Stirring your own pot of creative soup

Creative output requires creative input.

It is that old principle- what goes in, must come out.

So, it makes sense that we must refill our jugs, our mugs and our soup pots, don't you think?

One of my favourite ways to 'fill up' is to immerse myself in festival worlds.

But not just any old festival.

Whilst the music festivals I have been to in Australia and overseas have been, at times, life-changing and inspirational, what they sometimes lack is 'interaction'.

And I do think interaction is the key to getting the most out of a festival.

Interaction involves all the senses, and feeds all learning styles.

And one can't help but be nourished and fed by such a thing!

My favourite festival of ALL is the Woodford Folk Festival , held every year from Dec 27 to New Year's Day in a little hill enclave christened 'Woodfordia', about a 90 min drive north of Brisbane.

To call it a 'folk' festival is a bit limiting actually, and might actually put some people off, but if you can get past the name, this festival is truly one in a million!!

This past Tuesday, my friend Simone and I took a 'child-free' pass from our husbands and joined the throngs for the big event.  What a thrill!!!

Even in pouring rain and a mud bath, it was so worth the cold, the flat tire and the 3am tow out of the mud before we could even leave to get home!

(For those who are wondering, 6am was the time I finally made it to bed!  Thank Goodness for a loving husband on holiday who kept a certain little boy entertained for a second day!!) 

Here is some of what we got up to!

*Appalachian Flat foot dancing with the Whitetop Mountaineers-  a big highlight!!

*Dancing to "MamaKin" and listening to the groovy tunes of Danielle and her band.  Check out this band.  Do yourself a favour!!  The songs "Colour" and "My friend" have induced tears for me at least 3 times today!  

*Eating organic dark chocolate filled doughnuts

*Imbibing delicious mango lassies 

*Dancing to "Colourfide", a band of young guys from the Gold Coast, truly worth a look!

*Getting funky with Baalo Baajo and their African dance tips

*Immersing ourselves in street theatre

*Devouring delectable Govinda's food and learning more about sacred cows 

*Drinking up hot chai to the sounds of Music for the Spirit

*Spending time with the stories of Rob Longstaff, Stringmansassy and Lior

*Getting drenched under a showery sky for Arrested Development

And there was so much we didn't even get near!

*Zumba workouts

*Kecak chanting

*PsychoBABEL; the talk fest

*Burleque life drawing

*Sketch the rhyme game show

*UV wonderland

*A vintage hair and makeup workshop

*Stand up comedy workshops

*Magic of the mind

*Birdmania

*Puppet shows

*The children's festival

*Team poetry slams

*Yalks on treating illnesses naturally, healing through diet

*Shamanic drumming

*Film reviews

*Scottish fiddle workshops, yoga, fire play, aerials for beginners, crystal bowl meditation, clowning, balloon blowing, acro balance, hit song writing and body percussion workshops and talks on: 'being the change', the population growth myth, renewable energy and cooking with your own home-grown food.

Are you tired yet??

I'm a big believer in filling up with all kinds of variety, and particularly stuff that I wouldn't encounter in every day life.  A fabulous festival like this one, gives each and every one of us, big and new opportunities for personal growth and change.

Who knows where something might take you??

Why not make a pact to immerse yourself in a local groovy festival sometime in 2011?

It might be pushing past your comfort zone, it might mean getting big-time muddy, it might involve time and a little money but the payoff is so worth it!!  

Have you got a festival favourite??

Or one you'd like to visit??

Share your stories here!!  

I'd love to add them to my ever-expanding bucket list.

Perhaps you would too!

Logo and Blog Design by Ruby Ruby Designs

Here is my lovely Christmas gift to myself!

A new logo and blog design by Bec of Ruby Ruby designs.

I love it!

But it seems the 'comments' have disappeared in the upgrade today.
 We're off to hunt them down, then please stop by and let me know what you think!
I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions!

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas and a joy-filled New Year to all my Moondew Mama's and children, 

AND to all the MamaMoontime blog readers who are part of the MM tribe.

Thank you for your readership, your comments, your emails and your LOVE!

I am honoured to know each and every one of you!

Stop by and see me in 2011!

It is going to be a great year for us all. 

Nerang High School Inaugural Class 1990- 20 Year Reunion

With my two friends, Judy and Beck, we have spent countless hours this year searching for our old school buddies in preparation for our 20 year high school reunion.

Last Saturday, over 70 of us gathered to share memories, celebrate good times and have a general catch up.  What fun!

It was especially nice to have 'my girls' all together again.

I do love having these long lasting friendships.

They are the people with whom I share over 25 years of amazing times.

There is nothing on earth like it.

It was truly splendid to catch up with so many great people.

I don't think I ever really realised how lucky I was to be surrounded by such solid and GOOD chaps and chicks.   

A few things amazed me.

*How many of us still live in or near our home town (yet I never see anyone!)

*How much we have all mellowed, accepted our lot and are really loving the life we have (even if it is not the life we planned or hoped for)

*How many of us have reached our dreams, or are still striving for our dreams, getting closer each day

*And how many people did not want to come.

This last one really, really surprised me.

Reunions have taught me one thing- that they are the great 'leveller' of our time.

There is nothing to fear, nothing to hide, nothing to run from.

Just times of catching up with people from your past, and laughing and joking about our shared memories of acne, school camps, partner dancing, bullying and teasing and all those things that helped to make you into the person you are.  Only those people can share some of the same foundation. 

Cool gangs were gone, hot chicks or unattainable fellows are just like you and me, hair has greyed, bald heads shine through, arms and legs and tummies and faces all expand and we have ALL had our own trials and tribulations, our own ups and downs.

The prettiest girl at school is not necessarily the richest, nor the happiest.

The ugliest guy at school may now be a mogul. 

But we each have our own gifts, traits and attributes.

And these are worthy.

And you know what.

Someone might not want to come, but we each all have a responsibility to provide for those who want to see us!!

Yes, there are people out there HANGING OUT to see you!!!!

You might not even know it, and you may never expect it, but that was one of the biggest questions and statements people made.  

"Where is so-and-so??? I so wanted to catch up with them!!"

So, if you are invited to your school reunion, whether it be a 5 year, 10, 20 or 30 year bash, pop on your best dress, spruce up your hair, grab a mate, hold hands and enter confidently.

You'll be glad you did!!!

Creative ideas for Christmas Trees

Imagine my surprise to walk into our shed and see this amazing tree!

Yes, my husband declared it necessary that the Shed have its' very own Christmas tree so he and my son set about making one!

Decorating it with the finest selection of tools, it takes pride of place!

Paintbrushes, saws, screwdrivers, rope, measuring tape, shovels and digging tools and a whole set of spanners hang proudly from branches!

I just love the ball of rope Star on top!

Creating an exclusive crafting space

Wouldn't you just love a space, no matter how small, for your own creative endeavours?

I have dreamt of a room, where I can keep my collection of fibres, threads, stamping goods, paper, pencils, card and now I have one!!!

This is the best Christmas present ever!!!!

This room is our 3rd bedroom and with Henrietta now in her own independent space, this room became free.   This past week, my husband painted and tiled it and I took a quick trip up the highway to purchase two expedit shelves from Ikea.  

Doesn't it always happen that there is one dowel left over????

Oops!

Now, I am in creative heaven!!!

I can play and sing and dance surrounded by all my lovely base materials.

We all need a dedicated space for our creative tools.

This should be our top priority.

It doesn't really matter whether it is a drawer in a desk, a few plastic boxes that are easily accessible, a folding table and a set of drawers on moveable runners, a little office nook, an office hidden in a cupboard, an easel set up in one sunny corner of the lounge or one side of the shed. 

What matters is that your things are easily accessible, and easily put away.

Creative time may only come in short increments, and we don't want to be wasting those moments having to unpack and pack away into random, unfriendly spots. 

So, this weekend, why not make your own creative haven?? 

As 2010 draws to a close, and 2011 beckons, I dare you to put your creativity right on top of your 'must do' list.  We must create. We must.

Who knows how long we will be here in this house, but for now, this is one of my dreams come true!!

Thank you, my lovely handy husband!!

White Christmas at Movie World 2010

Parenting Teenagers- the two most regular responses to daily life

That is it.

In my house, there are two responses only.

1.  You are the best mum.  You are so cool. I'm so lucky:  When I give in to her every demand

(This is what my teen hopes for)

2.   I hate you.  You ruin my life.  Etc Etc Etc :  When I set healthy boundaries and limits.

(This is what my teen mostly gets)

Finding some kind of balance is the key.

And being able to ignore the tirade helps too.

I like to think I do this pretty well, and can stay mostly calm in the biggest waves of the storm but gee, thank goodness for all those years of working with toddlers and little children.

It seems like those years of staying centred, being kindly responsive and overly patient were really worth gold! 

Sometimes, experiencing a teenage tantrum can make dealing with a toddler seem like absolute heavenly holiday bliss!!!  

Oh, send me the toddlers!!!

The wonderful world of Thermomix

This is my newest toy!

(Only the base and jug pictured. A two-piece steam boat and other attachments also come with it)

What a gadget.

Took a dedicated year of saving to be able to purchase it, but oh, my...

life changing!

Have you seen one before?

They are called Thermomix and can do just about anything!

Grate, chop, cook, blend, grind, stir and all with a motor with the power of a small jet plane!

So far, I've whipped up home made blueberry ice-cream, mushroom and parmesan risotto (in 17 mins!!), chicken curries, cake batters and kneaded batches and batches of bread dough (joyous!).

My goal is to save money, time and to make as much food from scratch, without chemicals, preservatives, or anti-caking agents.  The 'thermomix' (or as my friend Jen and family have christened theirs 'thermoservant' ) is already helping me to do just that.

My cupboards are becoming bare but my fridge is full of fresh food just waiting to be transformed in the whiz machine.  

This week, I made my own tomato passata for our pasta dinner.  

Red juicy fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, a little onion, fresh garlic, salt, pepper and dried herbs was all I needed. Yum!

The biggest surprise for me was the colour.

Not the blood red colour from a bottle of supermarket sauce, but a more muted rose blossom.

Makes me wonder how much colour and preservative must be added to store bought jars??

Bring on the holidays for some more time and experimental fun!!

The Christmas Spiders by Natalie O. Kononenko

Don't you just love a Christmas story that focuses on the beauty and goodness of the simple things in nature?  Years ago, I came across a lovely story called The Christmas Spiders by Natalie O. Kononenko in some random book and I have loved it ever since.  

I took the seed of this story and made it our own for a very Australian Christmas, and used a very simple prop to help hold the children's attention.  A tree, with carefully placed balls of clear beeswax to hold the spider's webs and silver thread.  The spider's webs themselves are toothpicks wrapped in white cotton thread.

(Words in "parenthesis" paraphrased from the original story with thanks to the author)

In short, there once lived a very poor family, whom had no money for new clothes, new shoes or even hats under the hot Summer sun.  They often didn't even have enough money for food.

Luckily, they had their very own vegetable garden but as the summer days drew longer, and the golden sun began to scorch, their vegetable patch didn't produce much at all.

By Christmas, life was pretty miserable.

Each day, the father would go in search of work hoping to earn a few coins to help them buy at least a few small treats, some candy and nuts, for their children.  But work was scarce at this time of year, and the husband didn't have much luck.  

One day, the father and his wife even searched the house for stray coins- under the cushions, behind the furniture, underneath the verandah and even in odd shoes hidden in the back of the cupboard. 

But still no luck.  The children would go without. 

But the father didn't want his children to miss out on the glory of Christmas, and said to his wife that the children must at least have a Christmas tree.

He took his axe and found a tree, the perfect one, not far from their house.

He carefully cut it down and brought it home to replant in an old, soil-filled leftover paint tin.

And there it stood until Christmas eve, alone in the corner. 

"No one decorated it, no one admired it, no one even gave it a second thought"

And there, tiny spiders began to weave their magical webs all over her, covering her from top to bottom in spindly sticky thread, as strong as the finest wire.

On Christmas Eve, the father came home, tired and grumpy from his fruitless searching and spotted the tree in the corner of the room, covered in dusty webs.  The father was horrified to find his tree overrun with spiders and wanted to clean it up at once.  

But the children came running, and when they saw the tree, they asked their father if they could please leave it as it was, filled with the silvery beauty of their webs.

"But, Daddy, aren't spiders God's creatures too? Look how beautiful their webs are.

Can't we leave them on for one day as Christmas decorations?"

On Christmas morning, the parents woke up to the sounds of their children swooping with joy and rushed down to see the source of their mirth.

And they soon discovered that sometime during the hot summer night, someone unknown had managed to turn the fine webs into the strongest chains of silver.  Silver!!  What luck! And oh, What joy! 

The father gently uncurled the chains from the tree and sold them at market. In return, he was given coins which he used to purchase food for a delicious Christmas feast, rubber souled shoes to protect the children's feet from the hot earth, broad rimmed sun hats for the whole family and a few nuts and candy too.  

The family rejoiced and celebrated their good fortune in what turned out to be their best Christmas ever.  

And from that day on, they cared for the spiders (and all the other bugs and worms) just as they would their dearest friend. They never forgot that "even the lowliest creature on earth is a gift from above"

Isn't it lovely??

How to make a 3D Christmas Tree card

First, cut out three rectangles of your favourite scrapbook paper.

Rectangles should be about 6cm by 11cm.

Place paper one on top of the other and fold in along the long side.

(Note: if you use double sided paper, the pattern on the inside of the  fold is the one that will be seen)

Cut out a template of a 'half tree' as shown.

Be sure that the base of the tree is substantial to support the weight of the tree top. 

Trace this template onto the folded card, with the mid-tree line against the folded edge.

Cut it out. 

This is what it will look like when done. 

Turn one piece over and cover it with glue. 

Attach the other two 'trees' (folded in half as shown) to the base.

Then, cover the two final tree halves with glue and stick them together. 

Your tree will now stand up, straight and tall. 

(The red dots are supposed to represent apples!)

And here is a song to go with it!

(To the tune of I'm a little teapot- Author unknown)

I'm a little pine tree, tall and straight

Let's find some things so we can decorate

First we must put a star on top

Add baubles and stars and shiny spots

Hang on all the tinsel, shiny and bright

Hook on the canes and hang them just right

Finally put some presents under the Christmas tree

And it will be ready for you and me!

Fleece Picture Workshops with Amber

Oh, what fun it is to work with fibre to make art!

Why not join in too??

New Fleece Picture workshops to start in February.

Email me at amber.greene@hotmail.com to express interest.