This may not be our first snowfall of the season (our first snow was only a dusting; see HERE), but today we woke up to our first snowfall with more than a symbolic significance.
This morning when we looked out the windows, we saw several inches of snow. It blanketed the trees, covered the deck, and was plenty to spend multiple sessions playing in throughout the day.… Continue reading
We’ve known that the first snowfall of the season could hit at any time for a while now. We’ve had it snow as early as September here at our Rocky Mountain home, so making it until early November without snow actually feels a bit luxurious.
Last month my 6-year-old excitedly asked if we could celebrate the first snowfall with sledding and making maple candy (recipe HERE).… Continue reading
“Many people believe simplicity implies doing without. On the contrary, True simplicity as a conscious life choice illuminates our lives from within. True simplicity is both buoyant and bountiful, able to liberate depressed spirits from the bondage and burden of extravagance and excess. True simplicity can elevate ordinary moments…from the mundane to the transcendent.”
–Sarah Ban Breathnach
It’s easy to get caught up in the messages of our broader society: to hear the call that says we need to update our house, to keep our wardrobe current, to drive a new car, or carry the latest electronic gadgets.… Continue reading
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I’ll put a trinket on.
–Emily Dickinson, Autumn
Autumn is here. Beautiful, crisp, a final celebration before our little part of the world fades into the renewing slumber of winter.… Continue reading
We live in the mountains, and we routinely see wildlife outside of our house. However, the other day while I was reading to my 6-year-old, my 2-year-old announced, “Mama, Bird in house.” That got my attention.
Now, I would like to say this was the first time a bird has come into our house, but it’s not (though it is the first time at this particular house).… Continue reading
We been keeping our jack-o-lanterns (yes, we already have several) out on our deck. Yesterday, we discovered a squirrel had been nibbling on them.
My boys decided that in order to lure the squirrel away from their prized painted and carved pumpkins, they wanted to give the squirrel a pumpkin of his own.
So my 6-year-old cut up a pumpkin and carefully stacked it for the squirrel.… Continue reading
NOTE: I wrote this piece almost a year ago, but haven’t yet shared it (in part because I didn’t have a suitable picture — is that silly? I finally decided to use a photo taken by someone else). The other day as we were walking through this same market, and another person’s child was crying and crying. My heart went out to the mother and the little girl, and as we walked by I quietly said, “I’ve been in your shoes, in this very market. … Continue reading
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to’.” — Lao Tzu
That is, if something is truly important to you, you will make time for it. And if you’re not willing to make the time for it, is it really as important as you say?
Consider this when you’re pondering whether to commit larger things, such as time spent with friends and family.… Continue reading
A few days ago, my friend and her two boys were over visiting. All four boys started out playing in my boys’ room (an amazing chance for us mamas to catch up!), and then decided to head outside to play. A minute or two after they all ran out the door, it occurred to me to ask, “Do your boys know what to do if they encounter a predator in our yard?”… Continue reading
Fall, leaves, fall
By Emily Brontë
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.
As Bronte poignantly expresses above, there is beauty to be found even as the northern hemisphere prepares for its winter rest. … Continue reading