Roots and Branches

fun

On Saturday, a good friend agreed to let me practice portrait work on her.  It was so, so much fun!

 

 

I'm so very thankful for this friend.  She keeps me good company in a somewhat alienating local culture, makes me laugh, shares her film interest and passion with me, enjoys wonderful food with me, commiserates on parenting and all of our values regarding our children, is graceful, kind, a perfectionist with a fun edge, tough and strong, goal-oriented and focused, and all around a very wonderful person to know!  It's such a pleasure to be her friend.  I look forward to all the hilarious, fun, and hopefully artistic things we come up with in the future!

I'm disappearing into crafting land.  I've got so much planned to make.  I realize that often most things don't get done, but I'm hoping to make as much as possible!  I'm getting excited.  Hopefully I will have a few things to share tomorrow!

Happy December, everyone!

inspiration

It's that time of year again.  Reflection, love, family, friends, celebration of life.  The Holidays.  It's my most favorite part of the year.  I'm just not sure how on earth this year flew by like it did.  I'm discovering, the older I get, that life's happiness truly is right now.  Always looking forward distracts you from what you have now.  As you get to that point in the future, you look back and realize all the things you missed that were precious and that will never be with you again.

It is my mission this next year (including this holiday season!), to stay right here.  Plan for the future, then move my mental space right back to NOW.  Now is where my sweet kids are, my wonderful friends, my family, myself at this moment.  Life is now.

So, on a less introspective level, let's hear about everyone's homemade holiday goodness!  I have all sorts of knitting projects in mind.  I'd like to make these beautiful tree decorations with the kiddos.  But most of all, I'd like to be completely relaxed and remember simplicity.  So let's hear and/or see it, guys!  What are you making?

 

 

And here is the second part of my post for today.  I have been writing piano "songs" for a number of years now, but always forgetting them, never recording them, always too shy to share them.  I finally wrote and completely finished 4 pieces and decided it was time to record and share.  So here they are.  I hope you enjoy them!

reminiscing and randomness

Not a lot to say today, but have photos to share.  Not much story behind them.  Just photos.

 

Lots of relaxing this past weekend.  That's what weekends are for, right?

My beautiful girl.  I'm lucky my kids let me photograph them.  A lot.

Goodbye day.  Goodbye leaves and Autumn.  Winter is almost here.

Reminiscing on our trip to New England.  Wishing I were there (and then reminding myself to enjoy where I am now).*

Old Montreal.  I could live there.  And I don't do enormous cities well.  But I could live there.

Maine color and me.  We get along so wonderfully.

 

 

 

* (yes, I have 5 toes on each foot - just FYI).

 

another snowfall

 

 

 

Woke up to snow again today.  I always feel so excited when I pop open the blinds behind my head, before even getting out of bed, and peek out.  Somehow just knowing what I'm going to see.  Soft, powdery, white, beautiful snow.  It's then even better to then tell the little ones, as they wake up, "Go look out the window!!"  It made the day feel just a bit more like winter.  You know, that cozy, must-make-soup-and-warm-drinks kind of feel?  The anticipation of all things glittery, sweet, special, secretive, and merry. 

The kids broke out the window crayons and had a blast scribbling (er, and drawing) away.  I quite enjoyed watching them.

Wonderful, cozy, peaceful day.

Martinmas

 

 

 

 

 Last night was Martinmas - a festival celebrated by Waldorf-inspired families and schools everywhere.  It is a European festival to honor St. Martin (otherwise known as St. Martin's Day).  Our family hasn't been able to celebrate these fun festivals much in the past, being that we were the only Waldorf-y family that we knew (or at least, that was our excuse).  But thankfully, lately we've been joined by others and were able to celebrate with wonderful friends last night.

The festival is about giving and compassion to others.  Little paper (or other materials) lanterns are made, a candle placed in, and then children and adults wander outside in a little glowing, beautiful procession (go look at this wonderful capture by another momma - beautiful).  There are wonderful songs that can be sung, verses and stories to be told.  There is so much to add to this tender festival (check out the St. Martin's Day flickr group for more wonderful examples), and I look forward to expanding on it in the future!

changes

(Goofing off at the park)

(Look!  Look up!  What do you see?)* 

(By the way, did I ever mention that I was married to a monkey?)

(And that my son apparently inherited those genes?)

(And that girl?  Not sure where she learned that...ahem.)

There have been a few changes around here.  My girl woke up one day last week, learned a few new sight-reading words and declared, "I don't want to go to school anymore! I learn better here at home with you guys." 

To which I responded, "What?!?  You love going to school and playing with your friends!  You want to stay home with us?"

"Yep.  I miss you and my brother.  I never get to be with you because I'm gone all day at school.  You teach me."

Oh boy.  Tug at my ideals and my heartstrings?? 

I suppose it's almost needless to say, after a few days of staying home, then one day at school (after which she announced that she had said her goodbyes to her friends)....well, we're homeschooling.

And can I add to that announcement?  She's reading.  Yes, READING!  Whatever cells in her brain needed to get to know each other, have finally introduced themselves - because she is now inhaling multiple words every time we sit down to read.

What a fascinating adventure life is, eh?  And we Mommas get the front row seat.

 

I also wanted to link everyone over to a fellow mama-blogger who just did a series of posts on having a Waldorf-y home.  If you're interested, go check it out!  She did an awesome job.

* Been reading Dick and Jane much??...

 

what makes me tick, in no particular order

 

Photography
Birth - experiencing and watching
Piano - creating a new piece and falling in love with it
Fiddling/violin
African drumming with my sweetie
Blogging
Writing
Reading
Walks
New England
Having a blissful moment with my babies
Snow. Autumn leaves. Watching seasons change.
Traveling to new destinations and exploring.
Languages
Anthropology and the study of evolution
Local food
Gourmet food
All things Waldorf
Soft, sweet-smelling, squishy babies
Wool, cotton, silk
Knitting
Creating something beautiful for my little people
Shopping on Etsy
Soft, worn, hand-carved wood
Glittery, sparkley, brightly colored
Flickr friends - being inspired
Community and the connection, however brief, with other beings
Friends and wonderful conversation
Singing folk songs. Really loud. With kids.
Coloring with bright colors.
Thinking about adopting a beautiful, dark-skinned wee one with soft black hair.
Listening to my girl start to read and see her eyes glisten with joy as she falls in love.
Being wrapped up in wonderful thoughts.

What makes you tick??

Halloween 2009

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday!  We were so busy, yet had so much fun!  The kids were so cute together.

Halloween morning was so beautiful for me.  I decided to make Sourdough French Toast (which was unbelievably delicious, if I say so myself!), and happened to look over into the dining room.  Pouring into the room was the most beautiful morning light.  It was shining right into the rainbow silk draped over the playstands.  After 3 days of gray and cold snow (which I love, mind you), it was so different that it struck me as profoundly beautiful!  That, together with a delicious breakfast, happy adorably dressed children, and a wonderful new CD (You Are My Little Bird), made for one of the most wonderful mornings ever.  I wish they could all be that beautiful!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

my view this morning...

Snow anyone?  What a surprise!  I'm not sure I'm ready for autumn to be over....but it sure is pretty.

MIA

That's me.  I've had this strange avoidance mechanism kicking in the last week or two.  Sorry, folks. 

This weekend I photographed another birth (I'll ask the mama if she will allow me share a photo or two).  It was gorgeous, fast, calm, sweet, and of course, just so beautiful.  I love being the photographer at a birth.  It's just such a wonderful combination of art and one of life's beautiful miracles.  What job could be better?

I have a couple photos to share, though.  One is an amazing sunset from a few days ago and the other - it snowed today.  Yes, snow.  Winter is here.  I'm very happy (it's probably my most favorite season), but feeling unprepared for all the fun ahead (and my responsibility to organize and conduct all that fun)!  I said I would be working on that sweet vest, but unfortunately (or fortunately) when I went to pick it up another pattern caught my eye.  So, yes, I started yet another project instead of working on the one at hand (I'll tell you more about it next week).  What was that about avoidance?   Ahem. 

Enjoy the last of Autum everyone!  If I don't get back here before Halloween, everyone be safe and wonderfully happy!