over at Sacred Pregnancy...

As many of you know, I have recently started writing, as a contributing writer, with the online magazine

 Sacred Pregnancy. I am thrilled by this new experience in my life. I have always been a writer...of poetry, of songs, of stories, of nonsense. I love to document life with words and at one point had a mighty impressive vocabulary; though nowadays I am happy just remembering the right words at the right times.

(wink wink and smiles) I take great pride in sharing my work with others. It makes me feel connected to the greater world in a way that being a WAHM and Homeschooling parent doesn't quite reach. My second article is up for your reading pleasure. It is called Pre-Chewing For Baby and I must say I am very proud!

sounds of silence

Lately I have been dealing with a bout of imaginative silence.

My writing has been less, my crafting nearly nonexistent.

Sometimes, I am bursting with ideas; I can hardly contain all of them.

Then there are times like now where no amount of forcing seems to generate new thoughts.

This is not to say I am lacking in things to do or create.

I have a whole bunch of exciting projects that I am in the midst of.

There are books being written, articles to send in (I am a freelance writer), home grown summer camps to schedule, knitting clubs to populate, homeschool supplies to replenish, fabric to purchase, websites to finish...

It is all wonderful!

However, none of it is quite at the ready to be shared phase and it seems that I have reached my mental limit.

No new ideas until I put something down or finish it; I am at maximum capacity.

While I am in this moment of silence I will still be here to share with you.

I love this space I have created and I am working to make it beautiful for me and you.

I will still be writing and sharing just a little less while I clear my plate.

Believe me there is a lot of beauty on the horizon!

eclipse vacation

 Enjoying a nap at the coffee shop

 Happened upon a local festival and couldn't resist the bubbles!

 My home brick oven inspiration!

 This pizzeria had wonderful pizza and a beautiful patio equipped with horseshoes,

 a raised sitting area, table tennis and beautiful grass to roam barefoot on; yum.

 Fun in the trunk.

 Beautiful mural in Trinity.

 Creek at the historic temple

A picture of the eclipse through glass place on the camera...such a wonderfully powerful experience.

That season that I love (at least one of them) is finally upon us. Time to go camping!!!

Time to leave the home behind for wide open spaces and beautiful sights to see.

Three lovely days spent playing in the trees, finding little creeks and rivers to wade in, learning why we shouldn't run down slopes, and eating beneath the stars and a canopy of trees. 

Wandering through the tiny town of Hayfork with it's sweet little pizza place...I wish I could have transported that little restaurant home with us. 

Enjoying the town of Trinity with it's beautiful main street, sweet people, and lovely historic meditation temple.

It was such a gift to soak my feet in the creek moving by this temple while sitting quietly in the grass and absorbing all of the calm and meditative energy  that we were surrounded by.

We were so lucky to have been able to view the annular eclipse from the Trinity- Shasta National Forest while sitting at the edge of a glorious lake.

I must say we lead a bliss filled and lovely life.

50 Days of Gratitude - Day #26

30 Day Photo Challenge...Books

Today will be my last day doing the 50 days of gratitude posts. It is not that I am deciding that I am not filled with Gratitude or that I don't believe that I should continue sharing my gratitude with others. It is quite on the contrary. I I have so much to be grateful for; the challenges and the triumphs, the growth and the renewal, that I feel that I should simply dedicate one day a week to sharing gratitude rather than to try and cram it all into 50 wonderful (and sometimes under or overwhelming) posts. So with that said, today my gratitude goes to books. Books have been one of my greatest sources of joy since I could read (which I have been doing since I was nearly 4 years old maybe earlier must ask my mom one day). They let me create and recreate and build and deconstruct and build again myself my world my perceptions of the world around me. I take great joy in the smell of an old book, cracking the spine on a new book (especially when I am the first to grab hold of a new book at the library oh what a satisfying sensation), sharing the wonders of cookbooks with friends and family and the bounty of information that floods my senses every time I open the cover of any book. I love reading to my little ones and watching their eyes glow with excitement whenever I ask to read to them. It makes for many late bedtimes when we get so into reading that 1 book turns to 5 and bedtime gets pushed back by an hour or more. But who can deny the love for a book from a child? It is hardest to force lights out for my oldest as he curls around his books, beneath blankets on his bed, at 10pm eyes sore head aching but refusing to put the book down because he wants to know how it ends! Such an exciting thing to witness for me as his mama! He even finished the first 4 Harry Potter books within a month...voracious! Books create and allow me to create in ways I could never have imagined. They inspire me to be the amazing me I want to be daily. I am even trying my hand at writing and I am in the midst of working on 7 (yup 7...never do I like to do anything on the small side, heehee) books of my own. I am excited, humbled, intimidated, and filled with joy and moments of genius when it comes to writing these books and one day soon I will share them with you. Until then, books in all of their glory!

50 Days Of Gratitude - Day #25

30 Day Photo Challenge...Morning Sky

The sky in its morning glory is a soothing masterpiece.

Though my morning skies have been  filled with fog, a beautiful picture is never hard to find.

A Quick Hello

As I sit here my brain is still waking up after a 3 day vacation that culminated in a glorious Annular Eclipse and a beautiful drive home through mountains and valleys. So much fun was had so many pictures to sort through. Tomorrow will be a day of picture sharing and stories about adventures. 

Until then have a wonderful Monday!

{this moment}

{this moment}- A Friday ritual. A single photo- no words -capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. (Inspired by Amanda Soule of Soule Mama)

**************

50 Days Of Gratitude - Day #24

30 Day Photo Challenge...Leaves

The joy of the crunch of leaves beneath our feet.

Crisp and brittle ready to become a fine dust with little urging.

Green leaves forcing out the purple leaves that never quite realized that Winter has gone.

Maple, Oak, Eucalyptus, and needles from Redwood and Fir. 

Such a world of beauty to be found in the littlest leaf.

50 Days Of Gratitude - Day #23

30 Day Photo Challenge...Happiness

It isn't much happier that we can be than when we rush outdoors with smiling children, hula hoops, and gorgeous weather to play in. We are working at mastering some pretty crazy hoop tricks; even if for the littlest of us that simply means getting the hoop to circle around us. The joy I get from watching the kids learn new things is immense. They spent the better part of an hour learning to throw and catch the hula hoops, trying to jump through the centers as the hoop rolled by, juggling hoops together, and doing one armed and around the neck tricks. Such a wonderful day...such a lucky mom.

Happy Mother's Day

To all of you who have taken the journey into motherhood, may today bring an extra light into your world. 

Enjoy your little (or not so little) ones be they near or far.

To all who have not become a mother, you are one of the greatest gifts a woman makes. 

For this alone, today is worthy of celebration.

Happy Mother's Day!

50 Days Of Gratitude - Day #22

30 Day Photo Challenge: Gratitude...Smile

50 Days of Gratitude - Day #21

30 Day Photo Challenge: Gratitude...Favorite Food

30 Day Photo Challenge: Gratitude

To finish out my 50 Days Of Gratitude I will be doing the

30 Day Photo Challenge: Gratitude

It looks like a blast!

All of the beautiful photographs to be taken...

It is super fun stuff and I would love it if you joined in!

Just leave a link in the 'comments' for all to find and enjoy!

Let's create gratitude together!

50 Days Of Gratitude -Day #20 ~ what a day/ night

What can I say about this weekend that would sum it up to perfection? 

It was amazing and beautiful, filled with joy and laughter and family and friends.

It was exciting and calming and fed out tummies and our souls!

We got to enjoy the yearly Castle and Kites Celebration at Doran Beach.

It was too windy to have sandcastles but oh the kites that showed up.

There were floating pirate ships and giant stingrays. 

And a spinning tube so large that you could have fit 30 people in it easily.

The weather was beautiful and we even ran into friends.

What a glorious way to spend the day...

As beautiful as our day was our night was equally amazing.

We had a Super Moon Barbecue Potluck and Bonfire at our house.

Smores and kids running through the dark and dry leaves thrown into the fire pit to make fairy sparks.

Delicious food, fantastic friends, and late late bedtimes.

A teepee (made by mom), a tent for dad, and chatting until 2am.

Oh what a wonderful night...

 sneaking salsa