Sea + Prairie

gathering: in winter

We're going on day four of a rare winter ice storm here in Texas.  

And with colds setting in for two of the boys and feeling a bit of cabin fever myself, I took the opportunity to get out a bit.  

Out into the world.

The natural world...the real world.

I know by now that even if it is raining, or cloudy, or hot as

h-e-double-hockysticks,

or in this case freezing, it does my soul good to get out.

I always feel more centered, more focused, more patient having spent a bit of time outside.

Even when it is 17 degrees outside.

The ever curious, Mabel came along.

Maybe she was as excited as I was to see what we could find right in and around our own yard.

The gathering included

Red nandina

cedar that smelled heavenly

mistletoe in bloom

holly with red berries

As I walked, my mind began to wander...as it does.  

In poetry, winter is often linked to death.  But to me, the starkness of the gray-white background makes everything come alive.  

Winter is not at all about death.  Its about rest, and clarity.

Not only do I see the bare shapes of the trees, the vibrant reds of the cardinal, but I see what's important in my life laid out before me like a grocery list.

Gathering greenery to deck the halls.

Gathering ideas and thoughts and perspective along the way.

 

postcard from the cabin

3 mamas and 11n kids between us...

that's 22 flip flops to keep track of,

4 silly stories about glitter and unicorns,

0 husbands, 

1 black dog,

18 hornets killed,

8 boat rides, 

3 people swimming the boat back to shore after running out of gas,

111 icey pops eaten and 31 sandwiches,

0 fish caught,

1 earthquake,

6 conked heads on the tube,

2 bags of marshmallows,

1 night out in the tent...

and at least a million smiles.

-------------------

I could not have asked for a better way to hit the reset button and prepare to head into another season.  Time spent in the outdoors and nature always seem to do that for me.  And the icing on the cake, was it was time spent with two of my bestest girl friends and their kids.

A few things I realized...

::  nature really is the great equalizer, where else can eleven kiddos from the ages of 17 to 5 have so much fun together

::  I want to hold on to how blessed I feel right now for a little while longer...maybe all the way to Christmas

::  next time, bring more chocolate...and more wine

::  mamas rock...seriously

::  I need to get away more often

::  watching Shannon's kids tell such great stories makes me want to tell more stories to my kids

Also of note...

::  Yes, we felt the earthquake.  At least those of us not on the boat at the time.  My first.  Never thought I'd experience a quake on the East Coast.

::  And yes, now we're preparing for Irene's arrival on Saturday.  What a summer!

scenes from our days

every morning we've been at the pool by 9 a.m.

and we've been doing a lot of cooking, and then of course followed by much eating

we were able to watch as a young man we knew as a kid got married 

and we've spent a lot of time in the garden, weeding and watering

and harvesting, corn, cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, red and blue potatoes, jalapeno peppers, onions and blackberries

and there was an oh, so special beach night to celebrate my birthday in great style, candles, wine, fresh noshings straight from the garden and the farmer's market.

oh yes, and I have a new little toy to play with.  an iphone.  I think my D40 is a bit jealous.

 

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Happy Birthdays Boys!

Dear Zane and Ian,

Nine years ago today, you two entered our lives.  

And nine years ago, you made me a mother for the first time.

Twice.

And the surprises haven't stopped since your arrival.

This morning I have been going through photos of you two.

This morning we celebrated with your two favorite breakfasts.  Zane, you wanted bacon.  And Ian, you asked for doughnuts.  So bacon and doughnuts it was!  One wanted sweet the other salty and savory.

Great chefs search their whole lives for balance between sweet and savory.  And I think you two have it down to a science.  

Balance.

Give and take.

Without words you two have an innate sense of what the other is thinking.

A deep knowing of who another person is in their core.

And to be honest.  I am a bit jealous.

We all need to be known.

Deep down in our core.

A balance.

A sense of when to push and when to pull.

Just like how the two of you dance, without words, on the soccer field.

Or how you finished your second "marathon" running side by side.

Where one is weak the other is strong.

My prayer this morning is that the two of you always know what a special relationship you really have.

I pray that in your relationship, you continue to dance, circling around each other, or running side by side, giving and taking, pushing and pulling, no matter where you live, where you travel in the world.

This morning you told me that neither of you are going to get married...ever.  And that you were going to each buy a house next door to the other.

We shall see.

I love you boys.  Thank you for teaching me, your mama, about the beautiful balance we all seek in life.

I wish you all the blessings the world can give you,

Your mama.

Memorial Day {revisited}

“My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.”

-George Washington

This past weekend, in honor of those who have fallen we...

• swam until our legs hurt
• ate chocolate popsicles
• grilled out
• drank sangritas and toasted those who have given the ultimate sacrifice
• surfed until we were cooked (S and the boys did, not me)
• hung out in the garden catching dragonflies
• napped
• picked the first tomatoes
• and talked about how blessed we are to live where we do.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just a few photos of our celebration of love the past few days.

Off to run and then to Wyatt's class party.

Happy Valentine's Day friends!

Yarn Wreaths - Christmas Front Door Makeover

This year while bringing down the Christmas boxes from the attic and digging in, it was clear that we needed some updating.

Our boxes are filled with decorations that we have had since we got married. 

OK, in reality some of them I have had since college.

Last year they seemed ok.

But this year for some reason, I just couldn't put some of them up.

They just aren't "us" anymore.  The front door wreaths were such.

I had seen several yarn wreaths around the blogosphere...namely Jade's little colorful numbers and Blair's.  And I love Sarah's color combination.  

So the boys and I made some new wreaths for the front door.  I'm glad they were game to help because the circle looks pretty small until you start wrapping, and wrapping and wrapping.

It took us two nights off and on, but we got them done.  And we're pretty happy. It was our little bird lover's idea to add a little chickadee.  I think it totally makes the wreath.

 

Since our doors are green, we needed a light color to stand out against the darker background.  And I'm still in love with that plaid flannel from the new pillows.  We used some of the scraps to cut out leaves.  Add a stick from the yard and a little bird...and you've got an entirely new look for the front doors.

The previous versions were originally purchased by my mother-in-law at a craft fair several years ago.  They had little fisherman and ducks on them, but in an attempt to make them more "us" I removed them.

I'm liking the new version much better.

Now on to the fireplace mantle.

Rhythm of the Home (Winter Edition)

 

I think Winter has finally settled in here in Coastal Virginia.  Last week we had one day of almost 70 degrees, but Saturday night it snowed!  It is chilly here in the downstairs part of the house this morning and I just turned the oven on to put some biscuits in.  That should warm things up a bit.

One thing this morning...

The newest edition of Rhythm of the Home is out. I was lucky enough to be included in the Autumn edition an am so excited to see what is in store for the Winter edition.

From the Rhythm of the Home site:

The winter edition of Rhythm of the Home is a huge gathering of projects, reflections, traditions and good food for every family to share, and it is our hope that it brings as much joy to you as it has to all of us in creating it.

In this issue, we dive a bit deeper into the Waldorf tradition through interviews with Sharifa Oppenheimer, Danielle Epifani, Lisa Boisvert MacKenzie and Lynn Jericho. We have included new sections on seasonal reading, winter festivals, and songs, stories and finger plays. We also explore the ideas of music as self-discovery in childhood, and the journey of creating a public Waldorf school in a small town. It is our hope that as the magazine continues to grow, we can continue to expand the topics of discussion that are meaningful and relevant to each of us.

There are a few familiar faces in this edition.  Diane shares some ideas on how to keep warm.  And Amy gives directions for making your own tomten.

If you are like me, you will not be able to read over it all in one sitting.  Instead I prefer to read and article or two a day in the morning before the little people come barreling down the stairs asking what's for breakfast.

Enjoy your morning all!

On Thanksgiving and On To Christmas

We really had the most wonderful (long) Thanksgiving weekend.  S is still out of town so we were invited to spend Thanksgiving with my soul sister Ambre's family.  She sets the most simple, but lovely table ever.

Please do not miss that first photo.  Her table runner is a simple hemmed piece of muslin that runs down the center of her table.  Each guest is invited to sign it or write a thought or prayer.  We are on the runner from last year as well and it was fun to see the kids handwriting from one year to the next.

We took my Grammer's cranberry salad...of course.  And my Grandmother Hays's spinach souffle.  I am realizing more than ever, how much of a tradition some recipes are in our family.

And Zane made his first pumpkin pie!  I think it could have cooked a slight bit more in the center, but the crust was perfect!  Ssshhh, but I ate the last piece this morning for breakfast before anyone else was out of bed.  There *are* benefits to being an early riser.

Thank you dear friends for such a wonderful, relaxing day full of Nerf wars, Cowboy football, good food, great wine and much laughter.  It was a treat for us and I continue to be thankful for such a wonderful community of people that surround us.

The first day of Advent was yesterday.  We readied our candles and decorated the tree.  The rest of the trimmings will go up sometime in the next few days.  I am trying not to rush it.  The boys love decorating so much, I'd like to spread it out a few days more.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Happy Monday all!