Stocking stuffer (or early Christmas present for yourself)

My keys have been without a key chain for several years now. When we lived on the mountain, I had car keys with a keyless entry gadget...those were the two keys on my ring. We kept a house key hidden in a drawer but we never used it and we never locked the door to our house. That isn't saying so much about the safety of our neighborhood (although living in a triplex did mean someone was usually home) as it did our lack of anything worth stealing. Sometimes living there seems like a dream...hard to believe that was our reality. But they were good days and we wouldn't trade them for the world.

Back to my reason for posting: I purchased this beauty for around $5 from a friend on Etsy, and I am in love with it!
I had to look up "Fob" on Wikipedia, not really knowing the true definition. Apparently it's uses are quite diverse. Look it up for yourself. But for the purpose of recommending a great stocking stuffer, we'll call it a Key Fob. If I need to run in someplace I can slip it on my wrist (great when my two hands are holding hands, AND I have a baby in the sling). Looks great on the job. I emailed the seller and told her the colors I wanted, and she made me one to match my diaper bag. I've been shopping year round for clearance stocking stuffers for the kids- I only wish they had keys so I could get them one.

Until the end of October, this Etsy seller is offering free shipping, which is why I'm mentioning the whole Christmas present idea in October. Then again, my motto for Christmas presents is, "It's never too early!" :)

Slow

Already feeling the need to slow down, Ann's application and reminders were just what I needed. I can't believe how much my attitude changed when I laid aside the extras, sat down and enjoyed my children, hot tea, the falling rain (and maybe snow tomorrow!). Even my work, done slowly and with purposeful enjoyment created an atmosphere of peace. The children still argued, needed correction and instruction, the baby still woke up at night. But I was (mostly) grounded, and maybe even more key: rested. I think exhaustion is such a major deterrent to peace and joy in mothers of young children. Many times there's nothing we can do about it. I'm realizing there may be just as many opportunities to rest and slow down and I've just been missing them. I have the good fortune of getting sick almost every time I go a week without enough sleep. If rest is key to my good health and my ability to take care of my family, why do I avoid it so much? I love a full productive day and the visible fruits thereof. If I sit down to read a book, what do I have to show for it? I am learning.

Speaking of reading, I really want to give a little book report on my latest read, and how it is changing the way we eat and live. I just returned from the Farmer's Market (it was 37 degrees this morning when I left the market!) where, inspired by this book, I purchased something from everyone (except the leather jewelry guy). I came home with 3 butternut squash, 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, 4 green peppers, 4 pears, a jar of jam, a handful of banana peppers, cayenne, and jalapenos, and 2 chocolate truffles... for $16. (This guy has no idea what he's talking about when he says only elitist can buy fresh/local/organic.) I returned at 8:30am and Sweet A started popping cherry tomatoes before the waffles were finished (no doubt she's my daughter). WH & Coop watched in amazement, not being big tomato fans.

I'm off to spend the day preparing for a Sabbath feast- cleaning, food prep, and maybe a little baby food-making with all this butternut squash. Hope your weekend is restful!

Brite in real life

If you have visions of my life as a creative fairyland, full of all kinds of arts and food projects, sewing and scrapbooking ventures...well, I've had days like that, but not lately. Why does it always seem like things get out-of-control busy, only so that we can scale WAY back and re-evaluate our load and try again. One wise man used this word picture: you have to know how much water your boat can hold before it sinks. Sometimes you realize your boat is starting to sink, so you frantically start bailing water over the side as a means of preserving life. The size of my boat is not the same as yours, so the extra load we can carry may be different. We are bailing a lot of water right now.

I'm sure the Lord creates scenarios like these in life (frequently) so that I will step back and reconsider my priorities and what I really want to be doing with my days. Time is flying- my baby is almost walking; my two-year old is always wanting to help in the kitchen and talks about the day when she will make dinner; my four year-old old is begging for more "school." I don't want to miss any of this because I'm busying myself with projects of lesser value. So, I step back, put all the fun fabric and paper away for a season, and then slowly add it back as I'm able. I know it's not a flaw in the system, but the ebb and flow of life in an imperfect world.

That said, I did drive an hour away to a huge fabric store a few weeks ago and bought yards of ribbon to make bows in all kinds of fall colors. True to my word (and excessive frugality) I have not purchased any big bows for Sweet A, and have used the SOLE pink bow Moriah gave me as a shower present. How we made it this long with one big pink bow and a handful of smaller bows (which I did purchase) I don't know, but now we own a beautiful array of browns, purples, oranges, and reds, all for less than $1 each.

I do have quite a few things to post, but I'm resolved to get my personal correspondence under control before I post anything else. Here are a few highlights:

• Fall decorations are out
• 

I've tried several brands of nice candles for fall scents- this $4 Pumpkin Spice candle from the store we all love to hate is my all-time favorite:

• Made my first flourless chocolate cake- disastrous in visual appeal but delicious
• Learning all about seasonal veggies in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
  
• Finally satisfied with homemade dishwasher detergent (more on that another time)
• Still eating lots of homemade corn chips and fresh salsa with the last of the tomatoes- not good for the waistline but I'm still nursing so that's how I justify it
• Starting to think about Christmas gifts, cards, projects to start, including making stockings for our family
• Looking for a house to buy (informally, but it's taking up a lot of time)

I'm sure there's more...discipline galore, training the baby, starting to introduce cereal to the baby and finding he is indeed sensitive to foods that thrive on yeast, etc. etc. etc. Hope your week is a delight, and that if you need to bail some water out of your boat you will do it and not feel guilty!