wrist-warmers

i had a pair of cable knit wrist warmers. they were made of a delicious blue i got from earth guild some years ago. well, i lost them. i have no idea where they went. no idea. it was time to make some new ones.

i bought a lovely green peruvian wool from a shop in Black Mountain, NC and set to work.



finished.

and, of course, pretty much the moment they were finished, a little ballerina-d miss came up to me, "i want to try those." and then i got a, "can i have some of these?" how can a knitting mama resist?



this little mini-wristwarmer photo shoot is horribly blurry. the girl won't hold still. but i can't stand it. so you're getting all of them anyway.









also-- do you see how well she is adjusting to colder temperatures? not at all. "but i LIKE being cold!" is what i keep hearing.

happy day to you, friends.

autumn

i woke up one morning this week, walked into the kitchen and the air coming through the windows felt different.



it's starting. the color- the light change.



the air is being filtered by the leaves like it is through stained glass. so many colors.



that beautiful autumn glow is here. i'm so happy.

food magic

food is magical. in oh-so-many ways.

today, i especially love it's ability to time warp you. it smacks you upside the head- you had no control- you're somewhere else. you've gone back in time and, though you're still standing in your kitchen, a huge portion of your consciousness is somewhere else; in a memory from years past.

this has happened to me. maybe it hasn't to you. smell and taste has that power for me. it transports.

to roadside raspberry bushes with my grandma. to my mom's dinner table.



a friend's kitchen. a boat with my dad.

and when this certain food hits your tongue, it's not just the images that pop into your mind, but the emotions too. the heart ache i felt as i ate those specific pancakes. the joy and love as i picked berries with my grandmother. the loss and pain that went with that fresh cinnamon raisin bread. the cold outside and the well-tended inside of a warm home along with a bowl of vegetable beef soup.

magical, i tell you. magic.



and i can't help wondering what this little face will remember.





making memories over here. daily memories. i want to remember.

home is beautiful.

welcome back to the week, friends.

our wheels have been spinning and spinning over here these days. it feels like we haven't had a free saturday since sometime in august. 

but this saturday was so lovely. quiet. slow-starting. we were out in the yard all together- kate "planting" cut flowers. samuel helping haul branches to the curb. we cleaned up and tackled a kid's-room rearrange. we were all together. here, at our home-place. what a blessing. 

i often take home for granted. kate began a fever/cough-filled week last tuesday, so we have seen a lot of this little place since then. and as i missed a field trip with friends (adult and kid), i was sad. feeling a bit stuck inside these walls. when i texted a friend to tell her i would not be along for the fun of thursday, she encouraged me to not be sad. "home is beautiful," she said. 

oh it is. these walls are a gift. including the walls with pink marker scribbles and dried glue from where someone decided to 'hang' their artwork.

the big window in the living room where i can see the front yard tree starting to change colors.

the bunk beds. the kitchen curtains. the bins of crayons. the legos in the corner. 

beautiful stuff. 

i'm longing for bigger eyes. i feel like that's a frequent plea for me. eyes to see as much of the good as i can take in. His beauty. all of it. right here. 

home is beautiful. 

happy week-start. may we have eyes to see. 

forgetting

got an email yesterday from a member of our little homeschool co-op asking about where we should meet up for thursday's field trip. my immediate thought was, "what?!? what field trip?? what is she talking about?" and then.... a faded memory in the back of my brain emerged. "oh............. i remember now."

and this pretty much sums up my days of late. can't really see a week ahead- not even a few days ahead- just to the next thing. and then the next thing is here. am i prepared for it? not usually. do we make it through? yes. we've made it to wednesday.

in the midst of the crazy, i've been loving some recent sewing projects. nothing too major. but fun. a wedding gift for a friend.





and a commission for another friend. quilts for her daughters' beds. i love the fabrics she chose. it has been such fun to piece these strips together.



it has been nice to work on some projects for specific people. next up is a piece for a dear friend who is pregnant with her first. can't wait to add to her nursery.

hope this lovely mid-october is finding you well. here's hoping i haven't forgotten somewhere i'm supposed to be today.

a fall evening and a giveaway winner

happy monday to you. welcome back. the week. to the common days.

this past saturday found us at a good friend's house. jason and i got to do a little benefit concert for them. along with a few other very talented friends, we played under the stars. it was awesome.



the home we were at was seriously idyllic. so beautiful. 2 bonfires and people we love. apple cider, pumpkin bread, s'mores, and apple crisp. starlight, sweaters and music. i'm telling you-- a beautiful night.



but what made it all so very wonderful was the reason we gathered. the family who hosted us recently took two teenage boys into their home who needed a place. needed a home. needed... more. and this couple (already with a toddler and preschooler) saw the hole, and knew He could fill it. they have relied on the strength of His Spirit and provision. and last we gathered together to rejoice in what our God has done and will do. it was wonderful.

_________________________________

now. i did my first ever giveaway. it was fun. thank you to all who commented. i put the number of comments into a random number finder and........... the winner is............... alli pust!

"Favorite fall things: the cooler weather, long sleeves--layers (Yay Tiffany!), the leaves changing, the abundance of apples in the house, decor can stay up for 2-3 months (vs Christmas at only 4-5 weeks), the promise of Thanksgiving just around the corner with dear friends coming, bonfires, smores, camping...just love love fall!"

Congrats Allie-- i'll get you that garland sometime soon. thank you all for reading. i like this space we've made here. thanks for taking part. 

my kitchen floor

it was some day last week. an afternoon filled with nothing much. a cloudy day that had held school, housework, all the usual things.

an old friend came over. i cleaned the kitchen, she stood and we talked. we talked of life. change. our Savior who we love, trust and sometimes do not understand.

she sat down near the dishwasher as i finished the hand washing. holding her cup of coffee, she sat with her legs straight out before her. she sat and told me heart-trouble.



and soon i was across from her. my back against my cabinet, legs on the kitchen rug. i held my own cup of afternoon coffee. i got to listen and share in her heaviness.  then take a turn speaking out my own heart-trouble.

we knew we needed to pray. though we were not sure who should start, someone eventually began. we both shed the tears that come with surrender- speaking the fear to the Maker of all peace.

by the end we were different. better. as prayer so often does, it found us beginning on our knees- in a posture of inability- and brought us to the same posture. on our knees. but different. humbly receiving the grace required- the hope asked for- the peace promised.

we were grateful.

it was an afternoon that surprised me. took me off guard.

and i was grateful.



on my kitchen floor.

He is here.

GIVEAWAY

hello all! fall is here. out our windows, these past couple of days, the wind has been blowing the chill right in. the floors are feeling a little colder and the oven has been on a bit more. baking fall yumminess right into the walls of this place. it's fabulous.

my little felt leaf garland is up in my living room. i made about 10 of them for the Indie Craft Parade this year. they have all been purchased, save 1. instead of listing it on my etsy site, i thought i would have a little giveaway for you, dear reader.



i would love for you to leave a comment. i will choose a winner randomly from the comments section and will somehow get the winner this lovely piece of autumn spirit so he/she can enjoy it in his/her home this season.



now, i'm pretty sure i've never done a giveaway before. (how exciting). my rules...

leave a comment containing one of the following:

1-- anything at all. a simple 'hi' will do

OR

2-- your favorite fall-related thing

OR

3-- your go-to treat for a random sugar fix in the middle of the week. cookies? pound cake? something magical i've never heard of?



thanks for reading. thanks for caring. thanks for joining in community with me.

thank you.

winner will be announced monday morning. you have from now till sunday night at 8pm to leave a comment for entry. best of luck to you!

the woods. again.

this past friday, we hauled our little tent once again into the woods.



we have a soon-to-be 9-year old friend who likes to celebrate her birthday each year with a weekend under the trees and stars. and she invites us along. we're so glad.



along with a few other families, we sat around a giant fire, let kids get very very very dirty, cooked food, ate snacks and chatted the minutes away.

did i mention that there was a lake?







oh these littles got so wet. who can resist cool clean water on a warm fall day?





it was delightful. and, while i was so thankful for my bed and covers on saturday night, there is something magical about sleeping outside. just magical about waking up under the leaves and the few stars still in sight.



i hope your weekend found you on some kind of adventure. we certainly enjoyed ours. there is more to say, but my schedule is beckoning and the laundry needs doing. school books are waiting. happy monday, friends.

walking

today started slowly.



had a night with some random awake-hours. and the morning found me... behind.



after i finally made myself get off the couch and get dressed, i had two little faces needing the same.



we (very)gradually accomplished all of this. i was again sitting. looking at the beautiful faces. school needed to start...



so we headed out the door. we needed to begin with a walk. some real air. some trees towering above. i couldn't find my usual- so we went out in search of whatever might find us. delightful.



we came back awake and ready. we pulled books from the shelf, read in bunk beds and did the work before us. a good day. a good walk.

_______________

as i sat eating dinner the other night, dining room chair pressed up against a bookshelf, i found Thoreau's "Walking" poking out at me. i pulled it out and, among other things, read this:

"I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks,...

He who sits still in a house all the time may be the greatest vagrant of all, but the saunterer, in the good sense, is not more vagrant than the meandering river which is all the while sedulously seeking the shortest course to the sea."

not sure i'm up to Thoreau's standards, but i'm pretty sure, the girl's got it down. 

a shelf

our kids share a room. they are young and learning how to share. sharing is a good lesson. a very good and very necessary lesson.

but, i think, there is something about space of your own. a tiny corner that's just yours.

in that vein, samuel received a little gift this weekend.



a shelf. his very own shelf. where only his things go. things that are off limits to everyone else. a tiny board of ownership and responsibility.

he was so excited.

we had told him that this was coming awhile ago. and we took too long getting it finished and up. but as soon as jason hammered in the final nail, samuel was climbing up his bunk bed ladder with treasures in his hands.

i loved seeing what he put up there. a bouncy ball, a lego guy, a bottle cap.

a little space of your own. it feels like a baby step toward him moving out someday. but, i'm hoping that as long as he still has cowboy sheets, that day is far off.