Author Archive: Amie Elna 🌳🌷🌿🌻
Persimmon butter… and running a mile… and losing weight
The kids and I ran a fun run mile this morning at Josh’s work. They got 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th place! I had big plans to beat my kids at the race! I’ve been successfully dieting (I’ve lost 10 pounds) and exercising! I’ve been drinking the cheaper Aldi version of SlimFast and running and …
Stuffed Animal Mix UPS
We just finished our first fun sewing project in the new basement Art Studio! We bought random stuffed animals at the Goodwill Outlet where everything is priced by weight… $0.99 a pound. Then the kids cut the arms, legs, and heads off the animals and sewed them together to make new crazy creatures! We had …
Our Wonderful Waterways class
The kids took a class the other day at Forest Park! They spent the morning at Missouri’s first fish hatchery. It is no longer in operation but it’s neat to think about how, so many years ago, fish 🐠 were scooped into milk jugs and transported by train 🚂 across the state to various lakes …
Spray painting wooden art chairs
The chairs in our Art Studio needed some pizzazz! So we decided to let the kids paint their own chair. First the kids lightly sanded their chair. Then they spent two days spray painting their color scheme. Finally- after two days of painting and letting them dry – the chairs were ready to be moved …
Art Studio
Yesterday was my 38th birthday! 🎈 🎉 I had such a lovely day!!🤩 Simone had found a dead cicada weeks ago – but she saved it for me (after pranking her cousin with it) and gave it to me as a birthday gift! I love it – it is so well preserved… you can see …
Gardening Class 🌿 🌺
We went to a class with Gateway Greening about fall vegetables and cover crops! The class was very informative- basically I’m not ready to plant fall plants but I do know what to do next year! The best part of the morning was being inspired by all the garden beds within the community garden sections! …
Johnson’s Shut-ins Wet and Wild fun
The first time we took the kids to Johnson’s Shut-ins, they were strapped in life jackets and wore swim shoes. Josh and I would follow them around repeating “be careful” and “watch out”! Oh how time has changed things. Life jackets and swim shoes weren’t a requirement and Josh and I watched our kids and …
Zero waste also means giving old clothes new life
Skirt # 1 I have this skirt that kept ripping at the lace seams. One day my mother spend 1/2 hour sewing the tiny holes for me and then said, “you better wear this a lot!” I promised her I would, and then promptly got a tear in the lace that simple mending wouldn’t fix …
My she-shed herbal workshop camper 🌿
About 5 years ago, my husband got me a vintage camper for my birthday! The kids helped me clean it up and it became a backyard play house! As the years have gone by, the kids stopped playing in it and I began to dream of the possibilities… 🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿 And this was the summer to …
How my sister inspired me to work towards being a Zero Waste Family
Zero waste is not something that happens overnight or in a weekend or even within a month! The idea can be overwhelming – How can we change our lifestyle so drastically? Will it really be worth our efforts?? Here’s how my sister inspired me to make changes at home! ❤️🌸❤️🌸❤️🌸❤️🌸 Once upon a time I …
Becoming a Wild Family 