This Morning

The dining room/classroom/office this morning. xo

A Splendid Sunday

Today we met up with some dear friends who we don't see nearly often enough. The last time we were all together was three years ago. Thankfully, this blog, email and letters between us mamas and our sweet girls has kept us in touch in between then and now. Today, we got to meet Patricia's husband and her oldest daughter too. We walked around, the girls (attempted to) skip stones, and of course, the water pump is always a huge attraction! While the girls went on the boat ride, Patricia, Russ and I had the chance to sit and chat, and it was as if the three of us had known each other for decades. There truly is something so very magical about connecting with kindred spirits, though I must admit it made me wish even more than I already do that our two families lived closer. It would be such a gift to be able to get together much more regularly and to have our girls be part of the daily or weekly rhythm of our days. It is my sincere wish that these three remain friends for the rest of their lives (and that our two families do as well). Thank you, sweet friends, for spending the day with us. We are looking forward to our next visit already! xo 

Sybil Ludington

Last Friday Grace dressed up as Sybil Ludington for her "power of one" project presentation for the Girl Scout meeting. The Juniors in the troop were given the task of choosing and researching a well known (or not-so-well known) woman who has contributed something to the world and doing a presentation on her. They were given a list of possible presentation ideas, but were not limited to those presentation ideas only. And so after pulling out all the books we own about women who've made a difference Grace proudly chose Sybil Ludington. She loved that she was only sixteen and that she volunteered to help when it was clearly very needed. 

Noticing the cape in the pictures of Sybil, she asked if she could dress up like her. And, as luck would have it, hanging in my closet was the colonial girl costume that my Grandma Ruth had made when I was about Grace's age. The costume came together perfectly! She decided that she'd like to draw a picture in her main lesson book and include the briefest of summaries underneath it. She filled out another sheet on her, as well. When it came time for her to present she did a great job (as did the other Juniors as well)! It was such a fun meeting and we all came away learning more about three incredible women that we did before! xo

Last Day Of Nature School!

There was so much goodness today (far too much for one blogpost, if truth be known) that it was hard to know what to choose to single out for today. After a bit of thought, and deciding that I'd spread the goodness of today into several posts over the course of the rest of the week, I decided that I'd start with the girls' last day of Nature School for today's post.

It's hard to believe that it's the end of the year already, but here it is- the last day of Nature School until September. Clearly, the old adage holds true: time flies when you are having fun! Grace and Emma had a truly incredible year in this fabulous program! Miss Heather is such a gem, and if you asked the girls they would tell you that they would love it if Nature School was once a week instead of once a month. They learned so much and came home with so many wonderful stories and facts from each of their adventures. It was always so much fun to pick them up and hear about all that they did and learned that day. The drive home, albeit short, was never silent!


Thank you, Miss Heather, for an absolutely fabulous year! Have a wonderful summer and we'll see you in September! The girls are counting the days already! xo

Happiness Is...

weekday skiing on a warm January day! xo

An Artful Afternoon

We kicked off the second half of the Girl Scout year with an afternoon of painting yesterday! The girls all did a fabulous job, and it was wonderful to watch as each of their paintings took shape! 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

At Farm School

When my dear friend Eleni and I arrived to pick our girls up from farm school today we noticed these very furry creatures walking along with the class. At first we thought they were dogs. Then we thought they were sheep. We came to learn that they are, in fact, goats! Angora goats to be exact. Who knew?! They were very sweet, and very charming, and it was such a treat to get to meet them (and to walk along with them for a bit, too). I truly wish I had been able to get a better picture of them but they were so intent on their eating that one was simply not to be had. xo

Happiness Is....

Thursdays at Wachusett Mountain! 

Mountainside

The girls had another fabulous lesson today capped off by their instructor encouraging them to join Wachusett's DEV Team next season! They are over the moon (and so are we)! xo

Valentines For Girl Scout Friends

Each year the Girl Scout troop holds a valentine exchange. It's been a beloved tradition since the very first year the troop existed and we are so very happy to continue it again this year. In our family it's a tradition to make valentines for each other and for our dearest friends. However, when it comes to the valentine exchange at Girls Scouts we've opted for pre-made cards this year and last. This year we had actually been contemplating making homemade valentines for the Girl Scout party when we stumbled upon this sweet set at Wegmans. We couldn't possibly pass them up so we decided to leave the homemade valentines for those we are closest to and go with these adorable cards for the Girl Scout friends! A brilliant plan that's the best of both worlds! xo

Ladies Who Lunch

Lunch at the local tea shop with dear friends on a Friday is pretty much the most perfect way to begin the weekend! xo

A Perfect Thursday

Chicken Class, followed by froyo, followed by the playground, makes for a perfect Thursday if you ask me! 

Happy April!

Our day started with a trip to the library followed by lunch outside on the deck. 

Soaking in all that wonderful sun was fabulous!

After lunch we headed over to Natick Community Organic Farm to meet up with some friends. 

We checked in with the animals while we were waiting. 

A sure sign of springs presence. 

Peeking into the hen house. 

Hello hen!

What a beautiful shade of blue the sky was today!

Such a sweet family. 

There's just something about this picture that I love. 

I can't explain what it is but I just find it so charming. 

Exploring with friends. These four have known each other basically their whole lives. It was a joy to watch them play today while Emily and I chatted. They had quite an elaborate game going on and really did not want to leave when it was time to say our good-byes.Though go we must as Emma had dance class to get to this afternoon. Otherwise we surely would have stayed even longer!

What a glorious day spent almost entirely outside! After dance class we came home and played with the neighbors before dinner. More playing for the girls and more chatting for me. Being able to be outside without layer upon layer, being able to bask in the warmth of the sun (it's amazing how warm 54 degrees feels after how cold the winter was) and being able to run and jump and play is just what we all needed today. Days like this, full of time outside, connecting with nature and friends, is good for soul, dear friends. Thank you, Spring Fairies, for letting the first day of this new month be full of wonderful weather and so much promise. It was a true joy to behold!