I love living in a place that has distinct seasons. This blog has only chronicled one autumn and a piece of one winter so far, but if you stick around long enough, you will notice that I can rattle on and on about the beauty of each season–the characteristics, the objects that make their way into our lives for a moment and pass by again. I love the transitions from one season to the next. I try to live in the moment (cliché alert!), but honestly, when I saw this picnic table on my way home, I longed to fill it with a basket of tomatoes from the farmers’ market, a pan of brownies, and kids in shorts. I want to plop myself in the grass with picture books and maybe even take off my shoes. But since I do want to enjoy the right-now, here is what we’ve been up to:

With many hours of indoor time, we’ve had to resist the temptation to make the DVD player our new best friend.  Instead, we’ve baked.  We’ve had banana bread, homemade calzones, wheat bread, and chocolate chip cookies. 

We made Valentines, and one dear preschooler mastered the art of writing his first name.  Way to go, little guy! 

I’ve enjoyed having a few more opportunities for knitting, too.  I’m finding the sweet pastels and whites hold a special appeal right now.  And since my knitting gets pulled from room to room, I’m leaving a trail of fresh, airy, clean color.  Now, I just wish the beautiful cleanliness of my knitting could rub off on my clutter!  Being inside is also making me ultra-aware of the stuff of our lives.  I’m ready to do some major organizing.

Despite feeling a bit cooped up and looking at the laundry pile with much disdain, our family is enjoying the coziness of being semi-homebound together.  We’ve had to stretch our patience (me!) and our imaginations as we search for ways to fill our February days.  Silly fun abounds!