Blessings of Autumn Days

What could this little brown thing be?...

Why, a lovely acorn sister, of course!

Here is a preview of good things to come! Could it really be so near to Halloween ? Mia and Vivienne created the acorn sisters concept, and have been sketching it for weeks. We took a wool sweater and felted it in the washing machine and then sewed it into the acorn caps, and the waist belt is fashioned of fallen oak leaves. Their costumes remind me of one of our favorite books, Woody, Hazel and Little Pip by Elsa Beskow. Jasper's costume is still in the works. His will be made from a recycled sweater, with cute floppy ears! (You will have to wait to see what he will be!)

We had such a full weekend, so much fun going on that I have to recap some highlights. If only I carried my camera along! Vivienne and I had special mother-daughter time yesterday, and spent it at the SE Animal Fiber Faire. It was awesome to see and feel all the luscious wool rovings and yarns, in every color if the rainbow! My mind was filled to the brim with project ideas and inspirations, more than I could ever imagine doing. And we visited with the fuzzy angora rabbits and shy alpacas. Gosh, I love the alpacas. I wonder how my neighbors would feel about a small urban herd? We had a special lunch at my favorite indian restaurant and then browsed at the wonderful Downtown Books and News. Vivi scored a German edition of Where's Waldo and I found a copy of my book club's pick for the month which happens to be written by one of my favorite authors! And to top off the afternoon, the girls and I went to a free student performance of The 5 Browns - it was so very inspiring to watch these young classical musicians with such a passion for their music.

Today was my time with Mia, and we gathered with my handwork group for an afternoon of knitting. It was a nice way to wind down the weekend, and get going on the sweater I have been meaning to finish for Vivienne. I am almost there! We squeezed in a cup of tea and book browsing, as well. I can't say no to a visit at to the bookshop.

Here are some images from the week. We trekked down to the Farmer's Market after school on Wednesday, about a mile and a half. The kids love to stop and enjoy the various leaf piles along the way.

Jasper working in the garden

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite reads at the moment:

Quiet the Mind

Our bodies produce

the bodies of our children.

Our noisy minds produce

the fears of our children.

But the Tao produces

the spirit of our children.

Still the body.

Quiet the mind.

Discover the spirit.

The Parents' Tao Te Ching by William Martin

Our first toasty fire of the season

yours in Autumn warmth and light...