~:: Anni Daulter’s Book ::~

I can be a creative person. No – stop laughing.  I can. I can even design and throw a good party, if I put my mind to it. And therein lies the rub (allusion?): at this point, in the middle of this bout of self-publishing and dogged self-tech-education, I haven’t got a whole lot of mind left. (Witness: being dragged behind the blogging wagon only by grace of fingernails and love, instead of driving the team.)

So along comes a book. One of  Anni Daulter’s book, to be concise (with her co-author, Heather Fontenot). Anni is lovely, gracious and engaging—and I’ve only interacted with her through email. I imagine her looking like one of the girls in the book’s photos – light, interested and ready for magical delight.

The book is called “Naturally Fun Parties for Kids,” and it’s pretty much aimed at the Waldorfian/natural and imaginative population. (Digression: I wish somebody had invited me to something like this when I was young enough to believe that a fairy dress can turn a lump of earth into something etherial. )

“The parties are inspired by nature, are cost-effective, practice sustainable efforts such as recycling and upcycling, and are downright adorable [even if they do say so themselves ;0)] .”  The book is clearly structured: three party plans for each season. But the simplicity of that outline only scratches the surface here. For one thing, along the way Anni and Heather offer plenty of think-ahead tips about saving, wabi-sabiliy, materials that can become part of the imaginative fun of the party: dress-ups, craft projects, things that will be taken home by children who will never forget the delight of that afternoon’s fun.  And they drop in bits of old wisdom; I learned that you can dye things yellow with Turmeric spice (also known as Indian Saffron and very good, as well, for inflammation when taken internally – ummm – I just threw that bit in).

The book is beautifully laid out and peppered with photographs of actual children at actual parties.  There are recipes—for all manner of delights; part of the fun is making the refreshments.  And there’s a bounty of detailed instructions for group craft projects—all season-specific and guaranteed to excite and engage.

But what I love most about this book is the pervasive spirit of gratitude and love. This is a value-based work, underlining the most essential of attitudes toward others, toward nature.  The parties look amazing, but more significantly, they are also pitched to foster an awareness of the true wonders of our lives—delight in community, expressions of gratitude—that seasons turn, things can be gathered and realized, colors can be changed and children can make things that are real and tasty and beautiful.

Anni writes about living deliberately – not spinning along, just tumbling through time – but paying attention, making choices, cherishing every minute we have with one another, turning the flow of life itself into a blessed celebration in gratitude. The book is a delight.

And she reminds me of so many of you.

It is a joy to share mental time with an author who has such a gift for understanding the essential nature and importance of family and childhood. Now, more than ever, we need to get back to these basics, understanding that the family is the root of all culture, all understanding of the world. So that whatever came before in our lives, the families we create now are strong, rich in culture and experience, emotionally functional, based in gratitude, love, and the realization that joy comes through simplicity and quiet awareness of the great blessings we have today been freely given – there for the taking. There, waiting for us to wake us and see them – and receive them.

My own small ones have flown the coup. But they keep coming back to said coup—with new small people in tow. I have always dreamed of being one of those fairy type Grand-godmothers – and page by page, this work of Anni’s inspires me to more than dreams.  I want my children and their children to remember the mystery of creation, to dance in the forest, to hold a jewel of an egg in the palm of their hands before turning into a bit of cake, a work of art, a game.  And now, in the midst of my regular crises of imagination, Anni’s book is here to help me help them do just that.