Happy Birthday Charlie

He was born at 12:01am December 4, 2003 and now he is eight, which happens to be his favorite number.

Happy Birthday Charlie - to the best son ever! (in my eyes anyway)

Yep, it's December

 After Thanksgiving our family mood shifts towards Advent. Truck loads of Christmas trees are seen on the roads traveling in every different direction and stalls are set up filled with trees of every size and for the detailed 'a' type person, every shape.

It takes all of us to get the thing standing and they go to work on the lights - hundreds of lights.

The christmas decorations come down from the attic, our cheesy collection of christmas music resounds from the stereo (take it away Elvis) and so it begins.

 The holidays........

So sweet, so Days of our Lives without the drama.

Where'd she go?

So, I've been busy. Too busy to write, too busy to keep the house clean (which is a whole new level to not being able to keep it tidy - oh!) just moving swiftly as best I can and having plenty of fun along the way(if the truth be told, which is what blogging is all about - hmmm.)

A happy birthday to our dear Ella and halloween too!

 I have been sewing, a little. I had an old sweater back that I knitted years ago and found the pattern too intense to finish so I turned it into a cushion. Nice.

 And then I could'nt resist this print so...... another cushion. I do wonder about my taste level sometimes, I am always sticking lots of color and textures together but I can't seem to break the habit.

Marion and I have joined a Mother Daughter book club with the girls in her class. The first book is about a horse - do we love the book? no!  do we share an interest in horses? no! Do we love sitting together and reading aloud to each other? YES! So the book (it's okay really - if you loved horsies) is doing us fine.

Charlie and I have been working our way through the world of paper aircraft, we love, love, love it, except for all those paper aircraft needing a home.

Send them packing!

I had thrown it out to - well just out there to the big space where ones thoughts and wishes go, you probably have your own name for it -  that The Baker needed to get away. I was hoping it would be a family vacation - I was hoping that big space would get real generous and I would find four tickets to somewhere in the PO box but as usual the big space is much smarter than me..................

 

Four childhood friends hiked to some very high places in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. For 3 days there were no iphones, women, children or business.

It was just what he needed.

And then the visitors arrived......... yippee!!!

 

Golden Times

There is change in the air. It makes everyone a little scattered and rushed. Dates fill up while we can still move about freely. We stay outside long after it is time to go in knowing this light won't be with us much longer. It's hot, like the October when The Baker and I got married and I see this as a good sign - things are afoot, change is taking place. 

Tin roof ball catch

extra sweeping

from Marion's weekly gourd and pumpkin purchase

and another

ever so near - things are on the move.

never enough

So you would think that my children would care less about treats having a bakery at their disposal but chocolate frogs shipped from Australia put them into a frenzy and they will obsess everyday until the final frog is squared away.

the morning call

satisfaction - yes Marion is in her PJs - oh great, more guilt.

Saturday market's continue.... pumpkins and Mums take the place of tulips and greens.

The brooding baker

two little ones looking for another bite to eat.

Lunch Boxes and other informal gear

I was going to use the word paraphernalia in the title but when I looked it up in the thesaurus I found I liked informal gear better, don't you think?

Well, the alarm went off at 4:45am Tuesday morning and there were lunch boxes filled and ready to go by 6:30am - School is back!!!

We even managed to eat breakfast at the table instead of in the car. (another shameful secret revealed)

And then we left the warm cocoon of our long summer break.......

and headed out towards our year ahead.

And returned home with Edward the elephant - you gotta love Waldorf school.

Time in a rubbermaid container

Well, I do believe this is the best place to reveal embarrassing moments in ones life...... so ....... I had this bottle of breast milk in the freezer. Considering my youngest is now seven..... well you do the math.
Anyway with the storm coming through and taking out our electricity for a few days I was forced to throw out the contents on the freezer and the fridge. I had never realized, or acknowledged that I was holding on to it, we would joke about it sometimes as we were reaching for the gin or the ribs but that was it. Needless to say, I cried, I cried over defrosted, ancient breast milk.

Since that day I have been packing.

Goodbye Paddington Bear, Scruffy Bear and Charlies' first socks.

Goodbye Robot man with floppy legs, Mr Gnome and the bunny ear velvet jacket

Goodbye homemade spaceship

Goodbye Charlie Bag

Two plastic time capsules are now waiting for another time.

I wish she took my zinnias

So we are fine.

Our power is out, no cell, no road out but our house was untouched.

Yesterday was filled with long walks along Route 4 - Marion and Charles rode to Woodstock - no cars were allowed through so it was a surreal prominade. People walking, sharing their stories, news from the 'outside'.

We spent a second night with the scent of beeswax candles, light flickering, chatting softly in our living room and trying to keep, well I don't know, just trying to keep it going. Happy we are together, me, Charles, Charlie and Marion.

Thinking of everyone.

route 4 - bridgewater

flooded mill bridge

miranda's pottery at the bridgewater mill

you can take my sunday but not my zinnias

I can't seem to make a decent cup of coffee today. After my third attempt, I remembered the flowers. We are blessed so far to be only receiving a very thorough soaking from miss irene but I knew the last of my summer flowers would not make it through the day, so I salvaged what were not already sad and soaked.

 It's not the end of the world to be forced to stay in all day. There is plenty to do....

finger knitting

nice color

adding binding (not a job I enjoy)

more knitting

name tags for desks and cubbies

errrrr ER?

Gee I learned a lot this week. Most of it I learned a week too late but learned it is. It began as we were preparing to get Marion to a birthday party at a friends pond when Marion called for me to look at the week old graze she had on her foot..... 

Lesson One: do not let your panic show when you see a large infection growing on your child's little foot. (child will panic)

Lesson Two: Do not mutter the word's, 'I will just call the ER'. (child will think things are VERY bad)

Lesson Three: Do not hurry the family into the car as if there is not a moment to lose (child will cry inconsolably believing they will not be returning home with left foot.)

Lesson Four: Find out from Doctor that everything you could have done to cause an infection you did. (remember to do everything opposite next time)

Lesson Five: Child is strong and healthy and will heal - must not blame self, blame bacteria.

The goods

the patient

the entertainer

Tonight

CSA Pick up

after pick-up swim

Local Yokel

I was in the local food store yesterday when I became spotted this little bag positioned between the big manly Pennsyvannian peaches and southern yellow cling peaches. The photo doesn't show their true size  but think smallish plum and you'll get the picture, the beauty of these peaches are that they are grown right here in Vermont - local peaches!!!!! And how did they taste? Fantastic - sweet, juicy and gone in three bites.

It is almost done - the yoke (sorry for title pun but who could resist). This sweater is the first sweater I have successfully made for the Baker. My previous attempts were too small or just not quite right but this one is a beauty. I think the Baker thought it was some sort of commitment issue on my part - ahhhh men - so it will be blocked and all loose ends tucked away by his birthday (Sept 6). The sweater is from Jared Flood - it is the Huron. I have to say I love these patterns, I have been knitting for so many years now and yet I learnt so much about construction, short rows and sewn in binding and the sweater is very sweet.

A final note for today - the house is not finished. painting, painting, painting, will it ever end!!