Little projects / poetry corner!

Today we read a poem and did a little painting project to go with it.
The poem is so cute we want you to read it, too.
Please don't be alarmed:  this is an easy poem to digest.  If you don't normally read poetry, this a poem that is "I'm-not-a-poetry-reader" approved.

"When All the World Is Full of Snow"
by N. M. Bodecker

I never know
just where to go,
when all the world
is full of snow.

I do not want
to make a track,
not even
to the shed and back.

I only want
to watch and wait,
while snow moths settle
on the gate,

and swarming frost flakes
fill the trees
with billions
of albino bees.

I want to watch
the snow swarms thin,
'til all my bees
have settled in,

and on the ice
the boulders ride,
like sleeping snow geese
on the tide.

I only want
myself to be
as silent as
a winter tree,

to hear the swirling
stillness grow,
when all the world
is full of snow.

I drew a little window on each piece of blue paper and then the girls filled in their paper with swarms of albino bees - I mean, snowflakes.  The girls drew a little face in the window, to look at the snow.

It was fun.  Q-Tips and paint make little people happy.

 After his other schoolwork, Viggo played with a new app.  It's called Grid Drawing for Kids.  Viggo really enjoyed it.  He just finished up 8 weeks of decimals and symmetry has been a refreshing change!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Miss Creativity

 Svea is our super-creative, super-loving, super-adorable crafty gal.

Yes, this says, "I love you like a Rose, Mom."
For real, how cute is that.  I receive several of these little gems every week.

 "I love you Dad like a Rose."

 "I love you Elin like a Rose."

"Viggo I set the table for you Viggo."
Viggo . . . I'm sorry to break it to you, you're not loved like a rose.
Tough luck, Bub.
 

 We have also each been gifted with several journals (here is one Svea made for herself), which I personally find quite handy for shopping lists.  You should see Svea's face glow when one of her handmade journals is in use!

And yes, we go through reams of paper.

If you need a gift idea for Svea, here is one that will always be welcome:  paper.  Paper, paper, paper - and more paper.  She can never have enough.  Frequently when Nate and I attempt to print something, we get an error message that the printer is out of paper.  "How can that be?  I put in about 50 pages yesterday!"

Well . . . a little Somebody was pilfering the paper for her many projects, several thousand she's made to date, most of which, I'm sorry to say, aren't pictured here. 

I will wrap up this post with a watercolor done by Svea last week.
We thought it was her up at the lake or at a park or something.
Nope.  It's Legalos Greenleaf, from Lord of The Rings.  In the forest of Mirkwood!  Duh!

We love you like a Rose, Svea!

Grandpa and Grandma's basement!

 

  Over Christmas we got to visit Grandpa and Grandma Daisy.  They have a basement full of fun stuff!

 Elin loved the train.  LOVED the train.  We cannot overemphasize the love Elin had for the train.  Elin is our big train fan anyway, so this was a real treat for her.

 The train goes through a mountain and around a little town.  There are lights, and smoke from the engine and everything!  I loved the train when I was little and I love it still.

The train stops to pick up cattle.  The cattle travel along a little track that actually moves and deposits them into a train car.

 There is timber that is loaded on and off a car.  The sides of the car actually come down to allow loading/unloading.  Pretty cool!

 Welcome to Plasticville!

 There is even a cute little church.

 Yep, a billboard too.  Slicing candy bars - who knew?

 There is a little Wrigley delivery truck.  For gum emergencies.

And yes, even a john.  We didn't open the door all the way; the residents of Plasticville need a little privacy.

 Elin and Grandpa were having a lot of fun!

 Svea and cousin Linnea were busy playing Pachinko.  Pachenko?  I don't even know how to spell it, so bear with me as I try to describe it:  it is full of small ball bearings, and you flip a handle, and watch the ball bearings fly around inside, falling into pockets that open up and reward you with more ball bearings, or simply falling down into a little hole and coming out the back.  You have to refill at the top in the back once you use up all the ball bearings.  Plus there are cute graphics on it.  It is super-fun and addictive.

The Pachenko game Svea is playing is a recent addition my Dad picked up at an antique mall.

The Pachenko game Linnea is playing with is one that, as far as I know, has been in our basement since the beginning of time.

Viggo was playing a game where you try to roll a ball down a track as far as you can get it.  The farther the ball rolls down, the further you travel.  I think the goal is to get to Hawaii or Rome or something.

We had lots of fun!  Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa Daisy!!

We've been busy . . .

Your life may not be all princesses and unicorns, but ours has been so for quite some time.

We had to take a break from the blog for a bit.  I am going through hundreds of photos from Christmas and the V-man's birthday in all my spare time and will hopefully get some more photos up soon!

I can't post anything right now because I am preparing cinnamon rolls.  Nate finally admitted last week that this was a fantastic Saturday morning tradition and I just can't disappoint my honey tomorrow morning with cold cereal.

See you soon!