Inside and outside it is feeling very wintery and festive around here. We have been enjoying visiting with friends, crafting and making and whispering ideas about solstice gifts to each other, reading endless piles of books, playing and skiing and drinking eggnog together by the fire with a good book.

I hope you are all cozy and warm where you are, friends.

snow day

Today was such a beautiful snowy day. It snowed all day, big, beautiful fluffy flakes.

The nature table has been switched over to its sparse winter state. The boys have been enjoying arranging the crystals and stones.

More snowflake making today, this time with friends. And some self portraiture. This is Dorian wearing his snowsuit.

Books by the fire while we wait for Papa to get home. A good wintry sort of day

inside: outside

 Inside we've been:

:: cooking soup using the last of the fresh garden tomatoes

:: knitting with my morning tea

:: building and playing, playing and building

:: playing with friends- these sea captins our sailing their boat on the high seas

::loving up our littlest friend, oh the baby sweetness just fills up our home!

:: a little bit of sewing- finally a proper apron for this mama!

And outside we've been:

::snacking in the snow

:: shovelling the pond and playing on the ice

:  and jumping and sledding and rolling and tumbling and just generally having a good time in the white stuff!

Happy Thursday friends!

this and that

Well, outside, it has been doing a whole lot of this:

I took this picture last night and it has been snowing fairly steadily since. Perry cancelled the appointment to get the snow tires off. This often happens in April, but every year I feel stir crazy as our spring energy returns but our spring weather comes and goes. We are so ready to be outside digging in the dirt!

We've been keeping busy anyway, ignoring the white stuff and working on projects inside.

The boys have been very serious about their construction projects which begin as soon as they get out of bed. Villages with tight ropes and gnome-run stores and animal habitats.

I've been keeping busy in the kitchen. On top of the fridge are brewing some strange and delightful concoctions- kefir and kimchi and water-kefir cream soda (can't wait to try that cream soda!). I hadn't made yogurt in a long time, and made a big batch today. It turned out so well I think we can end our commercial yogurt dependency. We eat a lot of yogurt, so that is rather exciting. Perry and I have been having lots of conversations about how to get a little more self sufficient around here. I have been noticing that we are purchasing less and less at the grocery store and eating more local foods, which feels great. We are making all sorts of plans for our garden this year (another way to get through this long winter-spring season!) and expanding the foods we grow and preserve.

I also finished this pair of pants for Ari. I have made myself a bit of a commitment to try and make or thrift the clothes they need and not buy anything new for awhile. And it is so much fun!

And I am ever so sleepy and wondering what happened to my plan to get to bed early tonight.

Goodnight friends.

inside day

We had to cancel our outing and playdate today as Dori woke up with a sick tummy. Even as he was throwing up he was trying to convince me that he was not sick and should get to go play with his friend, but we postponed our plans and stayed in today. I made a tummy tea with fennel and catnip and chamomile and nettles that is so yummy we all drank it today. It is the same tea I made myself for after Dorian's birth as it is tonic and good for relaxation. The smell of it brought back memories.

Though Ari looks sweet in this picture, he is actually a mean troll who was stealing treasures to hoard in his cave. Pine cones, candle wax, rocks, sea shells, buttons. He was such a sweet big brother today, (even as a troll he was helping the "baby troll" get some treasures too!) worried about Dori and his sick tummy he made him a cozy spot on the couch with a sheepskin, and set to work creating one of his masterpiece artworks for him. And Dorian's response when he gave it to him was adorable- "Wow Ari! You made it!" Though they often drive each other crazy, it is the most wondrous thing to watch these boys become such dear friends.
So another day for knitting and sitting close to the wood stove. I think March always feels like this- like plodding through never ending days of sickness and winter weather that has worn out its welcome. I haven't tired of knitting though. Or the wood stove for that matter. So I'll try to focus on that.

There are a bunch of new babies due in our lives again (no- not me!) and I am happily knitting away for them. The above little sweater has been frogged since I took this picture; I realized there wasn't enough wool and this pretty yarn needs to be something else. Not sure what yet, but I started the same sweater in a lighter wool that I have lots of in my stash. Still trying to move through the stash so I can justify a little wool shopping in the future.

Cooking porridge on the wood stove, too. Why don't I do this more? Have to get in the habit. I just get used to cooking on the kitchen stove and don't think to carry the pots over to the next room, but I plan to do more of this.
Plus, the reflection in the pot gives a fun view of us in the living room!
And one quick birthday pic of my love and his birthday helpers.
Hope you are all warm and well.

outside and in

Outside it is very cold again, and the wind has been sometimes fierce, but we are getting out when we can. The boys in their woolens and superduper snow suits stay warm much longer than I do. I've been walking spiral paths in the snow beside their favorite play spots so I can stay moving. Plus, there is something soothing about spiralling in and out through the snow while my children play happily beside me. And the sight of it outside my window makes me smile.

Inside there are many projects happening. This was a recent knitting session. Some knots to untangle, but they both enjoyed digging in my knitting basket and practicing their knitting. A superhero cape helps too.

arty

It has been a little crazy around here lately. We have been managing to carve out some family time amidst the busy-ness, and these are some pictures of a lovely spontaneous craft session Ari initiated- making Halloween decorations for our home. Our walls and windows are covered with some seriously cute monsters (still his favorite subject!), witches, bats and skeletons. ::skeletons::
::black cat on a broomstick::
::bat::

This is a monster (I'm not sure if he has really long teeth or if his feet are coming out of his mouth, or if his eyes are somehow connected to his pointy teeth, but really, anything goes with monsters, right?) and Ari traced over my lettering with such focused concentration. This is by far the longest art making/craft project he has ever had. He just kept going back for more- after a morning of monster making he spent most of the afternoon drawing and cutting and taping, and then declared the evening "family monster night" and we all sat at the table after supper and made monsters together. I love this kid.

There was also a midday bath-paint session. I make this by putting diluted castile soap through a foam soap dispenser and mixing it with food colour. The boys spent a good hour painting the walls and themselves, cleaning the walls and themselves and then playing with some animal toys in the greenish-blue water and soap "icebergs" Did I mention it has been rainy and miserable out? We have to keep busy somehow! The craziness I mentioned is related to some changes up here on our community land. One of the families we bought with 8 years ago have decided to sell their section and move into town. Given the fact that we are all owners of the property, this has been a little complicated, involving meetings and meetings and more meetings, though all very amiable ones, thankfully. But all the trips to banks and lawyers and e-mails and phone calls and legal documents and late-night-after-the-kids-are-in-bed property meetings has meant a very busy month.

But everyone is pleased with the process and the new directions we are headed, so we are grateful, and glad it it almost done!

And I am sitting here at 10:00 at night with a two-year-old who will not sleep. He is happy enough- opening our homeopathic kit and pretending to give the remedies to "somun (someone) sick" and packing it back up to bring with him on his choo-choo train trip. Though he doesn't seem the slightest bit tired, I am feeling pretty exhausted, so I'll be packing up this little homeopathic doctor of mine and heading to bed now. Goodnight!