Soul Carving

Rosemary. Sage. Thyme. An embroidered cloth which belonged to Richard's grandmother. Collection of second-hand dishes which have become  our seasonal treasures. Cranberry Salad Preparing  Thanksgiving Punch Working on our "Thankful Tree" Crayon "bark" gets caught under our fingernails. The finished product. Complete with resident cardinal. (Painted by 9 year old artist) Awaiting the feast. (Indian corn napkin holders are also the work of young artist) Turkey Rolls Ready to "gobble" it up! Sweet feet. Happy, even though he's too young for solids. Sisters More sweet feet. Love.      Many, many years ago, they left everything they'd ever known for the hope of creati...

Time to count your blessings! Assortment of bath toys drying out Hand-crafted Light Sabers.     Weekends are a good time for reflection. Sometimes I'll print up charts for the children listing all the activities we've taken part in through the week. Then they'll circle their 2 favorites and explain why. I don't think I can narrow my week down to 2 favorites. But here's a sampling: Monday - decorating our new wall clock with "Thankful Leaves" (it warmed my heart to hear the                  children's responses to "What are you thankful for?")  Tuesday - Baking (and eating) pumpkin muffins (using my own frozen pumpkin puree!)  Wednesday - Reading aloud Thanksgiving Mad Libs to a handful of giggling girls at a homeschooling                       group activity (You ...

     Halloween costumes, falling leaves, tricks and treats. October was filled with traditional joys and new-found pleasures.     Recently we read the first book in the Harry Potter series together. The children thoroughly enjoyed it and have been waving around pencil wands and chanting spells ever since. So it came as no surprise when the oldest three decided to dress as Harry, Ron and Hermoine for Halloween. (We borrowed Harry's costume from a former neighbor - Thanks! Mr. Weasley's uniform came from mom's closet, and Miss Granger's was a graduation robe from the thrift store.) They were all tickled to be wearing their Sunday clothes underneath their robes - especially Hermoine who had to borrow her brother's white shirt and tie!      This little one's costume came into being after inspiration struck upon seeing her striped stockings. She thought it was strange to have Mama draw on her face with pencils, but she c...