Cozy

cozy snugness

What, you might ask, do we do with ourselves, buried away in the country and staring into a newt tank? (with thanks to Gussie Fink-Nottle, even though the quote doesn't really apply....we've got P.G. Wodehouse fever!!)

Well, naturally, we do a lot of home schooling and goofing off and gluing bits of garbage together to make art.

And we are really, truly buried. The first snow has fallen in a heavy, deep blanket. It's here to stay, with the delicious promise of crafting by the fire, cutting paper snowflakes, binging on audiobooks, baking, and all the other cozy indoor activities of winter, only dashing outside to get firewood or give withered kale leaves (the very last of the season) to Hannah, who doesn't seem to mind. Well, I dash. Will does real work, the boys love snow and play outdoors happily.

Finn has killed a chicken, which brought down the wrath of Will...not a pretty sight. Still, for the feather collectors of the house, there is a bright side to everything.

Hugh's "birds" —I'm in love!

I asked if they could be angels for our Advent shelf,  but he was firm that they are birds.

Fortunately, our log house turns out to be snug and toasty.

winter afternoon light

For the first time ever, I enjoy being in the kitchen...Mary's menu has expanded from soup to...different kinds of soup.

Will and I spend our evenings like two old gnomes. I knit, he carves. As soon as the children are tucked in, we burrow ourselves into our study/bedroom with jumbles of wood and wool.

Will is carving deliciously

every surface of Will's study looks like this

I forgot to add: we also watch movies at this time. We haven't had much luck avoiding our traditional winter serial movie binge...last winter it was James Bond; yes, all of them. A cultural icon, right, we had to educate ourselves! This winter it's the "Mentalist". Who is Red John, who? We must find out!) But we make the time productive. Here's one of the little somethings I've been working on: (I also fold laundry and patch pants, less exciting).

Tomten hats! I'll do a proper show-off in another post. They knit up fast and are super fun. Elizabeth Zimmerman writes, "Tomten is the small Swedish elf who specializes in good deeds, and your child will resemble him strangely, if you put a Tomten jacket on him..."

I've made tomten jackets before, but I prefer hats. Matthias is the family tomten, hence the blurry pictures. Matthias is always dashing around, never in focus. Now all the boys are calling for tomten hats. Hugh has requested a red one "that stands straight up"...What a mercy these boys are home schooled!

When I read other crafting/child related blogs, I'm always amazed at how clean and tidy their surfaces are. Do they really have kids, or do they just borrow them for the pictures?

Here are a couple of my surfaces:

And that's after I removed the compostable matter from the table and floor. (and ceiling?)

Still, I love it. Happy cozy November, dear ones!