

This week's lovely nature walk comes to us from Vilnius, Lithuania. There Sydney and her family explored the countryside, admired the winter trees had a lot of fun sledding!  Thank you Sydney for sharing this wonderful adventure!

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 Sydney for sharing!

P.S. Don't forget to enter our current book giveaway:  Win Your Favorite Audio Books!

*Last time in Nature Walks: Banff, Canada

... hugs: par avion

Someone I care about hasn't been feeling very well lately, and I often find my thoughts drifting in their direction... drifting across a thousand miles through snow filled cloud banks and winter afternoons. But no matter how far they drift, my thoughts can't do the one thing I would like to do most... give a hug.

I've been trying to figure out how to send a hug in the mail for a while now.  How I could reproduce that warm comforting squeeze that says everything words can't... and then I saw this pile.

A while back our winter sweater storage was raided by that ever-industrious creature: the moth.  And, owing to their taste for the finer things in life, they skipped right over the cotton blend pile and went straight for the good stuff... those few precious pieces of baby soft cashmere.

Even after I discovered their gluttony, I couldn't bear to get rid of the sweaters.  There was enough good material between the holes that I had to keep it for some future use.  I'm glad I did, because I used it to make this...

... a quilted cashmere shrug.  Pieced together from cut-up sweater squares, backed with an equally soft scarf that had been looking for a new purpose...

... and finished off with a couple of vintage buttons to make sure the squeeze was just right.

Now I can send a hug right along with all of those drifting thoughts.

~ Sarah

P.S. Don't forget to enter our current book giveaway:  Win Your Favorite Audio Books!

*Last time in Crafts and Activities: February in Waves

... tell me a story: audio book giveaway!

Don't get me wrong, I can't think of anything better than the feel of a book held in my hands. The scent of ink and paper and the excitement of turning the page to find out how it all happens. But sometimes, listening to a your favorite books is just as exciting! Great for road trips, or even back-and-forth-to-school trips there is just something about hearing a book, that's like being read a bedtime story all the time.

That's why this week I would like to bring to attention a series of books, read by the author that are just that, great bedtime stories at any hour!

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne is one of my favorites for little time-travelers, filled to the brim with every kind of adventure any child could dream of going on. A recent trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, reminded me of one of my favorites, The Knight at Dawn... 

... in which the main characters Annie and Jack travel to a fairy tale castle where they learn all about armor, feasts and even find a secret passage! The audio version of these stories are divided up in books 1-8 and 9-16, with each set lasting almost six hours (amazing!). 

So, why not mix it up and experience your favorite stories in a whole new way? 

Who knows what wonderful characters your imagination may dream up to go along with each tale (knights in shining armor anyone?).

For a chance to win a copy of this lovely audio book or another audio book of your choice,  simply leave a comment on this post by Wednesday March 2nd. The winner will be chosen by random number and announced Thursday March 3rd.

Good Luck!

And the winner is Julie who said:

"We haven't read the Magic Tree House series, it sounds like we should. An audio version would be a huge bonus."

Thanks for participating everyone!

~Jordan

*Last time in Books and Stories: Making Music

... barn stories: sun and eagle

 For the last couple of months the eagles and I have been trying to catch a look at each other. There is a Golden Eagle I catch out of the corner of my eye... always wondering if I have really seen him.

Oh I have... He swooped down just above my head recently so close it cast a shadow around me, by the time I got my camera he was higher in the sky but the sunlight  was surrounding him, highlighting his flight, it was a wondrous  experience.

I have a hat filled with red tail hawk feathers I have found while grazing the sheep, maybe one day I will find the gift of and eagles feather at my feet? 

To the wonder of nature and her gifts....

~Deb

p.s. There is a pair of Bald Eagles that cross over the land around noon each day. I have seen them with their lunch, chasing a pair of Coyotes with Magpies chasing them all, it was quite a sight! I have not been able to have the camera and the right lens in hand at the right time, I just miss capturing them but I hope to catch them soon... stay tuned!

*Last time in Barn Stories: Bird Cookies

... knowing green: lone coyote

I have been trying for weeks to get a good sound bite of a coyote howling. There is a group of them near my home, and I often hear them around dusk and dawn so I thought this would be an easy task to accomplish... I was wrong.

As luck would have it, the moment I wanted to record their yips, barks and howls I was greeted with silence... typical of the ever mysterious coyote. I was beginning to think they had disappeared completelly until Sunday at 6 am, I awoke to the sound I had been waiting for!

Half asleep I thought it was dream, and then I realized... there was a coyote right outside my back door barking and howling as the full moon set, and the sun began to rise. In a rush of clumsy stumbles and bumping into walls I found my recorder, opened the back door and listened to the sweet, sweet sound I had waited so long to hear. I love the way animals, and mother nature make us wait until just the right moment (albeit half asleep), to let us in on her many wonders.

Thank you to the Coyote for sharing such a wonderful moment with me.

Click Here to download the coyote soundbite or use the player below: 

 

 

 

~Jordan

*Last time in Nature: Bird Song