The Christmas Tree and Santa

On Thanksgiving

This was one of my favorite Thanksgivings ever.  I will have more pictures soon as one of my camera cards isn't transferring and has to get "restored".  In the mean time these will have to do.  Some of the highlights...

~ The snow!  It started in the morning and didn't stop all day.
~ The snowy hike we took on my path
~ Everything and everyone so relaxed
~ The puzzling and game playing and dog walking and snow boarding.
~ The beeswax candle holders the kids made at the holiday fair looking so beautiful on the table
~ Dinner.  Katie- cranberries, cream cheese corn, green beans. Mom- potatoes and stuffing and gravy.  Me- butternut squash soup pumpkin pie and turkey with Ryan (a 25 pound one this year!!).  Jackson- cornbread.  Pretty much the same collaboration we've been doing for years now and it is oh so good.
~ Dessert.  We had so many desserts this year that Grace made a menu and took orders.  Sam brought all of her pies along with my pumpkin pie and then of course there was Grace's pumpkin bars and Nora's apple crisp.
~ Having Katie and Kris stay after the kids went to bed for a glass of wine
~ Leftovers!

Happy Birthday Grandma Lee

Making Jump Ropes at The Holiday Fair

Our Felt Books

{Grace's is the one in the middle and not finished yet}





I loved everything about this project.  From the quiet hours we spent by the fire with felt and needles, to the finished product.  The kids were so proud of them too.  I want to do at least one more hand-sewing felt project with them this year.  Grace has a little bit of sewing left to do on hers but is determined to finish it up for a birthday present for Grandma Lee.

Sometimes...

Sometimes, even when everyone isn't feeling 100% better you just have to go and do that thing that you planned on anyway.  Like go and see the Wizard of Oz at the Children's Theater.  Good decision.

Life

Over the last few weeks I have cut down a winding path through our little patch of land.  It weaves through woods and meadows and connects up with the land trust behind our house as well.



I think we have used it everyday since I started making it.  It is my new favorite way to start our day.  Just a nice little hike looking for birds (or fairies, as was the case today).



It has also been my saving grace as we are on one of the longest sick runs we have experienced since Nora was a baby.  Every now and then we have a day where everyone is well and I think it's all behind us and then a new illness strikes.  Two nights ago Jackson got a fever.  When he woke up yesterday it was almost gone and then by the end of the day it had disappeared.  We were able to join Ryan's mom and Scott to have a birthday dinner celebration.

 

I mistakenly assumed all was well and then last night he woke up in the night with a fever of 103.  Then this morning, it was magically gone again.  But, now tonight he said he had a tummy ache.
 


Then there is the nagging cough all three of them have that will not go away.  We have had to cancel so many things over the last month.  I'm just looking forward to everyone being healthy again.  



Anyway, back to this path that I love.  We have made so many new discoveries over the last few weeks and I feel like we're getting to know our land in a whole new way.  Old farm "treasures", birds and animals, and even some fairy signs have all been showing up on our little hikes.

Today the kids got really excited because the water is so high right now so instead of having just one pond there are at least three back there- they're envisioning some major ice skating rinks.  As for me I'm still enjoying the milder weather.  Most days I don't even need a jacket.  Considering the long winters we have I'm appreciating this little gift.

Pumpkin Empanadas and Dia De Los Muertos

We have been learning about Mexico over the past month and I was so excited to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos last Monday.  But since I was unable to leave my bed last Monday that obviously didn't happen.  So instead I decided we would do it this week.

I had decided we would make pumpkin empanadas (from this recipe) for our celebration.  Then ironically, just in time to use them, Grace and Jackson uncovered two pumpkins from the garden (hard to imagine we could have missed pumpkins, I mentioned the weeds right?).  This was great news since I hadn't had the chance to bake one pumpkin this year as the only one I found was about the size of a large apple.

These were really fun to make. They loved the process of rolling out the dough, filling them with up and making pockets out of them.  I thought they were really good to eat too but the kids didn't enjoy them as much as I did.  I think we might have put too much filling in them though.  Next time less filling.

I am so intrigued by this holiday.  I would love to learn more about it and even make it an annual tradition.

Unfortunately Grace got sick again today.  She wasn't herself all day and by bedtime she had a fever.  Crossing my fingers it's gone by tomorrow.  We really haven't had good luck with illnesses over the last month.