Wintery

...Let the shadows cool the meadows,

And the night sounds whisper low,

In the stillness of the valleys

Where the waters lap and flow.

                      -Maud Russell

Whenever we go out, my son always brings a Lego guy or two.  He is an avid Lego lover - who isn't? He is really into taking pictures of them for his Instagram.  They do grow up so quickly!

Laundry Fairies and House Elves

When I worked closer to home, my husband worked full time and long hours.  I would pick our son up from school, drive home, do the laundry, load the dishwasher, etc. My husband never saw the laundry process happen, he just always had clean clothes.  He would always say, "the laundry fairy came today".

Since my office relocated and I have an 1.25 hr commute (one way), my husband only works two days a week and home schools our son.  The tables have turned. Now I come home and the bed is made, the laundry washed, dried, and piled on our bed (sometimes folded and put away), and general household chores are complete.  Now I get to say, "the house elves were active today" or if the house is a mess "the house elves must be on strike".

This is our 3rd year of home schooling. The third year of my husband being a stay at home dad. Sometimes changes like this can tear a family apart or add a lot of tension. For us, it was the best decision we ever made. We are closer than ever.

PS: I'm no longer a laundry fairy and I'm okay with that.

Momentary Lapse of Reason and Bees

Ok, so I was going to quit this blog and even posted about it (which I've deleted). I thought it would make me feel like one less thing to cross off my list, but the fact is I really like this little space.  It made me feel sad and empty - not the relieved feeling I was going for at all.  So, what does one do when they feel like their "to do" list is unattainable? I guess I should just prioritize and stop putting pressure on myself, which is self induced anyway.  Type A personality here. Does anyone else do this to themselves? I'm blaming this on hormones, cold weather, and a third thing, which I can't come up with at the moment.

So moving on....

Last night, we got the most exciting news.  Our local beekeepers association has a scholarship program.  My son applied and was chosen.  What does this mean? We will be taking 6 sessions on beekeeping and then given two hives of our very own along with a mentor for two years to assist us in establishing our hive.  I've always wanted bees!  

The average beekeeper is 60 years of age.  The association wants to bring in a younger crowd so the art of beekeeping doesn't become a lost art. Last Christmas I was given this lovely book my a friend.  I've read it, but now I'm going to read it again with a different perspective.

This is so good on so many levels.  We can attend classes as a family. I can add this to next year's curriculum as part of our Science studies. Oh, and we get to keep bees!


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Tea for Two - Turning Four

I have two little nieces that were born 4 days apart. Since both my sisters find it hard to get everyone together two weekends in a row and so close to Thanksgiving, they decided to have them share a birthday party. It was perfect.  My mother is a pro at hosting teas, so naturally they asked if she could host the party.  The mamas enjoyed the day just as much as the little girls.

This is the kids table. Yes, the kids table...and not a thing was broken or spilled! They passed around the cream and sugar. It was so cute to see them try to use the tiny tongs for the sugar cubes (of which they used way too many!). 

A four layer cake for each year of their little lives.  My sister made one for each of them.  We sang Happy Birthday to them separately so each had their moment in the spotlight.

The adults were served this china which is over 100 years old. 

Goody bags with tiaras, pearl necklaces, fingernail polish, and makeup

Each girl received a rose. 

My sister and mother made kid friendly tea sandwiches including PB&J as well as the above ham and cheese.

There were sweets a plenty including chocolate covered strawberries and dark chocolate gelato.

 The party went really well. I was surprised at how entertained the girls were just playing grown up at the table. One of them told their mom that it was the best party she had ever been to.

Looking back

I was recently organizing some of our digital photos and found this series of photos that I just love.  My son still has a goofiness and hopefully he keeps this characteristic through his adulthood. 

Time flies! This little kid is now a young teen. It breaks my heart a little.

Colorado - other landmarks

We tried to make the most of our trip and hit some major landmarks that were within an hour or so of where we were staying. 

 We went to "dinosaur ridge". In 1877, some of the best-known dinosaurs were found here, including Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Stegosaurus, and Allosaurus.

 The Red Rocks Park stage is amazing. My sister in law and her husband saw Hillsong United here. I can't imagine how beautiful that must have been.

We also went to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. It was pretty interesting to see these structures build into the cliffs. It's so hard to imagine what life was like long ago, but this provides a small glimpse into the past world.

Our last hike was to Garden of Gods. My phone died so I didn't get any pictures. It was kind of nice to just hike and enjoy the moment without photographing everything.

We all really enjoyed our visit. My son kept saying he felt like we were on another planet because the trees, rock, mountains...everything is just so different. And, no matter how much my sister in law tried to convince us we should move out there, we all agreed we LOVE where we live and were happy to come back home to the changing leaves of WV.

Colorado - Winter Park

Our second day in Colorado, we went to Winter Park so my husband could mountain bike. This was their last day of the bike season before prepping the slopes for winter. I'm so glad he was able to ride. It would have been disappointing for him to visit CO and not bike or snowboard. 

 While he was biking, my son and I rode the lift up the mountain to do the Alpine Slide. You can see it in the above picture, It was kind of scary, but very fun.

The Aspens were all turning yellow. They looked like fire on the mountain, they were so vibrant!

We took advantage of the activities they had at the resort and then drove to a neighboring town to this little antique shop.

Luckily, my son loves thrift and antique shops, so he was just as content as I was.

Hey there! Let's go for a hike.

This summer has been the strangest I've ever seen.  The weather has been cool and breezy with an autumnal feel.  Normally by the end of summer plants are parched and dry.  This year, August is still full of lush green plants and mushrooms galore.  Take a hike with us and share in our discoveries.

fern forest + stream = perfection

I love these variegated leaves.

Meet: Yoda Bob. We found him mid-hike and spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know him.

This perfect mushroom growing among the moss was a gift, for sure.

These are quite poisonous, known as Jack-O-Lanterns. 

This tiny mushroom forest had an Eco system all it's own.

It's good to be back blogging.  Happy hiking friends!

Wild Edibles - Part 2

Continuing on our forage walk, with Santiago the Turkey in tow, we also learned about these plants:

 Toothwort - this plant has a whiteish root-stock that can be used in place of horseradish, just mix with vinegar and a pinch of salt.

 Jewel Weed is great for soothing poison ivy or the sting from nettles.  The stem has a liquid similar to aloe which can be directly applied to the skin.  Not surprisingly, this plant is normally found close to poison ivy - our Creator's way of giving a helping hand.  The leaves of this plant are also edible and nutritious.  Cook them up and add them to quiche for a delicious dinner.

Wild onions - this plant is getting ready to flower so the stem was a bit woody.  On younger plants, you can use the stem just like spring onions or chives.

This is another plant that grows in our yard that I just assumed was a worthless weed.  This is actually field mustard.  Who'd a thought, right?  This plant has a lot of nutritional value: vitamins A, B1, B2, and C. Mix the leaves with other greens to spice up a salad, saute like spinach, or add it when making pesto for a little zing.

This is Sassafras, which our family is very familiar with.  We make home made sarsaparilla, which is the most amazing, refreshing drink.  You can also use the root in teas as well.  The leaves are dried and used to flavor gumbo - which was new information for me.

These plants might be a little less common for your backyard, but we have mustard and sassafras growing on our property.  If you have any overgrown spaces, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

Hiking Up

A few minutes drive from our house, we park and hike up, up, up...

And get to the base of these rocks where we climb, climb, climb...

 And discover a Swallow's nest clinging to the side of a rock - amazing!

 And Mountain Laurel in full bloom...

And this amazing view.


*Side note: my husband is amazing.  I trust him completely.  He guides me through the woods as if by instinct.  He can identify trees and plants, knows what is edible, can identify birds by their call and flight.  He is a wealth of knowledge, an amazing cook, and a great dad.  So, shout out to the man of our house.  I love this guy.

Lego Challenge: Make a marble maze

My son and husband helped each other build this amazing marble maze that worked.  Three hours of working together, trial and error, design discussion, and compromise led to the construction of this:

Coming Home

You may remember Bumps our turtle.  About ten months ago he went on a great adventure. In desperation to calm my son I told him Bumps would most likely return after he had seen the world.  I had zero hopes of that really happening.  Little did I know that he really would return to us!

Well, this may not be the original Bumps, we really have no way of knowing.  On Mother's Day, my husband was hiking about 2 miles from our house and found this little guy and brought him home.  He is the correct size for an almost 3 year old box turtle.  My son is 100% convinced it is him and without hesitation he recreated his habitat, dug up some worms, and placed Mr. Bumps in old home.

Even though I have my doubts, it still feels like a miracle. I felt elated and excited at the possibility that this really could be him.  It's silly, I know, but I can't help it.

The Jar of Ideas

Apparently I like using jars and paper to keep us entertained.  A few years ago, I created "The Jar of Ideas".  This was created out of desperation to keep my kid engaged, learning (Shhh - don't tell him!), and unplugged during lazy summer days.

Every summer the jar is brought out - along with a journal - which is needed for some of the activities.  It is something that my son  looks forward to.  It's like an advent calendar for each day of summer. 

The sneaky thing about The Jar of Ideas is that it motivates other creative play.  Before you know it, a 10 minute activity has led to a day of fun.

My son is eleven.  Some of our ideas are:

1. Sit outside with your nature journal.  Write down how many birds you see and can identify.
2. Using water colors, paint a tree from our back yard.
3. Clean the glass on the sliding glass doors. (yes, sometimes it is a chore - bonus for the parents!)
4. Choose 5 plants, crush the leaves or flowers and smell them.  Describe their smell - and taste if edible-in your journal.
5. Wash 5 articles of clothing by hand. Hang them out to dry.
6. Write and mail a letter to a friend.
7. Learn how to make french toast.
8. Challenge a parent to a push-up contest.
9. Go on a flower hunt.  Draw the flowers in your nature journal. What is the name, color, number of petals, scent...?
10. Create a profile silhouette.
11. Submit a new flavor of ice cream to Ben & Jerry's.
12. Take the camera, photograph 3 different types of spiders, draw them in your journal.
13. Look through cookbooks. Find a recipe, make a grocery list, purchase items, and make it.
14. Draw our house using charcoals
15. Do 30 minutes of yard work
16. Play a board game
17. Lego challenge: Build a ship
18. Build an obstacle course outside
19. Make lunch today
20. Write a short story about a squirrel named Fred.

Drawing Together

This month is all about love, so why not bring your family together to draw?  You'd be surprised how much fun it really is.  We play a game called "Draw It" (apparently we aren't very creative when coming up with names for games).

The rules are simple: Someone says a random thing to draw and everyone draws their version of said thing.  If you want to make it more intense you can add a time limit.  When everyone is finished or time is up, compare pictures and let the laughing begin.  If you want to make it a game of Win or Lose, you can vote on the best picture each round and apply a point to that person.  We just play for fun.  It's great for all ages and drawing talent isn't really required.

A tree cutting itself in half.  I particularly like that my son adds dialogue to most of his drawings.

A pineapple dancing on a lollipop.

A fish catching butterflies.

Even after you have finished the game, you will find that your kids still want to draw...so you let them.

This would also make a fun gift to put together. Drawing paper, newly sharpened pencils, rules to the game, and a jar of random drawing ideas to get them started.

Books are for Reading

I recently stumbled across this post: 65-favorite-read-aloud-books-for-boys-. The books mentioned would be good for any kid or adult, for that matter.  We've read about 40% of the ones on her list.  Cold weather is the perfect time to snuggle up and read a good book without feeling guilty.  What else are you going to do?

Even though my son is 11, I still read aloud in the evenings while he plays legos or draws.  This is by his request, which really warms my heart because I know these days are numbered.

Some books that I would add to this list are:

My Side of the Mountain is a 1959 young-adult fiction novel by Jean Craighead George about a boy who learns about courage, independence, and the need for companionship while attempting to live in a forested area of New York. The book was one of three novels to be named to the Newbery Medal Honors list in 1960,^[1] and was loosely adapted into a movie in 1969. My Side of the Mountain also spawned several sequels.

The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's adventure novel and modern fairy tale by Norton Juster. It was published in 1961 with illustrations by Jules Feiffer. It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do, decides to drive through it in his toy car. The tollbooth transports him to a land called the Kingdom of Wisdom. There he acquires two faithful companions, has many adventures, and goes on a quest to rescue the princesses of the kingdom—Princess Rhyme and Princess Reason—from the castle of air. The text is full of puns, and many events, such as Milo's jump to the Island of Conclusions, exemplify literal meanings of English language idioms.

Harriet the Spy is a children's novel written and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh that was published in 1964. It has been called "a milestone in children’s literature" and a "classic."

The Moomins (Swedish: Mumintroll, Finnish: Muumi) are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published inSwedish by Schildts^[2] in Finland. They are a family of white, roundish fairy tale characters with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses. The carefree and adventurous family live in their house in Moominvalley, though in the past their temporary residences have included a lighthouse and a theatre. They have had many adventures along with their various friends.

Currently we are reading: 

The Magic City By E. Nesbi, firrst published in 1910.  

Philip and Lucy are transported into a magic city he built from toys. All are threatened with disaster if the children can't save them through valiant deeds. 

Happy reading, and if you come across a good book, please let me know!

Hiking on Up

I love how the topography changes as the elevation increases.  The rocks become larger, the trees thicker.

 Rocks like these just call to me and make me feel like a kid.  I can't help but climb on them.We play lava and can't touch the ground.

and then we find emerald gems, clinging to a cold rock and absorbing the winter's sun.