Coziness
The cooler weather has arrived, and I find myself looking for and creating cozy spots in my home. The scent of something delicious baking, the fact that my daughter has taken up her knitting again, and watching my children create things out of the simplest of {free} materials–all of these make me happy and thankful.
I finally put some photos in these frames (that have been in my closet for years) and started a simple gallery wall in the hallway. Or rather, I added to the existing one. There were two lonely frames with photos here already, but I finally took the time to print some 8×10 black and white portraits (using some free credit that I had at York Photo!), and stuck them in these inexpensive wooden frames (from Walmart). I love seeing these faces smiling out at me as I go down the hall.
We’ve been plugging away at our schoolwork, and it’s going well! We did make a few adjustments to some of our choices, but most everything is working beautifully now, especially the All About Reading, which we’re still in love with and look forward to (as I mentioned here, we’re using level one and also the pre-reading program for our youngest. The worksheets above are from the pre-reading program).
I love seeing my children being creative. On their own, they created the above little town out of cardboard, duct tape, and markers. That kept them happily occupied for at least a whole afternoon.
My daughter Abigail quickly drew the below “portrait”–of ME! It’s all crinkly because she drew it as a joke and then crumpled it up, but I wanted a picture of it. Hmmm, I can’t decide how much it resembles me, except I do know that my hair isn’t blue. 🙂
My husband had a very creative idea for extending the life of our garden. He took this portable greenhouse and set it up over one of the raised beds. He anchored it down to withstand wind, and then the put straw around the bottom of it to keep some of the cold air from getting under the bottom. On a night when it was supposed to be very cold, he put a bucket of hot water in the bottom, and it actually created sort of a greenhouse effect, and the plants survived! We’ve still been enjoying his fresh lettuce, although after the snow last week, I think we may be done with our fall garden.
I received some of the freebies (mentioned here) in the mail! It’s always fun to get something for free. I got the book completely free for participating in the Tyndale Rewards Program. It just took a little bit of time and didn’t cost me anything.
This is how I’ve been wearing my hair lately (this photo is from last Friday). First, I make a French braid (here’s a how-to video I made) and then twist it into a bun, and then I stick a Flexi Clip in it. It’s super simple and a great style for Friday, which happens to be cleaning day around here!
Happy Friday!
Thanks for sharing at the Art of Home-Making Mondays Joy! I just LOVE looking at your beautiful photos! 🙂 Coziness was the perfect caption. Happy new December to you!
Thank you so much, JES! Happy December to you, too!
Hello, Your post made me feel happy to know that when the weather gets colder we tend to find those cozy places. I enjoyed my visit here today!
Blessings, Roxy
Hello, Roxy! I'm so glad you came for a visit today, and I hope to see you again!
The pictures of your son resting with your kitty is adorable 🙂 What size flexi clip did you use in your hair?
Aww, thank you! This is a size large flexi clip. 🙂
I like your hair. I love cozy days with hot tea and playing games with my kids.
Thank you, Christy!
Loving your blog! I'd love to know some of your school choice changes that you mentioned. (I read your original post on your curriculum for the school year)
Thank you, Keri! The main thing I changed was our history. It just wasn't working this year, and my older girls were begging me for textbooks, so we went back to Abeka for history. They're still reading some of the history books from the Simply Charlotte Mason book list during their individual reading times, but I'm not doing as much reading aloud. It's been a great change for us.