Our Igloo

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 first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?

~J.B. Priestley

Backyard Skating

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

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 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 ♥

Bow and Arrows

I was walking my best canine bud and what did we see?

Chad and his bow and arrow, aiming for a tree.

He made his own arrows, carved the tips until they were sharp.

Then Cole joined in the fun, "Shoot it, it's not a harp!"

Protecting the farm atop the hay bales as if no one could see.

They now enjoy that good old sport we all call Archery!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

All for one and one for all
My brother and my friend
What fun we have
The time we share
Brothers 'til the end.

Remembrance Day

The boys did these beautiful Waldorf style paintings yesterday with Doris and Alex in honor of Remembrance Day.

In Flanders Fields...

Painted By Cole.

Painted By Chad.

I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?"

~Eve Merriam

Best Photo and Artistic Content Blog 2009 - Nominee

I have been nominated for Best Photo and Artistic Content Blog of 2009 and want to send a big THANK YOU for the nomination.

My photos aren't as large as my fellow nominees, but will enlarge when clicked on :)

Good Luck to everyone!

From us, "The Homeschooled Clan."

To vote for us or any other blog visit (or copy and paste this link): http://hsbapost.com/2009/11/get-your-vote-on/

We are in Category #4 as Sherris Mad Blabber Blog.

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Waldorf Geometry

Before the boys learned geometric formulas or algebraic equations they learned from experience what form and shape is, first through freehand geometry and then with a compass and straightedge. They are learning and have learned the essence of shapes and their measurements before putting them into to some abstract formula that would otherwise have no meaning.

The boys are learning the basic constructions for Geometric Drawing, from copying angles and line segments to the very difficult 12 & 24 division of a circle, using only a protractor and straight-edge.

And boy do they ever LOVE geometry! They want and ask for more!

Here is todays Geometry Lesson:

The "intended" finished product.

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.

~Phyllis Dill

Friendship

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had.

~Author Unknown

All Hallows Eve (The Eve of Samhain)

Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,

Voices whisper in the trees,

"Tonight is Halloween!"

When witches go riding,

and black cats are seen,

the moon laughs and whispers,

‘tis near Halloween.

Fall Hike - Silver Creek Conservation Area

The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.

~Galileo

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

~Albert Einstein

The End of Our Homeschooling Day :) Tomorrow Brings Something New...

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that.

Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons.

~Author Unknown