I must admit, I’ve seen many recipes like this one from Under the Sycamore floating around the internet, and I’ve been skeptical. Very skeptical, in fact. I guess I was envisioning some sort of jello-y bird seedy concoction and I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that a hunk of seedy gelatine could last more than a few minutes (especially in the summertime) when tied to a string and hung from a tree.
I’m happy to say, our experiment was a success. Not only do we have trees sprinkled with pretty bird feeders (thus some very happy birds), but Gracen was able to do almost all of the steps on her own at our butcher block and there was no stove required.
Here’s what we used for the project… Bird seed, gelatine, boiling water, straws cut into 2 inch pieces, some baker’s twine, and some cookie cutters and pancake moulds.
We started off by emptying two packets (not boxes – the above photo is misleading) of plain gelatine into a very large mixing bowl.
Then I carefully poured in a little bit of boiling water (this is one of the only jobs I did for the project).
Gracen then stirred the mixture very gently until all of the gelatine was dissolved.
Next, we measured out our bird seed. We used a “wild bird” variety, but I think pretty much any type would work as long as the seeds and bits are not too big – I think a finer blend works best in this case.
Then Grae poured the bird seed into our gelatine/water mixture.
We stirred it for a few minutes, making sure that all of the seeds were evenly coated and that there was no longer excess water at the bottom of the bowl.
Next, we covered a tray in parchment paper and laid out our cookie cutters and moulds.
Using a teaspoon, Grae filled each cookie cutter with seed, one by one.
Here she is hard at work…
You want to make sure that they’re a little bit overfull, so be generous with the seed. (This recipe made these five feeders, plus a large bird seed “cupcake” too).
Because the mixture gets really sticky, we covered the cookie cutters with a layer of parchment and Grae pressed the seeds down into the moulds.
You want to make sure the seeds are packed very tightly – it’s part of what makes the feeders stay together well.
Next, we took our straws and carefully inserted them into the cookie cutters, making sure to not place them too close to the edges. Once the straws were in the seed, we pressed the seeds down around them to make sure everything stayed tight.
Next, we popped the entire tray into the fridge and let them set for a couple of hours before taking them out and letting them dry out on the counter. We left them for most of the evening, and before I went to bed for the night, I flipped them over so that the bottoms could dry out too. (It’s a bit awkward to flip them with the straw sticking out the way it is, but you could trim the straw if you liked.)
The next morning, we gently popped the shapes out of their moulds.
Then we plucked out the straws and made sure that the holes were clear all the way through.
For the last step, we took some baker’s twine (ribbon or jute would be perfect too), put it through the holes, and knotted the tops. Voila! Pretty little feeders for the hungry birds in our yard.
Cookie Cutter Bird Seed Feeders (a toddler-friendly method)
Adapted very slightly from this recipe
- 2/3 cup of boiling water
- 2 packets of gelatine (a box has 4)
- 2 cups of bird seed
- parchment or wax paper
- cookie cutters or silicone moulds
- straws cut into 2 inch pieces
Pour the water into a very large mixing bowl. Add two packages of gelatine and stir until it’s fully dissolved. Add the bird seed and mix well until everything is evenly coated.
Place cookie cutters/moulds onto a parchment-lined tray and scoop seed mixture in until heaping full. Place another piece of parchment on top of the cookie cutters and press down firmly to pack in all of the seeds. Remove the top parchment layer and gently poke straw pieces all the way through the seed shapes (be sure not to put them too close to the edges). Pop the tray into the fridge for a couple of hours to allow the feeders to set.
Later on, remove the tray from the fridge and let sit on the counter to dry out. Flip the cookie cutters over a few hours later to let the bottoms dry out too. Let sit for at least 3 – 4 more hours (overnight is best) until the feeders are completely dry.
Gently remove the seed shapes from the moulds (they should be fully dry and hard to the touch at this point – if not, allow to dry longer). Carefully remove the straws and tie a twine loop through the holes. Hang in a tree.
♥
Parmesan and walnut encrusted chicken, roasted brussel sprouts, steam golden beets with feta, cheese ravioli with herbs and spices from Italy.
This is how I found Miss G this morning. I was getting ready for the day while she played independently when she came to me and asked for a bowl of o’s. I retrieved her one and went to deliver them to her room to find that she had laid out a blanket, circled it with books, and was needing the o’s in order to read her Cheerio book.
Just recently, we found another way celebrate Grae’s love of reading. Through the 
At our location, the lady who runs story time (Erin) is absolutely amazing! She’s soft and gentle and makes a purpose to get to know each child and call them by name. She’s just one of those people who is meant to be around kids, you know? She’s got this way about her that makes you drawn to listen to her every word, and it totally works. Gracen enjoys each moment and then asks if we can go again the following week. 
We normally arrive a little bit early so we can explore and take in the beauty that is PBK, and then we stay for a little bit afterwards so that Grae can play. We never feel like we’re overstaying our welcome – in fact, the staff members are very sweet and invite Gracen to play and explore for as long as she likes.
Toque: Joe / Rain jacket: Baby Gap / Chandelier tee: Joe / Blush shorts: Baby Gap / Tights: Unknown / Glittered flats: Payless
Sweater: Joe / Striped baby doll dress: Old Navy / Coral tights: Joe / Brown boots: Joe
Wool jacket: Joe / Heart tee: Baby Gap / Black leggings: H&M / Knee socks: Joe / Grey Boots: H&M / “Who’s dat?” face: Courtesy of Grae
Pink jacket: Next / Heart hoodie: Unknown / Long sleeve tee: joe / Denim skinnies: H&M / Neon sneakers: H&M / Vintage Kermit: Used to be Papa’s when he was little
Scarf: // Handmade by a friend’s mom / Quilted jacket: Baby Gap / Red tutu: Baby Gap / Polka dotted leggings: Baby Gap / Glittered flats: Payless
Rain jacket: Baby Gap / Floral ruffled vest: Baby Gap / Long sleeved tee: H&M / Leopard print leggings: Joe / Gumboots: SportTek
Flower headband: Zuzuii / Peacoat: Baby Gap / Floral tee: Old navy / Blue leggings: Joe / Brown boots: Joe 
Once it was dry, Grae used some clear glue and sequins to give the lantern a little bit more sparkle.
Then we let it dry again.
Getting family photos done is something I’ve wanted to do for the last two years. Yet somehow, I just haven’t made it happen. There was excuse after excuse after excuse… It started with we’ve got way too much to do before returning back to Kuwait with a 20 day old baby, to it’d probably be really hard to find our kind of photographer here in the desert, to let’s just wait until we’re more settled back here in Vancouver. The problem with the whole situation is that before long, you have a 2 year old {who is going on 5} and a 
Somehow, amidst a rain-filled week, our shoot landed on a gorgeously sunny afternoon with not a rain cloud in sight. We met with Bethany, she immediately made friends with Grae, and we got started. 
On the night of our viewing session, Brad and I made our way downtown to Bethany’s beautiful little studio. She greeted us with hot tea and world’s most amazing organic doughnuts (made of locally-sourced ingredients no less!), and turned on a slideshow of our images. They were stunning. 
The photos spewed Gracen’s little personality and made the simplest of things – walking hand in hand, collecting leaves, marching, and buying bread – look beautiful.
We’re so very grateful to have our very first set of family photos and I’m beyond excited to share that Bethany is generously offering one lucky 
Today Miss G and I tried making and playing with the ridiculously fun {and equally messy} substance called Oobleck. It’s made out of only 2 ingredients (or 3 if you want to add a little colour), and it isn’t quite a liquid and it isn’t really a solid… In fact, it behaves like both. 
All you need in order to make Oobleck is water and cornstarch, plus food colouring if you wish.
I like to start by adding the colouring to the water first because it’s a lot easier to stir colouring into water than into the finished Oobleck.
Plus, this way you get to watch the colouring disperse into the water, which is always kind of neat.
Start by giving your water a little stir to make sure the colouring is evenly dispersed.
Then add your cornstarch a cup at a time, stirring it into the water as you go.
When the mixture is nice and thick and you’re not able to pour off any excess water, your Oobleck is ready.
Gracen is normally pretty much a Mama’s girl, but on days like today, she wants nothing more than to be with her Papa. (All.day.long.)
To set up a simple pomegranate play station for her, I sliced the pomegranate in half, cut a cross about an inch deep on the flat surface of one of the halves, and popped it in a big bowl of cool water for her. (Removing the seeds of a pomegranate in water is by far the best way to do it. Keeping the fruit submerged in water seems to loosen everything up a little, plus it prevents nasty pomegranate stains from occurring. )
I also set out a little tray of “tools” which included a small bowl, a teaspoon, and a large slotted spoon.
Without any direction or modelling, I asked her, “Do you want to play?” She of course let out an immediate “YES!” and jumped right in.
Right away, she began pulling apart the peel and pulp, digging out the seeds (which are actually called ‘arils’, but who says that?) by scraping her finger along the membranes, and adding them to the small yellow bowl. (Keep in mind that she has watched me do this before.)
And before long, she requested another small bowl for the “white yucky parts”. 
The other neat thing about taking apart pomegranates while they’re in water is that the seeds sink down to the bottom and the white membrane bits float to the top, making sorting the two very easy.
After she’d realized this, Grae worked on removing the white bits with her slotted spoon for quite some time, but eventually retired the spoon and went straight to using her hands.
And in the end, not only did we have a very happy {and speckled} little lady, but we also had a big bowl of pomegranate seeds just waiting to be eaten up. ☺
Gather the ingredients. 
Place the pecans on a baking sheet and pop them into the oven to toast for about 10 minutes.
In the meantime, put some of the oats into a blender or food processor and turn them into oat flour.
Pour the oat flour into a large mixing bowl.
Add your regular old-fashioned oats.
Then the ground flax and hemp hearts…
Plus the salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Give all of the dry ingredients a good stir.
Next, pour in the pure maple syrup.
Coax the coconut oil into coming out of its bowl…
Add the honey…
And vanilla.
Stir the sticky mixture well.
At this point, it’ll be crumbly and sticky all at once and you’ll wonder how on earth it’ll ever become cookies. Don’t fret.
By now, your roasting pecans will smell lovely and will be ready to come out of the oven.
Allow them to cool a moment and pop them into a blender or food processor, pulsing them just a handful of times to create small bits.
Then add them to your cookie mixture.
Next up, the add-ins. Dump in your raisins…
Plus the sunflower seeds and almond slices…
And stir everything up really well.
Now for the tricky part… With a bowl of warm water nearby, wet you hands, scoop out a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough, and shape into a ball, pressing firmly. Repeat for the remainder of the dough, rewetting your hands every couple of cookies. 
And take them out approximately 10 – 13 minutes later, when the outsides are golden and crispy, but the centre is still very soft to the touch. Let the cookies cool completely before removing from the pan.
Serve with a glass of cold milk, or if you prefer ‘the Gracen special’, with a small bowl of plain yogurt (she plops the cookie in, then smashes it into the yogurt with her spoon – I think they remind her of granola ☺).
Breakfast // Wholewheat flax spiderweb pancakes. (Just put your pancake batter into a squeeze bottle, use it to draw an asterisk, then connect the points with swooped lines.)
Snack // Jack-o-lantern oranges. (G seriously couldn’t get enough of these. Simply draw a face on a room temperature orange with black Sharpie. I did mine just before giving them to her – I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m not especially keen on the possibility of the marker fumes seeping through the peel.)
Lunch // {A slightly scary-looking} Jack-o-lantern quesadilla. (Just 2 red or orange tortilla shells cut by hand – think kitchen scissors – some cheese, black beans, and veggies.)
Snack // Home roasted pumpkin seeds.
Dinner // Roasted pumpkin soup with goat cheese, fresh parsley, and a grilled cheese on the side. (Not overly Halloween-ish, but you see what I’m going for, right?)
Sometimes you’ve just got to throw your rain jacket and gumboots over you footie jammies, get outside, and enjoy the pouring rain.