{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.

Here's to a weekend of no rain and lots of sunshine!

Step Away from Fear

Today I will step away from fear and make the Pillow Case Dress from Handmade Home.  

Full Moon

I don't think there are many words to describe the beauty, wonder and amazement of the full moon.  She has such an effect on us as women and a rhythm that governs our earth.  

Dollar Store Treasures

One of the things that the kids and I enjoy doing it going to the local dollarama and wander the aisles.  There are so many little things that that kids love to get and it is only a dollar.  We get the small little shopping carts that are the perfect size for Sam and we fill them up with little treasures.  Everything there is the perfect size for them as everything is small.  The toys, the dishes, the seasonal decorations, and the craft aisle is my favorite.

As Sam continues to grow and change there are some things that he loves to do and others he doesn't.  The craft section at the Dollarama allows for us to try different things and if he doesn't like it then I am o.k as I didn't spend a fortune thinking that he would like it.  One of the treasures that we found on our last trip was the Paint with Water Books.  As a child I loved painting with these.  The watercolor paint is in the paper and once you add water with your brush the colour appears.  Sam seems to like them as well as they are not messy and do not require cleaning of the brush.

My Painting.  I took great care, the calmness that I felt was amazing.  

No need to think about what I wanted to paint.   

Another thing I wanted to share was one of the hazards of knitting in the sun.  Yesterday I spent the day outside knitting and chatting with friends while the kids played.  I didn't realize how much sun I got until we came in and I took my sweater off.

I swear it is much more red than it appears!!  

Caution to all those knitting in the sun.  It is important to put sun block on your hands as well! 

Happy Sun Knitting!!

Day Job

It is the beginning of a new week and therefore back to parenting by myself.   Maybe this is not fair to say as Paul is here he is just at work and therefore I am home with the kids.   Being home with my children is what I have always wanted and I wouldn't want it any other way.

I think that maybe the reality is that it is a far more difficult job that any 9 - 5pm office job.  I never leave, get my two 15 minute coffee breaks or a half hour lunch.  There are no raises, no vacation time, no sick time and sometimes is can go a long time before you hear "You are doing great!"
So sometimes (like this morning) I am a little sad that Paul is back at work and I am here working alone.  There is something about having him here on the weekends that makes is easier, more fun and relaxing.  It is not like he plays with the kids all weekend and I am off doing my own thing having the weekend to myself.  I am still in the thick of things as always, but I have someone to help me when I get Lily's diaper off, realize it is filled to brim and I forgot to get a wet cloth.  Someone to have one eye on one so that my eyes are not on both and this allows for me to focus on what is going on in front of me, rather than having both my eyes being pulled in different directions.  Or maybe it is simply having an adult to talk with.

There was a time when I couldn't wait for him to go back to work every Monday so that I could get back to my routine without him getting in the way or not helping and making me more irritated than I already was.  Time and more children has changed us both.  Our last birth experience brought us closer together than I think we are even realizing still, and mainly I have mellowed out.

I better get back my 15 minute blog break is up!

Saturday at The Farm

 Being in the city means that there is noise, neighbors, and a long list of To Do's on the weekend.  We are very fortunate to have a place to travel to when ever we need a nature fix.  Nana and Papa have a small farm close by that we visit most weekends.   We are able to drive 20 minutes outside of town and sometimes feel like we are in a different time and place.   The kids run and play and do all the things that can only be done in nature.  What a gift it is for Sam and Lily to have this in their lives.

What a gift for us to have this as well.  The kids are off with their adventure with Nana while I am enjoying the sun, relaxing and thinking of my next creative idea.  Nature is such a great inspiration to creative ideas.

{this moment}

Watching this tiny soul become an amazing little girl, makes me pause and be grateful. 

Grateful for every moment.

Grounded in the Earth

Today we celebrate Earth Day.  A day to remind ourselves to savour and bless the planet we enjoy so much.

To celebrate this day in January I join in on the challenge at Hip Mountain Mama and decided to make One Small Change each month leading up to Earth Day.
~ In January we decided to walk when ever possible to pick up Sam from Pre-School.  On those days that it was too cold we planned our other errands around picking him up so that we didn't make another trip out to get him.
~ In February we started using Family Cloths rather than toilet paper.  I made them out of old receiving blankets and put them in a little basket on the back of the toilet.  Not only did we cut down on the use of toilet paper, but baby wipes and paper towels as well.  Everyone seemed to be grabbing for these clothes.  ~ In March I had big plans!  I was going to make lunch bags for the boys.  There would be not more plastic bags for snacks and sandwiches.  I was going to make produce bags for the supermarket.  But I got Mastitis and spent a great deal of time healing.  We cut down on plastic but not as much as I had envisioned.
~ In April I knew that with the Mastitis and having to slow down my breastfeeding with Lily that my cycle would return and I no longer wanted to use disposable pads.  So I grabbed my copy of Handmade Home and started to create a few prototypes of the Mama Pads.  I had a few different ones that I am going to try as well as order some from Homestead Emporium.

Now Earth Day has arrived and I don't want the challenge to end.  The changes that we have made have been amazing and have allowed up to look at the ways in the which we over use and abuse the planet that has given us to much.  So we are going to continue to challenge ourselves to make One Small Change.  What if we all took one small step what kind of great things could we create?

Jumbled

There are times when I think about sitting down and writing.  There are times when I even sit down at my computer and look at everything else except writing.  There are also those times when I think that everyone is playing quietly and I can have a few peaceful moments to write and then out of no where everyone appears asking for a snack, juice, help and attention and the writing gets left mid way.

I spend most of my day thinking about all the things that I want to share.  The moments that I experience and the things that I am processing and thinking about.  I most of the time get overwhelmed with all the things that I want to share and feel that it is never one single idea of thought and just throw in the towel and write nothing.

In effort to try and give myself some slack and be me I am writing about a jumble of things going on.  As most of the times everything is jumbled and I am trying to make sense of it all.

We opened our first jar of Dill Pickles that we canned last summer.  It was out first attempt at pickles so we all took bites with some hesitation.   The taste was amazing, they just didn't have the crispness that you expect from a dill pickle.  Lily ate about half of it before realizing that she may not like the taste.

I am loving getting into my spring/summer routine.  I have always found it difficult over the winter months and so my routine falls to the way side.  The warmer weather and sunshine is uplifting for me and I find myself to have more energy, patience and motivation.  So the beans are soaking, the mini muffins are made and organic coffee is programmed and waiting for me in the morning.

I have also been knitting my little hands away.  I find myself peaceful as I watch the kids at the park or in the backyard as I sit in the grass knitting.  I am able to knit without looking and so I am able to let my hands do what they know how to do as I watch the kids learn and discover the world around them.  The sun shines and feel like I am exactly where I want/need/meant to be.

Birthday dresses for Lily and our little friend Bethany.  Both girls turn 1 weeks apart

Coming Together

This weekend was filled to the brim!!  It seemed like everyone wanted to do something with us and there wasn't enough time to get it all in.  We are voting to add one more day to the weekend.  Don't you think that everyone else would be on board for that!!

We put together the play set that was a large gift for everyone for Lily's first birthday. While it was a gift for Lily I think that Sam was more excited about it and we had to keep reminding him that it was everyone's play set and not just his.

So in the cold it was put together as I knew that the next day was going to be beautiful as well as the remainder of the week.  It is together and we are all enjoying it greatly.

It was a beautiful moment on Sunday as Paul and I sat in the sun as the kids played.  We looked at each other and knew the others thought.  Enjoying a family moment, our beautiful family and the life that we share together.   Even though there are times when we sometimes feel that it is not coming all together, there are times like this weekend when we can see that it is.

{this moment}

A Day in the Sun Exploring the World

Simple Moments

Sometimes looking at the simple things in life are what help us to realize that maybe they are not simple.  It is the simple moments that together create your day.  If we take them and enjoy them what can we see?  What are we missing or even what are we not?  We always focus on what we are missing but what if we aren't missing anything? 

FOR TODAY

April 13, 2010...

Outside my window the sun is shining after a long week of rain.  There is something about the sun warming your face in the morning that just makes it easier to get up out of bed and face the day.

I am thinking about change.  Why am I always thinking about changing?  Can I not just accept and love myself as is.

I am thankful for the love and support that I received this past month while I took the time to heal. 

From the kitchen there is a little girl sweeping the floor.  She insists on using the big broom rather than the small one that we have for the children.  It is her new obsession and is constantly doing it.  I am grateful for the clean floor!

I am wearing my PJ's still.  My pottery t-shirt still on from teaching last night and the most comfortable pain of yoga pants.  

I am creating many knitting projects for others.  I am also going to finally make the beach blanket to go from Handmade Home.  I have gone so far as to cut the squares, now to sew them together.  I have been thinking about making this project since I purchased the book in the fall. 

I am going to try and accept the relationships that I have in my life for what they are. 

I am reading Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.  It is quite good as I feel like I NEED to keep reading it even though I am not too sure why.  The plot isn't exciting and neither are the characters really, but I just can't seem to put it down. 

I am hoping for a beautiful weekend so that we can assemble the swing set/club house for the backyard and we can enjoy the spring weather. 

I am hearing the gurgle of the coffee maker.  Soon there will the be the beep letting me know that the coffee is finally ready. Oh how I love my organic coffee!

Around the house voices of spring cleaning are screaming at me!

One of my favorite things is sitting knitting and sipping a great coffee.   I always have this imagine in my mind that someday we will live on a lake and I will be sitting in the morning sun sipping coffee, knitting and enjoying the kids running and playing.  For now we live in the city.  

A few plans for the rest of the week:  make good food, enjoy the sun, start working on some orders in the studio, configure the kiln, love deeply without fear. 

Here is picture for thought I am sharing:  Paul took this to show that daughter is like mother, mouth open catching flies while we sleep.  

Check out what other simple things people are noticing in their lives at The Simple Woman's Day Book. 

Back

So after a month and a half of getting better and healing I am starting to feel like I may have the energy needed to get back on track.
The past month has been crazy, unorganized and feeling like we are flying from the seat of our pants!  While I tried to embrace this while it was happening I knew deep inside that things needed to get back into the rhythm that is us.  While sometimes I am critical of myself and the home that I am creating I am also starting to see that it is us and it is what works for us.

So today I am going to tidy up, find the measuring cups and spoons, grab Enlightened Eating and create some good food for us.  Putting good food in our bodies makes me/us feel so much better.  We have fallen a little from the wheat, dairy and sugar free diet here and my body I feel is begging me to get back to it!  Well if the body asks it shall get.

Beautiful Morning

Yoga in the sun......  A beautiful start to the weekend.

{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. Inspired by Amanda over at Soulemama. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Daily Chores

With the start of a walking/running baby there has also been the start of the copy play.  Strange how I forgot the different stages and I am very much enjoying them the second time around.   Lily follows everyone around wanting to do what ever it is that they are doing.  She is very fond of the sweeping.  We have a small broom for the kids but she only wants the big one.  She struggles with it but is so happy with herself when she gets it unstuck and moving again.

I watch as she learns about the world around her forgetting that there are many things that she has not yet experienced.  Just the other day at the park she sat in amazement at sand, watching these special moments is humbling and makes me realize that I am just pushing through the day and not really looking at what is right here what little moments am I missing?  I am doing so much each day to prove that I am doing something, I am accomplishing something, it is o.k. for me to be home look at all the things I am doing.

I think it is this line of thinking that overwhelms me and actually freezes me in my tracks and the line of thoughts begins all over again.

The daily chores/thoughts of this life.

Easter

An Easter Trip to Grampa and Gigi's; fishing, singing, shopping, piano playing, sleeping on the blow up bed, good food, good company, great warm weather, memories made.