Grass stained knees

Signs of the season

Here we are at the very end of October. How did that happen?

I keep being struck by how different things are this year compared to last year at this very same time. How alive and happy and great the energy in our house feels now versus then.

 

Of course, the pace of our days now doesn't even begin to compare to our days one year ago. I'm telling you, it feels like I am running a complete marathon. every. single. day. But despite the physical exhaustion that washes over me at random moments, I couldn't be any happier to be living this incredibly blessed and busy life.

 

Yesterday was a really fun and productive one.

The boys and I mixed cookie dough and had it chilling in the fridge by 9:30.

Around 10:00 we had scratch-made pumpkin pie baking in the oven so that while we did our morning schoolwork the house smelled all warm and thanksgiving-y.

After lunch, the cookie baking began and went on and on and on. Amid the usual interruptions, start to finish, the process took about 4 hours, which felt ridiculous.

We successfully decorated the front porch for Halloween, cobwebs everywhere, bat hanging in the corner, while our ghost and rubber vulture found their way to the tree branches. The boys were very pleased with their work.

I was pleased that we got the job done.

I've got to say that Halloween was never a favorite for me, but as we return to all of these silly little traditions and watching the kids swell with excitement, well this crazy holiday has begun to win a place in my heart. 

 

The baby boys had their first experience with homemade sugar cookies after lunch...

 

I'd say that face says it all.

I thought I would include a shot of each of them just to capture their sweet faces right now.

All of a sudden they seem to be growing so fast, and looking less and less like babies and more and more like little boys. Is it the hair that makes the difference? I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it.

They are such sweet little guys.  We sure feel lucky to have them.

 

Happy Halloween wishes from our house to yours!

swingin' solo

Look who has learned a new trick.

He finally has the muscle to hoist himself up into the swing.

It doesn't sound like it should be a big deal but for my little guy, this is something that has frustrated him for quite a while. He may not be that tall, but he sure is determined.

 

I wish I could provide audio with this shot, he was giggling so hard that he kept falling off, which only made him laugh more!

 

ta-da!

I have a feeling that my days are numbered as his swinging companion, it won't be long before he figures out that he can go much higher without me... and so it begins... or continues

Whichever way you want to look at it, for me it's just one more mama moment that feels bittersweet.

This week's co-op included...

little people running in the forest...

yoga poses...

 

meditation...

 

rearranging the woods...

 

leaf masks...

 

 

buddies walking arm in arm...

 

the gift of sweet, ripe persimmons discovered along our walk...

 

With each passing week, as our new friends and surroundings become increasingly familiar, I feel more and more blessed to be in the company of this special group of mama's and their sweet children.

our leaves will be traveling to...

 

When you are a small potatoes blog, an old felt hat takes the place of the random number generator, which feels much more like, well, us.

So first thing this morning with the help of my trusty assistant, the winning name was drawn....

 

Looks like our leaves will be heading to Kansas.

Yay Kristin!

note to self:

Mastitis is an ugly beast!

This post is a reminder to take better care of yourself.

Don't forget to drink water during your busy day.

Get to bed by 11:00, fool, your body needs to rest!

You do not want this splitting headache, fever, exhaustion and best of all, boob filled with a swarm of angry bees, to ever happen again!

Autumn Leaves...maybe even for you!

So it was a cold start for Waldorf co-op this morning. Some of the mamas were able to get a small fire going to help counter the chilly temperatures which I'm pretty sure set new records for this time of year in the Carolinas.

 

Most of us arrived bundled, but thankfully, the sun warmed things rather quickly, and just as fast, the layers were shed. This is a total aside, but why is it that little people desire to wear the least amount of clothing permissible, with little regard for current weather conditions? I feel like I spent the majority of a very chilly weekend repeating why shorts and t-shirts were not an acceptable choice for 50 degrees. Can't those little "skin and bones" arms and legs not feel that for themselves? Just asking.

        (above photo credit goes to Lora, thanks for capturing the moment!)

Today was my turn to lead circle. Oliver is on my front and Finn on my back, in the carriers that Carrie so graciously lent me about a month ago, which I still have not returned. That act of kindness has changed my life in unspeakable ways...Carrie, thank you again and I promise to give them back whenever you need them or as soon as mine show up, whichever comes first!

I just need to say that I think the photo above is both beautiful and incredibly funny. The sunlight and the color composition are so gorgeous, meanwhile, the smoke coming off of the fire and our hands frozen in mid-air, make it look like we are casting a spell over a bubbling cauldron. I think what we were really doing is a verse about falling leaves!

Our circle follows a format of seasonal verses and songs that change every few weeks, as well as the telling of a story. This week I told The Anxious Leaf. I can't begin to tell you how many times I practiced this story. In the car, in the shower, while eating breakfast. I was so confident and guess what happened? Mid-way through, I got distracted by the crazy boy sitting next to me who could not sit still and the whole story fell out of my mind like sand through a sieve. One minute I was in the zone and then, it was gone. blank. nothing. I got so flustered I didn't even know where I left off and I have no idea if the second half even made any sense. Everyone was unbelievably kind, I mean what could they possibly say... uh, you are the worst story teller ever!! Oh well, better luck next time, that is if they ever ask me do it again!  

  

The circle leader is also responsible for planning the craft for the day. There are so many great choices for leaves and Fall. I ended up settling on felt garland. It is an idea which I have seen so many times over the last few weeks, here, here, here and finally here. The boys and I were planning on making one for our family and then it ended up that I bought way too much felt, so it seemed like a good opportunity to pass it on. 

  

I believe I ended up cutting close to 150 felt leaves, in every spare minute I could squeeze out of the last several days. Believe it or not, it didn't feel daunting, but rather inspiring that I was able to accomplish such a task by carving out a few minutes here, a few minutes there. It left me with a renewed sense of confidence about my ability to squeeze crafting back into my life.

 

Here is a glimpse of our finished product. The boys and I are pretty tickled!

AND GUESS WHAT???

It would make me so happy to continue to pass on the leaf garland love...

It turns out that I have the supplies to make one more batch of leaves, complete with the yarn to hang them on. I am offering up the chance for your family to create your very own bit of felt, autumnal goodness to be enjoyed this season and beyond.

If you would like a chance to win the fixin's for your very own leaf garland, leave a comment on this post and a winner will be drawn at random. 

Comments will close Wed, Oct 21st at 9 pm. Good Luck!

Normal Day

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.

Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.

Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.

One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.

                                                                                - Mary Jean Iron

 

 

This quote was found last week on Ali's blog.

It stopped me in my tracks, and brought tears to my eyes.

What a gift...This Life.

Every. Single. Day.

An excellent day of rain

If a crisp, sunny, Autumn day is my favorite, a chilly, rainy one runs a close second. As luck would have it, this morning we awoke to a lovely steady drizzle. Unfortunately, sleep the night before was less than restful due to this little man and one incredibly stuffy nose. Poor guy could not understand why he couldn't breathe.

 

What's a mama to do?

Head straight to the kitchen and get to work.

First up was a pot of chicken soup to slowly simmer the day away. Then came favorite blogs over a bowl of cereal, and in that moment another piece of our day became immediately apparent... 

 

I mean, really, who could resist and why had I never thought of it myself? 

...warm applesauce with vanilla ice cream.

 

I am happy to report, it is as delightful as you might imagine. 

And if that wasn't enough, last evening the boys and I baked the pie pumpkin from our nature table, so we needed to make use of it's goodness.  We used this recipe to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and listen closely... RUN, Do Not Walk, to the kitchen and make them NOW (or as soon as humanly possible).

Oh My Goodness, they are so yummy, so yummy in fact that I have no pictures, because we ate them. all. gone.

In our defense we cut the recipe in half so we made 12 not 30 muffins, but in one day's time one dozen muffins were consumed by one mama and two small boys.

Ya know what's worse? Guess where most of them were consumed?

Well I don't think it ever made it to the pages of this space, but we turned our TV off way back in March, which I should really post about because it has made the most amazing difference in the life of my children and how they spend their time, but today's weather and the runny noses seemed like the perfect excuse for the boys and I to curl up in my bed, huddled around the laptop to take in some of this great program. If you have not seen it, or even bits of it, it is worth your time. Makes me wish for an RV and many months to comb this great land from East to West.

Anyway, that's right, we ate muffins in bed, while watching computer TV.

See, it was an excellent day.

Look at this!

Look WHOOOOOO (get it??) has been spotted in our backyard several times this week. Nan and the kids spotted him last Monday while they were planting flowers. Samuel saw him from the playroom the other day. He is positively stunning to see so close. He exudes peace and wisdom, the way he sits silently on the branch watching...his eyes blink. blink. blink.  

I just think we are super lucky to have been gifted with his presence and I hope he sticks around for a long time.

You know what else I hope to be lucky about??

Garden Mama is hosting a giveaway of the sweetest hand-knit toys from one of her sponsors. I especially love this in her Etsy shop (hint, hint Nan!)

In order to up my chances in the giveaway I am linking here, but I gather this is something you would really want to know about yourselves because it's open until Thursday, Oct 15th. Pop on over and have a peek!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

35

Yesterday I turned thirty-five...or as one of my best girlfriend's says....yesterday was the 6th anniversary of my 29th birthday.

However you want to slice it, I'm feeling a bit conflicted about this one. I really don't feel any older than two days ago, and most of the time I feel about the same as I did when I was about 18... well in my mind anyway.

But for some reason, 35 sounds like the opposite of young ( I will not say old ). It also isn't too far from 40 and for reasons I can not articulate, 40 is a number that I have always dreaded. Not that 40 is bad, I'm sure it really is the new 20, but in the crazy recesses of my mind, I have just always imagined if you could equate a smell with 40 it would be something like stale cheese. You know, you can still cut off the moldy, crusty edges but it is Definitely past it's prime, and by prime I mean that firm, well rested 26 year old we all were, once upon a time...

Anyway reaching this milestone has made me realize that the ominous 40 is indeed creeping, slowly but surely closer and closer. I know I need to snap out of it, really, I am a 35 year old mother of 4, words like firm and well rested simply don't apply to girls like me. But there's the rub, because I still feel like a girl, certainly not a grown up, although I'm pretty sure most people would say I probably qualified about a decade ago.

Somehow, I forgot to notice.

Well, 35, Bring It!

I welcome you and all that you signify. I'm reasonably sure when I am 75, I will look back on 35 and feel like it was actually the uphill slope rather than the down hill slope of my life.

And if life is indeed measured in seasons, I'd say that 35 feels like mid-summer, Bright and fragrantly full of life!  Yes, that's exactly like what this life of mine feels like right now!