First Day Back

Paper Snowflakes

Well, we had our first official Back To Homeschooling Day (tm), and it was a big success. DS9 and I got through all of his lesson work by lunch time, which gave him a good couple of hours to read and then some device time before we left for his choral group in the afternoon.  We managed to sneak in a couple of paper snowflakes for the window before we ran out the door, just to get a jump start on the snowy season (since it has snowed briefly already).  

There was a little bit of awkwardness (from the school staff) when I picked up DD7 from her therapies at school, but nothing too major.  Already I can see relaxation setting into DS9's face and body, replacing the anxious and uptight demeanor he had before we pulled him out of school. Already I am feeling really great about this decision, and we're starting to connect with even more local homeschoolers, which will help round out our community.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We decided this year to take full advantage of our cathedral ceiling in our Grand Hall (tm) by getting a 9ft Christmas tree. Yes, it is an artificial tree, but since we plan to keep and use this tree for many years to come, we felt we could do away with cutting down a real, live magestic 9ft tree each year in favor of this artificial one. We can add more greens to our home with clippings from fragrant pines on our property if we are looking for that lovely aroma to our home.

I decorated this little decorative box for the holidays, which makes a nice centerpiece for our table. I had also decorated it for Thanksgiving with colored leaves, autumn-colored flowers and pine cones.  I kind of like the idea of changing up the look of this little box for each occasion that comes along.

This is a gorgeous hand-crochet angel that one of my cousins made for me several years ago. Since it really didn't fit in with the large size of our new tree, it now has a place of honor along our staircase. 

I am decorating rather simply this year, since funds are somewhat limited while we're still settling in, and since I'm trying to find a happy medium between being celebratory and being a bit more minimalist in my approach.  I guess I will see what sort of speaks to me as I go along and try to find my sweet spot in terms of decorations for each season.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope November is winding down nicely for everyone out there in internet land. We are happy and healthy, here at Elemental Acres, and looking forward to a fun December ahead.