01Nov 2022 by catbird 3 Comments
Winter Nature Table

Winter Nature Table

Craft Project, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Nature Table, Play, Seasonal Nature Table, Winter, Winter Solstice
Nature tables are the perfect place to store and display all those nature finds that we "just had to bring home." Honestly I am almost as bad as the kids about this... Ours is on our porch so that things can be easily added and subtracted at will and we change it out for each season. (And it substantially reduces the stray sticks in the house..) In winter, we add obvious things like holly and evergreens, but also sticks covered in lichen, crystal-y rocks, found bits of nuts, pinecones and a prized deer antler. Log slices and old shelves and add some height and you can use vases to hold the greens. The kids are always tinkering with the arrangement and moving things around which is great. This is actually…
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30Oct 2022 by catbird No Comments
Yule Tea– Guest Blogger!

Yule Tea– Guest Blogger!

Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice
A huge thank you to Anna Reisz for today's guest post!! Check out her beautiful site The Herbology Faerie and her IG feed here. She is sharing her recipe for Winter Solstice Tea with us-- take it away Anna! The last festival on the wheel of the year, Yule, takes place on the winter solstice. This marks what is also called the Longest Night, when the hours of darkness exceed the light. We feel drawn to twinkle lights, candles, cozy fires, and warming festive spices to help keep the darkness at bay and remind ourselves that the warmth of the sun will cycle back as it does each turn of the Earth. Celebrate this occasion with Yule Tea, a cozy and warming mix of rooibos, cacao nibs, orange peel, cinnamon,…
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28Oct 2022 by catbird No Comments
Hand Rolled Herbal Beeswax Candles– Guest Blogger!

Hand Rolled Herbal Beeswax Candles– Guest Blogger!

Craft Project, Winter, Winter Solstice
A huge thank you to Harmonie O'Loughlin for today's guest post!! Check out her beautiful sites Flora's Feast Botanicals and Plant Wonder Collective and her IG feed here. She is sharing her hand rolled herbal beeswax candles with us-- take it away Harmonie! Making DIY rolled beeswax candles is astonishingly simple and has both a functional and beautiful outcome. It is a satisfying craft project for adults and kids alike. Keep your hands busy while enjoying teatime with friends. Encourage fine motor skills in children. Savor the honey sweet scent of the beeswax and the aromatic notes of crushed herbs. What are rolled beeswax candles? Rather than melting beeswax and pouring it in a vessel, you roll sheets of beeswax to make tapers. The sheets look similar to the beeswax…
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28Oct 2022 by catbird No Comments
Risgrøt: A Yule Tradition That Warms the Soul– Guest Blogger!

Risgrøt: A Yule Tradition That Warms the Soul– Guest Blogger!

Folklore, Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice
A huge thank you to Jenn Campus for today's guest post!! Check out her beautiful site Old Ways for Modern Days and her IG feed here. She is sharing her recipe for Risgrøt with us-- take it away Jenn! Ah, Risgrøt – creamy, comforting, and wonderfully traditional! This Norwegian rice porridge has become a staple in our family's Yule celebrations ever since my first snowy winter in Norway. Back then, as an exchange student, I had no idea this dish would burrow its way into my heart (and stomach), becoming a must-have every year when the days are shortest. Whether you're in for some ancestral vibes or simply craving something hearty with a hint of sweetness, this recipe will surely please. A Little History About Risgrøt Risgrøt is a dish with deep roots…
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28Oct 2022 by catbird No Comments
Brown Butter Fennel Cookies– Guest Blogger!

Brown Butter Fennel Cookies– Guest Blogger!

Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice
A huge thank you to Summer Crosby Hennessy for today's guest post!! Check out her beautiful shop Acorn Moon Mercantile and her IG feed here. She is sharing her recipe for Brown Butter Fennel Cookies with us-- take it away Summer! These are dense, chewy, decadent, not even kidding around, brown buttery avalanche of yum in your mouth, with just a slight holiday spice vibe. Fennel is a favorite of mine, but truthfully, I consistently forget about it until it’s put in front of my face and then I just gobble it all up and think about it for a week. Fennel is traditionally used in banishing spells and rituals. It keeps away negativity and ill will. I read that sprinkling Fennel seeds in doorways and windowsills will protect the home…
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28Oct 2022 by catbird No Comments
Milkweed Skull Seed Bombs for Samhain/ Dia De Muertos

Milkweed Skull Seed Bombs for Samhain/ Dia De Muertos

Garden, Nature Art, Samhain
Samhain is the time of year that most plants die. The trees are starting to look bare and skeletal and in olden times it’s when many animals were slaughtered for the winter. It’s not really hard to put together why this time of year is often associated with death and spirits. There is some kind of primal anxiety this time of year left over from when we worried we wouldn’t have enough food for the winter. I used to always find myself overwhelmed and sad. Then I had an epiphany of sorts… about soil. Soil is made of millions of years worth of decayed organic matter. Leaves, plants, animals, microbes have all died and become soil. All of this death gives rise to new life. New life couldn’t exist without…
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03Oct 2022 by catbird No Comments
Elderberry Syrup Jam/ Caramel

Elderberry Syrup Jam/ Caramel

Autumn, Recipes
This recipe was a series of happy accidents. It’s elderberry month with the Plant Wonder Collective and initially I was pretty stumped for what to make other than my usual elderberry syrup. Despite the best efforts of my local catbirds, we had a nice harvest of fresh elderberries this year so I concluded that I wanted to use them fresh rather than drying them like I usually do. I settled on old fashioned elderberry jam, but flavored it the same way I would typically flavor my elderberry syrup so it had some of the same health benefits while being more appealing to my kiddos. So I added honey and all the usual herbs and spices to my jam mixture. (click on the link above for the full syrup recipe) It’s…
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19Sep 2022 by catbird 3 Comments
Mushroom Foraging Badges!

Mushroom Foraging Badges!

Autumn, Craft Project, First Harvest, Free Printable, Nature Art, Nature Journaling, Play, Summer
I have been promising my kids that I would make them "badges" for each new mushroom they find while out hiking, this is not all of them, but it's a start! Print them on cardstock and cut them out, or if you are feeling adventurous print them onto fabric and sew them onto felt circles. Check out my mushroom foraging hike if you need suggestions for this fun activity! Click on the image above for the PDF!
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