:: Sometimes one must have a sense of humor about the weather. One must understand that as King Winter and Lady Spring have their last tug of war all you can do is embrace it. Put on your snow boots one day and your flip flops the next. Squish around in rain boots. Watch the water drip off snow clothes by the fire. More than anything keep an inward giggle that soon all this water will bring spring flowers...hopefully. :: Sometimes one must take your daughter to the premiere of the Sense and Sensibility Musical because really, Jane Austen rules.... Continue reading

:: Sometimes one must have a sense of humor about the weather. One must understand that as King Winter and Lady Spring have their last tug of war all you can do is embrace it. Put on your snow boots one day and your flip flops the next. Squish around in rain boots. Watch the water drip off snow clothes by the fire. More than anything keep an inward giggle that soon all this water will bring spring flowers...hopefully. :: Sometimes one must take your daughter to the premiere of the Sense and Sensibility Musical because really, Jane Austen rules.... Continue reading

It's April and there's snow falling outside. It started again yesterday and, more than likely, plans on continuing into tomorrow. As grateful as I am for the moisture it seems to be wreaking havoc with my "Spring" ideas. The "clean up and clear out" part of this season seems a distant thought. Crawling into a warm, fur-lined nook by the fire with a good book sounds better. Much better. As a distraction, on this otherwise non-spring day, I thought I'd give you an update on the fire cider we started a few months back. The big daddy loved the whole... Continue reading

A foot of snow sits outside as I write this. The windshield wiper, just on the drivers side, was broken when we went to sweep snow off the car this morning. Yet, I feel the promise of Spring in the air. Throw open the windows, feel the fresh breeze waft through kind of promise. I've been catching up on a few of my favorite blogs since returning home. The theme...change. It's out there. It's being felt in so many ways. Resulting in many thoughts and epiphanies. Many feelings of over-whelm. Change. I feel it. I welcome it. I've felt limited.... Continue reading

The light seems to have shifted. Ever so slightly. Just enough that the shadows are different. The light streaming through the windows in the afternoon slants in different patterns. Spring is in the air. We spent most of the weekend outside. Sitting under the budding trees listening to the bees buzz-buzz buzzing around. Busy in their work. Calm and happy to be back at their job. I believe everything from the garage that has wheels was brought out, inspected, and taken for a ride. Sand was moved around in the sandbox and pillows dusted off in the playhouse. There seems... Continue reading

So, as I was saying*...you know, about the elusive light in February? The last time we had a chat? Well, lets just say I'm elated that March has come knocking and pushed the brown, gray, icy-thing past us. March whispers of Spring. Green shoots peek through the monotone ground. Warm sun dances on faces as we sit and ponder. Bikes emerge from the garage. More rain boots, less snow boots crowd the front door and back door...and every door for that matter! Life is full. Just like yours. Crammed with fevers and books. Warm meals and homework. Class plays and... Continue reading

This past Saturday, a lovely sunny day, we spent outside. Lunch with the warmth at our back. Bikes. Playing at the Park. Knitting while the little ones played in the sandbox. The whole weekend was supposed to be this way. I didn't realize how much I had needed the warmth of the sunshine. Sunday dawned and clouds covered the light. The house took on a gray tinge and my mood followed suit. Subdued and moody to match the cloud cover outside. Today the sun is attempting to peek through and I plan to sling my camera over my shoulder and... Continue reading

...it's Monday again. Another weekend experienced. We attended french class, hoop class, made a hike up a mountain, ate lemon zucchini muffins, biked at the park, watched a middle school talent show, and played Lego's in pajamas. A weekend full of life and opportunities to get along as a family. The weekends never seem quite long enough. The dust barely settles before we are off again with lunch making and "where's my gloves" and "No, you may not wear a short sleeve shirt even if it looks warm outside" typical-weekday mornings. Fluffing and shooing three or four children out the... Continue reading

"It was on of those still days of intense light, when every particle of mica in the soil flashed like a little mirror, and the glare from the plain below seemed more intense than the rays from above. The sand ridges ran glittering gold out to where the mirage licked them up, shining and steaming like a lake in the tropics. The sky looked like blue lava, forever incapable of clouds---a turquoise bowl that was the lid of the desert." The Song of the Lark This book has captured my imagination. I'm enjoying it so much I wish it wouldn't... Continue reading

Oh.my.goodness. It's hard to say who had the most fun! Christmas day, before "the fever" hit, found us bundled and trudging off to the park. Time filled with laughter, squeals, running, pouncing, frozen hands and "just one more". I pulled the "photographer" card, thank goodness. Though it looked like a tremendous amount of fun I was grateful to be warm and documenting it for the family. Next time though, I will leave the camera at home because sometimes warm is over-rated. Sometimes attempting to out-run a nine year old can be memory making. Sometimes the snow pile is quite joyful... Continue reading

It started last year...January 1, 2012. My oldest girlie decided that she wanted to read 100 books for the year. She missed it by seven books. She was so close that she wanted to try again this year. On December 31st, 2012 at dinner my girl sat with pen and paper and planned her next year of reading. Her set of self-imposed rules. #1 Books must be new, as in never read before. #2 If you have started a book you can not be more than one chapter into it or it doesn't count. #3 Do school books count or... Continue reading

This holiday break brought an unexpected visitor on Christmas afternoon. "The fever" hit the first of the four children after a trip to the park and an epic snowball fight. "Twas a mean one too lasting three days for each child plus recovery time. Our entire vacation has been an adventure of one fever ending as another started. Many pots of soup were made. Loads of vitamin packed fruits and vegetables were turned into appealing forms. Books were read and naps taken. As though to add to the adventure the big daddy flew out of town before New Years to... Continue reading

A White Christmas...just as we wished for. The snow flakes started to fall with a whisper on Christmas eve. We had dinner and drove the children around town taking in all the sparkling lights as we watched the wipers swish to and fro. It was magical. Fresh children from baths donned new cozy pajamas, per tradition. Hot chocolate by the fire as giggling filled the air. Stockings were hung and four children were tucked into bed. We awoke to pitter patters on the stairs and hushed voices discussing whether it was too early to wake us up or not. The... Continue reading

Happy Winter Solstice to you all! As you read this the children are on the floor by the tree playing together. There are books and lego's strewn across the carpet. Dinner cooked, eaten, and honored. Ginger cookies and chocolate for dessert. The sky a brilliant orange with a glimpse of the moon earlier. Holiday break has officially begun! There are projects in high gear. Tomorrow, I suspect, there will be pajamas, creating and lots of play. We plan to make the most of this time. Wishing you all wonderful celebrations. Thank you for visiting and I'll be back to check... Continue reading

The smell of ginger cookies winds it's way into every corner of the house these days. Our holiday cards have been received by loved ones. The errands are done. Late night knitting sessions by the fire, result in the last stitches. The whir of the sewing machine echoes from the studio. Equal parts wool, wood, and fabric are used to create gifts that get tucked beneath the tree. The arrival of snow and colder temperatures bring wool scarves and snowsuits from closets. The lights twinkle all through the neighborhood. Tomorrow is the children's last day of school and will include... Continue reading

A wee glimpse of our week via Instagram. Continue reading