A Little Indoor Snowman

While we wished for a white Christmas, we missed it by one day. (I grew up in north Idaho and will always feel less giddy on Christmas without snow.) The day after Christmas we got slightly more than a dusting, while 60 miles east of us got a foot or more.

Anyway, Aidan begged and begged to go out and make a snowman, but he was very sick, so instead I brought in a big bowl of snow, cut up some pipecleaners for the nose, eyes, mouth and the necessary top hat, and let him have at it.

The result was a pitifully puny snowman and a very happy sniffly son.

The Holidays - photos

We had a lovely holiday season and I thought I would share some photos:

Our trip to New York City:

Aidan telling the Macys Santa what he wants for Christmas.

being silly

bright lights


Who is that skating at Rockefeller Center?

entering the Empire State Building

We visited The National Christmas Center in Paradise, PA on Christmas eve. It was so much fun I think we will make the visit a tradition.

Christmas at our house:

Cookies for Santa


Santa's thank you note






early morning visitors

Two very happy boys!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!From me and mine, to you and yours.

Waldorf Winter Festival

A few weeks ago, we attended the Susquehanna Waldorf School's Winter Festival, where we met some lovely people, played games, decorated a gingerbread house and did some Christmas shopping.


Nature Table at the entrance


A lovely welcome


The chalk board in the 1st grade room


First Grade Nature Table


Playing marble wacker


The Gingerbread House



Aidan meets the Snow Queen

Blog - Life at Rabbit Run

I have stumbled on a blog that I look forward to reading. Life at Rabbit Run is a Waldorf homeschooling journal. The author is making a return after several months away from the blogging world and is reintroducing her blog with a wonderful giveaway of wool slippers from her new etsy shop, The Violet Sparrow.
I look forward to following her homeschool journey.

Our little bit of calm in the holiday rush - the nature table

It seems everywhere I look, people are in a hurry during this holiday season, myself occasionally included. To say the rhythm of our days has been disrupted is an understatement as I work more hours and we are about to plunge deep into gift wrapping and card mailing. I have managed to keep it simple and true in one small, but very special place in our home, our nature table.

I have several things we could have put on it, but as the children and I decorated it, it was obvious that more would be, well, just more. So here we have it; a blue playsilk we dyed this past summer, 2 pinecones from out west, a wood bowl with shiny prized rocks that the 2-year old often places around baby Jesus, a watercolor of the magi bringing baby Jesus gifts, and a terra cotta creche. The creche is for the children to touch, hold and play with, giving us the opportunity to talk about the baby Jesus. Our nature table stands as a simple, quiet reminder of what Christmas is truly all about: The Devine.

This moment - Wonder

A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama.
A single photo.
A moment to treasure.

On the Road and Back Home - Oregon or Bust Part IV

After our wonderful cross-country train trip we rented a car and drove north. The original purpose for the trip was so I could be in my dear friend's wedding to take place just outside of Seattle.

Shortly after leaving Portland, we saw Mt. St. Helens. When I was ten the volcano blew and so much ash fell on the ground where I lived in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, that we did not go the school for several days. (I still have a big jug of the ash.)

The drive was lovely and I was reminded of how much I enjoyed life in the Pacific Northwest.

After spending the night at Kitsap Navy Lodge, we headed out to Stevens Pass. Tiny coffee huts dotted the roadside leading to the pass. The pass, with towering evergreens and patches of snow, led us to Leavenworth, a quaint Bavarian town. The food and shopping were a pleasure as was the stunning drive back over the pass.

The next few days were a whirlwind of wedding arrangements, the joy of participating in such a love-filled event and packing up to head south of Portland to visit family. It was a long, but lovely drive down Highway 101.
What a good time we had with my brother and his family! Whether we were geocaching at the Newport beach, where Aidan and I were soaked by the waves, or just hanging out, we all appreciated the warmth of family ties and good friends.

After several days, it was time to head back home. Again, we drove on Highway 101 north then over to Portland, with a stop over at the Tillamook Cheese factory for fun. My husband, Rob, had left a few days earlier, so the boys and I flew home on our own. They are such good little travelers, making the time pass by drawing till their heart's content.

Now we have been home for 3 weeks and have more travel adventures to tell...