This has been our past week. Recovering. Reviving. Relaxing. We all had fevers, sniffles and sore throats. We stayed at home and laid around feeling yucky until we couldn’t do it anymore. We decided that the sun would probably be a better remedy for us than any medication. So we took our breakfast, the puppy, and ourselves down to the river for some much needed peace.

This is our favorite hideaway. We come here when everything gets so busy that we just need some time to sit.

It’s a quiet little spot and we barely ever see anyone else. 

This is what it’s like to get here…. wake up, pack lunch while dreaming of the water, shuffle all the sleepyheads (including ourselves, because usually we end up here because we’re exhausted) out the door and into the car, drive while singing “miss mary mack, mack, mack,” pull up to the woods, grab all slings, bags, food, and babies and into the woods we go. It’s about a 5 minute walk and of course we have to stop and pick up every leaf and rock. shuffle shuffle shuffle. and all of the sudden…… water, sand, blanket, breakfast, PEACE! About 2 hours later there is typically the looking at the watch, grabbing everything in sight, taking off into the woods (this time no stopping for leaves or rocks), scurrying to see the car, throwing everything in and off we go… to get Joseph to work, of course.

To be honest with you, I love everything about this process. It is very much a reflection of our lives right now. We work really hard most of the time to finally have that little bit of time to be in our favorite places together and gain some peace.

{this is a hat that I made for Scarlet at the beginning of the summer. The result? I am so not a hat maker. This would be the first and only time I’ve let her out of the house in it.}

Everyone should have a secret hideaway!

For some reason it is so easy to have a conversation with a two year old that sounds like this,

“Mama, Bird!!”

“Yep.”

“Do you see?!”

“I see”

“Bird, Mama. You see!? Bird!”

“Yep. I see.”

I have to really stop myself many times throughout our day and put myself in her shoes. Birds are fascinating to her right now! She is discovering what they are, how they sound, what they do. It is very important to her. It is so easy for my to forget that. I’ve seen many parents who very rarely engage their children in real conversation because it’s boring to the parent. Most of them don’t realize how important that is for their children’s development, not to mention what it does for the parent/child relationship. No matter what stage of life a person is in, they want to feel like they’re heard, like you are fully present, interested in them.

As a family we work very hard to always be present when we are around each other. When kids are little, they don’t just assume your listening and then get mad when they find out you weren’t (like us adults do). Instead, they keep saying your name over and over until you give them total attention and then they proceed to tell you something very important to them. Joseph and I nudge each other if we realize Scarlet has said our name 10 times and no one has answered yet.

For us and our little family, we’ve tried to move all distractions from each other out of our home. I don’t want our kids growing up watching TV in separate rooms or playing with their own toys in their own rooms. I want us all to be able to play together, work together, rest together. I believe it will create a tight-knit family.

Some of these things we’ve just begun to eliminate. Others, we have never really known any different. But here are some of the things we’ve chosen to do so that we can spend more time with each other:

:: Shows, Movies, and video games. Our TV lives on a rolling cart in our closet. On it is a PS2 that we use to play video games and DVDs. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time that either of us actually played video games on the PS2, just because we’re so busy that when we are home that’s not one of the first things we run to. Scarlet really doesn’t watch much TV at all. We pull out the TV maybe every other day. She LOVES her Baby Einstein movies! And I like them too because we can interact together while they play. Joseph and I will sometimes get a Redbox movie and play it on the laptop at night after the babes are in bed. But even here, we are very careful that this doesn’t end up being the only thing we do during our little time of peace at the end of the day.

:: Meals together. We have tried to eliminate eating separately. It happens when Joseph is at work. But every other meal we try to make special and sit us all together and talk. I really believe that it helps Scarlet reconnect with Joseph after he’s been gone all day.

:: We play together. Most of the toys we have are not for different ages or stages. Most of them anyone can play with. Scarlet makes Adi her very special baby food from her kitchen and pretend feeds it to him while he laughs. She LOVES to make puppets out of socks (Joseph did it once and she never forgot). She puts them on her hand and talks to Adi with them. She sings to him a lot. She builds with blocks and knocks them over… he laughs. Pretty much that is what goes on in our house right now. For her, the goal is to make him laugh. While he’s sleeping, is usually when we are cooking, sewing, or having girl time. Some of our toys are: wood blocks (we have three different kinds), stacking cups, shape sorter, a cloth Noah’s Ark with cloth animals, puppets, dress up clothes, and books. Adelai has about three toys that he likes to chew on. But that is all we have. It is really amazing to see her find different ways to entertain him.

:: We work together. About 3 months ago we were so frustrated with trying to make dinner, or shower, or clean because we were trying our best to keep her entertained while we got “work” done. I saw this video and realized that it didn’t have to be that way. And that most likely, she was frustrated because she wants to help. So we started teaching her what we do. It changed her attitude completely. We could tell she felt like she was a part of what was going on around the house. She was “working” too. This, I believe, has been one of those things that has made her feel like she is contributing. She understands that she is a part of something great.

:: We rest together. Yes, our sleeping quarters are very close. It started when Joseph was working a lot and she started not wanting to talk to him when he got home and acting very mopey during the day. I had read that pretty much everywhere else in the world families sleep close and that it helps children feel secure. And really, Joseph would miss her so much during the day that he would get her out of bed when he got home anyway. So we tried it. We made her her very own little place beside our bed. I promise you, her whole countenance changed the very next day. She started accepting love from Joseph like she used too and it worked out great. I know that many people wouldn’t ever want to do this. But for us, this is one of the most significant ways we stay close to each other.

:: We read together. Without having TV or any other distractions we have lots of time to read. I really like the idea of having a Family Bible. Right now our Family Bible is a preschool Bible. But has she and Adi get a little older, I’m sure we’ll find one that fits perfectly.

::We pray together. In the past few weeks we have started teaching Scarlet scripture and how to pray. She’s always prayed the same bedtime prayer. But we would really like to save “learning how to tell God your thoughts” for when she gets a little older. Instead, I want to teach her to pray straight from the Bible. So we’ve been in search of how to simplify scripture to something she can learn. Soon, we’ll all be learning it together.

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I did want to say, we also have alone time. We have set up corners of our home that are exactly for that purpose. We also know that not everyone has the same heart or ideas that we do. But for Joseph and I, this is important because it creates security. We’ve realized the different things that create security for us as a couple and for us as a family. Security coupled together with commitment creates a very strong seal, a bond that is impossible to break. We chose to throw out the autopilot button and be fully present with each other.

This is who we are: Fully Present to Listen, Love, and Enjoy each other.

This is Farmer Mary! Yesterday we had a BLAST out at her farm. We got to feed goats, ride a miniature horse, hug a spitting lama, and take a walk through the property. It was a great experience. Miss Rayne makes friends faster than anyone I know, so Mary was begging to keep her by the end of the day. 

Her Front door and her very large guard dog.

Scarlet chased the chickens the ENTIRE time

Scarlet, her friend Leah, and Lucky the Lama.

Scarlet feeding a very dirty angora bunny

Pictures of the property

Our walk through the woods

Miss Rayne riding Nelson, her first horse ride

This is Obediah. Scarlet would feed the goats and laugh and say, “That tickles goat!”

We will definitely be visiting Farmer Mary again soon!

This is one of my greatest friends, Carrie Lynn. She owns Beloved Inc. Photography and Design, which is very much a reflection of the many gifts she has. She is a seamstress, knitter, photographer, and an artist. Not to mention one of the most amazing girls on the planet. She has been around in my world for almost 10 years now! The whole time I’ve known her she has always been about creating something out of the forgotten, the stuff no one else notices. If you’d like to read more about Carrie and how she began Beloved Inc. hop right on over here and see what she’s about. 

Last month Scarlet received the CUTEST sock monkey in the mail from her Auntie Carrie. It took no time at all for her to bond with this sweet button-eyed monkey how’s name is “Yawn.” Why would she name a monkey yawn? I have no idea. But he has definitely won her heart.

Today she’s offering this adorable stationary set that she has created from vintage children’s books! So cute!

(sorry the photo is so small. it wouldn’t make it bigger )

Just leave a comment here telling me what your favorite thing you played with or what you played with most as a child. Just so we can get to know each other a little better. I mean really. I’m ALWAYS talking. You barely say a word. Common, speak up! Comments will close next Saturday at 9 pm EST. The winner will be announced Sunday afternoon sometime. 

Also, Carrie is offering 10% off of anything from Beloved Inc. through the month of September to anyone who uses the password “Roots&Wings.” Just type it in the comments section when you check out. You can also check out some of her photography  on Flickr. She’s got some great stuff! Go see!

I’m loving this little list of ours. It is constantly getting talked about, thought about, and added to. It has become a process that we are proud to be a part of at this moment in our lives. One thing I would like to say before you read on is that our world is very much made up of extremists. There seems to be very little balance in anything at all. We, as human beings, are constantly having to bring balance back into our already extreme ideas. So as you read our little list please know that we are always in motion, working to find a groove that works for us. 

I am going to write about one at a time so that you don’t feel like your sitting down to read a novel. :0 

 Live a Simple Life. I was in the grocery store last night and I realized it takes me twice as long to get my shopping done as it used to. Most of my time is spent scanning the overloaded shelves for the simple calamine lotion, or soap, or borax etc. Did you know there are around 12 different brands of first aid cream?? Everyone is trying to come up with something “new” that you just cannot live without. Let’s not even talk about what all you have to have to bring a baby into the world. That alone could take up every square inch of our home. When we moved in the apartment last year was when we really got serious about what stuff was floating around in our home. Ever since then it’s been fun to see which ways we can cut corners to save money and live more simply. 

For us, we make most of our own products (for laundry, dishes, cleaners, and toiletries) from natural items, we try not to buy packaged food (I buy from the farmers market once a week), we reuse and repurpose most of the cloth in our home, and we have recently converted from using paper towels, baby wipes, napkins, and tissues to using cloth alternatives. I am also in a constant purging process in our home. All four of us share the same closet and in it is a box for clothing that is done with it’s life as it is and needs to be made into something useful.

Note: Many people would call this “living green.” Joseph says, “We don’t live like this to live green we live like this to save our green.” And we do! We save a LOT of money every month by just going without the 12 different bottles of soap in our bathtub. The whole world is in an uproar because we are destroying mother nature and she is a sad, sad earth. We as christians understand that we are not here to save the planet and all the animals on it, but the ones who are living on the planet. The ones created in His image. The ones who are so busy saving the earth that they forget they need a Savior. And so… we live this way to be good stewards of what God did give to us. But our focus is not on earth but the people on the earth. Just to be clear.  

Honestly, we started this journey to a simple life in a very extreme way. (Like I mentioned above) We read books about being called to live poor and how God isn’t going to blessed you with more than you need…etc. Then we found the other extreme. God wants you to have ten houses and three convertibles and live your life just to have stuff on the earth. Then… we found the balance. We want to live this way so that we have more to give to our church who is actively helping needy families, helping to build churches across the world, and raising up a generation of young people that can carry on our legacy. THAT is where we want our money.

We live simply to give hugely. That is who we are.

Have you ever woke up one morning and realized life carried you to a totally different place than you were aiming at going? Then realized you didn’t do as much aiming as you thought? Well, that’s where  we are.

Over the past few months we have really learned the importance of having a direction as a family, knowing what we’re accomplishing, working together on one common goal. It’s a good thing Scarlet and Adelai are too young to remember this time of redirection. I want them to grow up knowing how to focus on the same goal and be able to add their talents and abilities to ours. Since they are so small right now, it’s been Joseph and I who have had to learn this hard lesson. As a wife, mother, and homemaker it is easy to fill my life with many things, but I’ve realized that a lot of the things I’ve filled my life with have ended up unimportant in the grand scheme of things. I think I totally blew Joseph out of the water when a few weeks ago we woke up and I asked him, “so, I understand that you are the leader of this little pack of ours, so where are we headed today? What should I be accomplishing?” I believe he thought he’d woken up with a new wife completely. Because I had been so busy thinking about where I’d like to be and he was so busy thinking about where he’d like to be that we lost sight of where we were going. So we got together and wrote down our absolutes. Have you ever done one of those lists? Most people do them when they’re looking for someone to marry. Must be tall, dark, handsome…etc. Well, this list is filled with the non-negotiables of where our family is headed and what we are accomplishing. A beautiful little list of who we are. Now it is so easy to say, “oops, that doesn’t really fit into our plan.” I have become great at living a simple life on the outside, but I needed a little cleaning out on the inside. I feel like I can breathe better already and now I’m heading straight for the goal. 

Even with Joseph working long hours right now, we have become closer as a family. The few hours that we have together have become sacred. Scarlet is talking all the time, dancing, and always entertaining. Adelai is rolling over, pushing up, and smiling all the time. I have been working assembly line style trying to get stuff ready to sell, and Joseph is getting snuggled back into the band at LWFC while working in the studio. Busy Busy Busy! But all in one direction, with one goal.

Resting up for the buzz of the next few days. Today is the beginning of birthday celebrations!! We’ll be spending the day with family. It’s always a celebration when grandparents come to town!

Hope you find something to party about today!

As I am getting back in the groove around here, I am also learning to prepare ahead, to the season coming up. There are many things in the works around here to plan for the colder season. You’ll get a sneak peak of a few over the next few days. 

The very first of the winter-wear for the season:

Adelai’s Winter Hat

I did this with no pattern (because I couldn’t find what I wanted) and it turned out okay. I pretty much just measured his head and did a swatch until I got it right and then knit until it fit over his head the way I wanted it too.

I put a double ribbed stitch at the beginning and the end and then folded them over and weaved them together. The one thing I would have done differently is.. well, not been so anxious about it. I couldn’t find my darning needle so instead I crocheted the sides together. It looks fine but I should have held out until I could get out to buy a new needle. But I didn’t. 

Working with my hands has become something so natural. I feel strange sitting anywhere for any length of time without a project of some sort in hand. I have been crocheting for a few years now and love it. Knitting is something I’ve wanted to do but it just felt so much harder than crocheting… all that blocking, and swatching, and gauging… but after this post I really dug in my heels and sought people out who would watch and correct. I have come a long way since that post. My plans are that it will pay off this winter. But the truth is that every time I sit down to knit, I breathe a little deeper, listen to what’s around me, slow down my mind and relax. It really is one of the healthiest things for me (since I tend to be a little high-strung. ). How do you prepare for a new season? Is there a craft or hobby that helps you relax? I love to hear the way others do things!

Hope there’s a happy Wednesday in your future! 

So this is how it went… 

I took a job. A night job, 9:30 pm – 5:30 am. I kept saying it was only for four weeks. I could do anything for four weeks. The job? Oh, the job was fun. I loved getting back out into the job world (even if it was in the middle of the night) But in trying to balance sleep, work, babes and home it wasn’t doable. I didn’t even finish out the job, but in the past four weeks my plants have died, my meal plans are all messed up, our laundry is in all kinds of weird places, and my body (and Adelai’s food source)  is still recovering from the weird sleep schedule. In the midst of that, Joseph has been working 50 hours a week plus trying to get in about 10 hours in the studio. Why did I think that job would be a good decision? Because I didn’t fully understand my role in our home right now. I realized that whether I like it or not (I do like it most of the time) I am the center of our home. Everyday when I wake up (or come home from work) I set the mood around the house. Joseph does have an amazing closeness to both of his kids in a different way, but many times through the week when he just can’t be here, I become the glue between him and them. I become the glue that bonds us all together into an intertwined, knit together… family. It’s a challenging, exciting place to be in. I have so much purpose in being wife, mother, and homemaker and that makes me feel good and know that I am needed. But it also means that just because there is something I would like to do or I think would be good for our family doesn’t always mean it’s the way to go. If I am absent then the rhythm we have as a family is off. How have we gotten our groove back? Well, let me show you!

:: A walk through the woods with cousins!

:: Through the woods to the LAKE. This is our favorite little spot.

:: Farmer’s Market for Peach Day

:: Some very special guests came to town!

:: Enjoying the lots and lots of rain around here.

So right now my days have been spent following our little rhythm which puts us and our little home all back together. 

Our laptop charger decided to melt around the wires last week. Crazy, I know. So, here we are again.
I haven’t forgotten about this little space. I should be back next week!