Outside and in again

After my complaining of the cold and snow flurries last week, we were gifted with one more golden day. Since we had had our fill of tinkering around the house, tea drinking and cozying up to books, we eagerly flung open doors and made an afternoon dash to the park. This two mile city park loop is just ideal for a mama, a stroller, a biking boy and a dog tagging along. Giant turtles...there is a fantastic Children's Garden here.
The last of the fall's burnished glory:
After our joyful day out, the weather has returned to that more typical of November. And I'm returning to cocooning tasks, revamping my indoor spaces for the coming months and trying (this is hard for the pack rat in me) to de-clutter a bit. And for the stuff I can't seem to part with yet, I'm re-purposing with a few little projects here and there... like turning this antique mirror frame into a blackboard. The mirror was long gone when I scooped up this old frame. I had intended to replace the missing mirror, but this pretty thing has just been gathering dust in the basement. I painted the wooden backing with some blackboard paint (I'm a little addicted to that stuff all of a sudden) and now it has a new life in our school area.
And when my children and sewing machine cooperate, I'm playing around with fabric and ideas. Some pillows for lounging- made from an old barkcloth(?) daybed cover:
And there is gift making in the air. But for now I'm keeping those things to myself. Hope you're having a lovely week.