Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

. . . barn stories: oh the weather

This summer has been one of the hardest yet here on the farm. I have never experienced such extremes from one day to the next.  Spring was wild, but you come to expect some of that, and hope for the rain that comes with it. July and August kept me busy each day, planning on when to get the animals out, when to get them back in and what to do when you were stuck out in the storms with them... Instead of the risk of fire that we have had for the last five years, it was hail and lightning and the chance of flooding. . .

Each storm started with the build up of clouds, thousands of feet high and ended with glorious rainbows, always promising hope on the other side. . .

. . . just like the sunsets that ended the day with brilliance, almost like the sky was giving a kind apology for all of the running around it had caused earlier. . .

The lighting could make your hair stand on end, through forethought, the barn and house are protected by lighting rods and all were safe when inside. But the trick is to get everyone inside before it arrived. Many an afternoon when all should have been out grazing we were in the barn hallway playing games trying to get some exercise. Chickens watching from the sidelines and Merry the pony creating the rules for all to follow. Ponies do that!

Even at sunset when all should be starting to settle down, large storm clouds would form, this was one of the more threatening skies at dusk. So many of the big storms form over our land swirling then heading off towards the east.

With all that was going on, when there was a moment to do some making, a rainbow fairy was just the little one to arrive, reminding me of the balance that nature always brings. With hard storms comes great beauty.

We were greener this summer, but discovered the drought had brought harm to our grazing grass and had encourage the sage to thrive instead.  It will take years to bring back the grass. The silver lining to it all is that we will have sage bundles for smudging, the birds love the sage, and the sheep might eat a little in the fall when all else is gone.

To silver linings and rainbows after the storm. . .

~ Deb

*Last time in Barn Stories: Crabapple Fairies

 

. . . barn stories: plant dyeing + crabapple fairies

Even though crabapple trees won't blossom for a little while yet, looking at the photo of them in our spring giveaway last week got me to daydreaming about a few of my favorite things. . .

. . . like blooming branches and sweet little lambs. . .

. . . so I thought, why not combine. . .

 . . . the best of both. . .

. . . and hand dye some wool felt. . .

. . . for a new crabapple fairy!  Now I don't have to wait any longer to see those beautiful blossoms.

If you'd like to try your hand at dyeing wool, you can take a peek at this post here for a full tutorial, or this post here for some hand dyed DIY felt egg cozies for your spring table (pictured above).

What spring thing are you most excited about?

~ Deb

*Last time in Barn Stories: First Bunnies

 

... barn stories: first bunnies

They're here, they're here, they're finally here!

Each year is a waiting game. We never know when the first one will pop out of its cozy den, but when they do, we know it's spring.

Some years they come out a bit too early, barely the size of a tennis ball. While other years, like this one, they come out big and healthy. I think they may already be used to our comings and goings as neither of this adorable twosome seemed the least bit wary of my presence.

We found each other just as the sun was setting on a beautiful spring day. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend filled with family, good friends, and lots of fuzzy baby bunnies!

 

~ Deb

 

P.S. We were a little busy last week and forgot to announce the winner of the Tortoise and the Hare book giveaway. So check back after noon today to see the winner!

 

* Last time in Barn Stories: Hat Flowers

. . . barn stories: hat flowers

It's officially spring. . .

. . . yet out my front door snow has arrived more than once in the past week. One day I un-blanketed and blanketed the horses three times! Sun, then snow squalls would arrive at different times, each never staying very long. At one point it was winter out the back window and spring out the front.

But the thought of spring flowers brighten my day. . .

So, with Easter around the corner it seemed like the perfect day to sew a hatband of lavender blossoms from the felt I had just hand dyed. . . 

. . . and then give it to you on this spring day, even though it can't make up its mind whether it is spring or winter.

To enter the giveaway for this lovely sun hat with a handmade flower band (available in many sizes for both kids and adults) simply leave a comment on this post by 4/17/14 at 7am MST.  The winner will be chosen by the lovely random number generator and announced that day!

 And the winner is KD who said:

"Thanks for this chance!"

Thanks for participating everyone!

~ Deb

* Last time in Barn Stories: Cloud Cookies

 

. . . barn stories: cumulus cloud cookies

With all the eggs the girls have been providing, I needed to branch out into sweets from main dishes.  Meringue kisses are in the food stores everywhere, but I thought it would be fun for little ones to make beautiful fluffy clouds.

While simple and easy, the transformation from runny egg whites into clouds can be a little magical. Recently I was sharing these cookies with a friend who is in her late seventies and her eyes immediately lit up. Her mom used to make cloud cookies when she was a little girl and the memory stuck with her all these years.

Cloud Cookies:

• 8 Egg whites at room temperature
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups superfine sugar (I've made them with 1/2 cup less and the work quite nicely as well)

*Working with eggs before they are cooked, requires care and lots of hand washing.

Beat the egg whites  until frothy and then add a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar. Continue to beat at high speed adding the sugar slowly until it holds the twirl left by your spoon. You can reduce the sugar by 1/2 cup and still get the same results. I'm still testing to see if you can reduce the sugar even further.

Once your batter is done, drop a spoonful at a time on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  To make the cloud shape, swirl three spoon dollops together.  All of a sudden, a cumulus could appears right before you.

Bake at 225 for 60 minutes. They are done when the crust is hard, just before they start turning brown on their edges. Pop them off of the parchment paper (kids love doing this) and enjoy!

Rainy Days are not cloud making days, there's too much moisture in the air for the meringue.

To Cumulus Clouds and all the wonder they give. . .

 

With the Kids: Invite the kids to help you beat the egg whites and mix in the sugar. Ask them to give you a hand making the cloud shapes. Grab your favorite cloud book and make all sorts of different clouds cookies while you learn about how and why clouds are formed. Pack a few cloud cookies in a bag and enjoy them while watching real clouds pass by outdoors.

 

~Deb

*Last time in Barn Stories: Plant Dyeing Wool