Around Our House Week 11

We finally had a clear day with good tides. I have been wanting to get to the beach for weeks.

We found a few treasures too. My husband and I always look for those cobalt blue pieces and he was very pleased that he found such a large one. I knitted these mitts a few weeks back. This is not a color that I would generally chose, but it looked so springy in the store. They are nearly fluorescent and the entire time I was knitting I regretted choosing such a nuts color. However, I have to say, they have strangely grown on me. And if I ever get lost, I'm sure my family will be able to locate me in a hurry ;)

Around Our House Week10

We have been making our way through ancient Egypt with Home school in the Woods! Next week I will have my full review, but it's been great fun.

I also managed to get some sewing done and whipped this little lady up two geranium dresses. I have had the pattern for ages and only finally got around to sewing it. I also finished a pair of knit mitts and started a little baby sweater. This has been a productive season of making! 

Around Our House Week 9

We had fun painting these sweet little pansies this week! I love watercolors and pansies just seem like the perfect flower to paint. 

I also got my seed order in! Woohoo! I got a few of the earliest things started and I can't wait for the season to get going!

Around Our House Week 8

We had a few days of sunshine this week! Perfect weather to get outside. This sort of weather always gets me thinking of spring and gardens.

We also got outside for a few walks too. It never ceases to amaze me how much this helps during school time. The kids ride their bikes and I walk with the baby. For my son, a 30 minute walk makes him so much more attentive and focused during school. He is always active. outside or in the house, but something about the change of scenery on a walk helps so much.

Around Our House Week 7

Last week we started a new history curriculum through Home School in the Woods. We are exploring ancient Egypt! I will have a complete review near the end of February and I can't wait. This has definitely added a little fun and anticipation to these winter days.

I can't believe we are about halfway through the school year. It feels like we just began! So far I feel like we have been meeting goals and making a lot of progress. I need to be more dedicated in getting our nature studies done. It's just so cold and wet here it's hard to get outside.

 Lately we have been journaling and observing some paperwhite bulbs I am growing indoors. We also found some sand-dollars when we were at the beach last week and they are going to be a lesson later this week.

Last weekend we made our annual trek out to Diamond Lake for a little snow fun!

Around Our House Week #6

This Friday we hit a milestone. We are officially finished with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons! It feels like we have been in this book forever. But we did it! And it actually worked. It feels slightly miraculous.

Between insane rain we had a few small bursts of sunshine. It is amazing how much smoother school goes after a long bike ride. 

 This weekend we found some extra time to spend as a family. We had fun exploring this beach. We had to boat across a river to get over here, making it even more of an adventure. There were tons of sand dollars washed up, perfect for a little nature study later this week. I love the beach in winter. We occasionally get these nice, less windy days.

Around Our House Week 5

The days have been stormy and dark around here.

Everybody in our county got snow. There was even snow on the beach! Somehow our little valley missed out on the fun. We did get some ice, but no snow :(

We were feeling a bit restless from being stuck inside for so long. We managed to chase a break in the weather and went for a hike. This was a beautiful little trail right near the ocean. It felt like something from a storybook, all closed in and magical.

When the rain began we headed for ice cream!

 I can't believe we are starting a new year. This year brought us our tiniest girl, certainly the highlight of the year for us.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Around Our House Week 4

While many in Oregon enjoyed snow, here on the coast we got buckets of rain. It was the perfect weather to curl up with a good book.

I thought this week it would be fun to make some wreathes. I snipped some willow branches from beside the creek and the kids formed them into circles. We then tromped around the property finding greens. We used rosemary, fir, holly and spruce. They were so proud of their creations. We hung each one in a special spot and they look so festive.

We also had the pleasure of having some special friends over this week. We had a pizza picnic and watched Narnia.

I can't believe this advent season is soon coming to a close. Only one more week until Christmas!

Around Our House Week 3

It's the second week of December and things around our house are quite.. Except for the sound of a constant hacking cough.. Violet and I have caught some bug and it sounds like a tuberculosis hospital in here.

Last weekend we made our annual trip to Shore Acres to look at the lights. I love the lights, but I love watching the kids watch the lights even more. My husband carried Elsie the Ergo and her neck was crooked back the entire time. This was her first year enjoying them. Despite the kids grumpy appearance, they had an excellent time. I love going into the old gardener's house after walking around in the cold to get hot apple cider and a cookie.  

Later in the week we continued our Advent fun and gathered with friends for the afternoon. I love this book by Lori Walkburg. After I read the book to the kids, they made their own candy canes with red and white peppermint playdough. Despite the fact that the red playdough was a bit too wet and the white playdough was bit too dry, they had fun. Then Heather and I made actual candy canes.. or well.. close enough to actual candy canes?! There was a bit of trial and error but we did eventually get the hang of it. Luckily, the wee candy consumers were not too picky about their appearance.

This little trouble is busy destroying my house. She has eaten a part of a page of e.e cummings, Robert Frost and Poe... Perhaps she will be a poet? She finally got a tooth and we are all still recovering from that. She is such a sweet and obliging baby but has proven to be a very grumpy and opinionated teether.

She just fits right into our family. We needed a little Elsie and we didn't even know it. She is the big kids constant companion and when they are gone she crawls around the house and looks for them. Even the cat likes her, and if you knew my cat, then you would know that's practically a miracle.

Around Our House Week 2

Every year around this time I determine to make the most of the advent season. Then a few days before Christmas I ask myself where the season went?! I'm an excellent planner but a questionable follow-througher. 

I picked up a hefty load of Christmas books on hold at the library today. I had the baby in one arm and the book bag in the other. It was a heavy, but well-balanced load.

The kids eagerly helped me snip some branches from our evergreen trees and arrange them in a vase. I loved the Story Warrens beautiful ornaments for our Jesse tree.

Earlier this week we gathered with friends to roll beeswax candles. I have always wanted to do this and I am so thankful for friends who think rolling beeswax candles would be cool! ha. I don't know how many times the mom's said "roll it tighter!" In the end they turned out great, wonky ones and all. The best part is they smell like warm honey when they burn.

Around Our House Week 1

Every time I blink this little girl has changed and grown. I'm not sure where the tiny little baby went, but I am sure enjoying this sweet 8 month old. She loves going on walks with her siblings on brisk Autumn afternoons. We walk past the last of the apples, holding onto the trees, half rotten, We always check to see how high the creek is rising and how full each puddle is. Finally, when noses are pink and cheeks are icy we head back to the house.

I am so enjoying seeing some of the fruit of all the work Titus has put into learning to read this year. He has been really dedicated, even when I want to groan at the sight of How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I love writing little not to him, and getting notes in return.

The days are so short and rainy I have been sending them out to play whenever there is a break in the weather, and sometimes when there is not. Warm coats and dry boots make a little rain a bit more bearable. These wet and muddy afternoons have created plenty of memories and dirty laundry!

Art

I took a little break from reviewing books in September as I got into the swing of a new year of homeschool! This year I have a kindergartner and a preschooler. Somethings have worked and other things haven't, but all in all I have been enjoying the year so far. My favorite part of our school week is Thursdays. Thursday we add some art to our day.

We learned about Van Gogh and his paintings, then tried our hand at a little sunflower painting. 

Next we studied Monet and the kids particularly liked his waterlily paintings.

We got to practice our still life paintings with these beauties, inspired by Paul Cezanne.

Last week we took a break from our artist study and looked at color mixing. The kids were really interested in how to make different colors so I taught them about primary, secondary and tertiary colors.

Thursdays have brought some much needed creativity to our week. This week we are learning about Georgia O'Keeffe, one of my favorite artists. The fall books are rolling in and before long I will have some new review too.

Garden Update

Well, things in the garden have really started to mature. It is certainly looking different than last time I posted about it! These beds were made with logs by my husband a few years ago. It was very much a "well, we have these lying around, might as well use them" type of project... but it has turned out to be a great garden.

Peas, edible lupine, tomatoes

Zucchini, green onions, turnips, little gem lettuce, spinach (gone to seed), broccoli, grapefruit mint and pineapple sage

more tomatoes, beans, peppers, broccolini and a bunch of other stuff 

A lovely, vibrant calendula flower.

A super crowded bed with many volunteer plants. Poppies, roselle, money plant, zinnias, wonderberry, amaranth and a sweet little boy wearing an orange sweater ;)