I Love To Ride My Bicycle

This mild winter is providing the girls with lots of opportunities to ride their bikes.  Yesterday, as part of the 10 Day Family Recharge the four of us took a walk and the girls rode their bikes.  Today, being another glorious (albeit cold) day they had a chance to get on their bikes yet again. This time the location of choice was the deck, which seems to be one of their favorite places to ride.  If you are wondering why all our shoes are out on the deck the girls brought them all out there to give the "fairies who live in them some fresh air."  Oh, how I love that!  And yes, I am happy to report that Em will be getting a lovely new bike for her birthday (thanks Gramma and Grandpa!) as she has most definitely outgrown the tricycle.  But keep that just between us, OK?!  Can't wait to see what the 10 Day Family Recharge brings us tomorrow!

So Glad I'm Here

Yesterday was the first day of the 10 Day Family Recharge that we are taking part in. The email that Erin sent was inspired by the song "So Glad I'm Here" by Elizabeth Mitchell (who we love!) along with a video that she found on YouTube.  I just love how the creator of the video gave us a glimpse into her world and showed that while everything might not be picture perfect that it's the messes and piles that show that life is being lived.  I grabbed my camera and decided to take a few pictures of our world to share with all of you.  While this is by no means the messiest our house has ever been, it does get across the point that not everything is in it's rightful spot.  We certainly would not pass for a Pottery Barn catalog house by any standard anymore, but honestly that does not even matter to us.  What matters most is  that we are living, loving and enjoying every minute of it (even the bumpy parts).  Thank you Erin for creating this recharge and thanks to Elizabeth for this beautiful song.  It's going to be an amazing ten days! 

"I'm so glad I'm here, so glad I'm here, so glad I'm here everyday

So glad I'm here, you know I'm so glad I'm here so glad I'm here everyday

You know joy brought me here, joy brought me here, joy brought me here here today

Joy brought me here, joy brought me here, joy brought me here here today.

And love brought me here, love brought me here, love brought me here here today

Love brought me here, you know love brought me here, love brought me here here today

I'm so glad I'm here, so glad I'm here, so glad I'm here everyday

So glad I'm here, you know I'm so glad I'm here so glad I'm here everyday."

-Elizabeth Mitchell

{This Moment}

{This Moment} - A SouleMama 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're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. We wish you a weekend full of wonderous moments!

Groundhog Day

(The picture above is from the Drumlin Farm Facebook page.)

This year was the first year that we attended the Groundhog Day event at Drumlin Farm.  We arrived a little before 9:30am (the time that it was said that Ms. G would emerge and make her prediction) and discovered that many other people were already there.  As you can see from the pictures above while we had a decent spot it was still hard for the girls and I to see what was going on. I managed to get a few good pictures though the one I really wanted of her on her log pile eluded me (thanks to the Drumlin Farm Facebook page for that one)!  After it was determined that there would be an early spring (yay!), the girls and I headed over to the pond house for some snacks and story and craftime.  While it was a chilly, grey day it was still a great way to celebrate! Here's to hoping Ms. G's prediction is right.  After all, if we're not going to have a snowy winter we might as well have an early spring!

Grace and Emma Create Art!

A few weeks ago the girls began attending a wonderful art class on Friday afternoons.  The Recylced Schoolhouse (red, of course!) and Miss Emily are the things of dreams! Everything about our Friday afternoons is just enchanting!  The first day that we arrived for class Miss Emily and her wonderful Polish Hens greeted us on the porch.  We had attended the Old Fashioned Noel here in December so the girls were familiar with where we were and remembered meeting Miss Emily back then.  Her welcoming spirit and sweet ways made the girls feel comfortable right from the get go.  We then went into the schoolhouse to get settled and wait for the rest of the class to arrive.  While we were waiting the girls explored and I just soaked in the beauty and magic of this place.  Every nook and cranny has something wonderful in it!  The vintage feel to this place is just our style and the mellow vibe is totally our speed.  She has even set up a cozy area for the parents to read and relax while the girls are in class (should the parents choose to stay that is).  Once all the girls have arrived for class, they gather over on the polka dot couch where Miss Emily chats with the girls and then reads a story to go along with the project that they will be working on.  And then the creating begins!

Week 1

Week 2

After their snowman project was finished, Miss Emily had the girls gather around the sewing machine. She introduced them to the parts of the sewing machine and explained how it worked.  After the tour of the sewing machine was over she began to sew each girls mitten purse (they each got to choose the fabric).  The girls were able to help her sew their purses by stepping on the foot peddle.  What a fun way to introduce little ones to sewing!

Week 3



Miss Emily has quickly become quite beloved.  The girls spend all week looking forward to the arrival of Friday and their time spent with Miss Emily on Meadowbrook Farm.  So many wonderful memories have been made already and I know that there are even more to come!