Hello Fall ~ Apple Picking

 Fall is definitely settling in for an extended stay :)

The leaves are turning beautiful reds, oranges and golds, the mornings are cool and crisp, even the evening fog that creeps through the fields at dusk has reappeared but the real highlight is that the apples are finally ready!

 With our baskets in hand we made our way down the lane to the apple trees that my dad has been tending for over a decade.

 Why is it that the best apples are always out of reach :)

 With an apple eye view L got busy picking the biggest apples she could find...

 and passing them down to her brother...

 who was waiting below hoping to fill up his basket first :)

 For the really hard to reach apples my dad has this really great tool that has rake like prongs on the tips to catch around the stems of the apples and then it pulls them off the branches and they land gently on the foam pad inside the basket :) So much better than trying to shake them off of the tree *grin*.

 The children waddled home under the weight of their apple basket with giant smiles on their faces and thoughts of all the ways that we were going to be able to eat them.

 Apple muffins, apple pancakes, apple slices dipped in nut butter, apple pie...

oh it's apple heaven *grin*.

Hugs,

Rosina

Class At The Lake

 I was sure that the last time we packed up and went home from the lake it was going to be a final goodbye to summer swimming and late nights in front of the campfire but the warm weather beckoned us to come out and play again and who were we to say no *grin*.

 The forecast was for non stop sun so we quickly packed all our clothing and as much food as we could find in the fridge and raced out to the lake in hopes of finding a spot right on the beach. I think a few of the older campers were a little confused though to see our three children tumble out of the backseat when we hit the campsite. 

Public school had already started a week before but the freedom of homeschooling blesses us with the opportunities to travel whenever and wherever the wind may blow us :) That's not to say that we weren't doing any learning while we were away though! Our oldest son is in grade 8 this fall so we packed along his core subjects and the two of us worked on his lessons as the water lapped towards our toes and the wind ruffled our hair.

 Being surrounded by nature gave us ample opportunity to study science through observation and discussion as we explored the parts of dragonflies found floating in the lake....

studied the quirky habits of the squirrels all around us as we watched them chatter, play, and gather seeds they stuffed into the hollow holes they had made in the cedar trees.

 We made a little art in the form of posters notifying the squirrels just where to find the tasty pinecones we had collected for them...

 and collected specimens that the children begged to bring home. I'm not sure that a crayfish would make a very good pet though and had to gracefully decline the invitation to add him to our family LOL.

 Since I wouldn't allow Mr. Crayfish to come home with us he was turned into a scary sea monster that needed guarding by the hoards of playmobil men that seem to travel with us everywhere. That was until he escaped :)

 The days were so warm that the children spent most of their days in the lake swimming and playing and even Hubby braved the water and joined in with the splashing and jumping off of the swim dock.

 We discovered a trail to the most amazing hidden lagoon while exploring to. A perfect spot for swimming and jumping in off the rocks.

 And the water was the most amazing color of green as it sparkled in the warm sunlight :)

 A perfect week of both school work and play.

 Hugs,

Rosina

Nine Times The Sun

Nine years old!!! Oh my how I remember her chubby little cheeks as they drooped down over the white swaddling blanket that the nurses handed her to me on the day that she was born. She was so tiny and she shocked us all with her jet black hair that covered her head *grin*. No longer does she have that black hair but she has replaced it with locks down to her bottom :) 

 Last year I made her a big rainbow layered cake and a few days before her birthday this year she mentioned how it was her favorite cake so I thought it would be fun to make it again but I didn't want it to be a repeat of the last one. So I made mini rainbow cakes using my all time favorite recipe.

 One for each of us and it was so much fun to see her smile from ear to ear when she got her very own. They were more work than I had anticipated and they gave me a little grief as I tried to ice them while they swayed dangerously from side to side like they would topple over but the end result made up for all of that. So cute :)

 We are all nuts about sushi around here so on the morning of her birthday L and I worked together to create a huge platter of california rolls, crunchy rolls, ones filled with smoked salmon and more to share at her birthday lunch :)

 We actually had to fend off some sneaky snackers that wanted desperately to sample our sushi before it was time *grin*.

 My mom made some amazing little salmon bites that she topped with a dill sauce and capers...

 and I had fun creating these fruit kabobs shaped like flowers :) Who knew miniature cookie cutters could do such a great job and I speared the skewers into an upside down half of a watermelon which provided the perfect sturdy base for all of the kabobs.

 

 The day couldn't have been any better as the sun shined down on us while we ate lunch in the garden :) We played croquet, had fun trying out her new hula hoop...

 

and you've got to love her fashion sense LOL.

Sneakers and a dress.... at least she left her gumboots at home this time *grin*. 

Oh how I love this little girl.

Hugs,

Rosina

Summer Days

 The lazy days of summer are winding down and I'm looking forward to transitioning back into our regular rhythm and picking up our school books again :)

We have packed our days full of camping, exploring, playing and enjoying the special moments that summer provides with nights spent on the beach in our cozy camper, collecting buckets full of shells and other treasures that I know we'll find a use for somehow, watching little ones fall asleep in front of the campfire and become brave little swimmers at the lake, trips to the aquarium and special dinosaur exhibits, watching our baby calves grow and making wishes on every dandelion gone to seed in sight.

I think we made good use of our days *grin*.

Hugs,

Rosina

Summer Beach Bums

So where have we been hiding?

Why at the beach of course with nature as our personal playground :)

We've been to a couple of different lakes but I just love being near the ocean and I definitely wasn't disappointed when we found a spot right along the beach.

 

 We enjoyed sunshine and welcomed the cloudy days to recover from the heat..

played with giant bull kelp...

swam in the ocean while tug boats, barges and fishing boats chugged by...

 

scrounged under the rocks at low tide catching crabs and seeing who was brave enough to hold the big ones that threatened to pink our fingers...

dug for clams...

 

watched the cruise ships float by each evening and slept so deeply after each day of play to the lapping sound of the ocean with the rise and fall of the tides :)

Oh how we are counting the days until Hubby comes home from work again and we can do it all over again *grin*.

How is your summer going? What makes you smile during the summer months?

Hugs,

Rosina

Yarn Along ~ Playing around

A post of my current read and what is cast on my needles ~ Inspired by Ginny over at {Small Things}

I was hoping that I was going to have at least one completed Lepidoptera sock to share with you but when we went camping just after last weeks yarn along I forgot to bring my pattern! Oh I was so disappointed :(

Not for long though. I still had a ball of yarn and a bunch of needles so I just sort of played around trying out how to knit cables. I'm not sure if I was doing it correct but I definitely got the cabled effect that I had been hoping for and all was not lost as I sucked up the amazing scenery and lounged at our oceanside campground while the kids played in the water :)

For my book this week I had finished Eating Dirt which was sooo good and I spent the week perusing magazines and especially enjoying my new copy of the Living Crafts magazine. Hopefully next week I'll have something much more interesting to share with you *grin*.

Happy knitting!

Rosina