.: Catch Up :.

Has is really been one month since I last joined you here?  Yikes!  My only excuse is that these days we've got a roaring fire in our wood stove most nights and blogging by the fire is just not nearly as enticing as knitting by the fire.  It's been a month of transitioning out of those glorious autumn days into the long winter nights, celebrating with family, working and playing at our "school", and busily preparing for the holiday season.  

We made our annual trek to Ohio over Thanksgiving to be with Robb's family.  Neva and Frances had a fantastic time with their cousins...

Now we find ourselves in the heart of the Advent:

This past Friday we celebrated St. Nicholas day...a sweet and simple celebration I really enjoy and endorse! In keeping with tradition, the girls set out their shoes the night before with some carrots for St. Nicholas' donkey.  

 (Frances looks just thrilled, right?)

In the morning the girls found their shoes packed with a few little treasures...stickers, clementines, a small chocolate and two books (that we already owned but hadn't read in a while)  Talk about keeping it simple!  They also each received a pair of new mittens (Neva pondered, "I guess St. Nicholas knits too, Mama!")  I guess I'll let him take the credit for the sake of a little magic.  Happy Advent!