Ever since my son and daughter were little, I would have them balance an egg on end on the first day of summer. There is some debate if this is just a legend or if it is a scientific fact that the earth's energy is aligned in a way that egg balancing is possible on this day. I can't comment on that as we do not attempt to balance eggs at any other time of the year. What I do know is that it is yet another little tradition we have as a family and that makes our yearly egg balancing special. It brings us together and creates a new memory.

Gingerbread Houses!

With the supplies at the ready, my son and daughter were eager to begin to build their annual holiday gingerbread houses. We do it on Thanksgiving day, as if the bird and the stuffing is not enough to throw us over the edge....mmmm...candy!!



This year, my 11 year old daughter went with a traditional look....above is her house in progress. My son's house started out great and then...well..and then he decided to put in the detail of the reindeer ummm....marks. While I snapped these pictures, he was making a sign that said do not eat yellow snow. Ha. He is 13 and well....full of life. That is a good thing.

Passion and Action

My daughter's second yearly fundraiser for the wolves of the Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia NJ was last weekend. Check out this wonderful place by clicking here:
Lakota Wolf Preserve


Despite the nice weather, she did not have as many people stopping by her table to check out her wares. She made these cool bracelets and helped me design and make some fused glass wolf pendants and wolf pillows. She raised a bit over $50.00, which will help the Preserve feed the wolves and provide for medical care. She had quite a few items left over, so I put them in my Etsy shop, in their own section. All proceeds will go to the Wolf Preserve. Stop by to see! www.aardvart.etsy.com

Owl in a BowTie

As soon as my daughter started to develop fine motor control, her creativity began to emerge. Although I was and continue to be somewhat weary of her experimental ways, I strive to allow her color outside of the lines. Never one to like little arts and crafts kits, my daughter will take the ordinary and make her inner vision come to life. Like when at 2, she made it snow in her bedroom and down the hallway with a container of cornstarch. Much to her older brother's initial horror, he too enjoyed slipping and sliding in that "snow". At 3, she began a series of toilet paper sculptures. Lined up in the bathtub to dry, I was happy that we had another tub to actually take a bath in. I never took a photo of those sculptures. Not even the one that ended up being 2 feet tall. I regret that.

She is 10 now and shows some interest from time to time when I am working with my glass. She had me cut an oval and I showed her how to cut her glass selections with the glass cutter. I kept quiet while her inner vision surfaced, and smiled when I saw the owl that was born. She warms my heart.