Enjoying a moment of spring?

Well...spring has finally sprung! I have daffodils blooming in the front yard and the grape hyacinth is preparing to show it's beautiful purple color very soon! All was looking so very pretty until today...and then we had a different sort of pretty...one I thought we were done with...thought wrong!

IT SNOWED!! ALL DAY!!! It started in late morning and then we had snow all day long! It was so amazing to see pretty white flakes fall on my beautiful cherry blossom tree! Atira got out paper and decided to make paper snowflakes to hang on the windows! I thought that was more a winter craft?! As I sit here looking out my front window I see that we have a break in the snow, the rooftops are all dusted with white and thankfully the roads are all clear. It is too bad it is not enough to really play in, just enough to keep us watching all day long.

Colonial moments

Ever since Atira bought her American Girl Doll, Felicity, who lived during colonial days, she has been wanting a colonial style dress of her own. We bought a pattern about a month ago, purchased fabric last week and cut out the pieces. I let it sit over the weekend and tackled the dress last night. I was not sure of my abilities...I have sewn before, but usually things I made up the patterns for, simple things. To my pleasant surprise this was not that difficult! After a few fixable errors (I put the wrong sleeve on a shoulder, had the cuffs backwards as well) I had a great start! So, the bodice was finished last night and Atira was very excited to see that much done this morning when she got up! We got through our homeschool day and I would take little moments while they were busy to add a few things here and there and when our day was done I added the zipper (which was not as hard as I thought it would be, thanks to my good friend Chloe who taught me how THANKS CHLOE!). Then it was time to take the kids outside for some playtime and I sat out there and finished up the final hem by hand. The only thing left is a very small detail, adding bows to the sleeves just above the ruffled cuffs. But this is pretty much the finished product! I am very happy with it and Atira is thrilled! (Which makes me all the happier.) Atira has planned a tea party for herself and a few of her friends and this will be what she hosts her guests in. It should make for a very fun afternoon!

PROUD MOMENTS!!

Ok, I don't have a picture for you right now...but the kids received awards in a science fair today! WOO HOO! They did a project called "Mammal Roll Call" in it they made a chart of different mammals, unique features, habitat, homes, what they eat and drew pictures of each mammal...and I am sure there is more I just cannot think of it right now. So anyway, out of the twenty or so entrants, they won "most informative" (and they only had awards given out to five projects). It was great! I was so proud too, when the judges came by they asked the kids questions about their project and even proceeded to quiz them on their knowledge of the animals. Atira held her own pretty well, but Jordan has incredible recall! (and they each knew well for their perspective grade levels, Jordan studies the mammals much more in depth than Atira does at this point) It was GREAT! So, we it was very fun for them to receive awards for their hard work. And they have really enjoyed learning so much about mammals.

Moments in the Japanese Gardens

This was a wonderfully fun adventure! We went off to the Japanese Gardens in Seattle for a tour. It was wonderful! We had a tour guide who was just filled with information and she showed us many of the beautiful features at the gardens. These are located within the Seattle Arboretum which features approximately 200 acres of gardens and trees. It is so pretty there, you would hardly believe you are in Seattle! We saw koi swimming in the pond as well as ducks..which is pictured above. They have a beautiful waterfall which almost did not make it there because the Japanese architect who worked on this project could not find a rock that "sounded" right when the water ran off of it. We learned of a woman who used to come into the park and steal the koi to cook at home as well!! We found a beautiful variety of the Rhody family that has the softest leaves on the back. They feel like suede! It was incredible! The day held off the rain for us, which was a true blessing! We are planning to head back there again this spring to enjoy the beautiful colors that will come into bloom.

Prepping for Sabbth moment

So, every Friday night we celebrate as a family the coming of the Sabbath. Most of the time it is Atira's job to set the table and decorate it to make it a beautiful place for us all. This particular Friday afternoon she outdid herself! She created placemats for each of us telling us how much she loves us! She also made the vase that holds her velvet flower in the center of the table. And to top it all off, she got beautifully dressed up in her red dress and red sparkly shoes! What a lovely curtsy girly!