Color Swap

 

The day before Thanksgiving I received my package from the lovely Nausika (in Belgium) as part of the color swap V (in Finland) organized. Nausika sent me a bar of Belgian chocolate (yeah, that didn't last long), a pair of mini-notebooks (already in use), washi paper tapes, a cute bear Roar! stamp, beautiful porcelain buttons she made, a bird postcard and the absolute cutest Dutch children's book. I adore it all! Thanks so much to Nausika for the wonderful gifts and V for organizing the swap. So glad to have met you both and connected across the pond :)

Elemental Change

Do you see the fire sprite?

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful day with family. Always a raucous time! Sorry not to have posted recently, but my computer has been acting up and we have been busy with the holidays, including helping with a church mission where we put together food baskets for the elderly shut-ins in our rural community. It's one of my favorite things to do at a time we are celebrating gratitude for our many blessings. Talking to the older folks is such a blessing for me and they are truly grateful for the visits.

The woodstove is a hard-working beast this time of year. In our life here on the farm we embrace the change of seasons and the elements all through the year. Enjoy these verses we love (from Ancient Hearth blog):

Fire
We, the bright red fiery flames
Crackle and roar, that nothing tames.
Sparks like shooting stars they fly
Helpers we are of sun on high.
With golden sword the cold we slay
And bring you warmth to cheer your stay.
We, the bright red fiery flames
Crackle and roar, that nothing tames.

Earth
We, the stones on which you stand
Hold the waters and build the land.
In caves of darkest earth
Find we our crystal birth.
The sun with radiant light
Makes us sparkling bright
These are the gifts we hold for you
Of blood red, white and blue.

Water
We are the waters cool and deep
That rush and run, or soundly sleep.
Down the mountain, through the lake
To the sea our path we make
Under the moon and stars afloat
Across the waves we'll bear your boat,
We are the waters cool and deep
That rush and run, or soundly sleep.

Air
We are the winds that weep and wail
Blow a breeze and swell the sail
And wear a cloak of wonder rare
Of silver, gold and stars that stare.
And joy we spin in every fold
Our gift on earth for you to hold.
We are the winds that weep and wail
Blow a breeze and swell the sail.

~ Bright blessings to you all. ~

Warm and cozy

Sorry about the bad shot. I think I had the camera on the wrong setting.

 We having been enjoying the warm nights with the woodstove going strong. Mike and I cut up a bunch of organic apples that were on clearance at the grocery store. We put them on the drying rack he built which clamps on to the mantle. Foods dry really fast over the woodstove!

With the cool weather has come more inside play. The boys have built several Lego creations. 

Cubes, Minecraft dude, pencil and Xbox 360 system



Minifigure playing Xbox 360

  At our homeschool co-op Weds, we had a cold afternoon. In C's Medieval class, they studied castles and built catapults. In preparation the night before, we read more of his class book, The Door in the Wall, and talked about plagues and castle life. We also read the books: Charlie Needs a Cloak, The Middle Ages, and Castles and Fortresses. We brought a catapult plan and our castle blocks with us to class.
In J's Zombie Apocalypse class, they worked on making cordage from grasses. It wasn't easy!

No snow expected for awhile, but the nights are cold. Hope everyone is staying warm and cozy.

Photo of the Day

This is another of my photos that was featured on our local weather website, as their Photo of the Day. The photo was taken on the day of our snowfall from Hurricane Sandy and seen on this post. No snow expected here for awhile. Hopefully soon because the boys are looking forward to it!

Warm blessings.

Thrifted

   Yesterday, we went to our homeschool co-op. J and his Zombie Apocalypse class had a scavenger hunt of sorts. Posted around the little downtown were signs for different businesses, such as the library, hardware store, pharmacy, etc (we didn't go into any of the real businesses, except the health food store, as to not bother people at work and not to come into contact with any zombies!) At each "business", the children discussed what supplies they would need from there.  In C's Medieval class, they sewed slippers.
   After lunch and play with all our friends, we went to the battered women shelter's thrift store. I found these three books in The Enchanted Forest series (Spring, Summer and Autumn). We read them all after dinner that evening. The boys love them! I looked up the series on Amazon and found the Winter book for $.01! I'm going to order it soon to complete the set. As you can see, the illustrations are adorable!

XO, Jenny

White as Diamonds

Expecting more snow in the evening. Bright blessings.

Snow Day

 

 

We were snowed in on All Hallow's Eve or Dia de las Muertas, so we did lots of crafts and a science experiment. The skull garland can be found here. The boys worked on skull coloring pages, while I cut the template out. We made skulls out of playdough and were also going to make pan de muerta, but we didn't get a chance. We're going to make it this week. They also drew several pictures that are hanging on the fridge.

 Our science experiment was making snowflakes. The only ingredients are Borax and water. The directions are found here. We also studied black holes.



 

We had low key Halloween because it was really cold and the boys did not want to walk around. We went to a fall festival in town and a trunk-or-treat at one of the local churches, which were both held indoors. Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!