Through Julia's Eyes....

Pretty days of snowy whiteness...

2012-01-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

Snow has been gently falling for the past few hours and has made everything look so pretty here. The trees are all covered and look so mystical, the white blanket on them looks so like a painting.

We have been spending most of our days either outside enjoying the snowy wonderland, sledding building snow men, and having snowball fights, or snuggled up in the nice warm house, reading, doing school, creating, knitting, sewing, playing games and and drinking hot tea and coffee!

The littles have created a great big road right in the middle of our dining room and have been adding and adding to it, they have made it into a regular little town. :)

I have been reading some of "Daphne du Maurier" books. I really liked her book "Rebecca", and decided that I would try some of her other books, which I have been doing and enjoying.

Stan Lee was so sweet, he got me a beautiful 1940's dress that I *love*, for my birthday! It is so pretty, my favorite time period would definitely be the 1930's and 40's, so you can imagine my surprise and excitement when I saw it!! :)

The wind is howling outside and the snow if falling, the wood stove is glowing red and everyone is busy with their different projects.
Tea and a good read aloud today, sounds like it could make for a nice cozy afternoon.

"It was the middle of winter and very, very cold. The mice of Brambly Hedge forecasted snow. And they were right. In the morning they awoke to find their doors and windows hidden behind deep drifts. There hadn’t been snow like this for years. “There’s enough for a Snow Ball!” cried the mice with glee, and set to work in the time-honoured way to make an Ice Hall for the festivities."

:: Brambly Hedge ~ Winter Story ::

Snowy Art.

Wrist warmers.
A new knitted project that Rosie made.

Deeply concentrated on her book.

Annie Rose and her Mama :)

Here is the great big road.

The beautiful dress that my sweet brother gave to me!

~ Julia

Snow, Tea, Trips and Staying Warm.....

2011-12-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

Snow has finally arrived, along with the cold Winter weather...

We have been getting the house all decorated for the holidays.
We've been reading a lot of good books, baking cookies, drinking hot chocolate, sledding outside, drawing, playing, and going on trips!

Only six days until Christmas, I can't believe how time has flown by here in Wesleytown. It seems like only yesterday that we were outside, in the garden weeding or picking veggies,or raking the leaves into big piles to play in!

Last weekend, Joe, Rosie and I went for a trip to the big city. We had a blast walking around and seeing all the sights, it was so beautiful! :)

~ Winter: My Secret ~

I tell my secret? No indeed, not I:
Perhaps some day, who knows?
But not today; it froze, and blows, and snows,
And you're too curious: fie!
You want to hear it? well:
Only, my secret's mine, and I won't tell.

Or, after all, perhaps there's none:
Suppose there is no secret after all,
But only just my fun.
Today's a nipping day, a biting day;
In which one wants a shawl,
A veil, a cloak, and other wraps:
I cannot ope to every one who taps,
And let the draughts come whistling thro' my hall;
Come bounding and surrounding me,
Come buffeting, astounding me,
Nipping and clipping thro' my wraps and all.
I wear my mask for warmth: who ever shows
His nose to Russian snows
To be pecked at by every wind that blows?
You would not peck? I thank you for good will,
Believe, but leave that truth untested still.

Spring's and expansive time: yet I don't trust
March with its peck of dust,
Nor April with its rainbow-crowned brief showers,
Nor even May, whose flowers
One frost may wither thro' the sunless hours.
Perhaps some languid summer day,
When drowsy birds sing less and less,
And golden fruit is ripening to excess,
If there's not too much sun nor too much cloud,
And the warm wind is neither still nor loud,
Perhaps my secret I may say,
Or you may guess.

~: Christina Georgina Rossetti :~

Table set nicely for dinner.

Candle lighting art.

Art.

Aimaija with her "niece", Annie Rose

Paper creations.

The one and only Celeisa!

Playing...

Hmmm, lets see who can drink it faster..

The snow has finally arrived!

The Christmas tree.

Cheerful Christmas tree lights in the school room.

More lights.

Hot cocoa.

And here are some pictures of our trip to the big city!

Looking at the view.

I didn't know this many apples existed in one place! ;)

~ Julia

Birthdays...

2011-12-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

The holidays are arriving and with it the cheerful feeling of Christmas and the New Year.

The house has been busy with the hustle and bustle of making food, lots of reading, roller skating, and lots of other pleasant things that you do, to wile a way each and every day.

And with the drinking of hot tea and reading books.

We had The Great Big Birthday Celebration, and here are the promised pictures.

We had a big feast... it was three courses!

Starting with Mushroom Soup (with crackers), followed by Sausage and Peppers, Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes and Rolls.

All summed up with dessert!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Showing off one of his birthday gifts.

Food.

Opening Gifts.

~ Julia

Of poems, pictures, and birthdays....

2011-11-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

The days have been slipping by... the house has been filled with the happenings of every day life.
We have been making bread, knitting, sewing, drawing, cleaning, cooking, baking, visiting, playing the piano, reading, and, if I sat here and thought, I am sure I could go on and on! ;)

It seems that we have quite a few birthdays in the fall and winter months, so we have been celebrating birthdays, in what seems, one right after the other.
We are planning a great big birthday celebration for Stan Lee and Nicholai, this Sunday. Rosie and I are going to make a surprise meal, and do it "Medieval Style", we are still in the "planning" stage of it though.

I will have to try and get some pictures and post them after :)
:::::

Leaves...

"How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow."

~ Elsie N. Brady ~

~~~~~

"The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on."

~ Emily Dickinson ~

She is getting so big and cute..

She likes being with her Pa though!

They have been busy drawing and creating.

The kittens are getting big too..

Here are some pictures of the falls... they are really beautiful, this time of year!

~ Julia

Welcome Autumn....

2011-10-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

September has come and gone so quickly that I do believe it passed before my very eyes.
October is here and with it the changing of leaves and the beginning of cooler weather. It is now time to start wearing sweaters and hats, and having the wood stove going, as to take off the morning chill out of the air.

We have been busy here, preparing for the long months of winter wonderland to arrive... and have been enjoying the last few days of warm weather that we have before the snow sets in.

Last week, Aimaija, hosted a "Paper Art fair" and invited all of Wesley and Claire's little folk over. It was a wonderful time!

So, here are some pictures of busy days in Wesleytown....

Pictures of the party...

They made there own personal pizzas... and made their own little messes as well :)

Piano art.

I'm still not really sure what this.

The leaves are all falling on our driveway.

One of the new, cute little kittens.

Celeisa.

Just one lonesome leaf.

Art.

~ Julia

The closing of a beautiful summer....

2011-09-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Summer seems as though it has gone by way too fast, and although my favorite season is Autumn, I am still sad to see the leaves change there color and the flowers slowly die.

Well... I should not be too quick to say that, as I see so much beauty in this one season.
It seems to me that there is nothing more pleasant, then to sit outside around the campfire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows while the cool wind gently weaves around you. I love the feeling of wearing a sweater and hat as we go for long walks down the road and through the fields, arriving home with cheeks red from the cool biting wind against them.
The feeling of the brisk air in the morning when you step outside to watch the sunrise. The trees changing color, although sad to some, leaves me with the feeling that everything is slowly closing for the long winter ahead, and it is just going to sleep,only to awaken when the long winter months have finally come to there close.
~~~~~~~
Apples from our neighbor's apple tree, waiting to be made into apple pies.

My cute little nephew :)

Meggie...

Tomatoes in the garden.

And we have now discovered pumpkins!

The front porch

The table set for dinner.

Dinner on the stove.

Art.

Freshly made apple pies!

:~Hello Autumn~:

I hear the songs, of autumn singing,

The wind, it hurries through the trees.

The air is getting crisper daily,

A chilly nip, is in the breeze.

The katydids, in raspy chorus,

and crickets too, join in the song.

Reminder that, there comes upon us,

another season, won't be long.

The birds now gather, for their journey,

they gossip loudly, as they fly.

Their destination, still uncertain,

just heading south, to warmer skies.

And even butterflies, are going,

their darting seems, to have no plan.

But if we study them, more closely,

they're headed south, to warmer land.

The forest dressed, in all its splendor,

intoxicating, views abound.

All up and down, our lovely valley,

and mountain sides, of country towns.

The leaves are searching, for a new home,

they flutter down, on wings of gold.

The trees they left, are looking lonesome.

abandoned soon, to winters cold.

The pumpkins waiting, for the kitchen,

with shocks of corn, in fields once green.

The season soon, will call together,

our friends and kin, so long unseen.

Boots and mittens, make their showing,

with Christmas things, on shelves in stores.

Lawn mowers now, go on vacation,

snow shovels soon, prepare for chores.

There seems to be, a certain sadness,

another year, has come and gone.

The next one waits, around the corner,

adventures new, and memories born.

Already daffodils, are planning,

to welcome back, from its sojourn.

Their faces searching, toward the heavens,

first robin here, on its return.

:: Nevin Hawlman ::

~Julia

Face paint. Need I say more??

2011-09-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

On shopping day, Mama Dear and I found some face paints, along with a book of how to *do things the right way*. As I am sure you can guess, it didn't take long for all the little people in our house to get right onto putting it to good use!

They even manged to get Joe wrangled into it!! ;)

Aimaija, getting Joe all decked out.

I think he almost had as much fun as they did.

Sophia, did up Celeisa.

Well.... I never said she was serious.

Knees were fun too.

Sisters, just having fun.

~ Julia

Summer Days slip slowly by....

2011-08-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

As children play outside, the sun rises and sets, and the hours slip slowly by.....

The sun has been shining around Wesleytown.
The family here has been busy in the tide of everyday life, waking up and eating breakfast, then as the day begins, some head out to work, some to start the morning house work, well others are off and outside to tend to the animals. The morning pace of life continues on; the reading of story's and going for walks, the picking of apples, for pies, apple crisps, and apple sauce to be made and frozen for the long winter and freezing corn.

Taking long walk up to the fields and picking black berries. Playing house, outside and inside. Sewing. Knitting. Lots and lot's of reading.

~ Julia

A picnic at the falls...

2011-08-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

Rosie and I decided to head off with all the little's on Saturday, for a picnic and a walk at the falls.
So we loaded the picnic basket full of good things to eat, piled in the van and headed out the door for a very fun filled trip!
We arrived, had lunch and then we went for a nice long walk... then waded a little (which I don't think was really allowed. However, considering there was hardly anyone there and no sign to say that we were *not* allowed to we decided to take the chance. :)

So here are some pictures from our day.

They lost no time getting to the swings!

Celeisa, eating a muffin and exploring.

The falls were beautiful!

Aiamija.

My beautiful big sis!

Litt'l lady.

They were collecting leaves to press.

Best of pals,

Yeah, they were a little giddy :)

Rosie.

The four troublemakers.

Hmmmm....

Yeah, she actually does act goofy sometimes! ;)

Art.

Water flowing from the rocks.

The Falls!

This stream was dried up.

Through the trees.

They had to test it first...

Then it didn't take long...

They moved pretty quickly.

~ Julia

~ Summer~

2011-07-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

A Book.

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

~ Emily Dickinson

Tomatoes in the garden.

The Squash.

Our berries have been coming in nicely.

Some veggies from our sweet neighbors.

Fresh bread, made by Rosie.

A beautiful sunset...

~` Julia

Summer days on the farm....

2011-07-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well, Summer has been here full blast for the past couple of weeks.
This past week has been hotter then I think we have had yet!!! Not to say that I haven't been enjoying *not* having snow on the ground for six months, but I still wouldn't mind having it just a tiny bit cooler outside.

The littles have been busy playing outside. They have decided that it is fun to go outside wearing straw hats and driving the lawn tractor, with a wagon hooked up to it and go "haying", i.e. driving around picking up the cut grass on the ground and putting it in the wagon and then dumping it, for Winter. :)

We have been swimming a lot and not doing to many long walks, as it had been in the high ninetys this week! Whew!!

Here are some older pictures from around the farm...

A fairy house made by Celeisa and me.

And one by Sophia, Aimaija, and Rosie.

.A stone wall....

Wild mushrooms!

"The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
~ Robert Frost

~
Julia

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.....

2011-07-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
’Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

~John Keats.~

~ Julia

Beauty.....

2011-07-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

It can be seen as so many different things and in so many different ways...

The fire dancing off the rocks around it. The leaves blowing in the wind. The snow glancing off the sun. A child's laughter. Clothes hanging on the line. A stack of books ready to be read. A sunset. A sunrise. Beauty. It can be so much more then what we see as the days slip by.....

~~~~~~

~Julia