March.

{Rafe ringing the dinner bell at camp}

{back from a fun and very rainy weekend}

{Snow in March}

{These funny ladies love a good dust bath}

Well, March flew right by, didn't it!
We had a little snow last week. Weather here is so weird.
I took 3 of my kiddos on a little weekend retreat. It was fun, but so rainy.
We are now knee deep in baseball and softball. The garden is just about ready for planting, and the chickens are laying in full force again.
We have a new driver in the house. Ugh, wasn't he just 5 years old? That's all I can say about that.......
We had a beautiful Easter celebration yesterday. The weather was perfect, a sunny 70 degree day. The first really nice day of the Spring for us here in the PNW.

Have a wonderful April 1st.
God Bless.
Tami

the short winter.

{rhubarb coming up}

 

...as opposed to a long one.
Which some parts of our fine country have. A long winter that is.

As February ends and March rolls in, the chances of snow pretty much disappear her in the PNW. We had 5 minutes of snowfall this winter. It melted the moment it hit the ground.
Heck, we really didn't have a winter at all.

No major storms, no cold snaps, no power outages. Strange, but nice I suppose.
I prefer to experience the seasons a little more fully though.

Last Sunday, Eric turned the soil in our raised beds. Is it really that time already?
Early Spring is upon us for sure. I can see my rhubarb bursting out of the ground. My fruit trees and berries are budding. There are flower bulbs emerging everywhere. My chickens are amping up their production. There are days when a nice wooly sweater do nicely instead of my parka.

I really should not complain. I know there are areas that are buried under snowfall for months.
We never have that here.

I am sure that an early Spring means rain. Always the rain.

Have a blessed day, Tami

weekend work.

 

 

Early Saturday, the fun task of ripping out a ton of English ivy that was threatening fences and trees.
I always have 2 very willing participants.......the same every time.
(Gage was so willing, he came out in his jammie pants, God bless him.)
The other two children ?
Tucked away somewhere Minecraft(ing), reading, listening, thinking.

Gage and Anya (and Daddy of course) you did a great job!

Have a blessed day, Tami

simple corners.

I really hate to use the word minimalist, because for most people there is a negative connotation there. For me a minimalist home is airy and relaxed, with room to breathe. Some walls left intentionally empty to give space in a busy home. A few carefully chosen, cherished pieces displayed and honored. Books neatly organized in one central location. A calm and relaxing color palette on walls and textiles. Figuring out exactly what you need to be comfortable, and freeing yourself of the rest, in order to create much needed space.

For a start, I found the perfect white paint color for us. We tried true white and it just didn't work. We settled on a beautiful warm white called Sandstone Cove from Behr. It is lovely, and it reflects light wonderfully on the walls. So far I have finished 2 walls in the living room (first photo) and our master bathroom. Throughout the coming months, I'll make my way through the rest of the living areas. I am especially excited to get this color into the dining room and stairways. There isn't much natural light in these areas. The paint color right now is quite yellow (second photo), and I can't wait to see how much brighter it will be.

I don't intend to have completely bare walls, but I did consolidate our beloved family photos to one wall. They used to be all over the place, now they line the stairway into our bedroom. This feels just right. We have one large piece of art in the living room as a focal, and a historic photo of our house by the front door. Oh...and the giant TV. Nothing I can do about this, but make the space around it as simple as possible. We have a unavoidable coat rack by the front door that I try to keep tidy, it is hard. That giant blob of coats makes me crazy. It's areas like this that make it necessary to create visual open spaces......the unavoidable necessaries of everyday living.  Plenty of space is taken up in my home with just living. Clutter just makes it all too much. So out the clutter goes.

 

There is so much to be done.
I started with the living room for a few reasons. It's the first room you see when you enter our home, and we spend a lot of time there. It just made sense. I have a few more changes to make before I move into the dining room. I need to paint one more wall and the ceiling. I'd like to find some fabric for a throw pillow and replace one of the chairs. I would also love to find a place to store our blankets so they thrown all over the place.

 

I think that the dining room is going to be tough. I have a large bookcase in there, and although it is tidy, there is nothing minimalist about it. Keeping all the books in one area helps though. I will have to just make sure that I keep it organized.
Well, that's it for now. I will post progress as it happens.

Have a blessed day, Tami

around here.

There has been a much appreciated break in the rainfall,
and we have had many beautiful, but very chilly days.
Everything looks so crisp and bright, in contrast to the usual grayness of winter in the Pacific Northwest. I don't mind winter like this. I love walking in this cold dryness, it is shocking and refreshing all at once.
The furnace is humming nearly all day, offset by the warmth of our gas fireplace. I like keeping the lights low on days like this, maybe a few candles burning. So very cozy.
Today, I have some knitting in mind, mingled with loads of laundry and baking. Homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner with steamed carrots.
A perfectly contented day at home.

Have a blessed day, Tami

cabinet.

 

I can't remember if I ever showed this.........It is completely made from reclaimed wood. I picked it up at a little antique shop. I was either going to use it as an apothecary cabinet or a spice cabinet. Because I have not even started my apothecary inventory gathering, well, a spice cabinet it is. It is situated right next to the stove, in a weird little spot that is both too narrow and too shallow for a regular cabinet. The ledge on top is perfect for storing a few jars of salt.

To be honest with you, this is the way I wish my whole kitchen looked. Bright and white. Reclaimed and a little rustic. Old, well loved cabinets, painted with a million coats of paint, matching better the 103 years our home has been here. Maybe one day, I will convince my hubby, that his most important mission in life is to build me custom new/old kitchen cupboards. Right after he makes the new top for my harvest table, and the doors for my china cabinet........Busy man, that one is.

In the meantime, this little corner of my kitchen makes me smile a little more than the rest of it does. Still I am grateful always for a large, clean, and fully functional space.

Now I off to tidy that large, unclean, and functional space.

 

Have a blessed day, Tami

in with the new

The decorations are all put away. We have resumed life post-holiday. It already feels like forever ago.

I am always very introspective during the first days and weeks of the new year. Making plans, making financial decisions, clearing out the clutter that seems to accumulate despite my best efforts. It is a time of looking within too, to see if my outward actions are matching my beliefs within. I think during the "birthday season" and the holidays, I take a break from my normal responses to life in order to just cope with the giant task of juggling it all. There doesn't seem to be any other way. I have read so many books on slow living, simplifying, hundred dollar holidays, handmade holidays, etc. Even with this vast knowledge under my belt, it just never changes.
So every holiday season, I juggle until my arms hurt, and every new year I am ready to get back to what I hold true. What I hold true seems to be all of the things I fail at during the holidays. I feel as though I am fighting a losing battle. I think I give in partly because I feel alone in it. Like I am the one who's doing it wrong. If everyone around me is fully engrossed in the typical holiday frantic consumeristic hoopla, then it must be right. Then why does it feel so bad for me. Clearly, I need a better support system of like-minded folks. If I were to choose one thing we did right, we gave more handmade and bought local this year. Okay, all.done. my token after the holidays rant.

Whew!

On with the new.
Digging in deeper with our nutrition. I have been hearing a lot about what certain chemicals actually do to the human body. It is one thing to know that something is bad for you, but when I can get specifics, that does it for me. I have one child that seems to be particularly sensitive to chemicals in foods. If only for him, we need to get off all processed foods with anything artificial.
I am becoming increasingly unapologetic with my family for the food choices I am making for them. We have some family members battling serious health issues right now because of poor lifelong food choices. My hubby and I are entering middle age, and need to be even more serious with our diet. I am going to hear lots of complaining for awhile. (Nutrition also took a back seat over the holidays.) Just like other changes we've made......they'll get used to it.

Going minimalist. Not modern sterile minimalist, just nice cozy cottage minimalist. I have said before that we live in a 1500 sq. foot home. We have enough space to sleep and bathe, a plenty big kitchen, a dining room/library for homework and crafts, and a decent sized living room. It is enough. It begins to feel cramped when we are invaded by too much stuff. I work really hard to cut down on the things coming in. It is time to take it to the next step, and get rid of more. When I spend a few hours putting everything back in it's place I realize, it's still too much. Way more than a person needs. Too many clothes, shoes, papers, dvds/games, pieces of needless furniture, power cords, small appliances. These are the things that just come to mind. I feel bogged down by these things, the care and storage of them mostly. Too much. It is time for breathing space. (I just found this post I wrote nearly 5 years ago....*clearly* I have not found many answers.)

Being more consistent with reducing our impact on the Earth. Avoiding waste. Reducing packaging. Getting solar. Using less of everything.

Limiting obligations. Slowing down. Taking little getaways together. Summer picnics. Eating well and feeling well. Creating. Learning. Growing. Reading. Knitting. Noticing. 2013.

I am excited for what can be in 2013.
Maybe by next Christmas, I will have more ideas and more answers. I would love that.

Have a blessed day, Tami

Merry & Bright

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to all !
I wish you a truly blessed holiday.
We will be spending the next 3 days with family and friends. Nearly everything is done. A little baking and some last minute details, then I can breathe.
Joy and Peace, Tami

magical

 

 

Have a blessed day, Tami

reality

I allow myself one holiday freak-out every Christmas season.

Consider this IT.

This is usually the culmination of the stress of holiday gift making and buying, and my house feeling about ready to burst at the seams.

Before I begin, let me make it clear. I love giving and receiving gifts, and I love Christmas.
Here it goes.

In preparing for the Christ child, I am also knee-deep in preparing my home to accommodate more stuff. Not by choice, but out of the realization that the way I want to celebrate Christmas does not line up with how most folks indeed celebrate - by giving a lot of stuff. So I go through the perfectly good stuff we already have, and decide what to get rid of to make room for the new stuff we don't need.
Really, I am not the Grinch. I just wish that there was a way to convince more of our family to exchange gifts that don't require consumerism to run rampant. And remember that I am ranting here, I have actually tried SOOOO many different ways of changing their minds. Out of my control.

Did anybody read this blog post by the Nester a few months ago ? Hello, my name is Tami, and I am a stuff manager. Sad.
It hit home and made me really sad. But in this situation and in most situations, I feel like it is out of my control. Too big of a tradition to change, in our family anyway. So, I continue purging my house that is already small by most standards. For a lady, that leans towards minimalism anyway, Christmas nearly puts me over the edge.

Once this freak-out is out of my system, I will carry on. I will watch Christmas movies, and light Advent candles, and bake cookies, and I will even buy my kids things they don't need, and I will remember the reason for the season, for it is certainly not to make me insane.

Have a peaceful day, Tami

this & that

 We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love those 4 day weekends. No Black Friday shopping for us, just lots of down time together. We did sneak in one tiny trip the Home Depot to get paint for our living room. We got the room painted just time to put up our Christmas tree. Everything looks lovely and fresh.

Rafe and Anya taking their First Communion a few weeks ago. They are getting so big .

 

 

Some very excited chickens digging around in the freshly laid leaves. They are going to make some great compost out of this big pile. Chickens are such great recyclers.

I will readily confess that I avoid canning during the summer. Heating up an already hot kitchen is not a favorite summer activity. I froze most of the berries and rhubarb we picked. Last week, I got around to making strawberry-rhubarb jam. It is yummy.

Otherwise, I am super busy making Christmas gifts and getting used to my new working status. It's all going very well. I am just about done with Christmas shopping and prep, aside from the baking we'll do when the kids are on Christmas break. I can't wait.

Have a blessed day, Tami

a new rhythm

{crayon kid art}

There are some little changes happening in my life right now.

I started a part-time job.
I have not worked outside our home for 15 years.
I am a little rusty, to say the least.
And a little iffy.

You know when you think you want to do something, and then you do it, it's not as cool as you thought it would be?
The job is cool. The idea of being out of my homemaker mode 2 days a week, a little scary.
Granted, I 've only worked 2 days.
I know that life will find a new rhythm.

But for now....my house is a wreck, I am out of my cooking groove, and I am feeling melancholy for the days when my kids were littles.
I am no good with change.
I also know that I will adjust. Just like I always do.

All this to say.....writing is going to be a little more challenging.
I will find my rhythm with that, too.

Have a blessed day, Tami

for today and always



Almighty God,

who hast given us this good land for our heritage:

We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves

a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will.

Bless our land with honorable industry,

sound learning, and pure manners.

Save us from violence, discord, and confusion;

from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way.

Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people

the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues.

Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom

in thy Name we entrust the authority of government,

that there may be justice and peace at home, and that,

through obedience to thy law, we may show forth

thy praise among the nations of the earth.

In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness,

and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail;

all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(from the book of common prayer)

Have a blessed day, Tami

October

{Rafe's 9th Birthday}

October, you are almost done. You have been filled with lots of football and soccer, field trips and birthday parties, rain and cold, and the flu.
I am just now catching my breath.
No time for writing, and what little internet time I had, I spent doing family history research. That has uncovered so much really great information. Each branch of my family has uncovered some truly amazing people and stories.
My favorite would be Mark Twain. I find that connection so awesome. It is a closer relation than most that I found. It's really wonderful to have blood relatives that came over as colonists, but it was so long ago that it's hard to feel a connection.
I have solved a few family mysteries and uncovered a few very sad stories.
My research is slowing down for now, I have invested much time, and now need to get back to focusing on the family I have here and now. I has been a wild ride. I am sure that my research won't stop completely. There is a always information to be found.
I do have to say one thing. Genealogy research has kept me distracted enough that I didn't have such a hard adjustment to the kids going back to school. Maybe a planned distraction is what I need each new school year. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
October and November are birthday months for our kids. We are 1 down and 3 to go. I am ready with the gifts, now we just need to figure out a few friend get-togethers to celebrate.
I started wrapping Christmas gifts this past week. It always feels weird doing that in October. If I am not finished and wrapped by the end of November, I teeter on insanity during December. There is so much fun to be had with my kids, that honestly I don't want the added stress of shopping and wrapping. December for me is about music, gift crafting, baking, reading Christmas stories by the fire, snow (sometimes), and just being together. Keeping it simple.
I am 2/3 the way through book six of the Outlander series. That's the other thing that has been distracting me. Each book is about 1000 pages. It takes me a few weeks of reading here and there. Still, that is a lot of reading. More than I usually read for sure. I have book 7 on order, it should be her just in time.
Knitting gets put to the side when I read this much. I haven't the talent to do both. I did finish up a washcloth a few days ago, it will become a Christmas gift with a yummy bar of almond/oatmeal soap in a pretty little box. My raglan cardigan still needs the sleeve finished..........
I am off this morning to have breakfast with my mom and sister. It was my little sis' birthday yesterday. Maybe we'll wander around a bit, too. Coffee for sure.

Have a blessed Monday, Tami

this & that

Okay, so I have tattoos.
4 over the span of 20 years. Eric has them too. We like them.
My newest was his 20th anniversary present to me.
Is that weird?
It doesn't seem weird to us.

I am still knee deep in geneology stuff.
Oh my goodness, is this a lot of work.
I bought 1 month of membership to Ancestry, and I am getting as much out of it as I can. I am extremely frugal, and it was hard to hand over the bucks for that. I also paid $20.00 for a copy of my great-grandmother's death certificate. I feel like it is my last hope in finding out who her parents were. I have exhausted all other (free) resources. I should be getting the certificate in the mail any day.
I have discovered that Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) is blood related. We share a  grandfather. Mark Twain's paternal grandfather (Samuel B. Clemens) is my 5 times great-grandfather.
I have relation to the Ingersoll family that came over on The Mayflower II in 1629.
Cool.
There is so much more too.
I am putting together a hardbound journal of sorts. I hand drew an ancestral fan chart that goes back 10 generations. I am also writing the individual lineages of some of the more historically notable lines.
Lots of work. But important work, for future generations.

The rain has come.
Talk to me in March when it stops. I actually missed it. Come March I will be so ready to dry out.
I picked most of the tomatoes and raspberries, everything else was done for the summer. Overall we had a great growing season.

We are deep in the fatigue of Fall sports. We actually had a night off last night. Nobody had to be anywhere. It was weird. And nice. I went to bed early.

That's about all.
I am staying home today and being cozy.

Have a blessed day, Tami

busy and happy

{homemade Saimin}

Well, the new school year is off to a great start.
The weather has been gorgeous.
I am doing better this school year.
I feel a little less unsettled and more able to be at home. That is a big change over past years, when I avoided being home at all for the first month, at least.
I don't feel as lonely.
I am more at peace.
It only took 3 years to get here.

I spent this morning trying to soothe my lower back. I have no idea what I did to it. Perhaps, cleaning the master bedroom Monday.......I rested a bit in hopes of it feeling better, and it didn't hurt any to catch a little nap. My mornings start very early. I get up at 5:30am and wake Kane shortly after. He leaves for school at 6:25am. A sophomore in high school. How did this happen? Eric gets up at 6am and leaves shortly after that. I wake the 3 youngest kiddos at 7am, and they are out the door by 8am. Whew.

Last week, Eric and I made Saimin. It is the real-food equivalent to Top Ramen. It is totally famous in Hawaii. When we are in Kauai, we eat at Hamura Saimin in Lihue. Go, if you're ever there. It is amazing. Our version was made with Spam, hardboiled eggs, bok choy, and green onion. Spam.......very popular in Hawaii. We will have to make this again. It was a hit.

The garden is still producing lots of tomatoes. Such a blessing.
I took a little break from knitting. I was too into reading. My world would be perfect if I could do both. I am finally ready to finish the second sleeve on my cardigan.

I am reading "The Fiery Cross", the 5th book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Huge books. Huge time commitment. Loving every moment of it.

This week is a busy one.
Church council, bible study, curriculum night, Cub Scouts, sports practices, guitar..........
Soccer and football tonight. Somehow manage homework. Whew again.

Friday should be better. No practices, no homework, just playing outside and dinner together.
Yes.

Have a blessed Thursday, Tami

a quiet room

I spent the entire day on Monday cleaning out master bedroom. Over the summer it had become a dumping ground for donation bags, Christmas gifts in the works, unused baskets, library books, stray Lego creations, and a whole lot of other stuff that I don't want there.
I wiped down walls and mouldings, dusted and polished the wood, touched up the paint, washed all the bedding and made the bed, neatly folded and put away clothes, vacuumed, and took a whole lot of junk out of there. What a relief.
Our bedroom is the only room in the house that needs to be minimalist. I need a space with little or no clutter or distractions. A sanctuary. A cozy haven. It is painted a soft oat color. The carpet is light. The comfy bed is piled with down pillows and quilts with mono-chromatic tones. We have a few utilitarian pieces of furniture, and a very select bit of art. There is no TV. At the moment, there is a upholstered rocking chair by the window, inviting me to sit. Honestly though, I think it needs to go. More often that not it serves as a clothes hanger.

 

The light in this room is beautiful. It also stays nice and warm. This is a plus during the winter months, when a warm bed is a delight at the end of the day. I have dotted a few votive candles around for a soft glow at night. This place needs to be a quiet and cozy respite for he and I. In our small home, claiming this space for us has become a happy necessity.
Our room is back to it's simple, quiet self. It is my favorite room in the house, for it's promise of rest and comfort. These are two things we need a lot of right now during these busy first weeks of the new school year.
Now. I just need to keep it this way.

Have a blessed day, Tami

summer's end

We are holding on just a little longer to summer. We have one week to go until school starts.
The weather has a little edge to it. I can feel the subtle change. We've seen no rain for weeks, I expect it will be upon us shortly.

Football season is on. Little boys and big boys alike.
Do you see that lad wearing a jersey in every.single.photo ? Yeah, it will be that way until the end of October. Our little town is awash in a sea of royal blue. Team spirit for sure.

Eric is back. Thank the Lord. Really.
I missed that man. I can get by without him, but not well. I admit it.
My computer is now happy again, thanks to the man of the house. He is good.

There are all sorts of back to school happenings this week. We are in sports mode already. Soccer and football practices have begun. We are at summer's end.

I am not sure that I am ready.
Everything is ready, but I am not.
A quiet house works for me for about a day. Then it is just too quiet.
I will adjust, just like I do every year. I will busy myself and be distracted until I get used to them being gone all day. I hate that anticipation, knowing that I will feel this way, and knowing that I will just have to deal with it.
Enough of that heavy talk.
I need to enjoy them thoroughly this week. And I will.

Have a blessed day, Tami