Glorious Hues

I am savoring every day that I can look up these most beautiful, richly colored mountains. They are deepest golden shades, with glimmers of deep green, and tipped in a red velvet. Such a sight! I know that soon the leaves will drop and a new season will be upon us. But these warm days of golden light are incredible! Especially when a sliver of white moon hangs in the clear blue sky.

~more passenger seat landscape~

Today on our drive we came across this forest creature, foraging in his last hungry days before a winter's rest.

Here is the little felt project that I recently made, now sewn to jasper's overalls. Cute, eh? I think I will make more little felt patches... I think they'd look nice on a plain sweater or tee shirt too.

We had a most relaxing family day, soaking in natural mineral hot springs and just being together. We had considered a final beach trip this 4-day holiday weekend, but ultimately decided that staying close would be more restful. Tomorrow, banana pancakes for breakfast and making things with the girls. We have started on some sewn recycled wool ornaments & sachets. They are quick and fun to create.And a nice nature walk, I need jolly little pinecones for a project idea.



A few more inspirations to share...

~ A fabulous new book, Zakka Sewing which tempts me to brush up on my sewing skills so that I can make these beautiful things!





~ portait of a marionette couple, another favorite thrift shop find!

~Sending extra love and light to my dear Grandma who is now staying with my parents in Oregon~ Many blessings! They are so lucky to have your sweet company! xoxo

Yes I Can...be creative!

I am dedicating my post to the great inspiration I feel today!What a great moment in history it is. I am looking around our house, taking note of the beautiful things my children make.


~Mia's artwork~

~Vivienne's artwork~
And getting motivated to get my own creative juices flowing. It helps me to see that I have completed some projects in the past...



~scarves that I have knit~





~my first clothing item beyond booties and scarves, Jasper's vest~



~and the sweater for Vivienne that I am almost finished with~
~Here's the needle felted figure I worked on at the local Church of Craft gathering
And some experimenting I am doing with needle felting onto felt scraps, wouldn't they make cute little pockets?

Are you feeling inspired too?

Celebrating Fall

The mountains are a glorious display of color, the evenings are crisp and the days have been warm with autumn sunshine. What better reason to celebrate with friends? We headed out to our beloved Dancing Springs Farm, where Vivienne attended school last year. We reconnected with friends and enjoyed the day. It was the sort of celebration that brings my heart into deeper awareness and gratitude. A day to feel grateful to just be here.

A glimpse...

Of something unexpected !

It snowed! Yesterday, I went to feed Ginger bunny and was taken by surprise when I looked out the window. Huge, delicious snowflakes were falling from the sky! Now snow in October is unusual here, and fleeting. But after returning home from taking the girls to school, Jasper and I got to play in the falling snow.

It felt like a real treat to experience the shift in season. It reminded me to take joy in the unexpected moments that nature offers.

And it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate with friends over a lasagna dinner and jack-o-lantern carving.

Our family tradition is to bake apples on the first snow fall, but I will save this for the real snow that will be here before we know it! Time to get our woolens out.

Lucky Jasper got a new winter hat, perfectly cozy and covers his ears from the cold winter winds. He got to try it out at the Arboretum today with Vivienne's class. We had a wonderful morning walk, learning about the amazing arthopods. The kids got to see dragonfly larvae in the pond and hunt for bugs under rocks and logs. They had a blast, even in the chilly weather. Our guide, Jonathan, who is the educational director, is amazing. I highly recommend their programs.

With thanks to the gifts of mother nature...

Blessings of Autumn Days

What could this little brown thing be?...

Why, a lovely acorn sister, of course!

Here is a preview of good things to come! Could it really be so near to Halloween ? Mia and Vivienne created the acorn sisters concept, and have been sketching it for weeks. We took a wool sweater and felted it in the washing machine and then sewed it into the acorn caps, and the waist belt is fashioned of fallen oak leaves. Their costumes remind me of one of our favorite books, Woody, Hazel and Little Pip by Elsa Beskow. Jasper's costume is still in the works. His will be made from a recycled sweater, with cute floppy ears! (You will have to wait to see what he will be!)

We had such a full weekend, so much fun going on that I have to recap some highlights. If only I carried my camera along! Vivienne and I had special mother-daughter time yesterday, and spent it at the SE Animal Fiber Faire. It was awesome to see and feel all the luscious wool rovings and yarns, in every color if the rainbow! My mind was filled to the brim with project ideas and inspirations, more than I could ever imagine doing. And we visited with the fuzzy angora rabbits and shy alpacas. Gosh, I love the alpacas. I wonder how my neighbors would feel about a small urban herd? We had a special lunch at my favorite indian restaurant and then browsed at the wonderful Downtown Books and News. Vivi scored a German edition of Where's Waldo and I found a copy of my book club's pick for the month which happens to be written by one of my favorite authors! And to top off the afternoon, the girls and I went to a free student performance of The 5 Browns - it was so very inspiring to watch these young classical musicians with such a passion for their music.

Today was my time with Mia, and we gathered with my handwork group for an afternoon of knitting. It was a nice way to wind down the weekend, and get going on the sweater I have been meaning to finish for Vivienne. I am almost there! We squeezed in a cup of tea and book browsing, as well. I can't say no to a visit at to the bookshop.

Here are some images from the week. We trekked down to the Farmer's Market after school on Wednesday, about a mile and a half. The kids love to stop and enjoy the various leaf piles along the way.

Jasper working in the garden

Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite reads at the moment:

Quiet the Mind

Our bodies produce

the bodies of our children.

Our noisy minds produce

the fears of our children.

But the Tao produces

the spirit of our children.

Still the body.

Quiet the mind.

Discover the spirit.

The Parents' Tao Te Ching by William Martin

Our first toasty fire of the season

yours in Autumn warmth and light...