30 Days of Home

I can't promise anything but I am attempting to start blogging again.  I love doing it but my boys always come first and finding time to sit in front of the computer and write is hard.  I am finding that I really just want to blog for myself and my family and close friends.  That is it.  For me this isn't a popularity contest or finding followers contest....it is purely for a journal. Maybe it will just be me who reads it but maybe my boys will enjoy it when they get older.  Either way....when I can fit blogging in, I will write.  I am starting back up with a personal project that has tons of love behind it.

Some of you may or may not know that because of some events that are out of our control we have to leave our house and find a new home.  We have been in a rental home for little over four years and we have really made it our own.  We love it here and we are very sad to be leaving.  We may find another rental but we are playing with the idea of buying our first home within this year.  Wherever this new journey takes us I know in my heart that there is a greater purpose to why this is happening now.

We moved here when my first born was exactly one year old.  Both of my boys really only know of this house as being their home.  We have very wonderful memories of raising our babies here.  I know as they get older, this house will only be a few faint memories to them.  So with that in mind I have decided to do a personal photo project.  We have to move at the end of August.  Before the house gets bare and there are boxes everywhere, I want to document our lives here.  Every day for 30 days I will take a picture of our life in this house, hoping to get every room and every inch of fun and love we have had here.  Then every night after the boys go to bed I will post the picture(s) I took that day with a story or memory.  Hoping at the end I can make a book for my boys, so they will always remember our first "home" as a complete family.

DAY 1:

Summer's in our backyard are perfect in every way!  Especially with fresh watermelon!

Adieu & Hello (2013 365 Photo Project)

As we say adieu to one year, we welcome the fresh blank slate of a new year!  With the ups and downs and all the memories that this past year has brought, we are always ready for the fresh journey of a new year.  As I make new dreams and start old dreams, I remind myself to cherish the quiet times, the days I can relish in the beauty of my children.  The biggest thing on my 2013 to-do list is to love so deeply on my two little ones and to always be present with them.  I will always remind myself to slow down, soak in the moments with them, and to laugh along the way!

Following on my list......live simpler, be kind ALWAYS, continue in my sustainability journey, and to love, protect, save, and enjoy our Mother Earth!  These are always on my list as reminders or refreshers!

Wishing you and yours a truly magical, happy, and healthy new year!  Cheers!

January 1st, 2013

This is also my first photo in another attempt at a 365 photo project.  A full year in photos.  Just one photo a day posted here on the blog to help keep my mind fresh in photography and continue my journey in expanding my knowledge with the camera.  Maybe I should call it my "almost 365 photo project"  because I might miss a few days here and there!  Enjoy!  

Where the sidewalks ends.....

I often wonder when I am out in the world with my boys how they are perceiving the world around them...what do they notice the most...what brings in the wonder.  It would fascinate me to dive into their little minds and relive what it is like to be a kid again.  There is one thing I know that is definite....I can learn more from these two little boys than anyone or anything else on this planet.  They know more than me....they see more than I see!

A couple weeks ago, I decided to take them out, let them lead me, and I was going to document it.  I told Ayden to lead the way, tell me when to stop the car, when to take a picture, and what to take a picture of.  It was fascinating to see what caught his eye the most.  It wasn't places you would typically think people would be drawn to. He took us to old buildings, under bridges, gravel roads, fences.   He saw the joy and beauty in these places that some people would shun away.  A huge lesson for us adults!!

"There is a place where the sidewalk ends 

And before the street begins,

 And there the grass grows soft and white, 

And there the sun burns crimson bright, 

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight 

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black 

And the dark street winds and bends. 

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow 

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, 

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

 And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go, 

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know 

The place where the sidewalk ends."  

-Shel Silvertein

Fall bucket list and menus!

There are a few things I do that confirm that I am a complete dork.  Actually it is more than just a few.  But as my years get older and I get "wiser", I have learned to embrace who I am.....dorkiness and all!  

My latest project could be considered dorky, but it is what it is and I enjoyed creating it and taught myself quite a bit about photoshop and the blogging world!  I created a Fall Bucket List...which most of you have probably seen floating around the internet.  I was intrigued to do one for myself.  Plus....I have quite an obsession with writing lists (maybe unhealthy).  I write lists for every single thing! I have a huge spiral notebook that is just dedicated to lists of all colors, sizes, and shapes!  I quite possibly might drive my husband crazy but what is fun in not putting a little crazy in your life!  So now I just have a fancy list for Fall!  

I know...I know...Fall is well underway.  But this took me all month to do.  Not joking!  And a lot of it we already have done but a lot we are doing next month!  This time every year....I start to feel overwhelmed.  The common holiday stress starts to get to me!  The other day, I sat on my back porch watching the rain drop and the grey clouds go by and I let it send me into a trance.  A trance that brought some peace and realization that slowing down is okay.  The fall and winter months are meant for us humans to slow down, to hibernate.  For some reason, we have lost that in the craziness of the holidays.  It is okay if I don't do every craft project that I want to do or bake everyday or do every single activity known to the holidays.  These seasons are about family and being grateful for what we already have.  For me, for my family I am bringing that back....we are slowing down and enjoying each other.  If we don't do everything on our bucket list....that is okay with me.  These are just a few things that I would love to do, to enjoy this great season.  

I wanted to be able to share this with everyone....so I taught myself how to create a downloadable file.  And.....I did it.  If you want a copy of my super cool fall list......all you have to do it click the image twice and download it!  

Back to my menus!  I hope to share all my menus during this holiday season.  Because isn't holiday/comfort food the best?!  Our journey towards eating whole, eating local, eating sustainable has been amazing.  It thrills me to know that this is the only way of eating my children know.  If we want to change the world we have to start with our children!  

MENU:  

MONDAY:  Potato and Broccoli Frittata and a Spinach Salad (I will share this cookbook recipe soon)

TUESDAY:  Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin with Kale Chips

WEDNESDAY:  Halloween Dinner with family.  Bringing Cornbread! (Cookbook Recipe to be shared soon)

THURSDAY:  Crock pot Shiitake and Noodle Hot & Sour Soup

FRIDAY:  Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup with Polenta Croutons and Grilled Cheese

SATURDAY- Leftovers

SUNDAY:  Polenta Pizza and Spinach Salad (Cookbook Recipe to be shared soon)

What are you cooking this fall???

Peacefully,

Alyson

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." -Ovid

Cookbooks & Menus

There is just something very satisfying about opening up a cook book and picking out a delicious recipe to feed your family.  This warm experience is one that a computer or ipad can never replace.  I have heard over and over again how cookbooks will go extinct in the near future and I just won't accept that.  I really think there are enough "foodies" out there that really appreciate and relish in opening up a cookbook to make sure they stay around.  In this extreme digital age, these little things that bring us tangible experiences are so important, and using my new and used cookbooks is just one of those experiences that keeps me grounded and feeling whole.  Don't get me wrong...I find it simple and easy to bring the ipad into my kitchen or find an amazing recipe on a fabulous blog, but I still enjoy cookbooks more.  My mother has given me most of the cookbooks I own and knowing that she held the same book in her hand while cooking the same food I am now making for my family brings a huge smile to my face.

With all that being said.....I made a point to make my whole weekly menu (except for one recipe) from recipes that I found in my cookbooks.  This was a great reminder that I need to do this more.  My hope is to post all my cookbook recipes on here for you all to enjoy!

WEEKLY MENU:

MONDAY:  Ratatouille with brown rice

TUESDAY:  Whole wheat spaghetti with homemade garlic & tomato sauce

WEDNESDAY:  Family dinner outing

THURSDAY:  Cauliflower Soup, Fall Harvest Salad, and homemade bread

FRIDAY:  Homemade Pizza and graden green salad

SATURDAY:  Leftovers

SUNDAY:  Kale and Potato Frittata


What is your favorite cookbook??

Peacefully,
Alyson

“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.” -Laurie Colwin

Harvest Time & Menus

It is that time of year again......my favorite time of year.....Harvest time!  When all our hard work pays off in the kitchen and on our dining table!   We have been hard at work cooking, preserving, canning, freezing, and baking everything we grew this year.  It seems like there is a lot more than past years!  Or maybe we are just doing it better this year!  From zucchini bread to pickling cucumbers to canning salsa......and everything in between.  It has definitely been a full time job preserving everything but this winter when we are enjoying all our delicious goods...it will be worth it!  Being able to provide our boys with food grown by us and at the same time teaching them about growing our own food makes me happy!  There is a huge sense of joy that overcomes me when I watch my boys walk through the garden, pick their favorite vegetable, and eat it right off the vine.

Our dinner's have been full of harvested vegetables.......here are a few that we will add into this week.  Happy to start posting our menus again!

WEEKLY MENU:

MONDAY:  Homemade fresh tomato soup and grilled cheese & spinach

TUESDAY:  Vegetable Stir fry over rice thai noodles

WEDNESDAY:  Quinoa Stuffed Peppers and Baked Salmon with Cilantro & Lime

THURSDAY:  Garlic & Greens Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Fall Harvest Pear Salad

FRIDAY:  Homemade garden vegetable pizza and garden greens salad

SATURDAY:  Leftovers

SUNDAY:  Crock-pot Potato Leek Soup and homemade bread

What are you cooking this week?

Peacefully,
Alyson

"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy."  -William Blake

Dear Ayden

Dear Ayden,

You have started a journey, an adventure, a path full of discovery.  You are starting preschool!  When I rub your back and sing to you at night, I close my eyes and take my mind back to the first 48 hours of your life and how amazed I was by you and the love I felt for you!  You gave me the best gift of my life....motherhood.  I feel blessed that I was chosen to be your mother.  You have grown so much and every single day you bewilder me with how magical you are.  You father and I thought a long time about this part of your life and what we wanted to do as a family.  After long talks, we chose this small  cooperative community that you will now call preschool.  You are going to move mountains my baby boy and I am so happy that for right now I will move mountains with you!

Your daddy and I love you more than all the stars in the sky!

Love,
Mama

Preschool!  One of the first decisions we have had to make as parents that seemed harder than any decision before.  Preschool seems pretty easy...I mean it is preschool.  But there are so many choices and different paths and then I have to take my beliefs and views and make sure I am following them.

Homeschooling, Waldorf, and Cooperative preschools were all our choices that floated around our house and my mind for the past two years. Homeschooling was really the one I was leaning hard on and one that is still an option in our near future!  I also fell in love with a great Waldorf school in my area but it was full way before I started looking at it.  So, as my children's education journey unfolds I still have a lot of decisions to make but right now I love our choice and the little community that I am now apart of.  

We chose a little cooperative preschool that is within walking distance of our home and one that we fell in love with.  I was able to meet and spend a lot of time with the teacher and the parents way before Ayden's first day.  This journey he is about to embark on is so exciting for us and we will be right by his side the whole time!    We love all the aspects of what a cooperative preschool brings to us and the other families involved....from the decision making to community forming!  It warms my heart and relaxes my mind that I get to be involved in this journey with my first baby boy!

Oh and did I mention that it is the same co-op preschool that I went to as a kid!!!!!

Peacefully,
Alyson

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about."  -Angela Schwindt