Sturbridge Village

We had to use a set of discount tickets to Sturbridge Village before they expired, so off we went in less than 40 degree weather to spend the day in old colonial Sturbridge Village.  It was cold, but we managed to see and do quite a bit and would love to come back when the weather is warmer.

Wesley spinning yarn

This handmade "village" had windows and doors carved out.  So simple and sturdy.

Check out the trundle bed.  It had wooden wheels.

In between stops, Wesley was our map guy.

Off on a sleigh ride in the snow.....

This woman is testing the bread to see if it's done baking.

We probably stayed the longest at the blacksmith shop.  We taught our kids that they have some good blacksmiths in their heritage.   Here we watched the blacksmith work on an ice skate blade.  It was interesting hearing him talk about all of his tools and what his job entails year round.

Simple machines.....which one is this?

At the arts & crafts shop, the kids worked on punched tin lanterns. 

A day at Sturbridge Village makes us all the more thankful for heat, comfy beds, indoor plumbing, refrigerators, freezers, & the comforts of life we enjoy. Just a peek in the outhouse was enough to show the kids how good they really have it.

...another fun outing in MA.  After 13 years here, we are still discovering new territory.

Funnest lunch date

We are expecting 8" of snow to tomorrow (my b-day), so I took my little guy out to lunch with me today.  We talked about Play-doh, his wonderful pre-school teacher, making a snowman, yummy lemonade, how mommy's grilled cheese is better than Panera's, and simply enjoyed our date.

This is mommy bliss!

(It's made with love & cherished.)

Poor Grace

A convo between my friends Allison & Bator (a known amazing Thai cook) and my Grace...


Allison:  "How are you Grace?"

Grace:  "Very bad"

Allison:  "Why are you very bad?"

Grace:  "Because my mom says we're having leftovers for dinner and I can't handle it."



Bator:  "You can come to my house for dinner."


Grace:  "Ok.  I'll be there!"


P.S.  I'd take Bator's meal over mine any day!

Snow Day!

Wesley: Daddy, will you make a snowman with me?
The piling on of the snow clothes commenced as our family waded outside in knee-deep snow.  This snow was too light for building a snowman, but we had fun until we froze....

Thomas working on his snow fort 

snowball fight with daddy!

There's a piper down!

Such a pretty white blanket of snow.
Peace. 

As usual, I'm the first one to head back inside our warm house.
I'll always have a streak of CA blood in my veins,
but I'm happy to snap a couple more pics from here.

The award for staying outside the longest goes to..... Wesley!

Family

My SIL made these cute little people wood ornaments for our family for Christmas.  Each figure is a member of our family.  This is how our children arranged them on the tree.....  

I left them bunched together just like this until the Christmas tree came down, happy that our kids WANT to be together (at least when we decorated the tree).

Young Women Christmas gift

We gave UNO cards and this note to the Young Women at church for Christmas.  The UNO cards were found at the $1 store, so this was budget friendly and the girls LOVED it.