Changing Seasons

A Living Hope

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Preparing for our celebration of the Resurrection tomorrow:

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The children’s baskets may be put out awaiting little treats from a certain visitor, but our hearts and minds are fixed the redemptive joy of tomorrow.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. – I Peter 1:3

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Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12: 1-3

Happy Easter, from our family to yours.

Garden Snapshot

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A few quick pictures Firecracker and I took in the garden yesterday afternoon:

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The chickens having a grand time in the compost bin.

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All sorts of things are germinating – peas, peas and more peas, chard, kale, mustard greens, beets, lettuce, poppies, sweet peas, calendula, artichokes, chives, parsley and basil.

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The garlic and shallots we planted last October are really taking off!

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And, of course, our 75-odd tomatillo and tomato-lets are getting big – here (clockwise from far L) are “Black Krim, “Yellow Pear”, “Costoluto”, “Brandywine” and some little “Sweet 100” cherry toms that got a late start.

Today we’ll be planting “Hollow Crown” parnips and “Nantes” and “Cosmic Purple” carrots, and more basil, as well as starting cilantro in the cold frame.  Despite the chilly rain the past few days, it’s really feeling like spring as the garden comes to life.

Tomato seeds

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You know what they say – “Good things comes in small packages.”  I think tomato seeds are just about the best small package around -they contain the promise of wonderful meals to come.

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I know our garden is going to be growing food for more than our nuclear family, and therefore we’ll be starting more tomato plants than the average garden.  However, we want to grow a wide variety, and I could never use up all of the seeds from the dozen or so types of tomatoes we’ll be growing if I purchased a separate packet of each type.  Thank goodness for mix packs that contain 3 or 4 varieties to a pack – each dyed a different color, so you can still tell what seed will produce what tomato.

My favorite salad tomatoes – Black Krim and Green Zebra…I can’t wait for August!

What are you favorite tomato varieties?

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(One of the two tubs with tomato and tomatillo pots – each with 4-6 seeds.  I can’t help but peek at them over and over, hoping to see someone germinating.  Patience, patience!)

Library books this week

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The girls are listening to Daddy read The Mousehunter at bedtime, but our daytime book selection reflects the unusually sunny, warm weather that has us all thinking of anything except the tail-end of winter.

We just finished listening to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Which is why we’re starting an asparagus bed -  Little Hen was fascinated by the chapter on asparagus – as read by Barbara Kingsolver’s daughter), interspersed with a complementary collection of Appalachian music.  Indulging a totally separate branch of the girls’ current interests, we had worked our way through a stack of books on Norse mythology and ancient Egypt.  So, it was time to order some new items.  In the afternoons, when we’ve needed a break from gardening, we’ve been scrolling through the library’s website, ordering books, books on CD, and music CDs that appeal to us.

When we went to pick up the books, it was clear that a definite theme must have been running through our collective subconscious while we were ordering:

SPRING!!

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This afternoon, while the rain comes down outside, we’ll be reading the chapters on winter and spring from Our Farm, a book about 5 siblings’ experience of a year on their family’s farm.

What books are seeing you through the end of winter, as we edge toward spring?

Why I haven’t been blogging the past week or so

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We’re working on a converting our front lawn into veggie beds, and the unseasonably warm and dry weather has helped us get a jump start on sheet mulching.  Goodbye lawn, hello permaculture landscape!  While Tum Tum and I spread cardboard, straw, manure and compost, Little Hen and her Daddy were busy building cold frames out of scrap wood and old windows from the ReStore. (Firecracker was either resting inside, or resting curled up in a nest of blankets on the driveway, since she not only had strep throat, but then a head-to-toe reaction to the amoxicillin meant to cure the strep.  Poor kid. )

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(Collage posters Little Hen made calling for Garden Volunteers – I wrote the words, but she went to town with the scissors, a stack of old issues of Mother Earth News and a glue stick.)

Last year we worked at Penelope’s Garden, but this year, we’ll be hosting a community-building garden of our own.   It will be years before our seedling fruit trees and berry bushes obscure many sunny patches of our yard, so we thought we’d make good use of it all and put in veggie beds to grow fresh, organic produce for families of limited means.  This weekend, a team of volunteers will help us finish installing the front yard beds and create many more in the backyard, so that the organic veggies grown here and cared for by volunteers can be delivered to the families at Birch Community Services, a local non-profit serving needy families in Portland.

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We saved a little time for planting poppies and sweet pea seeds, rhubarb and asparagus crowns.  We also started tomato, artichoke, and cardoon seeds in pots in the basement.   The dry evenings allowed me to plant blueberry bushes, dozens and dozens of strawberry plants, and a red currant after dinners last week.

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As Little Hen’s sign (which she hung on the front door) says -“Gardening – You want to sign up?”  If you’re interested in volunteering to grow food for needy families in the Portland area, and teaching those families to grow their own nutritious, organic produce, please e-mail me at

angela(dot)baker(dot)knits(at)gmail(dot)com

I’m working on setting up a little blog dedicated to the garden this year.  More on that soon.   If you have any ideas on a name  for the Birch Community Services’  educational and food producing organic garden hosted at the Baker’s house, I’d LOVE to hear them (short, sweet and whimsical is best).

Happy gardening!  The rains and cold weather are on the way, so I’m sure I’ll be posting more from indoors later this week!

Back to posting

Tum Tum and Brenna watching squirrels in the yard this morning.
Tum Tum and Brenna watching squirrels in the yard this morning.

My apologies on being absent for a bit – we’re once again struggling with sick kids, especially Firecracker, who has had multiple trips to the doctor and the ER in the past few weeks because the colds are wreaking havoc on her asthma.

That, plus my first time hosting Thanksgiving for extended family, and now scrambling to prepare for our church’s Women’s Christmas Breakfast at my house this coming Saturday (ack!  that’s less than two days away!!), I have hardly been on the computer.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a string of posts about the beginning of our Advent celebration.

Blessings!

(And and extra special thanks to my dear friend, Trish, who has been tirelessly experimenting with new banners for me!)

Pieces of our Saturday

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A morning spent baking a pecan pie thank-you.

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An early afternoon spent planting hyacinths and digging earthworms with the girls.

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A late afternoon of immense blessing – We have been given an enormous maple loom, made right here in Oregon.   We spent about two hours getting it dissassembled, carried up our narrow stairway, and reassembled.

It will need a good bath, a shuttle, some new pegs, but it is a beautiful, beautiful thing – an amazingly generous and precious gift.  The girls and I can’t wait to get her in working order and teach ourselves how to weave shawls and rugs and coverlets – our minds are full of anticipation and possibilities!  (Firecracker would like a superhero cape!)

And now we are off to our homeschool co-op’s end of the semester Open House.   We have been looking forward to it for weeks (Little Hen is in the theatre class, and Firecracker will be singing in the choir).   We’re so glad Grandma and Aunties and Cousin can come down and join us.

Altogether, a truly blessed Saturday – every piece.

Cider Pressing

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Some pictures from the cider pressing party last weekend.  It was also my husband’s birthday – I’m so glad he had a great time! (We all did!)

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Most folks brought apples from their own trees and also gleaned many from abandoned orchards along country roads.

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Apples were washed, wormy parts and bruises removed, and then cut in half or quarters to fit into the grinder.

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Ground apples in one of the two presses on site.

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Little Hen was strong enough to crank the smaller press. (The electric grinder is the wooden box behind her on the back end of the press – SO much quicker than the hand-grinding we did in the past!)

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The girls carrying the pressings to the wheelbarrow (they’re heavy!).  The pressings will eventually to be buried back in the orchard, although while we were there, the deer kept snacking on them.

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Tum Tum liked to hang out by the wheelbarrow.

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Pressed cider, waiting to be strained through cheesecloth and bottled.

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A small fraction of the finished cider – most folks froze theirs, but I canned mine, since our freezer is pretty well full.

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The girls even got a chance to ride the zip line (thank you, Jody!!), which they have been talking about nonstop since. ( I’ve been informed by Firecracker that I need to plant some really fast growing trees, so that we, too, can have a zip line in our yard. )

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Thank you for a wonderful time, Teacher Linda!

Feels like Autumn

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The wind and rain have settled in, and the nights are getting pretty chilly.  It is finally feeling like fall, so this morning the girls and I did some dusting,  got out a few fall decorations, and put the autumn cover on the duvet.  I hope to get the window hangings and more decorations out by the end of the week.

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Many of these items would normally go on the nature table. We are still figuring out how best to have a nature table with a toddler in the house.  He puts everything in his mouth, and loves to “deconstruct” things with glee.

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Our current compromise is to put all of the chokeables and breakables on “high shelf nature table”, where the girls can reach if they use a step stool, but the baby can’t.    So, here is the first incarnation of our fall nature table, and as the leaves continue to fall and we do more autumnal crafting,  I’m sure it will grow and change and reflect more of the girls’ creative character.

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How is your fall nature table taking shape?

Paper crafting – freestyle

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The past month has left me feeling stretched pretty thin because of obligations and responsibilities to my family and others.     Tackling domestic duties and  “home schooling” the girls while my non-stop motion toddler “explores” the house into a distaster zone has also been a challenge.  Crafting has been particularly tricky – Tum Tum either attempt to eat or destroy anything the girls are working on – and he’s especially good at climbing up on the kitchen table and flinging art supplies across the room in a lightning flash.

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This day, he took a nice long nap after lunch, so as soon as he was sleeping,  I quickly whisked out some craft supplies for the girls to do a little fall paper crafting.  We didn’t have anything in mind  – I put out some supplies with a vaguely autumnal theme and let the girls’ creativity lead them.

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We had a huge pad of fall-colored  scrap book paper (on clearance for $3 this past summer at Michaels),  paper scraps, some oatmeal and coffee tins, glitter glue, sequins, etc, chrysanthemum and maple leaf punches (I am addicted to the Martha Stewart craft punches – whenever they have one of those 50% off the sale price ” coupons and the Martha Stewart items are on sale, I snatch one up.).  After punching out some maple leaves for them, I went into the kitchen to make brownies, and let the girls explore on their own.

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I love what they came up with – Little Hen’s (left) is a “treasure box” (it’s hard to see in this shot, but she wrote “treasures” on it) and Firecracker’s is a bank for “collecting coins for Heifer”.

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We saved the last canister for Tum Tum, who was happy to turn it into a drum after he woke from his nap.  🙂

Note : I hope to get back to some more regular posting by the end of the week.  Life has been a bit overscheduled I just haven’t found the time to sit down at the computer much the past few weeks.  We have some family birthdays, out of town company, and a trip coming up, so I hope to squeeze in some blogging late at night!!

Family Bed and Cloth Diapering

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Some friends recently asked how we share sleep with our youngest while he’s in cloth diapers.  Overnight leaks are a worry, even with doublers and the “good covers” saved for night time.  To safeguard the mattress, we don’t use expensive wool mattress pads (which sound fabulous, but are way out of the budget) or those awful rubberized crib pads that don’t breathe a bit.

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Our simple solution is to use some thrifted wool blankets that I ran through the wash a few times in order to felt them up nice and thick (from twin size down to about 3 x 3 1/2ft).  They are breatheable, natural, and very waterproof.  I double up just to be safe – and wash on warm, tumble dry.

It’s that easy!  I’d love to hear any tips on how you make the family bed work for you!

Orange Julius Recipe

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To make this  refreshing, healthy summertime snack , you will first need 4 medium oranges.   Give them to the kids and let them roll the oranges around on the counter and between their hands to prep them for juicing.

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Juice the oranges (you should get about 1 cup of orange juice).  If little hands are helping, I always put down a kitchen towel – juicing oranges is a messy task for a 4 year-old (or a 30 year-old, for that matter!)

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If you like, throw in a chopped peach or a handful of strawberries or a mango for another layer of flavor and nutrition.  Put these in the blender.

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To the blender, also add 1 cup of whole milk (or a nut milk would be yummy if you don’t do dairy, but you might want to decrease it to 3/4 cup),

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one tsp pure vanilla extract,

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and a scant 1/2 cup organic, unbleached sugar (or  4 Tbsp honey)  (and our oranges were very sweet, I could have cut this back even more).

Puree for 20 sec, then add

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ice! Just have the kids drop them in a cube at a time until it’s a thickness that you all like.

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Enjoy! (I know my kids did – Tum Tum kept signing to his sisters for sips! )

Don’t forget to check out my giveaway post! Thanks!

Larksong’s Orange Julius

4 medium oranges, washed and juiced to yield about 1 cup orange juice

1 peach or mango, chopped, or one handful of strawberries (optional)

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

scant 1/2 cup sugar or 4 tbsp honey, to taste

ice cubes

Directions – Place all ingredients in the blender for 20-30 seconds, then add ice cubes one a time until desired consistency.   (Extra good with a bit of whipped cream on top.)

Summer Nature Table

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The Magic Onions is hosting a Friday Nature Table group.  I should have posted yesterday, but life got busy, so for us, it’s a Saturday Morning Nature Table sharing.

This was a great idea – I was able to catch up on a LOT of blogs I haven’t had the time to get back to in a long while.  The girls and I had a good time looking at everyone’s nature posts (Firecracker especially loved the fairy fortress at Muddy Schoolhouse) .  We will have to make the rounds again next Friday – lots to learn from and enjoy.

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A few more shots of our Nature table in the early morning sunshine.  Little Hen found the old bird’s nest in a stand of bamboo we are clearing out of our backyard.  The honeypot was a gift from her grandmother.

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Some little treasures the girls have collected in the past week or so and keep in a dolly tea-cup.

Our summer nature table tends to be less cluttered (like Heirloom Seasons says, it’s constantly changing and will fill up with autumn’s bounty soon enough!).  The Clean Plate Club also has a restful, uncluttered nature table – with a beach theme.

I confess, with Tum Tum walking and able to reach EVERYTHING on the nature table, I keep the items on a tray up high, and when the girls are interested in it, I bring it down.   With so many chokeables, breakables, delicates on the nature table,  it’s the best – if an imperfect – option for right now.  (I also like Kinder Beginnings’ shadow box approach.)

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What’s on your childrens’ nature table?  What are they connecting with the natural world?  Join the sharing at The Magic Onions.

Oh, and one more reminder – giveaway coming up VERY soon!

Berry Pies

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Another family at church has welcomed  their first baby.   It’s our privilege to bring them dinner tonight (and ooh and ahh over their little boy), so the girls helped me bake some Blueberry-Raspberry- Marionberry pies to take for dessert (I love living in the Northwest!).

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Firecracker helped with the lattice top, and Little Hen shaped the edges (I love seeing a child’s hand in the process).

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We always make some extra dough so that the girls can make their own little hand pies, dusted with sanding sugar,  for a good morning snack.

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Some other yummy goodies with berries being made recently at Charming the Birds, and Imagine Childhood.

What’s your favorite summer berry recipe?

Spring-into-Summer Nature Table

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While not technically summer, the very warm, sunny weather of late has been pointing us in that direction.  The girls and I have cleared away the spring table and begun to gather items for our summer table.  It’s just beginning to take shape – rocks from a nature hike, sweet alyssum from the yard, beeswax flowers Little Hen made, some shells from the beach…

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We are looking forward to seeing it grow and change as the summer progresses, and also seeing and drawing inspiration from other families’ nature tables.

Some blog and flickr posts that showcase nature tables -  Chickadee Nest,  LadyKnit, Syrendell, Home Baked Education, Granola Girl, Madam Fafa,  Lyneya.

Oh, sunshine!!

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I should have been packing, but the weather was just too perfect.

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At least I was industrious – I spent the morning cutting the grass with my clean, quiet reel mower (with the baby in the Ergo),

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making posies with the girls,

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and washing diapers (yay for being able to dry the covers in the sunshine!!)

Okay, back to packing.  Moving in a day and a half!

Spring in the Northwest

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Spring is finally unfolding here in the Northwest.  Inside the house, our usual spring rituals are delayed a bit.  Since we’re packing to move to our new house over the next few weeks, I won’t be getting out the spring decorations, and we won’t be starting a spring nature table until after we get settled in our new home.

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Instead, we are enjoying the beautiful bulbs we planted last fall that are making their appearances all over the front yard.  It’s wonderful to see and feel the world waking up, isn’t it?

Snowbound Knitting

We are snuggled up in the house for yet another day.  Three cars have gotten stuck in the deep snow on our street, the weatherman says the driving is very dangerous, and another 2-5 inches of snow are expected tomorrow.  Right now, my husband is shovelling the walkway to ease his cabin fever.  We are grateful to not have to leave the house and drive anywhere.   

The girls are in their room playing Susan and Lucy at Cair Paravel (we all finished reading the entire Chronicles of Narnia two nights ago, and the girls are caught up in it with their make-believe.) 

I am, at the moment, curled up on the sofa, holding a sleeping baby.  I spent the afternoon working on a little pixie hat for Tum Tum, listening to these talented ladies sing Christmas music.  (The yarn, by the way, is from Sacred Lily Farm’s Jacob sheep.  It is beautifully handspun fingering-weight 2-ply - wonderful to knit with.  My friend, Sana, raises and cares for her sheep with so much love and diligence, and she spins beautiful yarn.  I wish she had a website, so I could share it with you!)

I hope you’re keeping warm and safe in this weather, enjoying the peace of a hibernation day.

It’s Christmas time in the city…

 This is truly a Christmas to be counting our blessings, with the treacherous weather and all.  We wish our flight wasn’t grounded and we could be lounging on the beach with Grandma and Grandpa, but we’re enjoying the crazy snow as best we can, and looking forward to New Year’s in Florida! 

Merry Christmas from our snowed-in family in Portland!

Firecracker’s Snow Day

Pictures from earlier in the week, when it was a little warmer and less blustery, and Firecracker thought she might like to go play out in the snow.  She quickly thought better of it, and came in to warm up on the sofa, looking at some Dr. Seuss books with her sister and enjoying the snow from the window. 

We are currently pretty much snowed-in and the latest news is that our flight out to my folks’ tomorrow may be canceled as the snowstorm turns into an icestorm.  So, since I have some time on my hands, I think may have a second post up later today. 

Hope you are keeping warm and safe in the Iowa winter that has settled over Oregon!

A Clutterless Moment

Our bedroom, in a brief moment of peace and order on a slushy, snowy afternoon.  This post is all for me – I had to snap a few pictures, because there isn’t any laundry wating to be folded and put away.  The books piled on the floor have been (mostly) reshelved, the picture frames dusted.  The Christmas dresser scarves have been put out, but just an everyday, well loved jeans quilt is on the bed. 

 

Before the next round of snowfall hits, the girls and I are going to snip some greenery to tie to the bedposts with red ribbon to make it feel a bit more Christmasy in here.  But for now, I’m happy not to have a clutter for once!

Peppermint Bark

This is an easy holiday candy that preschoolers/primary-aged children can make with only a little supervision.  The entire project (minus chilling time) takes about 15 minutes.

You will need: 2 lbs white chocolate, chopped, or 2 lbs white chocolate melting chips,

about 10 candy canes, crushed (to equal one cup) (my girls put the candy canes in a large bowl, and went to town with a potato masher),

a double boiler and a jelly roll pan lined in parchment or waxed paper.

Melt the white chocolate in the double boiler (we added half, let it mostly melt, then added the other half – it was much easier for the girls to stir this way)

When chocolate is completely melted, stir in the crushed candy canes until thoroughly combined.  Immediately pour onto your jelly roll pan, smooth into an even layer, and place in the fridge to chill (about an hour).  Then, carefully snap into pieces and enjoy!

Christmas Book Table

Our nature table takes a little respite during the Christmas season.  First, it is our book table, and then, our Christmas tree’s home (the books transition to a basket on the floor underneath).  The nature table will reappear in late winter. 

Many of the girls’ Christmas books are at Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Florida, where we will spend Christmas.  At our home, along with some library books, the December issues of their favorite magazines, and our books of Advent readings, are a few books that I believe are many families’ Christmas favorites.

I loved these books so much as a child that Firecracker was almost named Astrid.  I love how they convey a sense of quiet hibernation that we experience in the winter.

I think most people can’t help but love Tasha Tudor’s illustrations.   When I was a little girl, I would really look forward to my mom reading A Doll’s Christmas, also by Tasha Tudor, and now she reads it to my girls.  The last few years, we have also kicked off the Christmas season by checking out the video, Take Peace: A Tasha Tudor  Christmas, from the library.   

What books do you enjoy at Christmastime?