A New Favorite Spot

Last Friday the girls and I did some much needed cleaning (hence the missing pink curtains on their windows). We spent most of the morning in their room, sorting through things they no longer need, thinning out stuff from the top of their dresser and bookcase and giving it a bit of a bigger girl "feel". This sweet room has grown with them beautifully, not needing much more than a simple little change to feel like a "bigger girl" room each time they moved from one stage to the next. The simple act of placing their dollhouse on the bookcase was one such change. The moment we did that the room just felt older to us. It's crazy how something so simple can have such a profound impact! As soon as the dollhouse was placed on the bookcase the girls got to work setting it up. It's so nice to finally have a place where it cam remain set up and be played with more easily than it has been in the past! It's seen lots of playtime already and I have a feeling it will be a favorite spot for many moons to come! xo 

Blackberries For Michaelmas

Today we celebrated Michaelmas. Michaelmas is always celebrated on September 29th, and is in part a day to honor the harvest, as well as as day to focus on courage and inner strength. Legend says that this is the day that Saint Michael cast Lucifer out of heaven. Traditionally, in Waldorf circles, this day is all about facing your fears, being courageous and defeating the dragon (whatever your dragon may be). Often times the story of Saint George and the Dragon is told (or for older kids the story of Lucifer being cast out of heaven). We participated in our first Michaelmas celebration a few years back but have not celebrated this festival much since. This year felt like the right time to re-introduce Michaelmas into our festival celebrations and so we've been talking about it and preparing for it for a little bit. In my searching for ways to celebrate Michaelmas I came across an old tradition that says that Michaelmas Day is the last day that one should pick and eat blackberries. I found recipes for blackberries and cream and a sweet coloring page on Activity Village (which truly is the best place for coloring sheets) and knew then that we must do something with blackberries on this festival day. Our day started and ended with blackberries (coloring pages this morning and dessert this evening) and in the middle we gathered with other Waldorf homeschoolers to eat dragon bread, hear stories, sing songs and play games. I am so glad that we re-introduced this festival this year. It was a glorious Michaelmas Day all around, and we're looking forward to continuing these traditions for years to come! xo

"Brave and true I will be, 

Each good deed sets me free. 

Each kind word makes me strong.
I will fight for right,
I will conquer the wrong."

-Traditional Waldorf verse

Sunday Evening

Some nights just call for s'mores with the next door neighbors! xo

Fun Mail

 Yesterday as the girls and I were heading to the Post Office to mail some mail (and buy some of the fabulous farmers market stamps) we got to talking about how it had been awhile since we last sent mail to our friends in Canada. We chatted about what to send them next, mailed what we needed to mail and headed back home. With this discussion still fresh in our minds we were very surprised to see Grace come running down from our mailbox with a package in her hands and bursting with excitement. "Mama! Mama! Look! A package from our friends!" We quickly found a spot to sit and opened the mail. Inside we found a note for each girl (and one for me!) and two little parcels wrapped up. We read the girls' notes, then each one selected something to open. Grace opened the package that contained the sweet felted acorns ("she makes the best things, mama!") and Emma opened the healing salve ("It smells so good, mama! Can I use some on my boo-boo right now?"). It should be noted that as of this posting her boo-boo (which was very prominent) is now healed! Thanks, Kim! So, now we have two girls who want to learn all about how to use plants to make healing items, and we surely have our work cut out for us when it comes to what to send to our very talented and generous friends! xo

{This Moment} Fairy House

{This Moment} - A Soule Mama Friday ritual. A single  photo - no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments section for all to find and see. We wish you a lovely first weekend of autumn! xo

T Is For Trees

How sweet are the trees that Emma made for the letter T? I helped her with the evergreen tree (and the top of the big tree) but the rest is all her. This page is just so sweet and came out so great that she asked that I share it with all of you! Oh, and for those (like my mom) who will be wondering about the spot below her nose, she got scratched while playing a running game with friends last Sunday. She's no worse for the wear thankfully! xo

Morning, Noon And Night

Morning, noon and night...three little peeks into our day today. 

Morning, 10:00am

Noon, 3:55pm

Night, 7:15pm

If you would like to play along leave your link in the comments so that I can stop by and visit. xo

Welcoming Autumn

Yellow the bracken,

Golden the sheaves, 

Rosy the apples, 

Crimson the leaves, 

Mist on the hillsides, 

Clouds grey and white, 

Autumn, good morning,

Summer, good night! 

-Traditional Waldorf verse

It's felt like autumn arrived a few weeks ago around here as there has been a delightful crispness in the air for awhile already. Apples, pumpkins and cider are appearing at local farms and farmers markets and stores, and we're starting to make plans about what needs to get done before winter's arrival. With the arrival of autumn the nature table has been switched over (it's our tradition to switch it over on the solstices or equinoxes). The summer gnome (made by my dear friend Kim over at Mothering with Mindfulness) has been put away and the sweet autumn acorn gnome she made for us has been brought out of his resting place. The Autumn book by Gerda Muller was ordered (and received) and our front door decoration has gone from our bunny welcome sign to a lovely cluster of Indian Corn. 

There is just something so magical about the season of autumn, isn't there? Growing up in New England (and living here still) I think I took autumn for granted until the last handful of years. Had I not, I do think that Dave and I would have been married in October rather than August, if for no other reason than the amazing weather and sheer beauty of the trees in all their autumnal splendor! It's safe to say that October has become my favorite color ('cause really, is there anything more gorgeous?)!

 We're looking forward to all that this splendid season has in store for us, dear friends. We wish you a lovely autumn, too. May it be full of magic, love and many blessings. Welcome, autumn! We're so glad you've returned. xo

On The Last Day Of Summer

Glorious weather. A trip to the playground. A visit with friends we hadn't seen in far too long (that sadly I didn't take any pictures of while we were together), and a quick stop for some frozen yogurt on the way home. A perfect last day of summer, indeed. xo

Peace

Happy International Day of Peace from our family to yours! xo

A Fairy Lovely Day

 A few days ago I received a message from one of my favorite people (and the girls beloved yoga teacher) about the Portsmouth Fairy House Tour. She knows how much we adore fairies and gnomes in this family and was curious if we had ever been to this fairy house event before  (we hadn't). She was planning to attend the event so that she could have first hand knowledge of it for New England Fall Events (one of the fabulous autumn themed websites she puts together) and was hoping to get our take as well should we decide to go. Not being a family to pass up an adventure we packed a lunch (and the girls wings) and off we went.

 Dave's favorite fairy house. 

 A family favorite. Grace and Emma especially liked this one. 

 Into the woods. 

 The bubble tower was incredible! We so need one of these! 

 A fairy and her papa. 

 Following a Monarch butterfly we spotted!

 Chatting with one of the fairy ballerinas. 

 Her smile says it all!

 The fairy ballet. 

 As the Grande Finale all the girls in attendance were invited on stage. 

 Such a sweet fairy house. 

 My favorite fairy house. 

What a stellar event! Each fairy house was just incredible and no two were the same. We had such a lovely time wandering down the paths where the houses were and seeing each one as we passed by. Some we stopped to check out more closely and others we couldn't as there were simply too many people already gathered there. The girls especially loved the fairy ballet and getting to dance with the fairies before and after the show. We never did make it to the fairy face painting, and the other children's activities were pretty jam packed too. We definitely have plans to head back to this event again, but we also hope to head back to Portsmouth to spend more time visiting Strawberry Banke and the lovely gardens. Portsmouth is such a neat town, and I have to admit that I did find myself thinking that I could totally see the four of us enjoying living there. Thank you, Alexandra, for letting us know about the fairy house tour! We had such fun and are looking forward to heading back next year! xo