WINTER SUPPERWe don't eat together as a family every night. Usually we only manage it two or three times a week. Every time we do though, I sit at the table, looking around at my boys, and am sure that these are the moments I will remember. It is such a special time. Feeding my family is one of the most satisfying aspects of my life. I take it seriously and derive a lot of pleasure from it. So tonight I happily refilled their little ramekins when they asked for seconds and then thirds. It was a meal of comfort foods. Chili, cornbread crumbled in milk, and homemade applesauce for dessert. Afterwards, with the kids tucked in bed, I sat in my armchair by the fire and cozied up with a book.

**A Week of Breakfasts will finish up soon. I keep forgetting to take pictures before the kids eat!**

A WEEK OF BREAKFASTS: 3These apple pancakes tasted like a cross between a funnel cake and an apple fritter. As you can imagine, all the kids loved them! Sweet enough with just the dusting of powdered sugar, we didn't even bother with maple syrup.
A little time-consuming, considering the apple grating (though the kids loved grating the apples), these will probably be reserved for special occasion breakfasts. The recipe, which I modified slightly, is below. To see the original recipe + drool-inducing pictures, go here.

Apple Pancakes

2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup of milk
3/4 cup of vanilla yogurt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sucanat
3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated (I used fuji)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Vegetable oil, for frying
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

1. Mix the eggs with the milk or yogurt in a large bowl.

2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together.

3. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients and stir in the apples and whatever other flavorings you see fit.

4. Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over low to medium heat. Drop large spoonful of batter into the pan and flatten it out a little (otherwise, you might have trouble getting them to cook in the center) and cook until golden brown underneath. Flip the pancakes and cook them for an additional two or three minutes.

5. Either dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately, or keep on a tray in a warmed oven until you are ready to serve them.

A WEEK OF BREAKFASTS: 2My oldest son's favorite: plain yogurt, sweetened with agave and vanilla, topped with warm granola. Pecans, almonds, raisins, mango, and cherries were the add-ins of choice for this week's batch of crock pot granola.

A WEEK OF BREAKFASTSWe are in full on apple-season mode around here and apples make their way into almost every meal...as well as being munched on throughout the day. Our family consumes upwards of 10-12 apples a day and we aren't even close to getting sick of them. That's what I really love about eating seasonally. When you wait all year for apples (or pears, or blueberries, or strawberries, or corn...) to come into season, that first bite of that first apple is LIFE ALTERING. That might be a bit of a stretch but just barely **happy sigh**.
We are especially enjoying the warm, cozy breakfasts of fall. There are not many things as nice as snuggling up in warm pajamas with a bowl of warm oatmeal. I wanted to share some of the breakfasts we are really enjoying this season at our house. So, for the next few days, I am going to be doing A WEEK OF BREAKFASTS.
What foods are you loving at your house right now?

This morning, we had one of my middle boys' favorites: oatmeal topped with chopped apples, cinnamon, and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. I like mine sprinkled with walnuts too.

A RAINY, STAY AT HOME DAY
Baking Bread
Reading on the couch
Homeschooling
Folding laundry
Sipping Cider
Long naps
Stacks of books
Nursing
Chasing the dog
Listening to bluegrass

Just a few of the things that we are doing on this rainy, cozy, ordinary-and-lovely day at home. Lots of thoughts swirling in my head but getting them from brain to computer has been quite the challenge. We are finding a new rhythm and things are settling in. Hope to find time to write here more soon.

A QUIET FRIDAY NIGHTI love that time of night when everyone is sleeping and the house is still. It is some of my best thinking time. And, domestic chores that can seem like drudgery in the daytime, become peaceful meditations when done by the light of a single lamp while the mind is allowed to wander freely without interruption.So I spent my Friday night standing in my laundry room, folding the mountains of clean sheets, shirts, shorts...
And when I was done, I was able to enjoy this rare sight...an empty laundry hamper.

HANDMADE GIFTSThis has been a lovely week full of baby-gift surprises. Wonderful, handmade gifts, sent to me from far off places and delivered to my door step by friends, all unexpected and very much appreciated.
My sister-in-law's sister brought me these sweet jars of baby food she had made. Green beans, squash, and apples. The apples had been picked from my parent's trees, then made into baby food.
My blog friend, Becky, who I have never actually met in person sent me this adorable woodland baby rattle that she knitted.
One of my mother's best friends (and a friend of mine, as well), Katy, made me these sweet baby washcloths!
My friend, Katherine, embroidered these onesies by hand for Wilder. I love that she bought the onesies second hand too. I definitely appreciate thriftiness and the time she took to make them personal for us.
Besides these wonderful handmade gifts, many, many friends have brought us wonderful meals that have been such a blessing and have alleviated so much stress. I am so thankful to live in community with so many selfless, thoughtful friends. Thank you for ministering to me, and to my family, during this time of transition. I am so thankful.

I AM STILL ALIVEI seem to have lost my blogging mojo. Don't know where it went. I just don't have a lot to say that hasn't already been said better, somewhere else. I am sure it will pass. In the meantime, I am in new baby heaven. I pretty much want to do nothing else but kiss on this sweet baby morning, noon, and night. Food and showering aren't that important right now :)

Harrison Wilder (going by Wilder)
August 7th, 2009
7:25 AM
7 pounds, 6 ounces
20 inches long

Oh, I am going to be posting more regularly here again, if you are interested in reading about my weight loss/fitness/raw food life. I like to keep myself accountable and honest there *grin*.

SUMMER FOOD LOVE
There are a few foods that I just can't get enough of this summer. I haven't tried many new recipes, sticking more with the simple, tried and true, in season, local. But, in my opinion, that is the best eating!
One simple recipe that I love is fresh bing cherries, cooked down in a balsamic-brown sugar reduction, over vanilla bean ice cream. Oh. My. Goodness. I don't really know amounts, and they aren't important anyway. Just pit a bunch of cherries and throw them in a skillet with a generous amount of melted butter. Really, do be generous. This isn't the recipe to try and cut calories. And please, whatever you do, don't use some fake nasty stuff. No margarine or Can't Believe It's Not Butter or whatever. If you are tempted to use something fake, don't even bother with this recipe.
Anyway, to the melted butter and cherries, add some brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. If I had to give amounts, I would say somewhere in the ballpark of 1/2-1 stick of butter, maybe 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1/8 a cup of balsamic vinegar. But really, change it as much as you like. Cook it all down for awhile, maybe 10 minutes or so, and spoon it warm over vanilla ice cream. A gingersnap or biscotti would be a wonderful addition too.
Another summer staple around here has been the personal pizzas. I know, nothing earth shattering but it has consistently been making our family happy 1-2 nights a week. Making personal pizza crusts takes almost no more time than making one large crust but the fun factor is increased exponentially. I don't have a pizza crust recipe that I love yet, I am still experimenting. If you have a tried and true one you use, please share it! For now, I have been using different recipes, and often resorting to the cheap, prepackaged crusts that you just add water to and roll out. I bake them for about 5 minutes, put them on plates, and set out different toppings on the counter and the boys have a blast topping their own pizzas. We do this a lot on Mondays, when the hubby and I go on date night. Letting the boys make personal pizzas and watch a movie makes the night special for them too.
The boys typically keep it simple with sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni. I love fresh spinach, feta, thin slices of tomato, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, etc. I will often top mine with whatever fresh produce needs to be used up such as squash (lots of squash this time of year!). The personal pizzas are great for quick lunches after a morning in the pool and the kids really love the chance to make their pizza just the way they want it.
We have also been enjoying lots of other quintessentially summer foods...
corn on the cob
low country boil
fresh berries
fruit and yogurt parfaits with homemade granola

What foods are you loving this summer?

FAMILY CONNECTIONS
I have been thinking a lot lately about family and siblings and brothers, as we are only seven short weeks from bringing another family member home. I have been enjoying the laid back pace of summer with my boys, spending hours every day with my tired feet propped up, watching them play in the pool, wrestle, build legos, and just do fun little brother things together.

I have been thinking about how fast their childhoods are going by. My oldest just lost his first tooth. He is starting first grade this fall, which just seems so much more serious than kindergarten. I am seeing him really change and mature and while I am proud and happy, I am also sad. I just want to freeze this time, hold on to them a little longer. I don't know why I seem to enjoy my children so much more during the summer. I just love to watch them at the beach or pool, their sweet little tan bodies running around. Gosh, they are just so cute!! And they get along so much better. I love to see them relating with each other. I love to see them comfort each other and help each other and to feel safe with each other.

I was encouraged as I thought about my own brothers (pictured above, with my Dad). We were also homeschooled and spent a lot of time together building forts, playing in the woods, dressing up, getting in trouble. I realized a few weeks ago that I have not lived in the same house as my siblings in ten years. We all are doing our own thing, living our own lives, having different experiences. It is weird to think about how different our lives are now, these people that I knew better than anyone else for most of my life. One brother is about to be deployed to Iraq (bottom in picture). One just graduated college and is trying to decide what direction to go next (far right). And the other brother is in school and married (top). In spite of the years it has been since we lived in the same home, we are still close. One brother was here at my house tonight, playing with the boys and talking to Matt about life. Within the last hour, I have spoken to my other two brothers on the phone. I am very thankful for those family connections that have changed and matured over the years. I am thankful for all the history that we share, the inside jokes, the memories, the traditions.

And even though sometimes I am sad to see my children growing up so fast, I am encouraged when I think about the relationships that I have with my siblings and the hope that I have that these years my boys have in the same house will also result in strong ties as adults. I hope that they will feel a companionship and safety and confidence in their brothers because of their time together as children.

(I also have a little sister, Darcie, who is ten. I was almost eighteen when she was born. I could say a lot about her and how she uniquely changed and added to our family but this particular stream of consciousness was more about my childhood interactions with my brothers. Not trying to leave Darcie out though!).

TODAY FROM THE FARMER'S MARKETI didn't get much today and only spent $12. Plus, the prices had fallen on a lot of the produce, as it is becoming more abundant. People who think that fresh produce is too expensive have obviously never eaten in-season foods in an agricultural area. It is dirt cheap this time of year in south GA.

10 pounds of peaches $9 (they are only $0.50 a pound if you go to the farm and pick yourself. I will probably go in July).
8 ears of corn $1.50
1 onion $0.50
4 squash $1

I admit, I was a little disappointed in the corn this week. It was small to begin with, and once I shucked them, half of the cobs were eaten up with worms. I saw another vendor whose corn looked much bigger and better but I had already purchased this corn. Next week I will probably purchase from the other vendor. For $1.50, I am not going to get too upset about it. The corn that was left was still very good!

Caedmon was interviewed for the local news and his thoughts on the farmer's market were very cute (he said that the sweet corn is what keeps him coming back every week. That, and seeing the chickens and dogs.).

After we left the farmer's market, we made a spontaneous trip to my parent's house where everyone pitched in to pick me at least two days worth of blueberries (1 1/2 gallons) while I stood at the bushes and ate them as fast as I could pick them. :)

I love Saturday mornings.

30 WEEKS

LOVE FOR MY DADDYMy daddy just made my night. Possibly my week. There are two things you should know, before I tell you what amazing awesomeness he did for me tonight.

1. No one in my family "gets" my daddy like I do. He is not naturally verbally affirmative, he drives everyone crazy asking a 1,000 seemingly meaningless questions, works hard, and grins like the Cheshire cat when embarrassed. In a word, he is me. Or should I say, I am him.
In my mind, he can do no wrong. He asks lots of questions because he is analytical and needs more information before he can form an opinion about something. He loves us but has a hard time communicating it in words. He shows love for us through his ACTIONS. He works hard and provides well for his family. He went to all our baseball and soccer games. He comes to my sons' sports games. To me, his love is readily apparent. To other members of my family, especially the ones who receive love best through VERBAL AFFIRMATION, they just don't get him. But I also show love through DOING and so for me, it is easy to see the myriad of ways he loves and serves his family.
Also, if he were to read this, he would be embarrassed and would act like I was crazy.
One of my favorite things about him is that he grins from ear to ear when he serves communion at church, or during a baptism, and throughout my entire wedding. He tries not to but he can't help it. And I grin when I watch him.

2. The second thing is, I love blueberries. They are my #1 favorite food on earth and I anxiously await blueberry season every year, pestering daddy about the bushes every time I see him, wanting to know how much longer, has he been watering them enough, will it be a good season this year (the 1,000 questions!).

Tonight, he showed up at my door with a bag of the very first blueberries of the season. He had just picked them for me moments before. And then, he got in his truck and drove them to my house. And he grinned when he handed them to me.

Now, an hour later, I have an empty bag, a tummy full of blueberries, a lump in my throat, and big silly tears rolling down my face. Because my daddy just made me awfully gosh-darn happy tonight.

*Creative commons image from lepiaf.geo on flickr.com

LIVING LOCAL
Today's Farmer's Market Purchases

Peaches $9
Blackberries $7
Sourdough Bread $3
Lettuce $4 ($2 per head)
Corn (6 ears) $1.50
Pole Beans (1 pound) $1.50
TOTAL: $26

I absolutely love going to the farmer's market. It is a recent addition to our town, this being only the second year it has been regularly held. And it is wonderful. It brings me immense amounts of happiness to spend Saturday morning with my family at the Farmer's Market. Being out in the sunshine, handing my money to the people that grew the food I am purchasing, discussing different recipes is pure heaven. The kids ran around, petting dogs, blackberry juice dripping down their chins, sometimes with their own purchases in their hands. This morning, we ran into 7-8 families that we knew. The kids played around our feet while the adults discussed when certain crops will be in season and how much we paid for the sweet corn. It was pure local happiness.
After we left the farmer's market, we had breakfast at the donut shop just down from our house. The owner lives in our neighborhood and my husband sells him the ingredients that he uses in his restaurant. As we ate, we chatted with the older lady at the table next to us. She also lives in our neighborhood and walks her dog by our house every day. She has had many conversations with my children as they play in the yard. As we finished up our breakfast, a family walked in who's daughter is getting married next Saturday. I am directing the wedding. We discussed a few wedding details before we left.
I love living a community oriented life. It really enriches our day to day interactions and gives value to the quotidian.

For more (lots, lots more!) on the importance and impact of eating locally, I suggest reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

EXERCISES IN AWARENESS, #3 (today's lunch)

Record everything you eat in a day. Also, the time you ate it, what was going on around you, your emotional state, etc. How did the foods you ate affect your well being that day?

**I thought this would be a good exercise for me to do today, after a week of mindless eating at the beach. I notice that just the act of practicing awareness helps me make better food choices. I don't want to write down that I had a moment of weakness and ate half a bag of marshmellows, so therefore, I am less likely to eat them!**

FOOD JOURNAL FOR TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2009

10:15 AM: Very hungry. Kids have already been fed, so I am cooking just for myself. I am intentional about focusing just on the food I am eating, resisting the urge to turn on my cell phone or computer, or open a book, or make a to-do list. Instead, I sit at the table and force myself to eat slowly and really enjoy it. It feels a little weird but is relaxing.

-2 eggs, scrambled (eggs from my mom's chickens, seasoned with some of my new sea salt and pepper).
-1 piece of Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted cinnamon raisin bread, toasted with butter and local honey
-Large glass of ice water (3rd for the morning).

1:45 PM: Slightly hungry. Feeling a little frazzled, and am glad it is Bauer's nap time. Used the computer while I ate.
-A personal pizza of sorts. An Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain tortilla, topped with tomato sauce, fresh spinach, onion, and a little feta cheese. Heated through. Yummy.
-Large glass of ice water (5th of the day).

6:45 PM: Gnawing-off-my-arm -hungry. While fixing dinner for the family, I wolf down...
-Matt's Japanese left-overs from the night before (rice, zucchini, onions, chicken).
-Handful of yellow raisins
-Large glass of ice water (glass 8 or 9 for the day). Eating all this quickly leaves me with awful heartburn.

8:15 PM: Greatly anticipating my dessert for the evening. Enjoyed with much gusto and lip-smacking.
-Small cup of Strawberry Lemon Love Coconut Bliss ice-cream.

9:30 PM: Settled in with a book (rereading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver) and wanted something sweet.
-1 cup of frozen grapes. Yummy. Perfect ending to the day.

HARVESTING SEA SALTI was turned on to the idea of harvesting sea salt from the wonderful River Cottage Family Cookbook, which I first read about here.
This last week afforded the perfect opportunity, as we vacationed with our family at Fripp Island, off the coast of South Carolina.
The process was as simple as lugging a stock pot full of sea water back home and straining it (we used a kitchen towel and coffee filter in lieu of cheesecloth), then boiling it down for several hours. It reminded me of making butter. For the longest time, nothing seems to happen and you think it isn't going to work, and then, within just a moment or two, bam!, you have butter (or in this case, sea salt). It happens very quickly. It just looks like a pot of water for several hours until all but about an inch of water has boiled away. That is when you start to notice salt crystals forming on the surface of the water. One stock pot afforded about 7 heaping tablespoons of salt.
The men/critics of our group refused to touch our "toxic waste sea salt" but after copious amounts of googling, it seems that my sea salt is just as safe to eat as any I could buy. Even Fleur de Sel is harvested by a sea town, as is most salt, apparently.
I think harvesting sea salt will become one of my annual beach traditions.

EXERCISES IN AWARENESS, #2
Record all the sounds you hear in the course of one hour.

~12:44-1:44 PM, Monday afternoon~
Hum of the fridge
Cartoon on TV
College neighbor next door, starting his massive truck
Squeal of the postman's delivery truck tires
Children's voices
Toy dragging across the floor
Cellphone ringing
Fan whirring
Child screaming
AC blowing
Blind being pulled down
Sound machine
Side of crib being pulled up
Velcro fastening
Footsteps
Trash can, rolling over gravel
Nerd candies, pouring from box
Paper flipping
Wicker creaking
Car doors slamming
Car accelerating
Raindrops falling on leaves, through trees
Pantry door opening, closing
Mailbox, opening, closing
Crunching of ice
Typing
Drawers opening and closing
Clothespins snapping
Clothes coming off the line, being shaken, folded
Knocking on front door
Men's voices (Air conditioner repairmen, yay!)
Dishwasher running

I was surprised at how many different sounds I heard, during a relatively quiet time (children's naps). I was also surprised at how little I usually notice...these sounds comprise the background noise of my day. It wasn't until I tried to be aware of the sounds around me that I even noticed them at all.

*Creative Commons image from striatic on flickr.com

EXERCISES IN AWARENESSIn an on-going attempt to be aware, thankful, intentional, creative, simple, grateful, and live a slow, meaningful life...I thought I would do a series of Exercises in Awareness...little things that either stimulate my creativity, encourage simple interactions with my children, force me to slow down, to notice new details, etc. I may do one a day, or sometimes only one a week. I am not going to put strict parameters on it and make it complicated. I have a List of 100 ideas that I found online (I will put up the link later) that I am going to pull from to get me started.

Today:

List your 10 most important things (not including animals or people).
1. My house.

2. Living an unhurried, simple, content life.

3. Nature.

4. Books.

5. Ergo.

6. Macbook.

7. Church.

8. Bubble baths in the claw foot tub.

9. Good food/cooking.

10. Date night.

What are your 10?

DISCLOSUREI read blogs that encourage me. The ones that I continue to return to are the ones that promote simplicity, beauty in the every day, contentment with where we are, domesticity. Those are things that I try to focus on in my blog too. There are lots of less than pleasant things that go on in our home on a daily basis...temper tantrums, impatience, overflowing laundry, last night's dishes in the sink. But those aren't the things that I want to remember, so those aren't the things that I typically blog about.

Today though, I feel compelled to tell you that life as a mother has been really, really challenging for me these last six or so months. I have been/am really struggling. April in particular, has seemed especially daunting. Pregnancy is always a very trying time for me. Even this pregnancy, which has (so far) been pretty easy, especially compared to my other pregnancies, has been challenging. Aside from the normal physical aches and pains of pregnancy, the emotional/mental aspect is a real doozy for me. I feel like I could snap at any moment. My patience flies out the window. And, as a result, I second guess myself as a mother constantly. I wonder how I could possibly have another child, when I obviously am not fit to take care of the ones I have, blah blah blah.

Anyway, my point of all this is to say...I don't know...I guess for the people who know me in real life, my blog might seem like a big disconnect, maybe an alternate reality. It isn't!! I love my family and little green house and being domestic. But it is also really hard sometimes. Everyone's life is hard. We all know that. Mine isn't any harder than anyone else's.
When I look back on this time with small children, I want to remember them happily playing in boxes in the yard and eating homemade popsicles and making bread with me. I don't want to remember that today I yelled at them for jumping on my (just made) bed with their shoes on and telling them that they were making me insane. I want to remember them bringing me flowers. I want to remember snuggling up on the couch with a stack of books.

So, please know, I am not trying to be disingenuous. I am just trying to dwell on the good, happy aspects of daily life. And there is plenty to dwell on! I know that full well. Right now, I am just having to look for those moments a little harder.

OTHER SIGNS OF THE SEASON

Outdoor play. Boxes are always a favorite.
Windows flung open.
Clothes on the line.
Backyard trees in full bloom. Green everywhere.
Strawberries.
Fresh fruit, always accessible.
Minimal clothing.

WARM WEATHER CLOTHINGOne of my favorite things about warm weather is that my children can run around with far fewer clothes on. Sweet little tan children's bodies (usually with popsicle juice running down the tummy) is just the best. A cloth diaper is my toddler's uniform of choice all day, every day when it is warm enough.
I just don't think it gets much sweeter than this.

EARTH DAY(Trees in our backyard, coming into bloom)
Rather than write my own post, I thought I would link to this excellent post that I found through Like Merchant Ships. She summed it up beautifully. I feel just the same way (but I am less articulate).

"Simply put, I did not make this ground on which I step, or paint the sky. Of my will, I cannot make a single blade of grass grow, or a stem bud and then flower. I am here as witness and steward, and worshiper of the Maker. I want to treat less callously what He made. And with a clothespin, a homemade meal, a planted seed, give thanks."

FIRST STRAWBERRIES OF THE SEASONA farmer gave my daddy a flat of strawberries yesterday and he shared them with me. They are (or should I say, were) the most beautiful, deep red color. I wanted to put them in one of my old blue and white Spode bowls, but they never made it that far. When I was carrying them inside, late yesterday afternoon, the boys ambushed me on the kitchen steps. We ended up having an impromptu strawberry-eating party. I probably say this every year but I am pretty sure these are the best strawberries ever. Even relatively local strawberries from Florida don't hold a candle to true local, still-warm-from-the-sun berries. I am dreaming of all the things I am going to do with the strawberries we will pick later this week.
Fresh strawberries, eaten right away.
Cut up over scones and just-whipped cream.
In smoothies.
In fruit salad and cereal.
Homemade strawberry ice cream and popsicles.
Jam.
Cobblers.
Ah, the possibilities are endless. And this is just the first fruit to come into season!
Is it strawberry season where you live? What are you planning to make with this yummy fruit?

23 WEEKS

CELEBRATING THE ORDINARYToday is a beautiful day. After a conference with the boys, we came to the unanimous decision that we should have a celebration.
What are we celebrating?
Well, it is Friday.
Our newest member of the family has now been alive for 23 weeks (only 16 weeks until we meet him!).
Our church is celebrating 25 years this week-end.
It is beautiful outside.
The house is pretty clean.
What more reason do we need?!

The menu was quickly decided:
Hot Tea (with lots of cream)
Cheese and Crackers
Orange slices
Funnel Cakes I started on the funnel cakes while the boys went outside and gathered flowers, grass, and hydrangea leaves to decorate the table. I gave them free rein, and they eagerly pulled out linen napkins, silverware, candles and candlesticks, platters, and vases. I filled the teapot. As we ate, we talked about who the boys enjoyed spending time with. We talked about the weather and the food. We talked about table manners. I so often feel like I am racing the clock to try and clean the house, cook, teach Caedmon, etc. And lately, I have been really frazzled. So, it was nice to spend the morning just connecting with the children and celebrating the everyday joys of our life. I am not good at just naturally doing that. It takes real effort on my part. But I am always so glad that I did. Sometimes it surprises me that I have to actively work to engage with and enjoy my children. It doesn't always come naturally, as I had expected it would. Often, caring for their physical needs leaves me feeling exhausted. But I want more than that for us. I want more days like today. I am thinking of ordering Blue Yonder's Book of Days. I think it would help me be more creative and interactive and celebratory on a daily basis. So here's to enjoying the everyday. There is beauty and wonderful things to celebrate all around us. We just have to take the time to notice.

WHAT IS YOUR DECORATING STYLE?I was perusing The Inspired Room's archives and found this fun quiz. You answer the questions by choosing the picture that best describes you. Even when I retook the quiz several times with some of my second and third choices, my answer always came back the same. Tell me in the comments what your style is, I am curious to know!

I am: Earth Mother

"There is a rustic simplicity and honesty about the way you furnish your home. If interior design corresponded with styles of cooking, your recipe would be a wholesome, hearty pot-roast, perhaps, or something inspired by the Italian Slow Food Movement. Your approach to interior design is almost elemental, certainly in terms of colour, texture, and (above all) materials."

A SHAKY START
The day started out a little rough.
Lots of whining (kids) and lack of patience (me).
The day progressively improved,
and the afternoon ended on a high note.
Nothing to make the day a little brighter like fresh tomato soup.
Yeast rolls rising in the oven.
A little yoga...
Including sun salutations.
And a green smoothie, for a late afternoon energy boost.
All's well that ends well.