Settling In

Well, another week has passed, and I'm finally getting a chance to post again.  You've probably seen me email about Nicole's blog, which includes a really fantastic recounting of our field trip to Shedd Aquarium  in Chicago.  Apparently in my enthusiasm for her postings I misunderstood her willingness to share it widely, so I'm in the doghouse right now.  It will probably be a while before she allows me do that again!

Other than that, we've had a good week.  The field trip was a big success, as was the clay class she took on Friday.   Our daily routine is working well for both of us, and she's clearly very happy and content with the arrangement.  I love seeing what creative projects she comes up with during her free time in the afternoons.  She's created restaurants, craft projects, imaginary games, gardening/composting projects and more.

The weather here has been fantastic.  Nicole and I have been soaking it up as much as possible, knowing that we've got months of winter ahead!  Today we all went to my mother-in-law's place in the country and really enjoyed seeing what's happening on the land.  Frogs in the pond, persimmons slowly ripening, butterflies flocking to the flowers, birds at the feeders, and volunteer pumpkins and squash covering the compost piles!

I've been busy doing my regular PTA Council stuff and continuing to plan the Mothers and More Seasoned Moms Getaway.  But I've also had time to play in my craft room.  Hope you enjoy:

Here's a tote filled with 8 identical blank cards.  I think the totes are fun to make and really cute!
















I'm thinking about making one filled with these cards, too:








Here's what I came up with for the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge this week:

And a couple more I just played around making: