Stacy has had a great series of posts on Picture study lately-- be sure to check them out.

We did Klimt in September and have been doing Escher in October.  The kids have enjoyed his optical illusions, but we've also examined his delight in proportion and perspective.  My favorite is Three Worlds, one I hadn't seen before this week-- a very autumnal picture.  Here is O, rendering "Ascending and Descending".

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Here it is, at last... the very purple sweater for my girl.

She keeps trying to wear it over a T-shirt, but it is a wee bit itchy.

"It's kind-of itchy," she says.

I'm thinking, It took me three months to knit that thing, you'd better enjoy it. 

"Wear a turtleneck," I say.

Last week I went to the Yarn Shoppe and picked up some super-soft alpaca.  All alpaca, all the time, now.

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This is SweetP's favorite game right now.  She build beds and cribs (and crib-tents!) for the little lego people-- all called Bob-- and tucks them in under my dishtowels and napkins.  Then she sings them good-night, "Nah-nah, Bob.  Nah-nah, Bob..."

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Bobby McFerrin is so amazing.  Check this out, and ponder what it says about the human brain.

Pentatonic Scale with Bobby McFerrin at the World Science Festival, 2009

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Here are some of our favorite snow day books: Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day, Virginia Lee Burton's Katy and the Big Snow, and Jane Yolen's Owl Moon.  What are your favorites?

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Outside... This October has been colder than most, to my memory.  We had our first snow on the 10th, and it's snowed a few times since... and today.  The mountains have been so beautiful, in their white majesty, with the foothills still dark in contrast.

I am grateful for... a warm house and a scented candle (pomegranate-currant) on the table... recovering from the cold I had last week... many opportunities to be creative...

I am knitting... hats and fingerless gloves...

I am cooking... soup.  Lots of soup.  And oatmeal bread.

I am listening to... Rosanne Cash's The List.  David Wilcox's Airstream.

I am praying for... the women of my Weavings group... the clergy of our church... those in the Philippines who have lost their homes and families...

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Charlotte Mason includes Handiworks in her curriculum.  It is such an old-fashioned word, and in some ways, an old-fashioned practice.  To work with one's hands to make something practical.  Especially in our culture of Made in China, Bought at Walmart, bargain-shopping, disposable diapers, disposable dishes, and disposable clorox wipes.

Our Charlotte Mason group had a get-together last week-- it felt like lots of people! 

I taught the children (and some moms, too) how to finger-knit.  It was a hit, and we moms were surrounded by all these quiet, knitting kids. 

They knit snakes and garlands for the Christmas tree, and leashes for stuffed animals.

As they were ready, some added a crocket hook into the process. 

We had a great time, and apparently everyone has been knitting at home. 

 Happy knitters are quiet listeners to books.  Perfect for snowy days.

Handiworks.  Thanks, Miss Mason.

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We interrupt our regular homey programming to indulge our scientific side.

Quick-- go check out this AWESOME illustration of a respiratory virus invading a host.

Quick!  Do it now!

I'll wait.  Go now!

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Let me preface this post by saying that breakfast is a hard meal for me, both to eat and cook. But there are a few recipes I really enjoy for the morning--  Stacy's breakfast burritos, Kendra's Baked Oatmeal-- that I use over and over.

Last week, I wanted to make breakfast burritos, but what I had on hand was slightly different.  So, using Stacy's recipe as a guide, I sauteed 2 lbs of bacon, then 18 eggs, then a quart of fingerling potatoes with some diced onions.  I sauteed (all in the bacon fat-- don't tell my cholesterol!) some red peppers and onions as well.  Then I mixed it all together in a ginormous bowl, and put a scoop on a tortilla, covered it with cheese, and wrapped it to freeze.

These are very different from Stacy's, but very delicious too.

Now, if I could only get the kids to eat them...

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Here are some photos of our fall escapades...

The day of Owen's race:

At Sam's sister's beautiful wedding:

Making Roasted Tomato-Garlic Soup:

May all your escapades this weekend be colorful, tasty, and delightful!

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