Medieval Faire

The Medieval Faire is the culmination of a large unit on Medieval History. There were plenty of projects that led up to it. There was a long list of "quests" the kids could embark on to earn points toward their ultimate goal. June chose stained glass as one of her quests. I love her finished product.

She also wrote some limericks. They made me laugh.

There once was a very brave knight.

With a dragon he wanted to fight.

But he saw the grand beast,

And thought, “I’m a feast!”

And he ran from the battle in fright.

A damsel who wore a green gown

Tripped and she looked like a clown

“This isn’t right!

Where is my knight?

I’ve been looking for someone to crown!”

There once were two very rich kings.

On their fingers they wore golden rings.

Thieves stole them instead

Then the angry kings said,

“Fiends, give us back all of our things!”

In the tournament a horse did prance

Atop him sat a knight with a lance

The horse neighed, “It’s dire

Someone call for his squire!

He can’t move in his iron pants.”

For the Medieval Faire, the kids were allowed to choose what type of person they wanted to be. There was royalty, or entertainment, such as the jesters, but the majority of the kids chose merchants so they could make a product and sell it at the faire. June and Hannah took on a very ambitious project. They decided to be Stitchers. This involved creating crosstitch designs to be sold on the upcoming day. They decided to start with the alphabet, assuming people would like initials. They stitched their hearts out for weeks. I often saw them around the house stitching and I know many a recess was passed with needle and thread in hand.

Here is the alphabet filling up quickly.

Then the day of the Faire arrived with much anticipation. I spent the whole day with June taking pictures and wandering around. I'm mostly sad to think that the Medieval Faire has gone on every year, and I have never attended. It was so fun. The king and queen welcome you as you enter.

I was there as the original procession came out. Each merchant or guild marched across the grounds proudly displaying their sign. Recognize these two?

There were some very fancy, creative signs. I stopped Claire because the Apothecary was one of my favorites.

There was so much to see at the Faire. Here are some of the potions and secret ingredients you could find at the Apothecary.

Some types of products had multiple tables. There were two Black Smiths. Number one:

And number two:

It was interesting because we ended up buying swords from both. The second Black Smith had a better location and finer looking weapons, but quality and workmanship has to be handed to the first Black Smith. Their swords held up much better in battle.

There were a couple bakeries with delicious pastries and scrumptious treats. We visited The Blonde Bakery several times.

The Gem Shoppe had fun treats such as Ring Pops, Candy Necklaces, and Pop Rocks.

The Head Wreaths went quickly. I spent some of my coins there. (By the way, there was a coin queen--Mrs. Billings-- who gave out free coins at the entrance to visitors so that everyone could enjoy the faire.)

Besides all the shops, you could find royalty on the premises, along with knights, a priest, tinkers, and jesters.

The minstrel was a cute girl who played the harp.

There was even an intermission of sorts where maidens danced to the traditional dances of Yore.

Not pictured, but on sight were archers, magicians, fortune tellers, and the stocks. (Oddly, none of my kids wanted pictures in there.) 

But I'm sure you are just dying to know more about the Quick Stitchs. What they lacked in display, they made up for in product. After finishing the alphabet, they went on to make many more cute designs that they sold. Because the different grades came out to the Medieval Faire at intervals, they were only allowed to sell a third of their product at a time in order to save some for future groups.

But they made a sign displaying all the designs and they took orders for a price.

Having walked around the faire, I was very impressed with June and Hannah. Their product took intense time and skill. They didn't just buy something and sell it, although that was perfectly acceptable. I believe June will be using her many hours to fulfill a value project in YWs.

I think Hannah's skills have greatly improved. I'm not sure how much stitching she had done before, but she is quite efficient now.

Their booth was ALWAYS busy. People were buying designs or learning to stitch themselves. The girls had little squares for people to practice on and keep.

I had Pearl with me, naturally, but somewhere along the way I decided the Faire was so cool that all my other kids needed to come. So I went and picked them all up and told them they had a half hour to explore and buy. Daisy (with Pearl's sword) is showing her warrior face.

When we bought swords at the other (inferior) black smith, the girls were showed a trick for storing their weapons to keep their hands free. I believe this is the Medieval Conceal and Carry method.

I wish I could have found Robyn with her lovely flowered head wreath, but we weren't in the same area. Eventually, I took them back to school and came back to help the stitchers wrap up. They sold out of almost everything. ALL their designs were gone and I believe they had four letters left over. On top of that, they had 30 orders from people wanting future designs. The girls were so proud to count their money and realize they had made 200 coins!

I slowed down taking pictures after the Faire ended. The kids went on to partake in an epic feast. (My assignment was scones and wassail) There was so much food; enough that I was able to take leftovers to Tyler at work afterward. (Who doesn't like impromptu scones and wassail?) It was such a fantastic day and I think everyone was satisfied with their efforts. Pearl was very patient to tag along for the whole thing and was rewarded by learning to do the monkey bars. She was so proud of herself. (Me too!)

And so ended the Medieval Faire. At least for everyone else. I know two girls that still have 30 orders to fill. Luckily, I have been happy to help with some of the stitching, since June and Hannah still have plenty of school projects to the end. There were some interesting orders such as a rainbow snowflake and mint chocolate chip ice cream. I'm doing my best. I'm pretty sure between the three of us, we will get all the orders filled by the deadline.

I am super proud of the girls and all their hard work. They really tackled the Faire head on. I believe if they had lived during the medieval era, they could be commended for their bravery and industry. Luckily, they still have those abilities in the modern days and no chamber pots in sight. Huzzah!

Art Preferences

I like to think that my kids have some skill in art. I enjoy what they make, and the older girls in particular surprise me with some of their creations. I imagine that I will see a lot of fun art projects throughout the years.

I was over at the Junior High (June's new location next year--yikes) and there was an art show going on. There were dozens of different art styles on display and they were judged with ribbons. It was awesome. It was so cool to walk around and look at all the imagination and talent on display. I didn't have much time to browse, so I sent a quick text to Tyler telling him to bring the kids over.

He managed to snag the littles, but the biggies had homework to do. He led the kids around and took a picture by their favorite pieces.

Ivory liked the body sketchings, this one in particular.

Daisy said her favorite was in the photography section, but I wonder if she just wanted a picture of spiders for Mom's blog? (okay, okay...it is a cool picture.)

Pearl liked one of the ceiling tiles. I think she liked the Pegasus one, but it wouldn't surprise me if she liked the Pokemon one as well.

I was bound and determined that the older girls would get to see the art show as well. Luckily it was up for a few days, so we went back at another time.

Robyn loved this coyote howling at the moon. It was done with such detail. (Sorry I can't remember the names of each style.)

June had a very hard time deciding. She liked this elephant.

And this panda.

But she finally decided on this pineapple, done in the same style as the coyote. Awesome.

I loved this piece. I really wish I could tell you what style, but I'm having artist's block.

So creative.

I also loved the art pieces done with graph paper. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of that style. But there is always next year. And I will pay better attention to the techniques used. Such a beautiful world we can have in our minds.

***Oooh, just remembered the name of that last kind of art. It is called Surrealism, using the irrational juxtaposition of images.

Eleven Years in the Making

I don't mind getting behind on regular posts. After all, by the time my grandkids read this blog, it won't matter much what is where. But I do feel a bit guilty when a birthday comes and goes without a mention on here. However, since a month hasn't passed yet, I won't feel too bad.

Robyn opted for a friend party this year. She wanted to go do the ropes course at the Provo Beach Resort. She seems ready for the karaoke bar, if not dangling dozens of feet above the ground.

Seems we have a whole chorus line.

The girls had such fun wandering around on the course. I love this silhouette picture.

It was hard to get good pictures, but I liked a pillar on one side. It had the best light. I caught most of the group there.

It was Ivory's first time. (She was finally tall enough.) I like this picture because you can see Ivory below and Robyn's feet above.

When we were all done, we headed home, but not before doing some fountain diving.

What do you think they found down there? Coins?

No, a whoopee cushion. I can't decide if that is really gross or really funny.

The rest of the party was pretty simple. The girls watched a movie while I made tacos for everyone. We paused the show to eat dinner and open presents. And of course have some birthday cake...I mean, donut.

This birthday girl looks ready to blow out those eleven candles crammed into one donut.

My camera needs light. (I'm sure you have read dozens on posts of my complaints about low light. I tend to be a whiner.) While we were singing, Mo-mo turned off the lights for better ambiance. Okay, we'll work with it.

The lighting in the room immediately changed once Robyn blew out the candles, so I did the best I could. You get the idea.

Robyn enjoyed opening all her gifts. She has such fun friends right now.

I loved how Izzy sat behind her and organized all her stuff for her.

What a fun group of girls. Second from the left was Emma who joined us late. It was really a fun party.

On Robyn's actual birthday, she still had a few things to look forward to. Grandma's like to send gifts. Money is always accepted. (Thanks Grandma Cazier.)

And Robyn was really happy to receive this Flareon. (Thanks Grandma Dargan.)

Then it was time for school. I sent this sassy girl out the door.

She had a good day, including lunch with Dad. She may have gone the same place as Ivory and partaken of the same treats.

I came later to deliver balloons as always. We had a bit of a theme, if you can't tell. Remember the new found love of Pokemon.

She brought a unique treat for her class. Ever had Pocky? So delish. Robyn is such a great kid. She is genuinely funny and creative. Her art is getting better all the time. I love watching her grow and change. And yet, she is still a kid at heart. Maybe that is my favorite part right now.

Happy Birthday Robynino!