There's No Place Like Home

Kicking off a weekend of The Wizard of Oz Fest, we all ended up at the drive-in for pizza & Dorothy on the big screen.

There is something really special about sharing these moments with our little munchkins...the same moments that marked the beginning of Autumn for us as children.

At Summers End..

Other names this post could be titled as..
Things I meant to Blog About.. But Didn't
or
Finally Clearing out my Camera ..
;)

I'm going to flashback a bit here over the next couple weeks & catch up on some of the things we've been enjoying around here.

This first post here will take us back about two weeks ago.

Let's go to the raspberry patch!!!

I'll let the photos tell the story as I have to head into the office right now.

You get the idea...

kerplunk, kerplink

gobble gobble

~yum~

I'll try to make it back to this space later today to post the recipe we have been using for

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes

..mmm..

{ brother bear & sister bear }

"Did you miss me?" she asked as she concentrated on her project.

"Yea." He replied. "You were gone all weekend. Mama & I both missed you."

Her schedule was full. Two slumber parties in one weekend.

"Did you cry?" she asked.

He laughed for a moment and said,

"No, I didn't cry~ but I'll tell ya, there sure were times I wanted to."

She smiled the biggest grin.

~ The love between these two makes my heart swell with joy. ~

{this moment}

A Friday ritual.

A single photo

(okay..maybe two. I couldn't resist)

-no words -

capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember...

Right Now, I'm Loving...

~ A Blessed Autumn Equinox ~

This morning, I awoke at 6am by the warmth of a little boy & girl (well, maybe not so little anymore) who had crawled into my bed for a snuggle before school.
After a celebratory breakfast of Apple Flapjacks (Fall is a pretty big deal around here), we all rushed our separate ways to school & to the office.

I spent the day researching herbal cough syrups for our upcoming workshop while they learned about Native Americans & the coyote roaming the woods near their school.

By early afternoon, I was missing my babies pretty bad.

I needed to get out of that office & get some fresh air.

I grabbed some water & my camera & headed to pick them up so we could enjoy our annual Autumn Equinox hike.

The woods were full of magic today.

Mushrooms, flowers, seed pods & bumblebees.

We felt as if we were teeny tiny elves walking through the world in wonder.

After making a couple fairy houses & collecting small bits for our nature table, we ventured off into the river bed to get down & dirty.

The treasures we found were plenty.

The air was crisp & damp.

The sun peeked through the clouds every now & again.

We laughed & sang.

Jumped for joy.

Thanked the Earth for all her bounty &

acknowledged the changing of the seasons.

And then we made a trip to the yarn shop to pick out some

wonderful wool for Mama-made Autumn hats.

The kids took an hour knitting lesson, while I admired the lovely skeins...

daydreaming about all the knitting that will soon be filling my days.

Ahhh Autumn, we missed you so!

Equinox, when the scales are again balanced in perfect equilibrium,

honors equal day, equal night.

A time for introspection..

turning leaves, turning inward..

look deep within your soul..

we change the world when we change ourselves.

A Blessed Mabon to you all! ♥ Happy Autumn!!!

Time to do some catch-up...

I am so behind on my blogging.

I keep telling myself to make time for it daily...I really do.

I feel just like my sweet girl & that silly face she's making when I think about it.

Sometimes it's overwhelming..the amount of things I'd like to accomplish in a day.

I'm not sure how one could ever be bored in this life with all there is to do, learn & see.

So today is the day I begin...at least 5 posts a week to reflect.

Making creative outlets a priority.

Cheers to new beginnings!

{ 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...

[ W.I.P. Wednesday ]

I smell Autumn in the air..
that means time for soups & plenty of baking...yea, I know, it's still in the 80's during the day. ;)
But there is a nip in the air in the morning & evenings and a tree by the library is turning red! Can you believe it?!?
I was inspired this week to start knitting Autumn hats for the kids.
I found this pattern on Ravelry & had the perfect handspun alpaca in the chocolatist brown in my stash that I bought at the Farmers Market this Spring.
The pattern is the Odessa Hat by Grumperina & my son loves it. I am leaving the beads out for him but just may have to do one for myself with them.
The seasons are turning..I love this time of year.

~ Hippie Noodles ~

Back to school brought colds & coughs into our home this week.

Along with the usual herbs & essential oils, I like to make a big pot of garlic filled garden vegetable soup to boost everyones chi & warm the belly.

Here is our recipe for homemade "hippie" noodles, as my son calls them.

Perfect for filling little bellies and soaking up healing broth with.

Hippie Noodles

2 cups whole wheat flour flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 medium free range eggs
1/4 cup filtered water

In a large bowl combine the flour and salt.

Make a hole in the flour, like the center of a volcano. Crack the eggs into the hole.

Now use your hands to mash the eggs and flour together

making a coarse and crumbly mixture.

Add the water.

Mix again until you have a nice, stiff dough. I like to knead the dough a few

minutes to get it nice and smooth.

You may need to dust it with a little flour to

keep it from sticking to your hands.

When you are satisfied with your ball of noodle dough

cover it with a towel and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

This is to relax the gluten in the dough, making it easier to roll out.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out thinner than pie crust.

After getting the dough as thin as your patience and arm muscles suggest,

let it rest again, to dry slightly, if you have the time.

It is easiest to cut after resting the dough for about two hours,

but I often cut it right away with a pizza cutter.

Remember they will swell up as they cook, so make them smaller than you think you should.
To cook the noodles, drop them in boiling broth.

Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the noodles are tender enough for eating.

Drain and serve plain with a little amish butter, or don’t bother draining and serve as a soup.

These are sooo yummy.

Enjoy!