Going visiting...and staying at home

We drove up to New Jersey last week to do a bit of visiting with my beloved sister and her wonderful family...

Cousin Amy has the BEST STUFF!

My handsome nephew Derek making over my beautiful Eleanor

Cheif mischief-makers...
...and their up-and-coming apprentice

A Camping Trip

So we went to Susquehanna State Park 2 weeks ago for a little communing-with-nature session. It was pretty good, especially if a sleepy girl can smile immediately upon waking. I'm not sure if Mommy and Daddy did. Not until we had some coffee, anyway.A sleepy boy in need of a cuddle...and milk.

The very groovy paddling river we found 5 minutes away from the campground. It's been designed with rocks to create extra current for kids to 'body-surf' and really shallow areas to splash in. Plus, the water was terrifically warm! The perfect relief for sweaty, dirty campers.

I think God must really like camping, because He gives us the best views when whenever we go.

The Gayner-Wilson Family pose - still friends after 2 nights of sleeping in the dirt. Friendship, indeed.

Sewing

For the uninformed, I have been learning to sew. Here is a sample of some creations to date:

Anna's birthday dress, made from the Girls' Regency Dress pattern from Sense & Sensibility

A diaper bag I made for a friend from Amy Butler's Nappy Bag pattern. I've made a few of these now and have been asked to make some to sell, but unfortunately the pattern is copyrighted, to nix to that idea...

Abigail's Easter dress above and Anna's Easter dress below, both made from the Regency pattern. Hey, if it works, why mess with a good thing?

Okay, the next sample is a bit scary. The dress itself is fine: a nursing dress by Catherine's Choice pattern. It's been a great dress to wear and I've made a second one, green and a bit shorter than the first (mid-calf length). So admire the dress and ignore the large and frightening model...

There are many other projects, either that have not been recorded or are still in the pipeline. I'll do my best to post more as they're made, so watch this space!

Living up to the name

So that you don't think we were just being fanciful with the 'wildlife' portion of the title, below are some examples we've found in and around the house...

A robin's nest under the deck - there were two nests in the end. This nest was eventually abandoned, but the other hatched 2 eggs - so cute!

Meet the wren that made it INSIDE the house, and is trying desperately to get out. I'm not sure who was more eager for him to escape - him or me

An impressive little tree frog, the exact color of our shed.

See?



Apparently, box turtles are pretty common around here. We're not sure how this guy managed to get into our garden or get out again, but he spent a week touring the whole yard. I suspect he was on vacation...Fancy spending it with us

Finally, meet the scary, hairy spider that lurks in our shed. We don't know what sort it is (thought it was a wolf spider at first, but unlikely), but we think it's a male by the polop-y 'fangs' on the front. He's not too bad, really - we all leave each other alone and he keeps the bugs down. Not a bad deal really.

It's about time...

...for some updated photos! Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long - long enough that I needed a refresher course in uploading images!

Such a happy little girl! Even now, what I wouldn't give to pinch those cheeks

A rather poor shot of Anna's 4th (!) birthday picnic - my, how they've grown! When did that kid turn four??

I promise I'll be more faithful in the pictures and updates, but if I don't post this now, I'm likely to lose it all (all? Yes, all - 2 pictures took 30 min!)

Old Rag, Shenandoah National Park

There's life in the legs yet!

Here's me on my way up Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia (peak 3291 ft). Hiked with my friend, Erik, from work - camped out Friday night, peaked Saturday morning, cooled off in a mountain stream after lunch. Glorious! A joy to marvel in God's creation.

A Thing of Beauty...

Here's one for the guys - something I worked on over the Christmas break. Credit to Kell - she suggested using the old dining table!
A man with organised tools - ahh, sweet peace.

Winter's Here!

Our First Real Christmas Tree!(girls picked it, Daddy cut it down, Noah watched)

Wednesday's snowfall
3" in a day! Woo-hoo!

Autumn Leaves

Picking the PumpkinHibernating?

At the Fair

Some shots taken at a recent trip to the Pennsylvania Dutch Fair in Kutztown, PA. A good time was had by all...

My beautiful babies

A pensive Abigail...

...and a peeking Anna

Tractor training ;)