Finished project and an obsession

 I love to knit. I have been enjoying teaching myself how, and am excited to be finishing projects quickly and easily. I am thinking of asking for knitting lessons for Christmas to help me learn some more advanced techniques-cabling, shaping, and so on. But, in the mean time, Evangeline is happy with her warm, soft cowl. I made myself one in green, and Estelle's will be cast on this afternoon. I have found that, if the pattern is uncomplicated, I can knit while I give spelling tests and listen to my beginning reader read.

Evangeline models her cowl. She loves to be outside, and frequently complains of a cold neck and face. This should solve that problem!

 And, on a completely different topic, the children got out most of my Fisher Price collection on Saturday and made a city. They spent hours setting up and playing, and, since I LOVE vintage Fisher Price toys, I happily joined them for a while. I have to confess that I am almost obsessed with these toys. They just make me happy! I love hunting for pieces I am missing, and they are still pretty affordable. Best of all, Stuart will play happily with Little People and their cars for hours!

Little People on the turret of the castle, bought for me by a dear friend who "gets" my obsession!

So! There you have it. Finishing knitting projects makes me happy, and vintage toys make me happy. So does the giant latte I am about to consume. So does the fact that my struggling speller got all of the new words on her list right this morning. I love watching these things click in to place for my children. Happy, happy Monday!

A store transformed

Before the Thanksgiving meal

Work in progress

Partially set table

Hungry kids, waiting for dinner!

Mt lovely friend carving turkey-it was delicious!

With all the good food to chose from, Estelle keeps it safe with mashed potatoes!

Evangeline, Estelle, and Stuart with Aunt Jenny. She brought along the gingerbread house kit, which was so clever as it kept Stuart occupied while I put the finishing touches on the meal.

Finished product!

This year, we had so many people to share Thanksgiving with that we decided to move the whole meal down to our store. It is a large room, and could easily fit all 26 people easily. The certified kitchen has a huge oven, and a large stove, as well as deep sinks and lots of counter space. It worked out really well, and it was fun transforming the store in to a beautiful room! After the big meal, we went to our friends house for dessert. It was a delightful day, and I am so grateful for good friends and family!

Estelle in sepia

I have been having fun playing with my new camera, including figuring out how to turn my photos in to black and white and sepia tones. I still marvel at the fact that I don't have to buy a separate roll of black and white film in order to get black and white (or sepia) pictures! All it takes is the push of a button or two. I took a class, offered by the store at which I purchased the camera, which was enormously helpful in figuring out the different settings and functions of the camera. Now I of course want to buy the macro lens so I can take really fun close up shots! Time to start saving those pennies!

{phfr} late fall edition

Pretty- Garden in late autumn fog

Happy- It always makes me happy to see my teens playing with their little brother!

Funny- Notice the hay stuck in the outpouring from his nose? He is still cute!

Real- Summer now seems to be really over! The hickory tree is dropping it's leaves, and my lovely furniture is now in the barn waiting for summer's return!

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter for another week of {phfr}, making a point to take note of the everyday things which bring contentment. This seems easy this week, as our farm season has drawn to a close for another year. It was a good year, and we are grateful!