January brings the snow

But hark!the roots begin to grow

This is from the monthly verses from the poem "The Crowning of the Year" by Juliet Compton-Burnett. I have tried to find a link to this poem, but can find nothing about it on Google. So, I will re-type it here. We use each verse during its month and recite during circle time. It is wonderful way for Lily and Brooke to learn the months and they love it!

The months weave a garland to crown the year,
Its jewels are the leaves and the flower
The golden sun and twinkling stars
The wind and the snow and the showers
Colour and beauty from far and near
Weaving a garland to crown the year

January brings the snow
But hark, the root begin to grow

February brings flowers of light
Petals three of snowdrops white

March's blossoms- purple, gold
Six petals to the sun unfold

April's here, gold trumpets sound
And star of white bedeck the ground

May is the month of pink and white
Apple, may, and Parsley light

June brings flowers of rainbow hue
Crimson, gold and heavenly blue

Flowers gay we still may see
Though dark the green on July's tree

Yellow turn the field of grain
In August sun and August rain

September's fruit grow good to see
On pear and plum and apple tree

October's leaves come fluttering down
In shades of gold and red and brown

November's gift is rich and rare
The beauty of the branches bare

December's joy in each heart glows
For then was born a Christmas rose

Colour and beauty from far and near
Weaving a garland to crown the year.

Winter Garden

We planted lettuce, swiss chard and spinach in October for our winter garden. The weather changes this season have been great, so we'll see how it goes. The lettuce is looking crisp.

Here are some other pictures of winter interest.
Nandina berries

Pink Wallflower Great Red Mustard pot with pansies

Beautiful winter camellia

Warm as Wool

We are reading "Warm as Wool"
It is a wonderful book, but out of print. I get it from our library. We are talking about wool, learning to spin wool into yarn, finger knit, braid and begin to knit with two needles. Cold winter days seem to lend themselves to cozy handwork. We decorated our nature table with yummy yarns and knitting notions.

Sweeping out the Corners

I purchased a new straw broom, and it is being put to good use! I have spent the last week emptying out my craft/school room, purging, cleaning and re-organizing. What a sigh of relief when I look around and all papers are filed, bins are tidy and labeled and I know where everything is. It is also a time of re-discovering items long tucked away and out of sight. A beautiful skein of homespun wool yarn ready for knitting a treasure. A new set of watercolor paints and paper waiting to create a a story. It feels fresh and ready to begin.

The Cow jumped over the Moon

Tonight I had one of those sweet moments while driving home with my girls.

We were looking up at the moon and stars and they began asking me questions like. "How far away is the moon? Is it farther than Texas and South America? etc.."

I started thinking how lucky I am to be able to give them a simple answer that won't break the magic. If they were in school they would be studying the planets. Instead they are wondering if

the unicorns fly to them. This time of wonderment and fantasy is so precious and I am blessed to have found Waldorf Education and gentle parenting that allows my girls to be girls a bit longer.

Three Kings Day

I baked a Buttermilk -Maple Spice cake this morning hidden with a special Fairy Coin. The lucky one who gets this piece is "king for a day" and gets to decided what fun thing we do!

Lily was the lucky winner. We spent the day drawing horses and birds and enjoying Daddy's homemade pizza. Sharing our gifts of love and time together was a day well spent.

Shiny and New

We spent the morning having peppermint hot cocoa and taking down the holiday decorations.

Then we organized our new attic space; perfect to house lots of containers! I am going from room to room decluttering, making piles to give away and recycle. It is freeing to have a clean, organized space to begin a new year.