{this moment}

a wonderful wordless ritual inspired by soulemama:

one photo savoring a lovely moment to remember

enjoy!

Recycled bears looking for good homes...

If you can provide a good, loving home for a sweet, striped bear made from recycled materials, please visit Millie and Hazel!

While I tried to think of all kinds of great things to say about these bears, the photos really say it all, with their little handmade expressions and personalities. There are many more, so check it out!

Sweet things for boys from We choose joy

This little guy is so cute in his orange beanie! I fell in love with the name of this etsy shop, We Choose Joy. and love that they use recycled yarn for their hats.

And how about this formal attire? I love the sofa too, but that's not for sale. Just the shirts and onesies with these little ties. One of my friends asked me to make one when her guy was tiny, and I never did, but now, I don't have to! Stop by and check out the shop!

Picnic anyone? Here's a great blanket from Sewnnatural!

 

What a groovy picnic blanket! It's hip, modern and charming, vintage at the same time. Makes me want to pack up a picnic right away with some snack sacks and bamboo utensils (to-go ware is on sale this week - EARTHDAY20).

Sewnnatural is based in Canada, and they make great things for kids that are recycled and eco-friendly. Perhaps the best way to explain is to show you a few photos. There are many more in their shop, so many that I had a hard time deciding what to share! 

This sweet little dress is made from recycled wool. I love the color combination and the adorable model.

recycled chenille from bubbachenille

 

Just look at these cute beachy pants! They are probably cozy too. I found them on etsy, along with a few other goodies made from recycled chenille bedspreads.

Here's the perfect replacement for the hot water bottle. We use a "hot pillow" quite often to warm up cold fingers after playing outdoors, or warming up the bed when it's cold. Here's our little song:
hot potato, hot potato, hot potato, HOT! Someday I think this will evolve into a game... hmm, maybe it will be tomorrow!

For those crafty mamas who like to make their own, little bits of recycled chenille, all ready for crafting! You can get just want you want when you make it yourself, and nobody else will have one like it. Perhaps that should be my tagline, what do you think?

{this moment}

a wonderful wordless ritual inspired by soulemama:
one photo savoring a lovely moment to remember.

enjoy!

earth day giveaway over at resweater!

check it out, Kris is a recyclist helping others to recycle with supplies (wool sweaters) and ideas! She has helped me out many times with some great woolens! Here's the scoop.

happy earth day!

What an incredible place we live!

I keep reading about "one small change" and while I keep making them, here's one more that I can do without much thought. www.ecosearch.org is a search engine that uses google results, and donates to Sierra Club and National Resource Defense Council.

Here are some of the other changes we have been slowly making over the past five years:

- carrying several envirosax in my purse so I can use them instead of a plastic or paper bag

- using handkerchiefs for allergic runny noses

- using more washcloths and less toilet paper in the bathroom

- eating locally from our csa, farmer's market and neighbors selling eggs, honey and maple syrup

- staying home at least one day a week

- packing lunches with reusable snack sacks, sandwich wraps and bamboo utensils

- storing all kitchen pantry items in glass canning jars rather than plastic

- making granola weekly instead of buying it

- replacing candles with locally handmade beeswax candles (this is a process! we use them a lot!)

- keeping lights off in the house in evenings and lighting candles instead

- choosing products that don't come in an aerosol can

- using arnica and calendula salves instead of neosporin

- harvesting herbs for tea, nettles for antihistamine, mint and raspberry leaf for everyday infusion

- finger wraps instead of band-aids (healinghilary)

- wearing wool and cashmere which require less washing and are natural fibers

- using handmade bar soap by the sink and in the shower

- using cloth napkins daily

- buying in bulk from our local co-op to reduce cost and packaging

- drinking from refillable water bottles

- changing light bulbs to cfl's

- minimal leg shaving to save blades and water

- adding water to the tub for myself after little f's bath

- watching less movies and reading more books

- using cloth diapers and wipes

earth day feature - summer dress from men's shirts

One of my favorite etsy artists and long time sewers has created this sweet little dress from men's shirts.  It's even being featured on an etsy voter for the best earth day item! I love how the shirt has a little
apron- inspired detail.

And, if you are still thinking of cashmere (I always am!!), check this out!

a revamped playgroup...

These are some of the amazing people who live in my community. We have been gathering together for an Intergenerational Community Circle at Grow Benzie, a new center in our area. Seeing people of all ages come together to play ring around the rosie, sing and laugh together warms my heart with so much love. Toys are simple, natural wood block, play silks, wool balls and animals.

There are also community gardens, and starting soon, a farmer's market and sewing studio.  You'll be hearing plenty more about that soon! Here are a few of my favorite images...

{this moment}

Inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at Soulemama:

{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. 

growing pants - making pants to fit a growing boy

What have I been doing lately? Trying to keep my little guy in pants that fit. Without diapers, his pants are falling off his slim hips. And his pants that do fit are floods, so I've been sewing fabric onto the bottoms.

This pair of jeans was way too big in the waist, so I cut it off just below the belt loops. The turtle fabric is a wide strip sewed into a circle, twice as tall as I wanted it to end up and the same size as the waist of jeans, with a little extra for seam allowance. After sewing a loop of elastic that fit his waist, I put it inside the circle of turtle fabric and folded it in half. Using my serger, I finished the edges of the jeans and the turtle waistband. Then I sewed them together!

rooting down in the spring

Inspired by healinghilary, I have been putting bare feet to earth and breathing regularly, becoming aware of both the earth and my breath.

After reading The Spiritual Tasks of the Homemaker, it has become clear to me that the biggest challenge as a mother is to become aware of self. Perhaps this is why it is so challenging. The book offers some exercises for inner work that I'd like to share here. The meditation "Wisdom is only in Truth" is offered as a starting point. It has brought me to many interesting thoughts, asking other questions in turn, "what is truth?" and "what is wisdom?". You can meditate on this anytime, in turn with this exercise in concentration:

Concentrate for five minutes on an uninteresting object while meditating on "Essential or non-essential".

Will you join me on this journey?

{this moment}

{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. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at Soulemama

unty - somewhere between an uncle and an aunt...

spring break in grand rapids

We had a great time on our spring break this year. It involved a family birthday party, a great yoga class, playground time with grandma and grandpa, playing trucks with grandma, and a hike with "unty" to hear the spring peepers! Here are a few photos of our trip to the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids to see the butterfly exhibit.

One of the butterflies landed on little f's head while he was entranced with the cocoons!

Some of the highlights were this tiny gate in the children's garden and sniffing the spring flowers!

and little f hanging out with his cousin...

and grammy... (thanks for taking us on this fun adventure!) We spent the rest of our break enjoying home in the springtime with our kitties!

{this moment}

{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. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.


Thanks Amanda at Soulemama, for the inspiration (and the fabulous summary there at the top)!