I took Ephram of a tour of our local Montessori school this morning. We've had a rough few weeks and I've really felt like I was failing at the whole homeschooling thing at times. So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out. It seems like a great program for him, but I find myself asking whether it is really worth the money ($440/month for M-F 8:30-11:30am). I know he'd get more socialization than he is getting now, but a lot of the educational activities that they presented to me were things I already am doing with him at home. Or things he is already proficient in. I know it probably has more value than I realize, but sometimes I really underestimate how much he learns at home. Even when it feels like I'm not really teaching him anything. If there were a Waldorf program nearby, I might feel differently about sending him. I find a lot of value in a program that is rich in art and music. For now, he will remain at home with me. I feel good about that. If nothing else, today made me feel a little more confident that I'm doing an ok job.

Baking bread with toddlers

Today we're making Sunflower Bread and Challah Bread.

Hello knitting funk

It has been a frustrating knitting week for me. I have several projects that I'd hope to have finished by now, but instead, they are sitting in a pile, waiting to be frogged. I keep making silly mistakes. It took be a bit to mourn the loss of the sweater I was knitting Claire, but I think I'm ready to cast on again. So much for my knitting 'agenda.'

Rainy days

We made this bat garland this morning. Although I really have no reason to be, I am extremely bored. It has been raining everyday and I'm getting cabin fever.

Autumn Nature Table

We set up our autumn nature table today. Perfect activity for a rainy Sunday. I am in love with the pumpkin patch gnome I got on Etsy. Love. I got it to represent the "Halloween tomten," who we leave most of our candy out for on Halloween night. In exchange, the Halloween tomten might leave us several small gifts in our trick-or-treat bags. ;o)



Seasonal selections. Some are Waldorf-y, others, definitely not.

Sharing a cider slushie at Skytop Orchard in NC

How much is that froggy in the window?

Marty walked by the front door and saw this guy plastered to it, sleeping. We think he is a green tree frog.



He tried to make a break for it after Ephram tried to pet him and kept yelling "HI FROGGY!"

WIP Wednesday

Curly Purly Pumpkin. Knit with Naturally by Nazareth wool yarn, which I love.



Ear Cozies hat for my husband. I found this pattern to run a tad small, so I casted on 120 to make a hat for his 22.25 inch head. Hopefully, it will fit. I'm using ultra Alpaca by Berroco.



Seasons Round Exchange items.



Pullover sweater for my daughter. 24 mos size, but I'm adding to the length and sleeve length a bit.

I'm hoping to get these, plus a sweater for my son done for the first day of autumn, but they may end up being gifts for Michaelmas instead.

I'm so excited to be traveling back to Salem for Halloween, my favorite place to be this time of year. We have yet to spend a Halloween here, in South Carolina. It just doesn't feel like fall here to me. Plus, I plan to enjoy all of the wonderful seafood restaurants while I am there. You can't really get fresh seafood here. Oh, I am sooooooooo looking forward to it.

On being *mostly* TV-free

DS hasn't watched TV in a very long time.... until these past couple of weeks. Both kids have been waking up at night lately, and, in my exhausted efforts to get dinner started, I have turned it on for short intervals. I don't feel as guilty about it as I thought I would. For the most part, I believe that toddlers really don't need TV in their lives. I've noticed a big change in DS since we stopped watching it altogether. His imagination is absolutely incredible, and some of the stuff that comes out of his head, 100% organically grown in there (not a product of something he has watched and parrots back at me) totally impresses me.

Anyhow, per some recommendations on MDC, I just rented "The Red Balloon" on Netflix. What a wonderful, wonderful film. DD and DS both sat through the entire thing (a rarity) and were completely rapt. And, I don't feel guilty about showing it to them.

These past few weeks have been hard for me. I've got the end of summer blues. I find myself feeling like this, as one season draws to a close, more often then not. Living here, in SC, has been a major adjustment for me. But, I am trying to bloom where I am planted for the time being. I have hopes of moving back North, though. North of the Mason-Dixon line. The South isn't for me, I've never felt like I've fit in here. I'm doing a major cleanout right now, because you never know, we could move at anytime. Keeping focused on the present and trying to live in the moment should be my focus, though, and I'm working on it.

WIP Wednesday

I can't believe it is Wednesday again already. I had planned a real post prior to now, but life has been busy.



Sweater and hat set (6mos size) for a friend in England that just had her first baby.

Friday is Baking Day

Every Friday I bake Challah bread, so we do a lot of our baking on Friday. My husband is Jewish, and when we moved to South Carolina we found that it was a bit harder to find challah bread at the market as we had in the Boston area. And, when it was available, it wasn't the best or the freshest. So, I started making my own. It was a lot easier than running around to different places on Friday to search for it. I'll post my Challah recipe at some point in the future. For now, let me share with you what I am baking this morning, in honor of the harvest season. It is a really dense and yummy bread.



Pumpkin Bread

1 small sugar pumpkin (I half it, scoop out seeds and then bake it for 1-2 hours)
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
2 3/4 cups brown sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger

Puree pumpkin, eggs and water together in blender. Mix with rest of ingredients. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans (I use glass). Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!
Makes two loaves. Freezes well.

WIP Wednesday

Not much action that I can share this week. I have several WIPs, but I'm trying to concentrate on finishing my items for the Seasons Round Exchange. I'll share photos after I get them mailed out.

We just moved our 18 mos old daughter to a toddler bed (from the crib), so it has been a tiring week. She has been climbing out of the crib and the pack and play, so it was time to make the move. I thought the transition would be easy, especially after she went down for nap beautifully several times on her big brother's bed. However, I have been humbled. I'm hoping we'll get into a routine within the next week or so.



Here she is sleeping soundly on her brother's bed