A Throne For The Queen

Clearly, Queen Gretchen is pleased with the new chair that arrived today. xo

Of Bravery And Kindness

May your Michaelmas Day be one full of courage and kindness! xo

Super-Harvest Moon Eclipse

7:45pm Sunday. 

5:45am Monday. 

The conditions last night could not have been any more amazing. Mother Nature gifted us with crystal clear skies and the perfect vantage point to witness this incredible lunar event. My only regret is that our good camera wasn't charged and ready to photograph the entire thing, though my trusty iPhone 6 didn't do such a bad job (see pictures one and four). Dave took the eclipse pictures (the camera was charged by then) as sleep got the best of me and I wasn't able to stay up for the entire thing. The moon when I woke early this morning was still big and bright, and so I figured I'd take a couple more pictures while the world was still dark and peaceful. xo

Apple Pie

This apple pie, made by our sweet Grace, was a truly perfect ending to a very lovely Sunday! xo 

Z Is For Zinnia

The final weeks of our flower share are bringing mostly Zinnias which is totally fine with us! xo

{This Moment} Apple Picking

{This Moment} - 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 last weekend of September! xo

Thursday Afternoon Knitting

Thursday afternoons will now be spent at this sweet yarn shop in Worcester. Since my knitting skills are not as far along as I'd like by now David and I decided that it would be wise to sign the girls up for the children's knitting class that takes place on Thursdays. I had wandered into this shop while the girls were at farm school one time last spring and I instantly knew that this was where we should all learn.

The minute they set foot into the shop this afternoon I could tell how much they instantly loved it. It's such a beautiful space and everyone is so very nice! The girls chose their yarn and loved watching as Miss Leslie used the swift to form it into a ball. I knew without them saying a word that they were already dreaming of owning their own swift (and my suspicions were confirmed as we walked to the car after class). The one other member of the class is a girl who is a few years older than Grace and Emma and who's also a homeschooler. This wouldn't be so surprising if it was a daytime knitting class, of course, but with it being in the late afternoon we really didn't expect to meet another homeschooler, much less for the class to be made up entirely of homeschooled kids!

The girls knit and chatted and before we knew it the hour had quickly passed. Grace was thrilled to finally learn to purl, and Emma was happy to spend the entire time on her beloved knit stitch. I have to admit I found myself wishing that I had brought my knitting needles with me so that I could have joined in the fun, too. Perhaps I'll cast on for a project of my own and bring my needles with us next week! xo

In The Apple Orchard

Yellow the bracken,
Golden the sheaves,
Rosy the apple,
Crimson the leaves.
Mist on the hillside,
Clouds grey and white,
Autumn good morning,
Summer good night!
-Traditional Waldorf verse

We wish each of you a very sweet and very lovely Autumn! xo

During Lessons

A little reading, a little writing (and yes, there was even a little arithmetic, too) and a cat to oversee it all. So basically, just another lovely day here at our sweet old farmhouse! xo

Nature School!

 Today was the first day of Nature School for the girls! They were so super excited and couldn't wait to get there. Since it's from 9:30am-2:00pm lunches were packed (complete with a love note in each) and extra clothes were taken just in case they got messy while out exploring the woods. 

Welcome to Nature School! We love that it has the look of a one room schoolhouse. 

Each child was given a nature journal to record their findings in from their nature walks and things that they learn about the inhabitants of the forests near us.

The girls had such a truly fabulous time today and didn't stop talking the whole way home (and while we had snack) about all the fun things they did and all that they learned! They absolutely cannot wait for their next class next month (oh goodness, how they wish class was once a week)! xo

All Aboard!

About a week ago my dear friend Alexandra, who runs New England Fall Events, a fabulous website about all things autumn, asked if we'd be willing to go to the American Girl Grace Thomas Train Ride event for her. Without hesitation I responded "yes!". Tickets were arranged and a plan was hatched for us to head to Woonsocket Rhode Island for this once in a lifetime event today! I don't want to say too much more because I'll be blogging about this incredible trip over at New England Fall Events but I will say this: American Girl sure knows how to throw a party! We had an absolute blast and are so thrilled to have been able to attend this incredible event! Thank you, Alexandra, for sending your team of roving reporters on yet another amazing trip! It was a fabulous way to spend a day! xo