right now

right now I'm

:: breathing in the damp, earthy fall each chance I get

:: saying farewell to a most excellent fall soccer season

:: saying yes to playing in the rain

:: saying yes to playing improvised hockey in the dining room since it is raining outside, let me move that table out of the way for you...

:: reaching the next level of baby proofing, Squirmy Pal is on the move my friends

:: celebrating our unseasonably warm week with a candle-lit picnic dinner

:: creating important bits and pieces for gladsome, so excited that it is all happening in less than two weeks

:: loving this Mama Scout e-Lab, it has been such a wonderful way to think about our lives as a creative family!  Amy is incredible, you must check it out!

:: crafting Minecraft Halloween costumes

:: making plans for Strawberry Shortcake too

:: carving the happiest, scariest, and coolest Jack 'O Lanterns on the block

:: keeping rain boots and rain coats close at hand

:: saying an extra prayer for those people awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Sandy

And you, what is happening right now with you?

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "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."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

this moment {apple glasses}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "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."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

strength, peace, heal

Several months ago my aunt gave me a stash of plain beige tea towels.  And by stash, I mean 60!  At the time she said that she couldn't wait to see what I would do with them.

What could I do with them?  Oh let me count the ways.

I've brainstormed nearly a dozen ways to craft these tea towels into something beyond tea towels. Now, in reality I've only been able to accomplish a couple of those creations, but just give me time my friends, just give me time.



One way I've been able to purpose the towels have been in some gift-giving of my own.  I have found that since I've begun baking my own bread, one of the joys has been sharing a loaf or two with almost every batch.  Before these tea towels came into my life, I had been sewing up bread bags or, in a pinch, cutting fabric into squares to wrap up the bread to give away.

But now I can simply wash several tea towels at a time and have them ready for baking day.  (I'm kidding about actually having a baking day.  I don't.  It sounds good though doesn't it? Like I am uber organized.) 

Recently as I prepared bread for some good women I know, I realized that each had something happening in her life that was moving me to give her bread in the first place.  Specific words kept coming to me - almost as a prayer - as I thought about their individual situations.  So when the bread was baking (and littles were napping) I took a bit of time and stenciled onto the tea towels each word that had come to me.  My way of sending a special blessing, along with the bread.

weekending

It was when we sat down for family dinner on Sunday that I, somewhat surprisingly, realized how much we experienced this weekend.  We hadn't planned it that way.  But sometimes your moments, your days, your weekends come together in a busy goodness that can only be described as adventures.

Adventures of bowling, pancakes for dinner (with the dearest of friends), soccer, soccer, soccer (that is one game for each of the big kids), hayride, cousins, campfire, polka dancing, hiking, toads, frogs, caterpillars, and snakes.

Adventures, it all.

Wonderful, it all.


Linking with Amanda at Habit of Being.

this moment {well played}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "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."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

here and there {gladsome}

It is hard to describe all of my feelings as gladsome nears.  Emotions tumble over each other as I fully realize what is about to take place.  Excitement makes way for nervousness, which is quickly replaced by delight.  Anxiousness peeks in every so often, but so does a persistent and deepening sense of goodness.  But mostly I feel grateful.  Grateful to be putting into the world something that I believe to be authentic and special.

The past several weeks I've squeezed time in, here and there, to work on the many aspects of the retreat.  The schedule is being refined, supplies are being gathered (and made, of course), special deliveries are being delivered, meals are being planned, and the park landscape is cooperating in its own beautiful preparation for our arrival.  The women participating are enthusiastically awaiting this weekend of creative nourishment.  Some are coming individually, others coming with a friend.  All are coming for the opportunity to gather in a relaxed, reflective, meaningful way.

I believe that when you create something and offer it out to the world it can be surprising where your hard work might lead you.  I imagine that as November nears I will simply need to hold on tight and enjoy this ride through one of my long-awaited dreams.

While I may not know exactly where gladsome will take me and those participating, I can say for certain that it will be good.  Great even.  When you bring together positive, lively women in a gorgeous setting and encourage exploration of their creativity, how could it not be?

There are just a handful of spots remaining for this oh-so-good experience.  Maybe you need an extra nudge to consider attending.  Consider this your nudge. 

a good yarn

Sometimes for a little girl who has to tag along to evening soccer practices all that is needed to pass the time is yarn out of Mama's project bag.

I am quite happy to share these bits if that means I get to sit (for the first time all day.)  Sit and breathe in the cool evening air and fiddle with projects of my own.

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "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."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

instagram 41

I turned 41 recently.  Much less fanfare than a year ago.  I'm quite used to being in this decade of my life and wear forty as a bit of an honor thankyouverymuch.

Mid-morning of my birthday I realized that the day would really be much like any other day around here.  So, to make it a bit lively, I decided to chronicle my day with a photo taken every 41 minutes.  Admittedly, some photos clocked in a few minutes later, and I took a couple bonus shots for fun (and to prove I didn't spend the entire day in the car, ahem), but nevertheless they all made up my day.

My forty-first birthday.

A bit of a habit.  Scrounging change for drive-thru iced tea.

If you are counting, this is the third picture in the car...

CSA pick-up.  Our favorite day of the week.

As I end many days...