Raising Little Shoots

Epiphany

2012-01-02T03:49:00.001-08:00

The end of the day - hats drying in front of the fire - the view from my spinning wheel

Christmas is officially over chez Little Shoots. Once we get to new years eve I get a little OCD & down come the decorations amid much sadness.

We do have Epiphany to look forward to, however!

We will be starting 'school-lite' as from tomorrow - lots of reading, a review of maths we were studying before our December break, fun phonics & maths games, a new spelling list or two...

Friday is Epiphany, however - a jewel in the dark winter days.
Here are our plans....

~ We will be reading Matthew 2

~ We shall be singing 'We Three Kings'

~ We shall be reading the story of Baboushka in Festivals, Family and Food theough there is a version of the folktale here

~ We shall be baking a plaited Brioche

~ And of course, we shall be making Crowns

Happy Epiphany!

Michaelmas Plans

2011-09-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I do love this time of year.

The changing seasons, the moving toward winter. The colours of autumn, the smells of comfort food, the walks in the woods through rich autumn sunlight....

Michaelmas is almost upon us & here are my plans for tomorrow:

The feast of Saint Michael, one of the seven archangels of Scripture, originated in the sixth century. Michael, whose name in Hebrew means "Who is like God?", is revered as the leader of the angelic army who will conquer Satan and his armies of demons, and is considered the defender of the Church.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 12:7-9

Legend has it that when the archangel Michael threw Lucifer out of heaven (on what would become Michaelmas), the devil landed in, of all places, a blackberry patch, where he promptly spat on the berries, rendering them inedible! So by long held tradition on Michaelmas you should eat your fill of blackberries before they're no good!

We shall be having our annual afternoon Michaelmas Tea, with Blackberry Tea & Blackberry Jam Tarts

Blackberry Jam Tarts
Ingredients
• 14 oz plain flour
• 7 oz butter , chilled and diced
• 1 & 3/4 oz caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 340g jar jam , use 1 flavour or a mix if you have them
Method
1. Whizz the flour and butter to breadcrumbs in a food processor. Add the caster sugar and mix. Add the yolks and pulse until it comes together (you might need to add a splash of water). Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to gas 5. Roll out the pastry and stamp out circles big enough to fit 2 x 12-hole jam tart tins. Bake for 15 minutes then add small spoonfuls of jam to each and bake for 5 minutes.

For dinner I am going to make a rabbit stew! Goose is the traditional fare for Michaelmas, but a hunting friend has given us a rabbit, so rabbit it shall be.
To follow, the girls will be baking a chocolate cake. I found some white chocolate stars in the supermarket today which will be a lovely addition to the cake, as Rosie has started to see the nights drawing in again. She has become so used to going to bed in the daylight!

Weather dependent, we may go out to fly our kites tomorrow, but the weather is unusually hot right now.
I am planning to make a start on lanterns for martinmas, so we may do some wet on wet watercolour tommorow, that we can later use for our Martinmas lanterns.

We shall be sketching the 'Michaelmas Daisies' in our garden- a wildflower, an aster with many small star-like flowers, that blooms in late September, known as the Michaelmas daisy. They make an ideal posy for the Michaelmas table.

Our Plans 2011-2012

2011-08-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a look at our school plans for 2011-2012 - only time will tell if it works better in reality than on paper, or if it will need a revamp!

Main Resources:

Bible:
The Child's Story Bible
Telling God's Story Curriculum

French

Language Arts
Phonics:
The Writing Road To Reading
The Reading Lesson

First Language Lessons

Maths:

MEP

History/Geography

The Story of the world 1
Activity Book
Encylopedia World History

Science

Kingfisher Encyclopedia Of Animals
Kingfisher 1st Human Body Encyclopedia
Growing Up Green
Keeping A Nature Journal

Music/Art

Classics For Kids
Drawing on the right side of the brain

Outside Activities
Girls Friendly Society
Swimming
Brownies
Rainbows
Locally organised nature walks & activities
Knitting Club

Monday

Read from The Child's Story Bible

Prayer, Hymn & Memory Work (includes Bible, Lang Arts, Maths, Hist & Geog, Science, French & General topics)

Language Arts:
First Language Lessons
The Writing Road to Reading for penmanship, phonics & spelling - will see how this goes, is new to me & very teacher intensive to understand & read through all the book! I will see how this pans out...
The Reading Lesson
Daily Reader
Independent 'Fun' reading

Maths

MEP lesson

SOTW
Read the story, work on the colouring page. Narration.

Tuesday

Read from The Child's Story Bible

Prayer, Hymn & Memory Work

Language Arts:
First Language Lessons
The Writing Road to Reading for penmanship, phonics & spelling
The Reading Lesson
Daily Reader
Independent 'Fun' reading

Maths

MEP lesson

SOTW
Read the story. Narration. Mapwork.

Wednesday

Read from The Child's Story Bible

Prayer, Hymn & Memory Work

Language Arts:
First Language Lessons
The Writing Road to Reading for penmanship, phonics & spelling
The Reading Lesson
Daily Reader
Independent 'Fun' reading

Maths

MEP lesson

SOTW
Read from history encyclopedia . Look at related library books
Complete this weeks lapbook booklet

Thursday

Read from The Child's Story Bible

Prayer, Hymn & Memory Work

Language Arts:
First Language Lessons
The Writing Road to Reading for penmanship, phonics & spelling
The Reading Lesson
Daily Reader
Independent 'Fun' reading

Maths

MEP lesson

Science:
We are working as follows:
Animals approx 20 weeks
Human Body approx 10 weeks
Plants approx 6 weeks

At the moment we are working from our animals topic.
We read from the encylopedia about our chosen animal, the girls narrate, draw a picture & make a notebook page.
Then we spend time on further reading. So far this has been a very rich topic for us. With the help of our cat(!) we have had a mouse to observe, and an extremely handsome dragonfly. We have looked at butterflies & ladybirds. The cat is on our list too : )

Thursday afternoons are devoted to our Afternoon Teas
We usually drink strawberry tea & eat goodies baked by the girls. We either listen to Classics For Kids, work on our drawing, or celebrate a festival (such as Michaelmas) or enjoy a nature celebration (such as the harvest moon)

Friday

Read from The Child's Story Bible

Prayer, Hymn & Memory Work

Language Arts:
spelling
Daily Reader
Independent 'Fun' reading

Our Craft time
I always have something planned - often from our SOTW activity guide.

Nature Study
We take a nature walk & make an entry into our nature journals.

Sunday
A weekly reading & activity from God's Story

My year is all planned out. I am not sure how I will fare with The Writing Road To Reading - I am feeling rather overwhelmed by it right now & may go back to spelling workout. It just is so appealing - to have such a thorough spelling course. We shall see.

I spend time every couple of months sitting down & planning out the 'lovely' things - festivals & nature studies etc etc & weekly I plan out our lessons in detail.

History

2011-07-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

I have decided that we are going to re-read Story Of The World Vol 1

Having thought long & hard I feel I should have given this book more space in our schooltime.
So we shall re-read. I have purchased the activity guide & I shall be using it along with the wonderful resources from The Chronicle Of The Earth blog.
Elianna shall be making the Ancients Lapbook (all printed out & ready to go!)
I shall be using the extensive resource notes for each chapter
All the wonderful resources are listed here.

Isnt that an exciting prospect!

Tea Time

2011-07-09T00:12:00.000-07:00

A while back the girls & I had a regular weekly Tea Time
Somehow our lovely ritual was forgotten in the dash of outings, playtimes & laundry. But i have been pondering our days & have decided to reinstate this special time.

Elianna had asked to follow a drawing course. I spent time online researching & plumped for the older edition of Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain.

We bought beautiful new sketchbooks & discussed what we were expecting in preparation of the big day : D

I have set aside an afternoon each week for us to have a lovely Afternoon Tea followed by our drawing lesson. Five year old Rose will join us for Tea, then can draw with us or not, as she pleases.

Elianna is now of the age were by she can bake unattended (except for popping the goods into the oven) so she has been getting her copywork done bright & early on Tea Time day, then she can use that time to bake so the goodies are ready for the afternoon.

I am so delighted that we have our ritual again. It is great fun & brightens our day no end. And our drawing will improve to boot : D

Daily Walk

2011-06-05T08:05:00.001-07:00

Daily Walk

2011-06-05T02:01:00.001-07:00

Daily Walk

2011-06-03T01:39:00.000-07:00

Daily Walk

2011-06-01T22:55:00.001-07:00

Daily Walk

2011-05-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Daily Walk

2011-05-19T00:18:00.000-07:00

Daily Walk

2011-05-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

A Knitterly Update

2011-05-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Quite a while ago I posted about my wish to make a jumper for one of my girls inspired by this wee fellow:

About this time last year I had purchased a glorious shetland fleece. It was silver grey, with darker grey patches. I washed it ready to spin, once I had decided what I wanted to create with it:

I went backwards & forwards between a jumper & a tank top & in the end, decided to go with a tank top.
I wanted the fair isle design to be isnspired by the colours of the two wee robins that we see on our nature walks (& that try as I might, I can never get a photo of them both together!)
Soft greys, deeper grey, brown, off white & that glorious deep red - orange.

The fleece has patches of charcoal grey - I combed all the fibre & then drum carded to blend the different colours within the one fleece. Some of the fibre was set aside to dye in the browns & reddish orange.

The colours I got from the natural fleece where as follows:

Off-white - from combing the lightest parts of the fleece - the combing removed the grey hairs leaving me with off white.

Silver - Blending the off white with the charcoal

Charcoal - from the darkest parts of the fleece

Brown - I hand dyed some of the off - white

Robin Redbreast Orange - again hand dyed off - white.

I was so nervous about dyeing this! I wanted it to be just right & did not have enough fleece to try over if I made a mistake! I mixed Orange Scarlet & Bright Turquoise Procion Dyes
I was delighted with the results - a perfect Robin - Red! I then drum carded the dyed fleece with some sparkly angelina fibre in 'rusty nail' to give the sweater a very subtle sparkle.

So, onto the yarn! I spun this up on my spinning wheel into a 2 ply yarn. Just a little heavier than a fingering weight. I spun in a 'woolen' method, which produces a lovely, lofty, cuddly yarn, perfect for Fair Isle designs.

I charted out a few fair isle patterns, decided on a winner & cast on a swatch. Essential! This gave me the info I needed for sizing, needle size, the look of the design knit up etc etc.

Once I cast on 'for real' I knit & knit, round & round using steeks for the neck & arm holes. Truthfully though, I am lazy & I do not sew up the areas to be steeked first, I just have at it with the scissors, assuming the fuzziness of the yarn will do its job & hold everything together : )

And here it is! Rosie's Robin Redbreast Tank Top

These photos are not the greatest - it hasnt been blocked here& I really need to get a photo of Rosie wearing said jumper.
I enjoyed creating this so much. I has brought me a lot of joy!

Daily Walk

2011-05-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Daily Walk

2011-05-15T00:04:00.001-07:00

He Is Risen!

2011-04-23T23:16:00.001-07:00

John 20:1-18

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him.
And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Palm Sunday & Easter Week Plans

2011-04-17T00:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning!
I have just returned home from my (early) morning walk & it is a glorious spring morning!
Today is Palm Sunday - a day that we usually go for a Praise Walk, followed by a picnic (weather permitting). We are doing something different today - meeting up with friends at their caravan. We are taking some food to share: cupcakes made by Elianna, strawberries, cheese & juice. I will be taking along my knitting & also the mountain of fleece that is waiting to be carded : )
We have planned an afternoon of sitting & knitting (& carding!) while the children play. Bliss.

Palm Sunday

In All Year Round, the authors speak of Lent as a time of renewal, in gathering forces needed to meet the vital renewal of our daily lives.
What a reminder of our minute-by-minute need for God!I love this time of year - the call to deepen my love for Him.

As i mentioned, we would usually go for a praise walk, followed by a picnic ~ Marveling at the wonders of nature are prayers of praise. As we walk outdoors, we can reflect upon the Lords creation & praise God for giving us a world that meets our needs.

We will be reading "The King Comes" from The Childs Story Bible as our Bible reading today.

This evening, as each evening of Holy week, we will light a candle on our nature table.
Also this week will make time to read The Jesus Garden & our verse will be At Easter Time (Stories for The Festivals Of The Year)

Let our trust in God become
Like the good earth, firm & strong.

As the water, rising & falling,
Let God’s life be always flowing.

Our Voices carry through the air.
Softly withing, God’s call is heard.

Fire gives warmth, fire gives light.
God’s love burns within our heart.

In all the elements, God is there
Bringing new life, everywhere.

Other ideas for Palm Sunday:

~ Bake date bread & make palm crosses as gifts
~ Sew grass seeds in a bowl of earth to place on the nature table.

Holy Thursday

~Purchase Easter lillies
~Read John 13:1-5

Good Friday

Light our candle
Bake & eat hot cross buns
~ Read The Jesus Garden
At 3pm blow out our candle, followed by a quiet hour of reflection
(I give my children their prayer journals, coloured pencils & their picture Bibles, they can draw prayers to the Lord, Illustrate the story we read or look at their Bibles.)

Easter Saturday

“A quiet day, a day of Waiting”
Dying Eggs
Laying out new easter clothes
Cooking for the feast tomorrow
In secret, make a few butterflies to hand over the dining room table for Easter Morning

Lazy Day..

2011-04-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

We have had a glorious sun-shiny weekend, which I have taken advantage of!

I have washed one of my four new shetland fleeces, purchased from Jamieson & Smith
Now washed & dried I have begun the slow & theraputic carding process.

Here are some of the rolags, all ready to spin. Soft as can be, like wee puffs of air!

I picked a pot full of dandelion heads. My intentions are to spin a 2 ply jumper yarn from all my shetland fleeces & take advantage of the natural colours. I have one fawn, one pale grey, one white & one that is possibly white, or could be more of a natural or beige, or - who knows, 'till it is washed!

The dandelions are all cooked & I will leave them in the cooking liquid for a day or two to steep, before straining & reserving the liquid for dyeing at a later date.

I found an inspiring blog post detailing dyeing with dandelions.
Liberty's Yarn, has a great tutorial for dyeing yarn.

Well, I am back off into the garden to carry on carding.
Have a super day whatever the weather.

An update:
My friend Helen owner of My Heart Exposed Yarns left me some wonderful tips for dyeing with dandelions in the comments section.
Here they are:

"I am very excited you are trying dandelion dye Lynn, some tips for you, after your flower heads have been steeping for about 24 hours, pop in either a sliced lime or a sliced lemon without the pips and allow to steep for as long as possible, minimum of 24 hours more though.

The lime and lemon give the liquid a beautiful glowing delicate yellow colour causing the pigment in the dandelion stamens to really come alive when applied to fibre for dyeing.

Also, next time instead of using alum mordant, soak your fibre in a cold tea solution made by boiling about six tea bags on the cooker in some water then allowing to cool to room temperature before soaking the fibre. When you then apply the dandelion and citrus liquid to the pot the fibre turns a beautiful amazing burnt sun gold colour which is so unique it cant be described or repeated, will be different each time because using tea bags is not an exact science as you personally dont know the precise measurement of ingredients which make up each tea bag."

Thanks Helen!

In Pictures

2011-04-08T13:45:00.001-07:00

Lots Of Things...

2011-01-14T05:10:00.000-08:00

Firstly, I have finished the shawl I began last January.
It has been a pleasure to knit, but lots of other knitting came along & usurped it! Once the Christmas knitting was done, I made a concerted effort to work on it & get it finished.

Our snow has all gone now, but not in our play -

Our January school has us learning about time.
Here is our blackboard (I copied this drawing from the wonderful Our Little Nature Nest

Time is a beautiful topic that we are particularly enjoying. Such a rhythmic topic, it appeals to our sense of order.
Elianna has begun a calendar & she is illustrating each month & writing a verse from The Months by Sara Coleridge

January brings the snow,
makes our feet and fingers glow.

February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.

March brings breezes loud and shrill,
stirs the dancing daffodil.

April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daises at our feet.

May brings flocks of pretty lambs,
Skipping by their fleecy damns.

June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children's hand with posies.

Hot july brings cooling showers,
Apricots and gillyflowers.

August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.

Warm september brings the fruit,
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.

Fresh October brings the pheasents,
Then to gather nuts is pleasent.

Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast.

Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire, and Christmas treat.

Another big project Elianna has begun working on is her first knitted jumper!
This has involved a lot of addition, place value work & measurement.
So far she has costed out the garment & ordered the yarn & needles that she needs. Everything arrived this morning, which is very exciting!
The next job is to dye the yarn & ball it up, all ready to knit : )
This morning we sent a while discussing colour theory & making our own colour wheels.

Elianna's Wheel

We discussed Sir Isaac Newton's classic experiment of passing daylight through a prism to break it down into it's components of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo & Violet. We spent a lot of time talking & thinking about how different colours are different wavelengths & why we see colours as we do.
Fascinating stuff!

My girls have gone to visit Grandma this afternoon & I intend having a huge sort out of our books. I want to spend the time re-arranging them & generally tidying them up : )

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

We began the day slowly, getting dressed in the still darkness.
After a quick breakfast of smoothie & panettone, the girls & I headed out to the woods.

The misty, muddy morning was such a different scene from the all-white world that we walked in a few days ago.

After our walk, we settled down to some nature sketching. Our focus today seems to have become 'fungi' : )

We had a big, hearty brunch of sausages, eggs & bacon & the girls went out to the cinema with Daddy. This left me with peaceful knitting time.
I have just purchased The Sweater Workshop What a brilliant book! This book sets out to set us knitters free from the confines of patterns - to teach us jumper construction, so we can craft our own out of any yarn we choose.
It contans a strange looking sampler to knit, that covers all the techniques that would be used in knitting a jumper. I have eagerly cast on today!

Happy knitting!

A Goal for Knitting & Spinning

2010-12-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

I keep an inspiration book. A very simple book, into which I glue any photographs, clippings from magazines, ribbons, anything that inspires me!
I have a lot of nature photographs in there & the one that keeps catching my eye is the photograph at the top of this blog post.
Isnt he a sweetheart!

Earlier this year I purchased a wonderful silver shetland fleece from Jamiesons. It is the softest, cuddliest fibre & I have high hopes for that fleece!

My plan is to make a Seamless Yoke jumper using Elizabeth Zimmermann's Percentage System. To the yoke of the jumper, I would like to add some simple fair isle detail, inspired by - wait for it! - the colours of the wee robin!
So the body of the jumper will be a soft grey & the fair isle a combination of deeper grey, browns, off white & that glorious deep red - orange.

The fleece has patches of charcoal grey - I am combing the fleece right now - a laborious but worthwhile task. Once combed, I plan to drum card the lighter fibre with the darker fibre to get an even blend of light grey. Some of the fibre will be set aside to dye in the browns & red - orange.

Resources I will be using to help me are as follows:

Knitting in the Old Way

Knitting without Tears

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop

Knitting around: or Knitting without a License

Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting

'till next time : )

Snowy Days & Knitting....

2010-12-19T02:09:00.000-08:00

We are having a super time in the snow : )

We went to the park with the sons of my friend.

We stayed for a couple of hours, then headed home to a roaring fire, hot chocolate & warm blankets : )
The afternoon was spent in a very leisurely fashion - we all played a game of Wii, I knitted, we watched Cat in the Hat & The Puissance at The Olympia Horse Show
The girls made up a game all about the horses at Olympia & they spent a l-o-n-g time working on drawing their own maps. (These books always get them going!)

I have finally finished Elianna's Christmas jumper!

I am so pleased to have it finished in time : ) Rosie's was done a while ago (did I post pics of Rosie's owl jumper???)

This morning so far has brought - a new friend:

- A delicious scoured Shetland fleece, brought down from the attic, that I shall be spending the next few days combing, ready to spin for a jumper for one of the girls.

& the delicious smell of roasting chicken wafting through the house : )

I fully intend to take advantage of this enforced hibernation to relax & spend quiet, happy moments with my husband & girls before the busyness of 'the week before Christmas' kicks in : )

Week One: Christmas Cards

2010-12-08T05:57:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share with you the Christmas cards the girls made last week. Our December is always split as such:

Week One: Make Christmas cards
Week Two: Make Christmas gifts
Week Three: Christmas Baking
Week Four: Catch up!

I have been really enjoying Christmas in the Family

It is a wonderful resource for baking, crafts, songs & rhymes. Our Christmas cards have been made with the wonderful instructions in this book.

Elianna (just turned 8 years) has made two angel cards:

Rosie (5 years old) Has made a snowflake & Christmas tree:

Here is Rosie's inscription to her daddy : )

As you can see, my girls are quite young & (with help) they managed these simple cards & really enjoyed making them. Rosie was so proud of herself : )

The Land of Counterpane

2010-12-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

The Land of Counterpane
 by Robert Louis Stevenson

When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay,
To keep me happy all the day.

And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.

I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.

Today Elianna has been sick. It began on the night of her birthday - a raging sore throat & cold. I suppose all that sugary birthday cake did not help!
This morning, I made her up a wee bed on the sofa with quilts & a hot water bottle, whilst Rose & I headed out into the snow. (My husband works at home)

Once back at home, I built a fire & made chicken broth for lunch. The girls have been enjoying hot honey & lemon drinks all day. Very easy to make - the juice of a lemon, a dessert spoon of hone, topped up with hot water. Delicious & soothing for sore throats.
The afternoon was spent drawing in advent journals, knitting, working on home made Christmas cards & gifts & watching a film.

This is not a good picture, but you can just about see the sock yarn drying in front of the fire that Rosie had dyed up for my Christmas gift. (I must forget all about it! LOL!)

The end of the day...

The girls are all bathed now, they have had their supper & were tucked up in bead early (6.30pm) Elianna will be sleeping with me again tonight.
And I must go & crack on with my Christmas knitting!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like..... A Birthday!

2010-12-04T04:12:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow my eldest daughter will be 8 years old.
Where does the time go????? I am going to take this opportunity to post a gratuitous baby shot : )

Here she is, my brand new babe, almost eight short years ago.

Today our world is white. And very busy!

We headed off to the park, nice & early.

The mittens I have been spinning & knitting for Rosie are done

They are made with 'Thrumms'

And are super-warm, I am told : )

Back home to the fireside & hot chocolate : )

Yesterday I baked Elianna's birthday cake & today I iced it.
Filled with buttercream,

his name is Walter. He is rather appropriate for this weather

This afternoon promises to be as busy in a lovely, happy, productive way. We have party food to prepare & presents to wrap. The girls have Christmas cards to be working on. (I shall be giving these lovely cards a post of their own, in the next week, hopefully) & I have lots of Christmas knitting to be getting on with.

I will leave you with some ideas of how we celebrate birthdays in our home - & our favourite birthday recipes too!

Birthday’s

The essence of our celebration; you are an important member of our family, we love you & our lives would not be the same without you!

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Psalm 139:14

Birthday to-do’s & good things to eat.

Find balloons tied to your bed when you wake
Be greeted by kisses, the same number as your age
No chores today!
Birthday gifts & always a book
Find a balloon on your chair at breakfast time
A prayer of thanks for you
A special birthday muffin for breakfast, with a number candle
Your height measured & marked
Birthday party tea
Homemade birthday cake with candles...we sing happy birthday, you make a wish!
Number (of your age) sugar cookies
You get to wear your very own birthday crown
A letter for you written in your journal

Read: Happy Birthday to You! by Dr Seuss

Classic Birthday Cake
(makes one tier)
4oz self raising flour 4 oz caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder 2 large eggs
4oz soft butter 2-3 drops pure vanilla essence

Pre-heat oven to GM 3
grease & line cake tin
sift flour & baking powder into a roomy mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients & whisk till thoroughly combined. Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of tap-warm water. Whisk again.
Add the mixture to the tin, level off & bake on the centre shelf for about 30 minutes.
When cooked remove to a cooling rack.
The cake can be sliced in half, layered with jam & buttercream or stacked.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
(Fills & frosts a 8/9” cake.)
3 cups icing sugar 2 tsp vanilla
3 oz softened butter 3 oz chocolate, melted & cooled
3-4 tblsp milk

Mix sugar & butter in a medium bowl on a low speed. Stir in vanilla & chocolate.
Gradually beat in enough milk to make frosting spreadable.

Sugar Cookies
2 cups plain flour 6 oz softened butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pre-heat oven to GM 3

Cream the butter & sugar. Add the egg & vanilla, beating well until mixed. Add flour on very low speed: do not over mix.
Gather dough into a ball & wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour. Allow dough to sit for 10 mins before rolling. Roll on a floured counter to 1/4” thick. Cut with cookie cutters & place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12-15 mins.
Can be frozen.

The First Sunday Of Advent

2010-11-28T03:58:00.000-08:00

Morning Walk

Jesse Tree

Playing with the nativity

Our Blackboard

Christmas Journals

Advent Cake

Our Advent Wreath

Advent Family Worship

2010-11-27T23:57:00.000-08:00

Our Advent Family Worship ~ Each Sunday in Advent

This is a repost of how we celebrate each advent Sunday in our home.

borrowed heavily from Kathy

Advent Week One

Scripture ~ Isaiah 9:2,6
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The Hope (prophecy) Candle (purple)

Themes to discuss
~God keeps His promises
~God promised to send a saviour
~Jesus promised to return

Prayer ~
Lord Jesus, We thank You for being our Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father & Prince of Peace. As we enter the Christmas season, give us grace that we may turn away from works of darkness, turn towards Your light. As You sent your messengers the prophets to prepare the way of salvation, may we prepare our hearts to celebrate the dawning of Your everlasting light.
In your name we pray, Amen.

Hymn ~ Away in a Manger

Advent Week Two

Scripture ~ Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Luke 2:1~7
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Love Candle (purple)

Themes to discuss
~God sent Jesus because He loves us
~Jesus came because He loves us
~We show love to God by loving other people.

Prayer ~
Almighty God, You are the Author of history. You created the heavens & the earth, all that is seen & unseen. In the fullness of time, Your Word became flesh & dwelt among us, full of grace & truth.As we look forward to the coming of your Son, please give us hearts to serve, as Jesus would have us serve one another.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Hymn ~ O little town of Bethlehem

Advent Week Three

Scripture~ Luke 2:8-20:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

 The Joy Candle (rose)

Themes to discuss
~Jesus saved us from our sins, which gives us joy
Tree Ornament ~ Bell

Prayer ~
Dear Lord Jesus, There is so much about your birth & life that we do not understand, but we understand enough to be amazed just as the shepherds were. Forgive us for not marvelling more at such a gift; for not pondering this great message in our hearts. Help us to remember You. And help us to notice somebody who needs to be told about Your love for them. give us the courage to spread Your good news.
For the sake of Christ’s Kingdom we pray, Amen

Hymn ~ Silent night

Advent Week Four

Scripture ~ Matthew 2:1-12
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 
The Peace Candle (purple)

Themes to discuss
~Jesus brought peace to our hearts
~When He returns He will bring peace to the world

Prayer ~
Heavenly Father, Forgive us for seeking to remove Your presence & influence from our lives today. We confess our rebellion against Your absolute sovereign Lordship, & ask that You would create instead a deep desire for You to rule over us. Enable us to delight in this little child who is now the King of kings, & to show our love for Him through our obedience.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

Hymn ~ The First Noel

Christmas Eve

Scripture ~ Luke 1:68-69
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

The Christ Candle (white)

Themes to discuss
~We celebrate because Jesus was born
~We celebrate because Jesus is our King

Prayer ~
O Lord God, Thank you for visiting Your people with salvation. How you have cared for us, as a Shepherd over His sheep, as a Father with His children. Look upon our joy this day as we celebrate the Messiah’s birth, & cause us to honor & serve Jesus, the lover of our souls.
In His precious name we pray, Amen.

Hymn ~ Joy To The World

Advent Reading

2010-11-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

Well, our school books have now been packed away in the attic until next year! The Christmas book basket has been brought down to the living room & I would like to share with you...

Elianna's daily reader for December will be Santa's Favorite Story
I must say the illustrations in this book are charming!

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell GrahamWill be our daily read aloud.
We shall be dipping in & out of the book basket to supplement our reading each day.

The Very First Christmas

The First Christmas

We have had this for years - I think it was the first Christmas book I bought when Elianna was a tiny baby

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore; illustrated by Tasha Tudor

Mary did you know?

Favorite Christmas Carols

The Cobweb Curtain

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Board Book by Jan Brett

Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery

My First Story of Christmas

The Tailor of Gloucester (The World of Beatrix Potter) by Beatrix Potter

Jesus' Christmas Party

Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers

Country Angel Christmas by Tomie dePaola

Merry the Lamb Finds Baby Jesus

This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar

The Legend of the Candy Cane

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

The Tale of Three Trees

Getting Ready For Advent!

2010-11-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

This is such a wonderful time of year!
Here is how I prepare for the first Sunday in Advent:

Set up our Jesse tree

Each morning at breakfast, we add a decoration to our Jesse Tree. We use the Jesse tree devotions here. However, I personally do not think all of the devotions are age appropriate for my children, so some of them I change or miss out altogether.
Our decorations are home made - some sewed from wool felt, some needle felted, some are simple pictures drawn by my girls.

Our Advent Wreath

In previous years & have used a huge iron thing, wrapped in holly & ivy, however this year I shall be using this wee ring

Our Advent Calendar

I hang this up - it is a simple thing with felt pockets - & a chocolate in each : )

Begin our Christmas Journals

The girls begin a new book each year - on Stir Up Sunday. They decorate the cover with old Christmas cards & stickers. We are off School for December (more about that in another post), so we use it for recording sketches, photos etc throughout advent.
You can see one from last year here
I have a simple journal that I have kept for years. Priceless!

My Christmas devotional reading

This year I shall be reading Immanuel: Praying the Names of God Through the Christmas Season

Choose the childrens evening story book

This year -Advent Storybook: 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas

Begin our Nativity scene.

We have a lovely pottery set that I bought as a newly wed. It goes on our Nature table. Animals, Mary & Joseph, shepherds , baby Jesus on Christmas day & finally, on The Epiphany, the Wise Men.

Bring out our play Nativity set.

You can see the one we have here It is a treasure. I have to confess to playing with it myself : )

Play Carols

Over & over & over! I love it! LOL!

Bake our ‘Happy Advent’ cake

Very simple, always in a bundt tin, always with glitter.

Our Advent Family Worship will be as follows:

borrowed heavily from Kathy

Advent Week One

Scripture ~ Isaiah 9:2,6
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

We light the Hope Candle

Themes to discuss
~God keeps His promises
~God promised to send a saviour
~Jesus promised to return

Prayer ~
Lord Jesus, We thank You for being our Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father & Prince of Peace. As we enter the Christmas season, give us grace that we may turn away from works of darkness, turn towards Your light. As You sent your messengers the prophets to prepare the way of salvation, may we prepare our hearts to celebrate the dawning of Your everlasting light.
In your name we pray, Amen.

Hymn ~ Away in a Manger

I hope to post more soon about our Advent school plans & our traditions for the advent season.
I would love to hear about your plans.

Stir Up Sunday!

2010-11-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Our Day In Pictures & Words...

Our early morning nature walk..

We always see two Robins together, every time we walk this way. They are quite friendly & come quite close. Today, there was only one....

Elianna modeling the mittens she has knit for herself. I am a proud mummy!

After our morning walk we went off to church. Home for lunch & then on to the 'Stir up' part of Sunday!

Making wishes....

Our first hint of Christmas has arrived!

The girls are now tucked up in bed, the Christmas cake is still baking - what a glorious smell!!!
I am off to enjoy a little tipple of Damson gin & get a little knitting done (are the two compatible????)
How was your stir up Sunday?

Stir Up Sunday

2010-11-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

Oh, I do love this time of year! Preparing for Christmas - I think I love advent as much as Christmas Day itself.
Sunday will be 'Stir Up Sunday' - the traditional day to bake Christmas cakes & puddings.

You can read more about the tradition & the recipes I use in this previous blog post.

Previous Stir Up Sundays are here & here

I would love to hear your own Christmas baking plans

Our Charlotte Mason Inspired Curriculum

2010-10-24T09:56:00.001-07:00

In this post I hope to share with you my Charlotte Mason inspired home school plans.

Our study begins at the breakfast table with Bible reading.
I am following a basic plan for our readings this year:

Mon - Thurs - we read the same reading each day. I am working through a long list of scriptures that teach about the life & gospel of Jesus Christ.
After i have read to my girls, on monday they begin a drawing of what we have read. They have the whole week to finish it, so they have created some masterpieces!
On tues I require my 7 yo to give a narration of the reading.
Wednesday is usually writing a title for the drawing.
Thursday is completing the picture & sometimes acting out a little skit, depending on the reading.

Friday - I have decided to work slowly through Leading Little Ones To God I used this as a daily devotional when my now seven year old was three.
There are 14 Parts in the book, split into 86 chapters. Each chapter begins with an introduction from the author, which the parent is to read to the child. Then 'Something to talk about' - questions to prompt discussion between the parent & child(ren)
A memory verse & scripture to read & finally a hymn.
I shall use this book as a spine for discussing our beliefs. We shall not be reading all of the chapters - some I do not agree with from a theological point of view & some, in my opinion contain ideas too old for my children.
We shall begin by reading the suggested scripture & then & shall read the devotional by the author, & use the discussion questions when appropriate, but we will not be using the memory verse or hymn.

Saturday - I read Genesis 1:1-2:7

Sunday - I read the psalm & gospel reading that will be read later that morning at our church.

Each morning after Bible Study we practice our memory verse for the month.
Here is a wonderful system that we use to aid our Bible recitation.

After breakfast & morning chores comes circle time

Prayer & hymns
We begin with prayer & then sing our hymn that I have chosen for the month. The girls used to add music with a shaker, or tambourine or some such thing, but they have their own hymn book now, of which they are very proud & has produced a more studious atmosphere!

Verses
We then have a poem or two that we are reciting together & a finger play.
I then read a poem from each childs poetry book.
Elianna has A Child's Garden of Verses
Rosie has Mother Goose

Maths Facts
Times tables, counting, skip counting etc is learned via movement - jumping, clapping, throwing beanbags, bouncing balls. We use a lot of energy here : )

French
We are still learning french via songs & rhymes. I am now on the lookout for a french program for us to follow next year, so if anyone has any suggestions, please do let me know!

Reading & phonics instruction
I am using Word Mastery for both my girls.
Elianna also reads from a reader & has spelling words that she learns - I give her five at a time - she writes them out each morning & when she knows them, she knows them! No race : )

We then take a wee break while Elianna makes a snack for both girls & I read from When we were very young for Rose.

Read Alouds
While the girls have their snack I begin the read alouds.

Monday
The Story of the World: Ancient Times v. 1
Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales
Little House in the Big Woods

Tuesday
The Story of the World: Ancient Times v. 1
Parables from Nature
Little House in the Big Woods

Wednesday
The Story of the World: Ancient Times v. 1
A Childs geography of the world
Little House in the Big Woods

Thursday
A Childs geography of the world
The Aesop for Children
Little House in the Big Woods

Friday
Fairy Frisket, Or, Peeps at Insect Life

Science
On mondays, after read alouds we do an experiment from Science Arts: Discovering Science Through Art Experiences
I cant recommend this book highly enough! Simple , quick fun experiments that can be carried out with supplies from around the home.
Fridays are Nature Study days!
We love nature study in our home : )
We use various read alouds & go on nature walks at least once a week.
I have found Handbook of Nature Study & Barb's Handbook of nature study blog
invaluable. Nature study is such a simple thing to do, with little or no preparation, but reaps great rewards.

Copywork
In between read alouds, mon to thurs, we a have a copywork lesson. I am using Peterson Directed Handwriting to teach cursive to both my girls. I decided to teach Rose cursive first as she is left handed. This was a freebie I found on a blog (& I cannot remember for the life of me whose blog!)
As it was a freebie, it cannot be printed out, but this has turned out to be a blessing in disguise!
We begin the week with me writing the letter on our blackboard
This method uses lots of movement & also rhymes to teach the letters. My 7 yo is whizzing along & producing lovely writing & my 5 yo is slowly building up her cursive too.

Maths
Maths Maths Maths!
Every so often I dither about our maths! I am not using a curriculum & have decided (I think! LOL!) to keep it that way for this year.
My goals are to commit to memory the 10, 5 & 3 times tables, master addition, subtraction, division & multiplication, Learn to tell the time for my 7 yo (who is only just beginning to ask about time - so far she has been wonderfully unaware & burdened : )
She is great with the four processes, but I intend to really work on these this year & also mental arithmetic.
We shall be doing a lot of abacus work. Here is a great PDF I would like to share that is very helpful for getting started.

Well, I hope this is clear. I am sure to have missed some parts of our school day out, I am sure - they will come to me if I have!

Picture study & music appreciation will come in another post!

One last thing I would like to mention - here is a great resource for those who are planning their own Charlotte Mason inspired home school:
Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education

I am off to bath my girls - they have just arrived home from the cinema & pizza with daddy : )
Bath time, supper & story for them & off to bed. A little knitting & a G&T for mummy!

Have a great Sunday!

Nature Study At It's Best

2010-10-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Elianna & I attended our monthly Spinning Guild meeting. This means that my younger daughter has a 'Daddy Day' - a whole day with daddy all to herself.

My husband filmed this clip of her in our local park - I was a very proud mummy when I saw this clip & resulting drawing : )

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men....

2010-10-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Here is my happy wee girl, just over a month ago on her fifth birthday. Since my last post, things have been so different.

We have all had a run of colds, throat & ear infections & coughs over the last two weeks.

Then on wednesday, my darling girl developed very bad mouth ulcers. Which got worse & worse, to the point that she couldnt drink. I had spent an exhausting night syringing water into my wee girl mil by mil.

We returned to see our doctor the next day who admitted her to hospital because the ulcers were so severe, her temp was very high & she was dehydrated.

She was deemed fit to go home later that day, but it has been an exhausting battle to get any fluid & pain relief into her. Watching her in so much pain has been the worst thing.

Today she has turned a huge corner & whist she is still in pain, she is quite grumpy, which, is a massive relief for this heartbroken mummy! She has been too lethargic up until this point to show any emotion.

I was hoping to post about our new Charlotte Mason style curriculum this weekend. I still hope to get that up as soon as I am able.

I cannot let this moment go by without a huge thank you to my dear friend Andrea - who let me garble worried thoughts & swear far too much.
Thank you Andrea :)

Well, i have a big pot of chicken broth on the stove top that I must attend to for my poorly girl.

Thank you all for your kind words to my 'comeback post' - hoping to chat with you all soon.

LX

A Tentative New Post...

2010-10-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

I miss my blog!
I miss reading & responding to all the lovely comments left for me. I made some great friends via the blogging world. But at the same time, blogging takes time!
So, cautiously, I am beginning my blog again.

The last year has brought some great challenges for my family. I am very tired now. Very tired! But I am delighted to be in the new place that I am.

The changes have caused me to re-think a lot of things, including our education plans. And it is with great delight that I have met with an old friend - Miss Charlotte Mason!

We are nearing the end of our first week 'Charlotte Mason Style'. A week beset with illness & appointments & other interruptions that would normally reduce this home-bird to a quivering wreck. However, our easy pace, short lessons & wonderful read alouds have wrapped beautifully around our family life, like the sumptuous wrappings around an expensive gift.

Peace.

I soon shall be posting our plans for the first 'term' of school. We actually began back in September, but have decided to plan our books etc counting this as our first week.

I also would like to share the following quote, which has really got me thinking:

‎"In this way: give your a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information."

Vol 1, Part V Lessons As Instruments Of Education, p.174
The Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte

Holy Week Plans

2010-03-10T06:32:00.000-08:00

Easter 2008

In All Year Round, the authors speak of Lent as a time of renewal, in gathering forces needed to meet the vital renewal of our daily lives. The quiet mood of Lent will be deepened in our home over the Holy week, the week leading up to Easter.

Story for the week: “The Story Of The Great Stone” (Stories for The Festivals Of The Year)

Verse: At Easter Time (Stories for The Festivals Of The Year)

Let our trust in God become
Like the good earth, firm & strong.

As the water, rising & falling,
Let God’s life be always flowing.

Our Voices carry through the air.
Softly withing, God’s call is heard.

Fire gives warmth, fire gives light.
God’s love burns within our heart.

In all the elements, God is there
Bringing new life, everywhere.

Palm Sunday
~ Light a candle on our nature table
~Go for a praise walk, followed by a picnic (weather permitting!)~Marveling at the wonders of nature are prayers of praise. As we walk outdoors, we can reflect upon the Lords creation & praise God for giving us a world that meets our needs.

~ Bake date bread & make palm crosses as gifts
~ Sew grass seeds in a bowl of earth

Light the nature table candle daily.

Holy Thursday
~Purchase Easter lillies
~Read John 13:1-5

Good Friday
Light our candle
Bake & eat hot cross buns
~ Read “The Story Of The Great Stone” (Stories for The Festivals Of The Year)
At 3pm blow out our candle, followed by a quiet hour of reflection
(I give my children their prayer journals, coloured pencils & their picture Bibles, they can draw prayers to the Lord, Illustrate the story we read or look at their Bibles.)

Easter Saturday
“A quiet day, a day of Waiting” The Parenting Passageway
Dying Eggs
Laying out new easter clothes
Cooking for the feast tomorrow
In secret, make a few butterflies to hand over the dining room table for Easter Morning - I love this magical idea from The Parenting Passageway

March Circle Time

2010-03-07T01:18:00.000-08:00

Better late than never!

Hymn:

Joyful Joyful

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

Scripture:

Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Verse:

A caterpillar crawled to the top of a tree.
"I think I'll take a nap'" said he.
So - under a leaf he began to creep
To spin his cocoon, & fell asleep.
All winter he slept in his cocon bed,
Till spring came along one day & said,
"wake up, wake up, little sleepy head.
"Wake up, its time to get out of bed."
So - he opened his eyes that sunshiny day.
Lo! he was a butterfly - & flew away!

Spring - Wynstones

Fingerplay:

"Come, little children," (beckon)
Calls mother hen.
"It's time to take your nap again". (head on hands)
And under feathers (make arms into wings)
The small ducks creep,
And she clucks a song
Till they fall asleep (head on hands)

Spring - Wynstones

Song:

Little snail, little snail,
on the rock you make a trail,
Carry your house upon your back,
It takes so long to get there & back,
But even though you're not very fast,
You're happy that spring has come at last

Spring - Wynstones

French:

Dans le ciel © 2003 Alain Le Lait

Dans le ciel, dans le ciel
 Il y a la lune 
Dans le ciel, dans le ciel
 La lune et le soleil
Dans le ciel, dans le ciel
 Il y a les étoiles  
Dans le ciel, dans le ciel
 Les étoiles et le soleil
Et dans le ciel il y a des oiseaux
 Qui chantent cui, cui, cui, cui, cui (x2)
Dans le ciel, dans le ciel
 Il y a les nuages
 Dans le ciel, dans le ciel
 Les nuages et le soleil
Dans le ciel, dans le ciel
 Il y a la lune 
Dans le ciel, dans le ciel
 La lune et le soleil
Et dans le ciel il y a des oiseaux
 Qui chantent cui, cui, cui, cui, cui (x2)

In the sky © 2003 Alain Le Lait

In the sky, in the sky 
There is the moon 
In the sky, in the sky 
In the sky, in the sky 
There are the stars 
In the sky, in the sky 
The stars and the sun
And in the sky there are birds
 Singing chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp (x2)
In the sky, in the sky 
There are the clouds 
In the sky, in the sky 
The clouds and the sun
In the sky, in the sky 
There is the moon
 In the sky, in the sky 
The moon and the sun
And in the sky there are birds
 Singing chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp (x2)
The moon and the sun

Maths practice (clapping / beanbags / jumping)

Current recorder practice.

Rosie (preschooler)
Story - Golilocks & the three bears

Etsy Shop!

2010-03-01T08:51:00.000-08:00

I have just opened my very own Etsy Shop!

Please pop along & have a look - I will be adding more fibre & yarn over the coming days

If you decide to treat yourself to something from my shop, please mention my blog in the comments section for a 10% discount!

Dyeing with Gorse

2010-03-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

Hello all!
in between fighting various illnesses, Rosie & I dyed up some sock yarn with Gorse

Here it is in the pan:

& here it is all dyed up:

I am so pleased with the pretty shade! I am planning to knit up Child's Lovely Lace Socks for my girls for Easter.

For more on natural dyeing, look here & here.

Lent

2010-02-14T04:21:00.000-08:00

I have been mulling over in my mind how we will be spending our time during the season of Lent this year & I wanted to share my thoughts with you. I would love to hear your ideas for your own family - please leave me a comment to let me know your own plans.

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the last day before Lent begins.
The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

At this point I would like to clearly state my own belief - that my sin - & yes, I sin all the time - my sin is no longer an issue with God.
My sin does not cause me to lose my salvation, or my relationship with God -yes, God can still hear me!!!! He hears me, He speaks to me & He even answers my prayers (even if the answer is not the one I want to hear!) I can fellowship with my Lord, without having to come to Him with a list a mile long of all my sins - I can just jump straight into His lap & be at peace. Thank you Lord.
Andrew Womack has anamazing article that expands this topic beautifully & is jam packed with scripture after beautiful scripture.

So back to Shrove Tuesday : )

We will be discussing abiet in a very simple fashion what Lent is all about & of course making pancakes.

Ingredients
4 oz (110 g) plain flour
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
7 fl oz (200 ml) milk mixed with 3 fl oz (75 ml) water
2 oz (50 g) butter
To serve:
caster sugar, lemon juice and lemon wedges

Method

First of all sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with the sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs – any sort of whisk or even a fork will do – incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so.

Next, gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the butter in the pan. Spoon 2 tablespoons of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it when needed to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round.

Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tablespoons about right for a 7 inch (18 cm) pan and 3 tablespoons for an 8 inch (20 cm) pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife – the other side will need a few seconds only – then simply slide it out of the pan on to a plate.

Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest.

To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and caster sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon.
Recipe source - Delia Smith

Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday we will set up our nature table for Lent. Here is how it looked last year

We keep it very simple - a crown of thorns, Our Jesse Tree, A Tale For Easter & a wee snowdrop fairy.

All Year Round presents a wonderfully symbolic activity - a wee bowl of dirt sprinkled with palm ashes. We place this on our nature table, where it will stay until Palm Sunday. Then it shall be sprinkled with a few grass seeds, to spring into life during Holy Week.

A great resource to look at for Easter plans is Journey through the Holy Week...and before This gives a brief overview of Lent & Easter.

For our own Lenten path I am greatly inspired by Celebrating the Church Year with Young Children

Joan Halmo writes:
"The goal of Lent is holistic, that is, each member of the Church is to live more intensely as a Christian in whatever way is appropriate to his or her state of life"

Perfect!

She continues:
"Lent can be the period in which the first presentation of the parable of the Good Shepherd is made & the child given the time & space in which to prayerfully contemplate this image.

This is just so exciting! I am really looking forward to this : )
The book goes on to give weekly suggestions to incorporate this idea for use in the home throughout Lent.
We shall be doing this on Friday mornings.

Here is a site to inspire prayer times with our families during Lent

Another book I shall be perusing over the next few weeks is The Easter Craft Book . This is a super little book, packed with waldorf style handwork & crafting ideas.

For us as mothers, our own inner work is, of course of supreme importance. Our connection to Him is our Life.
Lynn Jericho has written an insightful post on her blog: Inner Lent.

Please do leave a comment to share your own thoughts....

Snowdrops

2010-02-12T03:20:00.001-08:00

Friday is nature study day in our home.
This morning, we observed a wee patch of snowdrops growing in in our front garden.
The girls took great pleasure in sketching them in their nature notebooks:

Here is Elianna's sketch (7 yo)

Here is Rosie's sketch (4 yo)

Now, the waldorf purists will notice that my 4 yo has written in her notebook!
We came to waldorf late with Elianna - she was already reading a writing a small amount when we went fully into waldorf last year. With Rose I was determined to hold back on the academics. Hmmm - i should have told Rosie this! The last few days she has been engrossed in 'reading' & 'writing'.
I am happy for her to do this - it is where she is at. we wont be doing any 'formal' lessons yet & she has abundant time to play & be outdoors. We are all happy : )

Our resources for nature study today are favourites of mine:

Field Guide in Colour to Wild Flowers

My favorite guide to wild flowers. This was bought for me by my aunt when I was a small girl, so it has great sentimental value, but also, as a resource, it cant be beaten! The illustrations are hand drawn, which I prefer to photographs. The edges of the pages are colour coded, to make finding your chosen flower very easy.
There is an index of scientific names & another for common names & I just love the layout & the information contained within this book.

The second book we used is A Gospel of Wild Flowers

This description of the book from amazon sums it up perfectly:
This work is a thought-provoking portrait of the natural world, written by the former Bishop of Lynn and illustrated by celebrated artist Pat Albeck. Pat presents a beautiful painting of a different wild flower on each spread. Accompanying this is text by the Bishop describing the plant and its practical uses, and then linking the plant and its properties to aspects of Christian thought and devotion. This is a comforting book that will appeal primarily to mature people with a Christian inclination, but will also be appreciated by nature lovers of all ages. Full of thoughtful stories and insights, this is a gentle and peaceful book, written in a direct, open way that is both soothing and refreshing.

I read selected parts from the chapter on Snowdrops to the girls this morning - not all of it was (in my opinion) suitable for them, but the parts I read appeared to resonate within them - I need to let them sleep on it, as I do myself : )

This wee book is a great one for mothers to tie their own innerwork around the changing flowers of the seasons.

Happy nature study!

More from the dyepot

2010-02-04T02:39:00.000-08:00

More 'rainbow' than the last two, these have been claimed by the girls already : )

I am waiting impatiently for some alpaca/silk blend (my favorite fibre!) to arrive, so I can dye some more.

Some dyeing

2010-02-03T01:22:00.001-08:00

Spent the afternoon yesterday dyeing these two fine merino & tussah silk slivers.
So have aptly named the colourway 'Candlemas' : )

February Circle Time

2010-02-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

Hymn:

This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

2. This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

3. This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

Scripture

Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Verses:

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will take another flight.
If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain
Winter is gone and will not come again.

Five little Inuits by the igloo door
One went out to feed the dogs & then there were four
Four little Inuits, rowing out to sea
One jumped on an iceberg, then there were three
three little inuits, making fish stew,
One burned his finger, then there were two.
Two little inuits hunting just for fun,
One chased a baby seal, then there was one.
One little Inuit all his work done
Went home to supper, then there were none.

(Winter Wynstones)

Finger Play

Winter tells us little bulbs (kneeling)
To tuck our heads in so (mime)
Then we will not need to shiver (cuddle self & shiver)
When the cold winds blow (blow)

Spring will come with sun & showers (pitter patter fingers)
Soon to raise our head (mime)
Then we'll grow & grow & grow ('grow' arms)
Right out of bed (standing)

(Winter Wynstones)

Song

See this post

“Quiet, Quiet, do not make a sound,
Holding now the string so tight,
We all make some winter light
Quiet, quiet, do not make a sound”

We will be practicing counting 1-100 / 100 - 1 & skip counting

French

Avec un gros nez © 2003 Alain Le Lait

C’est un chien, c’est un chien Ouah, ouah, ouah (repeat)
C’est un chien, c’est un chien Avec un gros nez C’est un chat, c’est un chat Miaou, miaou, miaou (repeat) C’est un chat, c’est un chat Avec un gros nez
Un chien et un chat, avec un gros nez Ce n’est pas souvent qu’on en voit passer  (x2)
Un oiseau, un oiseau (whistle 3 times) répétez Un oiseau, un oiseau Avec un gros nez Un poisson, un poisson (smack lips 3 times) répétez Un poisson, un poisson Avec un gros nez
Un oiseau, un poisson, avec un gros nez Ce n’est pas souvent qu’on en voit passer  (x2)
C’est une vache, c’est une vache Meuh, meuh (répétez) C’est une vache, c’est une vache  Avec un gros nez Un cochon, un cochon Ron, ron, ron (répétez) Un cochon, un cochon Avec un gros nez
Une vache, un cochon, avec un gros nez Ce n’est pas souvent qu’on en voit passer  (x2)

With a big nose © 2003 Alain Le Lait

It’s a dog, it’s a dog Woof, woof, woof (repeat) It’s a dog, it’s a dog With a big nose It’s a cat, it’s a cat Meow, meow (repeat) It’s a cat, it’s a cat With a big nose
A dog and a cat, with a big nose It is not often that you see that go by  (x2)
A bird, a bird (Whistle 3 times) repeat A bird, a bird With a big nose A fish, a fish (Smack lips 3 times) repeat A fish, a fish With a big nose
A bird, a fish, with a big nose It is not often that you see that go by  (x2)
It’s a cow, it’s a cow Moo, moo (repeat) It’s a cow, it’s a cow With a great big nose A pig, a pig Oink, oink, oink (repeat) A pig, a pig With a big nose
A cow, a pig, with a big nose It is not often that you see that go by  (x2)

Recorder Practice

Mary had a little lamb

Rosie's story for this month will be the gingerbread man

Candlemas 2nd February

2010-01-31T22:54:00.000-08:00

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 
Luke 2:25-40

Candlemas takes it’s name from the blessing of the candles on this day for use in the church throughout the coming year. It is also a celebration within the church of the presentation of Jesus in the temple.

“At the beginning of February, when the infant light of spring is greeted thankfully by the hoary winter earth, it seems fitting we should celebrate a candle Festival to remember that moment when the Light of the World was received into the Temple, when the old yielded to the new.”
“All Year Round”

Verse for Candlemas:

“If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will take another flight.
If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain
Winter is gone and will not come again.”

Ways in which to celebrate:

One would be to think of goals & things you would like to see happen in this New Year together, in this time of new beginnings, as the earth becomes spring again & do something to celebrate that.

Of course the major activity is usually candle making in some form - rolling candles, candle dipping or making earth candles outside in the ground & lighting them.

If the ground permits, tilling a plot for march planting.
The ground is covered in snow here, but we shall be cosied up, looking through our seed catalogues & making plans....

Dinner in candlelight - We shall light our birthday ring as well as all our home made candles.

Bake fresh bread & enjoy Vegetable soup or chowder & baked custards as your Candlemas meal.

We can also offer simply made stories & poems about our friends the bees & work with beeswax & honey in some way during the festival.

Most of my inspiration for this festival comes from “All Year Round” however I found this lovely Candlemas song from Our Little Nature Nest

What a lovely song! we shall certainly be singing this, as well as using the beautiful watercolour as inspiration for our own wet on wet on painting day.

Candlemas is a wonderful way to talk about my own relationship with the Lord with my girls - How Christ has promised to be our light in the darkness, that He lights my way & that He is the light - I am fully reliant upon Him. And for that I am fully thankful.

Happy Candlemas!

This morning we woke up to find...

2010-01-31T07:54:00.000-08:00

...a wonderful white world!

We dressed fast, grabbed juice boxes & banana's & headed off to buy coal, as we were very short on supplies.
Once home again, we set off on foot to our local park, calling for our neighbour freinds.
We spent a few hours in the park, building a snowman, snowballing, sledging & generally having fun. And I forgot my camera.

Here is a shot of the park on a day last year. Today we have lots more snow!

We had a late breakfast of hot chocolate, porridge, fruit & toast then settled to our own activities.

Rosie went into the garden to play

Elianna made a fine zoo for all the little wooden animals in our home

Hubby read & I napped, did a little spinning & knitted.

Somewhere in the midst of all this we ate a simple lunch

The bright sun of earlier in the day is fading now, I am blogging, the girls are playing 'zoo' & hubby is still reading : )
Soon the girls will have their evening bath & tonight is 'pizza night' We will be watching The Sound Of Music

Thank you friends for the many emails & messages I have received to ask' why so quiet'? - we have had a lot of illness & my uncle had passed away - his funeral is tomorrow.
I hope to post our February circle time plans either tonight or tomorrow.
I hope you all have had a super day, whatever the weather : )

Gail

2010-01-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

Gail is finished!

Here it is being blocked:

And here it is being modeled by the lovely Elianna

The yarn is Alpamayo Sockweight - 80% Superfine Alpaca and 20% Silk from Woolhunter

Rosie picked out some sunny yellow tissue paper to wrap it in & it will soon be delivered to it's new owner, my wonderful mother-in-law, in time for her to take it into hospital to hopefuly bring a little home comfort as she goes in for her op.

Another Snow Day...

2010-01-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

Scenes from our day...

In the garden:

The girls play house

One of the Fairy houses, all covered in snow

By the fire:
The girls playing & creating in the glow of the fire

I am busily working on 'Gail', which has now become a work in progress for my MIL, who will be having a hip replacement op very soon. I hope to have this done for her to take with her to the hospital, to give her a touch of home & comfort.

Not great photos, but I hope to put up a picture when it is finished & blocked.

Fireside:

Epiphany ~ 6th January

2010-01-02T02:46:00.000-08:00

Matthew 2:1-12:

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Some ways we will celebrate Epiphany:

Add the kings to the scene in our nativity.

Sing 'We Three Kings'

A verse to say together:

Three kings come riding to follow a star, over mountain & valley & crag.
They travel along to a country far, three gifts they have in their bag:
Gold for a king as merry we sing,
And incense to burn in the fire,
And myrrh for his parting in sorrow we sigh,
And the little child bids them come nigh.

Read The Story of Babushka

Bake Twelfth Night Cake

Make crowns from sugar paper & glitter

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T03:12:00.000-08:00

A Happy New Year to you all!!!

Last night my poor husband was tucked up in bed at 8pm with a cold! Earlier in the day I found this beautiful shawl whilst surfing the internet. So I had a look through my yarn stash & found some beautiful alpaca / silk fingering weight in a lovely pale blue / lilac blend. I downloaded the fab never not knitting podcast & cast on the shawl. I had a really cosy eveing, knitting, listening & praying & meditating upon the new year.

This morning my husband gave me a lie in, 'till 8.30am! (unheard of!) When I did get up, the girls & I went for a lovely walk in the woods. This afternoon we are off to visit my mum & dad & have a late lunch with them. So, I am off to watch a movie with the girls & hubby & get knitting on my shawl!

Happy new year!

New Year Goals

2009-12-30T01:22:00.000-08:00

This time of year resonates with me. A fresh start, a new year, whole new possibilities...

In November I joined Melisa's group Be A Beacon. It really has changed the way I think in unexpected ways. I am finding it very helpful in my personal life & in my life with the Lord (the two are very much one & the same...)

So, inspired by the Be A Beacon programme, I have just one New Year's goal -

To differentiate in Prayer & meditation between essentials & non-essentials

This is the first of Steiner's Six Exercises.

This exercise has helped me so much. For me, it transforms from the inside out, whereas before, my 'simplification' I think has been more 'outside in'

Does that make any sense???

I know I will fall short of perfection...& being a perfectionist, this is tough for me to deal with...but spending time with God, praying & meditating on what truly matters brings me to ponder that there is no place for perfectionism in my life, anyway. - It is a non-essential.

Psalm 63

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

I would love to hear of your own new year goals - please let me know your thoughts...

January Plans

2009-12-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, there will be no school for the first week of January.
Despite the fact that I have my plans all neatly written out, I have a bit of a panic at this time of year - a vague sense of ' I dont know what I am doing!' I think it relates to us having had the whole of December off regular 'school' - although we maintain circle time, we switch to baking, gift making & card making.
So back to school in January is somewhat of a shock!
I spent time this morning reading over my plans for January & printing out our circle time hymn, verses & songs to put in my little 'Verses Book" that I carry around.
I also planned out what I would like to achieve during our holiday - yes, even our holiday time has structure. I find it works best this way, otherwise the temptation of the television is too much!

Here is my list:

Daily walks in the woods - During school time, our daily walks take us to a local park - which is very pretty - but on days with no school, we have more time to wander that little bit further into the woodland.

"French Day" - We are learning French, so it will be super to cook a traditional French meal for Dinner. We can decorate the table with French flags the girls have coloured & toast our meals 'à la française' - À votre santé : )

Blackboard Fun - the girls can be let loose with chalks on Mummy's blackboard - this is truly an honor!

Play Games We have some lovely games & puzzles A morning spent palying them together with no other tasks will be a lot of fun!

Face Paints I shall strip the girls & let them at each other with face paints : )
A lovely warm sudsy bath will follow : )

An afternoon curled up on the sofa with books & hot chocolate no further explaination needed : )

I hope to be able to take some time this week to work on our second grade plans for September.......but that is another post altogether : )

January Circle Time

2009-12-29T03:30:00.000-08:00

We will be taking off the first week in January.
Here is our circle time for the rest of the month:

Hymn

We three kings of Orient are 
Bearing gifts we traverse afar 
Field and fountain, moor and mountain 
Following yonder star  

O Star of wonder, star of night 
Star with royal beauty bright 
Westward leading, still proceeding 
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

Scripture

Matthew 2:11

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

Verse:

Now that winter's come to stay
all the trees are bare.
Little birds must fly away
To find their food elsewhere.

Little seeds lie hidden
In the dark brow earth,
Waiting until bidden
To rise above the earth.

(winter - Wynnstones)

Finger Play:

Softly, Softly, through the darkness ('patter' fingers)
Snow is falling
Sharply, sharply, in the meadows (cup ear)
Lambs are calling
Coldly, coldly, all around me (cuddle self)
Winds are blowing.
Brighly, brightly, up above me ('twinkle' fingers)
Stars are glowing

(winter - Wynnstones)

Song:

On the wind of January, down flits the snow.
Traveling from the frozen north
Cold as it can blow.

(winter - Wynnstones)

Math Facts:

counting 1-100 & 100-1
Skip counting 2's 3's 4's & 5's

French:
(I think we will most likely just learn the first line verse of this song)

Bonjour © 2003 Alain Le Lait

Bonjour, bonjour  
Comment ça va?
 Bonjour, bonjour 
Trés bien, merci Je suis content d’être ici 
Avec tous mes petits amis
 Bonjour, bonjour 
Comment ça va?

Merci, merci
 Merci d’être ici 
Merci, merci 
Écoutez Aimez-vous cette chanson?
 J’éspère que je suis dans le ton 
Merci, merci 
Merci d’être ici 

Hello, hello 
How are you? 
Hello, hello 
Very well, thank you
I am happy to be here
With all my little friends 
Hello, hello
How are you?

Thank you, thank you 
For being here 
Thank you, thank you
 Listen up 
Do you like this song?
 I hope that I am in tune 
Thank you, thank you 
For being here

Recorder:

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T02:00:00.000-08:00

I think life will be a little too busy to blog again before Christmas, so I want to wish you all a

Very Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Lynn xxxxxx

Solstice...

2009-12-21T00:33:00.000-08:00

The beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, therefore it crosses the sky in the quickest time which makes this the shortest day of the year. Its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice, hence the origin of the word solstice; which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, "sun" and -stitium, "a stoppage." Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.
Sunshine makes the seasons
You can see the reason for these changes using a globe for the earth & a torch for the sun.
Put a sticker on the place where you live on the globe. Turn the globe so that the north pole is tilted away from the torch. Turn the globe all the way around & you will see that the sticker is in the light only a short time.The northern half of the earth has short days & long nights. Sunlight does not fall on the north pole. The north pole has its long winter night. It is winter & it is cold.
Keep the globe tilted in the same direction & go partway around the torch. Now the light falls on both polls. It is springtime in the north. Days are getting longer. Without changing the direction of the globe, move until you are halfway around the torch from where you started. Soon the North Pole will be tilted toward the light. It is summer. As you spin the globe, the sticker is in the light longer than it is in the dark. The northern half of the earth has long days & short nights. The North Pole has its long summer day. It is summer & it is warm. Keep moving around the torch. Remember, keep the axis of the globe pointing in the same direction. You’ll see that once again light falls on both the North pole & the South Pole of the globe. It is autumn in the north. The days are getting shorter & cooler too. Keep moving until you come back to winter.

A song to sing:
Down with darkness, up with light,
Up with sunshine, down with night,
Each of us is one small light.
But together we shine bright.

Go away darkest, blackest night.
Go away, give way to light.

A spiral Walk

In the woodlands or garden, lay out a path, spiraling inwards. Moss & greenery can edge the path & a tall candle in the centre of the spiral. Beautiful stones & rocks can be set in the greenery & stars of gold card line the pathway.

The celebration can begin with a reading of John 8:12
 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Carol singing follows. During the singing, each child approaches the entrance of the spiral path to receive a white candle (or tealight) in a shiny red apple, which they carry toward the centre of the spiral. (Little ones shepherded by a parent or older child) From the centre candle, they take light for their own candle & then proceede outwards, very carefuly until they find a gold star on which to place their own apple & candle.
When all the children have walked the path, serve solstice fairy cakes(see below), star sugar cookies & warm pear juice, or mulled apple jiuce. They may keep their apple candle to relight & re-kindle the memories of a special walk.

Solstice Fairy Cakes:

We ice half a batch of fairy cakes with white chocolate & half with milk chocolate: white representing the (returning) light and milk symbolizing the (retreating) dark.

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-20T03:10:00.001-08:00

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.

Of Snowmen, Sausage Rolls, Stollen & Sewing

2009-12-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

The snow came down even heavier today & was much enjoyed by my girls.
Aided by Daddy, they made a tiny snowman named Luke.

Daddy picked the Holly berries for his eyes & buttons : )

Two very proud girls!

Here you see him sporting a bow tie!

At this point the girls came in & had a warming lunch - home made potato & leek soup & warm apple juice. Quiet time was abandoned in honor of this special day & whilst Rosie came to help in the kitchen, Elianna went outside to play with her snowman. Her you can see 'Princess Leah' that she made to keep Luke company ; )

Rosie & I busied ourselves in the kitchen, baking our usual 'Saturday Loaves'. We also made some Sausage Rolls to freeze ahead, ready for Christmas & a loaf of seasonal Stollen as a special treat for tomorrow's breakfast.

A tired & cold Elianna joined us for our weekly 'Pizza & movie night' & disaster struck - down came the rain - cold & bitter.
Luke & Leah were offered protection:

But, we had to face the fact that rain does not bode well for those of snow origin...

My poor, poor girl. Her heart truly broken. My girls are always tucked up in their beds by 7pm - tonight, Rosie went alone & Elianna & I cosied up on my bed - she with her spinning, I with my knitting. We chatted & cried &, eventually, laughed.
Then I remembered the wee surprise I had tucked away as a Christmas gift Girls' Best Book of Knitting, Sewing, and Embroidery by Virginie Desmoulins

This is a lovely little book that I would encourage you to take a look at, if you have daughters who are interested in crafting.
I made my excuses & nipped off to retrieve the book from its hiding place. Oh, you should have seen the smiles & the curiosity when I presented the book to my daughter!
The cover of the book actually has a cardboard Dolly that you 'pop out' of the cover - & lots of lovely ideas inside the book for making clothes for her, along with many other wonderful embroidery, knitting & sewing projects.

At 9pm a very tired, but much more peaceful Elianna went to bed, taking with her the new book. As i kissed her goodnight, she asked to have the lamp left on, so she could browse the book for a while before she went to sleep. It is so wonderful to connect with my child over a shared hobby. I love the times we knit, spin, sew & craft together.

It is good for the soul.

Goodnight & wishing you sweet, creative dreams : )

Snowy Day...

2009-12-18T02:00:00.000-08:00

Outside, the snow provides opportunities for old-fashioned family entertainment.

 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18

Things to do

Build a snowman
Make snow angels
Have a snowball fight
Make paper snowflakes
A Snow Day Tea
Soup & Sandwhiches

White Hot Chocolate
• 4 cups whole milk
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound white chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 8 to 10 vanilla beans
In a saucepan on medium heat, heat the milk and half-and-half to just below the simmering point. Remove the pan from the heat and add the white chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, add the vanilla and whisk vigorously. Reheat very gently and serve with a vanilla bean stirrer in each cup.
(Serves 8-10. From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Snow Ice cream
1 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla & 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat well untill frothy. Place mixture in a bowl & add enough clean, fresh snow until the liquid is completely absorbed by the snow. This delicious concoction will have the consistency of sherbert.

Read:

Snow Is Falling by Franklin M. Branley,
Snowflake Bentley by Jaqueline Briggs Martin,
Ken Libbrecht's Field Guide to Snowflakes by Kenneth G. Libbrecht,
First Snow in the Woods by Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick.

December Circle Time

2009-11-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

December Circle Time

Hymn -
Silent Night

Scripture -
Luke 2:8-14
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Alphabet beanbag toss

Verse -
Hush a bye, hush a bye, holy night,
angels have brought the child of light:
All mankind shall gently bear Him,
all the beasts shall nestle near Him,
all the flowers shall adore Him,
all the stones shall kneel before Him,
all the world shall worship Him,
Cherubim & Seraphim.

Winter - Wynstones

Finger Play -

Mary rocks her baby, (rock)
Joseph holds a light (twinkle fingers)
ox & ass are standing
In the stable bright (‘rainbow’ hands)

Shepherds in the doorway
Comr to greet the child, (bow)
Now they kneel before Him (mime)
And His mother mild

One holds out a lambkin (hold out hands)
soft & white as snow, (stroke)
All shall give their presents (hold out hands)
Ere they homeward go (wave)
Winter - Wynstones

Song -

We are shepherds& we sing of lots of jolly things.
We can dance & we can shout, we can wave our caps about.
The stars shine above us, the snow shines below And we are so happy in this wondrous glow.

Winter - Wynstones

Math Facts -
Counting 1-100 / 100-1 beanbag games

(bean bag toss. Whisper numbers, shout the skip count numbers)

There was a family strange indeed;
Each member had a peculiar speed
They could walk for half a day
Counting footsteps all the way.
Here they come,
Number One

I am proper, neat & prim
My walk is straight, my clothes are trim
That every one’s the same for me.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 (up to 24)

But my two steps are not the same.
For I must lean upon my cane
Although I’m bent & weak & old
I can still count with numbers bold
2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24

Im a lad, light & gay
And I’d much rather play
I can run with my ball
While the numbers I call
3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33,36

Our French Song -

He is born the divine child
He is born the divine child,
          Play oboe, resonate musette.
          He is born the divine child,
          Let's all sing his accession.
          For more than four thousand years
          We've promised by the prophets,
          For more than four thousand years
          We've been waiting for this happy time.
          A stable is his lodging,
          A bit of hay is his little bed,
     A stable is his lodging,
          For a god such a humble thing.
          O Jesus, o all powerful king,
          Such a little child you are,
          O Jesus, o all powerful God,
          Rule completely over us.

Il est né le divin enfant
Il est né le divin enfant,
Jouez hautbois, résonnez musette.
Il est né le divin enfant,
Chantons tous son avènement.
Depuis plus de quatre mille ans
Nous le promettaient les prophètes,

Depuis plus de quatre mille ans
Nous attendions cet heureux temps.
Une étable est son logement,
Un peu de paille est sa couchette,
Une étable est son logement,
Pour un dieu quel abaissement.
O Jésus, ô roi tout puissant,
Tout petit enfant que vous êtes,
O Jésus, ô roi tout puissant,
Régnez sur nous entièrement.

Rosie’s Story - (preschooler)
The little Fir Tree
Winter - wynstones

Snack time & read aloud -
One Wintry Night

Advent is coming!

2009-11-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

Advent ~ 4th Sunday before December 25
(the Sunday between November 27 and December 3 inclusive.)

Our Advent Traditions ~

Advent Morning devotions : We use the Jesse tree devotions here. However, I personally do not think all of the devotions are age appropriate for my children, so some of them I change or miss out altogether.
The decorations I sewed or needle felted & some my girls made.

Our Advent Calendar ~ This year we will be using this calendar.

And this book

Our Advent Wreath ~
The advent wreath is full of symbolism, which makes rich learning for children & adults alike.
The growing light heralds the growing anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ who is 'The light of the world' John 8:12.
The circle demonstrates that God & His love has no beginning & no end. The evergreen, everlasting life.
The colour of the candles has its own significance. Three purple (the colour of royalty - used as it is the season of the coming of our King) and one rose (the joy candle.)The fifth candle is a white candle~ the Christ candle and is placed in the centre of the wreath and lit on Christmas day to celebrate the miracle of Jesus birth.

Play Christmas music

Begin our Christmas Journals We began these on Stir Up Sunday.
You can see my girls journals in this post. They decorated the outside with old Christmas cards & recorded Stir Up Sunday.
They will add drawings of advent happenings, photos & other memorabilia. Makes a lovely keepsake for them.
My own Christmas journal is one I started when Elianna was a baby. I love to look back over each year's happenings & my thoughts.

My Christmas devotional reading This year I will be reading A Child in Winter: Advent, Epiphany, Christmas with Caryll Houselander

Be Christmas Angels: Each person has a secret partner, for whom they do secret acts of kindness, throughout Advent.
Straw for the baby Jesus. For each kind deed throughout advent, you may add a piece of straw to the baby Jesus’ crib

‘Happy Advent’ cake ~
CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE
This dark chocolate Bundt cake is a chocolate-lover's dream. This is a delicious and intensely chocolate cake, especially if you use a high-quality or Dutch-process cocoa.
INGREDIENTS:
• 8 ounces butter (2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa, such as Valrhona or high-quality, such as Scharffen Berger*
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, stir before measuring
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Grease and flour a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to GM 4
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; add cocoa, stirring until smooth. Whisk in the water and remove from heat. To the warm cocoa mixture, add the sugar, sour cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and eggs; whisk until smooth. In another bowl combine the flour, soda, and salt. Add all at once to the first mixture, whisking until well blended.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it feels firm to the touch and has slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool in pan on a rack for 20 minutes. Carefully loosen the cake with a knife and invert onto a large plate. Serves 10 to 12.
*If you're using a standard baking cocoa (not Dutch-process or high-quality) add 1/2 teaspoon more of baking soda to the dry ingredients.

Begin our Nativity scene. Animals, Mary & Joseph, shepherds & finally, on The Epiphany, the Wise Men. We use a porcelain set that I purchased for my first Christmas as a married lady with a home of her own : )

Bring out our play Nativity set. This is the set the girls play with. It is just wonderful! Beautifully made & great for play.

Make Christmas cards
Make Christmas gifts More about these two in a future post.

Bake cookies *Lots* of cookies : )

Bundle up in P.J’s & snowsuits, jump in the car with a flask of hot chocolate & go for a drive to see all the christmas lights This is usually on Elianna's birthday, but will be a different date this year, due to an extra special birthday ; )

Buy & decorate our christmas tree Oh! i love this traditon!

Go for a woodland walk to collect holly,pine cones, boughs, etc to decorate our home.

Make applesauce ornaments

Bake a gingerbread house

Snuggle up under the quilt to watch Polar Express with cookies, hot chocolate & a roaring fire.

WHITE HOT CHOCOLATE
• 4 cups whole milk
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound white chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 8 to 10 vanilla beans
In a saucepan on medium heat, heat the milk and half-and-half to just below the simmering point. Remove the pan from the heat and add the white chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, add the vanilla and whisk vigorously. Reheat very gently and serve with a vanilla bean stirrer in each cup.
(Serves 8-10. From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

Have a ‘Cocoa story time’ ~ Have an afternoon of Christmas stories, cookies & cocoa

On the Solstice, decorate our garden with goodies for the birds

Attend the Carol service at church

I will be writing a post soon about our school time during advent.

Happy Stir Up Sunday!

2009-11-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

How was your day?
Here is a peek at ours...

Preparing for Stir Up Sunday

2009-11-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

This Sunday is Stir Up Sunday ~ the sunday before advent

This custom is thought to have originated, because, on the Sunday before advent, Victorian congregations were exhorted to ‘stir up’ & ‘bring forth good works’ a timely reminder to the women that it was time to prepare their Christmas puddings.
An essential part of this tradition is that all members of the household must take a turn stirring the pudding while making a wish. Finally, stir a lucky coin into the sticky mixture. We can look forward to finding it on Christmas day.

Ephesians 2:10 
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Traditional Christmas Pudding by Delia Smith
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
4 oz shredded suet 2 large eggs
2oz self raising flour 5 fl oz (75 ml) stout
4 oz (110 g) white breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons rum
1 level teaspoon ground mixed spice grated zest 1/2 large lemon
1/4 level teaspoon grated nutmeg grated zest 1/2 large orange
good pinch ground cinnamon 1 small apple, peeled cored & finely chopped
8oz soft dark brown sugar 1 oz almonds, chopped
4 oz sultanas 1 oz candied peel
40z raisins 10 oz currants

You will also need a 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basin, lightly greased.
This recipe makes one large pudding in a 2 pint (1.2 litre) basin. If you have any left over it will re-heat beautifully, wrapped in foil, in the oven next day. If you want two smaller puddings, use two 1 pint (570 ml) basins, but give them the same steaming time.
Begin the day before you want to steam the pudding. Take your largest, roomiest mixing bowl and start by putting in the suet, sifted flour and breadcrumbs, spices and sugar. Mix these ingredients very thoroughly together, then gradually mix in all the dried fruit, mixed peel and nuts followed by the apple and the grated orange and lemon zests. Don't forget to tick everything off so as not to leave anything out. Now in a smaller basin measure out the rum and stout, then add the eggs and beat these thoroughly together. Next pour this over all the other ingredients, and begin to mix very thoroughly. It's now traditional to gather all the family round, especially the children, and invite everyone to have a really good stir and make a wish! The mixture should have a fairly sloppy consistency – that is, it should fall instantly from the spoon when this is tapped on the side of the bowl. If you think it needs a bit more liquid add a spot more stout. Cover the bowl and leave overnight.
Next day pack the mixture into the lightly greased basin, cover it with a double sheet of silicone paper (baking parchment) and a sheet of foil and tie it securely with string (you really need to borrow someone's finger for this!). It's also a good idea to tie a piece of string across the top to make a handle. Place the pudding in a steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 8 hours. Do make sure you keep a regular eye on the water underneath and top it up with boiling water from the kettle from time to time. When the pudding is steamed let it get quite cold, then remove the steam papers and foil and replace them with some fresh ones, again making a string handle for easier manoeuvring. Now your Christmas pudding is all ready for Christmas Day. Keep it in a cool place away from the light. Under the bed in an unheated bedroom is an ideal place.
To cook, fill a saucepan quite full with boiling water, put it on the heat and, when it comes back to the boil, place a steamer on top of the pan and turn it down to a gentle simmer. Put the Christmas pudding in the steamer, cover and leave to steam away for 2¼ hours. You'll need to check the water from time to time and maybe top it up a bit.
To serve, remove the pudding from the steamer and take off the wrapping. Slide a palette knife all round the pudding, then turn it out on to a warmed plate. Place a suitably sized sprig of holly on top. Now warm a ladleful of brandy over direct heat, and as soon as the brandy is hot ask someone to set light to it. Place the ladle, now gently flaming, on top of the pudding – but don't pour it over until you reach the table. When you do, pour it slowly over the pudding, sides and all, and watch it flame to the cheers of the assembled company! When both flames and cheers have died down, serve the pudding with rum sauce, or rum or brandy butter.

The Classic Christmas Cake by Delia Smith
Ingredients
1 lb currants
6 oz sultanas
6 oz raisins
2 oz (50 g) glacé cherries, rinsed, dried and finely chopped
2 oz mixed candied peel
3 tablespoons brandy, plus extra for 'feeding'
8 oz plain flour
1/2 level tsp salt
1/4 level tsp grated nutmeg
½ level teaspoon ground mixed spice
8 oz unsalted butter
8 oz soft brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 oz chopped almonds
1 level dessertspoon black treacle
grated zest 1 lemon
grated zest 1 orange

You will also need an 8 inch (20 cm) round cake tin or a 7 inch (18 cm) square tin, greased and lined with silicone paper (baking parchment). Tie a band of brown paper round the outside of the tin for extra protection.
You need to begin this cake the night before you want to bake it. All you do is weigh out the dried fruit and mixed peel, place it in a mixing bowl and mix in the brandy (or orange juice) as evenly and thoroughly as possible. Cover the bowl with a clean tea cloth and leave the fruit aside to absorb the brandy for 12 hours.
Next day pre-heat the ovento gas mark 1.Then measure out all the rest of the ingredients, ticking them off to make quite sure they're all there. The treacle will be easier to measure if you remove the lid and place the tin in a small pan of barely simmering water.
Now begin the cake by sifting the flour, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl, lifting the sieve up high to give the flour a good airing. Next, in a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until it's light, pale and fluffy. Now beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the creamed mixture a tablespoonful at a time; keep the whisk running until all the egg is incorporated. If you add the eggs slowly by degrees like this the mixture won't curdle. If it does, don't worry, any cake full of such beautiful things can't fail to taste good! When all the egg has been added, fold in the flour and spices, using gentle, folding movements and not beating at all (this is to keep all that precious air in). Now fold in the fruit, peel, chopped nuts and treacle and finally the grated lemon and orange zests.
Next, using a large kitchen spoon, transfer the cake mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon and, if you don't intend to ice the cake, lightly drop the whole blanched almonds in circles or squares all over the surface. Finally cover the top of the cake with a double square of silicone paper with a 50p-size hole in the centre (this gives extra protection during the long slow cooking). Bake the cake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4½-4¾ hours. Sometimes it can take up to ½-¾ hour longer than this, but in any case don't look till at least 4 hours have passed.
Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. When it's cold 'feed' it – make small holes in the top and base of the cake with a cocktail stick or small skewer, then spoon over a few teaspoons of brandy, wrap it in double silicone paper secured with an elastic band and either wrap again in foil or store in an airtight container. You can now feed it at odd intervals until you need to ice or eat it.

Aprons & More...

2009-11-16T01:38:00.000-08:00

A baking is such a Big Thing in our house, I spent some time this weekend sewing new aprons for the girls & made them some 'Baker's Hats' to go with them....

The gorgeous linen / cotton blend I used came from here

I slightly adapted these patterns.

Happy Martinmas!

2009-11-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

I walk with my little lantern,
my lantern walks with me.
Above the stars are shining
on earth are shining we.

Oh lantern light
you shine so bright.
Oh hear the angels sing.
Oh hear the angels sing.

Remembrance Day ~ November 11th

2009-11-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

They shall not grow old, as we who are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condem
At the going down of the sun, & in the morning we will remember them.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Remebrance Sunday is always the Sunday nearest to November 11th. This is because the Armistice which sealed the end of the First World War was signed at 11 am on November 1th, 1918 ~ the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The First World War was a very terrible conflict which “put out the lights all over Europe”, saw the deaths of hundreds of thousands of young men, toppled monarchies, ushered in the modern era. People in our country & in the commonwealth who had lost sons & husbands & friends wanted a national commemoration & mourning ~ & so the idea came about of observing two minutes silence annually at the 11th hour on november 11th. The two minutes silence has become part of our national calender, although now it is not observed on the 11th, but on the Sunday nearest to that date.
Some of the bloodiest fighting of World War One took place in the Flanders and Picardy regions of Belgium and Northern France. The poppy was the only thing which grew in the aftermath of the complete devastation.John McCrae, a doctor serving there with the Canadian Armed Forces, deeply inspired and moved by what he saw, wrote these verses:

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow 
Between the crosses, row on row, 
That mark our place; and in the sky 
The larks, still bravely singing, fly 
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
 We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 
Loved and were loved, and now we lie  In Flanders fields.  
Take up our quarrel with the foe: 
To you from failing hands we throw 
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
 If ye break faith with us who die 
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
 In Flanders fields.
‘Flanders Poppies’ are worn ~ replicas of those that bloomed on the terrible muddy battlefields in that war. When we wear a poppy it should be to remind us to pray for those who have died in the two World Wars & other conflicts. We need to remember their great sacrifice & thank God for the freedom we have in our country.

Preparing For Martinmas

2009-11-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

Martinmas ~ November 11th

Saint Martin, the soldier who became bishop
Martin was a native of Pannonia -- in modern-day Hungary -- and his father was very anxious that he should go into the Army. This was in the days of the Roman Empire, and to be an officer in the Imperial Army was a very fine opportunity for any young man.
As a junior officer, he was sent to Gaul -- that wild land of northwest Europe inhabited by the mostly pagan Frankish people. There were some Christian cities where bishops were established and a Christian civilization was beginning to emerge.
Martin was interested in Christianity and tried to find out about it. Its message attracted him, and he started to obey some of its precepts. He earned himself some notoriety by refusing to join in some of the bawdier songs and more outlandish activities of military life. He gave freely to the poor, was kind to his servants, and liked to pray. But he postponed the actual step of Christian baptism.
His first posting was to Rheims, and from there he was sent to Amiens. One bitterly cold night, as he was striding along in uniform, a shivering beggar cried out to him for alms. Martin was warmly dressed in the standard-issue thick purple-and-white cloak that was the hallmark of the Imperial officer. Looking at the beggar, Martin knew what he ought to do. He took off his warm cloak and, using his gleaming sword, sliced it in two. He gave half to the beggar and retained the other half so that he would still be in regulation uniform.
The night, the beggar appeared to Martin in a dream: but as a figure surrounded with shining glory -- Christ Himself, still wearing the half of Martin's cloak. Our Lord reminded Martin of His words in the Gospel: "I was naked and you clothed me ... in as much as you did it to the least of the little ones, you did it to Me".
Martin got himself baptized as a Christian, and when his term of duty was up, he left the army and decided to become a priest. He lived for many years the life of a hermit, and, attracting others to the rule of prayer and meditation that he followed, founded a small monastic community that grew steadily.
In due course, Martin's holiness led him to be chosen as Bishop of Tours, although he didn't want the job. As Bishop, his influence was immense -- he won many from the Druid religion to Christianity, and was a central figure in laying the foundations of Christian France.

Matthew 25:31-40:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

In former times, especially in the North of England & in Scotland, Martinmas was an occasion for a great feast, because it was the date when beasts were slaughtered so that the meat could be stored for the long winter months ahead. Whole oxen would be roasted & enjoyed & there was much communal merriment.
"Martinmas is an obvious day for some act of charity which will benefit the cold and poor this coming winter."

"A quick spell of warm weather around his feast day is known as "St. Martin's Little Summer" in Europe." (Indian Summer)

Some nice things to do for Martinmas:

Start a family collection for charity.
Begin knitting something warm for someone who needs it.
Bag up clothing to give to the needy.
Change your beds from cotton to flannel.
Surprise your children with new winter pajamas.
Read aloud or re-tell the story of Saint Martin of Tours.
Make lanterns from watercolour paintings & oil, or glass jars & tissue paper...
Invite friends on a lantern walk at dusk.
Enjoy a special supper for Martinmas with a hot casserole of beef to commemorate the old feasting traditions, served with jacket potatoes & butter.

Winter Spiced Beef Stew
Taken from Dawn's Blog
(Adapted from a recipe found in The fix it & forget it cookbook)
• 2 lbs. stewing beef, cubed
• 5 carrots, sliced
• 2 parsnips, cut in chunks
• 1 1/2 cans diced tomatoes, plain
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves (yes, cloves!)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Combine all ingredients in a slowcooker. Cover. Cook on high 5-6 hours. Serves 4-5. Absolutely delicious and nice served over rice.

Bake St.Martin's horseshoe cookies

Although St. Martin's life was austere and sober, his day was always celebrated in the Old World manner, with feasting, merriment, and thanksgiving for harvest foods. In Poland rich cookies shaped like horseshoes were baked for St. Martin's snow-white horse, on which he "comes riding through the snow" when one least expects him.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats, uncooked

DIRECTIONS
Cream butter or margarine; add sugar gradually while continuing to cream; beat until fluffy. Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt. Blend in rolled oats. Roll out about 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut in strips 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. On ungreased cookie sheets shape strips to resemble horseshoes. Bake at 325° for 20 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove carefully, as cookies are very rich and break easily.

Our Advent Book Basket

2009-11-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

For those thinking ahead to advent, I thought I would share the books we have in our advent book basket.
I would love to hear of the books & stories you share with your children at this time of year, so please do leave a comment to let me know.

The Very First Christmas

great Christmas read aloud

The First Christmas

We have had this for years - I think it was the first Christmas book I bought when Elianna was a tiny baby

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore; illustrated by Tasha Tudor

If you know Tasha Tudor, you know this will be stunning!

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham

another great read aloud

Mary did you know?

Lyrics to the beautiful song - comes with a CD

Favorite Christmas Carols

A gorgeous book, with favorite carols.

The Cobweb Curtain

oh, I love this lovely re-telling of the legend! Do take a look at Dawn's wonderful blog for ideas on how to enjoy this story with your own children.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Board Book by Jan Brett

beautifuly illustrated by Jan Brett

Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories by L.M. Montgomery

For fans of Green Gables!

My First Story of Christmas

Given to my very own Rebekah Rose on her Christmas Eve dedication : )

The Tailor of Gloucester (The World of Beatrix Potter) by Beatrix Potter

A Christmas Classic!

Jesus' Christmas Party

My girls love the repetition of this book

Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers

Just beautiful

Country Angel Christmas by Tomie dePaola

a great story for the littlies

Merry the Lamb Finds Baby Jesus

Another very old book from our collection

This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar

stunning illustrations, gentle, rhythmic narrative.

The Legend of the Candy Cane

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

These are my three new books for this year : )

Bonfire Night

2009-11-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

Thursday is painting day, so following circle time, we set up for wet on wet.

I told a story about the the blue sky being gentle & shy & the wee stars wanting to shine out (we used dry brushed to 'lift' areas of the blue wash)
Then came the colour fairies, who danced & played with the stars - here we added our colour.
Elianna shouted "I know! I'ts fireworks!" Hurray! she got it : )
Lastly, we experimented with sprinkling our work with salt. This 'lifts' the colour & gave the appearance of tiny stars.

At lunchtime, we jumped into the car & headed off to the girls riding lessons, enjoying a 'car picnic' along the way.
We returned home cold & wet -(myself included, as I managed to fall into a puddle - flat on my face!)

The girls had a hot bath & daddy built our very own bonfire -

The girls roasted marshmallows & I got on with some special knitting.

Dinner was super - mashed potatoes, salmon & delicious young leeks from a neighbours garden.

The sound of distant fireworks lured my girls outside (dressing gowns & all!) & we watched the fine colours in the night sky. Soon followed by our long - held tradition of sparklers - in - the - garden! Accompanied, of course, by home made treacle toffee.

We had a lovely day. I had low expectations of today; I have been ill recently & have become tired & run down. But this afternoon was a good tonic for me- easy, comfortable family time. Just what the doctor ordered : )

Guy Fawkes Night ~ November 5th

2009-11-03T23:05:00.000-08:00

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer.A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords. Guy Fawkes was given the job to keep watch over the barrels of gunpowder & to light the fuse. On the morning of November 5th 1605, soldiers discovered Guy hidden in the cellar & arrested him. The trail of gunpowder would never be lit.On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire night. The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire.

Bonfire night activities:

Read about Guy Fawkes
make treacle toffee & toffee apples
Make firework pictures with black cardstock, tempera paint & straws
Watch fireworks
visit a bonfire
Take special care of our pets

Treacle Toffee

1lb Soft Brown Sugar  
8oz Black Treacle
 4oz Unsalted Butter  
2 tbsp Water  
1 tbsp White Vinegar

Place the butter, water and vinegar into a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat gently until the butter has melted.  Add the sugar and black treacle, allow to fully dissolve, this takes about 20 minutes.  Boil the mixture to a temperature of 138°C (280°F).  Remove from the heat, allow the bubble to decrease.  Pour the mixture into a well oiled 18cm (7 inch) sandwich tin.  When the mixture has cooled a little mark the surface into squares with a knife.  When cold break into squares, wrap in cellophane and store in an airtight container.

Toffee Apples

For 6 toffee apples;

Red apples work best-Granny Smiths etc too hard beneath crisp toffee shell 
8 oz demerara sugar 
110mls cold water 
1/2 teaspoon vinegar 
2 tablespoons golden syrup 
1 oz butter

Method

1. Dissolve the sugar in the water over a moderate heat. When it has dissolved, stir in the vinegar, syrup and butter. Bring to a boil and cook without stirring until it reaches hard-crack stage (138C) or hardens into a ball when dropped in a jug of cold water. This should take around 10 minutes boiling time.
2. While the syrup is cooking, pierce each apple with a wooden stick. Once the toffee is ready, dip each apple into the hot toffee, turning it around in the syrup so that each one is fully coated.
3. Leave to harden on a lightly oiled tray before serving. If you're planning to keep them for a day or two, wrap the apples in cellophane.

our Circle Time poem;

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!

Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent
To blow up king and parliament.
Three score barrels were laid below
To prove old England's overthrow.

By God's mercy he was catch'd
With a darkened lantern and burning match.
So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring.
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.

November Circle Time

2009-11-01T02:43:00.000-08:00

November Circle Time

Hymn -

Holy Holy Holy

Scripture -

Philippians 4:6-7:
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Alphabet beanbag toss

Verse -

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
swish your bushy tail ( wave arm behind back)
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
swish your bushy tail ( wave arm behind back)
Wrinkle up your little nose (mime)
Hold a nut between your toes (run on the spot)
Grey squirrel, grey squirrel,
swish your bushy tail ( wave arm behind back)

Autumn - Wynstones

Finger Play -

A Farmer rose at the break of day, (stretch arms)
He got on his horse & galloped away. (gallop!)
He galloped away, he galloped away,
He got on his horse & galloped away. (gallop!)
Oh, come all my men, oh come, said he, (beckon finger)
Our carrots & turnips for to see. (put out hands)
In the warm brown earth they have grown so big
We must bring out our spades & dig dig dig. (mime)
So fetch your spades & come along
To dig up the roots with your arms so strong, (mime)
To lay them out in the sun to dry,
And then in the cart pile them up on high (mime)

Autumn - Wynstones

Song -

Autumn goodbye, Autumn goodbye,
You may no longer stay, Winter is on its way.
Autumn goodbye, Autumn goodbye,

Autumn - Wynstones

Clapping Rhyme -

Remember, remember the fifth of November (clap rhythmically , show 5 fingers)
 Gunpowder, treason and plot. (clap rhythmically)
 I see no reason, why gunpowder treason (clap rhythmically ( shake head)
 Should ever be forgot. (clap rhythmically)

Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent (clap rhythmically) 
To blow up king and parliament. (hands ‘burst’) 
Three score barrels were laid below (3 fingers)
 To prove old England's overthrow. (clap rhythmically)  

By God's mercy he was catch'd (clap rhythmically)
 With a darkened lantern and burning match. (clap rhythmically) 
So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring. (shout!)
 Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king. (shout!)

Math Facts -
Counting 1-100 / 100-1 beanbag games

(bean bag toss. Whisper numbers, shout the skip count numbers)

There was a family strange indeed;
Each member had a peculiar speed
They could walk for half a day
Counting footsteps all the way.
Here they come,
Number One

I am proper, neat & prim
My walk is straight, my clothes are trim
That every one’s the same for me.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 (up to 24)

But my two steps are not the same.
For I must lean upon my cane
Although I’m bent & weak & old
I can still count with numbers bold
2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24

Im a lad, light & gay
And I’d much rather play
I can run with my ball
While the numbers I call
3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33,36

My step is strong
I’ll not go wrong
With all my might
Ill guard what is right
I’ll always know
How far to go
4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,48

Like a mouse I go
Fearfully tip toe
Looking to the left
Looking to the right
Watching to & fro
Danger’s not in sight
Lightly I arrive
I an number five.
5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45,50,55,60

Our French Song -

Do you know how to plant cauliflowers? 

Do you know how to plant cauliflowers? In the fashion, in the fashion Do you know how to plant cauliflowers? In the fashion of our place
We plant them with the finger In the fashion, in the fashion We plant them with the finger In the fashion of our place
We plant them with the foot In the fashion, in the fashion We plant them with the foot In the fashion of our place
Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?...
We plant them with the knee ...
We plant them with the elbow ...
Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?...
We plant them with the nose ...
We plant them with the head ...
Do you know how to plant cauliflowers?...

Savez-vous planter les choux? 

Savez-vous planter les choux? À la mode, à la mode Savez-vous planter les choux? À la mode de chez nous
On les plante avec le doigt À la mode, à la mode On les plante avec le doigt À la mode de chez nous
On les plante avec le pied À la mode, à la mode On les plante avec le pied À la mode de chez nous
Savez-vous planter les choux?...
On les plante avec le genou ...
On les plante avec le coude ...  Savez-vous planter les choux?...
On les plante avec le nez ...
On les plante avec le tête ...
Savez-vous planter les choux?...

(I copied this from the internet & now cannot find the source. Please leave a comment for me if you know the writer - I would like to credit Him & link to his website. Thank you)

Rosie’s Story - (preschooler)
Autumn Story -
pg 66 Autumn - wynstones

Our Hallowe'en

2009-11-01T02:00:00.000-08:00

How was your weekend?

Hallowe'en

2009-10-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hallowe’en ~ October 31st

Hallowe’en is the eve of All Hallows, All Saints. October 31st in the old Celtic calendar was new years eve & the commemoration of the dead, when spirits were believed to walk abroad & the dead return to the earth. These traditions became so deeply rooted in local custom that the church was forced to compromise by establishing in 837 the Feast of all Saints on november 1st & the commemoration of All Souls on November 2nd.
In our family we find it is fun to celebrate Hallowe’en - but we personally focus on the harvest aspect of hallowe'en & stay far away from ghosts & witches & eerie things-that-go-bump in the night. Also as Christians, we know that superstition & fear give way to the joy of the resurrection & the reality of eternal life.

My thoughts on celebrating Halloween as a Christian are perfectly put into words by Joanna Bogle in her book A Book of Feasts and Seasons

A family commemoration of Hallowe’en can be a way of re-emphasising the Christian belief in life after death. Things should be kept on the level of family fun, avoiding witchy symbols & so-forth,with games & tasty food & a sense of drawing together in warmth on an autumnal evening.
Children should be taught to say a quick prayer if they are ever frightened of anything ‘ghosty’ at night or in a strange place & they should be reminded that they place their faith in God’s loving care & protection.

Romans 5:1 
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Breakfast: Pumpkin Muffins & Apple Cider
Decorate our home with tiny pumpkins
Pumpkin Carving...& roasted seeds make a lovely mid-morning snack.
Make caramel & chocolate apples
` Simply melt caramels &/or chocolate in a double boiler. Swirl in the washed apples. Cool on waxed paper.
Trick or Treating...return home to ginger cookies & milk

READ:
The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah Turney Zagwyn
Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington

Other Halloween Ideas:
Display our carved pumpkins on our doorstep (maybe use as a planter for some autumn flowers??)

Party Notes, A Garden Party, A woodland Picnic, A Woodland themed party.
Play apple bobbing & chinese whispers.

Halloween Party Food:
Meringue Mushrooms, Berried Candy Bark,Cinnamon Swirl Pear Bread, Caramel Apple Cider, Warmed Pear Juice. Frozen Jack O’ Lanterns

Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients:
8 oz pumpkin flesh 2 eggs ½ tsp ginger ½ tsp cloves 125ml milk 100ml golden syrup 2 tbsp margarine 6 oz white flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp cinnamon 

PREPARATION:  
1. Preheat oven to gas mark 6. Steam the pumpkin flesh until tender then purée in a food processor. Allow to cool.
2. Mix together the eggs, milk, syrup and margarine, and mix with the pumpkin.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and spices and add these dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Stir to mix, but don't overmix.
Pour into muffin pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Frozen Jack-O-Lanterns
Serves 12
12 Navel Oranges
12 Cinnamon Sticks
1/2 Gallon Dark Chocolate Ice Cream (Godiva makes a really dark chocolate ice cream which works well.)

Cut off tops of oranges and gently hollow out pulp (a serrated grapefruit knife works really well), leaving a thick shell. Hollow out pulp from the tops too. Cut Jack-O-Lantern faces into each orange. Pack chocolate ice cream into shells. Avoid letting the ice cream come out of the holes. Cut a hole into top of orange top. Set tops back on over the ice cream, and set cinnamon stick stem through the hole.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

INGREDIENTS
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 egg
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened • 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup molasses • 2 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Traditional Oatmeal Parkin
Ingredients
8 oz (225 g) medium oatmeal
4 oz self raising flour
a pinch of salt
7 oz (200 g) dark syrup or golden syrup
1 oz (25 g) black treacle, plus 1 teaspoon
4 oz (110 g) margarine
4 oz soft brown sugar
2 level teaspoons ground ginger
1 large egg beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Real oatmeal parkin is unbeatable, but do make sure you leave it at least a week before eating – that way it will become much more moist and sticky than when it was first cooked. Originally it was kept in proper wooden parkin boxes, but nowadays a tin will do instead.
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C).
You will also need an 8 inch (20 cm) square cake tin, lightly greased.
First weigh a saucepan on the scales, and weigh the syrup and treacle into it. Then add the margarine and the sugar to the saucepan and place it over a gentle heat until the margarine has melted down – don't go away and leave it unattended, because for this you don't want it to boil.
Meanwhile, measure the oatmeal, flour and ginger into a mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt, then gradually stir in the warmed syrup mixture till the mixture is all thoroughly blended. Next add the beaten egg, and lastly the milk. Now pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 1¾-2 hours. Then cool the parkin in the tin for 30 minutes before turning out. Don't worry too much if the parkin sinks slightly in the middle – it sometimes happens in Yorkshire too!

My New Blackboard! (part 2)

2009-10-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, I became the owner of a Blackboard
Oh, how happy i was!!!!!
But soon, dissatisfaction crept in & I began to covert bigger blackboards.
Well, here is my *new* blackboard : )
35" X 60"

Perfect : )

My poor husband says this board will have to stay perfect. We cannot possibly have a bigger blackboard in our dining room, which is where my wonderful board resides.
My poor, long suffering husband ; )

Along with my blackboard, the dining room is host to my beloved welsh dresser, which is home to my collection of blackboard chalk, all lovingly arranged in rainbow fashion.
I buy regular soft artist's pastels for my board & they are working very well, so far.

To be inspired by wonderful blackboard art, have a look at Flickr: Steiner in Suffolk & Creative blackboards.

Happy Chalking!

A Must-read!

2009-10-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I have a wonderful resource to recommend to you.
20 Days To Being A More Mindful Mother
This is a wonderful, wonderful resource that encourages you to dig deep in your quiet time. Carrie, who has written this resource has shared it freely at her blog The Parenting Passageway

This resource will encourage you to think about 'Mindful Parenting'- Something I think we all strive for, but Carrie also provides concrete, practical advice; which is something I have really benefited from.
This 20 day program is also something I would recommend to those new to Wladorf education. Waldorf is a whole way of life & Carrie speaks so eloquently about this.
Head on over; I am sure you will be as thankful as I am for this wonderful resource, which should surely be a book!

Poorly Baby

2009-10-15T04:46:00.000-07:00

Today, my eldest daughter awoke with a very sore throat & fever.
After making her some hot honey & lemon to drink (juice of a whole lemon, 1 tblsp honey, made up to 1/2 pint with hot water) I quickly showered & helped my youngest daughter to dress.
We all headed downstairs where I made up a 'bed' on the sofa & hit play on the i-pod so she could listen to The Wind In The Willows.
Breakfast was eggy bread, which they both munched happily on, then they enjoyed several cups of Strawberry Tea - a huge thank you to my friend Andrea for mentioning this - I bought it yesterday, having not seen this type of fruit tea before. The girls loved it! And it really enabled me to keep Elianna's fluid levels up.

We went on to read When Vera Was Sick - a favorite with my girls on days like today.

After some puzzles, we had lunch & now the girls are having their daily Quiet Time ~ Elianna is tucked up in bed with the curtains drawn * Rosie is in our 'Quiet Room' playing with her animals.

I think, when children are ill special soothing traditions are needed ~ ones that comfort, amuse & distract. Below are my ideas to help perhaps give you a few ideas for your own "poorly little people days'

Things to do

Play with Mama’s jewelry box
Look through family scrapbook albums
Make models with playdough
Have a stack of paper & the child’s own art box close at hand & create pictures
Puzzle books
Have a posy of flowers next to the child
Read: When Vera Was Sick by Vera Rosenberry

Things to Eat & Drink

Porridge: 1 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of oats, sweetened with honey
Banana’s in milk
Buttery toast with honey

Chicken Soup
Saute onion in butter
saute chopped carrots & potatoes.
mix in 1 tblsp plain flour
gradually add chicken or vegetable stock & milk
bring to the boil, reduce & simmer for 15 mins
Add sweetcorn & cooked chicken
Simmer for 5 minutes more
Blend if desired, or serve chunky
Freshly squeezed orange juice
Honey & lemon drink for sore throats & boosting the immunity: juice of one lemon, hot water, honey to taste.
Lemon Barley Water to boost Vit.C intake.

Lemon Barley Water

4oz pearl barley
4 pints water
4 lemons
4 oz sugar

Peel the lemons, making sure not to get pith on the rind.
Add the sugar & water to a pan & gently dissolve the sugar.
Add the pearl barley & lemon rinds, cover and simmer for half an hour.
Halve the lemons & squeeze juice into a large jug.
Strain the barley water into the lemon jug. Leave to steep and cool.

The Land of Counterpane by Robert Louis Stevenson
When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay,
To keep me happy all the day.

And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.

I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.

Coincidentally, I read two smashing articles a few days ago about Parenting the sick child. They were written by Donna Simmons creator of the Christopherus Curriculum.

She says:

"How do we regard illness in our families? Do we respond with an arsenal of medicines and potions, moving quickly to get rid of whatever it is that is making our child ill, or do we view illness as a time to take stock, to slow down and to trust the healing process?

I’m not saying don’t do anything when your child’s ill. What I am suggesting is that we each take a moment to scrutinize our attitude toward ill health and to ascertain whether we regard it as basically a negative thing or a positive thing. Is illness a failure of wellness, or is an opportunity for wellness to be enhanced, strengthened?

Once upon a time, children were expected to have a range of illnesses in the course of growing up and time was allowed for the healing process. One spoke of bed rest, of convalescence, of slowly regaining health. Of course, in days past, many children died during their early years - but let’s recognize that the majority of those deaths were in families stricken by poverty, overcrowding, poor nutrition and hygiene. And, of course, there were those children with conditions easily addressed nowadays, whether by conventional or alternative medicine, who were considered ‘incurable’ in earlier times.

My point is: that illness was regarded as a basic part of childhood and that there was a recognition that once health was regained, the child was stronger and healthier than he had been before he was ill. It is this point that I wish to focus on because I feel that it has been largely lost in our society."

Read the rest of the article here

In a second article, Donna makes practical suggestions for caring for a sick child:

"Rest, rest, rest - rest and sleep are the most important parts of the healing process. Too many parents say things like “I can’t get him to stay in bed” - well, you need to figure out how you can! Being up and about, even if it’s “only in the house” is no substitute for bed rest, especially if the child has or has had a fever. After the fever goes, the child should still be kept quiet for a day or two. Quiet, peace and bed rest are essential for the body to heal.

Have a box or a bag of interesting playthings put away for sick days. Fill it with Playdoh, buttons, wooden beads to string, an etch-a-sketch, pipe cleaners, beeswax, travel activity books, picture books... things that don’t get played with at other times.

Help being in bed be pleasant - perhaps make up a bed on the couch so the child doesn’t feel lonely. If your household is very busy it might be wiser to leave the child in her bedroom. Maybe one of the younger children can act as messenger, fetching drinks of water and books and requests for attention. Put some lavender essential oil on the pillow, keep lights dim and spend time reading aloud to the ill child.

Make sure the ill child drinks a lot, although some have a real aversion to this. See if there’s a preference for cold or hot drinks. Some children who refuse water or tea will drink lemonade or some sort of broth. Flush out the child’s system by ensuring he drinks enough.

No baths or showers for a sick child, especially if there’s an ear infection, sore throat or chest complaint. Get over this American obsession (those of you who are American!) with daily bathing - getting wet when you’re ill is not a good idea!

No TV, computer or videos for ill children. This may seem harsh because it may be “the only way” you can keep her still, but you’ll have to figure out something else. The nervous energy produced by children watching electronic media is not conducive to healing.

Here are a few homeopathic remedies for you to try. I suggest you use a 30c potency. Give one, wait 15 minutes and if there’s no change, either for better or worse, give another up to 4 doses in one hour. If nothing happens after that wait another hour and try something else. It’s an especially good sign if the child falls asleep after the remedy.

Chamomilla: for teething, toothache, sore throats. Characterized by impatience, anger and fussiness - babies want to be carried, demand a toy, then throw it across the room. Often one check is red, the other pale.
Pulsatilla: sore throats, ear ache, tummy ache, especially with yellow discharges. Child is all soft and sweet and elicits sympathy in those around her. Thirstless. Likes to be wrapped up warmly in a cold room but suffers from being too warm.
Aconite: whatever the physical complaint may be, the main thing about this remedy is extreme fear late at night and paleness. Often the complaint follows time spent outside in the wind.
Belladonna: this remedy is similar to Aconite in terms of intensity and rapid onset - and sometimes fear as well - but it is characterized by redness. Often the pupils are dilated. For those of you who are breastfeeding, it’s very good for mastitis, especially is the breast is streaked with red. Pulsatilla is also often indicated for mastitis as is the following remedy:
Bryonia: think of a grumpy bear and you get a picture of the person who needs Bryonia. This is a great flu remedy, indicated when the person is grumpy, irritable, wants to be left alone and holds the sore or painful part. They have a great thirst for cold water, but at long intervals.
Gelsemium: is another flu remedy, but has a slower onset than Bryonia and is not so cranky. Aching!"

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Here's to good health!

Alphabet Blackboard Drawings

2009-10-14T04:15:00.000-07:00

This post is going to be my resource for my alphabet blackboard drawings.
I hope it is useful to someone else, too!

"W" ~ Waves

"T" ~ Tree

"S" ~ Swan

"M" ~ Mountain

"F" ~ Fish

"C" ~ Cat

"H" ~ Hut

"J" ~ Jug

"B" ~ Bear/Butterfly

"G" ~ Golden Goose

"K" ~ King Thrushbeard