Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Painting

I think this was her first time.  Is it bad that I don't know?


Two minutes of painting, twenty minutes of washing out her brush, one happy toddler.  Of course as soon as I got her into dry clothes she was trying to open the paint again.  Because seventeen-month-olds do have opinions about what they want to do and when they want to do it!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Making Christmas, Part 2

Behold, more Christmas crafting fun!

Dolls that I made for the girls:


This was another of the projects I'd planned for years, and finally accomplished this Christmas.  I'm so happy with how they turned out, these little muslin dolls with embroidered faces.   They were actually pretty easy and only took a few after-bedtimes to make, patterning to finishing.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

On Having Enough

A few weeks ago, while we were wandering around a local greenhouse, Matthew and I made an impulse purchase. 

Friday, January 13, 2012

Cooking Lessons

As you probably know by now, I do a lot of cooking with my girls.  And yet I find I have so much still to learn.  That's the thing about this parenting gig.  As soon as I think I have (part of) it figured out, they grow up a little bit more and learn to read enough to work the forbidden TV at a friend's house.  Why is it always my kid who does these things?

But back to the cooking.  Right.

What I learned from cooking with my sixteen-month-old this morning.



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Making Christmas, Part I

We had a very crafty Christmas gifts this year, with much secret sewing in the dining room and routing on the porch.  There were some group efforts and some individual projects, all done with much care and love.  In fact, that I don't know who enjoyed these handmade gifts more, the givers or the receivers. 

Here is the finger labyrinth Matthew carved for me, modeled after the one that I've walked at Shrine Mont, which is based on the one at Chartres Cathedral:



A little bit of that Shrine Mont peace and quiet in my own home.  Perfect!

The mini-quilt I made for my mom, loosely based on a picture I took while backpacking in Shenandoah National Park:

Monday, January 9, 2012

Snows

Today we had some unexpected snow showers.  Here I am today with Betsy under a tree in our front yard:


And here we are under the same tree, nearly 5 years ago.


I'm not sure which of us has aged more.  But we both still do think the snow is a pretty wonderful thing to see.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Thursday, January 5, 2012

There is a Time for Everything

And a season for every activity under the heavens.  (Ecclesiastes 3)

A time for bringing home our tree,





Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Talk About Excited

Today was the first day back at school, and Betsy's class was out on the playground as usual when I arrived to pick her up.  These kids were having a great time, tearing around with the pent-up energy of two weeks off from school, two weeks of Christmas candy and presents, two weeks away from friends and teachers.  There were whoops of glee as kids leaped off playground equipment and spun in circles and boinged off the school windows.

And then it began to snow.

Monday, January 2, 2012

The Last Day of Vacation

It has been a good vacation, and perhaps the most peaceful in years.  We didn't travel.  We didn't host out-of-town visitors.  Matthew has been home for nearly two weeks.  All wonderful things.

Tomorrow we Go Back to School and Work and Get Back Into a Routine.  But today.  Today we are visiting with friends and indulging in winter fun:




 


Kitty tummy!

Happy day.