Whooo! WHat a fun week we had visiting family in Indiana. I felt like the william tell overture was playing the whole time with Zita and Peter Xavier (three and four years old respectivly) running around together. The girls has a blast sleeping at Grandma's house and playing with all their cousins( all nine of them are quite a crew together. ) We came back home and I feel like we must have slept for three days. Angelica is seven now and taken on setting the table every night.
The girls and I are reading Ronia the Robbers Daughter. It is so wonderful! I look forward so much to our chapter every day. Waking child calls. . . . .

I had a wonderful birthday this year. Our friend Jason does wine tastings (and makes magnificent chrevre!!) and he was doing one at the great little deli across from a historic mill where Ben and I spent my birthday the first year we were married. We decided to head back for old times sake had a wonderful time, bought a bottle of Virginia wine and consumed it with some salame, cheese and a bit of chocolate next to the creek behind the mill.

Fall has definitely arrived and we celebrated the turn of the year with a small Michaelmas gathering. Angelica decorated a dragon on a candle with her beeswax for St. Michael. I have been really busy with caring for all the animals. We moved our pig down here to root up the garden and the chickens are getting ready to transition out of the shed and into their coop now that they are getting all their feathers. I am amazed at how much time I spend just watching the pigs. They are so interesting. I bought onions and garlic to plant and that is supposed to happen this week but I have a feeling it won't .
It was a rather bittersweet weekend. On Saturday we attended the funeral of a baby who died of crib death, my friend Colby's nephew. It was so sad to see the tiny casket. On Sunday though, my friend Dian who suffered multiple miscarriages last year birthed a healthy baby boy, and so we had cause to rejoice as well. It all seemed so fitting at this time of year when we are seeing the death of one season and the birth of another to experience a birth and death side by side.

I have gone through the winter clothes and put away the summer things and feel that a monumental task is behind me. It is so crazy not to hunt down three little pairs of everything, shoes, gloves, socks, etc. I found a wonderful clothing company (alas expensive) through a friend and feel that I have finally found what I am looking for. Their catalogue is great inspiration for handmade items too. I am hoping to copy one of their courderoy skirts for Angelica. The company is Olive Juice Kids. www.olivejuicekids.com

Ciao a tutti in Gravagna! Daniella I'll try to post in Italian for everyone but i am tired so bear with me!

Provo fare un post in Italiano.. Ho visto mie genitori in Luglio e sonno state bene in Gravagna. Fa bene la salute Gravagna. Ho visto come ha perso qualche kili mio papa. Loro tornanno a Gravagna questo primavera. Anche noi volgliamo andare con loro ma e dificile dire adesso, (Non c'e stato tanto lavoro per Ben adesso.) Le bimbe stanno bene. Angelica ha cominiciata sua scuola. Io la insegno a casa e fa le lessione al tavolo. Giulia parla tante parole adesso, alcune in Italiano e alcune in Inglese. Zita piace sentire le storie a fa la cuoca in cucina. Anche Ben saluta tutti in Gravagna. In questo stagione penso sepmpre do le castagne e i funghi. . . . . braci per Teresa, Mafalda, Carla e Fede e Lina!

Ci manca Gravangna sempre! Ciao!

monday nature walk..oatmeal and chicks

We found a beautiful civil war battlefield a stone's throw from our house (Fischer's Hill) today on a very spontaneous adventure. It turned into a great history lesson though my visions of hiking were lessened by the hot September sun. Also many things arrived to live with us last week Aunt Josepha and a dozen chicks are joining the domicile. Zita dreams of fresh eggs for breakfast wile downing her oatmeal.

Our unschooling year has begun and while the big yellow bus zooms by our house every day I can't help but feel like things are so exiting right here at home. Angelica asked me even today to teach her how to write what day of the month or the year it is and Zita has asked repeatedly to go to the Strasburg library of which we are becoming fans. Currently we are all reading together Raggedy Ann stories and D'Laurie's Greek Myths which I love! Nature walks are on Mondays and we are trying to get something social going on on Fridays. Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are our study time.

Zita is really into baking and Julia is determined to help her and always mixes up her own little biscuits or something. The wonderful thing is that Zita can then take care of all the gluten free baking while I mix up our regular batch of whatever so it is really wonderful. (Of course some things like brownies and apple crsip we just all eat gluten free to make things easier.)

We ordered chicks and they should arrive tomorrow. We have a great big crate out back all ready for them. I'm reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" right now and also Emma. I'm hoping to start Netflix this winter as other than Ponyo I don't think I've watched any movies for two months. Crazy.

I have to say the best part about having a house with two levels is being able to sneak downstairs in the morning and have my little quiet greeting of the day. I've been trying to do the Liturgy of the Hours and it is such a beautiful way to pray. I never thought of myself as much of a morning person but I am really enjoying them. I can always remember my mother being up before all of us every morning sitting in her rocking chair with her Bible and her coffee and what a wonderfully comforting feeling that was to wake up and see.

Okay we have a pig and she'll be ready this december. Ben brought her home one day and said. "Hey, I bought a pig!" I keep bringing her lots of skimmed or soured milk in hopes we might get a prosciutto out of her. I can dream, right . . . . Anyway I know my posting has been non- existant. Most of the reason I blog is for our extended family and Gravanga folk and Ben has started a private family blog so I have been less motivated to post. I don't really know how I feel about the blog thing. I might be theming this blog a bit more towards homesteading or self-sufficiency or something. . . . . something. We'll see. I am enjoying quietude away from the computer in an event while edifying my soul with vampire romance novels.

The big news is we have moved out to the sticks and are renting an old farmhouse. It is really beautiful and near the famous Fort Valley of Virginia. I really love being near the national forrest and the girls have been spending all their time swimming in passage creek and hunting frogs. I love summer.