Seriously?

Today our oldest turns 13. 13!!! Been busy getting ready for a girly sleepover. I learned long ago not to do girly sleepovers...but this is a bit different. She only invited her two closest friends. I'm dropping them off at a ceramic hands on center-all by themselves! Then dinner at her favorite mexi place and home for mud cake and presents...oh she is going to love what we got her! The rest of the evening will be spent with the older girls in the basement, watching Johnny Depp movies: Sleepy Hollow and Edward ScissorHands, doing their nails and what-not. They're going to have fun!

13...Lord help us!

And now off I go with a gaggle of girls to the ceramic place!

A Sure Sign...

A sure sign we are doing our job as parents...informing our children and giving them the knowledge to question their choices. Point at hand was last Friday when I picked Roxie up from kindergarten. She had forgotten her backpack and was toting along a plastic *bag with all her goodies. Her teacher told me that she could bring the bag back so they could re-use it because "Plastic bags are bad for the earth" -By the way she said it I had to ask, "Did Roxie tell you that?" Yes. And my heart swelled with pride, again. This girl of mine is constantly amazing me. She is like a little zen moment happening over and over. Her questions, observations and statements continue to ground me...everyday. Such an intuitive soul...

Roxie, you rock my world!

Of Fathers and Daughters...

A big moment in a five year old's life...removal of the training wheels. Oh yes, a big deal indeed. As I had suspected, she took right off. When she started to wobble, her daddy was right there to keep her from completely crashing. Oh and, according to Roxie, taking a break to eat grapes off the orchard fence helps in the learning process...

Watching the two of them together got me thinking about the relationship between fathers and daughters, how precious it truly is. Roxie (just like our other two girls) holds a huge chunk of Lance's heart in her little hands. She knows (unknowingly) that she is free to explore her world...safe with her father watching from a distance -not too close as to smother the curiosity a five year old holds....yet right by her side when she needs a helping hand.

Lance's girls (all of us that is!) are everything to him. I have to giggle when he cringes as the oldest starts wearing makeup and shaving her legs. What lies before him as a father with three daughters is a bit scary, I'm sure. I have the advantage of once being a teenage girl myself and don't find these things so hard to accept. Oh Lance, your girls only want to make you proud...and of that I am sure they will succeed.

Fathers and Daughters...A tight bond nobody can touch. I feel extremely honored to have the pleasure of watching this bond grow between the man I love and the daughters we have together...

Picked a Pepper...

If you have so many peppers you don't know what to do, try this: Wash, seed and dry your jalapenos. Then place in single layer to freeze. Once frozen, place in freezer container. This method of preserving makes for a quick and yummy treat...like stuffed peppers for those pesky football games.


Still have peppers picked? Get out your needle and heavy thread and get to sewing. Once done, simply hang your pepper sting in a sunny window and enjoy the pretty view. When fully dried, I like to keep mine in an air-tight glass jar.

Oh Yes...It's Fall

Been a bit quiet here the last few days. I have begun another "Big Push" (they come in surges really) in our moving out of - getting renters in (thank goodness we have good ones already lined up) and moving into the farmhouse fully...and by that I mean moving our workload into the basement to build walls and make our family room a real room. I'll spare you all the details, just thinking about it tires me. Goodness knows I have been working on this farmhouse all summer! Before, I couldn't see an end in sight, but I am starting to get a glimpse. And that makes me so very happy. I could never express in words how much my heart needs to be done moving, or moving houses that is. The whole month of June was spent completely re-doing and selling my parents rental property -we were lucky, it sold before we were finished. Working insanely hard there enabled us to purchase our farm. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of moving, pregnancy, renovating the farmhouse, losing my pregnancy (I say that like its something you can simply misplace -sigh) and back to our town house to ready for renters--what a summer it was. Honestly, I am glad it is over and we are starting a fresh season. And with that.....

As the sun is moving in its noticeable manner and the evenings are getting crisper here at the farm, my thoughts turn toward the cozy fall/winter to come. The first of this season to experience in our new home...


To welcome this change in season we gathered together with good friends and The Apples. Oh yes, the truckload of apples we picked earlier in the week for this very celebration...The Autumn Equinox. An event that began in the afternoon and flowed well into the evening. We had a few more hands at work this year then last...and thank goodness for that! This year's mark was 39 gallons of freshly pressed apple juice, we call it cider -but I don't think it really is.

Have you ever tried freshly pressed apple juice? Pure apple, dripping and sticky? Yum...

Throughout the day the grownups keep the press turning, everyone lends a hand at each job. The kids play a huge role, engaging themselves completely into the process. Friends working together, making memories that last a lifetime. And that's what its really about...

Salsa Fi Cation...

The Salsa Gods are happy with me...

Just My Cup Of Tea...

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea...that's where its at for me! A cup of this yummy tea starts and then ends my day. You'll find me pouring a few more cups in the afternoon as well, sometimes over ice. The tea kettle is almost always on and ready to pour out. My raspberry tea plays an active role in my healing and preparation for another pregnancy. An affirmation you could say. A way I can see, taste and touch my role in the healing process.

There is so much info out there on raspberry tea, it is hard to pick one source to link up. But, here you go, a link and little blurb on the great stuff:

Brewed as a tea or as an infusion, raspberry is the best known, most widely used, and safest of all uterine and pregnancy tonic herbs. It contains fragrine, an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself.

Most of the benefits ascribed to regular use of Raspberry tea through pregnancy are traced to the nourishing source of vitamins and minerals found in this plant and to the strengthening power of fragrine - an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. Of special note are the rich concentration of vitamin C, the presence of vitamin E and the easily assimilated calcium and iron. Raspberry leaves also contain vitamins A and B complex and many minerals, including phosphorous and potassium.

The benefits of drinking a raspberry leaf brew before and throughout pregnancy include:

~ Increasing fertility in both men and women. Raspberry leaf is an excellent fertility herb when combined with Red Clover.

~ Preventing miscarriage and hemorrhage. Raspberry leaf tones the uterus and helps prevent miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage from a relaxed or atonic uterus.

~ Easing of morning sickness. Many attest to raspberry leaves' gentle relief of nausea and stomach distress throughout pregnancy.

~ Reducing pain during labor and after birth. By toning the muscles used during labor and delivery, Raspberry leaf eliminates many of the reasons for a painful delivery and prolonged recovery. It does not, however, counter the pain of pelvic dilation.

~ Assisting in the production of plentiful breast milk. The high mineral content of Raspberry leaf assist in milk production, but its astringency may counter that for some women.

~ Providing a safe and speedy pariuntion. Raspberry leaf works to encourage the uterus to let go and function without tension. It does not strengthen contractions, but does allow the contracting uterus to work more effectively and so may make the birth easier and faster.

Now, where did I put my tea cup?

Apple Time!

It's that time again! In preparation for our annual Autumn Equinox Celebration, we headed down to the Canyon Orchard to pick our share of apples. This weekend, although I think we're a week early for the actual equinox, we will be spending a full day with close friends, pressing apples and processing them into cider. The day will also include some dutch oven cooking -yum! tasty beer and to end the celebration, a firepit...complete with Smores.

Sounds like good clean family fun to me. Thankfully, Lance will be in town to enjoy it too...

Stealing a Moment...

Sunday morning found me grabbing my coffee, book, journal, camera -of course- and headed out to the pasture for a little time alone. Some much needed quiet time that is very hard to carve out for myself these days. Stealing a moment for myself, almost hiding. Yet if anyone was truly looking for me they just had to turn the right corner. I simply slipped away into the morning light. A moment of silence is my ultimate savior...as always, really.

What I have found from my loss of pregnancy is this: Everyone around you forgets, except you. The glance of a beautiful-bellied prego woman quickly becomes a fresh cut of remembrance. Working through these emotions have proven difficult for me. I find myself falling into the dark waters of sad emotion and...feeling alone in my fight against depression. Finding a quiet moment saves me, enables me to acknowledge these emotions and let them float on by. This is definitely easier said than done.

And so, a quiet morning, alone with myself brings me back. And then, I hear my name being called out across the field...

On another, yet similar note, I won a give-away! Funny enough, it's all about cultivating emotional intelligence.

A Random Day...

A random day:
*Leave the house by 7:30am, takes an hour to get the girls to school. We have three different schools to arrive on time to ya know...

*Spend 30 minutes within that hour hanging with Roxie, waiting for her school doors to open. This is a favorite time for me. I drink my tea, knit, read, ramble with Roxie, make lists, etc...

*I run errands or do chores (like working at the townhouse) until it's time to pick up Roxie from kindergarten...

*Roxie and I head over to the townhouse and eat a picnic lunch by the pond, talk about her school day and what else is on the schedule for that day...

*After lunch, I start packing more and cleaning...wishing I were already done so I could be quilting...reminding myself that everything happens in its own time...

*I find Roxie asleep on the floor of her old bedroom, I smile and snap a photo...

*At 2:30pm it is time to round up the other two girls from school. Oh the traffic is crazy!

*I surprise the girls with much needed haircuts, which take about three hours to complete...nothing says starting a new season of life like a new hairdo. Wouldn't you agree?

*We head back home for homework, haircut pictures, dinner making and to bed on time so we can start another day bright and fresh...

And there you have a random day plucked out of my life -this past Wednesday to be exact- and shared with you.

Solar Drying...at Last

Oh how I have missed my old clothes-line -I've missed a whole summer of solar drying!

But now, I am happy to share there's a new line in the neighborhood! May very well be the only line in the 'hood...lets hope not.

Lisa Leonard Design...

Mail came...and I was so happy, my necklace had arrived. I like the way it feels, I like the small sound it makes when I walk, I hold it close to my heart .

Thank you Lisa Leonard Design...

And They're Off!

Another school year starts... This time around, things are spiced up a bit. Roxie is still at our favorite private school, as a kindergartner no less. Kaziah is in her first year as a 4th grader at a Performance Art charter school. This is a big deal for a little girl who has been in a private school setting, with about 11 students in the whole grade school. She must now navigate a 32 pupil class room. And then there is Ausha...starting the 7th grade...need I say more?

Where does that leave me this morning? Doing a few chores, wondering how my chicks are doing and also a new start of my new schedule...one that will enable me to finish moving my family out to the farm, get to sewing for an Etsy shop -after a bit of baby sewing first (I know I've talked about it a lot) and concentrate on my healing...which for me means keeping super busy, preparing for and looking forward to getting pregnant again.

Oh happy day.

I Was Craving...

A few weeks ago, when I was still prego and really craving some crab, my brother came back from the coast and delivered. Crab...mmmmm. He and his wife, Kate, also snagged ten salmon. That's right, ten.

My big brother Matt, also known as "The Fish Whisperer".