Simply Ten

This idea of finding ten things and listing them in an act of gratitude and acknowledgement for the beauty we are blessed with daily is fantastic. Thank you Amanda of SouleMama for the gift of inspiration.

      simply ten

      a little boy and his bunny ears
      big and little boy enjoying eachother
      catching him speechless
      capturing them secretly
      the laughter when i'm caught
      dappled sun through gorgeous trees
      the smell of cookies baking
      learning to handspin
      stormy outside + warm inside
      library visits almost daily

Wow...that was wonderfully grounding. To take the little things and create one big warm happy moment. I WILL be doing this again! Why don't you give it a shot. Ten things...easier than you think!

That Warm and Cozy Feeling

I love this time of year. Life gets cozier as the weather gets cooler and I can't help double the amount of crafting, cooking, and baking I do in response to the excited energy of this change of seasons.

I have been going through some old recipes and hashing together new ones and so far the new ones are a yumminess success. There are flavors, smells, meals, and activities that I associate with each season. For fall, my heart calls out for lentil soups and oatmeal cookies. It says we need more yarn and fast; there are "cozy's" to be made.

Since I am a believer in giving the heart what it truly desires...

 I wanted to share with you my newly revamped "Autumn Joy Oatmeal Cookies".
**Ingredients**
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup  butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup cranberries, chocolate chips, or any dried fruit, nuts or seeds that make you happy

Beat together the coconut oil, butter, and sugar.

Add the egg and the vanilla and beat again.

 Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

 Add the oatmeal to the flour mixture then  combine the wet and dry ingredients.

 Bake and enjoy!

Ok, so here is my gratuitous mom moment! This is my newest eater! Here he is examining the lentil soup and dinner rolls that we made to compliment the oatmeal cookies.

I could be wrong but I think he likes it! May your nights be as cozy as ours and your today be awesome!

Somedays The Tortoise...

This morning is a beautiful morning. A cuddle with your loved ones morning. A let's not do anything faster than slow kind of morning. This morning I feel thoughtful, methodical, calm, rooted. I am ready to move through the day like a tortoise through the ocean; steady and with a definite purpose but not really trying to fly quickly enough from one place to another. Some mornings are just as beautiful but far less calm. Those are the flyout of bed like the kitchens burning mornings. The how did I sleep through the kids playing for an hour mornings. The let's get this show on the road we have much to do and no time to do it all mornings. Those mornings I am like the hare. Darting aimlessly from one place to the other with much gusto and bravado. Believing that somehow if I just fly quickly I will beat the clock and force time to do as I wish. Those mornings time wins despite my efforts; I forget sometimes that the tortoise always beats the hare silly me! In those mornings are lessons to be learned. However, this morning is not one of those mornings. This morning is beautiful and I am the tortoise. Who are YOU this morning?

S.O.S...I Wanna Learn To Knit

(roll top winter pants for the littlest guy in my life)

As many of you may or may not know I am an avid DIYer, a major self educator, and a whole lot crafty to boot! I can do just about anything set before me if given some time, the tools, and instructions or even just pictures and some guess work!  I am a serious crocheter and have been crocheting since I was 14years old.

(my sons first elf hat...he's been wearing it since he was 2.5years old!)

(my favorite hat...the kids love snatching it up to play)

I have been sewing since my barbie needed better clothes; probably around 6 or 7 years old. And my projects are pretty nice if I do say so myself.

(pull over smock in green corduroy for my little girl)

The one thing I haven't been able to figure out, though, is knitting. I want so desperately to knit and so I am sending out this S.O.S to the crafting mama community! I work from home, homeschool (unschool), and have wee ones so crafting classes just don't fall into my schedule (online crafting classes however...). I know that someone out there wants to teach me to knit (or help me learn through pointing me in the right direction) as much as I want to learn. Let's rally together and get one more mama knitting so that I can teach my little ones this beautiful skill! Thanks in advance and be the happiest and most blessed you you can be; today and always!

::Using Less; Making More::

As I look back on these months and years of my life I am forced to smile at all of the crazy things I have done, been through and seen. I am brought to pondering what it is I am aiming for now; my goals, my desires, the direction I feel I most need to be moving. I have come to realize many things about how I want to live my life; how I am helping myself as well as how I am hindering myself.

 I sit this morning looking out of my window at the foggy, damp, chilly glory that is this fall day and sudden clarity has hit me. I need to stop purchasing things...at least most things. I am a very self reliant person and yet I have found that I have allowed myself to become very much a consumer of unnecessary items. So I am making a change. Starting NOW I am going to minimize the purchasing I do from anywhere...the grocery store, the craft store (ouch!), any place I might spend without thinking. I will only be buying that which is absolute necessity. Also, if I can make it I CAN"T buy it!  My goal is that by the beginning of next year I will be making all that I need...even undies! Yep I am happier when i'm living "slow" and I need to slow down even more so that I don't miss this glorious life that I have been blessed with!

{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  SouleMama)

Cookies For Breakfast?!

 It has been busy (the good kind of busy) and warm and we have been refusing to let go of the summer like pull of these few super sunny and hot days. We have let the chores falter, the yard work sits, the laundry stacks...I heard dirty socks planning a revolt if they aren't washed soon!

We have been having breakfast for dinner and dessert for breakfast. And why not? Everyone deserves a sweet surprise now and again and breakfast cookies is one way to brighten any morning!

We recently discovered the unique yumminess of the wonderful family cook book "Apples for Jam" and we came across the oatmeal cookies. Tessa makes the argument (and who really needs convincing) for having these delightful little cookies for breakfast that I was compelled to take her advise.

These little circles of joy were so good that we left none for snack. Cookies for breakfast...this just might become a habit!

Moving Days Moving Days

As I sit and write this we will be moving for the second time in less than a year. While I won't get into the reasons behind this I will say it has been an interesting journey getting to this point. We are not purchasing simply renting a very lovely home with a yard that has enormous potential for things that at the beginning of this year were merely daydreams. I have been holding myself in a safe little place waiting watching hoping that soon a new home would present itself for our family. Some days it felt like this was the farthest thing from my reality. Some days the excitement would meet an abrupt end when we were outbid. But we kept on aiming toward hope and the knowledge that somewhere out there was our home; the home that would be our haven until we finally make the dream of buying property our reality.

As you look at these pictures see them through my rainbow glasses...

(photo by Loki) 

The place where I will have a kitchen herb garden.

 The perfect spot for seasonal veggies.

(photo by Loki) 

The happy little haven that will be the zone for my chicken coop!!!

(photo by Loki)

I am out of my skin excited. This is the place where many creations will come to life. Where pennies will be saved held toward greater dreams! At least for now, this is Home!



Right Now

Right Now I am...

:loving the shangrila look that the fog has created on the mountains.

:excited to have my computer back after two weeks without it; so much work to finish but I am thrilled to have the projects at hand!

:calculating the amount of space my new chicken coop will take.

:daydreaming about all of the wonderfulness I am able to do with my new yard...yayayayayay!

:enjoying the start of fall and my newest project.

:wishing the most beautiful and glorious day possible to each and every one; I have missed you all glad to be back!

Absent

Just a quick hello and a sorry i've been missing. My computer caught a virus and died amidst the move and it is still in the shop being rescued. The good news is that all information has been retrieved. The bad part is I have not had the time to get it home yet. Hope all of you are having a blast or at least enjoying the change of the seasons as much as I am. I'll be back soon!