{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' for all to find and see.

very merry

Now that the tree is up and in its proper place the fun of watching the kids decorate has begun. They all take such pride in where they place each ornament and how it looks in that place. Sometimes moving a single ornament 3 or 4 times until it is just right. The amount of care they take to make their tree beautiful is a sight to behold. And when I step back and the finished product of all their hard work I love what I see.

perfect...

 exactly 3 feet tall

 my mighty men

Since you can not cut down wild trees n California we took the kids to do the next best thing. Where we live there are bunches of cut your own Christmas tree farms. We found the sweetest local farm and went about the job of finding our perfect little tree. After much tromping and laughing and deliberation and baby chasing we found this little fella. Not to big (don't wanna temp the youngest of our brood to try to climb it) not to small; it is just right! Kinda feel like Goldilocks with the porridge...haahaa! Today to decorate our sweet little tree. Love this time of year. 

Did you cut down your tree this year? Do you have a living one? Leave a message in the comments and let us know your tree story!

simplicity christmas

 Kissing the snowman Grandma Rose made before he was born

Loki likes to keep the decorating simple and I think it looks lovely! The stockings were also Handcrafted by Grandma Rose (my lovely momma!)

There is so much going on in the world during the holiday's. It seems that people are moving at 10 times there natural speed frantically trying to get everything together for that one special day. In all the mayhem that comes along with this holiday I can't help but ask myself, what would happen if suddenly Christmas was part of the slow movement. Would places like Toy's R Us close down while Waldorf and Handcraft suppliers flourished. Would children ask for things that really meant something special to the instead of asking for every last thing they have seen on the television or all of the toys that their friends have that they do not. If the clock on Christmas was turned back to it's earliest pages before big box stores and the "plastic hell" of toys what would we be doing with ourselves?
From this Christmas forward this is the question I will be trying to answer. My children are simple in their requests and have a huge sense of gratitude for gifts given them. This makes simplifying Christmas an easier task for me than others. I believe that Christmas needs to be taken back to it's roots. To when people were glad to receive a beautifully sewn dress from their aunt. A time when Grandma made a funky knit vest every year and you wore it because you  liked it (regardless of it's cool factor). I want to show my children the beauty of a Season that has become all glitz and no substance. Christmas is the domain of the heart and the imagination.
There is much fun to be had when you take the commercialization out of Christmas. Here are some fun ideas...
You can make signs from reclaimed wood and use scrap twigs to make a mock runway for Santa to land his sleigh on.
You can craft little miniature elves from clothespins and felt.
Cotton balls become small scale Winter Wonderland Scenes.
Cinnamon sticks can be crafted into many varieties of beautifully scented ornaments.
And the options for baking are endless and fantastically delicious!
This is how I plan on celebrating it with my loved ones from now on!
How do you plan on simplifying this Christmas? Share a link to your craft and gift ideas in the comments. We love to hear from all of you!

Sense of Self

I watch my kids growing as though in a wonderful dream. Each passing moment is an experience to be cherished and remembered, even the not so great ones. There are many things that I wish to instill in my children for them to carry with them into their adult life. Of these strengths or traits that I hope they hold onto, one of the most important to me if a strong and healthy sense of self. I want my children to know who they are. To not allow others to dictate to them the kind of person they should be. I want them to embrace a life of meaning, mindfulness, and great joy and I believe that you can only do this with a true sense of self. I aim to live this in my life. I show my children that while it is great to seek information or help with problems in the world beyond yourself, the only way they can find what is right for them is to look within for the answers they seek. I try to show them that no odds are to stacked against them for them to triumph if they really want to. And I try to show them that there is great success and happiness to be found living beyond the road most traveled. I need them to know that while growth is necessary in life that they should always know that they were born perfect and are perfect within themselves even on their roughest days. This and more may I gift my little ones with from the deepest places of my heart.

Warm and Cozy

As Fall melts gently into Winter, I can feel a new chill in the air. We are trading in thick sweaters for winter coats and my mind turns to ways to keep all of us warm inside and out on these chilly days. Some of my favorite tummy warmers are soups, stews, and chili's. Not only are these delicious meals fast and simple to prepare; leaving more time in the evening for other activities, but they are hearty and filled with the bounty of vegetables and grains that we come across in this season. One of my favorite meals is Chili and Cornbread. The sweet and spicy aromas of this meal cooking in my kitchen takes me back to my mothers' kitchen on rainy days where she warmed my siblings and I body and soul as I aim to do for my own brood. In the spirit of happy belly's and happy hearts I share these recipes with you.

 Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Lentils and Corn

2 Cups Corn

141/2 ounces black beans

2 roma tomatoes diced

6 cloves garlic chopped

1 small red onion

3-4 shallots

2 cups lentils (I used red, green, and brown but any one will do)

4 cups vegetable broth/stock or water

2 tablespoons cumin

6 tablespoons chili powder (less if you prefer a milder flavor)

2 teaspoons thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Avocado, Cilantro, Cheese, and Hot Sauce to Garnish

 Boil 4 cups of water. Pour water over the 2 cups of lentils in a separate bowl and let sit while you prepare the following. In a large stock pot, put the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, thyme, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions start to become clear. Drain lentils. Add the lentils, tomatoes, and stock/broth or water to the sauteing onion mix. Bring to a boil then lower heat and let simmer until the lentils are tender. Add the corn and black beans stir and heat until all is fully heated. 

Oven Baked Cornbread 

11/4 cups cornmeal

21/2 cups milk

21/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1-2 cups of finely shredded cheese (I used mozzarella but any cheese will do)

unsalted butter

In a medium bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs gently. Combine the eggs, milk, and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until the ingredients are well mixed. Let stand for 10 - 15 minutes (until it starts to get almost doughy or yeasty in appearance). While the mixture is standing, preheat the oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish pour in the batter. Sprinkle the cheese over the entire top of  batter and place into the oven for 30 minutes. 

Hands down my favorite oven baked cornbread recipe; the bread is very springy, light, and the cheese adds just enough subtle flavor to be delicious. And when paired up with the Vegetarian Chili this meal is the perfect way start the end of your day. Enjoy!

Art and Children

 Bodhi and mom art

 Bodhi and dad art

 Playing around with woodland creature designs

 Loki car sewing project

Loki's pillow in progress

I am a believer that within each and every one of us there lies an artist. A wonderful creative dreamer who sees the world through rainbow filters and sparkled dreams. As adults sometimes this artist gets moved aside and forgotten. Sometimes we need to reach inside, grab this artist by the hand, and welcome them into the world again. Within children, this artist sits at the fore. It hangs out and creates all day every day because that is one of the many joys that children have in life; the joy of uninhibited creating! I love the art my children create. Its simplicity and complexity. Its abandon and freedom. We try as often as possible to sit and create with the kids. I like to introduce them to all of the many ways you can craft and make beautiful things and watch them take flight. They love sewing, crocheting (or just playing with yarn), cut and pasting, crafting with nature, and hunting down bits of nature to create with. Paints, crayons, markers, pencils, clay...it is all a wonderland for them. It is all a wonderland for me too! Crafting and creating is one of my favorite activities to do with my children With the youngest of our brood now discovering painting and crayons and his new favorite word being, "draw", I know that we are about to be gifted with a lot more new and beautiful munchkin art. Truly exciting!

{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" for all to find and see. (Inspired by Amanda Soule of SouleMama).

gratitude

Sometimes, there are days when I sit down and try as I might I can't seem to come up with any topics to talk about. My projects might all be in the process of being finished or I ran out of pictures. On these days I almost feel panicked...shouldn't I have some profound thing to say to share with the world. Then I take a step back, breath and realize that sometimes it is not the profound that is the most important. Sometimes the smallest thought, simplest words, tiniest gesture is the one that counts the most.

With this in mind I sat quietly and let ideas float past me. Gratitude kept coming to the fore. It is one of my favorite topics.

Gratitude is a special gift that you give to yourself and to those around you. It is the gift of honest pleasure. It is the heart saying, "I exist and that is not just enough it is fantastic. Who could ask for anything more?" Many people they should be grateful only when things come to them or when someone does them a favor or passes them a kind word. Yes, these are definitely times when gratitude should be present but it is so much more than being happy you have been treated well. Gratitude is looking around you and saying, "If I never have anything more than what I have right now this would be perfect." Does this mean that you don't strive for a better life or the ability to have nice things or security in life? NO not at all. It simply means that you don't allow the drive for these things to blur or distort that which is truly meaningful in your life.

With all of the crazy scariness going on in the world, I find it more important than ever to not only practice sincere gratitude in every part of my life but to help my children hone their inner gratitude so that they can be filled with the true joy that being happy in the moment with yourself and life can give you. Gratitude brings with it a certain peace and happiness (these feelings are all close friends and tend to travel in a pack). These are the ingredients to a good and well lived life!

My wish and my request for you all is that you find sincere gratitude in you life. Find a way, be it big or small, to wake every day and say to yourself, "Wow I am so glad to be alive and I am grateful for every moment in my day. Not just the good moments, though these are invaluable to me but the bad moments as well because these teach me much about myself and help me to grow into the person I was meant to be." I am blissfully grateful for my family, for the ideas that I have been gifted, for the encounters in my life that have shaped and continue to help shape the direction I take and the person I am. I am so grateful for all of you. All who visit me here daily or weekly or even just once on accident while searching for something else. You all are helping make my dreams possible and for that I am truly grateful.

On the Hook and a Book

With the weather sticking stubbornly and so beautifully to Fall, I am once again drawn to my hooks to create coziness. With now four projects going on in crochet land I find it amusing that I would want to start another. But then I go out for a walk or to the market and see all of the cool, lumpy, cozy, fuzzy, multitudes of sweaters and scarves and headbands to be made and I get the itch to start another project! With sun shining, green leaves still on the trees, and no snow on the ground it's hard to believe that it is December and Christmas and the Solstice are right around the corner. It is an exciting time of year to say the least.

Recently I have decided to give up my nightly movie (I have been doing too much screen time lately) and go back to my oldest and dearest companion while I work...books. I love to read! I am a voracious reader and with three kids, homeschool, and a business to run I have many times neglected this passion of mine. So I return to the folds of my hook and my book happily slipping into the rhythm of my hands moving yarn and my imagination creating new worlds to explore. For today I work on a Chunky Christmas Sweater for my oldest and read The Immortal Highlander by Karen Moning.

Yes I have been sucked into romance land but who can pass up a grown up style fairy tale? For me today, as in many days, life in it's simplicity is very good.