November: redux

It's time for my monthly gasp... how is it the end of November already?????
There... got that over with.

Here's what I've been up to:

knitting... That's the big one. I signed up for NaKniSweMo... the goal being to knit 50,000 stitches in the month of November. I succeeded. Big time. Like a boss. (yikes! I've been hanging out with my teenagers too much, I think!)

Both of these cardigans are built upon the same basic model... top-down, contiguous (meaning that they look like set-in sleeves, but they're knit all in one piece), and seamless. Ellie is wearing the Tomboy Cardigan, slightly modified, and mine is the Romy Cardigan (with added cabling).

This is a huge accomplishment for me... til now, it's taken me upwards of 6 months to complete an adult-sized sweater.

being sick... not an illness in sight all year (it feels like), and suddenly this month I come down with a two-day fever-thing followed by a UTI. Not fun. On the bright side, though, it did allow me to indulge in the following:

reading... all of the Sharpe novels by Bernard Cromwell. All. of. them. That would be 24 books (including 3 short stories). Why yes, I am a fast reader. Why do you ask?

schooling... it is such a joy to teach a child who has realized that things are easier and more fun if you choose to be cheerful about them. One day, Ellie just decided to enjoy copywork... something that she'd complained bitterly about every single day. Now she loves it. And it was her own decision. She's amazing!!

pinteresting... filling up my pin boards like nobody's business. And actually doing stuff, too. I love that place.

enjoying... a lot of lovely weather. Yes, we've had a lot of rain, and even a storm and some snow, but we've also been blessed with a lot of sunshine. I'm grateful for it.

Ellie and I went for a walk, only to find the path ending abruptly in a small lake... proof that we have indeed had lots of rain to go along with the sunshine.

cooking... I seem to have gotten a bit of my kitchen mojo back again. For a while there I just couldn't think of anything to make. But lately, there's been lots of good things appearing on the table... some of it in my own pottery dishes, too!!

apple-almond pudding in my pie plate.

planning for next month... Christmas, naturally. A thing that, frankly, fills me with a bit of dread. I dislike shopping... I prefer being solitary to attending large gatherings of people... Christmas as it is commonly practiced is not my cup of tea. But I do like to make my family happy, so I do what needs to be done, and try to make it a joyful occasion.  (I feel like such a curmudgeon, even putting this out in type... oh well.)

So, that's November. On to the next month...

(linking up to Megan at SortaCrunchy)

daybook

Today...

Outside my window... it is surprisingly warm. If I walk outside and close my eyes, I almost think that it is spring again. Then I open my eyes, and I'm swiftly disillusioned. It's definitely fall out here.

I am thinking... wait, no I'm not. I'm functioning on auto-pilot.

I am thankful for... the chance to have all of my kids home for the weekend. Even though they drive me crazy sometimes, I love them all.

From the learning rooms... we're getting ready for a week with "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World". Pie will definitely be made. And eaten.

From the kitchen... Maple Orange Granola, and vegan Triple-Ginger Cookies. Oh my!

I am wearing... my favourite thrifted Japanese double gauze shirt. I never understood the appeal of double gauze fabric til I found this shirt. Now I need to buy some more and make myself some more clothes from it.

I am creating... more clothes from Sewing Clothes Kids Love. My goal is to make one item a week.

I am going to... continue on with my running program. I really want to conquer week 4 already... this will be my 5th week doing it.

I am reading... ExtraVeganZa (where I found the recipes for the afore-mentioned granola and cookies. I think I'm going to have to buy this one!)

I am hoping... for miracles.

I am hearing... rifles firing, "need a medic!", and "dynamite planted", as my husband plays Enemy Territory. An ironic choice of game for a nice Mennonite boy...

Around the house... I'm still in the midst of sorting and rearranging. There are piles of things everywhere. I just want to grab my knitting and run away to a peaceful tidy place.

One of my favorite things... is to snuggle up on the couch with a blanket and a book, listening to the rain outside, knowing I don't have to go anywhere.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

• choir on Monday, drama on Wednesday; as always
• a trip to the apple orchard to pick apples for pie

Here is picture I am sharing...

a bouquet of fall flowers - I love the pinks and reds.

More daybook pages can be found at the Simple Woman's Daybook.

she is schooling again

School is very fun so far. Teaching one eager 5 year old is a whole different ball game than teaching three reluctant teenagers.

Our curriculum so far:

• Saxon kindergarten math
• Getty-Dubay handwriting (I'm thinking of trying something different)
• Five-in-a-row... this week we've been reading Clown of God, which makes me cry every time... and the associated lap-booking. It's the lap-booking that is making this palatable for me. When I used FIAR with the other kids, it seemed too inane to just talk about stuff and have nothing to show for it. I like having something that the kids can look back over afterwards.

I've been trying to throw in some reading time (it's not working so well), and I want to add some nature study/journaling a la Charlotte Mason.

Yesterday we took an impromptu field trip out to Westminster Abbey in Mission, after discussing the monks in the story.