a post is up over at tend
Archives for April 2013
A few new things
i was going to start this post by saying how busy life has been but i like the words full and abundant better.
so there, life has been full. life is so abundant!
there are many fun and exciting things that are happening in our lives at the moment…..
:: you may have noticed that things are changing a little in this space.
we are working on sprucing things up a bit but are still focusing on the back end of things. there is now a new services page which we are excited about. we teach several different backyard classes and through these courses we have had many people email us asking for help in building coops, raised beds and consulting them on creating their own backyard space. chris is lined up until june with 3 coop jobs and a raised bed garden and i have several backyard chicken and small scale gardening classes to teach throughout the spring. since this is a side gig for us on top of our other jobs it has been time consuming but oh so fun!
:: i am running for borough council and campaigning has begun!
it has been fun meeting new people, knocking on doors and learning more and more about this little town i have lived in since i was 9 years old. never would i thought of doing something like this until several people in the community approached me and asked if i might consider it. my first reaction was “hell no!”. but it didn’t take long for me to get excited for a new challenge and turn my answer around to a “why not?!!!” i am excited about the possibility of being an integral part in helping to continue to move the incredible town that i live in forward in the right direction and make it the best it can be.
:: our attic project will begin next wednesday!!!
when we first moved here we considered our house a starter home.
it had 3 bedrooms but before we even moved in we took down the wall of the middle bedroom which made for a very dark and narrow hallway. i’ll never forget how exciting and fun it was to knock down the wall with our bare hands and throw all of the debris out the second story window dropping it into a dumpster below. taking the wall down created an open lofty type space where we would hang out in, read, watch movies etc. it really opened things up and brightened up the space. we figured that we would be moving over time so only having two bedrooms would be just fine for a few years. but here we still are 15 years later with 2 daughters. we have grown quite attached to this little neighborhood of ours, the community and our home. and as you might have guessed we aren’t going anywhere. we are staying put and we are all pretty darn happy about it.
the girls have been so good about sharing a small room together over the years. my mom always reminds me that this is how she grew up (with three girls all crammed into one bedroom with one drawer each for their belongings). we are good about living in a small space and not accumulating too much. we utilize our space well. and luckily for me, who is always looking for a new project, there is plenty of opportunities even in this little house of ours to expand a little.
starting next week the process will begin to make our attic into a room for hannah.
i have been collecting all sorts of inspiration over the last year and now the time has come to see it happen.
hannah is over the moon with excitement. that little sister of hers however has had her ups and downs with the fact that hannah gets the bigger room and one with it’s own set of stairs oh my! but i have heard hannah whisper to norah several times that she is always welcome for a visit. and yes there will be two twin beds up there for the many nights that i know hannah (who still likes to fall asleep alongside me and norah each night in my bed) will be inviting norah up for a sleepover.
Over at Tend
a little post over at tend
Spirituality in the garden
i have been trying to heal a back that went out and have been laying in bed for the last few days.
laying around makes me grumpy but these photos of sunday’s breakfast cheered me up.
I am itching to get out into the garden. one thing i was able to do from bed was order a load of compost to be delivered today.
last weekend i gave a presentation on spirituality in the garden at a local church in town. when my neighbor asked me to be a part of the day i was hesitant since i don’t consider myself much of a religious person. she reassured me that i didn’t have to be and so i decided to take the challenge.
once i came up with my own personal definition of spirituality i could not stop writing. i put together a slide show of 100 photos and told a pictorial story about my own personal journey in the garden. each photo had a message of what the garden has taught me, given to me and opened my eyes to. i focused on abundance, acceptance, joy, creativity, reflection, connection, observance, inspiration, nourishment and appreciation.
putting this presentation together was such a gift and a reminder to appreciate all that i have. for me spirituality is a broader concept than religion. other expressions might include prayer, meditation, interactions with others and nature. all of which take place right inside my garden.
p.s. you may have noticed this little space here is going through some changes. my good friend kate is helping me switch things up a bit. thanks for your patience and stay tuned!
A New Season at Tend
a new season over at tend has begun!!!
today was my first post of the year.
It warms my heart
it warms my heart…
~to see how much you two enjoy one another.
~to find you reading to one another
~to find your dolls wrapped up in my scarves after a morning of play
~to hear you giggling in bed in the morning
~hear you hug and kiss at night and say i love you.
~norah,that you still call hannah sissy.
~to see how totally different you are from one another yet it is completely clear that you are sisters.
~to know that you will always be the best of friends.
A progressive dinner
i live in such a fun neighborhood.
we are always throwing a party!
i feel so lucky to have such a close knit community within my neighborhood and that we all love tradition.
we get together regularly for all different occasions and we always have so much fun!
this past saturday was our annual progressive dinner. it’s usually held late winter, early spring and i was delighted that it fell on a beautiful warm and sunny evening. for those of you who are wondering what a progressive dinner is, it is basically a party where each successive course is prepared and eaten at the home of a different host.
i hosted hors d’oeuvres this year. i wanted to focus on the arrival of warmer and longer days and chose spring inspired fare.
the menu included horseradishy deviled eggs and salmon with brown bread and condiments such as capers onions, mini gherkin pickles and different types of sweet and spicy mustards. there was white bean dip with sugar snap peas, carrots, asparagus and baby broccoli and several different cheeses served on a long cheese board that i had made just the day before. because it was such a warm day i was able to open up the front porch to serve drinks. i used spring flowers such as hyacinth, ranunculus and tulips to make an arrangement for the table. i unearthed my antique china adorned with polka dots and green trees and it was time to celebrate!
i highly recommend this type of party. they really are so much fun (i had so much fun that i didn’t even pick up my camera to photograph any of the guests!) and the list of possibilities are endless.
i thought it might be fun to offer a little how-to guide on organizing one.
here are a few suggestions….
hosting a progressive dinner
::progressive dinners are not just meant to be hosted within a neighborhood. plan one with friends, co-workers or family. but be sure to keep in mind the travel time between each course to make the night more enjoyable. being able to walk from course to course is the most convenient!
::progressive dinners can be simple or as elaborate as you wish. our neighborhood one involves just appetizers, a main course and dessert. but you could involve more homes with more courses such as soup and salad, or after dinner drinks and dancing. we keep the menus and decor simple but my mother’s neighborhood hosts progressive dinners with themes that involve culturally inspired foods, decorations and sometimes even costume!!
::make sure to involve the whole gang. ask others to contribute to the different courses. you can even be particular and let them know exactly what you need. for example, bread, a green salad, a grain dish etc.
:: make it BYOB! it will help with the budget of those who are hosting the different courses who always seem to take on the brunt of the bill.
:: progressive dinners can happen at any time of the year. we like to pick a time when not much is going on in the neighborhood and when the winter months have kept us all inside from seeing one another. but a summertime one would be fun to host outdoors too!
::progressive dinners are a fun way to meet new people. invite a neighbor who has just moved in or a co-worker who you just haven’t had the time to get to know.
:: don’t stress! there are no particular rules to this. make it your own and have fun!
You know how to make a girl blush
well you sure all know how to make a girl blush!! thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to write to me.
i so appreciate all of your thoughtful comments.
i also appreciated those of you who gave me suggestions and ideas.
and it was so neat to hear from many of you for the first time.
you have all encouraged me to come back here more often and focus more on what we do in our every day lives, our traditions, holidays and parties, houseplants, gardening, thrifted finds and my mother’s home and garden.
i also appreciated the suggestion about answering more of your questions within the comment section. in fact i even took the time to personally answer each and every comment on the last post and i had so much fun doing it!
at the same time it also feels so good to know that you all enjoy coming here to find this space just the way it is. so thank you friends!
easter weekend was lovely with some warm weather and sunshine mixed in which was such a treat.
the girls came down on sunday to find their easter baskets filled with chocolates, seed packets, a succulent plant and other little goodies.
we then headed outside for an egg hunt. i had hid the eggs earlier that morning and placed one with a little face drawn on inside the coop. we all laughed when it was found right next to a freshly laid ‘americana’ blue egg.
over by the birdbath the girls found the the basket of confetti eggs (cascarons). this is a tradition that has been carried on since i was a little girl. they are so easy to make. and yes they make one big colorful mess but are so much fun.
i did however keep finding pieces of confetti in my dutch baby at breakfast.