Happy Easter

   Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.  -  C. S. Lewis

Easter is always a time for memories.  For children it is a magical time. Yes, there is the joy of the chocolate, painting the eggs, and easter baskets...but, when I was young, I did really feel that Easter morning would bring something more...perhaps, it would bring us one step closer to finding joy...and maybe finding peace... 

I still think so today. How about you?

Happy Easter!

My daughter and my nieces showing off their easter creations...

Coats, Boots, Hats, Oh My!....

I am an optimist.  It does not seem too much use being anything else. - Winston Churchill

My biggest culture shock in moving from Florida to Canada was the amount of clothing one had to put on...and store...and organize by season...
Then the problems only multiplied when I had children.
First, I had to make sure they all had on the proper clothes...socks (sometimes two pairs)....many times several shirts...and pants. Next, came the outerwear...snow pants, hats, gloves, scarfs, jackets....
getting all four of my children suited up usually took longer than the amount of time they would want to spend in the cold winter weather outside.

Now my children are older and do not need help with their mittens...but, I am still trying to find the perfect way to organize all their hats, boots, scarfs, gloves, snow pants, and jackets...
Until yesterday...
Here is my weekend project I wanted to share with you.

I used:

 *  a Wooden Utility shelf (from Jysk)- with Five shelves.

 *  four coat hooks

 *  2 storage boxes

The project took about a hour...

First, I attached the bottom two shelves, and then the very top shelf. (3 shelves used in this step)

Then, I turned one of the remaining shelves at a right angle, to the top, of the lower two shelves.

Securing it, to the back, using screws. The shelf was now made into a seat.

For the last shelf, I attached it at a right angle, to the bottom side, of the top shelf....to create a backing for the hooks...

For the final step, I added the amount of hooks I needed...two across the back....and two on the front....
Giving me a complete shelf for coats w/ space for storage boxes.
Yeah!!!  I am ready winter!!

Total cost for this project was under $40.00....but to me, organization, to help me battle the winter clothing war...makes this project priceless...

If you live in a warm sunny place...and you want to understand the hardships of a Canadian Parent ...click on the following links to some funny children stories by a Canadian Author, Robert Munch:

Thomas's Snowsuit  (The story is read by the Author)
I Have To Go (The story is read by the Author-just a small bit, about getting the snowsuit on and off)

School Days

Life is either a great adventure, or nothing.  - Helen Keller

From my son's sketch book

I love this time of the year.  I think I like the fall better than the summer.  It is as if my mind begins to wake up again after a long sleep in the hot summer sun...and I begin to function again.
Today was my children's first day of school.  So, I am very excited.  I know, most parents are excited to be sending their kids to school, again, finally...
But, I homeschool.  I am excited to be learning again with my children.  I feel like I have been on a treasure hunt for the past month to find the most captivating things to teach my children. I have scoured the shelves of the local library....widdled my selection down to their top 50 books, organised our school room, bought great art supplies, prepared their notebooks, stocked my freezer with quick homemade meals and sweets, and I am ready to begin.  They are ready to begin...and they are asking to begin.
I think life should be like that...an adventure...where the ordinary or the most simple things always can be turned into the extraordinary.
(P.S. I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring)

Lange Pioneer Village

You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut. - Dr. Seuss

Sometimes the nicest things happen when you least expect...they just come to be on their own.  My brother-in-law's family, my parents (visiting from Florida) and my family had a picnic in the countryside, followed by a trip to Lange Pioneer Village.  Honestly, we had no expectations...we were just enjoying the afternoon...but the moment the children walked through the gates, the buildings of the Pioneer Village captured their attention and filled their imaginations.   The village, full of actors/ historians, willingly answered the millions of questions our little crew threw out...
We took our time through shops, houses, the inn...but the children's favourite was meeting the teacher in the country school house.  The children all sat straight and learnt their lessons.
Our afternoon quickly sped by....(and never once, in our four hours spent, did we hear...."Can we go now?"....the only question asked was .... "Can we come back here for school in September?"...) Here is our day in pictures...

Lange Pioner Village Website

Things that go bump in the night

You are never alone. - Author Unknown

Because we now live in a big, old, (spooky) house, my children have had to make a few adjustments.  Like....not walking up to their bedrooms unless they are using a buddy system and having the radio playing at nighttime(so they do not hear the howling wind).
My sister in law has said she has heard foot steps in the middle of the night, when she was sure everyone was asleep (hmmm).

Our spooky house on a hill (please note the possible apparition in the attic window)

My father in law keeps saying that someone is leaving all the lights on (even when we have been out for the day)...and my kids swear that it was not them.  (hmmm)
But, I would like to know...can ghosts turn off stoves?  Because someone turned off the stove on me twice tonight while I was cooking dinner . (hmmm)
Big families....don't you just love them.

Silhouettes

How can there be too many children?  That is like saying there are too many flowers. - Mother Theresa

I decided to study the colonial times of North America ( not just America, Canada too...) with my children.  I feel as if moving to the country is a bit like stepping back in time.  Made of field stone collected from the property, the house is just shy of one hundred years old.  It feels as if it has a hundred stories to tell, so, studying the past seemed only natural. 

We have looked at cooking, houses, clothing, and today we studied a bit of art.  In colonial times, making silhouettes of family members was popular.  One by one, I traced the shadows of my children and nieces and nephew(My littlest niece is not included....she is only one year old and would not sit still). I pinned up their images on the wall in our dining room for everyone to see.  They enjoyed connecting to the past with this activity and were amazed how each silhouettes' owner could be easily identified.  

To me, looking at all their smiles brought two joys...

1.) Wow!  so many beautiful children

2.) Yes! so many beautiful children and I am surviving (that is a real blessing...come for dinner sometime and you will understand)