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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Happy New Years 2010!



May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!


Thursday, December 17, 2009

Welcome Baby Jesse

It was an honor to witness the birth of my nephew and I thank my beautiful sister (Inside and out) for such an amazing experience.

We've all been waiting for you.
For you.
Your arrival has been marked, has been recorded
on earth,
in the universe,
in the galaxies,
in all of space,
in all of time.

You come with a birthright, written in love and sung
through all Creation in words which promise
that no matter where you're at,
you're home
that no matter who you're with,
you're welcome
that no matter who you are,
you're loved.
Welcome.


~ More pics AFTER Christmas as they are a gift to the proud parents. ~





Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The Seasons First Snowfall

The boys FINALLY got their wish! Snow, snow and more snow (with a little rain sprinkled on top). The sun even managed to peek through which made *my* day.

Igloo building and snow people sculpting went on for hours today, which ended in a dry set of clothes and a hot cup of cocoa!

The BEST thing about homeschooling, working on the farm, and having our groceries delivered to our door is the fact that we have no need to drive on those sloppy roads.


When snow falls, nature listens.
~Antoinette van Kleeff



Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.
~Bill Morgan, Jr.



The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination.



There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.
~Ruth Stout



Thankfully we didn't get as much snow as forecasted and the use our snowblower wasn't needed, but is ready to go!


A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into.
~Ansel Adams











Monday, December 7, 2009

Yule - The Beginning

"Yule, is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb. Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider."



"The Winter Solstice, also known as Midwinter, occurs around December 21 or 22 each year in the Northern hemisphere, and June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. It occurs on the shortest day or longest night of the year, sometimes said to astronomically mark the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's winter. The word solstice derives from Latin, Winter Solstice meaning Sun set still in winter. Worldwide, interpretation of the event varies from culture to culture, but most hold a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice; examples of these include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Pongal, Yalda and many other festivals of light. The solstice itself may have remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since neolithic times. This is attested by physical remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archeological sites like Stonehenge and New Grange in the British Isles. The primary axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned on a sight-line framing the winter solstice sunrise (New Grange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge). The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not assured to live through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months. Starvation was common in winter between January to April, also known as the famine months. In temperate climes, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was nearly the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-Romanized day, which falls on the previous eve."

Cole's 11th Birthday

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.


Happy Birthday Cole

Cole's 11th Birthday Treasure Hunt

We celebrated Cole's 11th Birthday outside this year on November 22nd. We lucked out with such fantastic weather, some of the kids wore only t-shirts!
After a weeks worth of preparing the treasure hunt, it took only about 15 minutes for the 2 teams to find the hidden pirate treasure. It all started with an old pirate map and the first of 11 clues...






....and X marked the spot! YaY for the treasure!


~Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.~


To my little man: The universe gave a gift to the world when you were born—
a person who loves, who cares,
who sees a person’s need and fills it,
who encourages and lifts people up,
who spends energy on others
rather than himself,
someone who touches each life he enters,
and makes a difference in the world,
because ripples of kindness flow outward
as each person you have touched, touches others.
Your birthday deserves to be a national holiday,
because you are a special treasure
for all that you’ve done.
May the love you have shown to others
return to you, multiplied.
I wish you the happiest of birthdays,
and many, many more,
so that others have time to appreciate you
as much as I do.

Love forever and always, Mom ♥