The Story Garden with Mrs. Sandoz

My boy's school did an End-of-the-Year-Book-Exchange.  It was a HUGE success!  There were piles and piles of books and piles and piles of kids.  My boys brought home a backpack full each of new-to-them books.  Some of them will definitely be keepers.  The rest we'll just send back next year.  I think I might have been more excited about the book exchange than my boys.  And next year I might even volunteer to help with it.  It was that cool! A used book exchange is a brilliant idea for the summer.  I am so pleased to be a part of a school which has some amazing creativity!  The best part is that it is something anyone could  do.  So if your school doesn't do a book exchange or you just need a fresh pile of books try this idea. The concept is easy.  Invite a good handful of friends or neighborhood kids to bring all the books they are done reading and ready to pass on to someone else to your back yard. ...

Ch. 8: A Friendship & a Name Kristen S. Sandoz 2013   Besides the Witch Hazel’s nasty hens there were plenty of other animals at the cottage who had less pernicious stories to tell.   But I will save that for another day.   For now let me just give you a roll call of the others.    There were two majestic roosters who did not always get along, the older rooster having one blind eye which made him all the more cocky.   Then there was the sweet old Jersey cow who gave her milk faithfully and without complaint each morning.   Her name was Blue and everyone loved her.   She had tender doe eyes with long lashes and she listened with a mother’s ear to anyone who talked to her.    Brother was the old mutt, who mainly slept on the hearth until he was kicked off by the cat. Then he would move to the sunny cottage step where he could keep an eye on the comings and goings as he dozed.     Pearl and Hazel also ke...

I am so excited to be spreading the word about a young college student named Kelly Cook.  I have watched Kelly grow up since grade school and she is an incredible talented and creative person.  She is working on publishing a book that she wrote AND illustrated.  It is an absolutely beautiful book!  The Might-Fine Adventure of Piper and Floyd is about, Piper, a girl who loves to explore, and Floyd, a giraffe that "honks", embark on this detour-turned-adventure story.  View the link below to have part of the story read to you and for an opportunity to support Kelly. Happy Tales Kelly! Love, Kristen Click HERE to support Kelly on her Kickstart site!

So much joy comes for me with Spring!  Just the sheer knowledge that I made it through the dark and gloomy Oregon winter is enough to send my heart soaring.  But Spring's gifts do not stop there, Easter, a steady unfurling of flower blossoms, off and on sunshine with fresh pourings of rain, and the endless opportunities to work in my yard.  I feel so alive! This week I'm working on my garden.  Today I started a Three Sister's Planting.  This is an Native American tradition of mindfully planting corn, beans, and squash.  Before I started planting I did a Google search to get more information on how and why this is done.  What I found on it was so interesting I wanted to pass it on here. At first, I thought this page was too "Thanksgivingy" to post in Spring.  Then I realized the only reason the Pilgrims and Natives were able to have a feast in the fall was because they planted in the Spring.  Their planting technique was unique to No...

Ch. 7: The Nasties By Kristen S. Sandoz 2013 Some time ago I began to tell you about Justly's quest to find a new place to sleep for himself and his new pup.  They had been outcast from the Royal City on account of the pups imperfect eye color.  The pup had one flame orange eye and one ice blue eye and this was entirely unacceptable for a hound of the King.  Justly had saved the pup from an untimely death on account of this imperfection.  As a result Justly had to leave the city and his warm comfortable bed under the Baker's oven.  Last time Justly had just fallen asleep under an ancient walnut tree to a lullaby from a lovely voice and finally drifting of into a splendid dreaming about his mother.  Now, on with our story. The voice that sang Justly to sleep belonged to our beloved Pearl and in the morning Justly heard Pearl’s voice again, along with a robust and craggy alto, and knew instantly that he was in the presenc...

The Egg By Kristen S. Sandoz 2013   The other day my five-year-old son had a friend over and they spent a lot of time with our hens.   Later that day when I went to check on the ladies I found two eggs smashed against the fence and evidence of a cover up.   If you have ever raised your own chickens you know how precious eggs are.   I was not happy about this and handled the whole thing very poorly.   That night I was really disturbed by my reaction and it brought to mind an experience I had as a five year old.   It was small, black, exquisitely hand painted, and edged with gold gilding.   It was lovely and delicate much like a teacup with gold trim.   You know the kind that even as an adult you’re afraid to touch its dainty handle with your comparatively large and clumsy fingers.   Only a teacup doesn’t quite compare with the fragility of nature.   In my hand I was holding an egg.   It was a gift to my mother f...

It's Thing 1's birthday.  One special little thing I've done to honor them as individuals is make them a Birthday Crown.  Each boy has his own crown.  It's part of our dress up box actually.  They get used in all kinds of ways all year long.  These crowns are nothing too fancy.  I used scraps of felt and left over elastic and hand drew a crown pattern on paper.  Then I sewed them together.  Each year the boys pick out a new button to add to the crown.  Just today Thing 1 said, "Man, what will this thing look like when I'm in 12th grade?"  I wonder too! The first two boys' crowns are very similar because I did them at the same time.  Thing 3's crown is a little different and frankly I like his the best (but don't tell!)  I just finished his today.  Which is sad because his birthday was almost two months ago.  We haven't even celebrated his special day yet.  But we will if for no other reason than to get a s...