{bloom}

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

{Friday Night Rituals}

Fridays are all about fun for us.



In the colder months it becomes "Friday Night Camp out" and we make nests of blankets on the floor, stock up on plenty of goodies & treats and spend the evening playing board games or watching movies. In the warmer months, we head to the beach or park to watch the sunset and eat pizza & root beer (freshly made at the local drive in restaurant...mmm). That is exactly what we did this last Friday.




It was still chilly enough to wrap up in a blanket but that sunset over the lake was worth every goose bump! I feel so optimistic as the days get warmer and I so look forward to many more evenings spent this way.



That marked the beginning of Spring Break and also the beginning of a full weekend celebrating the Spring Equinox and all good things to come. We felted Ostara eggs..I started a 16 week cleanse (yikes!)..we hiked 5 glorious miles through the dunes and wetlands Sunday morning..we observed the birds at the nature center & heard the Sandhill Cranes announcing their return.. I'll blog of these things later.


Until then, I'll share with you the song my kids made up that we have been singing every Friday afternoon for 3 or 4 years now..

Friday Night Camp out..
Sleeping on the floor..
watching some movies..
junk food galore..
Friday Night camp out..
Time for our family..
laughing and playing..
Happy. Happy. Happy.

{we then add on whatever special things we may have planned for the evening. This song always end in fits of giggles as we come up with some silly verses!)

Here's to hoping your weekend was filled with much love & light!
Bright Blessings,
Sara

{ 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.

{Wordless Wednesday}

:: the beautiful lake is waking up...


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..........

~ Let your soul shine,
It's better than sunshine,
It's better than moonshine,
Damn sure better than rain.
Lord now people don't mind,
We all get this way sometimes,
Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day.~
:: Allman Brothers
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My boy has had a rough go with all this separation stuff. Keeping it real here, his Papa pretty much stepped out of our lives after 9 years together to go off and love another. My sweet girl still doesn't really understand why her Papa isn't around anymore..why he doesn't call often..but she seems to brush it off..tells me she doesn't "get it". But my boy, my sweet boy..oh my..how it has torn him up. And rightly so..I could go on and on here about what we have gone through in the last 2 years trying to get a grip on our new reality but I'll save that for another post...

:: For now, I just want to say, it sure is lovely to see my boy smile all the time again.::

{possibilities }

{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.

{a little glimpse into my life}

I took a little walk through my office this weekend to shoot some photographs for a website we are putting together & I thought it would be nice to share them here..a little glimpse into my world. I sure do love my job. Although, I don't consider it a job at all because it is that wonderful to me. I leave feeling refreshed & relaxed. I am surrounded by amazing people everyday & go to bed knowing I helped someone to feel better each & every day. What a blessing that is.

So I welcome you to..


located just 3 short blocks from the shores of Lake Michigan in the beautiful Miller Beach, Indiana.















I hope you enjoyed this little "walk through".
Here's to your health!

Love & Light Always~

{Maple Sugar Time}

We know Spring is in the air when the sap starts flowing from the trees. Our favorite little farm has a festival every Spring & Fall honoring this wonderful sweetness. We so look forward to it..it marks the changing of seasons for us in a big way.


There is still a chill to the air but we also notice the earthy smell of Spring mingling with the sweetness of maple syrup & campfire smoke. This is by far one of my favorite smells in life.



The Native Americans cooked the sap down to a dark maple sugar by placing hot stones into hollowed out logs full of sap. The steam rising from these bowls smells absolutely amazing.

If you listen closely, you can hear the tap tap tap of the sap dripping into the buckets all around us..

As the settlers arrived, the Natives taught them about this wonderful treat that flows from the trees and they were able to advance the process with the use of cooking kettles and glass jars to store the syrup in. [again..the smell...mm mmm mm]


And then we move on to my favorite building in the whole. wide. world.
The Sugar Shack.
The name says it all my friends. A hundred years or so ago, this house was used solely for processing syrup. As you step inside from the cold, your are literally hugged by the sweet warmth of the steam rising from the pans. I could stay here all day long.




Signs of Spring are everywhere..




Whenever we eat maple sugar candy, we feel like we are visiting the Little House in the Big Woods. The energy surrounding this farm makes us want to live the life of the Ingalls family. It is such an inspiring place to visit.

And there is nothing..I mean nothing..in this world as lovely as Maple Candy on a wet, muddy day as Winter begins to make it's exit.