Bliss Beyond Naptime

This Moment - Kitty Litter

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

Vlog ~ House Tour Part 2

If anyone can forward me some suggestions on that front closet I would apprecatie it!

 

I Regretsy To Inform You

A nice perk about living in a strawbale house? The deep window sills that can hold piles of current reads. With knitting projects I'm pretty much a one project at a time kind of girl but with books I always have a teetering stack waiting for me to topple. Because my reading wishlist surpasses my alloted reading time allowance I asked Craig to pick out an ipod for me the last time he was in the big city so I can make a dent into my reading wish list whilst I sew, cook, vaccum, and  milk the cow (I have come to accept that Daisy's not super keen on me singing French Canadian folk songs as was advised by a friend).

So now my ears are hooked up with a nano pod and a membership to Audible , where for a nominal fee you receive a credit to one book a month.  I was loving the spiritual reads (listens?) lately for some much needed grounding but Free Range Kids has been making me laugh out loud every five minutes. It's awesome because the kids think I'm chuckling at how cute their play is and staying all in the present moment. Sorry, Eckhart! Still think you're the cutest thing ever though!

And this book. Hoo, boy. This one was a bit of an impulse buy. Have you ever checked out the regretsy website? It's probably every seller's worst nightmare to be featured on this blog which features the best of the worst that is offered for sale on Etsy. It's kind of mean but it's also kind of funny. I know, not very Christian, or Buddhist, of me. Plus, the photos in here are totally not appropriate for children's eyes. So that's why I need to get it out of the house! I'm done reading it so I thought it would be fun to make a game/giveaway out of it. Leave a comment on which of the following selection is not an Etsy listing featured in the book. I'll draw on Friday and announce the winner here. The first correct answer will get the book mailed out to them:

a) Birch Bark Purse

b) Old Lady Vagina Panties

c) Corn Poo Soap

d) Cat Fur Ball Pendant

I'll draw on Friday and announce the winner here. I feel so adolescent just typing this stuff out, please forgive me. I'll be back to my regular, totally mature, poised self next post. Until then, who wants to pull my finger?

The correct answer is (d). I made that up - thank goodness! There were two correct answers so I went to a virtual coin flipping site (is that uber lazy of me or what?) and Melanie, you came up as tails! I have your address already so I'll just ahead and mail it out to you. Thanks for playing!

Easter Bliss

 

We had a fabulous Easter weekend in these parts - hope you did too! Ours started on Friday with the annual Easter egg painting party over at our neighbours across the street where we brought our annual batch of hot cross buns and Edie and I whipped up the above creation.

Of course we sported our matching Heid braids because we're still very much obssessed with Heidi here.

Easter Sunday we awoke to yarn criss crossing the house again which that wiley wabbit seems to be into doing each year. He left a trail of blue yarn for Kale to follow around the house and pink, of course, for Edie. Along the trail he left treats to fill their baskets; needle felted bunnies, egg candles and wooden mushrooms to name a few of the treasures.

Last year we turned Edie's angora bunny yarn score into the spring beret you may have noticed she's been wearing everyday since I cast it off the needles. We'll see what this one manifests into. She wants to finger knit, something she learned this year, into something herself. Cute!

And then we dove in to a special Easter breakfast treat. In the spring issue of Living Crafts there is a recipe for Italian Easter Bread. I dyed these eggs using a German natural egg dye kit.

And then, ironically, sprinkled the buns with super not natural and not even close to organic sprinkles. The kids survived. And I think Edie almost self-combusted with happiness when her eyes laid on the techni-colour goodness!

And after breakfast, while were still riding our food colouring high, we went over to a neighbour's to pick up some goat milk (more on that later, let's just say the kids overdosed on Daisy juice and now seem to be cow milk sensitive ~ great!) and get some goat loving in. We hugged them, and squeezed them and called them all George...

And took them for a jaunt through the forest. Yes, Edie and Kale, who have been playing Heidi and Peter the goatherd now for about two months now non-stop, were pretty much jaunting with two feet off the forest floor from sheer bliss...

 

And the heavily laiden with red food dye number 5 cherry on top, they got to bottle feed a couple of kids. Don't mind my insane laughter in the video - I just can't stand the cuteness I'm exposed to sometimes! Happy Easter Monday, everyone. Stay tuned for tomorrow I'm going to be offer an unsual sort of giveaway. Hee, hee (insane sounding hee, hee). 

This Moment - Foot in Mouth

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

 

SS Wednesday ~ Sunday Best

How's this for a time warp; it's an SS Wednesday post posted on almost Thursday with the word Sunday in the title? This is going to be a brief post for I'm oh so very tired. Had us a tricky sleep last night. Kale, is teething something crazy. Plus, the little fella mysteriously chipped his tooth a while back and now that little chip has whittled itself into a razor blade like formation that is putting a bit of a damper on our nursing relationship. Should I rename the blog While Too Much Information Dreams? Thoughts of earlier than planned weaning are dancing through my sleep deprived head.

I'm currently working on a dress collection I'm thinking of calling Sunday Best. The current theme that is very much alive in our house is all things Heidi. Both Edie and I mused how nice it would be to get to go to church so we can wear our Sunday best just like Heidi. Hope that's not a sinful reason to want to go to church. The good Lord knows I'm dozy and know not what I blog.

The Sunday Best dresses will be half hemp, half vintage and will come with a complimentary complimentary belt (hope I got my complimentaries straight!). My ensemble this week also includes a One Skein Wonder that I turned into a two skein wonder eons ago. Craig thinks it's ridiculous. I say I love it because it makes me feel like a ballerina, keeps my arms warm whilst I wear a short sleeved dress during the transition in season, and is the closest thing I have to a cardigan right now (until I get to cast on my Tea Leaves anyway) and what does he know about Backwoods Mama fashion anyway?

Ugh. I best be off to bed. Wish me and the ladies luck! Edited to add I forgot to mention my beloved legwarmers! These are from a swap with the fabulous Artish. Check her magic out!

Concrete Example

I was upstairs sewing when Edie poked her nose in from outside and yelled "Mama! Come quick! Bring the camera!" I just about fell off of my swivel chair (which I happen to do about once a day anyway because the seat's not screwed in to the rest of the chair) and went running out. Running these days takes an enormous amount of coordination because of Kale's teething that's been full on causing him to be quite clingy. Imagine me wearing just one massive legwarmer on one leg all day long. You can see by my mutant sihloutte above what I'm dealing with these days.

"It's me!" she says as I hobble up the gravel path leading up to the house. The kids were exposed to sidewalk chalk for the first time in their lives when we went into town yesterday. They were happily playing with the stuff just outside my favourite store ever while I did some last minute Easter supplies shopping. Apparently, everytime someone walked by the shop, Kale would look up from his work and shout out "Maplerose!" like the world's cutest sandwich board.

They didn't want to leave the chalk behind and I promise them that one day, oh, yes, little ones, one day we'll have some kind of piece of concrete for them to draw on with chalk. In my head I started envisioning a patio area in front of the sliding door since Craig told me a wood deck is totally out of the question (high maintenance he says).  But a concrete patio might serve several functions; hopscotch, tether ball, tennis court... Can you chalk draw/rollerderby on flagstone?

 A little stick drawing, drawn with a stick, in the sticks. Stick! The sticks girl's chalk!

 

Why Do I Even Blarter?

I found a pretty nifty blog; Blarter Blog. It's blog and barter all mixed up! I'm on the verge of doing a major purge in my sewing space so the wiley Universerse convieniently presented me the perfect venue to display my wares (is that being self-centred?I can't tell anymore). I just emailed the host my offering last night so I'm not sure how long it will take for it to be posted. If you're interested in the meantime I'm requesting some vintage fabric sheets, Ottobre magazines, or Japanese sewing books in exchange for this teepee pattern.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the teepee pattern it's just that I'm too busy with other sewing projects, gardening and, well, we have two teepees out back right now so we're a little teepeed out I guess.

 We've had a glorious weekend working in the garden. Talk about the ulitmate classroom! Edie got over her reluctance to pick up worms, Kale learned chickens like to eat kale the vegetable but not Kale the boy,  and Craig and I embraced a lot of team building skills including putting a smile in your voice when talking to each other. I learned that trick directing on-hold commercials back in my suit days.

The kids were helping out very sweetly for a surprisingly long time but after a while Kale was showing signs of believing the garden bed we were building was the beginning of a brand new sandbox for him and Edie. Poor little guy was so dissappointed. He's quickly outgrowing his little plastic turtle sandbox.

And then a fabulous idea landed in my head. When this happens I hear this loud gong go off in between my ears. GONG! Let's build a sandbox for the kids in the big teepee! That way they can stay happily playing while I can keep a gong ear out for their happiness factor. When the sun starts to get spicey I can clothespin a sheet to the side of the teepee to keep my marshmallow-skinned ones safe from getting too toasted. And the way Craig and I work together now with our new found relationship tool box it'll even be a romantic endevour! Bonus gong.

This Moment ~ Big Love

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

SS Wednesday ~ Goddess Complex

Something super sacred about morning rituals, no? I recently stumbled upon a magical ebook on How to Be a Morning Goddess. Goddess-y artists and online spiritual gurus share how they greet the morning and set the tone for their day. Thought I'd share my morning ritual and meld my Sustainable Style Wednesday post along side it.

Here I'll make like a Goddess wannabe and share with you how a typical wake up goes. I try to sneak away from the bedroom at 7:00 (Kale sleeps beside me so I try my best not to disturb him) so I can get my latte in before the kids wake up. If this can happen, my Goddess like qualities are much more enhanced throughout the duration of the day. I then look out the window and check out the mist over the mountain valley and am reminded of my good fortune to be living in my most favourite part of the world. I take a moment to do a few quick stretches, connect with my breath and start up my coffee ritual. I get my espresso maker rig rigged up, turn up the flame of the gas stove then scamper off to pee (yes, Goddesses have bladders too!).

The coffee smells wake up Craig just like in the Foldgers commercials and when I come back from the washroom he has usually started his yoga practice. He's a dedicated yogi that one!

 

While Craig moves and flows with his breath I assume my favourite yoga position - blogasana. I  check my email, do some blogging, check on my shops and read my favourite blogs until the kids wake up. By then it's usually eight.

Of course, during this ritual I try to wear any project I cast of the needles the night before. This particular morning I finally was able to sport my Spring 2011 Beret. I used the Spring Beret pattern, and knit it up with some Debbie Bliss Eco Cotton. Super happy to have a warm head to go with my warm latte. Other outfit specs: my organic pajamas I made last year (possibly my favourite outfit in my whole closet), the best thrift store housecoat score ever and, of course, my new spring beret. That's it! And a belly full of happiness, of course. And no kids around as far as the bionic Goddess eye can see. At least for five more minutes anyway. Happy Morning blessings on you, Goddesses! What's your ritual like?