This week

Some works in progress here and there. One side of the kitchen: getting closer!
The other side: not even close.

A new veggie garden fence:
Not much visible happening yet...but the peas are up, the asparagus, potatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, kale, and herbs are in. The weeds aren't even out of control yet!

A picnic lunch:
Under a perfect blue sky.

Hope your week is lovely!

Where the wild things are

Right now, this little wild thing is softly snoozing in bed. But very soon, she'll be roaring and ready to greet the day. At two, she is full of ideas concerning all aspects of her day. From picking her daily attire to choosing her next meal, she wants in on decision making. And Halloween was no exception: she had her mind made up about what costume she'd wear.
A "hobo monster" was her choice. Never mind that I had my own ideas: I envisioned us being a cuddly kitty cat pair as mama cat and baby cat. But this adorable costume got handed down to us from a friend. Though a teeny bit small and wearing thin at the at the seams, Lilla fell in love with this suit. And who wouldn't with all those fun details?

The only unfortunate result of our trick-or-treating foray was that this little miss has fine tuned her taste for a sweet treat. Umm, I don't think it is a good idea to give into toddler pleas for candy at 9Am. Oh wise Lynn could you please tell that Sugar Sprite to have a swing by our place?

A little treat

Sometimes I have a little helper that sits on my lap as I attempt to go on the internet. It's a tricky operation. She has opinions. She wants to listen to music....she wants to see certain pictures. She has plenty of advice for me: "Go backwards to THAT picture!" or "Different song, please." And this cracks me up: "I like that one!"

As I posted pictures from Ava's birthday party and she saw the cake, she decided she wanted cake. "Mama, make some cake!" Well, I wasn't planning on cake, but I did have lots of zucchini. So zucchini bread it was. And though she was not entirely convinced she wanted to try it, one powdered sugar sprinkled bite convinced her otherwise. A decadent treat for sure.

Better late than never

Well, here it is: a very belated post complete with blurry pictures and birthday wishes for my girl. Her birthday was at the end of August, but I seem to be on my own time line with this old blog. My voracious reader, fan of horses (and a clothes horse herself), fun and sweet girl is twelve. I can't believe it.

Hello again

Well I guess we've seen the last of our sandy, summer days this year. Though I'm not the least bit ready for it, September is here. Midday stills beams warm and golden, but the air has turned decidedly cooler at night. The change in the light and temperature is urging me forward to gather and organize. Time to bring in the last of summer's berries. Time to sharpen our pencils and line up our fall activities. From the brimming list of amazing things to do, how to pick and choose? This year has me just a bit more anxious than the past as this year is our first to officially report Rowan as a homeschooler. As things are shaping up I have a feeling that it will be a good and very busy year ahead. But as I ponder and plan how we'll be spending our days, I'm trying to ensure there will be plenty of time to just be. To be in nature's playground: learning, exploring and holding on to wonder.

A little trip and back

Oh there I go again letting my blog slip for weeks without an update. Well, for all three of you waiting on the edge of your seats, I've have some pictures from our little adventure up to Lake Ontario. What a treat to be back here once again. I am very thankful that my brother in law's family are such gracious hosts. And it's almost like going to the ocean but just two hours away instead of the usual seven. Even the intense wind could not keep us from enjoying the full playground of sand and water before us, the company of friends and family and the gorgeous sunset finales.

A week (or two) in pictures

Savoring a few strawberries from the garden and loading up on buckets full at our favorite u-pick farm. Rowan's last day of gymnastics:
Almost daily wagon rides to and from the market:
Puddle stomping and rain dancing:
Making sour cherry syrup. Last year's frozen bounty was cleared out to make way for all the new delights about to fill my freezer. And with the addition of seltzer, this syrup makes a fabulous cherry soda. Or a slushy- we love our Hawaiian Ice maker.
Out riding with friends:Last day of school celebration for Ava- complete with cake and a slumber party. Look who's holding court with the big girls...
Hurray for summer!

Black and white

I am finding myself a little in love with this classic color combo. I think it all started with the silhouettes. Remember those? We did eventually get them framed- it was surprisingly hard to find decent ones in the right size. But once they were hung up on the wall above the couch, I knew I needed to make some black and white pillows to round things out.
And as I take these pictures of my girl, I see that her birthday dress carries out the theme. Another pinafore dress from The Children's Year book. Must make more of these. They'll be perfect for summer...that is if it ever decides to stop raining. I think this is day four of drizzle.
Oh, and this little ferry wooden boat toy was a gift we snatched up during our travels through the Adirondacks. The owner of the bed and breakfast we stayed at made bunches of wooden toys on the side. And after our travel by ferry I couldn't resist this one.

Wishing all you Dads out there a Happy Father's Day!

A fiddler

I love watching him learn new things.

Chess with a six year old

The other afternoon Rowan and I played a casual game of chess. Or so I thought.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly for me, until...
Suddenly Rowan had me in checkmate.
Hmm. Looks like I ought to crack into those chess books.

Scaling new heights

Here I am- camera in hand- holding my breath as I watch Rowan navigate and strain to reach each rock. Although he's tethered and secure, he is a little uncertain at first about this whole rock climbing business. The first few tentative tries don't seem to do much for his confidence. But on the third or fourth attempt he finds his footing and all of a sudden nears the ledge, the entrance to the "cave" that has become the goal for all the children climbing that day. And then I see it, just a corner of the smile that has crept across his face- that slightly shy smile of recognizing one's own success. Lilla too is becoming a little climber at home, wanting to go "up, up, UP!" those stairs all by herself. And I'm trying not to hold my breath too much as I follow behind her, ready to catch her.

Trick or Treat

My loves all dressed for Halloween:
Almost all costume components were scrounged from around the house. The black furry fabric was a left over from years past and quickly sewed up into a tunic, ears, treat bag and tail for my Ava cat. To get the tail to curl and stand up I used an opened up coat hanger, but the thing still had a mind of its own.
Rowan's blue coat was pure serendipity as a trip to the Salvation Army yielded a size six girl's sailor coat. All I did was rip off (carefully!) a bunch of the white trim. His hat was once a floppy brown one of mine, but a bit of dye and a few stitches later it became a tri-cornered hat such as a Revolutionary War soldier might wear. My rendition is a little shabby, but those Minutemen were not known for their formal wear. As far as we're read, they were lucky to have shoes. Lilla's forest elf dress and cape ( I skipped the fairy part because I ran out of time for wings) was created out of my recycled woolens stash, bits from a velvet skirt, brown bias tape and a pair of old curtains my sister (remember these Kristina?) might recognize. Oh, and I was a mama on the prairie, but the only photo of me is a blurred bit of the bottom of my dress (an old Gunne sax dress I've had around for years).

Boo!

Into the woods

Last week we went out seeking autumn color and light in the peaceful quiet of the forest. A woodland hike with a few friends and a backpack stashed with some painting supplies helped in our quest. After finding a leaf covered clearing and nestling in a bit, the paint and paper came out and both the mamas and the little ones joined in the fun. With pencil, we traced a variety of leaf shapes onto our watercolor paper. Then with paintbrush in hand, we filled in with a wash of color. Even after leafy subjects were exhausted by the boys, they continued on, creating abstract landscapes and humming all the while. The real treat was in the process: playing with color to the tune of  leaves rustling and the singsong of childhood.