Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

... moments of magic

It's spring in Catalunya and the bees are officially buzzing! I couldn't help but stop and wonder at their magic, what an amazing job they are doing for mother nature, and how lost we would be with out them. I hope you'll take a moment and watch these lovely creatures do their wonderful work the next time you are out and about. 

 

~ Jordan

. . . secret message eggs

Every spring around this time we share a special egg dying activity.  This year. . .

. . . we decided to add a little mystery to. . .

. . . the drama of spring. . .

. . . with secret hidden messages . . .

. . . that magically appear!

 

 This super simple but lovely activity is a fun way to share a little magic this spring with the ones you love!

 

Secret Message Eggs

Materials:

• White or Brown Blown Out Eggs (here's how to do it)
• Egg dye (we like this plant dye kit that includes a clear wax crayon)
• Box (we used the box from an old Owl Whistle)
• Batik crayons or a clear wax crayon from an egg dying kit
• Sweet little envelopes or bags
• Paper for tag
• Pen or Pencil
• Bakers Twine, regular twine, or ribbon

Starting with your blown out eggs, use a batik crayon (or a clear wax crayon) to write a secret message on an egg.

Put your egg dye of choice in a small bag and write the instructions for the dye on the bag followed by the phrase "to reveal a secret message".

Place the egg with the message on it and the bag in the box.  Tie up the box with ribbon or twine and attach a tag that says "Dye Me"

Give this sweet spring gift to a friend.

 

With the Kids: Go for a spring walk with the kids around the neighborhood and look for the secret messages that the season has to share: buds about to bloom, birds making nests for eggs that will hatch, grass beginning to peek out from the bare earth. Ask them who they would like to give a spring gift to and what kinds of secret messages they would like to share. Listen to an audio book version of Alice in Wonderland while working on the secret message eggs. Give the gifts to friends and to each other and dye them to reveal all of the sweet spring wishes. Try out all of our other fun egg dying activities!

 

~ Sarah

... weekend links

 

Here are a few things that kept us curious this week. 

• Imagine discovering the oldest land fossil ever, and then discovering it was eating something even older. 
• The earth has lungs, and you can watch them breath!
• Three cheers for 11-year-old Matlock Grossman and his quest to make the streets of L.A. safer to ride bikes!
• Meet bird brainiacs: The Eurasian Jay. And read about this brilliant bird family. 
• It's that time of year again! How to start plant and vegetable seeds. 
• Check out the Wooden Cycloid Drawing Machine. Infinite geometric designs at your finger tips. 
• The spring equinox is almost upon us. Learn a little more about why the equinox might not mean what you think it does. 

 

Happy Weekend! 

 

xox

~ i.c. 

... moments of magic

I set out on mission to capture the blooming branches that caught my eye last week while on a walk. As luck would have it, the blooms had peaked, and while still pretty, the effect was just not the same. So I began to wander through La Divesa (the forest park) near my home, looking for something, anything. 

Living in a small European town, there seems to always be this tug of war between the old and the new. Like old stone benches, tagged with graffiti. Most of the time I can't make out what the tagger is trying to say, but this time my eye was drawn to the phrase, "La Noche es larga, la vida es corta", roughly translated to the night is long and life is short. I took this to mean "go have some fun". I took a photo because I liked the tag, but what I saw when I looked through my lens made me really smile. Sweet spring flowers peeking out from under the bench. Once I noticed them, I also saw more tucked into the base of the tree to my right. Sweet and simple, old and new, I am always in awe of the domino effect of being open and present to the little things.  

 

~ Jordan

. . . st. patrick's day feast

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, we thought we'd round up a few fun and celebratory recipes for you from our kitchen and beyond:

 

Fun St. Patrick's Day Recipes:

1. Lucky Soda Bread
2. Healthy Shamrock Shake
3. Edible Moss for Cakes
4. Matcha Shortbread Cookies
5. Colcannan Potatoes
6. Lamb & Eggplant Shepherd's Pie
7. Irish Brown Bread
8. Green Pea, Asparagus & Parsley Soup
9. Irish Stew
10. Matcha Coconut Custard Tart

 

Happy St. Patty's!

~Sarah