Got Mail?

 
Because everyone needs a reason to hide secret notes...


I made a mail kit.

It's our Narnian Lamppost.
Our Portal.
Our place where the real world transforms into the magical one.
 
See, Pip and Winnie haven't exactly been excited
about writing time.
They moan and whinge when it's time
to pull out notebook and pen.

But now they have a reason to write.

All manner of small letters, notices and lists
have been appearing in the mailbox, begging for a reader. 
 
Secret message makers, word lovers in the making, I hope.
And if we're not so concerned with punctuation just yet,
still Something is being kindled,
and that Something is what we're going for - 

getting so lost in play so that the unseen world
shines brighter within us,
and the ordinary world shines brighter on our return...

This is what I want for myself, too.
To take more time to play
with my words, with art, with the kids
without focusing on how much I get done.

I have a choice every day -
wear myself out trying to blast through my goals,
or find the sweet spots and savor.

Relish the revision. 
   (thank you Gail Carson Levine and
     Molly Blaisell for your great advice.)
and

if you need a reason to play with your words,
or an incentive for young heel-dragging-writers,
may I suggest a mail box?

Our kit is compiled of:

A domed box (thrift store find)
Denim.
Felt.
Mod podge.
Ribbon.
A cardboard swing arm fastened with a nut and bolt.
 
I added a mail sack, felt envelopes and flannel stamps
plus a thick stack of paper
for good measure.

My dad's old mail carrier hat tops the cake.

Any mail today?

Books of Note:

 

The Dove's Letter by Keith Baker


The Jolly Postman, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small
Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie
Letters from Father Christmas - J.R.R. Tolkien
Love, Mouserella by David Ezra Stein
 
Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly - Gail Carson Levine

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
The Enchanted Chocolate Pot - Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer

And an experiment. 

I've been trying to set up some freebies for my small writer friends, so here is my first attempt. Drag the image below to your desktop, and it should be ready to print.

You are welcome to use this art as long as you credit the artist (Hey, that's me - Faith Pray!) and as long as you don't try to pass it off as your own work, or sell it (That would be illegal). If you are going to pin or webshare this, please credit me as the artist, and link back to this original post.

Thank you for the respect.

Put the Hammer Down

Who gives heavy, blunt instruments to toddlers for Christmas?
I'm pretty sure this is what inspired "The Lord of the Flies."

My Making-Merry-on-the-Mini
Geoboard Kits are a hit.

And as far as homemade gifts go, how simple is this?
A block of sanded wood.
A bag of screws and nails.
Yarn and rubber bands.
All packaged up and ready to be assembled.



We wrapped a hammer and screwdriver kit for Sugar Snack, too.
He's in Fix-It Heaven,
stomping around the house,
adjusting all the screws.
I keep waiting for the doors to fall off
with the next
ACHOOO!

I don't know how safe a gift of nails
and screws is for the preschool crew.
I've tried to remind them to keep the sharp points
away from mouths, noses and electrical openings,
but you never know.
It helps to have ample adult supervision
when you're dealing with all those hammers.

So, let's just have a proviso here:

For crafty, writing, or artsy tips,
visit me with gleeful abandon.
For safe parenting tips,
go to
someone else.

Happy New Year, my friends!
May it be gloriously rich in the simple joys
and surprisingly glad in all the rest.



Books:



Tools by Taro Miura 
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (Safety tips AND cuteness)

Peace With Wings

We made ornaments this week...for the birds.

Because they ate all our cherries this year?

Because they pecked holes in the eaves

and made attic nests?

Heh.

 
But then we went birding.

A day's adventure into the wet, into the wind, 

unconnected 

from my technical world, 

no busy busy, no run arounds, no errand hopping, 

just listening.

 

Squinting into far off brambles.

Surprisingly, I connected. With the herons in the tree. 

With the brown-headed eagle, the sparrows, the finches.      

 

Like the time we stumbled on a barn owl and we lingered there, watching,

till the sky turned shadowy.

Or the day we pulled over the car to observe scores of starlings bathe in muddy puddles.

Maybe it's just the act of stopping 

in the midst of a life that whirls

-watching birds go about their day,

breathing in a piney forest, 

feeling rain pelt and pummel -

Maybe that's what slows me down. 

wakes me up. 

brings me peace.

And peace is what we all need this time of year.

So we made gifts for the birds.
 
I never thought I'd buy lard.  

 Or thistle seeds, for that matter.
Who needs more thistles? Birds, I guess.
So we squished together birdseed "cookies,"

threaded cheerios onto pipe cleaners  

and bent them into hearts.

Where did Birdy's cheerios go?

The big kids strung popcorn, nuts and apples into garlands.

I cut up felt and old jeans and t-shirts into bird-ish shapes

 for ornaments and pins.

 It was a good project for little sewists.

 

 And then we gathered our bounty
 
and strung it up

in the climbing tree.

 

 

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Peace to you, my friends...

peace that lifts, 

peace with wings.

And some beauteous books to warm your winter!

  

 

The Birds of Bethlehem - Tomie dePaola

Night Tree - Eve Bunting, Ted Rand

The Candle in the Forest - compiled by Joe L. Wheeler

Uncle Vova's Tree - Patricia Polacco

The Trees of the Dancing Goats - Patricia Polacco

The Birds' Christmas Carol - Kate Douglas Wiggin

The Mitten - Barbara McClintock

The Mitten - Jan Brett

The Money We'll Save - Brock Cole

Owl Babies - Martin Waddell, Patrick Benson

Owl Moon - Jane Yolen, John Schoenherr

No Two Alike - Keith Baker