-
Resilience
Resilience. That is the word that has been bouncing in my head this week. As a therapist, it was a word that came up frequently when writing therapy goals and progress notes with clients. It is also one of the behavioral standards that kids are rated on at Ryan’s school. What does it really mean though? Imagine walking across hot coals. If you cry and scream the whole way across, but then keep on walking and are willing to try it again, are you resilient because you bounced back? Or not resilient because you cried and screamed? Do you need to cross the coals without flinching in order to be…
-
The Basin – Tuesday Tour Guide
Henry David Thoreau described the Basin in Franconia Notch as “perhaps the most remarkable curiosity of its kind in New England”. Samuel Eastman said it was “one of the beautiful haunts of Nature, a luxurious and delicious bath fit for the ablutions of a goddess.” I have lived in New England for most of my life and had never heard of it until moving up here. The first time we heard the Basin mentioned was when Ryan’s class couldn’t make it to their field trip due to a road closure, so they picnicked at the Basin. I didn’t give the place much thought until some friends mentioned how beautiful it…
-
Ten Things of Thankful
I have been exploring different blog hops and link-ups lately, and one of the new ones I stumbled across is the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop. I already keep a Gratitude Log in my bullet journal, so the big change with participating in this blog hop is just finding a community and connecting with others. At first I was hesitant to make a post about things I am grateful for. Although I do often post about how happy I am with our house and new hometown, a tiny part of me worries that posting a list of things that I am thankful for could come across as braggy. The…
-
The Basin – Sunday Snapshots
Since moving up here, we’ve heard people mention the Basin. Ryan’s class even had a picnic there when a road closure prevented them from getting to their field trip destination. A few Sundays ago, we didn’t have any plans, so we went for a little drive. As we drove past the sign for the Basin (about 15 minutes from our house), we decided to stop and see what it was. Who knew we could find so much beauty for free right on the side of the highway? We didn’t even have to hike in, it was just right there for anyone to enjoy (which is good because a few of…
-
Making a Daniel Tiger Costume
I am almost done with both kids’ Halloween costumes with just a few more final touches to finish. On Thursday, I finished making Daniel Tiger ears for Saoirse. The great thing about a Daniel Tiger costume is that it is a super simple costume to piece together. She already had a red hooded sweatshirt that she has proudly called her Daniel Tiger sweater for months. When I was searching for costume ideas, I also saw a link for Keds red Graham sneakers. These sneakers look exactly like the shoes that Daniel Tiger wears. The shoes were honestly the only part of the costume I even needed to spend any money…
-
The Dragon Warrior
His heavy sword clashed against the dragon’s nearly impenetrable scales and the dragon snarled. He heard footsteps behind him and swung around just in time to block the Dark Knight’s attack. As he raised his sword toward the knight, he could feel the dragon’s fiery breath singe his back. This was the fiercest battle the mighty warrior had ever fought, but nothing would stop him from rescuing the King and retrieving the stolen jewels. He heard a woman shout from the far end of the field, so he laid down his sword and turned to run toward his mother. He would return to battle later, but now the little dragon warrior…
-
The Magolith
The dark, claw-like rock was the last remaining connection between the Realm and the human world. For millenia, fairies and other mystical beings had used the magolith as a portal to travel freely between the worlds. Most fairies had stopped traveling to the Earthly world long ago, many had even forgotten how to find the magical stone. They were told that the humans had turned the world into a dark place full of hate, not a place for fairies and their light. Eighty years ago they stopped even sending scouts to keep an eye on the goings on of that world. Instead, one of the Keepers of Knowledge was charged…
-
Festival of Colors
Fall has arrived. School is in session and there is a chill in the air. Families flock to apple orchards and pumpkin patches. The lush green of the woods has been replaced by vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds. The changing colors of the leaves announce the season more clearly than any date on a calendar ever could. The background of any outdoor picture immediately gives away the season, while tourists line the sides of roads eager to document the beauty of the leaves. You won’t see these colors in Winter, Spring or Summer. In our old town the Fall Foliage Festival was the event that was anticipated all year. Committees…
-
Autumn Leaves – Sunday Snapshots
It is a beautiful Columbus Day weekend here in the White Mountains. All the towns in our area are packed with leaf peepers and it seems like the leaves are cooperating. Everywhere we go there are amazing views and scenery. I am being a little lazy this Sunday and just posting some pictures that I took from my deck and backyard. I never realized how difficult it is to capture the colors of leaves. None of the pictures I took even came close to the real life vibrance. I did get a few good pictures though. This blog is participating in the Sundays in my City link up. To see…
-
Halloween Costuming – Creating a Daniel Tiger Princess and an Elven Warrior
October is here and it is time for me to buckle down and get working on my children’s Halloween costumes. We have been talking about what they want to be for the past few weeks and now I just need to actually make it happen. Ryan is a creative kid and I love his individuality, however it is a pain when it comes to his Halloween costumes. He will never settle for a costume that doesn’t have his own unique spin on it. For example, when he wanted to be a superhero, he couldn’t just be a generic superhero. He had to design his own hero identity – Lava Ryan. …
