is that you, santa claus?

my own holiday gifts in the making

i am blessed to know a ton of talented women who create beautiful, handcrafted things.  and since it's the holidays, i thought it would be the perfect time to share some links to some of the amazingness!


::   i was lucky enough to recently be gifted some products from leigh at desert moon herbal.  i can't even begin to describe to you in words how giddy products like these make me-----safe for mama, safe for baby, safe to spray all over yourself like a freak and then do it again a couple million times before the day is done.  i love the anointing mists and i know you will, too.  have anyone on your list who needs a little calm this season?  i'm sure you could think of someone.

::  erin darcy's art makes me want to eat watercolors.  maybe not eat them, but lick them...WHAT?  that's WEIRD?  well go look at her art and you'll see what i mean.  it's insanely beautiful, in the best of ways.  

::  kat's button bracelets feature the coolest vintage buttons.  and kat is rad.  and her shop is adorable.  oh, and there are earrings and bobbies for stocking stuffing. 

::  maggie's goods are making me a little want-y...i really, really want-y some of these goodies for myself!

::  know anyone that likes to read?  DUH.  of course you do!  and taproot magazine is top notch.  you will love it.  trust me, i have my own subscription, so i am an expert on this. 

::  i love the beauty of celeste's art-----  dreamy.  and strong.  yes. 

::  if i could get a tattoo of this print by my friend jeanette, i would.  so important.  wait...what?  and notecards?  i totally didn't see those until right now. 

::  wendy is one of my favorite magic-makers.  this mighty girl art workshop PDF would be a perfect (amazingly priced, i might add) gift for any tween, teen, or adult who's in the mood to make some magic of their own. 

::  a copy of this book by jena strong for the poem-lover (or life-lover) on your list.

::  my friend deb has some special things listed---just looking through her things brings me a sense of peace. 

::  how cool would it be to give (or receive?!?!) these green kid crafts monthly subscription boxes?

::  writing services from marybeth bonfiglio?  that would be freaking incredible?  wanna know how i know?  because i am lucky enough to circle with her and witness her alchemy all the time!

::  any and all of these doterra oils are on MY wishlist this year

::  all of the pieces in this shop are things that i would like to wear....  this enchanted pixie does it right.

::  a spot in this deeply rooted for the holidays gathering from stephanie perkinson would make a sweet treat.   she's got lots of awesome stuff to offer!

::  gift someone an home apothecary education...and use code HERBS300 for a discount!  laura emily's got some pretty incredible offerings. 

:: how could i NOT mention one of my most favoritest shops around?...  julie's headwraps cover my noggin on a daily basis, and for that, i am very grateful.  AND she has a 10% coupon code up---- GRATITUDE.



gratitude.  pretty much sums it up right about now, wouldn't you say?  xx

hey

hey girl hey

life
it's a whirlwind
we trick or treated
lost power for four days
had our floors put in
repainted the whole bottom floor of the house
our puppy was born
there's been sleepovers
and parties
and family
and appointments
and parent/teacher conferences
and we hosted thanksgiving
and we picked our christmas tree
and we aggravated each other
and loved each other fiercely

life is messy, and quick, and beautiful.

(if i had to post a video to sum it all up, it would be this one)

tampon telescopes

i cannot even begin to EXPLAIN to you how badly i'm kicking myself in the ass for not having a picture to go with the following story.  but it's still a rad story, so here goes...

yesterday, i was at a friend's house for a mama playdate and a kid playdate.  really it's just a chance for all my high school friends to get together and catch up, but the kids love it too, mainly because they get unlimited cupcakes out of the whole deal.

so we arrive and lulu and my friend's son immediately disappear upstairs for a freakishly long time.  there was a monitor on, and we could hear them chatting but we couldn't really make out what they were saying.  and since i was practicing radical hands-off parenting yesterday, i really couldn't give a shit what was going on as long as lulu wasn't biting my friend's son's face off.

fast forward about a half-hour, when my friend's son comes downstairs and says "WE MADE TELESCOPES!!!!!!"  and i take one look at his telescope and say, "no, buddy, you made tampon-scopes!"

my friend and i ventured upstairs to find a whole box of tampons opened and deconstructed...the applicators made into a ton of tiny cardboard telescopes. 

priceless. 

you know you have a good friend when you can laugh and say "i owe you a box" and we just continue on with the party.

oh snap!

lulu and i were walking through the grocery store parking lot this afternoon.  she didn't have a jacket on even though it was pretty freezing today because she had insisted on leaving it in the car...and honestly, she's the third child, so really, i pick my battles and don't give a crap if she wears a coat into the store or not. 

we walked by this old dude in the parking lot smoking a cigar (he was the second guy smoking a cigar we saw in like five minutes---the other guy was smoking INSIDE the grocery store though...what?!?!).  we walk by and he says to lulu "hey, you need to go put on a coat or you're going to freeze!".

and i kid you not, she stopped, looked at him (he didn't have a coat on either) and goes...

"why don't YOU go put a coat on?"

i just kept walking but seriously i almost died.  she wasn't being fresh or disrespectful.  she was just giving it back to him, like duh dude, you go put a coat on and THEN you can talk to me about it.

it was a classic lulu moment.

when we got to the car i looked at her with this look and said "lulu...." 

and she looked at me and goes "FOR REAL mom.  he needs to put a coat on, too!".



classic.

mama fun

lulu has been slightly obsessed with doing her "homework" lately----which just means that she's coloring or creating art most waking hours of the day.  i'm just happy when she's not drawing on my granite countertops with sharpie markers or "practicing" her writing on my plywood floors.  when i'm not cooking or puttering around, i'm usually parked next to her, creating my own works of art that make me giggle.  it's the little things, people.  the little things. 

just a day in the life

wake up early, headache
the kids all pile into bed at 6:15am and snuggle under blankets
grubby feet from the dirty plywood floors
all grumble and follow each other downstairs
breakfast, three different ones for three different kids
watch a show while we wake up, eat
two eggs for mama with nutritional yeast
wash your face!  get that eye crust out before school!
teeth brushed, mama showered, hair combed
head wrap on, dirty jeans back on because we have no laundry
machines this week
get kids outside for the bus
say hello to the man who's putting in our hardwood
pack snacks and lunches for the car and off we go
grain store to buy 10 pounds of flax seed
and we say hello to the baby chicks huddled near the warming lamp
then more errands to pass the time
off to storytime
to watch my child
hide under the seats and not want to participate
and that's just fine with me
five little pumpkins sitting on a fence
snacktime
cartime
hanging outside in leaftime with nice people and babies
lunchtime with my dadtime
snuggling on a couch with four beautiful dogstime
iced coffee date with my lovetime
organic store for a big bag of vegetables
kids off bus
one kid in the car with snack, off to afterschool activity
mama goes food shopping and reads JK rowling's new book in the car
back home
dinner waiting
couchtime snuggling, oreo eating, wine drinking
captain underpants reading
kisses
kisses
kisses
bed

all he wants for christmas, evidently

"i'm not saying that i want anyone in our family to die, because i totally don't want that.  all i'm saying is that i really just want to slap a dead person in the face, over and over.  slap slap slap.  that's all i want for christmas."  -joey

with a little help from my (little) friends

the above picture pretty much sums up my life lately.

getting lots of help from my three little friends, while we are in the midst of a major home renovation project.  john ripped up all the flooring in our whole downstairs (and at the top of the upstairs, too).  which wouldn't have been a big deal except houses built in the 1970's have this crazy thick board stuff that has approximately a trillion nails AND screws in it, and that needed to come up, too.  the kids love to "help", and we've been trying to be patient and let them be involved.  which results in lots of little scenes like the one above----markers "helping" us take the carpet up.

so i've been quiet here, and everywhere.  pulling back and pulling in.  maybe it comes with the change in the season, maybe it comes with the darkness, or maybe it's come because of all the rain.  maybe it's because i've been living with a thick layer of dust all over every surface of my household.  maybe it's because we have plywood floors right now and if i look hard enough i can see into my basement.  life seems a bit unsettled. 

in a few days we will be completely done with the tear up.  then we will cover (again) most of the walls with a new (different) color of paint.  and then in a week or two we'll be getting our floors!  and i can bring my finished island up from the basement.  and start really nesting and cleaning and getting ready for thanksgiving, my favorite holiday.  i may or may not have started my christmas shopping today.  it's all about the nesting right now.  nesting and fall scented candles.

so if you're looking for me, i'm here, under a dusty quilt waiting for the beginning of november to arrive.  xx

apothecary circle

i've told a few of you out there about my newest obsession-----this apothecary circle being offered by laura emily.  i signed up early in august and can't wait until the class begins in december. 

want to know more?  here's some info taken directly from laura emily:: 

This yearlong course has one goal- to uncover the healer within you by building your home apothecary, and to gain the knowledge & confidence to use it.

The Apothecary Circle isn't for the casual organic herbal loving lass, although she might love joining in as well! This yearlong course is designed for the woman who wants to step into the role of being a healer within her home and community. It is designed for the woman who wants to return to earth medicine, holistic living, and abundant health.

Over the past few years women have asked me:
"What do you have that I can use for ear aches?"
"Is there a way to tone down pms-ing?"
"Massive headache. Suggestions?"
and on and on it went. I'm happy and thrilled to give answers, craft up herbal goodies to soothe and heal. That is what I do.

but.
As women, we’re all part of a line of healers. Nurturing our babes, nourishing our love ones, nursing back to health one of our own when they battle the flu or an ear ache. Our family instinctively turns to us for healing- and we instinctively respond. Being a healer is rooted deep within our bones. Somewhere along the way we gave modern medicine a large slice of our role, complete with side effects, damaging and disease ridden health risks, numbing our bodies and robbing our wallets. You know what my favorite part about earth medicine is? The risks are few, the results are abundant, and it is so freaking cheap when we learn the tools ourselves.

Good Earth Living will remain- and I am happy and blessed to craft up healing goods to extend a thin red ribbon from my heart to yours. But now I’m happy to offer a yearlong certification course so you, love, can take up that role of being the healer of your body & home with confidence.

When: December 21st 2012- December 21 2013
Where: Virtual classroom online.
How:
--*Monthly lessons & tutorials on herbs, creating tinctures, salves, lipbalms, capsules, teas, clays, makeup, mist, perfumes, and cooking with herbs.
--*Group community.
--*herbal consultations
--*study of herbs & other holistic approaches.
--*free downloads of over 10 e-books over the course of the year covering topics such as folk recipes, holistic approach to acne and skin problems, managing headaches & migraines naturally, understanding and beating fatigue, general family health, hydration, nutrition, space clearing, crystal therapy, and holistic wellness.
--*six virtual ecourses over the course of the year covering detoxing, cleanses, fasting, space clearing, intentions, and more. Members are required to participate with at least one, but all 6 ecourses/workshops are free and open to members of the Apothecary Circle
--*raw food prep & methods
--*food remedies & nutritional game plans
--*folk remedies
--*space clearing
--*Detoxing to cure & fasting
--*study of essential oils for medicinal properties
--*blueprint for a physical home apothecary
--*Certificate in Home Apothecary.

*NOTE: Emphasis studies (holistic nutrition, space clearing, and detoxing) are now included in ALL signups- despite the date of your registration! If you have signed up prior to this change, you are automatically included in the update!

Members have access to a private website with articles, guest writers & teachers, and tutorials. Each month will focus on one subject, with a short lesson provided bi-monthly. Members can create their own pace to work through the material. Certification requires members to answer three discussion questions, and participation with at least one ecourse workshop provided throughout the year. It is my intention for you to build a home apothecary and to have the knowledge to craft your own earth medicine to heal the space around you (and those within it). To step into the role as a healer, armed with the tools to be such.

SEPT Sign-ups
Those who sign up within September will receive a starter apothecary kit. Five Bulk herbs, 3 earth clay samples, 1 essential oil, 2 oz. of sweet almond oil, 1 oz. organic beeswax, 1 1/2 ounce pre-made tincture, Himalayan Pink Salt, and more. Over $45 worth of materials! All Apothecary Circle members will have free access to all eBooks, eCourses, workshops and lessons throughout 2013.

NOV-DEC Sign-ups
All Apothecary Circle members will have free access to all eBooks, eCourses, workshops and lessons throughout 2013. All Apothecary Circle members who participate with one ecouse/workshop, and participate with at least 3 discussion questions will earn a certificate in home apothecary.

Use your Certificate & emphasis of study as a credential in your own holistic living business, or simply to boost your confidence of your role as a healer within your home and community!

It's time we take health seriously and learn the tools.
Earth medicine is a birthright. We, as women, are healers.
Learn the skills, and live abundantly.

If you have questions, contact me either here in a convo, or remail me at:
apothecarycircle [!at] gmail.com

***************************************************************************************

Note: Since releasing this project, I've gotten a lot of emails with the same question: is the $99 a payment or really the cost of the entire course?

A: The entire course, babe. Only $99.
From my heart to yours.
Reflect on. Join. Share. Live abundantly.




i am seriously excited about starting this new adventure.  if you are interested in signing up (and seriously, it's like the best deal ever...what do you have to lose...?seriously), use the code HERBS300 to get 15% off your total! (and i will earn a 15% commission, too!)  i truly believe that we all have the power to heal at home, and i can't wait to learn more about how i can do that!


 **  HERBS300  **

 

nature is insane

(all above photos taken by gray at parlee farms in tyngsboro, MA)


nature is completely insane.  and awesome.  insanely awesome.

every year at this time, i walk around with eyes wide open, unable to fully grasp how nature can be so freaking...cool.  i feel so blessed to live in new england, soon to be knee-deep in red leaves with the smell of campfires all around me.  the end.

xx

rosemary tincture

so what is a tincture, you ask?  well, simply put, it is a blend of an herb's essential oils in a suspension of alcohol.  rosemary tinctures have lots of benefits, the most important being the ability to not only ward off colds, but to prevent infections.  with cold and flu season right around the corner (and the runny noses are already here in gilbertland), i decided to create a rosemary tincture today and store it away for a sniffly day.  a tincture takes about 6-8 weeks to become amazeballz.  i stored mine is a dark, dry closet in my basement while it does its magic.

here's what i needed:

* 1/2 cup rosemary leaves
*2 cups vodka
*mason jar


here's what i did::

1.  gathered a whole bunch of organic rosemary from my yard.  took it in, washed and dried it.  removed all the leaves from the stems and measured out a rough 1/2 cup. 

2.  poured 2 cups of vodka into a mason jar.

3.  added the rosemary leaves to the vodka.

4. put on the lid and rid away for another day! (about 6-8 weeks)

here's a great site with more information about the benefits of rosemary and the appropriate doseages for rosemary tinctures.

next, i'm going to experiment with making homemade vanilla extract! 

kiss?!?!?!??!

 

 lulu is trying to take a nap as she leisurely flips through "pop star!" magazine (it's like teen bop for you 80's girls).  she says "mom, if your husband had braces on his teeth, would you still marry him?" and i said "yeah".  and then she followed it up in a horrified voice with "AND KISS?!?!?!?!?!"

autumn

"Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. What man can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far horizon?"

Hal Borland

my week ahead, in a nutshell

 working on (correction...watching john slave over) this beautiful vintage kitchen island that i got for my birthday!  he's making it even more fantastic----i can't wait until it's done!

 trying to figure out how to creatively use all the awesome veggies we get every week...

 trying to get back on track and eat meals that look more like this every day...

 navigating meltdowns left and right as everyone adjusts to new schedules...

 still waging my war against fruit flies....this the season, right?  i swear by my apple-cider-vinegar-paper-cone-in-a-grateful-dead-cup method.  i do the catch and release outside technique.  they are my ultimate arch nemeses!

trying to tuck love in where i can.  i'm having a tough time letting go of my babies this year!

where i'm at

well, there's been a LOT of this.  like a real lot. 

and then this happened...

oh my.  this mama is a little heartbroken and a lot-of-bit proud.  xx

veggie eye candy

there's been lots and lots of veggies to get through every week now------and they are the yummy kind that we like!  long gone are the days of garlic scapes and kohlrabi.  and since our whole CSA share is paid if full now, every week we pickup it seems like we are getting "free" food! ;)  the melon is incredible..the kids fight over the cucumbers and tomatoes.  i had a killer eggplant parm, and every week we have scrambled eggs and the most delicious roasted potatoes you can imagine.  the kids gobble up the broccoli with pasta and olive oil at least once a week, too.  the corn....oh, the corn...seriously the best corn i've ever tasted!  we all sing the praises of our CSA now!  (thank goodness because i couldn't handle the joking and eye rolls that i was getting at the beginning of the season any more!)

ten more weeks to go, too!

ryan seacrest, and on being a teen

" because of the teen choice awards, i really want to see the 'twilight' movie----i know all the characters' names...like bella, and ryan seacrest.". -grace

energy shifts

lulu's driveway drawings...the first "people" that she's ever drawn!  we were ridiculously excited about this. 

 

the energy has definitely been shifting around these parts.  even though it's still super hot and humid and very much summery, in my mind i'm planning for the fall.  it's going to be all about transitions in the month of september (actually, the kids start in late august...right around the corner!)----getting the two big kids off to school and back into their routines.  joey will be in full day 1st grade...which is huge because he was only in K for like two hours a day.  there are bus routes to get comfortable with, lunches to make, forms to sign, fears to conquer.  and then it's just lulu and i, left to fill up the hours of the day with our own kind of fun (i suspect there will be lots of kitchen help and tops eaten off markers).  thinking about boosting up my massage business, maybe taking my show on the road and doing more in-home massage.  i am looking forward to the fall, but sad to see summer go.  really, it should go down in the books as one of the best, by far.

lately, i've been painting again.  and it feels good to get back to it.  and i've had to get really creative in the kitchen, too----making some new meals and challenging myself to use all our CSA veggies every week.  in my free time (when i'm not passing out at 7pm), i've been obsessed with the really bad abc family show 'bunheads', the hbo show 'girls', and the bravo show 'gallery girls'.  it's getting harder and harder to find time to watch inappropriate television because grace is like her daddy and could stay up until 1am if i let her.  there are lots of nights that i go to bed before her!  there's no way on earth i would ever let her watch 'girls'----it makes me blush and i have to shut the shades when i watch it.

i get some alone time this weekend.  john is away for a couple of days and the kids are away with their grandparents.  i can't decide what to do.  part of me wants to plan something elaborate for myself, and the other part of me wants to get my beach chair and a good book and sit on my ass and read, uninterrupted, for a couple of hours.  maybe take a swim in the ocean.  maybe take a nap on the beach.  maybe just sit and think about nothing, and everything. 

big love to you, and you, and you.  xx