a start...with soul

Throughout Advent, I will be sharing some deep thinking and soul searching........keeping in mind that Advent is really a "little lent" - a time for me to get ready to celebrate........to better understand myself and the direction I am consciously choosing to go...

thought 1: soul

Within all of us are souls...spirits....
which have encompassed our bodies since the moment our parents joined in an act of love.....

Our bodies are from the Earth.....out of one of the most organic substances, for which all things grow:

the soil.........

 We think, feel and will with our souls - our bodies are just the animation of this

our souls are not composite 

if there is a life after death, then surely the cause of our animation has an existence all it's own

even the most common uses of ourselves with our imaginations and memory abstract us from our bodily existence

this fact alone suggests an existence of something else......but enclosed with it, yet free from it - independently

this means that the centre to all our interests and desires are in our spiritual side of our nature........that our salvation from this world (or loss of it) is the biggest issue of our pure existence

when we let go of our current responsibilities/pressures/etc that surround this holiday season, we can then better let our spirit......our soul.......guide our hands/feet/minds/heart

it is not complicated............rather it is clear...........letting our soul work through us

peaceful advent blessings,

bare walls and an eagerness...

this weekend I took down the bird pictures and crucifix, and moved some furniture around as well -

(please click on images to be taken to their sources)

and thoughts are turning towards Christmas........but first, before anything, there is Advent

As eager as I am to spend another winter here, there are some changes going on with my decorating

(surprise surprise)

some key elements I am focusing on:

- Christ

- simple

- organic/natural

- comfortable

and for the girls' room!  color + vintage + farmhouse

peaceful advent blessings,

~Thanksgiving blessings to all of you~

see you soon

a walk...

walking through our lives, it is rather different to understand the "why" of our daily struggles and pursuits and seeing what comes and what goes...

if we stand long enough during this walk, we can see how much our influence on others truly is

waiting for my husband to be out of surgery, I could have waited with my crochet hook and yarn quietly in the corner.........but rather chose to engage in a conversation with an elderly woman....we both had two things in common......crochet and our husbands in surgery

we with our lives ahead of us......theirs with much more wisdom and knowledge and experience....and gratitude

keeping my hands busy in the waiting area, I made a hat and made a friend

her telling me of a yarn shop nearby that I didn't even know was there....
peace + thankful blessings,

(pants on Daniel were made by me as well.....)

simple gratitude letter...

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? ~G.K. Chesterton

what G.K.Chesterton told me through this quote was that gratitude is simple and comes from the most basic needs of this life...how I need to remind myself of this fact daily....

that the most basic needs are what we need to thank God for

even legs

or in my kitchen....peppers

As I am stringing up the last of the peppers that we covered under our makeshift frost protector, I can't help but look at all the colors and variety now hanging down like jewels from our kitchen windows...

out the window it certainly looks like winter with branches bare, but as the trees loose their leaves and fall to the ground to blanket and help protect the flower beds below with their natural mulch: gratitude is there

gratitude is there in the morning with cutting boards waiting at the ready

gratitude is there with a clean kitchen and my tea kettle whistling

as Chesterton again had said: "Gratitude is the mother of all the virtues."

from gratitude...it all starts.....all other things flow......and all this week will be a self-enhancing inward journey for myself to find more and more gratitude amongst my life here on the farm.......

in order to say 'thank you' properly, we have to first slow down and figure out how we would like to thank our Creator.....for our life....

let's start with a thank you letter.....

there is too much going on in my head at most times, but if I slow down and take out some writing paper (nothing fancy), I can begin to open up my mind to take in all that is going on....start the process of gratitude

today I will be starting that letter to Him

advent is right around the corner and I want to be fully prepared for the feast!!  a lot to plan, yes, but if I break it up into small bits (starting with a thank you letter), more grace...more joy will follow

peace + blessings,

catching a glimpse...

I recently read an article about homeschooling that I thought was pertinent...The writer said that she would love to remove her kids from public school due to the quality of education....and she went on to say 'but I don't want to end up in a denim jumper'....laughter was not what followed after I read that, but a true sense of understanding...(and I personally don't think there is anything wrong with a denim jumper...they hide many bodily flaws and are very modest)...

Contrary to the "stereotype" this lady was trying to get a point across that the face of homeschooling is changing...more and more parents are removing their children from the public schools to educate at home for many reasons...

We are very happy with the educational material we use with our children, however, I plan on taking even more time for more fun....more creative fun

I love me a schedule, and I'm not changing that, but I also love spontaneity...

When our son comes up to me during lunch break while I'm crocheting and wants to learn how to do the treble crochet, I do it

When my youngest daughter starts singing, I set my guitar down to listen to her open up her lungs and heart to song

When my oldest daughter has questions on life/friends/horses, I set down my own crochet and listen carefully and we talk 



my new little favorite corner of the world



when you are going with the groove of homeschooling, that means you embrace the day and thus will embrace your children...their dreams...

embrace the day

peace + blessings,

educate yourself...

...the key to independence + understanding + charity + knowledge +(and so much more)

don't rely on others to do the work for you...think for you...speak for you...

get out and do the work yourself

get out there and speak for yourself

don't take away from others what they worked so hard to do for themselves...

but give to humanity...by saving humanity

keep yourself educated

keep yourself prepared

keep yourself at peace with God first....and your life will turn around

whatever you do today will effect your soul...your connection with God....your connection with people both near and far

understand this

understand that any ill will you give to others will most certainly come back to you

if not now...it definitely will come back to you later

life is not about money or worldly things....but don't turn a blind eye and be afraid of sticking up for your beliefs....just make sure that your beliefs are truly for the better good of man

educate yourself

peace + blessings,

a wonderful gift...

my daughter had the priviledge to attend Jeanne's art class here on the farm this past October

she loved it

LOVED it!!

and SSSHHHH....because her birthday present is taking Jeane's wonderful E-Course

I know she will be thrilled

thank you Jeanne for helping her be creative...it means so much

peace + blessings,

a time to be quiet...a time to play

how often we catch ourselves within the daily work routine...

five weeks have gone by like a blur

{{ our unexpected guests traveling from Colorado to Maine just left today

{{ booties were crocheted + cloth diapers + and there is talk from the three year old he wants crocheted pants (how hilarious is that!)

{{ pizza night and movie night and a card game that lasts 4 hours

whatever we might be doing...there is always time to slow it down....

the kids move move move...and thus, so do I and Jason...but the more you slow down...the more you realize how much more you can live without from the world...and how the hand made items your friends made for you, or that diaper your baby is wearing that you sewed together is so worth those few hours of being in the quiet...

embrace the time that God has given to you

I see it all too often

if you work or stay at home with the kids, there is always time to cuddle...laugh...be with your family

step away from the television, take this time....and do what you know you should....be with them...

be goofy once and awhile...it does the soul good...and God knows we need to be goofy sometimes!!

p.s. that's me being goofy...(i know...i have to work on it)

peace + blessings,

something for sale and something sweet...

Hand Crocheted Organic Cotton Neck Cowl with vintage buttons...

$20      

                                                       
                                                       
                                                       

I only have made 3 so far with this yellow USA grown, organic cotton, but I am working on soft white ones with some really cool vintage buttons as well, and will be listing those later this week....

A bit of time went into these, but baby Daniel seems to really enjoy the comfy flannel and soft cotton

(now to only make about 2 dozen more and we're good)

we've named them: "na.da.farm bunz"

in the garden we pulled out a few sweet potatoes...

"Anne Marie's pointers":

- make sure you do not feed your children candy before harvest

- if you treat harvest like a game, getting the 'biggest one yet!!' is more fun than anything!!

just beware of the sweet potato snatcher!

here's to a beautiful week....

peace + blessings,

being void...and that's okay

the pressure is there to constantly "be in the moment"
{ to experience everything
{ to taste it
{ to feel it
{ smell it
{ hear it
{ to see....and touch it...

the wipers noisily squeaked right left...right left....the car eerily quiet though all but Jason was with me....no music - just the hum of the wheels upon the highway and the now annoyingly squeaking noise of the wipers...

the wipers were turned on before the funeral...when the air was thick with dew and mist from the heat of the ground mingled with the complete chill in the air that seemed to creep through the marrow of my bones to reach the part of my soul that has been void

parking almost 3 blocks from the entrance to the old brick cathedral for Mass....a Requiem Mass....a Mass for a woman....a Mass in honor of a woman....a Mass to connect heaven and earth....a place to connect me to God....to fill that void

a valid word but an invalid feeling

nothing black to mourn her loss than the boots that I have been trying to replace for the past two months and the circles under my eyes

a crying child in the arms of a familiar face of a mother I knew before stops me as I gaze into the standing room of the

Massive amount of people in the cathedral...thoughts of reassurance not this many people even know me crash through my head as I try to listen to her tell me "there is a few pews...in the very front"

sending my 14 year old son to the front with instructions to look back at me with a slight nod to tell me to venture up to the front with five of his siblings....I can only think of praying to the good Lord to keep the baby quiet and my three old well behaved as I notice the pew open is right behind the pall bearers...a knot settles into my throat as I see Eileen covered in a black clothe hand embroidered by nuns and two foot candles lit and reaching towards the sky...not hearing any noises except that crying child from the familiar face in the back of the church now sounding like a mile away

I know Mark is sitting on the left hand side...Mary's side of the church for us, but from God's perspective to the right....the right side of the church where sorrow lays still

Gregorian chant fills the space and enters up with the incense to encompass that moment....that void starts to fill with more sights and sounds of the Mass...of knowing God is here....truly present....just like Eileen....present under the veil while she sees Him....her veil has lifted...her void is gone....all of her senses are useless....i realize so are mine and everyone else...how alike we all are...

we search out our lives trying to find completeness.......to "feel" complete.....when in order to do so we must empty ourselves to be united with eachother...

regardless of where I was Tuesday, you were somewhere else

wherever I was in 1983, you were somewhere else

you are somewhere else, and I am here

here truly present wanting to join with others...the mass

becoming the Mass

flocking together and not caring for things of this world... knowing we will be provided for

and that's more than okay

rest in peace knowing you are not alone

rest in peace seeing...hearing...tasting the Mass

being on the right side

chanting like everyone else

it's okay

no need to worry

peace + blessings to all...especially to Eileen's friends and family,
our deepest sorrow...


to help fight the battle of cancer, please visit here

better than nothing...

pear jelly

apple jelly

at least we'll have something to slather on bread + biscuits + pancakes!

the last bit of canning for the year (unless I can find some local cranberries)...and I'm even thinking of canning turkey soup.....if anyone has done this...I'd love to hear from you :)

peace + blessings,

kale chips...

so good

so easy

- take a huge bunch of kale

+ wash it thoroughly

+ remove thick middle 'stems'

+ toss in bowl with olive oil and a bit of sea salt

+ bake in a 300*F oven for a little over 30 minutes (but watch it so it doesn't brown too much)

yum!

I have tried it now on popcorn.....very tasty.........

peace + blessings,