Busy as Bees

these are now ready for consumption through the winter.

Not having a lot in the way of spare moments to sit and type and share...summer is far from lazy! If we're not cooking up something to put in jars, we're visiting friends at the pool or traveling for celebrations, popping up tents to vend some sweet vintage goodies, or trying to think ahead to upcoming holidays, birthdays and schooling.

But, here I sit with a few photos to give an update in images.

toesies.

fish-tail braiding (among others)

she's been goggled.

recent harvests & the girls helping out.

And the winner of the Cedar Ring Circle giveaway will be announced on Wednesday--that means 1 more day to enter!

Making Art Because

So, I took the last session of an 8 week pottery course I took at the local Cultural arts center. I highly recommend it, making pots that is. I've always known about my love of clay manipulation, but it's been over 8 years since I last did it and what a reminder I had...turns out (no pun intended) I love it. Also, note that it's NOTHING like riding a bike, particularly throwing, it is a start-back-at-the-beginning type of thing.

But, there are just so many translate-able parts of pottery--things that represent themselves in life; balance, patience, embracing the unknown, focus, eliminating distraction, participating in the process, following the clay and letting go of the preconceived notions...

I'll share some pics of more completed items, maybe next week. I'll have to go back to the studio to tie up some loose ends.

I've also been playing a lot with this Instagram tool, which is pretty sweet. It makes you feel like you have 12 cameras in one. If you have an iPod or iPhone, it's free and you can follow friends--of course. It's a sweet surprise to see an unexpected picture of a friend on my phone, just for fun. Here's another with instagram and one that just has beautiful filtered light--the room was amazing.

Cookies, Squares and the Number 4

Naomi surprises me with her enthusiasm and downright ingenuity. And, on my part I'm happy that I rediscovered a way to get her psyched about looking--something she generally abhors.

We've been looking at the number 4, so we made these cute little pictures with scrap squares & then I assigned a task of going around the house and taking pictures of objects in groups of 4. Well, she seemed a little confused at first, but 10 minutes later she came back with some really observant collections that were EXACTLY what I'd hoped she'd find.

As part of our rhythm Monday is baking day, so in the morning just after breakfast we all gather together to whip something up. Today it was cookies with chocolate chips and heath bar bits (because they jumped in my cart 'accidentally' last time we went to the grocery). & the girls don't seem to notice a bit that we used an alternate to the standard all purpose white flour--we went with spelt & the only real difference I can tell is a little extra chewiness--maybe. I've used the spelt in cookies before & there's never much notable difference, other than color, but maybe the extra chew.

Heath & Chocolate Cookies

2 1/4 cups Spelt flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup heath bits

Convection: Preheat to 330degrees 

Standard: Preheat to 350degrees

Blend sugars, butter and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add baking soda, salt and 1 cup flour and mix, add remaining flour and mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and heath bits. In our convection oven we baked for 8 generous minutes, leaving them on the trays to cool. In a standard oven it may take closer to 10 or 11 minutes. (remember, take cookies out before they look done or they will be too crunchy).

Enjoy!

{this moment} - a hard day's ride home

{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. See Soulemama to play along.

Exploring...

chicken mischief.

apple blossoms.

old homesteads.

baby hikes.