dear December, how kind you have been to us this year. the slant of the afternoon light through the windows makes me grateful each and every time. the smell of woodsmoke in the morning is heavenly. the twinkle of lights throughout the town brings a smile to all of our faces. the hustle and bustle i could do without. the necessity of gifts and presents not my favorite. looking for the meaning at this time of year is good. figuring out how to give the gift of handmade instead of buying well, i love this. finding treasures and supplies in... Continue reading

-this is the time before everyone wakes when the house whispers of the day to come. a warm latte in hand. writing in a cozy chair. -this is the time of year when I ponder how much to do for the holiday when i just want it to be simple. -this is the day when the last of the laundry has been folded and put away after a family visit over thanksgiving. the family exhausted but happy. -this is the twinkly light time all over town that i love so much. -this is the morning i awoke to my littlest... Continue reading

My hands wrap around my favorite mug as i slowly sip in the morning. i breathe. i pause and look into the fire dancing near my toes. the house has quieted. the children tucked into school after a raucous, lively weekend home. the littlest playing nearby. happy with a pile of books. or a doll. or a fur laid on the floor. rolling on and off. on and off. i find solace in the quiet. the time when even my own thoughts slow. these times don't present often when in a house of six. instead there are levels of quiet.... Continue reading

My life has been full of decisions. big. small. important. seemingly unimportant. each of those decisions helped form and create the life that I live each day. though the tendency to ponder how life would be different if I'd made another choice. taken another path. reacted a different way. i want to believe that this is the human condition. movies like the family man show this universal truth. acknowledged. understood. when I look back there are times when i wish i had said more. had more courage. listened without thinking. been kinder to myself. held more understanding. yet, given a... Continue reading

this morning the washer hums in the backround. the guest bed is now empty. two sets of lovely visitors have all headed home leaving only the lingering wafts of memories. the smiles that greeted me as I walked downstairs. the two friends knitting by the fire. a brother who brought music into our lives. all good. full. now the house settles into quiet. i've been reading. most recently, i'm late to the party on this one, is the history of love by nicole krauss. such amazing writing. the dialoge in this book just slays me. it's all the words that... Continue reading

softer edges. less dramatic. misty. we've started a new adventure. a different chapter in our story that has taken us to the water. a place i find my solace. my peace. my breath. it's been a transition to say the least. a decision made by the end of may. a move that brought us here in time for the first school picnic. a different path to school. or three different schools i might say. whorling at a different speed than our life before. challenging our courage. strengthening our family. attempting pauses to notice what we are grateful for. we moved... Continue reading

What an interesting month May has been. May 1st brought 14" of snow. Yesterday, I found myself outside listening to birds and children chatter as I pulled weeds out of the garden. Rain and sunshine provided the ideal growing situation for the prolific nuisances in the yard. I'd begun to think that blogging just wasn't in the cards this month. With family trips and big daddy trips and my girlie turning "14" time seemed to be all about the family. No time to reflect when one is "on task" at all moments. Alas, this afternoon the two littlest are happily... Continue reading

:: Sometimes one must have a sense of humor about the weather. One must understand that as King Winter and Lady Spring have their last tug of war all you can do is embrace it. Put on your snow boots one day and your flip flops the next. Squish around in rain boots. Watch the water drip off snow clothes by the fire. More than anything keep an inward giggle that soon all this water will bring spring flowers...hopefully. :: Sometimes one must take your daughter to the premiere of the Sense and Sensibility Musical because really, Jane Austen rules.... Continue reading

:: Sometimes one must have a sense of humor about the weather. One must understand that as King Winter and Lady Spring have their last tug of war all you can do is embrace it. Put on your snow boots one day and your flip flops the next. Squish around in rain boots. Watch the water drip off snow clothes by the fire. More than anything keep an inward giggle that soon all this water will bring spring flowers...hopefully. :: Sometimes one must take your daughter to the premiere of the Sense and Sensibility Musical because really, Jane Austen rules.... Continue reading

It's April and there's snow falling outside. It started again yesterday and, more than likely, plans on continuing into tomorrow. As grateful as I am for the moisture it seems to be wreaking havoc with my "Spring" ideas. The "clean up and clear out" part of this season seems a distant thought. Crawling into a warm, fur-lined nook by the fire with a good book sounds better. Much better. As a distraction, on this otherwise non-spring day, I thought I'd give you an update on the fire cider we started a few months back. The big daddy loved the whole... Continue reading

A foot of snow sits outside as I write this. The windshield wiper, just on the drivers side, was broken when we went to sweep snow off the car this morning. Yet, I feel the promise of Spring in the air. Throw open the windows, feel the fresh breeze waft through kind of promise. I've been catching up on a few of my favorite blogs since returning home. The theme...change. It's out there. It's being felt in so many ways. Resulting in many thoughts and epiphanies. Many feelings of over-whelm. Change. I feel it. I welcome it. I've felt limited.... Continue reading

The light seems to have shifted. Ever so slightly. Just enough that the shadows are different. The light streaming through the windows in the afternoon slants in different patterns. Spring is in the air. We spent most of the weekend outside. Sitting under the budding trees listening to the bees buzz-buzz buzzing around. Busy in their work. Calm and happy to be back at their job. I believe everything from the garage that has wheels was brought out, inspected, and taken for a ride. Sand was moved around in the sandbox and pillows dusted off in the playhouse. There seems... Continue reading

So, as I was saying*...you know, about the elusive light in February? The last time we had a chat? Well, lets just say I'm elated that March has come knocking and pushed the brown, gray, icy-thing past us. March whispers of Spring. Green shoots peek through the monotone ground. Warm sun dances on faces as we sit and ponder. Bikes emerge from the garage. More rain boots, less snow boots crowd the front door and back door...and every door for that matter! Life is full. Just like yours. Crammed with fevers and books. Warm meals and homework. Class plays and... Continue reading

This past Saturday, a lovely sunny day, we spent outside. Lunch with the warmth at our back. Bikes. Playing at the Park. Knitting while the little ones played in the sandbox. The whole weekend was supposed to be this way. I didn't realize how much I had needed the warmth of the sunshine. Sunday dawned and clouds covered the light. The house took on a gray tinge and my mood followed suit. Subdued and moody to match the cloud cover outside. Today the sun is attempting to peek through and I plan to sling my camera over my shoulder and... Continue reading