this inspired life

New name, same game…… I’ve moved the blog and would love you to come say hi!

Please visit: THIS INSPIRED LIFE

well hello there…

Twenty days into my break. The longest blog break I’ve had in over three years. It’s been refreshing and different. We’ve gotten up to all sorts of goodness.

A small peak into how we’ve spent November:

Birds: feeding, identifying, and enjoying up close (but not photographing – dang those dirty windows!), all thanks to the renovations we pulled off this fall (still incomplete, but I say good enough for now).

Creating with the kids: watercolors, beginning form drawing, chalk and oil pastels, finger knitting, singing, storytelling, piano playing, bath bomb making, handwork with clay.

Reading: too many books (children and adult) to mention in point form. But all fantastical and inspiring.

Lurking: on far too many amazing blogs and sites to mention here for the moment also.

Nursing: a poor sick baby girl with nasty croup, which thankfully is on its way out and we even managed to avoid going into the clinic.

Visiting and playing: with friends, often.

Working on: my new blog site, sporadically,

Hoping: to have it up early December.

Really hoping your November has been full of all kinds of goodness, too. See you soon.

November is not my very favorite month

My mom and a few others have approached me lately with the same question: “What is going with that blog of yours?”.

Truth is, I have come to official conclusion that Word Press stinks (really really lots). There are so many things I want in a blog, and haven’t been able to do any of it. I’ve been tinkering for months with CSS in spare moments, tweaking codes and hacking stylesheets – to no avail. You might have noticed.

I want to move back to Blogger, or buy my own site, where I can get what I want out of keeping a blog and can really make it personal (which I’ve found impossible with Word Press). I’m still thinking about it, because moving is such a big deal to me. And I have no idea how to buy or design my own site. But the idea is cool.

I’ve also been spending a lot of time away from the computer because it’s almost dead and it’s a total drag to use. Lots of waiting and crashing and restarting, and I have so many more things I’d like to put my time and energy into than an clunky old machine that hates me. If I’m going to use the computer (and if I’m going to have a blog) I want it to be quick, efficient, easy and painless. Get on, do the stuff I need to, the back to real life.

So…

I think I’m buying a new computer soon. It’s such a tool. We use it for so many things it’s amazing. We need one that works. And then it’s going to take me a while to transfer all the junk I want to the new one, and all the rest to the external hard drive I recently purchased, then I think I’ll move the blog, and after all that is accomplished, then everything should be quick and easy to work with. But I think it’s going to take awhile.

November is my least favorite month of all months – in fact, I think I love every month for different reasons except this one. It has always been a tough one for me. I have a hard time adjusting to the dark and the gray. It isn’t really fall anymore, but it’s not yet winter. It’s just kind of soggy. And since I have all the other stuff I mentioned eating up my computer time already, I think I’ll just take a break this month from the blog and get down to all of this technical business, finish it up, and come back in December to celebrate.

Hope to see you back here in a month. Until then, keep an eye on us over at Flickr, I’ll be posting there if and when I am able. Until then, did you notice the tree in the photo above is smiling?
Enjoy the smiling tree. See it? I love that tree.

(for the record, this photo was taken in October, a very favorite month of mine).

hijacked

Okay, this blog has not been hijacked. But there are crazy things happening, technically speaking. Will return when everything is back to normal. No. Wait. Better than normal is the goal.

I’ll be back soon!

a little progress…

Already this photo is outdated because we worked for a couple more hours on it last night – too dark in the house for photos though, so these shots taken yesterday of Kale’s skeletons will need to do for now.

I am loving having such a fun project going. Whenever there’s a non-cooking-cleaning-diaper changing-laundry-errand running-moment, there is nothing more relaxing and connecting than returning to our ’spots’ around the table and letting the creative juices flow together. We have the best little talks, and there is a special kind of peace between us all. Mostly.

This photo-a-day has sure turned into a lot more than ‘photos’ I’ve noticed, have you?
Happy Friday & happy weekending, whatever you’re up to.

a typical, ordinary, yummy day

Confessions. My kids are usually not dressed. And if they are, it’s usually pajamas. Unless we’re going out, which we do almost daily. Then, for about as long as it is necessary, they will willingly put clothes on. They eat when they are hungry, eat nothing they don’t like, sleep when they are tired (OK, aren’t we ALL working on that one still?), play when they feel like fun, share when they are comfortable to, help out when they are willing, and spend time in quiet contemplation, when the mood strikes.

No, I am not ashamed or guilty, not concerned or fretful or panicked with thoughts of ‘how on earth are my kids ever going to get used to the ‘real world’ if they’re always going along to the beat of their own drums…?’. No. I actually believe that for us, this is probably the richest, most sure-fired and gratifying way I can think of to prepare for the ‘real world’: spending time getting to knowing ourselves as intimately and passionately as possible before venturing out to share who we are with the world. Yes, I include ‘me’ in there, too. I’ve got years and YEARS of unschooling to catch up on myself!

Today, we worked on our haunted mansion, turned the compost heap and said hello to the worms, partially mowed the lawn and began winterizing the garden, learned (more) about woolly bear caterpillars, watched a documentary on extinction and evolution….

“Mama, this is really, really cool. You know how all the dinosaurs died? There was this meteor and it was really HUGE, bigger than the biggest ever waterfall (I’m guessing he’s referring to Niagara Falls) and it came through space and hit the Earth so hard that the Earth shook. And when the Earth shook – that was a big earthquake – so all the dinosaurs tripped! And when they tripped, they all fell down so hard that they died. And the ocean shook too, so the dinosaurs in the ocean died but the ones in the air were lucky, they survived. Cool, huh?”

…..talked about chickens and excavators and the million other things that came up. Kale went along to open gym with friends today while Hillary and Sam caught up on much needed naps. I puttered.

We also made muffins.

Pumpkin Pecan Muffins, from Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair. They were good, despite me having no molasses on hand (I substituted with an equal amount of honey), and no pecans, they were just what we needed for a day like today. Perfect pajama food.

Halloween work in progress

Here’s the start to a little bit of Halloween-ishness at our place. It doesn’t look like much now, but stay tuned for progress, if you dare…. it’s a homemade mini-sized haunted mansion. When Kale and I first started talking about making it, I love that the first place that popped into Kale’s mind for supplies was the recycling depot. Woot! Decorating really doesn’t get less commercialized than that.

boo!

Kale let me teach him how to do a basic running stitch because he so wanted a ghost puppet and wanted to make it himself. I couldn’t believe he sat for 1.5 hours start to finish, sewing this guy up. I think it helps tremendously that he’s a little *obsessed* with ghosts and ’scary’ things right now.

Now he’s got a list: an owl, monster, cat, and witch puppet. This will be a great opportunity to see if he’s got the same “incomplete project” gene as I do ;)

a start

One reason why I think home schooling is so successful in our community is because it’s not difficult to tap into some seriously awesome resources. Everywhere you look, there is something to immerse yourself in. For example, five minutes down our street we have a well-equipped community pottery studio, all ages welcome, with regular drop-in hours.

I went through a pottery stage earlier in my life, when I lived with a wheel and was able to use it all the time. It’s been over ten years since the last time I threw. But I found out yesterday, it’s a lot like riding a bike, one of those things you just don’t forget once you’ve learned how.

Pottery is such a wonderful craft to take up, especially if you like creating beauty and art that is also functional and practical. I am also confident it’s one of those crafts that, really, anyone can learn. I am so delighted that finally, now that he’s a little older, I am able to bring Kale down to the studio to do some clay work and try the wheel.

First, we had fun doing our bit of handwork at the table – we’d already agreed on a plan before we went, we were going to begin working on our Christmas gifts and Craft fair items for the first half of our studio time and then play on the wheel for the rest, but it was slightly tortuous for him. Once he saw the wheel, and how the clay and hands moved on it, and the peddle action, and the whole fluid, flowing, hypnotic process that throwing is… that’s where his focus went.

So *we* finished up a few of the things we started, cleaned up and moved into the wheel room. (Can I just mention here, how awesome it was just to spend one-on-one time with Kale in this way? He needs it so much and rarely gets it. I like the idea of making this trip something we do at least twice a month.)

I centered the clay for Kale and just let him have a go at it for a while, occasionally helping with the peddle or bringing the clay back to a workable shape.

After that, I had a ‘turn’. (grin)

Kale was momentarily confused and sad when I said it was time to go and invited him to crumple up the little jar he watched me make. But he was happy when I said he could throw it in the bag and use that very same clay again next time to make something new that we could keep.

Just some of the many things I love about working with clay: nothing is wasted, and there are endless opportunities to have fun, get dirty, make mistakes and then begin like new all over again.

flying lessons

I took the kids for a fun trip out of town yesterday so we wouldn’t have to be in the way while more work on the kitchen was being done. We thrift-shopped, picked up snacks and then promptly hit the park.

There were a good number of kids to play with, which kept Kale busy for hours, but it was quiet enough to still be ours. The ocean was calm, the breeze was definitely cold, but the sun was out in all its autumn glory.

Hillary and Sam loved the merry-go-round swing and stayed on it for a long, long while, shrieking and giggling and… well.. flying.

We drove home, stopping for veggies and oat squares and tea, and enjoyed a blissfully calm ride down an absolutely GOLDEN island highway, to quiet jazz and two of three small children snoozing in the back. Another one of those moments I would have frozen us into forever, if I could.

On another note: THANK YOU for all your music recommendations! There’s a lot of fun stuff there I can tell it’s going to keep me busy listening for a while… but by all means, if you missed putting your two bits in, please do! There can never be enough good listening!

wink and nod

The cheeky duo. Oh, they’re just trouble. But how I love them! These photos capture them so well just doing what they do together.

Extra:

1. As you can see by the walls, renos are not complete, today we jack up the ceiling and rip out the frame of the main supporting wall. Fun stuff.

2. And more importantly, can you please leave some good music recommendations in the comments? What do you like to relax run or dance or read or craft to? I am hanging out for some new sounds for the iPod but I don’t know where to start. And I know “good” music is completely subjective, but I’m open and willing to give anything a listen.

Thanks!

let them eat cake

*edited to fix some corrections in my measurements below, it’s all good now, sorry about that!!*

This one especially. It’s one of the simplest, most rich and decadent and nutritious (no, that’s no typo) cakes I’ve ever made in ten minutes.

This one’s great for gluten-free and non-gluten-free people alike. It’s flourless, full of protein and fiber and I think one piece will fix a chocolate craving for at least one whole day ;) Don’t knock it until you try it because you’ll seriously be missing out. It’s intense and gooey and my new favorite cake. For my birthday, I made myself a double layer batch and served with sifted powdered sugar and whipped cream. And candles, of course. Everyone raved and couldn’t believe it when I said there were chick peas in it. (For the record, I think Aden’s chin hit the table.)

Recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake

Drain and rinse a 19 fl oz (454 ml) can of chick peas (garbanzo beans) and pop them into the food processor.
Add 3/4 of a cup of sugar, 1.5 cups chocolate chips (melted), half a teaspoon of baking powder and four eggs. Process until really smooth.

Pour into an 8 or 9 inch round pan and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

I am imagining freezing what’s left and chopping it into ice cream in a few days, when we’ve all come down from our chocolate highs….

garlic’s in, and I’m 35

Woohoo! Although I missed (by one day) planting by the full moon, at midnight, while naked (as I was instructed to by our local garlic guru) – I did finally get my garlic in the ground at last. And just in the nick of time. It’s frosty out there in the mornings! I’m excited, I’ve never grown garlic before. I hope it does well, but can’t believe I’ll need to wait 8 months or more to see…

And oh yeah, it’s my birthday today. How did I spend my day this year? Pretty much the usual stuff, homeschool gym time (great to see all you friends!), swim lessons, laundry, mediating between children, dishes, meals… it’s been dark and gray and wet, but I feel happy.

I did manage to start my morning with reading with a cup of tea, some candles, and lavender on the burner an hour before everyone got up, so that was nice. A great way to begin a new year…

It’s extra cool that Aden and Todd gave me an iPod shuffle and now I think I can start running again. Running with music is the best. I’ve also got a belly full of the most delicious sushi and the most decadent cake… Recipe to come because it’s another one that ya’ll have to try.

15

I think I am getting used to these double digits now. The one thing I can’t seem to wrap my brain around though, is the fact that you’ll be legal driving age a year from now.

I wanted to get a picture of you this morning, as you rushed around getting ready for school after sleeping in, but you were too rushed and too “15″. Which is code language for “mom, I’m busy… too self-conscious in front of the camera… in a hurry… have places to go and people to see…”. I’m getting used to that, too, not that I want to.

We don’t see you enough anymore, now that you’re in public school. I miss you. You make me laugh more sincerely than anyone I’ve ever known. I wish I had your sense of wit and humor. People tell me you’re a dream child, and I can’t agree more. You have such a strong, secure sense of self – that’s why your decision to go to school doesn’t worry me. You know who you are and who you aren’t.

You’re helpful and so generous – giving your energy, time, possessions because you want to. You were born with this natural, built-in desire to make life easier for those around you. You have never lost touch with your natural state of compassion that I, myself, seem to have to work so hard at daily to maintain.

Your sister adores you, and I’m not surprised. I knew she would. Your brothers drive you nuts, but it’s no secret how much you care about them. You have such a gentle, passive spirit, the patience of a saint and you constantly amaze me with your ability to breathe and keep your cool even when totally overwhelmed by life surrounded by these small rascals. I am constantly learning from and inspired by you.

I don’t know what you’re going to “be” when you grow up, but I do know that no matter what it is, I’m going to be as inspired by you then as I am today. I am so, so lucky to be your mom. Happy birthday, Aden. Thank you for being you.

crafts for the table

I am delighted that I’ve finally taken a few moments to play; splashing pigment and swirling water on paper just to see what happens, and hand stitching tiny clothes for tiny wooden people (inspired by this tutorial). My creative itch is suddenly feeling so, so satisfied. Also, I see the great beginnings of a colorful nature table emerging in our home… As soon as the kitchen renovations are complete, there will be a perfect corner, surrounded in windows and light for it to go. I foresee hours of sitting and playing elves and gnomes and studying the outdoor wonders we’ve brought in, and making new things to add. Good, good fun.

I was even more pleased when I saw Kale and Sam take to imaginary play with my handmade gnomes with just as much enthusiasm and joy as they would a pile of Matchbox cars or Lego, or bin of train tracks. Success!! Forget the groceries on the table or the mess on the floor, I’m off to stitch a couple more…

end of the season

Blackberries. They’re still out there and you can find a few good ones if you try, but most are bordering on too sweet, and very mushy. The little birds are feasting around the marsh trail.

fall hydrangeas

Hydrangeas, done for the year. One of my mom’s favorite.

random notes

I am sad and embarrassed to admit, it is against the law in some parts of our city to have a clothesline. Fortunately not on our street.

Unfortunately, it is also against the law to have backyard fires or keep chickens on property less than an acre. It is unanimously agreed amongst each member of my family, in order to be truly happy, we need chickens. And a daily fire. Especially in the dampest, darkest time of year. Solutions? I have decided I’m shopping for a fire bowl or chimenea, and when I buy one, I’m going to use it. I’ve also decided to keep chickens this spring. Please send kindness and understanding vibes to my neighbors, it is completely dependent on them whether or not we will be chicken keepers. I’ve got my heart set on a half dozen. Isa Browns, Americaunas, and a couple of Japanese Bantams. Kale is a natural chicken whisperer and truly, truly must have chickens of his own. And we can’t wait until we own a farm, because realistically? That could be ten years off or more. Sigh.

I am aching to create, create, create right now. Anything. Sew something. Felt something. Draw something. Paint something. Photograph something. Yet at the same time, I am totally lacking the organizational skills and attention span required to decide what to make, collect the materials needed, and then set down to doing it. What is up with that?

I have recently discovered this clip via a photo on Flickr. I am in awe of the beauty and the power that these voices have to shake the grumpies from my soul. I can just listen over and over and over and hear something new each time…

Aden has just invited me to come and draw with him. I think I’m going to take up the offer.

party day

For a three-year-old, Sam sure seems to have his priorities straight. For his party, he made simple requests:

1. Rainbows
2. Chocolate
3. Olivia & Briar

We covered the bases, adding in a few things like pizza, a bouncy castle and a whole lot of balloons for good measure, and I think the Sam Man was more than pleased with the results. The simplest, more relaxed and low maintenance celebrations I think we’ve ever had. And to be honest, completely perfect. Thanks for everything, Jackie, Olivia and Briar, you made Sam’s day! :)

grateful

Through the practice of embracing NVC, I spend many moments each day simply tuning in to how I’m feeling, trying to stay in touch with my values, as well empathizing and honoring that which others value and need as well.

It’s a very different way from what I’ve known in all my prior years, and it has had the most positive impact on my emotional, mental & spiritual well-being and my relationships. I am so deeply grateful for this process and for what it has done in my life.

Tabitha is one of the wonderful friends and fabulous women I know who also make it a daily practice to live compassionately, to contribute to making peace in the world, and to honor their truth by doing their best to live it every day, in everything they do.

And yeah, we talk and laugh and sometimes cry about how we “mess up” and how challenging it all can be, a lot. Cause we’re so, so, so human.

I’m grateful for Tabitha as I am the rest of my friends, my family, my children, and the people I meet as we go about daily life who move me and inspire me. My heart is warmed by knowing you.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, all.