Magic

Our eurythmy teacher angel dancing with her lantern in the darkness. So beautiful!





We had a magical beginning to our weekend with our school's lantern walk on Friday night. The children all had their lanterns they made in class as well as gnome hats lovingly made by their teachers or parents. It was a perfect Oregon night - full of rain. C gave up on her lantern before the walk even began (as brother rain kept putting out the candle) and K tried her hardest to keep her flame going but it just wasn't happening.

I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to get any pictures (due to the rain and the squirmy baby on my chest shaking my camera), but that's ok. We have our family lantern walk on Martinmas coming up in just a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll have better luck then. You can see last year's school lantern walk here and our family lantern walks from previous years here.



Kevin had to work on Saturday so we were unable to have our family day, but we made up for it on Sunday. This was to be our pumpkin carving day.
Our day started out with K and I getting some much needed time alone together, while Kevin had some time with C and Baby L. We ran out to buy K some fairy wings for Halloween and ended up also picking up a little cheap special nativity scene she fell in love with. We knew we couldn't come back home without something for C, too, so K picked out a balloon for her. It was a big hit, let me tell you! They both loved it so much they decided they wanted their pumpkin to be carved just like it.I think that may have been a bit of a relief to Kevin who fulfilled their kitty and Stellaluna requests in the past.
K and I were greeted with a warm fire and fresh baked cookies. I could get used to this sort of homecoming!





Kevin requested some time alone with his girls so Baby L and I disappeared into the kitchen to make dinner while they carved the pumpkin. I did have to sneak in a couple of times for pictures, though.





My little chef! We just started putting him in the high chair as he is beginning to sit up a bit on his own. It feels so funny, though. Now we need to go shopping for a chair for C. (Hopefully we can find it at a thrift store.) I don't know what to call them though - it's like a high chair but without the tray... anyone know what those are called? Anyways, back to the pumpkin magic.







The girls came to see Baby L and I in the kitchen to show me that Daddy had started cutting their pumpkin, so I followed with my camera. By the time their jack-o-lantern was finished, so was dinner. We ate a picnic style dinner on the living room staying warm by the fire. It was the perfect way to bring the day to a close.



After dinner we lit the candle in our pumpkin and read one of our favorite fall time books: Pumpkin Moonshine,by the fire. Then it was time for all the little ones to be asleep in their beds. That part of the day was a bit rough, as to be expected. The girls know today is Sunday and that means that it's back to work for Daddy tomorrow, leaving us without him, again, until next weekend. I don't blame them for getting anxious and cranky. I feel the same way!

I hope we can have more magical days like this in the future. I realize I did not convey just how magical these days were for us. It's something I am feeling but yet can not seem to put into words. Today, especially, reminded me of those fun family days from my own childhood. I know I will be holding on to it in my heart for a long time to come.

Now, please excuse me as I go back to relax and knit by that cozy fire!

P.S. I have been working on some much needed re-organizing here. If you are looking for the tutorial links, they all have their own page now located underneath my header. More organizing to come. I am just feeling a bit cluttered lately.

Magic

Re-do

This week we seized the opportunity to make up for our failed pumpkin picking attempt last Friday. I am so glad we were able to. Of course with it being so late in the pumpkin picking season, there wasn't much left for us. The girls loved it either way and that's really what matters.
I'm exhausted so I think I'll let the pictures do most of the talking...



First we stopped at the grocery store by school and I snapped a pic of the three of them in a pile of pumpkins. As you can see that didn't work out.



Where did my girls go?





I usually don't go for posed photos and prefer to just get the images that truly capture the moment but I felt the need to try to get a picture of all three of my children together. I hadn't really tried until then.
As I am sure you can imagine (especially if you have more than one kid), it was an interesting experience trying to get all three of them to look at me at the same time...













One silly face led to another...





and before you knew it, the silliness took over everyone.



















It was all worth the wait!



Baby L caught on to what all the giggles were about back at the pumpkin patch by the time we arrived back home.



Then he needed to nurse before I could change him into warmer clothes (it's colder in our house than it is outside so we actually put on more layers at home- weird, I know). K asked if she could take a picture with my camera. I do believe this is the one and only picture of Baby L and I together (minus the couple of photos my midwife took right after he was born). I will always treasure it, with my crazy hair and all.

P.S. - Rav notes for pumpkin hats here and Baby L's longies (more info on them soon) here.

Re-do

Be it ever so humble

Hello there! Please let me welcome you to our little, messy home. Take a little peek at how Autumn's beauty is taking over our home, starting with our family nature table:







Remember that felted pumpkin K and I made so many years ago?







K's beeswax pumpkins



One of our wet felted acorns (tutorial here)

Our family nature table has it's own Halloween/lantern walk/Martinmas thing going on right now. My children and I do two lantern walks. Our family lantern walk around the neighborhood on Martinmas and then our school's lantern walk at a local garden. The school's lantern walk is done near Halloween.



The girls' nature table (located in their bedroom) is much simpler. I love to see how they decorate it. Let's ignore the non existent molding at the bottom of the walls. If only we knew fixing up a house was so much money/work before we bought it!





Living room seasonal pictures and the girls' bookcase with their autumn books(beautiful needle felted bird by The Singing Bird).





See, all that bees waxing eventually paid off! More garlands to come in the rest of our house.




Apple tree over the girl's table (and felted pumpkin at their doll highchair)



Autumn tree in the girls' bathroom

Lastly, the nature table at our home away from home (K's classroom at school). I had this great plan to get a picture of K's classroom nature table every time it changed this year. I have already failed at that plan as this is the first time I took pictures of it. Ov vey!








Be it ever so humble, theres no place like home!

Be it ever so humble