Sunshine From Saturday

This past Saturday was so beautiful!

The little girls had a tea party in the living room with Jemima and Mrs. Tiggywinkle.

Mim loves her "Tiggy."

We all have been adjusting to life without Miss Posy, who left on Thursday to attend a wedding in New York with her grandparents. They got to pay a visit to the St. Lawrence Seaway on Sunday, and stopped at Niagara Falls today on their way home. We'll see her late tonight. When I spoke to her last she told me how she has been taking lots of pictures (we sent her with an old camera) and writing in her journal.

 Her first real adventure, away from Mom and Dad. 

So exciting. :)

I bought these two gorgeous orchids at aldi for just 7.99 a piece.

I wasn't going to, at first, but Miss Posy talked me into it, and I am so glad I did.

They look so beautiful up on the mantel.

I moved my other one by my kitchen sink, so he could get some extra tlc, and he really seems to like it there, as evidenced by those two tiny new leaves! I've had him about four years now and was afraid I might be losing him!

I brought in a few plants from my pots outside, to winter-over indoors....

~we had our first frost last week!

We got a new rug to put in front of the piano, and put some hooks on the wall for the boys' brass.

I think I forgot to tell you, that Big Brother has a bugle now, as well as his cornet. The priest who ran the boy's camp that he attended, awarded it to him during the closing ceremonies for having played taps on his cornet every evening. Father said he had bought it at Gettysburg years ago ( I'm thinking possibly even before he was a priest) and always wanted to learn to play it. Said he'd been waiting for the right boy to pass it on to. Of course this meant the world to Big Brother, especially since he happens to idolize this particular priest. The plan is to play taps on the bugle each night at camp next year.

Well, there you have it. Just little bits of this and that.

Til next time, then.

Rain

I had to open all the windows wide, where the rain wouldn't come in, so we could hear it.

Smell it.

The perfect way to begin the last day of this week.

The last day of school! (I feel so free!!!)

The last day I am thirty-three!

The last day (I hope) of recovery from the worst stomach flu our family has dealt with yet!

My goals today are simple:

-make a big batch of play-dough for Blue; 

he's been very patient

(and persistent;)

-bake an angel food cake to enjoy tonight 

along with Boot's first real harvest 

of strawberries.

-fill and hang out my hummingbird feeders.

( They are back! One greeted me by the front door a few days ago 

and then this morning, from his spot-of-convalescence on the couch,

Big Brother watched one hovering right above the window!)

Well, I should go get to it! 

:)  

Happy Things.....

The view out my kitchen window, now that the old barn is gone.

Jars of ruby~red crab~apple jelly.

Big pots of soup, simmering away on the stove.

A fire screen for our fireplace. 

(~Now I can relax about keeping the little ones from getting burned on the stove! And I think it really adds an elegant touch to the area as well. I love it.)

Napping little people, snuggled up under quilts.

Boys who love to read.

Girls who "work together" to press leaves between sheets of wax paper

(~something I have fond memories of doing as a child),

......and then use them to decorate up the dining room table for their mother.

So very pretty!

Golden Days

Our golden autumn days are gone now ~we've had such heavy winds and rains that the leaves are all off the trees!

They were so beautiful though........both the days and leaves.

Sorry that it has been so quiet around here.

Life is just flying by.....and I feel like it's all I can do just attempting to catch up! ;)

An Accomplishment.....

It may sound crazy (as I told my Knight yesterday evening), but I have decided to start viewing a sink full of dirty dishes and a messy kitchen as an accomplishment.

Yep.

Why not?

It is tangible proof that I have provided three home cooked meals for my family

(~as well as various snacks in between).

That is an accomplishment, right? ;)

Can You Guess....

.....where I have been spending most all of my available time lately?

The mending is pretty much finished, and I think I might....just might...be almost caught up on laundry.

It feels really good.

At least I'll be all prepared for the avalanche of dirty laundry that is definitely in the forecast for next week. And it just may keep on through Christmas.......you know how it is:)

Thrifted Mirror

for above my laundry room sink.

And only a dollar-and-a-half.

Just right.

Looking Ahead

.....to another busy weekend. I am putting the finishing touches on the food planning and preparation. And I am trying to settle on my cleaning priorities between now and then.

All within reason, of course.:)

On Balance

"The success of every design depends in a measure upon correct balance, which gives a feeling of rest. This restful effect is obtained by grouping shapes and colors around a center in such a way that there will be equal attractions on each side.

There are two kinds of balance: equal or formal and unequal or informal. Equal, or formal, balance is obtained when the design or objects are exactly alike on both sides of the center....."

...."Unequal, or informal, balance is secured when the sides are not exactly alike, yet the design is so arranged that it gives a graceful effect...."

~from The Mode In Dress And Home

by Dulcie Godlove Donovan,

(copyright 1941)

Yellow and Green..

....in the first tulip, and the last load of laundry.

It has been a good day.

Our Doorbell......

I have three of these cast iron beauties....

....all aquired from our local thrift shop!

Tiny Snowflakes....

......have just begun falling and the wind has really picked up. The weather man predicts an accumulation of two to four inches. I am every bit as excited as the children! It will be so nice to have everything white and bright again after several weeks of brown and gloom. We are staying cozy inside.....reading stories, playing games, and I am working to really clean up the wainscoting in the dining room.....it got pretty filthy during all the "restodling".

Amazing what a bit of soap and water will do........;)

Can't wait to see what it will look like when I polish it up afterwards...... 

"The Rain is Raining all Around.."

....but though it may be dull and dreary outside

we are keeping it cheery and cozy inside!

Lighted candles, good music, and a new knitting project....

Just the thing for a day like today!

*The title quote is taken from Robert Louis Stevenson's poem Rain.

Flannel

Today is the day to bring out the flannel sheets! We've been having very chilly nights lately......but absolutely gorgeous days.
I love this season.

Result of an Experiment....

Knitting Again

My Knight in S.A.'s Grandmother kindly copied out the instructions for a new kind of knitted dish cloth when we were out visiting. It kept my fingers busy for the majority of the long car trip home. I am currently working to complete my third cloth ~fitting in a row here and there between laundry and housework. But  this third one is a bit of an experiment...... (You know me.....always experimenting;) I am trying a knit-purl configuration instead of just straight knit. So far, I really like it!

For anyone who may be interested, here are the original instructions:

Cast on four stitches-
Row 1 - knit
Row 2 - knit 2, Y.O., knit to end

Repeat  Row 2 until there are 48 or 52 stitches.

Decrease rows next.
Knit 1, Knit 2 together, Y.O., Knit 2  together, Knit to end.
Continue until just four stitches remain, and cast off.


*The recommended needle size is a US#10, paired with 100% cotton 4 ply yarn.