The Season Sisters

In March I posted about one of our favorite books, How Robin Saved Spring by Debbie Ouelett. One of our goals was to expand on the story to include the other two months. The other night I did this for Hazel and made her some peg dolls to go with them. After reading it to Hazel, she told me I needed to write more, but I am going to share what I have so far with you. Since How Robin Saved Spring dealt with the change from winter to spring, I did not include that (which I have been told I should).

In a small house deep in the woods live four very special sisters. Their mother is Mother Earth. Each sister is awake for about one quarter of the year or at least that is how it is suppose to be. You see these sisters have magical powers and they control the weather. They are Lady Winter, Sister Spring, Girl Summer and Madam Autumn. Each loves her time of the year the best. Lady Winter thinks it should be winter all the time and the entire world should always be snow covered and frozen. Sister Spring however loves the awakening she brings the world and all the new life that comes in spring. And all the animals, trees and flower fairies love her and her kindness. Girl Summer is the youngest and tends to like to play and have fun in the summer sun. She does not always take her responsibilities seriously enough. She also tends to like to awaken even when it is not summer. Madam Autumn is good friends with the wind and the tree fairies. Her friends help her paint the leaves for the fall. 

Their cottage is rather small. It has four good size bedrooms--one for each of them and then a small living space that includes a sitting area with a fire place and a kitchen. Since only one sister is awake at a time the space does not need to be too large. Outside the house are many trees and plants and flowers. Or at least the flowers and plants can be seen when it is not winter. 

Girl Summer and one of her bunny friends

Now as I mentioned, Girl Summer does not like to stay asleep. Often she wakes up during all of her sisters' seasons. You may notice when she is awake. There will be a warm day in the middle of cold ones. This just means Girl Summer is restless and awake. Her older sister will get her back to sleep and the weather returns to normal. 

Sister Spring and a Crocus Fairy

Sister Spring is very calm with her hyperactive little sister. She does not get angry with her when she awakens early--which she always does. She lets her help with the decorating of the spring flowers and the planting season. Plus of course it is also the mating season for many of the animals, and the sisters help with this as well. Girl Summer awakening early is why we will have heat waves in early spring. Sometimes Sister Spring will be able to get her back to sleep and other times she will not.

Girl Summer loves frolicking in the summer sun. She loves to run through the wildflower meadows and on the beach. She often plays hide and seek with the animals in the forest or tag with the butterflies in the meadow. She also loves to collect shells and rocks on the beach and use them to decorate sand castles that she builds for the crabs. Often she forgets about having the rain, so many of the plants including some grass dries out and turns brown. The flowers begin to die as well because of the lack of moisture. 

Madam Autumn and a Maple Tree Fairy

When Madam Autumn awakens she often sees the burnt look of the end of summer. The plants cannot always survive her younger sister's heat. Madam Autumn quickly calls her friend the wind to come and help blow in the clouds. She also calls upon her friend the Rainbow Princess to help with the rain. Then she gathers her fairies and gives them their painting supplies. The fairies' job is to paint the leaves all the beautiful colors of fall. Just about when they finish the trees release their leaves so the wind can blow them in circles and have fun. Madam Autumn also reminds the animals to prepare for the cold winter. Some travel to warmer places where Lady Winter will not have as much control and others gather food to survive locked up in their homes for the entire winter. Then there are those who sleep all winter long. Lady Winter long ago knitted them magic blankets to put them to sleep for the entire winter. Madam Autumn helps them get cozy under them before her older sister has her turn at the control of the weather. Insects and such often go hide in walls of buildings. Madam Autumn helps them find their way in and closes them up so they will be warm. It will be Sister Spring who releases them when she awakens. 

Lady Winter and a Snowflake Fairy

Lady Winter often tries to get control early. If she had her way it would always be cold and frozen. Sometimes you may see snow in October because of her fighting for control. Madam Autumn however never gives up on maintaining her control and if she must she involves their mother to help keep Lady Winter where she belongs.

Exploring Spain 2 with Food, Crafts, Music and Dance

Last week I shared our first post about exploring Spain with food, craft and stories. Today we decided to explore it a bit more with some music, gazpacho and flamenco dancing and a flamenco dancer craft. 

We started by making some gazpacho. We combined the three recipes found in the same three cookbooks we used last time. Hazel enjoyed peeling and chopping the cucumber. We also pulled out the garlic press and the food processor, so she enjoyed it. She said the soup itself was all right, but really did not eat much. (The true test to whether she likes something is how much she eats. She always says things are good.) I on the other hand had two bowls of it for lunch.

Gazpacho Recipe:
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped
5 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
4 cups cubed bread with crusts removed first
4 cups cold water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano
juice of a lime

Put all ingredients in food processor and puree. Chill for a few hours and serve cold.


After making the soup, we read a bit more about Spain in the Fiesta Series Spain book. I wanted to read more so we could try the flamenco dance. Hazel loved doing this. We pulled out the fan we made last week as well as the one we bought in Epcot and her to castanets. Then we danced around the house to a CD of Flamenco Music from Spain that we got out of the library.

Hazel really wanted to do a craft today as well, so we made a flamenco dancer clothespin doll. I found the instructions at Making Friends. Hazel really enjoyed wrapping the string for the dress. While making this craft, we continued to listen to the Flamenco CD. Then t we listened to a playlist of songs from Spain from these CD's.

Overall we had fun learning a bit about Spain! Next month we will be "traveling" to Kenya. I hope you will join us! Plus next week I'll have a fun craft I found to keep track of all of these adventures.

Also for your own passport check out this link from Glittering Muffins and for a fun placemat, this link.

You also can check out these amazing posts or add your own Spanish adventure here. 

Easter Flower Fairy Peg Dolls

So last week I shared with you a few of my animal peg dolls for Hazel's Easter basket. Today I'm going to share a few more. I made her a daffodil fairy and a tulip fairy.

I painted the two bodies green and then cut green leaf wings. For the tulip I cut two pieces of petal strips and glued them on as a crown after giving her a face and hair.

For the daffodil, I did her face and yellow hair and then cut out the petals and the inner strip. On the inner strip I added a little pink since I did not have orange paint marker. 

Now I want to do a sheep peg doll and a Jesus peg doll and I then I'll sew some felt animals for her as well.

Getting Ready for Easter with Peg Dolls

I like to give some non-candy items to Hazel in her Easter basket. Her grandmother (my mother-in-law) tends to give her a lot of candy and the truth is Steve and I end up eating most of it since Hazel eats healthy and is usually full after a bite or two of the candy. This year we are planning on getting her a book about Easter and I am making her some peg dolls. I made her a duck, bunny and chick for her basket.

Since her favorite toy is Ducky, we always seem to gravitate to ducks. This is my little duck that I made her.

An Easter basket is not complete without a bunny, so here is her pink and white bunny with a sparkly pom pom tail.

And of course we need a chick for her basket. Next maybe I'll make a lamb. I'm also going to maker her some spring flower fairies. I'll share those a different day though since they are not done.

What do you do for your child's Easter basket?

Royal Clothespin Dolls

After making Hazel the peg doll fairies and animals, she wanted some princesses, princes, knights, king and queen to play with her castle playmat.  I decided to use clothespins since I had a bunch of them. We needed to glue buttons on the bottom so they could stand on the playmat. I decided to paint the males and I painted the tops of the females and added felt to be their skirts. I used wool roving for the females' hair. Some of which I even needle felted into place.

She has named each one. One is Princess Moonlight and there is Cinderella (in blue), and Princess Carrie. The men are named after her father, grandfather and first cousin. She is still deciding which are princes and guards.

Now she loves to make up stories about all her princesses. It keeps her busy for hours and then she puts on a show for us.

Peg Doll Animals

I'm still being inspired by Margaret Bloom and her new book, Making Peg Dolls, well actually I guess her book blog tour. Last Friday, Anna Branford was the book tour stop and she shared some adorable animal peg dolls. Now of course there is more to the story. Last Thursday when I went to pick Hazel up from school, I saw a bluebird fly by in the long driveway to the school. Now a bluebird in the winter is very unusual here, but its brilliant blue wings and reddish pink breast made me certain it was. Now remember this is the day before the blizzard hit here. Poor bird. Anyway, I went inside and was talking to the teachers about the bluebird and one of them mentioned how seeing a bluebird always makes her and her husband happy. That night I told Hazel a story about Happy the bluebird at bedtime. Then I saw the bluebird that Margaret Bloom made at Anna Brandford's site and I was inspired. I decided to make a bluebird.

Now I was a bit lazy and glued instead of sewed the head and such. But I am happy with how it came out. Next I decided on a robin. Yes, with all this snow I am thinking about spring.

Plus Hazel got the book How Robin Saved Spring by Debbie Oullet for her birthday. This is a wonderful book that tells the tale of Lady Winter and Sister Spring and how the animals try to wake Sister Spring when Lady Winter uses her magic to keep Sister Spring sleeping so she can stay reigning the world. In the story you find out why some animals hibernate and why the maple tree gives sap for syrup and other wonders in nature (like why the robin is red breasted). Last year I needle felted her Lady Winter and Sister Spring dolls, but I don't think I ever shared them with you.

Then wanting to get away from birds, I decided to make a red fox. A fox has been in a few of our stories as of late, so I thought she would appreciate it. One of her favorite play things is to use her peg dolls or even Barbie dolls to make puppet shows and tell stories. I love her creativity!

She has asked me to make a seagull, pigeon, chickadee, gold finch, cow, horse, parrot, ... next. I guess I better get some more peg dolls.

For my previous Margaret Bloom inspired peg dolls visit here.