Winter at Frog's Hollow

As spring approaches I wanted to take a moment to document our winter here on the farm.  We didn't get a dump of snow, much to the children's disappointment, but we did get several snows that delayed school!  Most of those snows didn't last long as this seemed to be the year that they were, more often than not, followed by rain.

Our home seems to be particularly suited to winter as it's a very cozy place to be sitting by a roaring fire as the radiators clang and bang around us.  While we never have as many fires as I would like, we certainly had our fair share and during Grace's midterms Bryce made a fire everyday for her to study by.

We had some beautiful pink sunsets!  

Rosie got to go on a walk in the woods almost everyday, much to her delight.  I like taking her in the woods during the winter because she can freely run around without briars and multiflora getting her and there is not as much worry about ticks.  As much as we enjoyed winter, we are now ready to welcome spring with open arms (and hopefully not as much rain!)!

A New (old) Chandelier

Our foyer didn't need much in the way of renovations besides a few cosmetic changes; a fresh coat of paint, refinished floors and a new chandelier.  I found an antique chandelier that I loved on first dibs.  It wasn't an easy install and Bryce did tell me to only buy new from now on, but I love everything about it.

The green crystals tie it to the green walls in the library and the very top of it is a bow!  You know I cannot resist a pretty bow.

An Egg Holder Made By Harris

I don't think I ever posted about my Christmas gift from Harris this year.  I don't want to forget as it's one of my very favorite things!  He, with the help of his Dad, made me an egg holder and it's so beautiful!  The inspiration was from the kitchen in Downton Abbey and vintage egg holders.

I just love having it on my counter filled with beautiful eggs from our ladies.

Two Unfortunate Things

It's been an interesting couple of weeks around here.  A week and a half ago, while snowboarding, Harris broke his collar bone.  You guys, this kid.  The really unfortunate part is that he's out of all activities for 6 weeks and he's so bored it's silly.  No trampoline, no diving, no baseball, no anything!  The days stretch out pretty far when you get home at 3:30 and go to bed at 10:00 and have nothing to do in between but read, watch tv and and play on the computer.

Also, we had crazy wind last week and I pulled into our driveway to discover a tree had succumbed to too wet soil and the wind.  We hate to lose trees but at least it could have been a scraggly one.  Instead it was this nicely formed and leafed spruce.  Amazingly, Bryce took it down by himself!

Grace's Carrot Cake

We celebrated Grace's birthday with family, dinner and cake (we also took her and some of her friends out for brunch this weekend!).  Per her request, I served Grace's favorite pork tacos and made a carrot cake.

I just love the way the carrot cake turned out.  Being a naked cake, I think its charm is in its rustic appeal (for me at least).  Also, I was quite pleased with my idea to use the carrot's greenery around the base of the cake.  It's the little things, right?

A New Driver

Grace is now officially a driver (our state is 17).  Even typing those words fills me with a low level since of terror.  It's not just her driving that terrifies me, but also all the other crazy drivers including new drivers like herself.  Apparently, I never considered that we were all driving around with drivers who, while theoretically know the rules of the road, are really just bumbling around trying desperately to learn all of the things that it's hard to teach.  Turns out, that practice is really key.

And that is where we got into a bit of a predicament.  Grace hates driving.  From the moment she got her permit, she has never wanted to drive.  The first few times I went with her, it inevitably ended in tears (hers, not mine!).  She was so unsure of herself on the road, so hesitant, and so slow that we begin to get worried.  I think to be a good driver you really need to have confidence in order to make safe and good decisions.  Therefore, we ended up enrolling her in a defensive driving course.  This was in addition to the six hours that she had been required to have in order to get her permit.  Grace drove with a professional driver who taught her how to control the car, drive safely and defensively and helped her to feel a bit more comfortable behind the wheel.  Some of the things he had her do while driving gave me anxiety (slamming on the brakes while on the highway at 70 mph)  but ultimately taught her what the car can and can't do.  At any rate, we are really happy we had Grace do it and will have Harris do the same when it's time.

When the day of her test came, she and I were so nervous!  Unfortunately, as we sat there waiting for her turn, we watched four kids fail the test!  However, when her time came, she did beautifully and was so relieved!  She still isn't begging to borrow the car and go on a joy ride but at least now when she is ready, she has a license to do so!

17

Grace is 17 today!  Junior year has been a tough year so far in that the academic load is super intense, she has lots of college pressure building up which means SAT/ACT prep, and driving is on the horizon which she hates (our state it's 17!).    All of that being said, she's still (usually) a delight and I can barely consider that we only have her home for another year and a half.  Here is her annual update and things we love about her...

1.  Grace has had more social activity this year than she's ever had.  While it's still not a lot, it's definitely ticked up.  She had a really nice boyfriend, Jack, over the summer and while it didn't last long into the school year, it was a great first experience without a lot of drama or broken hearts.

2.  She's killing it in academics.  Last year she made high honors and is on track to do that again this year with straight A's at the end of the semester.  That's with AP and honors courses!  She clearly gets that from me (just joking- I actually failed math in high school).

3.  She works every Saturday at a local cafe and really enjoys it.  The tips aren't bad either.

4.  She is out of her mind excited about an upcoming trip to London during spring break.  She's going with a group of students who are presenting Henry the 5th to several audiences.  Guess what her part is?  Henry!  They have three Henry's and she's one of them.

5.  She's still dancing.  While ballet is her true love, this year she is taking a modern class and has been surprised at how much she has enjoyed it.

6.  Grace and Coco (our cat) are basically attached at the hip when Grace is home.  Coco follows Grace around wherever she goes and even perches on the toilet when Grace takes a shower (every single time).  It's a mutual adoration.

7.  She just won $1,000 in a contest at school.  She and five other students entered a national  environmental contest put on by Lexus and won!  Each students gets to take home a check for $1,000.  Isn't that crazy and awesome?

8.  She loves music, especially 80's music and she's making her way through a list of 80's movies she wants to see before she graduates.

9.   She still says her very favorite season is winter!  She's participated in ski club at school this year which has been fun for her to ski with friends.   Her day was off to a good start today because we woke up to a light dusting of snow.  A birthday gift from Mother Nature!

10.  She's just a great, all around girl.  She's compassionate, kind and respectful of others.  She works hard and is loyal to those she loves.  We couldn't love her more or be more proud of the woman she is becoming.  We feel so blessed that she's ours.