The long way home

Yesterday we went back to the same hike we took last week, only this time we hiked up higher and came to a point on the trail that had an amazing view over the valley below. The sun was very bright and the photos don't quite show the debts of the mountain ranges that lay rolling before us. 

It was breathtaking!!

I find that we head for the country or the woods whenever possible these days, our structured home schooling lessons are short, about one and a half hour tops, working pictorially with the alphabet right now, and since Kaleena already know the letters we move along quite rapidly, 

leaving us plenty of free time to get out doors.

I want to soak up all the natural beauty of these mountains now while I can, for while Denmark is certainly beautiful, it is a very different kind of beauty, it is very very flat. And where these mountains have a wild and untamed beauty about them, the Danish beauty is more quaint and controlled. 

I have once again started packing, we will not leave here until mid January, yet I feel I need to get started organizing so that everything is ready for shipping when that time comes.

Our journey is still long, although I can sense the end of this chapter near. We will meet up with my husband in Venezuela in the beginning of February, with a quick stopover in Miami to see friends, we will spend the winter enjoying our latin relatives and their beautiful country, before making the big move to Denmark in spring time.

How fortunate to be a homeschooler, there is absolutely no stress involving schools and moving, we just pack up up our supplies and continue as we journey on. I LOVE homeschooling!

~I hope you are enjoying your weekend~

The beauty that surrounds us

As the energy in our little temporary household intensifies nothing calms my spirit as a walk in the woods, and just now as it appears that the autumn color display is at it's near peak, it is really a sight to behold. It speaks to my soul the constant changing of nature.

It is a helpful reminder, that although our lives right now are permeated with separation and rootlessness, this too shall pass, because just as sure as the leaves will change and fall during these coming darker months, just as surely will they return and flourish in the lighter days just on the other side.

 I am feeling a little tired these days. I miss my husband and our family life, I long for a place of our own, and yet I am filled with gratitude for this time spent with my sister and her daughter. Our time together has been well spent, and many important seeds have been planted, yet now coming to the end of this two year stretch, it feels like my strength is running out, it feels like I am about to cave in just before the finish line. Of course I will find the strength needed, we always do, somehow miraculously we always have exactly what we need to move on to the next step on out journey.

On days like this I get me to the woods:). To watch my children run carefree through the fallen leaves, build dams in the creek and fairy houses on the forrest floor, the joy of it, the importance of it, it fills me and gives me strength.

I am once again reminded, it seems I need a lot of reminding lately, that though our road has had it's challenges, every step of our journey has had a purpose, 

and for the ability to see this and know the truth of it in my heart, I am grateful.

Once again I look to the beauty that surrounds us, I take a deep breath in , go to that place of peace deep within, and exhale in gratitude.

~with love and gratitude~

Easy to make kite

Having had amazing kite flying conditions these past few days, we decided to make kites today. We have made these before and they are both easy to make and to fly, even if today the winds had decided to take a rest, and the flying was less than usual.

We used construction paper a regular rectangular shape, folded it in half, and to make sure the fold was properly creased, folded it back and forth a couple of times

then laying it in front of you like a book fold at an angle like shown. At the top it is aprox 0.5-1 inch and at the bottom about 2 inches or so, eyeballing is fine.

 then turn it over and open the wings

tape down the middle

 Then for support add a skewer or the like to the widest part at the top with some wide tape.

This time we used some chop sticks we had laying around, but honestly they did not work great. 

Skewers like the ones you might use for kebabs works great, and can easily be broken to size

we ripped some tissue paper strips and attached to the widest part of the bottom flap for a tail

 about one third down from the front of the bottom flap we added a little piece of tape for reenforcement and made a whole through. Through here we tied the string, the other end of the string we taped to a piece of card board and rolled it around to keep until use

Like I said the wind was taking a rest today, so the kite did not fly as high as other days:(

 but it did fly

 Zoe the baby cow was extremely curious about the kite, and ended up eating one of our tails

Kaleena really got it flying

and afterwards the children enjoyed the beautiful day and the peace of the country side, picking little flowers and making tiny wreaths, and exploring the newly cut meadows

~a good night to you~

Leaves and a lantern

Another lovely autumn day here in the mountains. the leaves had us enthralled today, they are everywhere and the trees are slowly becoming bare.

We went to the park to gather leaves to make a lantern inspired by a post I saw over on 

Twig and Toadstool the other day, and while we were there Keenan happily played in the heaps of leaves that were everywhere. The wind made them dance around and it was indeed a blissful time. We also decided that it was time to make a kite and really get out and enjoy the wind, so that will happen this weekend. Yeahh, love autumn!

 

We gathered a nice collection of yellow and red leaves to use for our lantern

 Then applie a nice thick layer of Mod Podge and added the leaves then another thick layer of Mod Podge. This would have been easier had we taken the time to press the leaves first, it worked like this too though

 And this evening just before story time it really came to life. It gives off such a warm glowing light, perfect while the winds dances outside.

~a lovely and warm evening to you~