Christmas at Grandma Sam's

Blessing

We have been neglecting our dinner time blessing as of late.  I don't know why that happens periodically but it does.  I decided what we really needed to get us back on track was some inspiration.  A new candle was defiantly in order.



And a new blessing as well.



I searched high and low and found this simple (new to us) blessing

"Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you God for everything."



Ahh, that's better.

Moments

Slowly but surely we are finding a new rhythm to our days.  One thing I am definitely appreciating this go around is the space between Jackson and Nora.  Not to mention the space between Nora and Grace.  Aside from the fact that Grace and Jackson can be so helpful at this age, they are also very content to play on their own.  The warmer winter this year has been so great because it makes going outside all the more enticing.  Usually twice a day they head out to climb trees, play mud kitchen, or play with the chickens (and possibly bringing them into the milk house and then accidentally forgetting to take them out leading us to believe we lost two of them... for two days. ahem).  At least once a day this week I have found myself sitting with a little time alone (though usually with a sleeping Nora in my arms, but how could I complain about that).  Quite honestly I didn't think it was possible to have time to myself during the day with three kids, especially when one is just a baby.  But magically there is.  And I have been fully appreciating these little pockets of time, to knit, or write, or just sit by the fire. 

Crossing my fingers it continues.

(I'm giving myself some more time to just allow our new rhythm to develop naturally and then I'm going to begin to add to it.  I want to create a new meal plan as well as a general guide for our days and our week.  I need to bring back our painting day (that disappeared somewhere in my third trimester of pregnancy) and of course our baking day.  I think this time I will put the new plan here so I have it for future reference.)

A Day of Home

Gosh it was a busy week... 
~ Last weekend Ryan was away hunting
~ And got a deer (yeah)
~ My mom came and stayed with us while he was gone which was fun
~ I took a class to learn how to do this to my kitchen (and someday every wall in our house)
~ I painted my bathroom (love it)
~ Grace and Jackson are still fighting their colds
~ I had a three hour doctors appointment (which ended with good news, no gestational diabetes)
~ We had friends and family for lunch one day
~ We've been getting up early (will we ever get adjusted to daylight savings time)
~ And so some of us have been a wee bit crabby
~ (Just writing all that was exhausting...)

So today, we needed a home day.  Time to relax and catch up on all the things that normally fill our days.



I made granola.  And soup.



We had a tea party.



There was some knitting.



And chicken time.



I tended the garden (one last bag of potatoes). 
And caught up on laundry. 
Along with some cleaning and a host of other things. 

It is amazing how a day of home can restore my sense of balance.  I now have a clean house (and clean kids), and leftover soup for tomorrows lunch.  I couldn't feel more ready to start the weekend.

Baking Day

Wednesday is baking day for Jackson and I.  While Grace is at school, doing some baking of her own, the two of us spend this day in the kitchen as well (something we both really enjoy) making muffins, bread, or whatever the most recent harvest demands. 



Today it was apples.  Applesauce and apple muffins. 



I did make some applesauce last year too but it didn't turn out quite as well.  This year I read over several recipes but in the end decided to come up with my own experiment.  For once I got lucky. 



This is some good applesauce if I do say so myself.



Amy's Applesauce
16 apples (a mix of different kinds is best)
2 tsps of cinnamon
1/2 cup of sugar
3 cups of water

Peel and core apples.  Add all ingredients to a large pot.  Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool a bit and if there is still a lot of extra water drain some of it (a little water is okay).  Then run through a blender.  Freeze or can to preserve.

Painting Day

With the change in heart about me working this year, and being that I now have the opportunity to be home each day with Grace and Jackson, I decided I wanted to use the rhythm of the Waldorf kindergarten (that I learned so well last year) as a guide for our own days. 



So each week we begin our Monday morning (right after breakfast) with Painting Day.  While art (and painting) is usually a part of our week on many more occasions then just this.  I decided to dedicate this particular morning (just as they do in kindergarten) to the traditional Waldorf style painting of wet on wet watercolor.  Working in the kindergarten last year I learned to appreciate this style of painting so much, as well as the care, intention, and sense of importance that was put into this task each week.  By limiting the time spent painting (each child paints only one picture) but maximizing the quality of everything involved in it (the very best watercolor paints, paper, and brushes are used) "Painting Day" carried with it a big sense of excitement and appreciation.  And as a result, the children painted the most beautiful paintings. 

This week was the third week of Painting Day and I can already see how much they are loving it.  I often hear throughout the week "is it painting day today?" which I take as a good sign.  And I must say I am enjoying it myself as well.  I always sit down and paint with them (just as the teachers do at school) and it always gets my day off to the right start. 

More about the rest of our weekly rhythm soon...