here's to:

here's to the Dark:

     
winter wind howling like the souls relentless desire to know it's self....

cold, cold rain, ice and snow....

asking the Hard Questions...

fumbling.

Patience...

incubating, resting, being....

quiet loudness.

A Long Winter's Nap.

here's to the Light:

fire-side warmth,

and loving companionship.

satisfaction of work 

and time well-spent.

Ability to Choose.

a promise of fertility ...

planning ...

gratitude ...

this Shining-Angel of a son our family is blessed with.

and the glorious Light found within the Dark:

(there's is so much of this when we just look for it)

bright, white reflection of moon and stars on snow ...

a chance to refine my desires,

or another opportunity for growth,

(with grumbles, tears or laughter).

candles. 

beauty and simplicity in days spent at home,

and the giggles of a toddler hiding under the covers,

or tickled again and again.

winter celebrations ...

a call to meditation...

Wishing you the wisdom that all is exactly as it should be, wether dark or light ... we can always be reminded of this, yes?  I know I can.  Here's to being where we are, where ever that is.

                                         

the season

Everything outside me says this is the season to buy more, to do more, to accommodate more.  This is the message I feel on the boundaries of my home.

Thankfully, this is far from what I feel in my home.  In my home and in my heart, I hear a constant message to buy less, do less, to settle and be more.  

This contradiction can make the most well intentioned holidays stressful.  It was a stress I didn't see, or that just wasn't a big deal before I had a child.  I could look the other way more easily, or just go along for the ride.  Now, with Sly making memories each second of the day, I feel a responsibility to create something meaningful and to free ourselves from activities which don't line up with out deepest goals for family.  One part of this is the recognition that he knows nothing about this season other than what we show him.  We are benefitted here by the fact that he doesn't watch TV.  I can emphasize the things that meant the most to me as a child that I'd like to carry on, the things that I bring with me into each winter: short days, wishing for snow, crackling hot fires, baking treats, candle light in the windows, a sense of mystery & magic, the smell of cinnamon, cloves & fir ...

Some parts of the Solstice-Christmas-New Years-Season are being downplayed, while others are getting a new attention.  A large part of crafting our own simple and special holiday season means editing out the things that do not fit our family.  Editing.  Saying "No", because that gives us more room to say "Yes" to what really matters to us.  Creating something meaningful out of this season has nothing to do with doing more, but a lot with doing only that which really matters.

I'd like to edit some stress out of my own life around this season meant for honoring the darkness of winter and then celebrating the return of Light, a promise of birth, life & fertility.  Somewhere culturally these meanings were lots to the act of abundant gift-giving.  I'm saying "No" to pressure, (most often self-imposed).  I'm saying "Yes" to simplicity.  I'm saying "No" to lots of presents, and saying "Yes" to home-made and small.  I'm saying "Yes" to our small family of 4 (dog included, of course).  Saying "Yes" to Light & Warmth.  Saying "Yes" to fir and pine tips from the yard and cookies in the oven.

Are you too wanting to craft a simple, meaningful holiday?  Perhaps your family dynamics have changed and everyone wants to see the baby while Mama and Papa just want to be at home with the baby?  Wondering how to handle the influx of toys and the pressure to buy for others just because our culture says now is the time to buy?  

I, friend, do not have the answers.  I have stumbled upon some morsels of wisdom and encouragement on the internet that I would love to share for those who feel inclined to re-create or create or edit this season.  I do believe that it may be Merry, Bright, and Calm with out a bunch of running around and credit-card spending.

relationship boundaries ...  Megan from SortaCrunchy talks about not being responsible for anyone else's feelings but your own, and the dance gift giving/receiving.  I love that she talks about changing the norm from asking kids what they are giving rather than what they are getting.  A bit ideal, maybe, but I like this emphasis.

give it good ... Ben Hewitt on obligatory gift giving and trying to give it up.

boundaries, suggestions & gratitude ... More from Megan, this time at SimpleMom

and this ...

I saw this floating around Facebook & it spoke to me right now.  I need to read this each day, I think.

My wishes to you for a simple, meaningful, merry season, in whatever way you celebrate.

Lately

 

Lately in our house there's been much cozy-making.  I'm welcoming the chill of fall; It feels just right to turn inwards.  Here's some of what we've been up to:

::Drinking hot tea all day long!  I've even got my little guy in the routine of drinking a warm beverage in the morning, be it a nettle infused cider or warm milk with cinnamon.

::Lots of soup making.  Chicken soups x2, the second one with goldenrod (thanks for the tip Anna!).  We're roasting a whole organic chicken a week, fresh from the Watuga County Farmer's Market, then using the left overs for healing broth and soup.  I'm looking forward to stocking my freezer with a few of these for winter.  Last night was the season's first chili ~ YUM!

::Spending as much time outside as possible.  Starting with coffee and meditation on the porch each morning, this morning with lots of layers on.  Then, each afternoon me and the boy play in the yard.  I try to do some work or knitting, but I end up chasing the baby instead.  And sealing the evening with a beverage on the porch, taking in the last bits of sunlight with my sweetheart.

 

::Papa Bear's been working hard to fill up our wood shed.  I'm excited for the first fire of the season, imagining that will happen soon.  We plan to use only wood for heat this winter, so there'll be no propane in the tank.  I'm looking forward to learning when to burn which woods, how to rage the fire up in the morning, and keep it going slow all night.  It's good work.

::This week's cold spell has coerced me into some internet shopping.  It's time to re-stock our wool socks, order the baby some woolen long underwear, and a sweet pair of bogs for his toddling feet.  And now I'm cut off from money spending, 'til I make some at least!

::I've been putting a lot of heart & mind energy into building my Doula & Yoga business.  I signed up for the Rock Your Birth Business business mentoring course with Stephanie Dawn and Karen Brody.  Class starts in October and I am so excited to work with both of these incredibly empowering & inspiring women.  Equally exciting is seeing my vision for Birth Work unfold, meeting & working with my ideal clients, and helping new families unfold themselves & grow in the most loving way possible.  I'm swimming in new ideas for classes, workshops and even a retreat!  Wooo!  Lots of goodness coming to me, and any of you mamas out there should you choose to join me. Feeling so grateful for the support of the business class as it all starts to unfurl and uplevel!

::Me and the babe have been spending most of our days at home, thanks in part to Mama's stuffy nose.  It has been so lovely though, focusing on my life at home.  Seriously all I've done most days for the last week is laundry, cook meals, and play with Sly.  We've gone out for walks and a trip to the park as I was feeling better, but mostly I've just been home.  It feels really good.

::When not at home, I have been learning to drive my stick shift!  It was so intimidating to me for a long time, yet I really wanted to learn.  So here I am, cruising, er, bumping along the streets of Boone in my 5-speed Subaru.  I'm no where near smooth, and I stick to the back roads as much as I can, but I'm learning.  Letting go of fear each time I get in the car.  Phew!

::Sly has night-weaned.  This is a reason to rejoice, because not only has he stopped nursing multiple times a night, he has allowed us to comfort him back to sleep all in our family bed.  He was angry for the first couple of nights, but Papa Bear soothed him sweetly with words and touch, never having to leave the bed.  Now he's not angry and he lets me even snuggle him to sleep.  This is such a huge sign to me that he was ready, as I was, to go with out nursing through the night (roughly 11 pm - 7 am).  He's still waking up a few times a night, but that's okay for now.  I'm thankful for the sleep, the help from my partner, the energy retained by not nursing all night.  And so grateful that we've been able to maintain the comfort of our family bed.  Once I stock up on sleep for a few more nights I am looking forward to enjoying the early morning stillness as my boys sleep in bed with out me.

Gratitude is an important part of my spiritual practice.  As I take stock of all I have to say "thanks" for lately I see my cup running over.  In practicing gratitude, I'm consistently looking for the good, for the beautiful, for the peace and enjoyment.  There's some hard stuff on board for sure.  Yet by looking for the good and being thankful, my heart feels full.  Here's to a beautiful week and a thankful heart!

this weekend

 

yes, my tomato plants seriously lean that much ...

a lovely weekend full of sun and blue skies by day

rain and crickets and stars by night

a trip to the library because the baby has taken an interest in books
a trip to the thrift store for shelves, a mirror and little glass treasures
walks with the dog and the man
harvesting a little food from our garden, and a lot from the farmers market
a beer date with my lover one night
then eating eggs for dinner 3 nights in a row!

a nook in the maple for balancing beverages out of baby's reach

on Sunday there was
yoga in the yard to the sound of
drum-line practice in the distance;
a baby in flannel and shoes!
learning to drive my new stick-shift Subaru
out on the open road for the first time.
i cast on for a lovely purple wool hat
for my self, a rarity;
and tried to tackle the piecing together of a baby blanket,
maybe it will be a 15 month blanket?
Sly and i went out to Creeksong Farm
for a visit with the CSA crew
and to peek at their lovely crops & animals.
the drive there and back was gorgeous & green,
hydrangeas, dahlias, black eyed susans were spotted,
and also, the first bits of orange and gold in the trees.
then, enjoying a hard cider left over from last year,
because, ohhhh
it feels like fall
is coming soon.

shifting years, shifting traditions

It's good to be home in our own bed :)

How good it can be to unplug!  I had almost a week with out internet, and a few days of very limited cell phone use, which helped me to plug into the moment all the more.  I don't even have many pictures to show from our trip off the mountain, because I was that unplugged!  The down side is whenever I take a break from the computer, the return can be overwhelming.  It's taken me about 36 hours to feel like I can handle it, like I am back in the groove of my daily life.

Our family is at a changing place in our lives.  About traditions, specifically.  This year, we all traveled to stay with both sides of our families.  It was bittersweet, knowing that next year I won't wake up on Christmas morning at my Mom's house, that I won't be there for her birthday the night before.  I wonder how we will work it all out?  If it is possible to get through the holiday season with out any feelings being hurt?  But deep down I am excited to be making our own traditions, to form celebrations that feel right for our little family.  Less emphasis here, more there, different rituals created.  And then inviting others to join us.


Something tucked within the crevices of familial relationships has bothered me for so long.  I can't pinpoint it exactly, but it is within the space of missing each other so much it hurts when we are apart, and longing to be apart when we are together.  Something in the sticky space of The Way We Were and How We Are.  And the fact that sharing blood with someone, growing up in the same house hold perhaps, still manages to produce very different people.  Something within these blurry lines rubs me.  It's like we pick each other's scabs, and I often come away from family gatherings with a need to recover.  I say this not to complain.  I love my family, by birth or relationship.  Through the processing of this holiday season I have come away with 2 intentions:  To be ever-more spacious around these relationships, allowing both them to be and me to be.  To be big and full of space, so that even as old wounds are rubbed, love has room to shine through.  And, to talk less.  Talking less means listening more, and practicing patience.  I could use a heavy dose of that in my life.

Not much phases this lil man, as long as he has space to crawl

My mom out did herself at Christmas as usual.  Her gifts were thoughtful and special.  I often feel I can not thank her enough for her flexibility, understanding, and just plain old kindness.  All of this shines through so bright around Christmas.  I will miss being at her home in seasons to come, but she has inspired me in creating my own holiday traditions.  Everyone's gifts were so nice that for a moment I felt self-conscious about my homemade givings.  These feelings are apart of the shift, though.  There were many beautiful, happy exchanges over the days surrounding Christmas, and those are the real gifts.  Sly was showered with wooden toys, Sophie the giraffe, a wool shirt and bamboo diapers!  (THANK YOU FAMILY!!)   Papa got records and knives!  Mama got cookware, knitting needles and yarn!  We breastfed in all sorts of locations and Sly got to meet some great aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time.  There were lots and lots of sincere hugs.  We ate some junk food.  I made more peppermint bark.  We had a dog-sitter (yes, that's right) for an evening out.  We watched a movie!  I read a whole novel - Sarah's Key.  All and all, a successful experience.

Enjoying Uncle James

Sly hammed it up for Papa's side of the family on the 26th

And now, New Years Eve.  The eve of 2012, a much touted year for change.  What will it bring for my family.  Change, that is for sure, but How?  Isn't that always the question?  We state what we want, declare an aspiration, invoke an intention ... and relinquish the How.  There is a lot I want to change, new things I want to create in my life this year.  I hope to do so with patient determination, and with Grace.

Happy New Years to all of you!  Blessings of peace and abundance. ~lis

happy, peaceful, present

On this darkest of nights I hope you are cozy and warm.  Maybe reflecting on the past year?  Perhaps finishing gifts?  Savoring a night of stillness before the Christmas buzz?  Or already traveling in route for holiday destinations?  Setting intentions for the coming days, months of increasing light?

This title, tonight, is more about intention setting, a wish for me and for you, than it is about what's going on in each moment around here.  And, Hello again, from around here.  I never meant to be away so long, especially with so much to share this time of year, but life! it happened again.  And is happening, so fully and deep and fast that I am here to say I will not be around more than once a week for the next month.  In this way I can be the most present possible, with my cup that runneth over and my newly crawling son.  


I've baked, wrapped, and knitted through this past week, with big plans to share it all in this space.  But now, on Solstice night, I think all that stuff can wait til next year.  Because tonight, all I really want is to savor the cool, calm of night.  And to wish each and everyone of you blessed holidays, how ever you celebrate!  May we all be happy, peaceful and present.

just like that

My, we are in the thick of it (in more ways than one, you'll see!).  The first week of December turned to week-end, and there was holiday celebrations on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!  Drinks, and sweets, and things I normally don't eat.  Laughter and cold, fresh air.  Giving of the first gifts.  It was an invigorating and fun weekend.  My Monday was been spent in yoga pants and a sweatshirt, Sly in his jammies all day, cleaning up, resting, and preparing for more merry making to come!  I have five projects going at once, along with the usual suspects: dinner, dogs, dishes.  But, I have peppermint bark and the Charlie Brown Christmas Album for motivation, and just like that, the holidays are upon us!

Quick changes have happened with my baby boy in one week's time, as well.  He sits!  He crawls!  He eats!  Just like that, I've been expanded into a whole new realm of parenting.  I'm baby-proofing, watching, and most of all enjoying Sly's delight in his new moves.  With these new skills come some bumps of the noggin', of course, but mostly it is just shrills of delight from Sly, and laughter from Mama and Papa Bear watching our baby focus on an object, and then crawl, scoot and boogie to go get it!  Amazing, these babes are.  I love to watch him learn everything for the first time.  It makes me feel like I am learning it all again, too.

I love this season of gift-giving.  It has always been incredibly satisfying to me to give a gift of love, small or large, to those I hold dear.  This time of year I generally have to hold back from giving too much or too many.  If that's even possible.  As I write those words, I feel understanding for my own Mama, who so often has given us so much.  We try to stop her, but I guess it's the way some Mama's show love.  I agree, it is fun.  This year, I am giving lots of home-ade items, more than ever before.  I hope they are enjoyed and appreciated, as I have enjoyed truly putting love and energy into each gift.  That said, I can't show too much here on the blog or it may spoil the magic of surprise!

This week I aim to finish up the making, and doing, so I can sit back in enjoyment of my home and son before the traveling for Christmas begins.  I want to be present, fully, in this time of dark, feeling it's stillness, appreciating it's zen, before the light shifts again. 

::this moment::

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, SouleMama.  In Amanda's words: "A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Please feel free to leave a link to your moment in the comments.  And visit SouleMama for a tour of others, pausing and savoring the sweet moments of life.  Enjoy the weekend in Love and Light! ~lis

::this moment::

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, SouleMama.  In Amanda's words: "A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

~If you feel inspired, leave a link (or description of) to your moment in the comments below.  I plan to be around here a bit this weekend and hope it's a wondrous one for you!  Happy December!~

thanks giving: for rest

This past week was F U L L!  Planning, Preparing, Making, Entertaining, Enjoying.  It was a blast, and I am grateful for the chance to celebrate holidays at home, instead of traveling.  However, when I woke up on Friday and took the dog's for a brisk, quiet walk I realized a new love: the day after a holiday.  This day can feel eerily quiet and calm after the excitement of family, friends and feasting.  But I like it.  Especially when the holiday falls on Thursday, like Thanksgiving, because then we get an extra long weekend to (hopefully) rest.

I'm giving thanks for sunny, not-too-cold, late November days...
for not cooking, and eating lots of leftovers...
for quiet, contemplation, and a pause before the next round of celebrating begins...
for watching a movie...
for early, dark nights...

I've enjoyed this written, posted practice of gratitude.  I've been writing little, scrap, "thanks" notes whenever I think of something I'm especially thankful for.  Thanks for listening, er, reading.  I'm grateful for each of you, friends and readers.  Really, I am.  

thanks giving: loved ones

Today!  The official holiday to count your blessings~
I give thanks for my man, my littlest man, and my sweet girly dogs...
I give thanks for our extended family's love, wether near or far...
I give thanks for my yoga practice, how it grounds me, opens me and just helps me feel like me...
I give thanks for staying home today, all day.
I give thanks for friends!
and really, oh so much more.

I can always take a lesson from this guy, his whole life is presence and gratitude.

I hope your holiday is perfect, how ever that looks for each of you.

thanks giving: for the food we eat

Giving thanks for food was one of the first rituals I learned as a child.  Then, I didn't quite get the blessing, but that act of pausing before eating to give acknowledgement to the source of our food and ask for nourishment is something that has stayed with me over the years.

My thanks today is three-fold:  for the knowledge of healthy eating, for the access to truly nourishing foods, and for the food I am preparing as our Thanksgiving feast!  (and really, the food I prepare each day!)  And how those first two weigh in so heavily to depict the way our feast will look!

I often thank my mom for introducing me to a wide-array of foods growing up.  I ate lots of vegetables and rarely, if ever, did the kids have separate meals from the adults.  As I grow, my interests in healthy eating become further refined.  I learned about how animals were treated in factory farms, the hormones and antibiotics given to them more often than not, and quit meat all together for 4 years.  I learned how soil was depleted through massive conventional growing and became dedicated to buying produce that is organic and/or from small scale farms, (and hopefully local!).  I've learned how healthy, happy livestock play an integral role in a healthy environment, as well as a healthy mountain mama body, and I'm back on meat as long as I know where it comes from.  I learned about the intense sketchiness of Genetically Engineered crops that are suspected to be in 80% of all processed foods in most groceries stores of North America.  The query of "what to eat?" has become down-right mind boggling!

(I think that before I go on I should say that No, I am not a doctor, or a dietician, or a scientist for that matter.  I am just a human being trying to live in harmony with the Earth and eat food that is REAL, and healthy, FOR REAL.)


This level of healthy eating is more than just 5 servings of fruit or vegetables a day.  It demands diligence, label reading, and sometimes saying "no thanks".  But, boy, am I thankful for being in a community of learners and food-growers.  The knowledge of health, as in where does my food come from and how did it find it's way to the table, has deepened my connection to the Earth, my respect for farmers, and increases the sense of responsibility for my own health.

For me, knowing about healthy food does not afford the chance to turn my head and look the other way.  I just can't go through a fast-food joint and not be concerned.  In full disclosure, I have a hard time eating out at most restaurants these days.  When you think too hard about this stuff, it feels like you can't eat anything!  Thankfully though, we have access to local and organic produce, dairy and meats here in this town.  While what is doled out locally is largely dependent on the season, we do have a good health food store where I can buy organic and GMO free food.  And, I give thanks again for the Boone community.  In this town and within my circle I am not considered outrageous for the way our family eats.

So lastly, but surely not least, I am thankful for the food we will be eating on Thanksgiving day.  This is the first year I am preparing a whole Thanksgiving meal and I am so excited!  I'm mixing some typically traditional dishes with the creation of new traditions.  Our meal is primarily organic food, 100% fresh and homemade, as well as gluten-free, since Sly can't handle wheat in his Mama's milk.  If I pull it off, this will be my greatest cooking feat to date.  Wanna know what's cookin'?

::sweet & smoky spareribs (meat from the AppState Sustainable Development farm)

::a simple cornbread dressing

::mashed 'taters with mushroom gravy (arrowroot for the flour in the gravy)

::cider-spiked cranberry sauce

::brussel sprouts with red grapes and walnuts

::sweet potato & chard gratin

::punkin' cheesecake with gf graham cracker crust

::chocolate pecan torte with almond crust

On top of all these goodies, friends and family will be bringing more eats to share.  Oh yes, we will be feasting!  I hope to infuse the spirit of thanks in our food as I cook!

thanks giving: a week of gratitude

A throw-back photo from Kodaikanal, India, taken by Papa Bear in December 2009

I believe that when have thankful hearts, we find contentment.  
I believe that intentions grow best in a soil of gratitude.  
I believe that giving thanks if one of the best gifts we've got to give.  
I believe that being grateful for any small joy is the quickest cure for a crummy mood.

So, for a week I'll use this space to give thanks for all the many blessings in my life, small and large.  Please join me if you, too, want to spend a week in gratitude.

This Sunday ~ Soulday, I'm thankful for:
~a wonderful partner, who made and served me oatmeal and coffee this morning
~King Curtis on the saxophone
~asana practice without a baby or dog climbing on me
~sunshine
~a clean, rearranged bedroom (oh!  how good that feels!)
~all the learning happening around here, for the baby, the dogs, us parents - the growth never stops, and it feel like it's peaking right now
~health and healing
~this blog, and new friends in the blogging community, and the reflection that writing offers

Feel free to share your thanks and simple joys in the comments ~ Love and Light for the week ahead!

{ happy halloween }

Aaaaaargh~!  Happy Halloween to all!  Stay toasty and enjoy something (naturally) orange!

I'm going to spend this week trying to update the blog, giving it's look and feel a more "finished" presence.  I truly am not internet and computer savvy, so there is a great learning curve here for me.  I'm doing my best, it will just likely take some extra time to get things feeling the way that I want them to here.  So, I might not post much while the changes occur, but please check back in a week to see the updates, posts, and love to come!

::this moment::

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, SouleMama. A single photo (or two) capturing a special moment from the week. In Amanda's words: "A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

If you feel inclined, leave a link to your own moment in the comments below.  

Blessings for a beautiful weekend ahead!

Autumn Eats

Autumn is my favorite season to cook in.  I love how so many of  foods naturally lend them selves to both savory and sweet flavors.  We've been eating good this last week, enjoying the vibrancy of color and flavor as much as possible.  Enjoying it so much, that I've eaten half the dish before even thinking to take a photo.  I think that's a sign of a good meal.

I've made beautiful, savory orange soups, two pies, a first attempt at Naan that I nailed, roasted chestnuts, and scrumptious fresh greens from Creeksong Farm, (our fabulous CSA that ends in just two weeks).

I'm sharing the recipes for two new dishes that will be staples in my fall cooking routine.  First, because they are both absolutely scrumptious.  Secondly, because they are both incredibly easy.   And new baby or not, all of us like home-ade food that is also easy, right?

Black Bean Punkin Soup

adapted from smittenkitchen

:: 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained thoroughly

::1 can of diced, roasted tomatoes, drained

::1 cup of diced shallots

::4 garlic cloves, minced

::1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin

::1/2 tsp crush red pepper flakes

::1 tbsp butter

::1 1/2 cups, or 1 16 oz. can of pumpkin puree (though I bet sweet potato or butternut squash would work well)

::3 cups of chicken or beef stock (I used beef the first time and chicken the second and both were different, but delicious)

::a big glug of red wine (about 1/2 cup)

::8 oz cook ham steak, diced

:: 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

::liberal salt and fresh ground pepper

Melt butter over medium heat in a dutch over or soup pot.  Saute shallots and garlic until soft.  Meanwhile, puree black beans and tomatoes in the food processor.  Add cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the dutch oven.  Saute another 2-3 minutes.  Add black beans and tomatoes.  Then, stir in pumpkin puree, broth and wine.  Bring to a boil, then lower and simmer about 20 minutes.  Add ham and cook until heated through.  Stir in vinegar just before serving.

Fill your mug with soup and savor with crusty bread and a salad.  This is my new favorite meal.

And a new favorite dessert, Applesauce pie.  I stumbled on this recipe looking for one for fried apple pies.  This is a tad healthier, no frying involved helps that, and I dare say it is tastier as well.  Do yourself a favor and make this tonight.  Seriously, you will not regret it.  I know we (and anyone who comes to visit soon!) will be enjoying this regularly until we use up all this years applesauce!

  Applesauce Pie

adapted from food.com and a smattering of other sites piled together

::a 9 inch pie crust, home-ade or  store bought

::1 cup of spiced apple sauce, home-ade if you've got it

::1 cup of sugar

:2 eggs

::1/2 cup melted butter

::1 tsp vanilla extract

::2 tbsp flour

::1 tbsp wheat germ (or more flour)

Beat the eggs.  Mix in all other ingredients, except crust of course.  Pour applesauce mixture into crust.  Bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Enjoy a la mode or plain, and try not to eat the whole thing in one day.

Thank Full

To begin the week in gratitude, I offer thanks that:

.:baby Sly got to enjoy time with his Grandparents this weekend
.:the first weekend of Autumn was beautiful and leaves are just beginning to change
.:Papa Bear was off of work on a Saturday!  A rare treat!
.:I have friends who remind me that when I say "no" to one thing, I am saying "yes" to something else
.:my old-fashioned Campbell's soup mug has been filled daily for a week with delicious soups
.:I received a scholarship to attend a Doula Training this week!
.:my almost-4-month-old baby can hold his head up so well that he now rides on my back in the Ergo!

Sowing my seeds of intention for the week ahead in soil of gratitude

Sunday-Soulday

This may or may not become a regular posting theme, but either way I try to make it a regular Sunday theme in our families lives.  To me, Sunday is a day to do the things that nourish the soul.  To play, rest, eat, listen, create, and above all, be with loved ones.

Stevie takes her Soulday very seriously.

I've spent this Soulday in the kitchen ....

First up, sleeping 'til 9 am!  This is big news for us since baby boy likes to wake up between 6-7 am usually.  The darker mornings are helping Mama get more sleep and it is much, much appreciated.  Then, french toast with applesauce from last years apples and a press-pot of Larry's Beans.  Ummmm ... YUM!

There was minuscule amounts of cleaning done, then a big 'ole pot of 'mater soup got started.  This is the second batch of the season and I hope to make more and freeze it, BUT it's so hard not to just eat the whole pot over the next couple days.  We'll see.  In general, the way I cook is to scan multiple recipes and then recreate my own version.  I'd say the soup turned out pretty delish.  It'll be lunch and dinner ... for today and maybe tomorrow!

Next up, apple pie!!  Yesterday, I had the joy of picking apples out at my dear friends Brent and Sierra's.  Sierra is expecting a sweet baby girl any day now, so I use any excuse at all to go visit her.  Apple picking is a pretty great excuse any way you look at it.  It took most of the day to peel and core the apples, and make crust, even with this handy device Brent let me borrow.  Such is life with a new babe.  Everything takes extra time.  A beautiful and necessary practice of patience.

This is the first time I've made an apple pie!  I do tarts, cobbler, bread pudding, tarte tatin, but never an apple pie.  Now, I am hooked.  I foresee myself making this through out the fall and winter for a long time to come.  I used the pie crust recipe from the New Moosewood Cookbook, and pieced together the inside from a smattering of pie filling recipes.  Pretty basic, 1 cup of sugar, 7ish cups of peeled, cored, thinly sliced apples, cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with about 4 tbsp of butter.  So delicious, I'm trying to talk myself out of a second slice.

A tasty, homey day in our kitchen.  Bodies and souls nourished.  I hope it's a good omen for the week to come.