Roots and Branches

seven

Someone in our home had a birthday last week...and turned SEVEN! 

I still can't believe that it could be possible.  Wasn't she just a baby?  Toddler?  Preschooler?  Now there are just a few more years of childhood left, and believe me I'll be squeezing every last bit of enjoyment out of it.  I will, of course, enjoy her when she's a teenager and then grown, but childhood is so, so precious.  I want to be with her every minute and just watch her unfold.  So far it's been an amazing journey.  To watch her grow from a needy, sweet little infant, to a jovial, very cute toddler.  Then to a talkative, curious preschooler and to now: a real, bonafide kid.  Kind, considerate of others, sweet in every way, loving, imaginative, understanding, respectful, and above all, my most favorite little girl.  I can honestly say that I really enjoy her company.  That, my friends, is a wonderful thing.  We've gone from the nurturer/child relationship to friends (with, of course, those moments where she still needs her mommy - and I treasure those dearly). 

The seven-year-change, talked about in Steiner methods, is so apparent to me now.  It's amazing how quick and overnight the change happened.  But it's here.  She is truly more conscious of the world and her place in it.  I have loved watching this change.  She is turning into such a sweet, beautiful little lady.  I am honored to be her Mama and her friend.  Happy Birthday, sweet daughter!

 

 

::  Added a butterly to her birthday crown, this year.  She is definitely growing wings and they are very beautiful.  ::

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Year's Fun

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable celebration of the new year!  Here is our day (and night) in photos.

 

 

 

:: Here kitty, kitty, kitty! ::

:: Our sweet kitten we've adopted.  She is so calm and cuddly. ::

 

::  Warming hands at the drum circle.  So much fun! ::

::  New Year's Day - walking down the path to the hot springs. ::

 

::  Yes, that would be me covered in black clay.  Sometimes you just have to make mud pies.  Try it - it's liberating.  ::

 

 

 

Happy 2010 to all of you!  I hope this year brings abundant happiness!

Happy New Year!

"2009"

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This year has been so full and rich.  Our family has shared so many wonderful adventures.  I'm thankful for every one of those days.  I can truly say that I am looking forward to this next year and the changes and adventures it will bring! 

What does your family do for New Years Eve?  We've sort of fallen into a tradition of attending an event in a town a little ways from ours, where the papa leads a drum circle.  This year we'll also be spending the night at a friend's house, enjoying the warm company and celebrating. 

Happy New Year to all of you!

moments from the last few days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Happy Holidays...

 

 

 

From our family, to yours! 

I hope this holiday season is very special for all of you... 

Cheers!

 

 

 

St. Lucia Day

Yesterday was St. Lucia Day and oh boy, did we have some fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made Saffron buns (called Lussekatter), using this recipe.  They were so good!  I added powdered sugar to the top, which I thought was really delish (The Girl wasn't quite as excited, which I thought was odd). 

We watched a few different Swedish Sankta Lucia renditions.  Loved this one, this one, and this one.  That last one is just so adorable.  We also have been reading this book, and LOVE it!

For those of you who celebrated the Festival of the Light - hope it was a really great celebration!

Snow, Sinterklaas, and a hat

 

Here is the hat, all finished.  I love this yarn so much, but I lost the tag soon after purchasing it, so have no idea who it is made by.  It's 100% soft wool and handpainted, but other than that I'm not really sure.  It's so beautiful, though.  I will definitely be hunting for more.  And the verdict?  She loves the hat.

We went to our local Christmas tree festival this weekend, and my boy made a beeline for the super hero trees.  Plopped himself down with this superman guy and said, "Mom!  Picture!"  Yeah, okay cute boy.  Cheesey smile and all. 

Also, this weekend was St. Nicholas day.  We called it Sinterklaas day, because of my love for all things Dutch, but it's essentially the same thing.  My girl was super excited about it and got shoes out for everyone. 

She chopped the pears, poured the glass of milk, and loaded up the shoes with apples (for Sinterklaas's horses).  I failed to grab photos of them the next morning (something to do with me staying up really late and them waking up at some ungodly early hour), but St. Nick brought them some new seasonal story books that I'll be sure and include here soon.  It was really fun and we'll definitely repeat this festival again next year!

And.... it snowed!  A whole lot.  It is so beautiful and I'm anticipating the moment when boatloads of snow will start dumping down again.  The more snow, the merrier in my winter book. 

 

I've been knitting like crazy the last few days.  I'll share a bit of what I've been making really soon.

Keep warm!!

 

out getting our tree

it was so amazing wandering around the quiet, snowy forest.  we sang christmas songs, talked about fairies and gnomes helping us find just the perfect tree, and stomped through knee-deep snow.  SO beautiful up there.  wish i had a cabin planted right in the middle of the aspens and pines. 

inspiration

It's that time of year again.  Reflection, love, family, friends, celebration of life.  The Holidays.  It's my most favorite part of the year.  I'm just not sure how on earth this year flew by like it did.  I'm discovering, the older I get, that life's happiness truly is right now.  Always looking forward distracts you from what you have now.  As you get to that point in the future, you look back and realize all the things you missed that were precious and that will never be with you again.

It is my mission this next year (including this holiday season!), to stay right here.  Plan for the future, then move my mental space right back to NOW.  Now is where my sweet kids are, my wonderful friends, my family, myself at this moment.  Life is now.

So, on a less introspective level, let's hear about everyone's homemade holiday goodness!  I have all sorts of knitting projects in mind.  I'd like to make these beautiful tree decorations with the kiddos.  But most of all, I'd like to be completely relaxed and remember simplicity.  So let's hear and/or see it, guys!  What are you making?

 

 

And here is the second part of my post for today.  I have been writing piano "songs" for a number of years now, but always forgetting them, never recording them, always too shy to share them.  I finally wrote and completely finished 4 pieces and decided it was time to record and share.  So here they are.  I hope you enjoy them!

Martinmas

 

 

 

 

 Last night was Martinmas - a festival celebrated by Waldorf-inspired families and schools everywhere.  It is a European festival to honor St. Martin (otherwise known as St. Martin's Day).  Our family hasn't been able to celebrate these fun festivals much in the past, being that we were the only Waldorf-y family that we knew (or at least, that was our excuse).  But thankfully, lately we've been joined by others and were able to celebrate with wonderful friends last night.

The festival is about giving and compassion to others.  Little paper (or other materials) lanterns are made, a candle placed in, and then children and adults wander outside in a little glowing, beautiful procession (go look at this wonderful capture by another momma - beautiful).  There are wonderful songs that can be sung, verses and stories to be told.  There is so much to add to this tender festival (check out the St. Martin's Day flickr group for more wonderful examples), and I look forward to expanding on it in the future!