Merrymaking

O Christmas tree...

I'm on the fence about getting one or buying a can't-even-believe-I'm-saying-it artificial tree this year, because I so get the convenience of it now.

This may be the third year we don't have a tree up in our house because of our wanderin' ways.

But I mostly grieve for the {you who know me well can say it with me} experience of it.

Opa and Anne to the rescue! They took the kiddos and I had a couple hours to scramble and do as many errands as possible. Anne even took pictures...couldn't have asked for more.

Still undecided about our own tree, though.

Yarn Along

Two of my favorite things: knitting and reading. Linked up with Ginny at small things again.

This week is fuh-lying by! There has been little time to read or knit. Monday, we did have a quiet day at home. So Bean and I were snuggled up reading these two books. On my needles is a mitten that matches the headband from last week. Not sure who it's for, yet. 

{Bean's skirt is still on the needles. It will hopefully be a quick finish...but may be bumped to a birthday gift for her in January. We have 3 chapters to go in Peter Pan. And the Lisa Samson book that I said I would finish within the week is still on my headboard. I read a little and get sleepy. Not a comment on her writing...just my lack of time to read or sleep.}

North America

Not officially being on the road, we received an intriguing exploration offer last week. 

My Aunt Mary Ann has worked at a private Montessori school in town for 25+ years. For a long time she administrated the preschool and now teaches the primary class.  I had the opportunity to work with her doing after school care there while I was in college. Truth be told, she trained me in many of my first jobs...at our family swimming pool as a snack bar worker, as an office clerk, and as a lifeguard. I owe lots of my work ethic to her...{not that you would know much about my work ethic in my current...position.}  

The school is such a neat place and develops individuals for life-long learning. {Montessori and Classical education {the educational philosophy we use} have some similarities ie: the multi-age, ungraded classroom and the study of history vs. social studies.}

Each year, the school creates an environment that focuses on a continent. Each class takes responsibility for a region or era in the continent's history and develops a way to experience part of that culture or history with an interactive display. And she invited us to come and experience it. 

the girls grinding corn

Bug inside a pueblo

drum circle by our hosts

a ride in the Model T

This year's focus was North America. The display included a "Detroit" motorworks with assembly line, a Plains Indians area, a civil war encampment, a pioneer homestead, a Pueblo Indian dwelling, and an exhibit displaying the traditional art of Huichol people from the Mexican mountains. The display was open to invited visitors, but the best part was watching classes spend their free play times experiencing what they had worked so very hard to build. Very cool.

Amybars

Each year as the weather drops below freezing I feel a stronger urge to hole up and wait it out. So like the proverbial ant, I gather. After I fill our pantry and freezer, I start filling the garage, as the outdoors becomes a veritable refrigerator and our storage capacity increases exponentially. If I don't need groceries, I won't have to go outside until April, right?

And I cook...soup, bread, casseroles {remind me to give you our new fave - chicken enchillada casserole}...you know, warm stuff.  And my latest experiment....

Have you tried a Larabar? Lovely stuff...healthy fruit and nut bars, with the main ingredient of dates. {You may remember last winter's fling with dates.}

Back to the bars...I like the density and sweetness of them. And their ability to emerge relatively unscathed from the depths of my knitting bag is a plus. Which makes them the ultimate sneak-into-a-movie snack...if you are one...who...does...that.

Of course, the delusion that I am eating something healthy to offset the handsful of Halloween-moving-right-thru-Thanksgiving-to-Christmas candy I drop down my gullet or my new habit of eating crackers and cheese at 9:30pm {yeah, how did that begin?} helps.

But I don't like paying close to $2 for each bar. Alternative?

I googled for a minute {that's sounds bad, doesn't it?} and found a couple of homemade versions. Choosing this one, I found it fast and easy. I made one batch with toasted pecans and dried cherries. The next was with unsweetened coconut and dried cranberries. 

Yum. I called the kids over and popped a sticky wad in each of their mouths. Thumbs up from them. Mom-tested, kid approved. Now we have a stash in the refrigerator apple bin, so that when grabbing for snacks, the kiddos may see them and remember they likey. And now you know and can help yourself when you're here.