As much as I will miss all this freshness and activity from summer, I can feel my readiness for this season. Always a little bittersweet. I welcome the change. I harvested the last of the tomatoes and they are all currently adorning my windowsills. It's become one of my favorite fall decorations (so long as there aren't any fruit flies).
This was on Wednesday, and was supposed to make it into a food post, but alas. My good friend had us for dinner. She made broccoli leaf soup, and we threw in the small amount of meat that came off of our hen that was slaughtered last week. It was a meal worth photographing. So simple, but it had such a history, and was all about less waste and more thoughtfulness. I have to say, killing and eating one of our own birds has got me thinking even more about what I eat (yes, it's possible!). I just feel like it's all pretty sacred and it's so important to be mindful in this area. Not just about how our bodies will use and respond to what we put in them, but also in terms of that exchange of energy I talked about before. Every night at dinner Vera's been saying "Thank you Mama Earth for this delicious soup…" So sweet, and something that I've taken for granted since I was a kid. Mealtime blessings have a place in our house now, if only to remind us that it's all a gift.
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Things have felt complicated around here lately. It's a bit early to divulge any specifics, but I'll just say that we're just moving step by step, trying to stay open to what the universe has in store for us. My mom gave me good advice recently, which was to stay in a place of peacefulness, and not to let anything take me from that place. If I feel pulled, it's too fast. If I feel unsure, take a step back and reflect. The decision to stay peaceful amidst all this change has been surprisingly easy. It appears all I needed was the permission. Thanks Mom! 
I feel like all this time outside has lent me some perspective. I'm taking the cue, and working to simplify things around here. I think I have a lot to declutter- both physically and mentally. The physical part lends way to the mental part, I think. A good example: I find that when I clean Vera's room and take out the toys that don't belong, she immediately gravitates towards that space and starts to play really peacefully. It's really interesting. She doesn't need to have a constantly stimulating environment. She doesn't need tons of toys and activities. She needs a clear space and the opportunity to be creative. I think I'm the same. My life is so rich and busy, I'm thinking that my home space needs to stay really simple and easy to care for so that I can focus and be creative. Jeff and I talked a lot about it and feel really on the same page. We're actively simplifying, and it's good.
This girl is growing up before my eyes. She's so beautiful.
Little stinker. He's been teething like mad, for what feels like forever. Last night he crawled on our heads from 1:30-3:30 until I submitted and he was up with me until 5:45. I'm tired. But it's amazing how a little sleep deprivation gives me a pass for the day. We're keeping it simple, reading books, making muffins, playing outside. I'm a little grateful to him today. Plus I have my coffee.
I love this season. Yesterday we went on a long walk together and enjoyed our day off. Got bagel sandwiches and sat by the river.
V wanted me to take a picture of her with her eyes closed.
🙂
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Love it all.
But especially Vera. Don’t we all want to know what we look like with our eyes closed?
Bless those sweet babes of yours!
What great pics!
And we just pulled in the last of our own harvest yesterday–sweet potatoes! 😀
Re: What great pics!
I would love to grow sweet potatoes! I’ve heard it’s hard in our climate, but I’ve been buying them at farmer’s market so it must be do-able!
Re: What great pics!
We do well with Beauregard’s every year. I think next year I want to try new red potatoes as well. 🙂
I gravitate so much to your entries! I’m feeling like I’m in the same place you are sometimes, so your words resonate really strongly with me. I’ve had a complete overhaul in the past year or so in terms of taking the time to consider what I eat, and I feel so much better about it.
Also, whoa! That spider. I used to be afraid of spiders, but my boyfriend encourages me to be mindful that they are my friends. Now whenever I see a spider I call it my spider-friend. 😛
Yay for running parallels in our lives!
We do the same thing with spiders for the kids. Whenever we see one we say “Oh, hi Harold!” or something like that, and Vera cracks a smile and thanks him for catching other bugs.
Wow, Vera looks so grown up in that first picture of her! All of these pictures are wonderful–I’m loving the autumn color palette, the autumn light… My favorite time of year!
Good luck with your efforts to simplify around the house. That’s an important goal for me too, and I’d love to hear more about how you’re going about it if you’re ever inclined to post about the process. 🙂
I know!! That picture just struck me. Goes fast.
Also, I’d love to post about the process. What are you doing for your own space? Whenever I see pictures of your house/yard it all looks so blissfully peaceful. But I’m sure there’s something behind the scenes… 😉
Well, I’ll be the first to admit that my house probably looks so peaceful because the chaotic moments don’t often get photographed, let alone posted! Right now, my efforts toward simplification are mostly happening in regard to my own mindset, rather than the physical space. I’ve been working on my ability to be satisfied with partial completion–with making steps in the right direction, rather than always feeling like everything needs to be finished and done with. So the space is constantly evolving, and we can experiment with it, and just make a little bit of progress here or there… 🙂
I love this! My work is so similar in that way, I think, so I’m finding a lot of peace in adopting jobs that CAN be completed (like making my bed, or finishing a livejournal post, etc.). I’d love it if you posted about this stuff- I’m sure I have so much to learn from you!
vera’s shirt with cats on it is very cute 🙂 And that soup looks amazing!
I thought you were gone for good! Glad to see you back in this space. I see you’ve got new entries- I can’t wait to catch up!
I got started with the book “The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible”, which I think is a really great one. It’s organized really well- better than most gardening books I’ve seen. I also have to say how great it is that you’d rather start big than small. I think, if you can stay relaxed about it, that is a great way to start. That’s how I did it, and yet on most of the websites I see they say to start small. Probably so that people don’t get overwhelmed. But I see each year as an opportunity to learn- about myself, each vegetable, eating, food storage. There are no failures. There is only learning. And every year that I do this is really fruitful and I see so much success, even though I didn’t really know what I was doing. So anyway, I’m sure you will have the same experience. I think with things like this it’s just good to be brave and willing to make mistakes. Let me know if you have questions along the way and I can try to contribute in any way I can. 🙂