Is it really possible that we didn’t have a hard frost until now? This October has been so wonderfully mild, allowing us time to get many, but not all of our outside projects done before cold weather set in. But now this frost is a sure sign that winter is on its way. I switched out the Littles’ summer clothes… Read More »First Frost
Several weeks ago we welcomed back home some of our old friends. They had been staying with some friends of ours for a while. At the time, we needed to scale back a little and our friends wanted to explore the world of farm animals a little. It was the perfect solution, so we sent our goats to live with… Read More »They’re Baaaa-ck
Once all the cutting was done, it was time for the next step in our wood gathering winter prep. All those logs need to be split into smaller pieces that will actually fit in the wood stove. The old-fashioned axe and stump and lots of labor sounds romantic. Unless you’re the one assigned the job and you try to split… Read More »How Much Wood :: Split
Homeschooling friends of ours love American history. They love it so much that every year, sometimes even twice a year, they put on a week-long Adventures in Learning day camp for homeschooled children in the area to dress, play, learn, reenact, and create based on a specific event or time period. They’ve been doing this for years. Our oldest two… Read More »Emma’s Portrait Dress
Mama. Yes. Sophie? The moon is following me. It is? Why is the moon following you? Because it loves me. Why does the moon love you, Sophie? Because I’m pink. It happened that when I was finished knitting a shrug for Maddie, that Sophie asked for a sweater for herself. In pink, of course. It just so happened that I… Read More »The Moon Loves Pink
I love the look of a Waldorf and Montessori style room. They are so warm and welcoming. The rooms are designed not just for the sake of design, but for the exploration of the child who lives in the space. The amazing autumn that we’ve been having, combined with my love for the look of these naturally styled rooms had… Read More »Nature Table Fail
We’ve been running a bit behind schedule this past season or so. Preparing for winter is one of those things that absolutely must be done. We can, of course, survive without firewood. But, oh, how expensive oil heat is! So the wood needs to be brought in. I was, I admit, a bit concerned that we didn’t have any firewood… Read More »How Much Wood?
One of the benefits of having a large family is the passing down of playthings. We haven’t kept a lot of the toys that the Olders played with when they were little, but we do have some of the favorites. One of them is the dollhouse. This dollhouse is on child #5 and #6, sometimes even #7 joins in the… Read More »Traditions in Play
This weekend our Middles packed up and headed out for a weekend at camp. While it isn’t the first time they’ve been gone, it is the first time they’ve gone to camp. Exciting, yes. But I admit I was a little apprehensive about how they’d fare their first weekend away to an unfamiliar place. Knowing that they were only about… Read More »Very Bunch of Chilly
No, we didn’t get another dog and name it after our son. Our son has been pretty enamored by dogs lately. He watches our family pet, Abby, eat and drink. He lies on her bed when I don’t see him doing it. He walks by me and licks my arm. Yes, really. He has now decided to start drinking… Read More »My dog, Silas