Author Archives: Enchanted Seashells

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About Enchanted Seashells

Also known as Princess Rosebud! MIDlifestyle blog. Mom of Professor Angel Boy and Grandma to Angel Boy 2.0 and Angel Girl 2.0. Love to camp and hike. I've been in a few films, am obsessed with seashells, sea glass, and rocks; gardening and baking, Hello Kitty, Chanel, Leon Russell, and anything sparkly. Veg since 1970 and an ardent animal activist forever. Fashionista...veganista...animal activista. I'm still trying to find the perfect shoe!

Kid-Friendly Crafts | DIY Bouncy Ball

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Especially now that days are longer and it our brief rainy season is almost over, this looks like a really fun and educational craft to do with the Angels– in the garden, definitely NOT indoors.

The photo isn’t mine, but this is what I hope ours will look like. I’ll definitely use glitter glue.

A while back I got some borax for another craft that we never tried (snowflakes with pipe cleaners), but this project definitely looks like something everyone would enjoy.

Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon borax powder
1 to 2 tablespoons clear Elmer’s glue (glitter glue works too!)

INSTRUCTIONS…

Step 1: Make the borax solution
Pour 1/2 cup of warm water into a bowl.
Stir in 1 tablespoon of borax powder until it is completely dissolved.

Step 2: Add the Glue
Slowly pour in 1 to 2 tablespoons of glue, depending on how big you want your bouncy ball.
If using glitter glue or colored glue, this is where the fun begins!

Step 3: Form the Ball
As soon as the glue touches the borax solution, it will start to solidify.
Use your hands to squeeze and shape the mixture into a ball.
If the ball feels too sticky, dip it back into the borax solution for a few seconds, then continue shaping it.

Step 4: Let It Set
Once the ball is smooth and holds its shape, set it aside to dry for a few hours.
As it dries, it will become even bouncier and more solid.
Experiment with different types of glue – Clear glue gives a translucent ball, while glitter glue adds sparkle.
Don’t overwork the mixture – Knead it just enough to form a ball, but too much handling can make it less bouncy.
Store properly – Keep your bouncy ball in a sealed plastic bag to prevent it from drying out.

The educational science experiment part of this project…
The glue contains polyvinyl acetate (PVA), a liquid polymer. When mixed with borax, the PVA chains link together, forming a rubbery texture. This cross-linked structure is what makes the ball firm yet flexible, giving it the ability to bounce.

Vernal Equinox – Happy First Day of Spring!

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“Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems.” – Rainer Maria Rilke 

I woke up at dawn to watch the arrival of the sun and the sky was spectacular! The birds are singing and my resident hawks are nest building. All around me, I see evidence of rebirth.

You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.” – Pablo Neruda 

This year’s Spring Equinox on March 20 corresponds with Venus retrograde, Mercury retrograde, eclipse season, and Neptune’s entry into Aries for the first time in nearly 165 years.

“Oh, what a catastrophe for man when he cut himself off from the rhythm of the year, from his unison with the sun and the earth. Oh, what a catastrophe, what a maiming of love when it was a personal, merely personal feeling, taken away from the rising and the setting of the sun, and cut off from the magic connection of the solstice and the equinox!” — D. H. Lawrence

The vernal equinox marks the astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in equal day and night hours. 

This event symbolizes rejuvenation, new beginnings, and spiritual awakening — the perfect opportunity to embrace change and harmony between light and dark.

“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature; the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” — Rachel Carson

Many pagans today celebrate the spring equinox as ‘Ostara’, which is a Latin variation of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of dawn, spring, fertility, and rebirth — Oestra (or Eostre) with roots in Germanic cultures.

New ideas are calling out to us. The animal world is buzzing with new life. This month is about trying new things out: What excites you right now? What are you interested in? What are you drawn toward?

Just like we plant seeds in the ground to watch them grow and eventually harvest fruit, flowers, or vegetables, which seeds will we plant in our minds and hearts? What will we manifest? What will WE grow?

Image curated from Pinterest. Credit to the artist.

Peach Blossoms

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Sometimes the only healing modality for all this stress and anxiety is to go outside and work in the garden. Flowers don’t care if democracy is crumbling; there is regenerative rebirth every spring, no matter what or whom is orchestrating our demise.

After the rain, all my fruit trees burst forth with glorious flowers. It’s a small tree, but full of life. I’m continually fascinated with photographing raindrops.

Infinite peach-blossom shades,
her rouged and powdered cheeks.

Spring breezes help her break my heart,
blowing peach petals from her dress. — Yuan Zhen 

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Poetic Truth : Pity The Nation

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We are living in sad and scary times. Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote the poem “Pity the Nation” in 2007, drawing inspiration from Khalil Gibran’s original work of the same title, published in 1933. Their words are a reminder about the cycles of history.  

We’ve been warned.

PITY THE NATION

Pity the nation whose people are sheep
   And whose shepherds mislead them
 Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
            Whose sages are silenced
  And whose bigots haunt the airwaves
 Pity the nation that raises not its voice
          Except to praise conquerers
       And acclaim the bully as hero
          And aims to rule the world
              By force and by torture
          Pity the nation that knows
        No other language but its own
      And no other culture but its own
 Pity the nation whose breath is money
 And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed
      Pity the nation oh pity the people
        who allow their rights to erode
   and their freedoms to be washed away
               My country, tears of thee
                   Sweet land of liberty!
 Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 2007

                         

PITY THE NATION
By Khalil Gibran, 1933

Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.

Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it does not harvest, and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity the nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpetings, and farewells him with hootings, only to welcome another with trumpetings again.

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.

Backyard Birding

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It’s been raining but I was able to snap a few pictures between storms.

In one day, Casa de Enchanted Seashells was visited by a bevy of gorgeous birds.

I don’t think I’ve seen these guys before, but I’m so happy they stopped by! They look like an Eastern Bluebird, but that’s not likely here in SoCal. I’m pretty sure they’re not a Scrub-Jay because they’re too small. Whoever you are, welcome! The rain droplets on the mulberry’s bare branches look super cool.

A bunch of yellow finches love to eat the sumac seeds.

I didn’t post the video, but this guy was calling out to his mate, and he’s VERY loud!

Metta Mantra: Loving Kindness

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At this point in time with what’s going on here in the United States (not so united right now), I think we need to collectively try this as a meditation mantra.

I think it’s significant that there’s a full Blood Worm Moon during a total lunar eclipse on Friday. Hopefully, the power of these planetary energies will ignite transformation and remove the toxicity that’s permeated our country.

Again, as above, so below.

May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature.
May all beings be free.

May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature.
May all beings be free.

Art curated from Pinterest. Credit to artist.

I See You

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I had another lucid dream about my kitty, Bandit. She was seated on the sofa, paws tucked up under her body, and she was simply looking at me.

When she was alive, she would often stare at me, right through to my bones, with such intense love in her eyes that I’d have to stop whatever I was doing and bask in the feeling of being so very loved. SIGH. I surely do miss that girl.

And, there
In the mists of my memory
I see you.
And, there
In the mists of my memory
You shall always be.

A little poem written by Athey Thompson

March 8 Is More Than International Women’s Day…

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Wishing a very happy International Woman’s Day 2025 to all strong, intelligent, talented, and simply wonderful women of this world!

Today is International Women’s Day, but really, EVERY DAY should be a day to celebrate women, to encourage a world where difference is valued and celebrated with all the ways we can forge women’s equality. 

IWD began in New York City on March 8, 1857 when female textile workers marched in protest of unfair working conditions and unequal rights for women. It was one of the first organized strikes by working women, during which they called for a shorter work day and decent wages.

For me, even more important than a single day set aside to commemorate women, March 8 is the day to rejoice in the birth of Angel Boy 2.0 on his ninth solar return.

I don’t know how it happened, but that child is nine years old today! How is that even possible?

I still think of him as he was learning to walk…

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He’s awesome at sports, obsessed with the Dodgers; he’s a great reader, also in the advanced math group, and that makes me very happy.

Happy nine years around the sun, AB 2.0!

True Love

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It’s time for the return of the mallards, a sweet reminder that spring is nearly here. These guys stayed close to me, finding things to eat while I snapped a few photos.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Duck sightings are good luck!

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

The duck symbolizes clarity, family, love, vigilance, intuition, nurturing, protection, feelings, self-expression, balance, adaptation, grace, and strength.

Spiritually, ducks are revered for their symbolism of balance, unity, and wholeness.

To see two ducks indicates inner reflection, balance, and unity, acknowledging efforts to integrate inner and outer realities, reassuring movement towards wholeness.

The encounter encourages emotional intelligence, making holistic decisions that align with values and intuition, and trusting inner wisdom to navigate life’s challenges.

Two ducks symbolize spiritual growth and evolution, pursuing a higher perspective, and accessing cosmic insight, revealing the intricate web of connections.

Ducks, especially in pairs, are often seen as a sign of good fortune and positive events on the horizon. 

That all sounds good to me:)

A Thousand Ways

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There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground;
there are a thousand ways to go home again.
Rumi

“There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground;
there are a thousand ways to go home again.”
Rumi

Photo credit Enchanted Seashells