Children are a Blessing

This is my favorite picture of all the ones I took while we were away at the shore.

... a moment to cherish

Glorious Spring to Winter Again

Just two days ago we picked these beautiful wild flowers called Marsh Marigolds that we found on the bank of our pond.

Since yesterday morning it has been snowing!

This is a picture of our chickens from yesterday.

This is what we woke up to this morning.

So what did we do during the long cold wintry day yesterday?

Lots of crafts.

Here is a simple one that is good for a wide range of ages of children.

With a piece of black construction paper, a hoop and a push pin - you can create all kinds of beautiful pictures.

To finish, cut around the circle shape and hang in a window.

My nine year old made this one.

Warm wishes, Tonya

Daily Uniform

Nearly every day I wear a skirt with a simple top and put on an apron. I choose to wear a skirt to remind myself that I am different from the world and choose to be set apart, to live a more simple life. My clothing is always modest as well.

The apron reminds me of my daily duties, that baking, cleaning, gardening, and wiping dirty hands are all part of my job and somehow the apron makes it all feel more "official". It is also fun to wear pretty vintage aprons that I find at thrift stores.

What do you wear each day?

Home Again

I think the best part of going away is coming home again.

My eyes see our home in a fresh light with so much joy and appreciation.

Some more pictures from our trip to the sea ~

Just Being

We have been blessed with beautiful sunny weather with temperatures in the high 50s or so. The sun has been brilliant and we are so thankful.

On the ride down I started a knit doll for Abraham and finished it up while here.

I think I will make another and share the tutorial here soon.

We have been doing lots and lots of this. Just taking the short path down to the sea to dig, build, walk, collect, sit, knit, and to just be.

I am thankful for this time to reflect about our family's life and to reflect on what we have been doing and what we might like to do in the coming days, weeks, months and years as we continue this incredible journey called life.

Our Trip - Day One

Our journey from northern Vermont to Cape Cod Massachusetts brought us

~through neighboring farm lands with mountain views with all the shades of green just making their appearance~

~through the snowy White Mountains~

~to spring in all her glory in Massachusetts~

Friday Connections

Today I want to share a bit about a friend of mine, Reba. Reba and her family moved to the northeast kingdom of Vermont with their six children and built a straw bale home on ten acres and lived without electricity for a couple of years. All of their children are now grown and they continue to live simply and grow much of their own food. Both Reba and her husband work with their hands for their livelihood.

She and her family have been a wonderful example to our family and visiting with them on their homestead always brings a sense of warmth and peace.

In addition to all the many homesteading skills Reba has acquired and practices, she is also a talented artist. One of her many gifts is print making. Recently she opened her own shop at etsy and I thought I might share some of her work here at Friday Connections.

She hand carves her stamps usually in linoleum or potatoes.

Warm wishes for a beautiful weekend. Our family is going on our yearly trek to Cape Cod to stay with my mom and step-father in a house they rent on a beautiful inlet down a quiet dirt road. We plan to spend lots of time playing in the sand and biking and just being.