In These Hills

The Accident

2012-01-15T11:10:00.004-05:00

Last week we received the shocking news that Nelson's parents had been in a massive car accident. Dory had a broken rib and massive skin abrasions, requiring a skin graft. After 5 days in the hospital, she has come home and is receiving good care from a home nurse, Nelson, and his sister.

Wes had a torn aortic valve, lost his spleen, broke all the ribs on one side, punctured a lung, and broke his leg. He is in intensive care on a ventilator. He has slowly stabilized, but as this has happened more injuries have become apparent including a cracked vertebrae and a possible skull fracture.

Needless to say this has been an agonizing week. We have set up a Caring Bridge website which has been a huge help in connecting to the many friends and family who want to be in touch.

You can also find me and further updates on Facebook.

Twelfth Night

2012-01-15T11:03:00.002-05:00

We had a quiet Twelfth Night. The girls were back to school so in the afternoon we made a cake and took down the tree. Helen found the hidden coin and got a wish.

The Year in Review

2012-01-01T11:26:00.042-05:00

January brought sledding and snowshoeing.

February brought a birthday girl

and a winter weekend with extended family.

March brought a trip to the ocean with friends

and a trip to Florida to support Papa through surgery.

April brought a trip to Gettysburg,

a Green Mountain Youth Symphony Concert,

our final VT Symphony Concert with Yo-Yo Ma,

and a haiku-writing Easter bunny.

May brought Crew to our family,

a Knighting Ceremony,

Maypole Dancing,

modern dance recital

a 15th birthday,

and a class play.

June saw us up high in the mountains

and down on the rivers.

July saw Helen away for 6 weeks singing with Village Harmony.

August brought us to England --the British Museum,

Oxford,

and a week on a canal boat.

August also brought blueberries,

a final lake house visit with cousins,

and Hurricane Irene.

September brought 7th grade, 10th grade, fall crew,

and a final trip to the ocean.

October brought picnics on village greens,

some knitting,

and an odd Halloween.

November brought a big food drive and Martinmas party

and a snowy Thanksgiving.

December brought Revels,

a Green Mountain Youth Symphony concert,

a birthday,

lots of gift-making,

and many family visits.

What a Year!

Handmade Christmas

2012-01-01T11:00:00.002-05:00

I have two final handmade gifts to share.

Liz and I made these woven reindeer for my Mother. Years ago a basket maker showed me how to make these and I finally managed to have the materials, the instructions, and the IDEA all at the same time. They are actually quite quick to make. I used materials from a basketmaking kit I had. The splint was a bit wider than the measurements that came with the instructions, so I split it in half and we made two reindeer. I imagine these could be easily made with paper, card stock, or even stiffened fabric.

Liz made Helen this jewelry organizer. She got drawer pulls and a piece of molding from the hardware store, polyurethaned the molding, and put in the drawer pulls. Here it is hanging on Helen's bulletin board already full of necklaces.

Christmas Eve and the Handmade Gifts

2011-12-29T08:54:00.014-05:00

Christmas Eve featured appetizers such as this cheeseboard of Vermont cheeses and a final feast of lobster casserole.

We read from my Christmas journal. Every year I keep a journal beginning on the first Sunday of Advent and ending on Twelfth Night. The girls always request a reading. This year I read from 2002 (the first year I began keeping it) and from last year. It is fun to remember back to all the things we made and did.

We listened to music, played Victorian parlor games such as charades where we acted out various Christmas songs, and looked at some of our favorite Christmas books.

After dinner we opened our handmade gifts. I love how excited we all get about this tradition. The focus is definitely on giving and every year the girls sigh and say they would be content if this was all we did. Here's what we all made~

Helen made me this set of napkins.

Liz needlefelted me this beautiful picture which I need to get framed.

I made Liz this owl and a matching buckwheat/lavender pillow.

Nelson made the girls fingerless gloves from thrifted sweaters.

He made me this bag dryer to go on the kitchen sink.
I have been wanting a good way to dry bags for years.

I made Nelson this work apron.
Here he is opening Helen's gift.

Helen made a set of 6 coasters using maps from each place we've been on summer vacation.

Helen made Liz this music folder out of duct tape.
Duct tape is a popular craft medium in our house these days.

Here is Liz with her duct tape folder.

I knit this elephant and sewed these pajamas for Helen.

For the final gift I printed out 2 copies of my blog from 2009. I made them each a copy because I know when they are old and grey, they will each want it. Now I need to get 2010 and 2011 printed. I'm a bit behind.

I'm so glad we started this tradition. To see more from over the years, click on the Handmade Christmas link on the sidebar of the blog.

The Christmas Eve Village

2011-12-27T12:49:00.011-05:00

We had a very busy Christmas Eve with final handmade Christmas crafting and wrapping as well as a lot going on in the kitchen. By the end of the day we had made:

lobster casserole

asian springrolls

spice cookies

peanut butter cookies

secret kiss butter balls

and sugar cookies

As the afternoon went on, the girls became increasingly hyper. We sent them outside and they reappeared with piles of greens to decorate the house and a stack of birchbark. I showed them Kristin Nichols' birchbark houses and we all got inspired.

First I scrounged through the trash, fridge, and cupboards for butter boxes and other bits of card stock. We hot glued little houses from the boxes.

Then we hot glued onto the houses layers of birchbark. We all went back out to get pinecones and other bits of materials for decorations.

After we completed the houses, we painted on watered-down craft glue and the sprinkled glitter everywhere. I can tell you that clean-up was not for the faint of heart.

Here's the result:

This was a perfect craft for us. We all loved designing the houses and using the natural materials. Elizabeth kept going and made two, complete with porches, fanlights, and other architectural details. It ate up the rest of the afternoon in a fun, family way.

And, they were absolutely gorgeous on the dining table at night. I actually went and sprinkled more glitter on them after the table was set because they just sparkled in the candlelight.

It was a wonderful way to end our Christmas Eve day.

Light the Advent Candle Four

2011-12-26T16:07:00.006-05:00

The entire family came to see Helen perform in Revels on the fourth Sunday of Advent.
It was a fun show with a great band playing Elizabethan instruments.

The rest of the week was spent helping Helen catch up with tests, homework, and sleep.

There was also lots of crafting. The sewing machine went nonstop for about 3 days. Helen moved it into her room and I heard it going into the wee hours. She not only got all her gifts made, but made a lot of cloth bags for wrapping.

Liz spent hours in her crafting tent.

I spent hours and hours knitting and watching Jane Austen. This is a personal tradition of mine, and I now realize that it isn't Christmas without a Jane Austen marathon.

This crafting is good for the soul.

A jar of moss

2011-12-17T10:54:00.000-05:00

Helen made this beautiful terrarium for her Biology class.

It included this little field guide for the "Naturally Curious."

A box of letters

2011-12-16T10:47:00.001-05:00

A box of letters, each with special postmarks and stationery, carefully tied with a blue silk ribbon...a key...

Letters to Hamlet...

and to Lady Ophelia...

A CD with music, chosen just for her...

At the bottom, lying on top of a map of their various travels, was a notice of death--a stark end to their tale.

A wonderful project for English class.

Revels

2011-12-15T10:32:00.004-05:00

Helen is in the Revels North production this year.
It has an Elizabethan theme and the costumes and set just sparkle. It is amazing that they were able to pull it off considering the costumes were flooded by Irene.

Here's a little video about the show~

She has been rehearsing two nights a week for months. One night she has been a part of the teen chorus, the other night she has been rehearsing a morris dance. It is going to be a wonderful show. For those of you who live nearby, tickets are still available here. We have a huge crowd of family coming on Sunday. Should be fun.

Light the Advent Candle Three

2011-12-15T10:23:00.006-05:00

The third week of Advent brought serious work on handmade gifts. We each make a gift for each family member to be opened on Christmas Eve.

But first Liz had her Green Mountain Youth Symphony concert. They sounded great.
They got to go on tour to various schools which was a lot of fun
(especially since she got out of school for the day).

Nels chose a sewing project for a gift this year. It has caused a lot of angst getting the machine to do what he wants it to do.

Note, family, I blurred out the critical part of the photo :)

Liz is taking no chances on anyone seeing what she is making. She created a gift-making fort in her room. It is lit by a tiny fake Christmas tree with lights. She has spent hours in there. I have NO IDEA what she is doing.

It took me awhile to come up with good ideas this year, but I now have a plan....and just need to execute it.

St. Nicholas

2011-12-09T09:42:00.005-05:00

Helen agonized over which shoes to put out for St. Nicholas....combat boots? purple flats? Finally these plaid flats appeared in front of the fire. They each received the traditional chocolate coins, a little felted treasure, and a chocolate orange. I have a box of gold stars from Ikea which I use every year to just add to the magic.

A simple, but much treasured tradition. At least this year I remembered to get the chocolate coins in time. Last year we were a day late!

Light the Advent Candle Two

2011-12-09T09:25:00.008-05:00

Our Advent Sunday afternoons are turning into simple family moments this season. This Sunday, while Nels took the girls off for a bit of Christmas craft supply shopping, I did a thorough clean and made some thumb cookies--our current favorite Christmas cookie. After everyone got home, we pulled down the Christmas decorations and books from the attic, built a fire, unwrapped the decorations one by one, and each found our favorite books.

Liz found her beloved elf hat.

Quite a change from just 2 years ago.

I enjoyed looking through Take Joy by Tasha Tudor.

Liz and Helen enjoyed looking through Letters from Father Christmas.

I also enjoyed looking through The Medieval Christmas which has some wonderful old traditions in it.

Here's the thumb cookie recipe:

Cream 1/2 lb butter and 1/2 c sugar. Add 2 egg yolks and 1 tsp vanilla. Add 2 c flour. Refrigerate 24 hours (although I only did for an hour), roll in balls, press down the center, fill with jam.
375 for 10 minutes. Pretty simple recipe!

Class Wish

2011-12-07T06:46:00.001-05:00

Liz's class had just finished their "Wish, Wonder, and Surprise" creative writing block. Here is their final mural and haiku. These 7th graders are becoming beautiful artists!

As Liz explains..."the river is washing away all our bad habits. The mountains represent our strengths. The planet and sun represent what we want to achieve."

The Gnome Olympics

2011-12-06T08:55:00.001-05:00

The Gnome House is one of the most popular events at the Winter Fair. It is a 5' high, domed space created from the top half of a tent and covered on the outside with pine boughs. You have to crawl through a narrow tunnel to get in which makes it a bit tricky for adults. This year the theme was the Gnome Olympics. Children crawl in, explore, and get to choose a little gnome (about 2" high) to bring home. All the gnomes in the photos below are about 2".

Slalom Event

There was a working luge run.

My personal favorite--the line for the outhouse.

Hockey Rink

Figure Skating Event

Gnome Medal Ceremony

I can't imagine how many gnomes they had to make. I have to confess that I was happy to NOT be making gnomes. I made about a million gallons of chili for the cafe.

One other popular spot--hard to photograph--the crystal cookie cave. Children go into a very dark cave filled with cookies and crystals. There is an "angel" playing a harp (who keeps an eye on behavior and replenishes cookies) and children get to choose a cookie and crystal. Helen was a good sport and filled in as the angel for awhile (not her favorite activity--and she's going to make me take down this photo pretty quickly! at least it's not on facebook)...

Light the Advent Candle One

2011-12-05T06:32:00.000-05:00

Our first week of Advent was a week of crafting and preparation for the Waldorf School's Winter Fair. Helen and I made a needle-felted Advent Spiral Calendar.

I knit this Tomten to sell with the accompanying book.

We also finished this music stand and nature table to raffle as a fundraiser for Liz's upcoming class trip.

It was a very busy crafting week!

A Snowy Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T06:08:00.010-05:00

Thanksgiving continues to be my favorite holiday. I love hanging out with my family wherever we decide to celebrate. This year it was at the family lake house.

Our family really loves pie--everyone has a favorite and my feeling is that this is the one meal of the year where everyone should get what they want--no holding back. So, here's Liz working on pie. There was pumpkin (2), chocolate, pecan tart, apple, apple cranberry, and blueberry! My current favorite is my Sister-in Law's bourbon pecan tart. Note to self...blueberry pie can be runny...and can drip out of a pie basket...all over everything else....

We woke up on Thanksgiving morning to a beautiful blanket of snow. The snow, while beautiful, certainly caused a flurry of telephone calls about plowing, power, timing the turkey, and travel, but everyone got there. There was power. And the turkey cooked!

We spent the day down on the lake. There was a lot of fishing.

Nels's sister called while we were hanging out on the water needing help with her gravy.

The kids made a snow fort and of course there were snowballs tossed around.
Helen thought this was a very strange combination of events...fishing...snowballs...gravy instructions....suntanning (as the Moms were doing)....

This puzzle had to get done by dinner so we could use the table...the pressure was on.

The gray November sky brought us a treat at the end of the day.

And, to cap off our time together, we brought out the movie projector and watched the old family films....forwards and backwards as children were tossed into water and snow and flew back out.

For me, that's what Thanksgiving is about--Family.

Martinmas for Older Kids

2011-11-14T16:03:00.013-05:00

Martinmas is one of my favorite autumn events. For me it marks a turn toward the season of giving. At our Waldorf School only the young children go for a Martinmas lantern walk and hear the story of St. Martin who tore his cloak in two for a beggar. For years I have felt that by middle-school, the older children are ready to re-engage with the festival in a meaningful way. But, how to do it?

So, this year Martinmas began for Liz and her class about a week ago when they launched a food drive for a local nonprofit that is in dire straits because of the increased demand for food and clothing in Vermont. They doubled their goal for food and delivered it all on Friday afternon. I slipped into their classroom and snapped this little photo. The room was filled with food.

We invited her class and all their families to our house for a party that night. We knew that the kids were too old for a lantern walk, but weren't too old for lanterns and hanging out in the dark. So, we pulled out all our old lanterns (and after 15 years at a Waldorf School, we have A LOT--probably around 40-50). We have paper lanterns, tin lanterns, balloon lanterns, mason jar lanterns as well as about a dozen Ikea lanterns.

We lined a path with lanterns that ran from our drive up to our fire pit and put battery-powered strings of lights in the treehouse. There were lanterns hanging in trees and on stumps.

Even though the moon was just about full, it was spitting snow and so dark that we decided to make MORE lanterns. At first we decorated mason jars with tissue, but then decided to just put mason jars with tea lights out along the path. You can also see in this photo that I had just about every dish I owned out for dinner!

Nelson got a fire going and supervised hot cider, sausages, and s'mores up at the fire while I manned a massive potluck at the house. Here are most of the kids crammed in the dining room for dinner. I think the total number was 37.

My mudroom lived up to its name that night because with the spitting snow and kids running in and out, there was a lot of dirt, boots, coats, hats, and flashlights. In addition to just crazy fun in the dark, a teacher brought glow sticks and they had a big romping game of tag in the dark.

It really was a perfect end to the day. The kids were surrounded by lanterns, the adults got to visit (which we never get to do), and we all felt the spirit of the coming season. I really feel like we got Martinmas right for these older kids this year. And, from what I hear this week, they do too.

The History Mystery

2011-11-11T07:05:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I took a group of teachers (and Helen) on a mystery tour high up into the hills of Vermont. We walked through the bushes and found this house--really a tar-paper shack. We explored, questioned, compared old photos, and came to the conclusion that this house was more of a Tidewater Virginia house than a Vermont house. Which led to more questions....who lived here?

We looked at other evidence and found out that it had once belonged to Daisy Turner and her family.

Daisy Turner died at the age of 104 not too long ago. Her parents had both been slaves in Virginia. Her Father, born a slave, ran away from his plantation during the Civil War. Late in life, Daisy became her family’s historian, relating tales of her grandfather’s journey from Africa into slavery in Virginia, and her father’s eventual escape to freedom and life on a Vermont hill farm. You can hear Daisy tell her stories here.

The Vermont Folklife Center has published two of Daisy's stories as children's books. The first is Alec's Primer which is a story about her Father learning to read as a young boy.

The second, a favorite of ours, is Daisy and the Doll.

It was a very special afternoon to be on this land so close to our past. We listened to Daisy tell her stories via an Ipad, met with a folklorist (our mystery guest) who interviewed Daisy, looked at family photos, and thought about this extraordinary family's journey from Africa to New Orleans to Virginia to Vermont. We were touching history.

Halloween

2011-11-01T06:45:00.003-04:00

I recently created a book of last year's blog for the girls (using blurb). I splurged and had a copy made for each girl as I know how much they love to read them. While I was working on the book I reflected on why I blog and the fact that I haven't been blogging as much. I resolved to do a better job at recording our family's life as these entries are really family keepsakes. So, in light of that, I bring you Halloween in an effort to catch up.

This year Helen had a rehearsal and Liz decided that she didn't want to trick or treat as she had a costume party with friends the weekend before. In light of this, the only thing I did to prepare for Halloween was to purchase a pumpkin and get a bag of candy in case we had some trick or treaters. It was a little strange to think there would be no Halloween as the girls had always said it was their favorite holiday. Here they are a few years ago dressed as "light and dark."

On Halloween afternoon, the girls arrived home and suddenly realized they had to do something. They quickly carved the pumpkins which they named Paul and Ringo. My first surprise of the day was that they did this leaving no trace behind....they totally cleaned up.

They then created a festive Halloween dinner table, complete with kit kat bars tucked neatly into martini glasses.

And that was Halloween!

Nelson and I were a bit bewildered at this sudden turn of events.

Autumn Weekends: A final visit to the beach

2011-10-28T17:46:00.000-04:00

Nelson surprised me with a camping trip to Cape Ann for my birthday.

The girls got to spend some time on their own shopping and exploring. They joined us for lunch, very excited to have met and chatted with a very friendly painter. They realized that meeting locals adds a lot to exploring a place. So does eating local food...salt water taffy.

We toured a historic house, Beauport, and hung out on the lawn by the water.

We danced on the beach at dusk.

We watched a Schooner parade in the morning.

After watching the boats, we spent the rest of Sunday exploring Rocky Neck Art Colony. Where every building looks like this~

It was a great weekend with something for everyone--art, shopping, seafood, the beach, great campground, and boats. We'll be back.

Snowy October

2011-10-28T09:14:00.002-04:00

My phlox, which had beautiful white blooms yesterday, now sport a different sort of white bloom.

Autumn Weekends: Racing on New Hampshire Rivers

2011-10-26T17:32:00.000-04:00

Helen joined the Upper Valley Rowing Foundation junior crew team this fall. In the fall they do long-distance rowing. This was quite different from the sprint races in the spring. The head races were 3 miles long.

This day of racing in Concord was gorgeous. She's in the front (or back) depending on your perspective.

She absolutely loves to row. I confess I look forward to when she has her driver's license and can get herself to the 5:30 a.m. practices :)

Autumn Weekends: Handmade

2011-10-24T05:30:00.000-04:00

This lovely book has brought renewed inspiration into our house lately.

I can't say that we've actually made anything from the book, but it has been a long time since the girls have sat down to craft together. This project involved leather scraps, buttons, ribbons, and who knows what.

I've been crafty too. Here's a camera strap I made to jazz up my camera. I love using it.

A couple of hats have made it off the needles. This on is the beehive hat by Linda Romens. The pattern is available on Ravelry.

This hat, Helen's favorite, is the Alpine Topper available at Halcyon Yarn.

My winter project is a crochet afghan. I'm smitten with crochet right now. I first saw this one-a-day blanket at Little Cotton Rabbits. I am teaching myself and making lots of mistakes since Simmy first started me on crochet while we were in England.

Even Nelson has been puttering about with weekend crafting. He's been building racks for the canoe and kayaks.

We are all starting to get inspired for Handmade Christmas. I've been hunting about online for ideas and came across this necklace at Martha Stewart made from pantyhose and bouncy balls. I think NOT.

Autumn Weekends: A New Hampshire Ramble

2011-10-22T17:00:00.014-04:00

One of our favorite weekend activities is to wander about New England, exploring small towns and villages. We stumbled upon the New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour a few years ago and decided to do it again this year. We call these sorts of days "rambles."

We found this sign after driving down a very long and winding dirt road.

There we met Hope Thomas at her farm. Helen and I peaked into her weaving studio where there was a lifetime of knowledge and art.

At another farm we met this cute alpaca and a crowd of men supporting all the fiber artists by hosting a big lamb barbeque.

We stopped for lunch at a tiny farmer's market in Washington, NH. What a beautiful little town.

We picked up some applesauce and huge cookies to go with our cider, bread, and cheese.

Our favorite stop was the Wool Room where we had a wonderful time chatting with the owner. The girls picked up some beautiful yarn which they began to knit on pencils. I knew I should have packed knitting needles.

We also like to stray off the path sometimes. We came across this sign for glass blowing and had to turn.

We found this little house in the woods, peeked in the door,

and found Alex Kalish.

His glass was gorgeous.

What a great ramble!

From Waldorf School to Public High School

2011-09-15T06:13:00.001-04:00

Helen has begun her Sophomore year at our local public school. Three weeks into the semester, she is starting to find a routine to her days and weeks.

Many, many people have asked and continue to ask how Helen's transition from Waldorf school to public high school has gone. I'm not sure how Helen would answer, but I would say "quite smoothly." We struggled throughout her 7th and 8th grade years with which high school would be best for her. With no Waldorf high schools in the immediate area, our choices were the public schools or a small, private academy about 30 minutes away where many Waldorf students attend.

In the end, Helen (with our complete support), chose the public school. She was attracted to the wide variety of English classes and the massive art department. We were attracted to the fact that the school was in the Dartmouth community which would give her access to all sorts of opportunities. This has indeed been the case.

After just a few weeks of being unsure of where she stood academically with her classmates, Helen settled right in academically and maintained A's throughout the year. She joined crew and made some friends. For her, sports made all the difference in finding friends.

Helen would say that the classes and homework are more interesting than what she experienced in 8th grade. She appreciates the challenge. She misses the creative work and interconnection of content between classes. She misses the festivals and seasonal spirit of the school.

This year she's taking Algebra II, Biology, Chorus, Health, French III, American History, and Shakespeare. It's a challenging load, but she is up for it. My challenge? To learn to LET GO. She constantly proves to me that she doesn't need reminders about homework or looking over her shoulder. Let go. let go. let go. We'll both be better for it....soon I'll have no choice...she's driving.

New Perspectives in 7th Grade

2011-09-14T08:40:00.009-04:00

Liz began 7th grade last week. I can't believe it. She is all dressed up because they begin the day with a formal ceremony where the 7th graders are paired with entering 1st graders. Liz's class will mentor the first graders all year.

The 7th-grade curriculum is a favorite of mine. This year the teacher has begun with two weeks of perspective drawing. Partly a review of geometry and partly an introduction to the Renaissance, these two weeks are also a time of getting comfortable in 7th grade and with their new roles as leaders of the school. This focus on perspective will be an ongoing theme in school and our family this year--since school has begun, we all have been challenged to look at our family life from each others perspective (more on that later).

A snapshot from her main lesson book

Here's how her teacher describes what they will be covering this year~

Renaissance History
This block will develop a picture of the Renaissance world, as it evolved out of the Middle Ages,
focusing on the areas of art, religion, government and science. We will pay special attention to the discoveries and works of the great artists and and astronomers of this period.

Algebra
An introduction to the principles of algebra, including variables and coeﬃcients, positive and negative numbers, order of operations, exponents, expressions and equations. We will continue to work with algebra in math classes throughout the year.

Creative Writing
We will study creative writing and poetry using many diﬀerent sources as inspiration. We will put to practice our knowledge of grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and begin to examine aspects of style and usage in our writing.

First attempt at perspective drawing

Geometry
In our study of geometry we will review the geometric principles introduced in sixth grade, moving on to the introduction of new principles, including more complex work with the properties of angles and triangles, the Pythagorean theorem, construction of the pentagon, and an understanding of pi.

Chemistry
This introduction to chemistry will be an exploration of the material quality of the world and
will include the study of salts and crystals, acids and bases, combustion and the quality of gases
and the lime process.

Reformation and the Age of Exploration
This block will focus on the shift in thinking and belief in Europe that resulted in the
Reformation and the rise of Protestantism. We will also examine the lives and travels of the great
explorers, becoming more familiar with the geography of the world, with a special focus on the
continent of South America.

Another drawing from the first week of school

Physics
Building upon the work of sixth grade physics, this block will continue with the study of sound,
light, heat, magnetism and electricity and will introduce the study of mechanics.

Human Physiology
This block will include the study of the main organ systems of the body, including the digestive
system, the respiratory system, the circulatory system and the reproductive system.

Art Class
The seventh grade students have an adventurous time discovering new artistic perceptions in a
multitude of artistic problems related to the main lesson studies of the Renaissance. This artistic
investigation of the Renaissance correlates well to the intellectual awaking of this particular
age of the students. These lessons will challenge their abilities to understand perspective and
mechanical drawing, chiarascuro, and human proportion. In this year, we will draw the human
form, as well as sculpt a hand and a foot in proportion. Each lesson will have signiﬁcant
artistic reference broadening their artistic perception, as well as some freer lessons of self-
expression.

Woodworking
Students will plan and construct their own version of a marionette out of various woods and other materials. They will revisit the study of human anatomy in proportions of a puppet and learn the very old craft of puppet making. There will be many fun tasks and challenges thoughout the process, which, if successful, will end with a performance for all to see!

Orchestra
Repertoire in seventh grade will include music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In
addition we will begin to look at music written after the turn of the century as we begin to look at
where the music ﬁts into a basic historical time line.

Then there's German, French, Handwork, PE, and Chorus...... and homework. Another post topic, perhaps.

In writing this up, I was struck once again by how integrated the curriculum is--human physiology, woodworking, art, and history all weave together as do history, music, handwork and art.

Song Collecting

2011-09-13T13:40:00.001-04:00

For the past two summers Helen has toured with Village Harmony. It's an organization that supports musicians and ethnomusicologists who wish to gather village songs from around the world. I received an email from one of her summer conductors telling the story of his trip to Georgia. In the video below, a family is teaching him a song called "Chaghma Chaqrilo Venakho." Then there's a bit of scenery from Georgia. Finally, there is this event. He writes:

Later on you'll see an unforgettable incident of "kidnapping" - or perhaps, toast-hijacking. We had been at a festival where we sang & there were some other local singers who wanted to meet us but there just wasn't time. However, they knew which road we had to take to get back to our village, so they set up a table in the middle of the road & waited for us. As you see, other cars have to stop, and by the time we left there were 3 or 4 cars stopped in either direction. It was pretty amazing, and a truly Georgian experience (don't try this in North America!)

Merisi from Kazio Sosnowski on Vimeo.

Here is Helen's group singing a Georgian song last summer. Now it's easier to picture where the music came from.

The Healing Power of Stories

2011-09-07T13:36:00.004-04:00

This chalkboard drawing greeted the students on the first day of school yesterday.

Every child drove past the wreck that was once the bridge to school. Every child knew that the playground was covered in mud. Many children knew more about the hardships of a natural disaster than they should at such a young age.

This year's opening assembly featured a story. This story, told to all the children, featured a conversation between the earth and the sun about the flood. Mother Earth was so upset about all the problems, but Father Sun was heartened by all the goodness he had observed. The story went on to feature little tales that all the adults had been reading in the paper for days such as this story about the horseback rider who forded a river to bring medicine to a woman.

You could have heard a pin drop in the assembly. 100 or so students listened intently and nodded when they heard a familiar tale of benevolence. You could almost see the tension in those children's shoulders just drop. It really was the perfect way to start school--acknowledge something bad had happened, but help the children see that good was coming out of it.

I've written before about the power of story. While my girls are beyond the need for me to spin a healing tale, I think I will quietly place before them more stories from the flood--stories of courage, caring, and commitment to community. Stories can be healing at any age.

Cleaning Up

2011-09-06T05:33:00.000-04:00

Revels is a big part of our family's life. Both girls have performed in the summer Revels and this year Helen got into the Winter Revels. It will be an incredible performance with an Elizabethan theme. Here's Queen Elizabeth's costume from a previous year's performance.

Queen Elizabeth's costume, along with about 3,000 other costumes are now encased in mud. This heavy, heavy costume fell in the flood and only little bits of sparkly jewels showed up through the muddy floor. Here is a video as the costumes were found.

Helen and I stopped by the costume shop to help last week. Because we didn't have power, we couldn't take costumes. Instead we took plastic tubs to wash in the yard.

I have never dealt with flood mud before and I can tell you it is like scraping wet clay, filled with sewage, chemicals, and who knows what. We washed the tubs 4 times and they still aren't clean. I think I am going to just go to Ikea and buy them new. Our lawn is now covered in a fine, white clay-like ick.

After we finished, we read in the paper dire warnings about working with flooded materials. We were wearing gloves, but still....

Another area needing major clean-up is the main shopping district for the region. Here it is flooded~

Here is a parking lot after the water receded. The Walmart employees have to wear masks as they move carts. We drive into town to get a few supplies and turned right around. The paper says to not open your car windows as the dust has who knows what in it.

This may seem trivial in light of it all, but Liz needs sneakers for school. There is no store with reasonably priced sneakers within about an hour and half (that I know of, anyway). Kohl's, JCPenney, TJMaxx, Payless, Pier 1, and just about EVERY store (but Walmart) is now closed for months.

There is NO complaining on my family's part. I have a bit of survivor guilt. It is a strange feeling to know that the only thing I have to deal with is driving further to buy shoes. Many families are still trapped in the hills and many no longer have homes or jobs. Nelson and I both feel the need to spend Labor Day doing some volunteering.

You can't get there from here

2011-09-05T09:03:00.008-04:00

There's an old Vermont saying~ you can't get there from here. It has never been more true. Here's a map showing road closures. We live near one of the only east-west roads. It is closed and the local gas stations seem to always be crowded with people holding maps, trying to plot out routes.

Here's a photo of that road.
Winter's not far away and I wonder how they are going to get it rebuilt in time.

During the storm, my neighbor came upon this spot on our road. She saw some water running over the road and briefly considered driving through, then quickly changed her mind. That chasm is at least 10' wide and 10' deep. All of us in the neighborhood are relieved she didn't try to drive through. It's a big reminder that water running over a road is NOT SAFE to drive through. There are several new teen drivers on our road (including Helen!) and we have all been using this spot as a lesson in caution.

Here's the bridge to Liz's school. Happily, the local road crew has configured a way for us to get the kids there tomorrow and figured out how to get water into town.

So, we move along. We leave extra time because just about EVERY bridge is a scene like this and we consult our maps to make sure "we can get there from here."

Vermont Flooding

2011-08-30T08:59:00.010-04:00

Hi All,

I have had several comments and emails asking how we are up here in Vermont. The flooding and devastation is beyond description. Here is one tiny example--

This is the bridge that I took every day to get to the Waldorf School.

Here it is during Irene. It was quite something else to see 1,000 gallon propane tanks torpedoeing down the river and through the bridge. The air reeked of propane.

Here it is now. 1/2 the bridge is just gone as are the other 2 bridges we used to use to get into town. Here is a link to an article about the loss of Vermont's beloved bridges.

The Waldorf School (and the entire community) is virtually cut off. No power, no water, and the only way to get into the town is over the hills and through a school soccer field.

Our family is fine. We don't live in the cut-off area. We don't have power and our road is now truly a one-car width road, but we have a generator which means we have water and a fridge. No damage for us.

Summer Snapshots: Wildlife in the Yard

2011-08-23T09:37:00.001-04:00

Look who I saw in our front yard one misty August morning.

And later in the afternoon--bold as you please, this fox.

Off he goes!

Summer Reading

2011-08-22T09:53:00.001-04:00

Summer is almost over and I am hunting for a few final great summer reads. Here is some of what I have enjoyed this summer. Any suggestions for a final, fabulous book to end summer with a bang?

First--two books from the World War II era--

What comes after surviving? In 22 Britannia Road, a Polish family is shattered by World War II and tries to find their way back together again. I enjoyed this book of three tales--the Mother's experience in Poland, the Father's experience in battle, and the family's experience trying to find its way back together again.

I have a friend whose family escaped the Holocaust to Shanghai and thus I have become interested in reading more. I particularly enjoyed the first part of this book as the author described the bustle of 1930s Shanghai beautifully.

But then, a few books that take place in Oxford. Perfect companions for a trip to England.

This might have been my favorite read of the summer. A Discovery of Witches is about a historian who discovers an enchanted manuscript in the Bodleian libary. Part love story, part adventure, all tied up with history. One reviewer describes it as "Twilight meets the Da Vinci Code", but I still really liked it.

I tend to not be a mystery reader, but a friend suggested Laurie King's Mary Russell series and I'm hooked. Mary Russell, aged 15, meets Sherlock Holmes in the English countryside where he has retired to raise bees. They immediately strike up a friendship and he takes her one as his apprentice. English countryside, Sherlock Holmes, Oxford? Just the right reading mix for my summer.

I also really like the covers of these mysteries :)

Finally, I read massive amounts of Civil War books for work including Uncle Tom's Cabin which is pushing me towards compiling a list of unread classics to consider this fall.

In summer, the song sings itself

2011-08-21T09:52:00.000-04:00

Slow travel on the Grand Union Canal

2011-08-17T06:30:00.004-04:00

We rented a canalboat (or narrowboat) for the second week of our trip. It felt wonderful to slow down after our week in and around London.

It was a comfortable boat with a lounge, galley, two bathrooms, and 2 bedrooms
--bigger than our London apartment.

Almost immediately after setting out, we encountered a boat that had grounded. We towed them off the mud and then all tagged along together to make our way through the first locks. They were a nice young family from South Africa.

The four kids had fun working together that first day getting through all the locks.

The girls also had fun steering the boat. They were careful not to go to close to the muddy edge!

The scenery was gorgeous. We enjoyed stopping to walk into some of the canal towns.

Each night we just put stakes in the side of the canal and stopped!

Here Liz and I are having a cup of tea early in the morning before getting underway.

We all enjoyed relaxing up front with books, cameras, and crochet.

We went across an aquaduct--note the low rim on the left. There was a river far, far below.

And there was Liz perched on top. They loved being on the roof.

I didn't love them being on the roof (but let them).

Oh. That roof. "Chillax Mom."

We had a couple of days with a lot of locks. They were so fun to do.

One day Helen invited some of the onlookers to help. It made their day.

We stopped in a canal town where lots of boats sported little shops.

Here is Liz having fun at the CANDY BOAT.

Evenings brought quiet waters and libations while we cruised to just the perfect spot to moor.

One evening we moored by this beautiful bridge.

In the evening we all journaled. The girls had gathered a huge quantity of brochures, business cards, train tickets, and all sorts of ephemera from our previous week in London. It was fun to hear them processing the trip as they scrapbooked. I bring journaling materials along on every trip. It is a great way to stop and reflect on the day.

I always try to find time on a trip to work on the journals and we had started these in London. It is important to just STOP while on a trip. We also knew that once we got home, we wouldn't do it.

We are enjoying looking through them now that we are home.
They are probably our most precious souvenirs.

Every turn around the bend of the canal brought another beautiful vista.

We came upon this sign for the Camphill Cafe. From the sign we guessed it had a Waldorf Connection so we stopped to investigate. We were right. We met some very nice people and had one of the best meals of the trip, right from the community garden.

Slow travel is a good thing.

While waiting for the locks we got to chat with fellow boaters and onlookers.

We got to eat local food at local pubs (some better than others).

And we got to explore England at our own pace.

After we returned our boat, we spent a final day at Windsor Castle and had a final tea in Windsor before flying out via Iceland. A fine end to our most excellent adventure.

We are confirmed narrowboaters and all of us desperately want to do it again.

Summer Snapshots: Ice Cream Ninjas

2011-08-16T07:47:00.000-04:00

It is quite a drive to get to a store from our house, and last night the girls had a craving for ice cream.

What to do? Dress up as ninjas, sneak into the neighbor's house, and raid the freezer.

A Successful Mission

in full disclosure, said neighbor's child was one of the ninjas spending the night at our house.

On Holiday

2011-08-15T17:37:00.001-04:00

Guess where we have been? London! This was our first trip overseas and we had so much fun!

We arrived into London on a Tuesday mid-day. We were tired, but didn't want to just go to our apartment, so we took a bus tour of the city. It was a perfect way to give the kids an overview of all the possibilities. We had found an apartment to rent from a friend here in Vermont. It was near the tube, had laundry facilities, and beautiful roof-top decks where we could relax in the evenings. We loved having our own space.

After a good night's sleep, we went to the Tower of London. We had purchased tickets online so we were able to walk right in without waiting in any lines. We spent about 4 hours there.

After the tower, we hopped onto a Thames cruise boat. The cruise had come free with our bus tickets and we had 24 hours to use it. We all needed a rest (and it was about 90 that day) so we had a relaxing tour of London from the water.

After a hot day in London, we were happy to go to Oxford. Oxford (and the Bodleian Library) was the top choice destination for the kids. We got a bus to Oxford and immediately found the tourist information booth, got maps and guidebooks, and went to a pub to eat, refresh, and figure out what we were doing. We then toured the Library and had tea in a nearby chapel/cafe.

We've toured a lot of amazing libraries--the Library of Congress, Folger Shakespeare Library, as well as many archives. The Bodleian was simply inspirational. The Harry Potter factor was also, of course, cool.

We all just loved Oxford and both girls are sure they are going to attend :)

On Friday we went to the British Museum. The girls were excited to see the Rosetta Stone, parts of the Parthenon, and other highlights from their Waldorf curriculum. Sadly, the museum was just over-run with tourists and we all felt like we would have enjoyed an art museum more than a museum full of archaeological fragments.

The British Museum redeemed itself for us with its high tea. Wow. This was a highlight for the girls. High Tea in just the most spectacular setting.

After the British Museum, we went to Liberty. I have always wanted to visit as Nelson and I both love the Arts and Crafts Movement, liberty fabric, etc.

You would have thought we were in a candy shop when we got to the haberdashery.

We continued with our early twentieth-century theme by having dinner at Black Friar. This pub retains its original Art Deco interior and was just beautiful.

On Saturday we went to Hampton Court, home of Henry VIII & William and Mary. We had gotten tickets online for this as well. The girls were also excited to visit here as they have both read lots about Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, etc.

Hampton Court is fun because they have costumed musicians and actors roaming the grounds. We spent just about all day there.

One of the many nice aspects of having an apartment was that we didn't have to go out to dinner every night. We were often really tired after touring all day. We would have a late tea or snack in the afternoon and then just stop at the local shop for cheese, crackers, carrots, hummous, and beverages then take them up onto the roof for a relaxing evening watching the sun set on the city. Doesn't get much better than that.

On our final day in London, we got up early and explored one of the many street markets. The girls had fun shopping.

We then headed out of town to visit with a fellow blogger, Simmy, who used to write "Echoes of a Dream." Her boys are about the same age as our girls and also attend a Waldorf School. They had stayed at our house when they visited America, so it was fun to reconnect.

Simmy made us a cream tea. The kids had a great time visiting over tea. The boys taught the girls to play cricket and they all enjoyed reconnecting.

Simmy also got me going on crochet. I was so happy to finally get how to do it. She also set me up with yarn and a crochet hook for week 2 of our trip....when we were on our canalboat.

She and her husband, Tom, took us to a National Trust property, Standen, which was decorated by William Morris. What a beautiful house.

I think the visit with Simmy and her family was the highlight of our visit to London. It was so fun to be in someone's home and see how a family in another country lived. The kids really loved hanging out with "locals" the same age.

Tips for touring with kids?

Begin with a bus tour to see "it all"

Have an apartment or space to retreat to where you can cook

Mix up the day--museums + outside hang-out time or shopping

Try to connect with someone who lives in the region with kids the same age

Read some historical novels before visiting

Eat local food

As the kids said...."best vacation ever."

Six Weeks of Singing

2011-08-01T10:07:00.002-04:00

Helen just returned home from six weeks of singing with Village Harmony. Village Harmony runs teen camps each summer where the kids spend 7 days in rehearsal learning traditional music from around the world and then go on tour for 2 weeks. Here's how one person describes it:

The concert is about to end. Twenty-three mostly barefoot teenagers grab at each others’ hands and bow, sweaty and tired, intensely pleased with themselves. They grin broadly as New Englanders of every age rise to their feet in the old wooden church building, applauding, whistling, ululating.
A note is sounded above the din and the young singers launch into a South African dance song, stilling the crowd long enough to allow them to make their way down the aisles to take a final ovation from the back of the building.

As the young people, unleashed, dive into the crowd or escape outside, you remain rooted in your pew a bit longer, shaken to the core by what you’ve just witnessed. Where did that conviction come from, that powerful centered sound you never expected to hear from an amateur—let alone a teenage—choir. Look around; other moist eyes and stunned expressions tell you that you aren’t the the only one who sensed that something life-changing has just happened among the singers—and has been shared with the audience.

In Helen's first session she worked with 3 composers from Russia, the Ukraine, and Vermont. They sang gospel tunes, danced traditional Russian circle dances, and sang Ukrainian tunes. Best of all, she spent 3 weeks singing with her cousin. Helen solos in this video. It was her first time soloing.

In the second session (with different kids and composers) she learned to clog, sang a beautiful Appalachian lullaby, and sang songs from ancient Occident.

For all you knitters, to me Village Harmony is the Peace Fleece of music. Groups go to South Africa, Macedonia, Georgia, Russia and meet with villagers to learn music. They bring it back and share it throughout New England. Now, if only the kids all knit too :)

Keeping cool in the basement

2011-07-31T07:48:00.001-04:00

Our house has no air conditioning, but happily the basement stays cool. We spent an entire Saturday down there during the big heat wave. Nelson and Liz got into a big woodworking project.

They made a set of side-tables for out on our porch, copied from one we had gotten at a yard sale.

Here is one installed on the porch. They are perfect!

Summer Snapshots: Cousins

2011-07-30T07:39:00.004-04:00

This might be my favorite photo of the summer. Helen and her cousin went on tour together for three weeks with Village Harmony. Here they are waltzing together at the end of one of their performances.

I love that they will have this memory for the rest of their lives. They aren't just cousins now, they are also friends.

Summer Snapshots: Steamy Days

2011-07-12T09:17:00.002-04:00

I feel so lucky that I have a job where I can move out onto my porch when the temperature climbs!

Summer Snapshots: Nesting Loons

2011-07-10T08:05:00.000-04:00

Liz and I canoed out into the rain to check on the nesting loon. A magical moment.

Summer Snapshots: July 4th

2011-07-08T07:53:00.004-04:00

Sitting on the dock, watching the fireworks...and the sunset. What could be better?

One thing leads to another

2011-07-01T12:40:00.013-04:00

You know that book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?" That was me earlier this week. I was heading out to a teacher institute and wanted to bring some knitting.

But....before I could start something new, I wanted to finish my hat.

In order to finish my hat, I had to find some size 8, double-pointed needles.
In looking for the needles, I discovered the basket of needles had dumped all over the floor of the closet.
Really, who keeps needles in a basket?

So. I gathered up all the circulars and sundries and put them in this tin.
Then decided to make a needle-case.

In order to make a needle-case, I had to descend into my messy stash cupboard to find some fabric.

Folded (and found) some fabric, but then found patterns everywhere.
Organized them into this box.

Needed thread for the project. Found spools of thread spread all over the house.
Gathered them all into a sensible tub.

In doing so, my sewing basket demanded attention.

It then contained just what I needed to make my needle-case.

Finished the hat. (sorry no photo).
Facebooked friends for a new pattern.

But then needed yarn for the new project.
Determined not to buy new, I tidied my stash.

Gathered the delightfully organized needles.
Wound the yarn.
Headed off to my program, project in hand, and a very organized craft scene left behind.

Now, if only I could be inspired to do the same in the kitchen...

Happy Solstice

2011-06-22T15:53:00.007-04:00

HAPPY SOLSTICE!

Here comes Helen leading the parade with part of her Morris team--Maple Leaf Morris Dancers

Crowds followed along, dancing, singing, carrying suns, moons, and may poles.

There were several dances by the Maple Leaf team.
I am so happy that Helen has found a group of like-minded teens in the wider community.

Many cheers as a youngster climbed the pole to place the wreath.

Happy Summer to One and All

Mornings on the water

2011-06-02T06:02:00.000-04:00

Helen joined the high school crew team this spring. One of the many things she has missed from Waldorf is getting outside in the morning for a bit of exercise before settling into school work. She has also felt like the seasons have been passing her by a bit as they seldom get outside at school.

She has been out every morning at 5:30 a.m. for a row. She has been coming home talking about how beautiful it was and I see what she means.

Sunrise on the river

Here's her boat heading up river into the mist.

On Friday they had a very, very long row. They saw turtles, loons, geese, and ducks.
And the coaches let them gunnel up for a surprise breakfast.

What a great way to start the day.

Audition Week

2011-06-01T05:48:00.000-04:00

Last fall I wrote about The Audition--one of the most difficult parenting moments we've had. Liz ended up in the Green Mountain Youth Symphony--something we weren't expecting. It turned out to be a wonderful experience for her. She has grown musically and socially.

She had to re-audition this spring in order for the conductor to figure out which place she'll be in (and if he wanted her back). Here she is heading out the door for the audition. Quite a different scene from last year....thank goodness.

The conductor said she "nailed" her scale and liked the tricky song she had prepared for him.

A happy, confident girl who made it back into GMYS, although we don't know which part.

It was audition week for Helen as well. She tried out for both dancing and singing parts in the Winter Revels. She was very, very nervous. It is quite competitive to get into the Revels chorus. This year's show takes place in the court of Queen Elizabeth, so she had to learn and perform an Elizabethan dance.

She'll still probably be in the show, even if she doesn't make the cut because her Morris Dancing team will probably perform. She waits anxiously for the news.

Teaching History

2011-05-31T05:37:00.000-04:00

I have also been busy with hands-on-history this spring. Recently I took a group of teachers to Plimoth Plantation. We had been studying early exploration and I wanted them to jump from our book discussions to real life. Here we are on the Mayflower's tender getting ready to row about Plymouth Harbor. I'm in the front in the blue jacket.

We managed to not hit any pleasure boats in the harbor!

We used a windlass to hoist a barrell on the Mayflower.

We got to eat ship's food--prunes, hard tack, salt pork, and candied ginger.

But the big part? Spending the night on the Mayflower. What an experience.

The next week found me out in the cemetery with artists and kids learning what historians can find in a cemetery.

Great Job I Have!!

The Middle Ages

2011-05-30T08:16:00.009-04:00

We have all enjoyed stepping back to the Middle Ages with Liz and her class this spring. They have studied history, learned traditional English folk songs, played Medieval tunes on the recorder, drawn castles, and acted ancient tales. Here are some highlights. My photos aren't super-great because I had to crop out kids.

They studied heraldry and designed their own coats-of-arms and shields.

Even P.E. took on a study of the Middle Ages~
They learned to pillow-joust.

They learned various forms of archery.

They wrote their first biggish research reports.
Liz took up the topic of "Peasants in the Middle Ages."

The culmination of the spring was the production of Robin Hood.

Liz was King Richard.

What a wonderful way to learn history.

Fifteen!

2011-05-23T16:54:00.009-04:00

Our girl turned fifteen last week. We celebrated in little fits and spurts as it was a very busy time. Luckily for me, she wanted a Pepperidge Farm coconut cake....so we went the boxed cake route. Blasphemous, but sometimes one just has to have boxed cake.

This past year has been so full of change for Helen. First she graduated from the Waldorf School.

Then she went away from home for the first time to sing with Village Harmony, touring for three weeks across Canada.

She started high school, attending public school for the first time.

She joined the backstage crew for the Christmas Revels and learned to make up the cast.

She joined the high school crew team, participating in organized sports for the first time.
Made new friends.

Winning a silver metal at her first race (and continuing to place in the top 3).

All the while maintaining high honors.

Happy Birthday dear girl. We are so proud of you!

Gather 'round the May Pole

2011-05-18T08:58:00.008-04:00

It finally feels like spring in Vermont and last Friday we celebrated!
Here is Elizabeth with her class launching the festivities with a Morris Dance.

Each class then performed increasingly intricate dances accompanied by Liz and friends on the fiddle.

After the dancing we all visited and ate strawberry shortcake. Yum.

Of course there was lots of cuteness--spring chicks, for instance.

The cake walk is a beloved annual event--sort of like musical chairs, but children move around a big circle stepping on tiles. When the music ends, the leader pulls a little tile from a basket. Whoever is on the matching tile wins a cake.

The most important event of all, though, is the debate between King Winter and Lady Spring about who is better. They lead all the children off to a giant tug of war. Lady Spring ALWAYS wins (even if it means a few adults need to join in at the last second!).

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!
~Robert Browning

The Medieval Games Tournament

2011-05-11T09:35:00.000-04:00

The day after our 6th graders were knighted, they participated in a Medieval games tournament and quest. They competed in archery, jousting, and other similar events. Liz broke the school record for flu-flu archery. She was so proud.

After a lunch put on by the parents--with this castle cake I made for dessert--they divided into pairs and went on a quest that tested the virtues of humility, kindness, generosity, and diligence. It was basically a treasure hunt with clues. At each stop around the school they had to solve a riddle and complete a task, collecting golden rings as they went.

At the end of their big day, they gathered their shields and walked down to the field for a big secret capture the flag (medieval style) game. They had no idea that waiting for them was a huge crowd of parents, older siblings, and alums. Somehow, this event has been kept secret from the younger students at our school for years. Here we all are waiting.

The high schoolers (and their parents) had so much fun reuniting during the wait. It was hard to get quiet when the kids were approaching.

Here they approach, cresting the hill.

Here they come!

They were so surprised to see us all.

Parents and siblings tied ribbons onto the 6th graders so they would know what teams they were on.

Here is just a few of the people on the field. What a beautiful spring day.

Wow were we all tired by the end of this great afternoon.
It is such a huge game, with parts for all, that parents were able to dip in and out and the game just went on.

Liz is excited for next year when she gets to be part of the big secret.

The Squire's Challenge

2011-05-11T08:53:00.000-04:00

Thou must do good works.
Ten hours of community service must be accomplished before thy knighthood shall be achieved. Thou must find an elder to vouchsafe and sponsor thee, and to speak for they good name.
Thou must represent thy heritage with a family crest.
Thou must fashion a sword with which to be knighted.
Thou shall uphold a vow of silence on the eve of thine knighthood.
Thou shall compete in a tournament of medieval games and embark on a quest, requiring the eyes of an eagle, the cunning of a fox, and the courage of a lion.

These were the tasks for Liz over the past few weeks and she rose to the challenge admirably. She sorted clothing at a thrift shop, worked on files at the music center, participated in Green Up day, helped with a concert, and played her violin for the first grade play.

She made a sword and designed a shield with a crest that defined herself and she got up the courage to ask an adult in our community to be her sponsor.

After completing their tasks, Liz and her class were "knighted" in a beautiful ceremony. The whole idea behind the ceremony and ensuing games is to recognize that the 6th graders are becoming adolescents...that the adult world recognizes them, welcomes their contributions, and supports them in their challenges...and that they are now part of the middle school.

The ceremony involves beautiful music sung by the students and a King and Queen who solemnly ask the students to step forward one at a time and explain why they are there. The students' explanations were given in English, French, or German.

It is a solemn, quiet, beautiful ceremony that invites the students each to step out alone and speak up for himself, yet at the same time have a sponsor then stand up saying s/he will be of support--just what adolescents need to do and hear. Here are the new knights of the realm.

Here she is with her sponsor, lips pressed tightly together as her vow of silence had begun.
She was so happy and proud, yet couldn't speak which I like to think left her with some time for her own thoughts through the night and next morning.

What a wonderful right of passage for these children.
Gaudeamus Hodie we have an official middle schooler.

April brought....

2011-05-09T14:11:00.008-04:00

Elizabeth's Concert

A trip to Gettysburg

Easter with extended family by the sea

New family media rules bringing more time for leisurely afternoons of Scrabble and other such fun.

And our final Vermont Symphony concert of the year. Yo-Yo Ma was guest performer (and stayed at our hotel). Fun times.

Easter Changes

2011-04-29T13:03:00.006-04:00

Each year we have given the girls little wooden bunnies. We have so many now that we were able to have a parade down the table. I decided we had enough and skipped getting them this year only to have Helen wistfully remark that she hoped the Easter Bunny would bring a little wooden rabbit like usual. Oh Well.

I also decided that the girls were too old for the usual stuffed bunny. Our Easter basket tradition doesn't include gifts aside from the bunny, so I was a bit stumped at what to do. I ended up getting Haikubes and creating haikus next to their baskets.

We are certainly at a transition point with the Easter basket tradition. The only thing I did figure out is that the little wooden bunnies must continue.

Connecting to the Civil War

2011-04-29T12:44:00.001-04:00

I spend quite a bit of time with students helping them connect local people and stories to significant events in history. One project I do is to find Civil War soldiers in local cemeteries, then work with kids to research their soldiers' experiences in the war.

Last week I took the girls on a trip to Gettysburg. I had never been and am considering bringing a group of teachers there next summer. At first we had a bit of trouble negotiating around all the tourists, movies, and ghost walks.

But slowly the mystical chords of Gettysburg began to whisper to us.

We found ourselves thinking hard about why people fight and wondering when or if it is ever worth the carnage.

We explored the impact of war on civilians at the Shriver House and read a memoir written by this little girl as she told of living through a horrifying experience.

It was an amazing experience filled with opportunities to have history have real meaning, real lessons for us all.

Spring Concert

2011-04-14T12:29:00.006-04:00

Last weekend Elizabeth was in the Green Mountain Youth Symphony spring concert. It was a gala affair with performances at two different opera houses.

Here she is during the warm-up (front right)
When she walked out onstage I didn't recognize her because someone had french-braided her hair.

She had the most fantastic weekend. Her photo was in the paper, she got to play some really difficult music that she had practiced for hours and hours, and she had a lot of fun downtime with the kids in the orchestra. People have told me over the years how wonderful being in a symphony can be. I get it now.

Her orchestra has been invited to be the North American representative to Eurorchestries, a European festival to be held in Quebec City this summer.

Here is Liz performing a medley from Harry Potter.

Spring is such a busy time for us. Coming up are concerts, a sixth-grade play (Robin Hood), crew regattas (every weekend), a knighting ceremony, and a May Fair.

March brought...

2011-04-01T08:44:00.008-04:00

A lot of snow and real cold

A trip to the symphony
Bella Hristova played a beautiful Dvorak Concerto

Helen's high school masterworks concert--Vivaldi's Gloria

The start of crew
Can you believe they start out on the river next week? Brrr.

A much-needed getaway to Maine with friends.

The Squire's Challenge--issued to the 6th grade

Flu
a Father with a broken pelvis
a Father-in-Law with brain surgery
a desperate wish for spring

Living in a College Community

2011-03-24T16:38:00.005-04:00

This week the girls have really been able to take advantage of the facilities at Dartmouth. Helen has begun crew. They are spending every day rowing in the Dartmouth crew tanks. This tiny picture is the only one I could find online of the tanks.

As soon as the water warms up....maybe July?....they will be out on the beautiful Connecticut River. Believe it or not the high school team has its own boats and is building a boathouse. One aspect of Waldorf education that Helen has really missed is the daily morning workout before classes. She has missed being outside in the fresh air before settling down to academic work. Crew, with its 5:15 a.m. start, should help!

Here's the college boathouse. They can use it in the summer in a special camp if they want.

This week Helen's school has been in "March Intensive" where kids get to take lots of mini-courses. Yesterday her class went to special collections at the Dartmouth library to look at old documents. She was thrilled to get to hold a letter written by George Washington. The library is interesting--they built a glass box inside the old building to hold the temperature and humidity sensitive materials.

Liz went with her class to this beautiful chapel at Dartmouth which is "a house of prayer for all nations." They attended a muslim prayer service as part of their study of Islam.

This year Helen has also taken a class at the college art museum, sketched in the library, and become thoroughly familiar with their theater department. When Liz and Helen are seniors, they will have the opportunity to take classes at Dartmouth if the high school can't provide for them something they might want. We are indeed fortunate to live here (even if we are mired in March mud and snow).

Making the best of March in Vermont

2011-03-23T08:42:00.005-04:00

While the rest of the world is enjoying the first crocuses and daffodils, we are looking out at 2 feet of snow and very muddy roads. My neighbor created this video to combat the cabin fever. I can't figure out how to embed a facebook video, so you'll just have to click to see. Stick with it. My favorite part is when he dances away. --well, sadly you can't see it. Maybe I'll get my girls to make a similar video.

TIME FOR THE SNOW TO GO!

sigh...2 - 5" arriving tonight.

On the Edge of the Sea

2011-03-17T08:08:00.019-04:00

Even though the sun is shining more strongly and the roof beginning to melt, there is still 2 feet of snow in our yard. Last weekend we escaped to Maine with friends.

We began our visit at the beach which was gloriously bright and windy.

The surf was spectacular.

The girls found lots of sand dollars. They are such treasures to me.

After the beach and a lunch of hot chowder and lobster stew, we moved on to our most favorite shop in Maine--Halcyon Yarn.
We had so much fun! After awhile the guys quietly disappeared up the street for a coffee.

Liz choose the makings for this Spring Simplicity scarf.

I decided to try the Alpine Topper.

Helen purchased the makings for a felted camera bag of her own design. My friend chose a sweater pattern for her shivering dog.

We finally met the guys at the coffee shop and soon yarn was draped everywhere as we began winding it into balls. The guys helped. You gotta love yarn-friendly husbands. We met some knitters who invited us to join their knitting group at the library. Maribeth--if you're reading this, you might recognize a friend in this photo...

That night we played Shanghai Rummy for hours. We all madly knit in between hands. Liz beat us all.

Sunday we awoke to a beautiful sunrise, a bit of Bach, and more knitting. It was a quiet morning.
I sat with my journal and Rachel Carson's The Edge of the Sea. She has such wise things to say about this earth of ours.

I even had tea delivered to me by the edge of the sea. How great is that?

It was hard to say goodbye.
Thank you dear friends for sharing this special place with us.

Are My Hands Clean?

2011-03-02T13:10:00.009-05:00

Last week Liz overheard me listening to Are My Hands Clean by Sweet Honey in the Rock (lyrics). This song tells the story of the making of a shirt from the picking of the cotton to its purchase at Sears and all the stops in between. We were inspired to map the song and had an interesting time trying out Google Maps. Here's the link with the descriptions for each of our little tags.

View Are My Hands Clean in a larger map

She became very interested in Sweatshops and we went online to read a bit more about them. We had toured the Tenement Museum in New York City last year, so she had an understanding of sweatshops from the past, but hadn't realized that they still exist in the world today. We looked at the labels on all our clothing and discovered they were made in China, India, and El Salvador.

She immediately began to create a poster to inform her classmates about sweatshops. At first she focused on the "bad" companies and "what not to buy", but I had her shift gears and think more positive about locally made, hand-made, fair trade and "what to buy" instead.

We then thought about what happens to our clothing after we are finished with it. We watched T-Shirt Travels, an amazing film about the impact of the used clothing trade on Zambia.

This afternoon investigation into our global economy was powerful for Liz. She spent a lot of time thinking about it, writing about it, and sharing her thoughts and poster with her class.

Just by chance, Nels and I were reading The Colombo Bay where the author rides on a container ship from China to New York City via the Suez Canal. Fascinating view of globalization and the world economy.

I realized that I was on the right track with my teacher workshop project because Liz was so immediately drawn in to the topic, materials, and story. Now I'm linking the concept of "are my hands clean" to "were their hands clean" as I help students and teachers realize that people in the North were intricately caught up in the triangular trade and slavery in similar ways.

February brought....

2011-03-01T08:42:00.011-05:00

Cozy snow days by the fire with friends

Way too much fun freaking out the squirrels

A Lemony Candlemas Day

Origami Valentines

A birthday girl

A Tea-Party on Snowshoes

A little getaway from the daily grind

Cross-Country Skiing

Triage on the roof

It was a great month!

Book Talk

2011-02-22T08:41:00.007-05:00

I have been immersed in the art world during these cold winter months and have some books to share--

The Hare with Amber Eyes is a family memoir where the author traces an inherited set of Japanese netsukes back through the generations to their original owners. On the way he discovers (and reveals) the art world of nineteenth-century Paris, the turmoil of Odessa, the final days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and a family's trials during World War II. The author's family was one of the wealthiest Jewish families in Europe and it was interesting to follow their story.
I then moved on to The Lake of Dreams. This book is set in the finger lakes region of New York and tells the story of a young woman who uncovers her family's hidden past beginning with some old letters and scraps of fabric that she finds in her family home. Connected to these documents are a series of stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes dominated by strong women. The descriptions of glass blowing and the creation of the windows are beautiful.

Finally, I read Clara and Mr. Tiffany, which took me into the Tiffany Studios and the world of the Art Nouveau. This was an interesting story focused on a recent discovery that many of Tiffany's designs--the lamps in particular--were actually designed and created by women. The author does a wonderful job of bringing robber barons, sweatshops, and the tenements of New York during the Gilded Age to life. I enjoyed the women's perspective.

I still have Steve Martin's new book, The Object of Beauty, sitting on my "library shelf." This book takes place at Sotheby's, and I've heard good things about it.

I didn't set out to read a series of books on art, but I am so glad this group of books ended up on my shelf. Have you read anything great lately? I'm always on the hunt for some good books.

Technology Cleanse

2011-02-18T16:36:00.008-05:00

The girls had winter break this week. I took them to my parents' lake house for a little "technology cleanse." Slowly, but surely, technology has been creeping into this Waldorf house. I felt the need to just get away from it all for a few days and think about it. So, for 3 days--no ipods, ipad, computer, email, facebook, blogs, tunes. Just... snow, ice, chocolate, books, and the full moon.

There is a lot of snow up there!

Baking and Cooking.

Off across the lake for a visit to the island.

Out on the island.

Late afternoon snowshoe.

Now we are home, surrounded by flowers and strawberries, celebrating Lou's 12th birthday.
Happy birthday sweet girl.

And...time for a talk about how to bring the balance back into our lives. If my attention span and ability to read an entire book could improve over three days, then I'm sure it did for the girls as well. hmm.

Winter Fun

2011-02-14T08:35:00.006-05:00

We spent some time out on our snowshoes this weekend. The snow is almost up to Liz's hips. See all those depressions in the snow up ahead of her? Those are white-tail deer beds. Our woods are full of animal signs.

We spent some time trying to identify some of the animal tracks. We found 2 big animal dens with either coyote or red fox tracks all over it. It is hard to tell the difference when the tracks aren't fresh. We've heard coyotes and seen a red fox, so know both are nearby.

We stopped for a cup of tea.
Cheers, dahling.

Happy Valentine's Day.

The Valentine Box

2011-02-12T11:21:00.006-05:00

Liz had some fun making valentines this week and we expect to make more this weekend. I have two boxes full of valentine supplies. The contents have grown over the years as we never completely use whatever materials I purchase each February.

The box now includes doilies, red paper, a heart stencil, some feathers, a few heart stickers, old Martha Stewart craft pages, red tissue paper, and all sorts of scraps of interesting red/pink/purple paper.

Each year I pull down the boxes and add some glue sticks, the paper punch, a pair of scissors, and various pens--glitter, calligraphy, etc. Having all these supplies in one place seems to pump up the enthusiasm.

Last year, with the addition of feathers to the box, the girls came up with these birds.

This year I bought origami paper and Liz made a variety of origami hearts for her class.
She decorated them with all sorts of bits from the box.

Now all the leftover red/pink/purple origami paper resides in the box ready to inspire something new next year....or maybe even this weekend.

A Lemony Candlemas Day

2011-02-03T09:02:00.009-05:00

The girls were home from school yesterday so we had the chance to relax, enjoy a good snowstorm, and do some crafting. Candlemas day always lends itself well to candlemaking.

We melted down our can of beeswax, using some old candle stubs and a pot which I have set aside for candlemaking.

I had bought some lemons, thinking they would make fun candles to remind us of the coming sunshine, but had forgotten candle wicking. Amazingly enough, I found some in the cellar. We are officially out of it now. I dipped the wicks in wax first, then tied them to skewers over the lemons.

While the candles cooled, we tended to the storm.
This photo is only halfway through the storm.
We're more than halfway through our wood--something to check on Candlemas Day.

I made a pie as a way to use the juice from the lemons, so added a quiche to the baking schedule as a way to use the extra pie crust.
Here is our Candlemas dinner.

It was a really good pie!
I rarely make lemon pie.

Every day now, the sunshine will be brighter and longer.
Soon there will be yellow daffodils growing where these little lemons are lit.

Snow Candles on Candlemas

2011-02-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

I'm bringing this post forward from last year as our acknowledgment of Candlemas Day this year is going to be limited. I do know, however, that we are not close to 1/2 way through our wood, we're 1/2 way through our oil, and 100% through our frozen blueberries, applesauce, strawberries, and squash :(. We need twice as much put away!

A farmer should on Candlemas Day have half his corn and half his hay.

Old New England farmers also say that you should have used about half your wood...and half your candles. We've gone through about half our wood and about 60% of our oil.

In honor of being half-way through winter, we made snow candles yesterday. First we melted paraffin in a can in our "candle pot." We wanted bright candles so used paraffin and old crayons rather than beeswax.

While the wax was melting, we tied wicking to an old paintbrush.

We dipped the wick in the wax to stiffen it and then dug some little holes in the snow. Make sure the hole isn't too deep--Lous' blue candle failed because her wick didn't reach the bottom.

Then we quickly poured the wax into the hole.

Every candle will be different. Some, due to their shape, will need to be "floating candles." It was pretty cold out yesterday, so we didn't get a lot of crystally blobs on the exterior, but on a warmish day they will look different.

Here's a little more weather-lore--

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear
there'll be two winters in the year.

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright Winter will have another fight.
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter won't come again.

When the cat lies in the sun in February
She will creep behind the stove in March.

Of all the months of the year
Curse a fair February.

If it thunders in February, it will frost in April.

If February give much snow,
A fine summer it doth foreshow.

We are due for a huge snowstorm, so perhaps a fine summer in in the works!

January

2011-01-31T09:23:00.005-05:00

I'm not quite sure what happened to January....this lovely month brought.....

Baking with the snowy village cake pan....

Getting the New Year's cards in the mail....

Snowy days....

Chinese Brush Painting...

Refuge in the greenhouses....

I hope February brings more of the same (without all the midterm stress!)

The Final Gift

2011-01-05T19:50:00.006-05:00

We said farewell to Christmas today. In the morning, Liz and I took down the tree, washed the linens, and swept up the needles. I made gift tags out of the Christmas cards, re-reading notes and thinking about old friends. After getting home from school, Helen made a Three Kings Cake while I wrapped the final gift in gold tissue paper bound by stars. Here is Liz opening it. Both girls were very curious.

Inside was a selection of silver and gold origami paper, silver and gold glitter pens, and a bag of fun scrap paper from the local art store.

There were instructions as well.... first we were to make origami boxes shaped like stars...

Then we were to fill the boxes with little stars on which we wrote suggestions for fun things to do. These had to be things that slowed us down, de-stressed us, and made us happy. The girls immediately got to work filling their boxes with ideas such as "take a bubble bath", read a poetry book, take a walk in the woods, make a pot of tea and read a book, make a collage, spend the afternoon altering books, paint for an hour, make tea and "meet" a new composer, etc.

We then had dinner--a warm stew, star biscuits, and the Three Kings Cake decorated with pears cut in the shape of stars. Here's our cake with a candle in the middle and the star boxes around the edge. The girls were really proud of their boxes.

My hope for these little stars is that they will guide us and remind in the coming weeks as we get caught up in school, work, rehearsals, midterms, and all the other bits of life that seem to be sweeping us away that we should stop, feed our inner-selves, and just be. This final gift was really a gift we each gave to ourselves.

Happy Twelfth Night.

Keeping Christmas

2011-01-04T07:09:00.002-05:00

I love these final quiet days of Christmas. The time between New Years and Twelfth Night is when I really dig into holy night thoughts and consciously try to "keep Christmas" for my family. After all the celebrations, all the visiting and all the presents, these days can be the most special of all if we can let the moments in.

While the rest of us wrote thank you notes and puttered about, Helen had school yesterday. This was new for our family. Last night we listened to a quiet Christmas CD and had turkey soup in the living room in front of the fire, by the Christmas Tree. We lit some candles and just enjoyed one of the final nights. Liz is home through Twelfth Night, so she and I will spend time saying Farewell to Christmas today and tomorrow.

To Simmy

2011-01-03T14:02:00.002-05:00

Dear Simmy--

If you are still reading my blog, could you please be in touch? I don't have an address for you and want to be in touch....

Our Year in Words

2011-01-03T10:33:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year to all my blogging friends.

Reflections, Fortunes, and Wishes

2010-12-30T07:55:00.000-05:00

The twelve days of Christmas are a reflective time for me. I think a lot about our family, the girls, and the coming year. Some of my reflections are quiet and personal, some are shared with just Nels, and some are shared with others. Here are some things we do during the holidays that bring out those reflective moments in a festive way. All of these things use fire and are best done in the dark!

Casting Fortunes

For this you need a roll of solder, an old spoon, a candle, and a bowl of water. Snip a piece of solder into your spoon. Melt it over the candle and then pour it into the bowl of water. The solder will explode into interesting shapes which foretell something that will happen to you in the coming year. Sometimes a magnifying glass (along with your glass of champagne) will help you read into these interesting shapes. LOL.

Snapdragon

For this you need brandy, raisins, and a pie plate. Put some raisins and a little brandy in a warm pie plate. Light the brandy and as the dragon dashes about the dish, snap out a raisin, pop it in your mouth and make a wish. It will come true in the coming year.

The Yule Log

Our girls also enjoyed making a yule log one year. We all wrote down things we wished to cast away from the past year and tied them to the log. We also included bits from the Christmas tree which made it have a very satisfying POP in the fire. Writing down our thoughts brought a beautiful, reflective moment to Twelfth Night in a kid-friendly and party-friendly way.

So whether it be the Solstice, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve or Twelfth Night, cast your fortune, make some wishes, and send your midwinter reflections out into the world.

I said the Donkey all Shaggy and Brown

2010-12-29T16:19:00.008-05:00

Santa brought stockings full of chocolates and treats.

We loved having most of the presents in cloth bags. We noticed how quiet the unwrapping was--none of that dramatic....r...i....p--and how little trash we had. Instead of a huge garbage bag, we ended up with this:

After a long, lazy morning of opening gifts and digging into our new books and games, Nels and I took a walk to a nearby donkey farm.

I sang carols to the donkeys and the entire herd came up to the fence to listen.
"I said the donkey all shaggy and brown..."

We ended our day with a feast and a family showing of "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe".

It was a lovely day.

The Handmade Gifts

2010-12-29T15:23:00.016-05:00

Our girls tell us that the handmade gifts on Christmas Eve is their most cherished Christmas tradition. We save the gift opening for the very end of the evening.

I made the girls snuggies (or snuglets). Did you know there are enough snuggies in our country for 1 in every 12 people to have one? One day I was at the fabric store trying to come up with fabric to make Helen a quilt, when Liz suggested a snuggie for her (of course Liz wanted one too). It was a brilliant idea and a huge hit for both girls--somehow I managed to surprise Liz.

It seemed like everything Liz wanted for Christmas had a treble clef on it. Her list for Santa included a treble clef hat, treble clef chocolate, and a bumper sticker that said "If you can read this, thank a music teacher." Nels obliged by making her this treble clef to hang on her wall.

Helen followed up on the music theme by making her a silk and velvet blanket for her violin. Liz was just stunned.

Helen took all the old photocopies of recipes we have collected off the web and all our favorite recipes from the family card file and created a recipe book on Lulu as a gift for her Dad. She even included photos of the family and friends who had shared recipes.

Nelson made me this bird feeder. We have already had as many as 8 birds at a time feeding on it.

Liz made me this dear elephant out of clay. I am in love.

Helen had been wanting a Yin-Yang poster for her room, so Liz painted her one.

She also painted this for Nels. We need to get a frame.

Nels made Helen this "Village Harmony" wall plaque. This is the group she toured with this summer.

Helen made me this sterling silver ring in her jewelry class at school.

I truly can't express how special this Christmas Eve tradition is to each of us.
We ended our evening so full of gratefulness for the love we all share.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-29T14:57:00.006-05:00

Christmas Eve is a time for candlelight. It is a time when one desires nothing more than family and soft music. Who can say what passes through our hearts on Christmas Eve? Strange thoughts, undefinable emotions, and sudden tears-- All this and more, unbidden, come without reason.

And we burn our candles
For this is Chrismas Eve.

Our evening brought singing, stories, and the final lighting of our Advent Spiral.

Christmas Eve is not a time to be merry, but quietly glad. It is the proper time to wish upon a star. It is a time of wonder, of thankfulness that life is still being created anew out of darkness. It is a time of quiet awakening to beauty.

And we burn our candles

For this is Christmas Eve.

Our evening brought a walk with lanterns, under the starry sky.
We wondered at the stars, left food for the wild animals, and scurried inside as coyotes howled all around us.

Christmas Eve is a time of memory, When one remembers past happiness and love And often sighs for the good that might have been. Peace on earth.

And we burn our candles
For this is Christmas Eve.

Our evening ended with steamy cups of tea and the opening of our handmade Christmas gifts.

The Christmas Eve blessing is from Celebrating Christmas, edited by Carl Seaburg. We read from this book every year.

Christmas Eve Day

2010-12-29T14:37:00.008-05:00

Christmas Eve day found us busily finishing last-minute cooking and crafting. We each have our own Christmas Eve specialty-- Nelson makes lobster casserole for Christmas Eve, I make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, Helen makes a Buche de Noel for Christmas day, and Liz makes cookies.

We made some Christmas mice, sleeping in walnuts, just like my Grandmother used to make. Keeping busy is a good way to make the time go fast. It was hard to wait for the evening's festivities.

Here is one my Grandmother made and one we made hanging on the tree.

Finally, we also finished up our Christmas bags. I had bought fabric last year during the sales and we had made gift tags on Twelfth Night when we said Farewell to Christmas.

Late in the afternoon, we took treats to the neighbors and wished them a lovely Christmas. As we sat with our neighbors and gazed at their tree, we reflected on how fortunate we are to live in this wonderful place.
It was a perfect break from all the work and we turned our hearts and minds to the evening ahead.

Revels

2010-12-17T09:12:00.007-05:00

I first attended a Revels performance when I was a young girl. It was in Cambridge, MA, and I loved it. I loved the music, poetry, costumes, and dance. I resolved that somehow, some day, I would get to be involved.

How happy I have been that there is a Revels organization here in Vermont. The girls have been involved in the Summer Solstice celebrations since they were young.

Here is Liz singing her heart out on the summer solstice as part of the Revels cast.

Here's Helen and a friend getting ready to perform a Morris Dance at Revels.

Here's Helen now.

She had planned to be part of the Morris dancing team on stage, but they had to cut the dance due to time considerations. She was disappointed, but found a way to still be involved. She's the assistant to the make-up designer and reigns over this massive make-up room that serves a cast of 70.

Being part of the crew has been a fantastic experience for Helen. She has learned so much about what it takes to put on a performance. She's had to interact with a lot of great adults and teens, including some folks she met while on tour in Canada this summer. She's had to use her French with the guest performers who don't speak English. How do you say "hold your breath" in French, anyway? She also still gets to be on stage to sing for a couple of key songs.

Here is a video about this year's Revels performance. Check out the make-up on the guest performers. My girl did that! We get to go tonight. What fun!

Sunday in my Kitchen: Third Sunday in Advent

2010-12-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

We had a long, busy day in the kitchen on Sunday. We listened to our favorite Christmas music and worked away.

There were girls baking sugar cookies...

There was lots of giftmaking...

Among the gifts being made were these little catnip mice.

We gave one mouse away as an early Christmas gift to Calvin.
Here is the result--doped up cat being guarded by Alfred the Christmas goat.
Catnip = safe Christmas ornaments.

We ended our busy third Sunday in Advent with an early birthday celebration for Nels.

This coming week is production week for the Christmas Revels which Helen is involved in so no time for a family birthday.

First Symphony Performance

2010-12-13T09:03:00.005-05:00

Remember the audition? It was one of those parenting moments when we had to push Elizabeth in a fairly uncomfortable way (to put it mildly).

Elizabeth has loved her experience in the Green Mountain Youth Symphony. After her first rehearsal, she came running out saying, "Mom, it was CRAZY HARD. I loved it!" She has just thrived on the intensity of the experience.

Saturday was their big performance. Here she is getting ready to go. She was a bit nervous, but excited.

Here they are waiting for the Concert Mistress to begin tuning.

We really enjoyed the performance. Helen took some video, but I must say they are a bit nauseating to watch as she was up in a balcony with a young child who kept banging into her. Lou is on the back left in front of the timpani.

I wish we had a picture from after the performance. Both her violin teachers came as did a friend from school. She was just glowing in the midst of her fan club. It was a great night.

She reports that next semester is going to be "wicked hard." They will be joining their sister group and performing up in Montpelier in the opera house which should be fun.

The Advent Paradox

2010-12-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

Advent. A time to ponder. Wait. Circle inward.
A time of joyous anticipation. Music. Performances. Friends. Feasts.

For me, Advent is best when there is balance between these two gestures of circling inward and joyous celebration.

I like to have moments where I sit in the candlelight and hold hands with my family.
I like to have moments when I bake glittery treats to my heart's content while singing carols.

I like walking the candlelit spiral in the deep snow.

I like driving around looking at all the crazy Christmas lights.

It is harder to find that balance this year. The girls are more involved in Christmas performances than ever before. Below is our schedule for next Sunday - Saturday. Those squares don't even represent work and school and extend through the dinner hour until 10:30 p.m. almost every night.

My wish for Advent this year?
To help my family find the moments when they can just stop and ponder the star.

Off to the Symphony

2010-12-09T09:18:00.000-05:00

After leaving the Winter Fair, we headed up to Burlington to see the Vermont Symphony.

Only in a small state such as Vermont can you....

...run into the guest performers from the Symphony at breakfast...because, really, there aren't a lot of hotels....

...and bump into the grammy-winning violinist and conductor while out shopping and stop to chat...because, really, there is only one street on which to shop.

I'm not sure which thrilled Elizabeth more...meeting musicians or getting to do some Christmas shopping amidst the twinkling lights, carolers, and bell ringers.

St. Nicholas Arrived

2010-12-08T09:17:00.002-05:00

I asked Helen what she would miss the most from her Waldorf school's Christmas traditions and what she would want to see continue at home. She replied "St. Nicholas."

The girls left their shoes in front of the fireplace Monday night. The next morning (after I defended the shoes from the dog for quite awhile) they found glitter everywhere and their shoes filled with clementines, candies, and chocolate gold coins.

It's a simple little tradition, but I imagine I'll be sending them a shoe full of chocolates even when they are in college. It is that dear a tradition to them.

Housekeeping note....that's glitter on the floor :)

Highlights from the Waldorf Winter Fair

2010-12-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

We spent our first weekend of Advent volunteering at the school's Winter Fair. It is a very fun way to kick off the Christmas season.

Gingerbread Houses to decorate with all sorts of woodland treasures.

Helen, now a beloved Alum, finally old enough to be the "Pocket Lady."

The Gnome Circus--a magical world filled with...well...gnomes performing a circus.

Gnomes on a flying trapeze.

Tumbling Gnomes

And crowds of cheering gnomes who went home with each child.

Our class ran the cafe...soups, breads, and baked goods. A very fun hang-out spot for alums and their parents.

A fun time was had by all.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T06:43:00.007-05:00

It is already time to take down the bittersweet from around the house.

Thanksgiving came and went this year much too quickly.

We had a house full of family for nearly 4 days with 12 around the table.
Nels and my brothers fried our first turkey (we women had a backup roasting).

We ate many pies and tarts.

There seemed to always be a game going--small groups playing chess, checkers, and crokinole and the whole crowd playing Apples-to-Apples and Pit (which is quite a romp of a game).

As everyone headed over the rivers and through the woods back home, I reflected on how wonderful it is to have a holiday that really is just all about being together as a family.

Finding what feeds them

2010-11-08T11:56:00.013-05:00

It is the Martinmas season. A season when we just start that spiral inward. A season when we search deep within ourselves for that inner spark that lights our way in life. I have been spending some time really looking at our girls, asking myself, "what ignites their passion?" "What is lighting them and how can we nurture those inner sparks?" "How can we support their interests, so that as they grow older their choices in life truly feed them?"

Here is what I see at this moment in their young lives--

Drawing, playing classical violin, tricky mathematics, geography and architecture all make Elizabeth just glow. She likes to find patterns and order in the world.

Writing poetry, singing, modern art, and all things Tudor England set Helen alight. After sinking into the deep color of a Rothko painting or losing herself in the writing of a poem, she emerges nourished.

This weekend we went on a day-trip that spoke deeply to them both. Our first stop was a Frank Lloyd Wright house. Lou absolutely loved it. She loved the patterns of the architecture. She loved how the furniture connected to the building. I could see her mind organizing every horizontal line in the house.

she wouldn't get in any photos

The biggest in-take of breath, however, was when she saw the piano, cello, and music stand. Oh, she wants her Dad to build her a Frank Lloyd Wright music stand. The idea that someone would design a house around the performance of music was a big one for her.

photo courtesy, Currier Museum

Helen also enjoyed the house, but she lit up at the art museum when she got to visit her favorite artists--Mark Rothko and Georgia O'Keefe. She also loved hanging out in this big sculpture called Origins.

It was a wonderful day. This season, I hope I can continue to find the contemplative moments to really see my girls and feed those inner sparks.

Martinmas Songs, Lanterns, and Traditions

2010-11-08T09:29:00.004-05:00

I have been getting a lot of emails requesting PDFs of Martinmas Songs. This is the link to all my past Martinmas posts. Included here are the songs and a tutorial for making balloon lanterns.

Martinmas is one of my favorite fall festivals. I look forward to turning our hearts toward the spirit of giving and thankfulness that is November.