Winter Solstice Celebrations

Yesterday we followed a horse's skull around some pubs. Today friends are coming over and we are going to stay up late eating and decorating cookies, watching movies, playing games, and hopefully welcoming the sun in the morning. It's the longest night of the year and after this, the nights are shorter and shorter. Thank goodness for that!

I will post some pictures and recipes of the gluten free adaptations of favorite goodies.

There is a thin layer of icy snow on the ground outside and the sun is shining. When our friends get here, I think we may take a nice walk down to the castle and the beach. Can't do that in Indiana.

The snow helps with my homesick-for-Indiana feelings.

Poor Benny has to go to work tomorrow!

Oh, and there are presents for the children, homemade. A bog baby for the Tiny Goddess, a purse for Miss Mousie, and pen cases for the boys and our guest child filled with glitter pens.

The adults won't open gifts, didn't have it together for that. Oh well.

Christmas is coming!
The goose is getting fat!
Please put a penny in an old man's hat.
If you no penny,
a ha'penny will do,
If you have no ha'penny then God bless you!

(and if I can talk the group into it maybe we can go caroling!)

quote from James Naylor

There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things, in hope to enjoy its own in the end. Its hope is to outlive all wrath and contention, and to weary out all exaltation and cruelty, or whatever is of a nature contrary to itself. It sees to the end of all temptations. As it bears no evil in itself, so it conceives none in thoughts to any other. If it be betrayed, it bears it, for its ground and spring is the mercies and forgiveness of God. Its crown is meekness, its life is everlasting love unfeigned; it takes its kingdom with entreaty and not with contention, and keeps it by lowliness of mind. In God alone it can rejoice, though none else regard it, or can own its life. It’s conceived in sorrow, and brought forth without any to pity it, nor doth it murmur at grief and oppression. It never rejoiceth but through sufferings; for with the world’s joy it is murdered. I found it alone, being forsaken. I have fellowship therein with them who lived in dens and desolate places in the earth, who through death obtained this resurrection and eternal holy life.

Because I needed another blog to neglect...

I've started a gratitude blog here.

It's just for lists of things I am grateful for. I know I've neglected this blog. I'll try to get here more often.

Current projects:

Knitting for the holidays
NaNoWriMo
Finding support locally for some educational stuff.

oh, and a little one,

Figuring out what we as a family want for our future and helping that future come to pass.

How it is going (the 101 things)

Well, I failed my third attempt at the UK driving liscense and to save my sanity I have given up on that list item. I haven't decided for sure what to replace it with yet. I'll let you know when I do.

But, I am working on numerous list items. In no particular order they are:

learning to crochet
learning to spin wool (with a drop spindle) I have the basic idea, I just need a spindle and some
roving so I can get the technique down.
recording an album of ballads
learning Alice's Restaurant (I don't know if I will ever get this perfect, but I will at least get it
enough to play it)
learning to speak a foriegn language (Spanish)
knitting sweaters for everyone in my immediate family (working on sweater number one)
Reading Jane Austen (halfway through Emma)
Participating in NaNoWriMo

And already I have done a few items to completion. I have my etsy shop up (though I haven't sold anything yet) and I am now a sock knitter. Miss Mousie is very pleased with her socks. She keeps looking down at her feet but falls over because of her Dunlap's Disease (her belly dun lapped over her belt).

Wordless Wednesday (sort of)

Wordless Wednesday

Conwy Castle
Conwy, Wales