Friday, July 29, 2011

{ This Moment }



(( totally blurry, just as our July has been. 
A month of moving, working & chasing what is left of Summer so we can soak up every bit of it. 
 This week it was the county fair, a trip to Michigan, evening bike rides
& a whole lot of settling into our new place in between seeing clients.
But that joy...
that genuine smile caught on the Ferris Wheel..
that is what Summer is all about. 
Savoring those moments.))
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A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. 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.

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Friday, June 24, 2011

{ This Moment }


Writing prompts sent home from school to work on over Summer break.
A collection of vintage typewriters.
inspired children.

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A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. 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.

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Friday, June 10, 2011

{ This Moment }




and just like that, it's the last day of school.

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A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. 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.

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

It was a good week.










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Although there are a few days of school left,
we are clearly pretending we are on a Summertime schedule
 & I find myslef saying Yes! a lot more.

Yes to quick bike rides at 8:45 pm.
Yes.. raspberries, hummus & pita chips are a suitable dinner.
Yes, you may skip combing your hair today.
Yes! Go play with the hose!
Yes, we can go to the store solely to buy popsicles & ice cream to fill the freezer!
Yes, we can skip our obligations and head to the beach this evening.
SO what if our sink is full of dishes, sand & grass clippings are covering the floor and clean laundry sits in a pile unfolded?

These children are only children for so long and this life can be full & hectic.

So, Yes, I will take off work to attend the last couple field trips of the year
 &
Yes, I will enjoy every. single. minute.
 because 5th & 3rd grade will be over before we know it
and this moment is all we ever have.

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Monday, June 6, 2011

:: Over the Last Couple Weeks ::


She got 1st place
here

 and here.


He got honorable mention.

 We've soaked up the sunshine & warm weather at the lake whenever we find a spare moment.

He's made me laugh with my whole body.

again & again & again.

He won. 

We've filled the weekends with a Summer time schedule.

She's snuck to my bed for some snuggles more then usual.


There were rehearsal dinners & flowers & big preperations.

He ran his first 5k

And proudly beat his time by 49 seconds.

Some furniture was painted.

 I proudly stood by her side as my Best Friend of 30 years got married.
 And they looked so grown up, they brought me to tears each time I looked their way.


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The days have been full in our neck of the woods for sure. 
 All of these photos are from my iphone..moments captured here & there. 
This week we ended another season of Soccer, finished up Cross Country Training & made it through a very special wedding.  I feel as if I have nothing to do now with 6 days of practice eliminated. 
As we wind down through this last week of school, I cannot help but be filled with excitement with the thought of blissful Summer days with my babies.
Sunshine, laughter, popsicles & adventures.
I can take a deep breath now because we made it through so much these last few months.
ahhhhhh....

I hope to be spending more time writing & visiting with you all in this space..
Much love.
xo

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Friday, June 3, 2011

{ This Moment }


1st Horse Show.... 1st Place.
I'm so proud of her.
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A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. 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.

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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Giving thanks for another year...

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32 trips around the Sun.
I am grateful for every. single. moment.
This life is a great blessing.
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Friday, April 29, 2011

{ This Moment }



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A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. 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.
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Friday, April 22, 2011

{ This Moment }



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A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. 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.

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Functional Knitting on the Soccer Field



Being a single Mama of two very active, involved children can sometimes be stressful.
I find a lot my evenings & weekends spent driving here & there in the car to take one or the other to some event, party or game.  After a long day in the office, I admit, knitting is my meditation.
After taking on so much energy massaging people & doing energy work, I see my knitting as my Mala and each stitch a reminder to be present.  It allows me the time to clear my mind of all I took in during the day, while keeping my hands busy.

So, I have a confession to make... I knit in the carpool line.
And at stop lights, waiting for cross country practice to end,  horseback riding lessons & even on the soccer field.
And for the last couple weeks, that knitting has been purely for a functional purpose.
(don't you just love it when you can make something that is useful around the house?)

The simple kitchen washcloth.

My Grandma had many of these and I have fond memories of standing by her side washing dishes when I was little..the smell of the green Palmolive dish soap, the way the fluorescent light glowed over the sink while the rest of the kitchen was dark, the wrinkles on Grandmas hands and the sound of Da's laughter watching television in the next room.  In an effort to green up my house cleaning even more, I decided to ditch the kitchen sponge & create a nice stash of hand knits.

So, for the last two weeks, I have had a dishcloth in progress in my purse at all times.
Quick rows & such a simple pattern that I don't even have to look when I'm working on them giving me more time to watch the kids kick about on the field..or for the light to turn green in some cases.  ;) 

The original pattern I found on Ravelry turned out much too big for my liking when washing dishes so I modified the pattern a bit making it smaller. 
These are easy enough that you can whip out several in a day knitting a line here & there. 
Here's to functional knitting & my favorite time of year... Soccer season! 


Grandma's Dishcloth's
Use any of the 100% cotton worsted weight yarns,
such as Peaches & Creme, Lion Cotton, Bernat Handicrafter.
size US 7 or US 6 needles

CO 4 Stitches  
Knit the 1st row.

K2, YO, K to end *** repeat this row until you have 30 stitches (small) or 44 stitches (large) on your needles.

Begin decrease

K1, K2tog, Yo, K2tog, K to end *** repeat until you have 4 stitches left on your needles.

Bind off. 
 Weave in all ends & enjoy. 


Friday, April 15, 2011

{ This Moment }


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A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo (or two!) - 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.

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May your weekend be filled with all the best!
Love & Light!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

~Make Your Own Natural Easter Egg Dyes ~

   
     Legend has it that every spring a rabbit would visit children’s homes during the night and leave a woven nest with an egg in it as a sign that spring had arrived. Take your children on a hike to search for leaves, pinecones, flowers, grasses and other materials for your basket trimmings. Then, dye eggs naturally with leaves, grasses, spices and other gifts of nature to mimic the variety of colorful eggs made by our wild critters! Your creativity and nature’s colors will give your eggs a special one-of-a-kind design - and they'll be much better for you to eat too!!!

To start hard boil your eggs! After making each dye, the eggs will need to sit in the dye for 5-15 minutes (depending on the depth of color you'd like).

PINK
1 - 15 oz jar of beets
1 c. water
1 t. vinegar
Bring beets and water to a boil, let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour through colander into a bowl to retain the liquid. Cool, then stir in vinegar.

YELLOW
1 T. tumeric or curry powder
2 c. water
Bring spice and water to a boil, let simmer 5 minutes. Cool.

GREEN
1 c. water
3 chlorophyll capsules (or make your own - instructions below)
Bring water to a boil, then remove from heat. Open up capsules and stir contents into water. Cool.
PURPLE
2 c. frozen blueberries
2 c. water
1 t. vinegar
Bring blueberries and water to a boil, let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour through colander into a bowl to retain the liquid. Cool, then stir in vinegar.

BLUE
1/2 head of red cabbage
2 c. water
1 t. vinegar
Bring cabbage and water to a boil, let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour through colander into a bowl to retain the liquid. Cool, then stir in vinegar. NOTE: Eggs will require sitting in this dye for several hours to hold color.




To make your own chlorophyll:
Making the dye out of chlorophyll will require crushing green plant materials to extract the color and putting the plant liquid and solid materials in a glass jar. Place the jar in the sun for a few days and then look at the color. Add water to dilute it and allow it to sit in the sun for a few more days. Pour the plant material into a pan and simmer the material for one hour to extract the color. The liquid should have color while the plant material should have none.







Sunday, March 27, 2011

{ Right Now }

Right now, I am....

Recovering from a busy burst of clients in the office.  I tripled my clientele in the last two weeks alone.  For that I am grateful.

Beaming because South Shore Grow now has a website & discussion forum!  Visit our non-profit natural family living community online & check back often as the site is being worked on still.  There are so many great threads on it already!  http://www.southshoregrow.org/

Looking forward to Spring Break and four fun filled days spent at a water park in Wisconsin Dells..1 week & counting!

Admiring the awareness my children show constantly regarding food choices and living simply.  This morning before breakfast they commented on how proud they were of their meal.  Eggs from a 85 year old farmer friend, bread I baked last night slathered in jam we made from the cherries picked in out neighbors parents yard.  A series of simple choices bringing together a very symbolic meal.

Celebrating my Mamas' Birthday! We had a lovely dinner out at a beautiful Italian restaurant this weekend with the whole family!

Grounding myself by getting back into my morning Yoga & juicing routine. 
It is Spring and that means it is time to start a cleanse soon!

Creating many, many beautiful things with my knitting needles.  I've come to a point where there has been a shift in my knitting and I am understanding and seeing things in a different way.  Sunday I made a beautiful cowel for my Mama in under 4 hours.  Currently, I have washcloths, a Waves scarf for Miss Maya, a Summer Prayer Shawl, a Noro Cowl and a Lace Mohair Scarf on the needles.  Details on my Ravelry page. 

Smiling REALLY big because last night, Soccer season officially started for the kids!  I just LOVE spending my weekends watching their games & my week nights knitting on a blanket in a soccer field as they practice.  Precious down time for me that I SO look forward to. 

Preparing for my best friends Bridal Shower.  There is a lot of creativity going on in this house lately as we plan center pieces, sew table runners and make party favors.

Loving this site I recently stumbled across : The Long Thread as I am preparing for a weekly Waldorf inspired craft class I will be teaching at the library soon. (more details on that soon!)

Praising my 11 year old son as he picks up the knitting needles more.  He is getting quite good and is sure the increased finger dexterity will benefit his guitar playing.  He is working on fingerless gloves now.  On DPN's.  Did I menion that I've never even used DPN's?!?

What is going on in your world right now
 As for me, I am going to finish sipping my tea
& head into the office to see one of my favorite clients. 
~Love & Light~





Tuesday, March 22, 2011

{ This Moment }

{this moment}

[ Pardon my lateness.  For a few days now, blogger would not let me upload any photos..sheesh.]

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A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. 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.

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

~ Apple Muffins ~



Apple Muffins
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Yield: 12 or 48 mini muffins

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon
Optional ::(Dash of nutmeg)

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted amish butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar ( I used turbinado)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed, divided

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk or yogurt

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

{ I encourage you to use organic, local & free-range ingredients whenever possible. }

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour muffin cups and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. .Mix in the buttermilk or yogurt gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top ( I didn’t do this step & they were still really yummy. I think it would’ve made it too sweet for our taste). Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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enjoy!\

Sunday, March 13, 2011

~Weekend Thrifting Goodness~


<>
I LOVE vintage Pyrex.  Like love, love it.
Like gasp loudly in antique stores when I find a piece I love.

A sweet little dollhouse table for Maya's Fairy corner. 
Maple Syrup isn't cheap.  This is a perfect solution to little hands pouring too much!
Mr. Salt & Mrs. Peppy  :)
Lovin' this aluminum ice cube tray.  I'm trying to get rid of plastic any way I can in this house. 

<>
So many fun treasures were found this weekend!! 

River fell in LOVE with these glasses.
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And, last but certainly not least...I found my couch!!!

I have been on the hunt for a funky vintage couch since mine was destroyed in the tornado last year.
Here she is.  10 feet of the most ridiculous buttery yellow goodness.
I found a similar sofa on etsy for over $2,000.-
This mid-century modern, custom-made piece cost me just under $150.!!!!
Un-flippin'-believable.
In perfect shape & just professional cleaned. 
 
Every time I walk into the living room I giggle.
It is SO ridiculously huge.
I'm dreaming of the perfect bright fabric to make some pillows for it soon..
and plan to get some local vintage art framed this week to hang above it.
My son & I can both lay comfortably across it together..ha!
And, it's Kava kitty approved.  ;)

{bliss}

Always thrilled to find old treasures & this weekend truely knocked my socks off!

Happy Weekending!

~Sara~