New Year Projects

I enjoyed the Granny Square Sampler Crochet Along so much that I've been hunting for a 2014 project. I found this Downton Abbey KAL and I have convinced some friends to do it with me. We live about an hour apart so we won't be watching every together but we are all going to do the project.

I was going to do this project, but there's no way I could pass on the Downton Abbey project.

I have also thought it would be fun to do a reading challenge and am pondering this one. I love Historical Fiction.

I am nervous about this coming year. There are lots of decisions to make and changes to come. It helps to have a project to do with friends. Anybody want to join in?

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Halloween

I recently created a book of last year's blog for the girls (using blurb). I splurged and had a copy made for each girl as I know how much they love to read them. While I was working on the book I reflected on why I blog and the fact that I haven't been blogging as much. I resolved to do a better job at recording our family's life as these entries are really family keepsakes. So, in light of that, I bring you Halloween in an effort to catch up.

This year Helen had a rehearsal and Liz decided that she didn't want to trick or treat as she had a costume party with friends the weekend before. In light of this, the only thing I did to prepare for Halloween was to purchase a pumpkin and get a bag of candy in case we had some trick or treaters. It was a little strange to think there would be no Halloween as the girls had always said it was their favorite holiday. Here they are a few years ago dressed as "light and dark."

On Halloween afternoon, the girls arrived home and suddenly realized they had to do something. They quickly carved the pumpkins which they named Paul and Ringo. My first surprise of the day was that they did this leaving no trace behind....they totally cleaned up.

They then created a festive Halloween dinner table, complete with kit kat bars tucked neatly into martini glasses.

And that was Halloween!

Nelson and I were a bit bewildered at this sudden turn of events.

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A Trio of Awards

Just when I start to wonder if people are reading my blog, the blog world responds. Over the past couple of months, I've "met" some new readers and have received some awards.

Renee, at Heirloom Seasons, has passed on the Kreative Blogger award.


Lisa, at Over the Crescent Moon, has passed on the Honest Scrap award, and


Narsingh, at Teaching Handwork, has passed on the Gorgeous Blogger award
In these awards I am to list some things about myself that my readers might not know and then to pass on the awards.

I'm going to pass these awards on to 2 bloggers whom I have recently met and 1 blogger who continues to inspire me (although there are many out there).

Probably the most exciting recent "blog moment" for me was stumbling into Catherine at In the Pantry. We discovered many connections from our mutual love of libraries, history, and historic houses, to the fact that we once lived in the same town, to the fact that she had once worked for my parents. So, to Catherine goes the Honest Scrap Award.

I have also been enjoying Nicole's blog at GardenMama. Nicole lives not too far away and I keep thinking our paths may cross one day. I do know that we were within about 50 feet of each other once! Nicole's photos continue to just stun me. I pass the Gorgeous Blog Award on to Nicole.

And finally, I pass the Kreative Blog award on to Grace at Uncommon Grace. Grace's blog is one of my great inspirations. As I think about what it means to be a Waldorf family with older children, her beautiful family life inspires me and reminds me of what I want to keep as my children enter adolescence.

Finally, a few things you might not know about me....

• I once skydived (and will never do it again).
• I am a complete Virgo neatnik person who likes everything tidy and overly organized.
• I adore the library and go more than once a week to more than one. I should have been a librarian.
• I almost got my PhD in history. Passed my exams, but a new family life and an ill child got in the way of completing. No regrets.
• I really, really love history thanks to a Mother and Father who steeped me in old New England traditions and story from the time I was very young.
• Every now and then I need an oreo.

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Bloggyness

We've been on the road for the last week on a big trip to see my parents in Ohio. We made some stops along the way. Some bloggers may be able to guess where we were from this photo--afternoon chores in action--


Did you guess? We were visiting Lisa Anne, Jerome, and Amelia from Harmony Valley Homeschool. We explored the farm, talked,


played games, talked, did chores, talked,


and generally had a nice visit. Hels, Lou, and I snuck off very early in the a.m. for our 10-hour drive to Ohio. We listened to lots of Hardy Boys on tape, memorized the top 40 tunes on the radio and played Mad Libs, arriving safely at my Father's in time for dinner.

We drove back through Niagara Falls.

We got back in time for one of our favorite events of the year--the "5-College Book Sale" which is an enormous used book sale that takes up two school gyms and all the halls in between. We stocked up on some summer reading. Sarah will note a book at the very bottom of the pile that she recently blogged about. I took note and there it was at the sale!

Lou's favorite purchase was this 3-piece boxed desk encyclopedia (which we got for $1). She is very excited about it.

Our trip began with such a wonderful visit in Pennsylvania. Thanks to Lisa, Jerome, and Amelia for a lovely visit. It was fun to see Amelia and Hels tromp off into the woods together.

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Happy Trees

I have recently received 2 awards: "The Tree of Happiness" award from over at The Magic Onions and the Lemonade award from Natural Suburbia. Thank you for thinking of me! Nothing makes me feel more rooted (or happy) than going out for a walk, so I went off in search of some signs of spring.

I love this first photo because the tree shadows show how STRONG the March sun is. The sun, streaming into my house, is making me very happy these days (even if it's only 6F outside!).

Another sign of spring--the snow edging away from the base of the trees. Warmth is getting to those roots, slowly but surely.

The top of this stone wall is starting to peek out from the snow. There is a regular highway of animal tracks on top and alongside this wall--everything from mice to deer. I think we'll put out some cracked corn today. I'm sure they are all hungry.


Finally, the tree that brings me the most happiness--a sign of warm, sweet days to come.


I'm a bit overwhelmed at choosing blogs to pass on these awards. I'm choosing just two whose old fashioned photos have recently been giving me ideas of ways to feel more "rooted" and happy.

Miss VanDroo --I've been loving her morning/afternoon/evening series of daily life
Blueberry Cottage's Teatime with Beatrix Potter--I want to start serving tea every day!

To be honest, I really don't feel like I deserve any awards--I've been pretty quiet on the blog these days. In order to pick up the habit again and to stop life from slipping by quite so fast, I'm launching a new project for the rest of March called "dailyness." I'll start tomorrow~maybe by the time I finish, it will be spring! Here's an early spring bouquet for you~

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Two Ends of the World

....no sign of the missing sandals from down under. We dug and dug :)

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Hooked on you award

Many thanks to Angela for the Hooked on You award. According to the rules I need to share 6 things that are making me happy and connect to 5 blogs I'm hooked on. So, here you go!



Snow Days--like today! I plan to work for a couple of hours this morning but then I want to enjoy this day.


My work. I love my job. I enjoy everything about it which includes the opportunity to dig into really interesting archives, the time to be creative with what I find, the chance to travel all over the country with a neat group of people and, most importantly, the flexibility to be with my family when they need me....like today!

Although primitive by today's standards and getting a little feeble, I love my Grandmother's sewing machine. It's nearly 50 years old and still running (sort of). We'll be putting it to the test today.


The legacies of my 4 grandmothers--a love of words and libraries, daily homemade bread, a love of games, a love of heritage, an appreciation and desire to make quilts, and so much more. This little pincushion belonged to one of them.



















Our children's Waldorf education. While it hasn't been without its stress at times, it has enriched our family life immeasurably and I am so grateful for it.















Saying "goodnight" to our President and Vice President. Ah. That makes me very happy. We watched the inauguration at a local pub. I was so glad to be with friends and a (warm) crowd. I have such hope. I keep thinking if all these millions of people around the world have such hope, that this much good energy alone will help to create change.

nighty night.

Now 5 blogs that I'm hooked on. It's hard to choose...

I'm really enjoying Heather's morning, noon, and night series.
Grace's near:far series.
2 newish blogs to me: House on Hill road and The Little Travelers
and Lovely World --someone who knows my world first-hand!

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A Bloggy Christmas Gift

This fall I printed one year of posts from my blog as a gift to my family. This was a goal of mine when I began to blog--to provide a record of our days for the girls.

I used scrapbookblogger.com which slurped up my blog into an online editor. It has a pretty clunky editor with limited layout, but it was the only one I could find that would slurp blogger. The quality of the printing and paper is really nice.

I'm glad to have a hard copy of my 2007 posts (with quite a few edits). The girls have enjoyed pouring through it as well. Does it count as a handmade gift? I decided it did and we opened it on Christmas Eve!

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An Award!

I got my first ever award yesterday from Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight. Thank you Dawn! I love the creative aspects of blogging. I like playing with photographs and words and documenting our lives. I also enjoy the social aspects of blogging and this award is part of that!

So, now I am to list six things that make me happy and send this award to six bloggers.

1) Keeping a monthly "day in my life" journal has been a joy. Logging my day has made me stop and notice. It constantly reminds me that the dailiness of life is as important and special as the "big moments" in life.

2) Family rambles. Sometimes we pack the car with snacks, a book on tape for the girls, and the gazetteer and just go. We never know where the day will take us (although it usually involves a bookstore in a tiny mountain town).


3) Snow days. Snow days are like little gifts dropped into the week. I love spending the day cooking, crafting, and sledding with the girls. I am particularly grateful when there is a snow day right before Christmas!


4. Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love being with my family and spending the day doing nothing but cooking, crafting, and visiting over a puzzle by the fire. My nephew made this little house for the Thanksgiving table last year. I love it!

5. Being on top of the world. Nels will raise his eyebrows a bit at this because we don't get out climbing very often, but when we do I realize it makes me incredibly happy. In fact, I think we need to go out this weekend!

6) Reconnecting with old friends. This year I have had the completely unexpected experience of connecting with FOUR old friends. It has made me so very happy.

Now to pass this award on to six bloggers.

1) to Jenny at Little Jenny Wren because her posts constantly remind me of how special each moment of an ordinary day can be. She began the "day in a life" project.

2) to Margaret at Resurrection Fern. She is re-inspiring me with her beautiful crafting.

3) to Denise at Mom in Madison. A Mama who creatively grows a lot of food in a small yard and inspires me with her art projects.

4) to Heather at Beauty that Moves whose clothing currently matches her curtains :). I've enjoyed watching Heather so carefully and thoughtfully live her life.

5) to Suse at Pea Soup for keeping me laughing while crafting.

6) to Anneke at Verwonderland because I love her nature tables and the incredible projects she undertook with children this past summer.

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Here we go a harvesting....

Friday afternoon was our school's Harvest Festival. The afternoon begins with the Michaelmas play "St. George and the Dragon" complete with music, dancing, and the taming of a huge dragon--huge enough for the entire 5th grade to get in and clomp about.

After the play the festival began. Each class had made a scarecrow for decorations. I like this skiing scarecrow.

This scarecrow looks like he's off to scare a few fish.

The 7th graders did face painting. I was called in to substitute for a bit. A face painter I am not. There were many young children running about with poorly drawn hearts on their cheeks courtesy of me!

We strive to make the Harvest Festival have a feel to it of great energy, strength, and fire--quite different from the watery, breezy May Fair. The activities reflect this with obstacle courses, relay races, and other energetic games.

The children got to try their hands at blacksmithing and made little rings and horseshoes.

This year there was a series of "logging events" for the middle school. There was a caper toss, log relay, and two-man crosscut saw contest. It's hard to find activities to engage the older kids and this was a big hit.

There are lots of apples at the festival. Apples on a string...

the cider press...

the apple peeler...


...and lots of apple crisp!


New this year were big washtubs of birdseed to pour your hands through in the hopes of finding a golden acorn.

Many of the younger children made these beautiful leaf crowns. Weren't the directions for these just published in Living Craft magazine?

I was amazed to come home to comments from two homeschooling families who had "blog moments" and recognized the girls from In these hills. What fun and I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you, Caren and Nicole. If you saw the play, Hels was one of the girls on stilts making all the mothers wonder at my sanity for allowing her to do such a thing.

It was a wonderful festival and it put us in the mood for the great energy that is autumn.

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