A Mother's Love

My little girl celebrated her 7th Birthday at school today. Waldorf schools have a special birthday circle celebration for each child on his or her birthday but as Kitty turned 7 while we were in South Africa, today was her special day. The birthday girl sits on the special birthday chair at the head of the circle. She is presented with handmade gifts from her friends and her teacher. 4 of her friends lift her chair into the air as the whole class sings a charming birthday song to her. Then, she distributes the birthday muffins her mom has lovingly made. She feels loved and cherished and important... I love Waldorf education for letting each child feel like a queen on their special day.


Oh, my Kitty, I am so proud of who you have become and who you are becoming still. I have watched you blossom this year. You started Grade 1 with eager anticipation... it was me who was sad for you to leave Kindergarten. I wanted you to stay in the magical realm forever, but not you. Magic comes so easily to you that you don't even know how special it is, yet. You wanted to learn... you wanted to watch the big kids, you wanted to make friends and read and discover all there was to experience at your new school. I was so nervous for you on your first day, all on your own and little, but not you. You smiled with an open face and twinkling eyes and who among them could not want to be your friend. You brought home songs and laughter and stories. You discovered that you were athletic and quick, you weren't afraid to play tag anymore, you found it can be pleasant to talk to adults. Your mind grew, your heart grew, your soul grew. You are learning to write, you are learning maths, you are learning to knit, you are learning to play the flute... you are whole and you become more whole with each passing day. Sometimes it passes too quickly for me and I can't help missing the little baby I cradled in my arms. But I know that leaving her behind, tucked safely in my memories, is the price I have to pay for watching you blossom into who you are meant to be... and I will pay that price gladly.
I am so proud of you, my Kitty... I love you more with each rising sun.
Love
Your Mom

PS - I'm adding a little message from your granny and grampa,
"To my favourite grand daughter Kate. We might be separated by thousands of miles but often I come across things that remind me of you or things I would like to share with you. Sometimes, without warning, I gurgle with deep seated laughter at things you have done in the past. You have been a wonderfully interesting grandchild and have grown into a gorgeous young girl. I love you and hope you never stop enjoying life and all the joys around you. Love Gran and Grandpa"

Silent Saturday

Teddy and the gremlin.

Blessings and magic for a very happy weekend,
Donni

Friday's Nature Table

You are most welcome to share this great resource on your own blogs... (save the above Friday's Nature Table button to your desktop and then add it to your blog as a picture gadget linking to this code...

http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/search?q=Friday%27s+Nature+Table)

Welcome, Friends!

Friday's Nature table is where we share our inspiration with each other. I can't tell you how many wonderfully fantastic ideas we have found from your links... your blogs, your creativity, your families, your loving... has touched my heart and enriched my life.

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Discovering Waldorf - 'Waldorf Puppet Plays"

(Please feel free to add the above Discovering Waldorf button to your blog. You can do this by saving the above image to your desktop and then adding it to your blog as a Picture Gadget that links to this code:

http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/search/label/Discovering%20Waldorf )

One of my most favorite Waldorf traditions is watching a puppet performance. It is totally amazing to watch the puppets take on a life of their own, their gentle graceful movements drawing the listener into their magical world. I am always so enthralled that I completely forget to watch the expressions on the faces of my children, in fact, I completely forget that I am not a child myself. Only when the play is over do I realize that my children have sat quietly, just as spellbound as I have been, for the whole play. It's a delightful medium and that is why I'm so excited to introduce Caroline who is going to discuss Waldorf puppet plays with us. Caroline is a Waldorf play-group teacher who lives in Munich, Germany and, as you will discover, her English is enchanting :-)

* * *

Waldorf Puppet Plays by Caroline

Especially in the fast pace of our time, where children can be overwhelmed with quickly changing pictures and impressions and add to that the extensive media consumption, puppet play, as carried out in Waldorf education, with its calming rhythm and continuity, can not be valued high enough.

Stories that are presented to children on TV often contain fast changing pictures and scenes, that will confuse their mind as well as their senses, whereas the simplicity and calmness of puppet play allows the children to follow the story, step by step. It stimulates their fantasy and strengthens their life forces. Looking at the development of the young child, the unfolding of their senses, puppet play is clearly a natural continuation of storytelling and fingerplays are appropriate for the youngest as well as for school starters.

Although the following might sound like a lot of rules to follow, you will feel that it is all very natural to implement and with a bit of practice, puppet play can become a beautiful and important part of life with your own children or in a playgroup.

Simply put, puppet play is usually a rhyme or fairy tale that is accompanied by puppets, moved by the story teller, who is sitting visibly behind the scene while telling the story to the audience.

Necessary preparations: The scenery and the figures need to be arranged. The simplest scenery is often the best — simple offers a scope for the childrens' imagination.

When preparing the play, one can choose to do it by oneself or to involve the children, either by letting them watch or even help with the preparations. Children love to participate and when they see the scenery evolve, their imaginations are sparked and they feel motivated to create their own play later on. In any case, the process of building up the scene should be thoughtful and affectionate, the figures being placed or hidden at their starting point in the story. Now the stage might be carefully hidden under an additional piece of silk and revealed when the play starts.

The stage: The scenery should be at the eye level of the audience, which means a small bench or table serves well, but the floor can be just as practical. The children sit in front or in a semicircle around the scene. If possible, the story teller who is sitting behind the scene should be wearing clothes that won’t attract too much attention — light and plain-colored.

Colored silk or cotton cloths are often used to simulate the landscape of the story.

These at hand, green clothes can make for meadows, blue ones for the lake, pond or river, brown and gray are suitable for wood or mountains.

Natural materials, brought home from outdoor adventures, that are also used for nature tables, like stones, roots or cones can make for trees, walls, rocks etc.

Often a little lantern is lit and placed near the scene.

Figures/People and Animals: These can be very simple as well, leaving room for the childrens imagination. Simplest of all are puppets made from silk clothes just by adding a few knots.

Figures made of felt are wonderful, even more so, when the children have been involved in making them. The puppets can be plain white or colored, they don’t even have to have a face. By listening to the story the childrens minds will add character by themsleves.

The story: If one is new to puppet play, one should choose a short story or simple rhyme that is easy to remember, so one does not have to read off the paper. If that should be necessary, because the story is longer, a second person, sitting next to the stage can slowly read out the story, while the other one is moving the figures around the stage.

For the youngest, simple rhymes are most appropriate, the rhythm often being more important than the content. For older children one can choose ever more complex stories, like „The Shoemaker and the Elves“, „Sweat Porridge“, „Mashenka and the Bears“, later „Mother Holle“, "Rumpelstiltskin“ or the like.

10 to 15 minutes is enough for small children. The stories should not be longer than 25 minutes even for schoolchildren.

Narrative style: Calmness and serenity are a must, no dramatization is needed. The voice of the narrator should be calm. The figures are to be moved carefully, no jumping or jolting. If it is necessary to change from one hand to the other this should be done slowly.

Music: Before, after or during the puppet play a little song can be sung, or a piece of music can be played on the chimes, harp or flute, to get in the right mood.

Repetition: As is equally true for storytelling, children will ask for the same play over and over again. They will be happy listening to the same story for days and weeks. To answer this need for repetition is important for their development. The program does not have to be changed very often.

Honestly, you should not feel overwhelmed or pressured by these basics. In fact, you should just go ahead and try the activity and see what feels right for you and the children! I truly hope that you find it a pleasant addition to your life with children!

* * *

Thank you for this delightful discussion, Caroline. Oh, how I would love to be in your audience one day... I can tell you are utterly magical with puppets.

Caroline's blog is called Naturkinder and she has the 'translate' function so that you can read it in English... pop on over for a visit.

Here are the other articles in the Discovering Waldorf Series.

If you have an idea for an article you would like to share on Discovering Waldorf, send me an email vined( at )ymail ( dot )com

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Fairyfolk

Just a few pictures of what I've been working on for the shop... all Valentines Day inspired, of course.

Here's little Cotton Fairy...


I've been loving creating my LOVE ROCKS series...







And, of course, some Valentines Day inspired acorns...



Here's a link to my Fairyfolk shop if you want to see more of my needle felted goodies.

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Wedding Shoes.

One of my favorite things at my brother's recent wedding was seeing all of the beautiful shoes. Oh my! To be honest, I've never been much of a shoe person... I kind of have to admit to wearing the same pair of shoes on most days... in fact, I only own about 6 pairs of shoes in total. But... seeing all of the beautiful girls and their BEAUTIFUL shoes at the wedding was such a treat and I think I am becoming a shoe person after all... yes, I bought myself a new pair of shoes today... not because they are good for walking in mud, nor because they are wonderfully comfortable... oh NO! These shoes are the closest I've ever come to stilettos... Yes! I'm going to be the one wearing the beautiful shoes at the next wedding!

I also have to admit that I took photos of the beautiful shoes. Yes, perhaps I'll be remembered as the odd sister who was taking photos of peoples shoes but who cares... being able to show you is worth the potential marring of our cool family name. Drool away!






The Flower Girl...


The Page Boy...


Here's to all of you shoe people out there.
Blessings and magic,
Donni

Beautiful Wedding Readings

I promised to share the reading I chose for my brother's wedding. It was just perfect for what I wanted to wish for them. I asked them to face each other and hold hands. Thank you for helping me find it.

“Blessing of the Hands"

“These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.”

Oh, how I love those sentiments.

There were so many other beautiful reading shared by lots of you when I asked for your help in finding one. I thought I'd share my favorites with you...

Anno had this lovely idea...
'I don't have a passage so much as a thought with a gift idea. If you know what a singing bowl is this will make sense, if not, you may have to google it :) A singing bowl is a simple bowl with a wooden stick that accompanies it. When the stick is rubbed around the outside rim of the bowl you get a beautiful sound as a result, and if you get really good at it, you get the occasional chiming ring in the constant sound.

I love the image of the two separate (and useful) objects becoming as one and creating beautiful music together. Each maintains it's individual character and purpose, but when combined together they create something completely new, that could not have been achieved without the union. You could play the bowl while you are explaining the analogy, and then present them with the bowl as a gift.

Peace,
Anno

What a lovely idea. Here are some other favorite readings...

"Desiderata", by Max Erhmann

"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

Excerpts from "The Prophet", by Kahlil Gibran

"On Love"

"Then said the student Almitra, Speak to us of love. And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said: When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you believe in him, though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth."

"On Marriage"

"Then Almitra spoke again and said, and what of Marriage master? And he answered saying: You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spaces in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone."

"On Children" , by Khalil Gibran

“And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, ‘Speak to us of Children.’ And he said, ‘Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you, but not from you. And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love, but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies, but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children, as living arrows, are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and he bends you with his might that his arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness, for even as he loves the arrow that flies, so he loves also the bow that is stable.’”

"You Were Born Together", by Kahlil Gibran

"You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. But let there be spades in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each of you be alone, even as the strings of the lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the land of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together, for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow."

“I Love You”, by Roy Croft

“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you, for the part of me that you bring out. I love you, for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart, and passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help dimly seeing there, and for drawing out, into the light, all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find. I love you, because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life, not a tavern, but a temple. Out of the works of my every day, not a reproach, but a song. I love you, because you have done more than any creed could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy. You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign. You have done it by being yourself. Perhaps that is what being a friend means, after all.”

excerpt from “The Art of a Good Marriage”, by Wilferd Arlan Peterson

"A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the "little" things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say, ”I love you" at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of values, and common objectives.
It is standing together and facing the world.
It is forming a circle that gathers in the whole family.
It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is not only marrying the right person -- it is being the right partner."

"The Magic of Love" , by Helen Steiner Rice

“Love is like magic, and it always will be,
For love still remains life's sweet mystery.
Love works in ways that are wondrous and strange,
And there's nothing in life that love cannot change!
Love can transform the most commonplace
Into beauty and splendor and sweetness and grace.
Love is unselfish, understanding and kind,
For it sees with its heart, and not with its mind.
Love is the answer that everyone seeks;
Love is the language that every heart speaks.
Love can't be bought, it is priceless and free.
Love, like pure magic, is life's sweet mystery!!”

Apache Blessing

Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there will be no loneliness,
for each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two persons,
but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both in the
journey ahead and through all the years,
May happiness be your companion and
your days together be good and long upon the earth.

"Sonnet 116", by William Shakespeare

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
Oh no, it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering barque
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken
Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come.
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov’d,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

Selections From the Writings of `Abdu'l-Baha

Among the people of Baha, however, marriage must be a union of the body and of the spirit as well, for here both husband and wife are aglow with the same wine, both are enamoured of the same matchless Face, both live and move through the same spirit, both are illumined by the same glory. This connection between them is a spiritual one, hence it is a bond that will abide forever. Likewise do they enjoy strong and lasting ties in the physical world as well, for if the marriage is based both on the spirit and the body, that union is a true one, hence it will endure. If, however, the bond is physical and nothing more, it is sure to be only temporary, and must inexorably end in separation. ..

by Voltaire

Sensual pleasure passes and vanishes in the twinkling of an eye, but the friendship between us, the mutual confidence, the delights of the heart, the enchantment of the soul, these things do not perish and can never be destroyed. I shall love you until I die.

Why Marriage?
By Mari Nichols-Haining

Because to the depths of me, I long to love one person
With all my heart, my soul, my mind, my body...

Because I need a forever friend to trust with the intimacies of me,
Who won't hold them against me,
Who loves me when I'm unlikeable,
Who sees the small child in me, and
Who looks for the divine potential in me...

Because I need to cuddle in the warmth of the night
With someone who thanks God for me,
With someone I feel blessed to hold...

Because marriage means opportunity
To grow in love in friendship...

Because marriages do not fail, people fail
When they enter into marriage
Expecting another to make them whole...

I take half of the responsibility for my marriage

But together we create our marriage...

May the light of your love shine through your partnership,
and serve as a guiding light to others who are seeking their way.

May the bond between you be a channel of love and healing,
a vehicle of grace and power.
May your resources, talents, energies and love be pooled 
and lifted up in the service of one another and all beings,
and may you become together, even more than you are apart.

May the light around you forever shine and may the space of your love be a space of healing, for yourselves and all the world.


I Like You by Sandol Soddard Warburg

I like you because you are a good person to like.
I like you because when I tell you something special,
you know it’s special.
And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, Remember when you told me something special
And both of us remember?
When I think something is important
you think it’s important too.
We have good ideas.
When I say something funny,
you laugh. I think I’m funny
and you think I’m funny too. Hah-hah!
I like you because you know where I’m ticklish.
And you don’t tickle me there,
except just a little tiny bit sometimes.
But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too.
You know how to be silly
That’s why I like you.
Boy are you ever silly.
I never met anybody sillier than me
till I met you. I like you because
you know when it’s time to stop being silly.
Maybe day after tomorrow.
Maybe never.
Too late, it’s a quarter past silly.
Sometimes we don’t say a word.
We snurkle under fences.
We spy secret places.
If I am a goofus on the roofus hollering my head off,
You are one too.
If I pretend I am drowning,
you pretend you are saving me.
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
then you are getting ready to jump.
HOORAY!
That’s because you really like me.
You really like me, don’t you?
And I really like you back.
And you like me back and I like you back.
And that’s the way we keep on going every day.
If you go away, then I go away too;
or if I stay home, you send me a postcard.
You don’t just say,
Well see you around sometime, bye!
I like you a lot because of that.
If I go away, I send you a postcard too.
And I like you because
if we go away together,
And if we are in Grand Central Station,
And if I get lost
Then you are the one that is yelling for me.
And I like you because
when I am feeling sad
You don’t always cheer me up right away.
Sometimes it is better to be sad.
You can’t stand the others
being so googly and gaggly every single minute.
You want to think about things.
It takes time.
I like you because if I am mad at you,
Then you are mad at me too.
It’s awful when the other person isn’t.
They are so nice and hoo-hoo
you could just about punch them in the nose.
I like you because if I think I
am going to throw up,
then you are really sorry.
You don’t just pretend you are busy
looking at the birdies and all that.
You say, maybe it was something you ate.
You say, the same thing happened to me one time.
And the same thing did.
If you find two four-leaf clovers,you give me one.
If I find four, I give you two.
If we only find three, we keep on looking.
Sometimes we have good luck,
and sometimes we don’t. If I break my arm,
and if you break your arm too,
Then it’s fun to have a broken arm.
I tell you about mine, you tell me about yours.
We are both sorry.
We write our names and draw pictures.
We show everybody
and they wish they had a broken arm too.
I like you because
I don’t know why
but Everything that happens is nicer with you.
I can’t remember when I didn’t like you.
It must have been lonesome then.
I like you because because because
I forget why I like you, but I do.
So many reasons.
On the 4th of July
I like you because it’s the 4th of July. On the fifth of July,
I like you too. If you and I had some drums
and some horns and some horses,
If we had some hats and some flags
and some fire engines,
We could be a HOLIDAY.
We could be a CELEBRATION.
We could be a WHOLE PARADE.
See what I mean?
Even if it was the 999th of July,
Even if it was August,
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November,
Even if it was no place particular in January,
I would go on choosing you.
And you would go on choosing me.
Over and over again.
That’s how it would happen every time.
I don’t know why.
I guess I don’t know why I really like you.
Why do I like you.
I guess I just like you.
I guess I just like you.
because I like you.
I like you and I know why.

Reading through all of these beautiful words on love has been inspiring... thank you all for sharing these beautiful poems with me.

Blessing and magic,

Donni

A Family Wedding.

Thank you all so much for the love and happiness so many of you sent me over the past few weeks. My brothers wedding was beautiful beyond imagination. It was a coming together of two very special people, celebrated with everyone they hold dear, in a family setting of amazing beauty.

James and Michele were high-school sweethearts. They met when James was 17 and Michele was 15. They held hands and blushed, they kissed and blushed and they declared, blushing, that they were dating. They have been together ever since, 13 sweet and loving years. Our family adored Michelle from the very beginning. And as the years went by we started to wonder when they would marry. Oh my gosh... in the last couple of years we have been frantic for them to announce their wedding. It would have devastated all of us if this union somehow had failed to happen. Then, in May last year, I received a text from James... 'Asked Toots to marry me... she said YES!' We were utterly delighted. I whooped and clapped and even shed a tear of joy. The wedding date was set for January 2011 and our whole family, split up all over the world as we are, booked our plane tickets and planned a tremendous family Christmas in South Africa followed by the last family wedding of my generation.

The wedding was held at my aunt and uncles vineyard, Lievland, just outside Cape Town, South Africa. The old Cape Dutch farmhouse stands amongst the oak trees and the grape vines.


The farm dates back to the early 17 00's and the beautiful gabled farmhouse was built in 1828.


The old world charm is breathtaking. The house looks down onto the dam which is surrounded by bulrushes and is home to two resident swans.


My wonderful aunt and uncle moved out of their home and into their rondavel (a traditional African, round, thatch-roofed, hut) so that we could all be together for the days leading up to the wedding. We hustled and bustled, getting everything ready for the big day, making memories I will cherish forever.

James and Michelle got married in front of the gorgeous old door to the underground wine cellar.


It was a hot African afternoon and the bridesmaids looked so pretty shading themselves with their white parasols.


Kitty and her cousin, Willow, were such pretty flower girls. They held baskets filled to the brim with rose petal confetti and handed each guest a handful to throw for the happy bride and groom.


Both Kitty and Teddy were enthralled throughout the lovely ceremony... they definitely felt the magic in the air.



I was honored to give a reading for the ceremony. I chose a passage suggested by one you... there were so many beautiful words offered that it was super hard to choose one. The one I chose made me think of my own husband and family and so I wished it for my brother too. Thank you for your help in finding it for me... I'll post the reading tomorrow along with all of the other seriously beautiful suggestions from you wonderful, soulful friends.

I was also honored to be one of the two witnesses to sign the wedding register. Aah, my heart was full to the top!

Look how gorgeous everyone looked. Here is my other brother, Alistair, and his beautiful wife, Carrie, and their sweet son, Finley. Fin is in his tartan wedding outfit and when asked if he thought he looked handsome he said... 'Yes, I look like a king!'


My mom and dad looked so wonderfully smart too and I felt so proud to be their daughter.


Once the bride and groom emerged from signing the register, they were hailed with a snow of rose petals and so many happy smiles. Kitty was like a shadow to her new aunt and followed her everywhere.


There was one terrible moment when Kitty lost her precious fairy dust from around her neck But, after eliciting half of the wedding guests to search for it, it was found, safe and sound, albeit a little emptier. We deduced that the fairies had borrowed some of its magic wedding fairy dust.


Michel's dad had made her a wonderful swing which was a firm favorite of all the youngsters at the wedding.


As were the fries that were handed out as canapes.


The wedding marquis looked spectacular.


It was like being in fairyland... everything was so white and so pretty.







My wedding gift to James and Michele was my handmade place cards from my shop Fairyfolk. I made 200 felted acorn place settings and, oh, how pretty they looked.


We ate a delicious meal while we listened to the wedding speeches. Both of my brothers spoke excellently (Ali was Jamies Best Man) and I was so wonderfully proud of the overwhelming emotions they shared. The love was palpable and to see it so freely expressed by men was a gift. When James ended his speech with the words... 'Michele, I have always love you and I will continue to love you forever.'... I don't think there was a dry eye in the whole room.

We danced and partied well into the night... or morning, I should say! When A Good Man and I finally collapsed into bed, our bedside clock read 4:30 AM!

The day was so beautiful but I have a favorite photo. It is of the two swans seen from the marquis... they are swimming in the light of the spotlights for all to see.


Thank you for a wonderful wedding, James and Michele. Thank you for bringing us all together, thank you for sharing your vows with us and thank you for making us remember our own. We love you.

Blessings and magic,
Donni

Silent Saturday

Just Married! My sweet brother and his beautiful new bride.

Blessing and magic for a very happy weekend,
Donni