one berry, two berry…..

Pick me a blueberry……

We made our way to a lovely blueberry patch with a group of homeschooling friends and hit the tail end of blueberry season here in the deep south. The kids picked a little and tasted a lot and all the mamas paid a wee bit extra to make up for all the happy blue grins.

My own littlest kept telling me over and over "we're picking berries for winter, right mama."

Right, little bear. (I told him)

This sweet little blueberry patch has an honor system (which I love):

1. pick berries

2. weigh berries

3. put cash/check in mail box

We walked away with a big beautiful bucket full of fresh berries. 9 pounds to be exact. And though I really should have made some jam… we've been enjoying bowls full of berries and baking with fresh berries so much this past week that not a single berry was put away for winter. I hope my little bear understands… We're having the same problem with the baskets of local peaches we've been buying… they are just so good.

We've had baked oatmeal with fresh berries and peaches (oh my!)…. blueberry cobbler baked by Jade (dreamy)…. and huckle buckle is on the menu for tomorrow's breakfast.

So. So. Good.

wild animals in the garden…..

Have you met fox & wolf?

They've been running around my house & garden these past few days.

Howling, growling……

Acting like, well, wild animals.

Sophia is finishing up a study on Animal Legends and I decided to make a pair of masks for her Luke. I cut out the shape of the mask from wool felt and then stitched linen scraps onto the front & back. I did a tight zizag (much like a button hole) for the eyes, free-stitched some designs onto them & then added some thin elastic. They have a very scrappy frayed raw edge sort of look to them….. but then you know, animals are sort of frayed looking too. It was one of those quick sort of projects that can come together after dinner and got popped onto two grinning faces for a little growling before bedtime… I do believe story time included masks as well.

So if you happen to see a fox & wolf in my garden…. don't worry… they're friendly ones.

Grrrrr…..

{ps – these kid masks were loosely inspired by Pixie Campbell whom I had the great pleasure of crossing paths with at SAW}

Mindful Monday

the more you know, the less you need

{I found this on a bumper sticker…. which is now waiting to be stuck on Joe’s bus. If you’re ever having one of those days…. you know like the bad kind…. you can hop into the bus and breathe in 30+ years of patchouli while you read sticker after sticker after sticker. It’ll make you smile. Always.}

summer is…..

homemade coconut milk ice cream….

happy weekend everyone!

been workin’

I know, I know….. you all ready saw these toes… but they're cute enough to see again, right?

These are the new organic cotton reversible skirts. I really think they came out just gorgeous! They've got a super comfy elastic waist for easy wearing and they'll fit f-o-r-e-v-e-r and of course they've got good twirl factor as well. They come in size 12 months to 10 years.

Some new organic spindrift quilts too! These are sewn up with all organic cotton & batting. They are the same size as the original (seen here eons ago, oh my) and just as soft. The colors are just so great, I have really been enjoying this line of fabric.

Loads of lovely lavender sachets also in the shop. (That's almost a tongue twister!)

I'm now offering gift certificates & custom slots as well.

And last, but not least some new tenderfoot bags in the shop too. The new bag is now reversible and bigger. But the price didn't change.

There are a few things on sale in the shop here…. some discontinued bags and some fabric and more.

A {huge} heartfelt thank you to all of you who support handmade.

raising picky eaters

(all dressed up & enjoying sparkling cider for last year's Thanksgiving Feast)

I think most of us want our kids to be good eaters.

Healthy eaters.

Mindful eaters.

The thought of being referred to as a picky eater conjures up thoughts of some poor mama making yet another pb&j on squishy white bread while dutifully cutting the crusts off. No one wants to do that.

And yet, I have realized lately that we are invariably raising our own kind of picky eaters in this house.

We came to this realization the other night when we didn't feel like cooking. It was hot, we were tired… excuses, excuses. We wished for a dinner fairy to drop us off a wholesome meal. We tried to figure out somewhere to eat in town, somewhere we would get take out, and then we realized…

We've become picky eaters…..

Somehow this was funny to Joe & I, who have made it a bit of a mission to raise good eaters. We've painstakingly had sautéed greens rejected countless times before a certain 3 year old finally gave in and all at once declared them delicious. {celebration!} We've conjured up great amounts of zen breathing, patience and determination to keep on trying…. even when preschool aged children in the house pretended to gag or faint. (please tell me some of you have been here too?)

And while I don't want to come across as self righteous (each of us has our own way, you know) I do feel like it's been a worthwhile journey to raise good eaters, picky eaters if you will. Dinner time is pretty smooth sailing these days with kids taking seconds on that pile of greens and being pretty adventurous when we try something new. And you sure can't beat the conversation had around the table.

To cook for & feed my family and lay a meal out on the table with wholesome (& local) ingredients brings an abundance of joy to my heart. To teach them the value of a balanced meal that was grown nearby that tastes delicious is most certainly something that will stick with them. Knowing what a body feels like fueled with super foods will surely make a popcorn-soda-beer diet less appealing in college, right? (I'm hoping.)

They know how things grow, where things come from, how to bake bread, make yogurt and homemade jam. Some of this came about due to frugality (I'm totally cheap) but mostly because we care about our health, farmers & planet.

And while I admittedly have moments where I feel like dinner is the last thing I want to do after a crazy, busy, sweltering hot day…. I still roll up my sleeves, and get it done…. with help from all the hungry people that live here.

After all, frittata is {almost} as easy as any frozen pizza. And it sure as heck tastes a lot better.

Cheers to all my fellow picky eaters out there!

mindful monday

{… a mindful moment…}

the simplest things are often the truest ~ richard bach

Happy Father’s Day

circa 2006

to Joe

who is a super rockin' dad

and melts my heart with his love for his kiddos

(on a darn near daily basis)

I couldn't imagine sharing the journey of parenthood with anyone else

with much love & gratitude

~Steph

acadia national park

Just one more Maine post, please?

These are a few of my favorite snapshots of the sights in the park. We climbed all over these huge rocks and watched the waves break onto them….

Of all the places I visited this was just the spot when my heart flip flopped and began to miss my little & big peeps at home (a lot!). Everything I saw here made me think “they would love to see that.”

Sandy beaches, tide pools, frogs, flowers & the best climbing rocks ever…….

Which leaves to this very simple conclusion : I must go back

{Thanks to my mama for snapping this one.}

So goodbye Maine….. until we meet again. Sooner than later {I hope}.

And thanks for letting me have a whole darn week of show & tell. You guys are the best.

🙂

along the coast….

It’s a funny sort of thing.

And so many people have written poems and songs about it.

Somehow I’d started to forget how much I loved it. Though that salty sailor man of mine has never.

The Sea

It was so different wandering the shores along the trip. So quiet & reflective. Something I hadn’t known I would be so grateful for at the end of this adventure. The shore was a perfect place to stop & stretch our legs as we drove. The cool salty air in my hair and the quiet crashing of waves. It’s no wonder water is considered healing.

Fish Ladder in Damariscotta, ME

Alewives Fish

The Alewives Fabric store seen from the Fish Ladder.

It’s been nearly a decade since we lived in New England. A tiny new family just starting out…. it seems so long ago. It was good to be back and remember the things I loved and look at all of it with such a different prospective. Fresh yet familiar eyes….

Those Alewives that return to the sea after spawning sure had me thinking. That sea can surely swirl up some sweet memories and spark some beautiful ideas.