Around the House

This last picture is Abby's first apple pie.  She made the crust from scratch and everything!

Warm wishes,

Tonya

Organized Play Areas

On my to-do list this week was to organize some areas for the younger children.

This is the kitchen and doll area.

This is the dress-up area.

To complete the rainbow silk set, I was lacking a blue and green silk (through the organization process, I weeded out all of the silks with holes in them).  With just one blank silk, I decided to dye it green, and how could I make a dye bath and just dye one silk?  So, I added a skein of Peace Fleece as well.  The picture doesn't show the greens in yarn too well.  But it they both came out with a nice mixture of shades.

Trip Highlights and Home Again

Seeing family and friends was certainly the highlight of our family's trip to Massachusetts.

We stayed with my father.  He was a gracious host and we enjoyed our visit with him.  My parents were divorced when I was quite young.


Mike and I went to my cousin's wedding on my mother's side that was held at a beautiful home on Cape Cod.    So wonderful to see family and visit with my mother and sister.  It was also special to spend time alone with Mike.

The newly married couple

They used our birch log holders.

On Sunday I dropped off the two older boys so they could spend some time with some close friends they have kept in touch.  Their mom and I are also very good friends and have kept in touch over the years we have left Massachusetts through many handwritten letters.  She was also brave and came to visit us with her four boys earlier this past summer.

We enjoyed the day together in and around Concord.  Such a beautiful town and just wonderful to visit and talk and talk some more.

She brought me a gift!  A ball of malabrigo yarn in just beautiful shades of green with a set of circular needles and pattern to make myself a cowl!  She is making the same one but in shades of blue.  So much fun to think of her as I knit something for myself.

On our way home we met my mom and step-father for a brief picnic lunch as they hadn't visited with the children during our trip.  They sent us home with leftover watermelon.

We arrived home in the dark, but the very next morning, Sarah and Abraham requested to make the chickens a special treat.  They were just so excited to get home to see the them.

Beauty and Joy

Our daffodils bring beauty to our home.

These first of the season wildflowers and carefully collected rocks presented to me from my little ones upon coming inside, bring joy to my heart.