SouleMama

A Year of Popcorn: Harlot Corn

I got a text recently from Stephanie saying, "Dude! Popcorn! Let me help you out...." Alright, those weren't her exact words as she's far more eloquent than that, but that was gist. The gist of a friend - a friend who truly understands the inner workings of both blog writer and blog reader - looking to save another friend from her very self. Ahem. As she guessed, I'm fielding lots of emails on the lateness of said popcorn recipes and I have no excuses, really. The popcorn variations are a plenty, it's just that these months are flying by. So cliche, but so true - this year, these kids, this time right now in my life is whizzing by. It's a little wild, this particular season. 

But back to the popcorn! The very staple by which I - and countless other mothers across the world - am able to make it through the fullest of these wild days. Stephanie called this one cinnamon toast popcorn or some other such thing, but here in my house it shall now and forever be known as Harlot Corn, in honor of the lovely lady who passed it on to me. My kids, who have not met Stephanie, are now quite fond of her...in a way that reminds me of their love and adoration for one particular auntie who always shows up with a dessert never smaller than five layers of whipped cream/chocolate/jello/candy/you get the idea.  That kind of love. It's a treat.

Harlot Corn

The Makings:
A few tablespoons of your preferred oil (I use grapeseed for this one)
1 (generous) cup of popcorn kernels
3 Tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup butter (Steph is a better woman than I and leaves this out. I love butter.)
2-3 Tablespoons of cinnamon 

The Method:
Melt the butter and set aside. Mix the sugar into a bowl with the popcorn kernels.  Heat your oil in the pan, and when it's hot, add the kernels followed promptly by the lid. This one, you'll need to shake. (She told me that, and I didn't believe her, and then I burned my first batch. Yeah, yeah...) Really, truly shake - shake it up, down, back and forth - until the kernels slow down popping. Remove from heat and rather promptly put it in a large bowl. Pour the butter over the popcorn and mix well. Lastly, sprinkle as much cinnamon as desired, mixing thoroughly.

2013 in Popcorn:
January - Cheesy Herb Popcorn
February -  Breakfast Popcorn
March - Maple Popcorn
May - The Brimfield Special 

* Major thanks to the Yarn Harlot for helping me out with this one. She's currently - at this very moment - riding with her team in the Friends For Life Bike Rally in support of Toronto People With AIDS Foundation. From Toronto to Montreal on a bicycle, oh my. I can't quite wrap my brain around that - it is so many equal parts crazy and fabulous at the same time, and inspiring completely. Ride on, Steph!

the boys' room

My (big) boys are back from summer camp! They're back! And, as a result, my laundry hamper is overflowing, the refrigerator is empty, the nightly dance parties have commenced, and a "new" bedroom and accompanying quilt have been revealed. We're so glad they're back. So glad for their adventures, but so glad to have them home.

 While they were away - just as I did last year for Calvin's first time away at summer camp - I gave Ezra's room a bit of a freshening up. Ezra and Harper share this room, and at six years apart in age, it can be a little funky, the sharing of space. They do it well though, these boys, and hopefully some of the changes I made in their room will help them do it even better. The room got a fresh coat of paint on the floors, trim and walls (the walls are Yolo Grain .06). The bed frames got painted (Benjamin Moore Gray Gardens), some new lamps were added. Fresh curtains (Anna Maria Horner's feathered voile, oh I do love that fabric) were made. I did not find the dresser that I was looking for while he was away, but I'll keep searching (I have a rule that when thrifting becomes not fun, it's time to stop looking), and before winter, I'll get a rug in here.

These weren't great big changes - just freshening up, really. And neutralizing the space in the room - that was really my goal. Harper was once an 'addition' to "Ezra's Room"...and despite Ezra's welcoming nature, it always felt, I think, a little bit like Ezra's room, not one they really and truly shared. Now, I think, they do. They have space for their own things (oh, the labeled baskets in that closet make this Mama so happy), but the entire space belongs to them both. Subtle but important shifts in the life of siblings sharing.

And then there is the quilt! Oh, I can't tell you how pleased I am with this quilt, nor how pleased Ezra was when he saw it on his bed. Though, truth be told, he never had any doubt, of course, that it would work. I had a lot of doubt. As the fabric selection began, and I watched the pile stack up beside him, I had to wonder if in fact, he found them in someone else's studio. Do I even have those colors? But yes, yes...these were mine. And with a few additions that he made to the pile from a trip to Alewives, it was/is quite a riot of color unlike anything I've ever combined. But he was sure. And this boy - well, I trust him. He's got a way about him, an eye for color, and most definitely an ability to think outside of the box. (The quilt inspiration and start, and some details on how I made it.) Arriving much later than the original intended springtime birthday date, it's here now, this quilt of his. 

 

Ah...there's nothing like the feeling of having everyone here, tucked into home where they belong.

 

summer weekend

 

I'm lingering this morning in the summer weekend that just was - good friends, beautiful weather, fabulous food and an amazing piece of Earth. Though I can't be moving slowly this morning - there are camp pick ups and drop offs to make, horses to visit, beans in great need of picking and a magazine in need of editing - I have every intention of lingering a little longer in heart and mind, calmly going about my business holding onto that feeling of a perfect summer weekend. 

Wishing you, too, a gentle start to your week!

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Kelbourne Woolens ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Kelbourne Woolens . In Courtney's words:

"Kelbourne Woolens is the distributor of The Fibre Company artisan yarns. All of our yarns are custom spun and hand kettle dyed to create a rich and subtle color variation. We are known for our unique fiber blends of natural fibers; linen, baby alpaca, silks, cotton, soya and more. Our newest yarn is Meadow, a blend of baby llama, merino wool, mulberry silk and linen.

We blog at kelbournewoolens.com/blog and maintain both the Kelbourne Woolens and Fibre Company websites.  You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram (our latest obsession!)."

SouleMama: What inspired you to start your business?

Courtney: Kate and I both had backgrounds in textile design and were working in a yarn shop together and doing a little bit of designing and pattern writing as part of our job at the shop.  We started writing patterns together and discovered that we were a good team. When I had my son in 2008, the opportunity to distribute The Fibre Company yarns presented itself and Kate was the first person I thought of to partner with. I knew we would be able to pull it off, and I think we are both good self-motivators and “do-ers” as we say! We worked so well together, and our creativity and dedication are well matched. I guess the short answer is that we inspire each other!

SouleMama: What advice do you have to a new artist/crafter/maker looking to make a business out of their passion?

Courtney : Hard work, long hours, discipline and the ability to never let anything be “good enough” are the name of the game. If it’s what you really want to do you just have to go for it. Don’t let your life get away from you, leaving you looking back wishing you had taken a chance on your dream. I know that might sound sort of corny, but it’s really true. Stay true to your vision, stay focused and be prepared for a long, hard road. I also think it’s important to decide what you have to offer, and who your audience is. Play to your audience and don’t get distracted trying to be all things to all people. You don’t need to, and the ones who love what you do will follow you to the end.

SouleMama: What role does 'handmade' play in our society?

Courtney  : I think this is a really poignant question given the nature of the book we’ve just published. We feared a lot of push back from the knitting public for publishing a book of baby and kids clothes in yarns that require hand washing. But, at the end of the day we had to just move forward, comfortable knowing that we hand wash our kids’ hand knits so others must do so as well. Kate and I make a lot of clothes for our children, and ourselves, and we’ve never been daunted by the time it takes not just to create them but to care for them. If knitting or making in general is about taking time and care to focus – even mediate – on the doing, then the same time and care should be considered when maintaining and caring for the item. I don’t mind hand-washing the very special items I’ve made for my son. I wouldn’t want to hand wash every item every day – but just as I would wash my own special hand knit sweaters I treat his items with the same love and care they deserve, and I don’t feel put out by it. On the contrary, it gives me great pleasure!

 

For today's giveaway, Kelbourne Woolens is generously offering the following gifts to THREE winners:

~ One lucky winner will receive a copy of our new book, Kelbourne Woolens: Baby Collection along with one skein of Canopy Worsted to knit the Florence Cap and Booties!

~ Two additional winners will receive a copy of the Kelbourne Woolens: Baby Collection!

(Baby Collection has 13 heirloom quality knitting patterns ranging in size to fit ages newborn to 4 years old, and ranging in technical difficulty from easy to knit to advanced beginner. Each pattern began it’s life as an item we knit for our own children, and we’re so happy to finally put pen to paper and make them available to the public.)

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 To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Monday, and announce the winners, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after.  Comments closed! The winners are...

Nipping in just under the wire to say, I'd love to own this book! I have three babies due to make an appearance in my life in the next year, and hope I'll be able to knit something special for each one.
Posted by: Elizabeth

How beautiful! Our second baby is due in October, and I've just started knitting for him. Yikes!
Posted by: Tara

I am starting a stash and hopefully another baby! Woo hoo!
Posted by: Felicia Nutter

Thank  you,   Kelbourne Woolens!

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Natural Kids Store ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Natural Kids Store . In their own words:

"We are a group of artisans from around the world who share a love for handcrafting eco friendly & all-natural toys, clothing, decor and more for kids, and kids at heart."

SouleMama: What inspired you to start your business?

Kristi, Tickey Bu: My kids not only inspired me to start the business, they continue to provide most of the inspiration for my work today. Pretty much every product and design decision, including colorway combinations, has come out of a need that my own kids expressed. An oversized towel to accommodate my super tall daughter, a throw to ensure everyone could snuggle together at night as they slept, a teething lovey for my third child who had such a hard time with his early teeth. I have a story for each product and for every color I've ever used. And I got to ensure that everything is eco-friendly so I can continue to teach my kids the importance of leaving this earth in better shape than when we found it. I opened Tickety Bu for myself, as a creative outlet, but everything I do is for them.

SouleMama: How do you come up with new designs and ideas?

Kelly, MudHollow: I have a lot of amazing customers that request custom work; these projects are always so much fun and frequently push me to develop new designs that I would have never thought of on my own. I love being challenged in this way! I also work off of suggestions of my kids, husband, family and friends - right now there is a request for an alien from a family member's sketch! When I am completely stumped, I frequently turn to old children's books. Just flipping through pages will often bring a bit of inspiration. Once I have an idea, I create a lot of sketches, test out patterns and make a lot of mistakes! I try to look at my "mistakes" to see if they can be turned into something else. For example, I accidentally cut some tiny felt hearts a bit wonky. I couldn't bear to throw them out, and I guess I must have been craving sweets, so I turned them into some little heart shaped cookies for my felt mice. I had a blast making those and decided to make some cupcakes next. I just have a lot of fun thinking "What can I do next?" Whether it is adding to an existing line, or coming up with something completely new, the process of designing and developing the ideas is my favorite part of making toys!

SouleMama: What's your favorite part of your job?

Dustin, Armadillo Dreams: The favorite part of my job is the feedback we receive from our customers. After sales are complete customers generally leave us publicly available feedback in our shop and/or send us an email. It's usually not just short "thanks for the wooden toys" types of messages either. Our customers will usually write a few sentences to a paragraph about the toys they received from us. We really enjoy reading stories about how excited their children were to receive the toys and how they helped their children to have some great imaginative play time. Sometime they will tell us about how their child wanted to take the toys with them everywhere and even asked to take them to bed with them. Hearing stories like these warms our hearts and gives us a really good feeling about what we are doing. It's our fuel to keep going and to continue expanding our business!

SouleMama: How are your children incorporated into your business?

Wendy, BirchLeaf Designs: Our children are actually the ones who planted the seed to start BirchLeaf Designs. In fact, the business is named after them! "Birch" is Milo's middle name and "Leaf" is Kiah's...it was all too fitting! In 2006, we attended one of our favorite festivals in Michigan, Blissfest. Looking at all the artist booths, Kiah thought it would be cool if we did that too, after all, we were already attending! We may as well have a booth as well...and children's toys were to be the product. Soon after we had made some swords, shields, playsilks and other fun toys, Kiah and Milo had come up with their first product, watercolor color cards. They didn't stop there though, they went on to make earrings, hair pretties, pretend dynamite, carved knives, and Milo has produced two music CD's. They sell their wares from the BirchLeaf booth at festivals and our local farmer's market, and they have also opened up shop on Etsy as well! Give them some love at http://www.northernchildren.etsy.com.

SouleMama: As a child, what did you wish to become when you grew up?

Sarah,  Woolies : As a child, and all through my life, I've been in love with horses. When I was 2, we moved to a home where our next door neighbor was a horse stable. That was the beginning. Currently, we have 2 horses, a quarter horse and a mustang rescue, and we just recently adopted a wild/abused pony. So, I knew that my life would include horses. And kids. And writing. But that's another story. :)

SouleMama: What inspires you?

Daria, Art of Felting: Aren't we made in the image and likeness of  the Creator? I have a feeling, that this wonderful world with all it's variety is reflected in my manifold plans and  I'm streaming with  it inspired by everything, like  waters and winds,  seasonal changes of  weather,  a sight of a child, sunrise and sunset and just a sky, blue or gray... Sand and snow, desert and forests, friendship, motherhood and love.. To say it shortly- the life.

Shops participating in this giveaway...

Armadillo Dreams, Art of Felting, BirchLeaf Designs, German Dolls, Handmaiden Canada,

MudHollow, The Enchanted Cupboard, Tickety Bu, Woolies and Ziezo Designs

For today's giveaway,  Natural Kids Store is generously offering the following gift to ONE winner:

~Summer Ocean Giveaway Package, shown above!

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after.  Comments closed! The winner is...

I love it all!
Posted by: Marydop

Thank  you,  Natural Kids Store!

{this moment}

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{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.

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this week in my garden :: July 25

Last week, in my garden. (July 18)

This morning, in my garden.

(If you're keeping garden notes and photographs and want to share it with the rest of us, do leave a comment with a link so that we may take a stroll through your garden too!)

In this, the height of summer in the garden, I feel as though my work has shifted a bit from the garden maintenance (though goodness, there are weeds to deal with and thinning I really should get before it's too late), and more to harvesting and food storage for the coming winter months. All the leafy greens are thriving, herbs galore (it's mint julep time!), cherry tomatoes ready, still a few lingering peas, shallots are drying in the garden shed, and early carrots and early potatoes ready for eating too. Cucumbers and summer squash are moving slowly this year, it seems, but they'll come soon. 

There are - as my grandmother always said - beans coming out our ears! Thus far, that's just been eating and freezing, but canning some of those will happen soon, as well as some fermenting (which I haven't yet done with beans before). My family would like me to tell you - because they get such a kick out of it, that all those lovely poles I had Steve create for the pole beans? Yes, well I planted bush beans at the base of them all. Ahem. There is no climbing happening. (Oops.) In addition to all the other bush beans that I planted that I really did think to be bush beans, well, as I said, beans coming out of our ears. (Hooray!)

Speaking of beans, that - and the garlic and onions - are the one place where we really had enough fall leaves to use as mulch, and like last year, I am realizing that it's my very favorite mulch. Free (though I do pay the kids $1 for a garbage barrel - a packed garbage barrel, no fluffing it up with air!), easy to gather from the lawn or the trails and the woods, easy to store over the winter, and absolutely wonderful at keeping the weds at bay, moisture in the ground (but not too much), and on and on. I might just have to raise the going rate to make sure we have as much as we can gather this year. I think they'd go for that.

And the sunflowers, oh the sunflowers! They are just now beginning to bloom and we are all so enjoying them, and so very glad that we planted so many varieties. They're lining the fence of the garden and it's such a delight to see them each time we walk by - full of honeybees and bumblebees buzzing. Yes.

a chicken dress (and sheep too!)

  

I hope by now it's safe to assume that if you're hanging around these internet parts with me, you love yourself a good healthy does of babies and chickens too (with a dash of handmade thrown in for good measure). Which is good, because there's more of all of the above coming your way today. (Again.) I just can't resist. Nor could I resist this fabric, sitting on my studio table for the past few weeks. It's Locally Grown, from Marisa at Creative Thursday. It was tempting me, but hadn't made it all the way to the machine, as Ezra's quilt was in the way - both literally and figuratively. But now, with that done (I can't wait to show you!), I've been freed up for guilt-free happy sewing of unnecessary, but much-loved quick and little things once again. Ah... like summer dresses for my baby girl when the season is half over and she has an ample closet full already. Yes, those kinds of unnecessary but very important things. Logic doesn't always matter when it comes to sewing things we love for those little people we love. 

The dress pattern is Suzanne by Citronille. Yes, it's in french, which poses a bit of a problem given that I don't read or speak the language, but it's a fairly straightforward construction with thankfully plenty of diagrams (and also, I made it once or twice before). These two dresses came together easily in one full moon late night sewing session. I had time for making more, but thought a whole set of dresses in one line of fabric was a little excessive (but now I doubt myself). 

She was so pleased with her new dresses, though deciding which one to wear was a bit of a process fitting a two year old. There was some back and forth. And back and forth again. Sheep, chickens, sheep, chickens. She ultimately landed, on this particular day, on the sheep dress....for a visit to the chickens. Where my dear sweet baby girl would like for there to be an egg each and every time she looks for one. No matter how much time has lapsed since her last visit (five minutes), and no matter how many eggs we're actually getting a day from these hens (two eggs). A little bit of surprise at the empty nesting box, followed by some firm commands to those chickens to get laying already, and ending with some lower lip action and that sparkle in her eye that let's us all know she's playing a game. One that none of us can resist playing into alongside her - for everyone here loves these babies and chickens (and that dash of handmade too). 

first eggs

They are so very loved, these chickens. "You so preeeetty, you so beeeutiful" she coos to them as they all go running, a little nervous from her eager footsteps. But she's gentle and even a little hesitant with them, and so excited to report to anyone who will listen that there are eggs from those chickens. "Not real eggs AND real eggs!" (We use the wooden eggs - yes from the play kitchen - to teach the birds where to lay.) The australorps and the silver laced wyandottes have started laying! Laying eggs may be a normal everyday occurance, but those tiny first eggs really are something special to be celebrated. So proud to have found it on her own, she walks slowly and steadily out of the coop and all the way to the house, carrying it with two hands and stopping along the way to tell the story to any sibling she might pass , until she finally arrives, with a heavy sigh, at the kitchen counter and can set the egg down. It'll be her very own breakfast this morning, that petite sweet little thing. The first egg.

visiting home

As we instinctively shy away from the long lines and crowded spots full of summer visitors to Maine, we sometimes - rather unintentionally - miss out on visiting some of our favorite places. And before we know it, it's been so long since we've done this, done that, or been here or there, that it's all entirely new to the littlest one, and an absolute treat to the others. The rest of us, really...simple and special little treats. Like being a tourist in our own little corner of the world. I want to do that more often.

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Moon Root Soaps ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Moon Root Soaps. In Christelle's words:

"Moon Root makes handmade organic soaps and body butters, and 100% soy wax candles. All products are scented with pure essential oils. Our home made and sustainable approach to making our products promote a healthy planet and take care of your body, mind, and soul."

SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?

 Christelle: I grew up at Arts and Crafts shows in New York, since my mom has a pressed flower business. I helped her press her flowers, frame, and sell her art at shows. I loved everything about the shows- meeting vendors, talking to customers, getting inspired by others' creativity. After I finished college, I knew I would start my own business-but I didn't know what I would sell! I started out selling knitted items...but the knitting gave me carpal tunnel in my wrists so I had to stop. I honestly don't know how I got into soap making. I bought a book, taught myself, and began making soap for friends and family. 5 years later, I'm still doing it!

SouleMama: What does a typical day at work look like for you?

Christelle : I am a first grade teacher- so during the school year I'm at work all day and make soap at night. I now have the summer off, and I just moved out to a farm! It's owned by another couple, and my boyfriend and I help them out. There are 150 goats, 30 cows, and lots of chickens. So now, my typical day goes something like this: rise with the sun and let out chickens and goats. water the garden, let bucklings out in separate paddock, muck the goat barn, BREAKFAST! After breakfast tasks vary- clean troughs, work in garden, make soap, etc. At 3:30 we make a new electric fence lane for the cows and move them into it-they get fresh grass every 24 hours. After cows we collect eggs, run the goats to a different paddock, and bandage up the goat who's recovering from a broken leg. This puts us at around dinner time- then we make dinner, eat it, and put all the animals to bed! We are usually done with all of that around 10pm.

 SouleMama: Tell us what you envision and dream for the future of your business.

Christelle: I would love to quit teaching and just run the farm. My business has been "Moon Root Soaps" for 5 years, and I am finally shifting to "Moon Root Farm."  I sold my vegetables at the local farmer's market for the first time EVER last week- I was so nervous! My dream is to offer a CSA that also includes eggs, chicken (we have 100 meat chickens now, for the first time!), baked goods, homemade beer, and some of my crafty items.

SouleMama: What's the product or offering that you are most excited about in your shop right now? Tell us about it.

Christelle: My newest item is my liquid soap. I LOVE this stuff!! They come in foaming pump bottles, and they smell SO GOOD. I use them for everything- in the shower, as dish detergent, and as laundry detergent. I'm also really excited for a product that will be in my shop within the next two weeks: goats milk soap! We had a goat who lost their doeling. She was really uncomfortable since she didn't have her baby to drink her milk anymore. So my boyfriend and I milked her. I then used to milk to make Lavender Goats Milk Soap. Yum! I can't wait to put it in the shop- keep an eye out for it!

For today's giveaway, Moon Root Soaps is generously offering the following gift to ONE winner:

~ One liquid soap and one bar soap- flavors of your choosing from the Etsy shop!

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In addition, Moon Root Soaps would like to offer SouleMama readers 10% in the Etsy shop through August 1st. To receive the offer, please enter " SOULEMAMA " at checkout.

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Monday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winner is...

Oh, yummy! Thank you!
Posted by: Eva

Thank  you, Moon Root Soaps!

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Imagine Childhood ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Imagine Childhood. In Sarah's words:

"... a little nature... a little imagination... a lot of play. Toys, tools and activities for growing minds. Imagine Childhood is a family owned and operated company offering high quality environmentally conscious toys and activities that encourage exploration, creativity, and open-ended unstructured play.

Visit our blog and explore the summer catalog."

SouleMama: What role does 'handmade' play in our society?

Sarah: I think handmade items play an extremely important role in society, especially these days when much of what we interact with is industrially manufactured. Handmade items share pieces of history and family stories. They teach us the value of imperfection. They make lasting memories. But primarily, they illuminate the importance of process. Handmade goods (and the making of them) help us understand what it takes to transform disparate elements into a unified and beautiful whole. They teach us that anything is possible as long as you’re willing to put in the time and get your hands a little dirty. They are catalysts for the makers and inventors of our future.

SouleMama: What's your favorite thing you've ever made?

Sarah: When I was eleven years old I walked into the wood shop at my elementary school and was handed a block of wood and told that it would allow me to build anything I could think up. Now,  since I was prone to both logic and fantasy, my mind quickly oscillated between the factual truth that there was simply not enough material there to make everything I could think up,  and the fantastic potential that the piece of wood just might be magical. I discovered that both were true. That piece of wood would become a mallet which I would use to make everything else for the rest of the year. Channeling a little Mr. Miyagi, my teacher insisted that I shape and sand the piece until the handle was as smooth as glass. Each time I thought it was ready, I would take it over to him and he would inspect it under a work light, promptly sending me back to sand a bit more. The day he said I was done, I couldn’t have been more proud.  I still have that mallet today and have continued to use it to build whatever I happen to dream up.

 SouleMama: What's the one thing you can't live without? 

Sarah: Sunshine... I think I’m a bit like a plant that way. Being from Colorado, I grew up on a healthy dose of 300+ days of sun a year and any time I’ve lived in a place with less, I miss it all the way down to my bones. It could be twenty below zero outside and you’ll never hear me complain as long as the sun is shining. Sunshine and fresh air can cure almost any ailment in my opinion.

SouleMama: Do you have a favorite inspirational quote?

Sarah: Today it’s: “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.” ~ Noam Chomsky

For today's giveaway, Imagine Childhood  is generously offering the following gift to TWO winners:

~ $100 gift certificate to the Imagine Childhood shop!

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In addition, Imagine Childhood would like to offer SouleMama readers 10% of all orders placed between now and July 24th, as well as free shipping for all orders over $100. To receive the offer, please enter " soulemama " at checkout.  Discount expires 7/24/13.

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Sunday, and announce the winners, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after.   Comments closed!  The winners are:

My son's birthday is just around the corner. And there are sooooo many wonderful things for boys!
Posted by: lynn

So many great things at this store. Thank you for the chance...
Posted by: Tara

Thank  you , Imagine Childhood!

{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.

. . . . . . . . . .

this week in my garden :: July 18

Last week, in the garden. (July 11)

This morning, in my garden.

(If you're keeping garden notes and photographs and want to share it with the rest of us, do leave a comment with a link so that we may visit your garden too!)

There is so much goodness coming out of the garden these days! We are enjoying all the kale and chard we could possibly eat, the beets are truly big enough now for eating without hesitancy, the early potatoes are so tender, peas still going, lots and lots of brocolli, all those berries, and the very first tiny tomato just this morning. I feel spoiled in my dinner choices and possibilities this time of year - the abundance of our meat in the freezer and the produce coming out of the garden is such a rich feeling I am so grateful for. I'm trying to hold onto this feeling, knowing how old and tired root vegetables and soups become in the dark winter days. I'm savoring as best I can the abundance and ease of food that comes only this time of year. Dinner doesn't require a whole lot of planning or time in the summer - more often than not this week, a quick and easy fritatta is finding itself on the dinner table - with a handful of this and that from the day's garden basket.

I battled an impressive amount of thistle (though I was calling it stinging nettle until my daughter corrected me) that was taking over the garlic. I think I caught it all just in time to save said garlic - the softneck even looks ready for harvesting soon. And oh, I have my eye on those cabbages folding over so gracefully too. Soon! The squash plants, even, have recovered a bit from all the pest damage and appear to be thriving in all the sunshine. (Soon I know I shall be overwhelmed by zucchini.)

With my time and focus so directed inside this week, and the humidity making gardening in the height of day not very comfortable, the garden has been getting a little less attention this week. Resting on its own in the sunshine, if you will, with just the right amount of rainfall at night to keep us from watering it. Next week, I'll  make more time for more mulching and weeding and harvesting too. But this week, it seemed to do just fine mostly on its own, this garden of mine. I am grateful.

garden fairies

(The rest of the room and quilt updates will have to wait until the recipients see it first themselves! Soon, soon...all is coming along well. Thank you for all of your quilting and viewing suggestions!)

In the meantime, while I get back to work finishing all of that, I thought you might like to see what I saw in the garden this week. While we were mulching potatoes, these two tucked themselves under a tree for shade and a sister adventure. It makes a mama heart swell, sights like these. My garden fairies, sisters, animal-lovers, sweet peas....

signs of progress

Who was I fooling, thinking I could go in there and just paint the floors? Myself only, apparently. (Steve says he knew I'd do it all. Of course he did.) Because once I really got in there and on my hands and knees after just one coat of floor paint - the walls were crying out to me. The walls in the room that are shared by a ten and four year old boy, not my tidiest two children, and actually the very two who are most inclined to just grab a hammer and nail and make things happen on their own. So the walls got a fresh coat. And just as soon as that was done, it was clear that the trim needed it too, and so a fresh coat of trim was put all around the room. And then another floor coat, oh my. I won't let myself look up at the ceiling - I just can't. Because that's all out of order and not possible. And it's so humid, and I am ready to be done painting. I'm sure it's fine. (Right? It's fine.) I'm a little behind my self-imposed painting schedule, and there are a few more colors of paint in my hair than I ever intended to be this week, but all is well. It'll all be better for the efforts, and there's still time to get this mess of a room put back together. 

The quilt is coming along swimmingly (swimming. that's what I should be doing!), with the quilting done, binding made and ready for attaching. The hardest part from here on out is going to be finding a show of some sort to watch on the laptop while I handsew the binding, because that's the only way I know how to pass the hours needed to get that kind of a tedious job done. But I'm quite certain I've seen every single BBC and PBS series created - at least two times - and well, I really don't stray very far from that in my watching. It has to be pretty, and not too fast-moving and definitely not scary (yes, yes, I'm talking about my movie needs, not my four year olds, though perhaps that should apply for all).

So. Problems to solve. Messes to clean up. Rooms to put back together.

In the meantime, throughout the rest of the house, I'm rather enjoying the domino effect of a room rearrange. You know what I'm talking about? When this dresser taken out of that room makes more sense over here in this other room, and then that makes for a new coffee table, and while we're at it, a table in the living room might be nice, and I was thinking a bigger table in the library is in order before fall starts, anyway.....and then, suddenly, with ease and an extra set of hands, there are "new" corners everywhere. I know you already know this, but it really is one of my favorite things to do. In the end, we have a space or a corner that works a little bit better for us, that opens up new possibility for play, rest, work or connection. And that, well, that I love.

Some newly rearranged little corners to distract us all from the mess. More to come, naturally...

freshening up

It's hard for me to believe, but it's true - we're coming up on three years since the mad, excited flurry of painting every inch of this house, putting up walls, taking down walls, and all that good stuff that happened before we moved in. And three years, I'm finding, seems to be just about the life span of those white painted floors, at least in the high traffic areas or rooms with the most amount of activity. I've slowly been repainting them, with the last room being the most beat-up - Ezra and Harper's room (what are they doing in there? is a frequent question asked from the room below). So, that's my project right now....and while I'm in there, with the contents of their entire room piled up in the hallway, I thought it might be just the right time for a little bedroom redo for those two. It seems to be a tradition that's forming anyway, as last year we did the same for Calvin while he was away at summer camp for the first time. This year? Ezra will return home to a freshened up room as a surprise. I've been sneakily priming (as Mamas do) he and Harper for a few weeks now for ideas about colors and things he'd change about his room, and what he wouldn't ever change (oh, that bandaid wall color stays!). Lots of little things are happening - floors and beds being painted, some new curtains, a thrifted this or that here and there, and most definitely, without a doubt, a new quilt on his bed (I've just the binding to go!). 

This week, my focus will be shifted away from the garden and pastures for a bit and instead inside the house, in this little room. There is much I hope to do to make it the coziest, most fun spot my two boys could have. I best get to it.

Wishing you a lovely start to your week, friends! 

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Open Ended Creations, LLC ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor,  Open Ended Creations, LLC. In Michaela's words:

"Welcome to Open Ended Creations, LLC. Where the imagination and mind of the child is a playground to be enjoyed. Our feature product - the “Curvy Board”- is a Waldorf Inspired Creation. We would like to share a vision of hope and learning. May this simple tool be the key to unlocking the Treasures of Imagination and Creativity in your Child’s Soul and Play.

Watch our video of the the Curvy Board in motion."

SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?

 Michaela: Open Ended Creations, LLC originated in 2009. It is at the very heart, dedication, and vision of both Michaela & Cole Heller. The name of our business is the foundation from which we stand. The use of our products and creations are in the Possibilities, Discovery and Dreams of the beholder. The child.

With five children in our family; we had our eyes re-opened when we were introduced and welcomed into the Waldorf community. Within this new discovery came a deeper understanding of the possibility and the inspiration to recreate our lives and provide a stronger, more balanced, and enriched environment for our children to play, create, and enjoy life’s simple treasures.

“More is less,” is a valuable saying. We are committed to creating and developing open-ended toys that enrich the lives of all children. We have been part of the Waldorf Community for over the past 7 years. During the time when our son was in Playgroup the teacher at the time was Mrs. Uschi. She had approached both of us and asked for our help in making a few rocker boards for her classroom. At the time there was no one that you could find that was making a wooden Rocker Board, a need was thus pointed out to us. With the love of creating and woodworking within us; a small seed was planted and thus began to sprout. Over time our initial board has evolved into what you now see today.

SouleMama: What's the product or offering that you are most excited about in your shop right now? Tell us about it.

 Michaela: Curvy Boards! It’s a teeter-totter, balance beam, slide, boat, bridge, and… anything else your child can dream up. The unlimited range of possibilities is what makes Open Ended Toys the ideal learning tools/toys for the 21^st century learning skills.

Each board is handmade and crafted from 9 layers of poplar plywood, sanded smooth, and finished with varnish. Making it durable and long lasting. Each board offers its unique design from nature; no two are alike. Choose from 3 finishes, Natural, Golden Oak and Walnut. The Curvy Board is handcrafted in the U.S.A.

SouleMama: How does the balance of family and work play out for you? If applicable, how has motherhood affected the work you do?

Michaela: Motherhood completely changed my course of life and our Families. Before having a child I had a lot of plans and dreams and aspirations. I wasn’t always very clear on how everything would work out exactly, just always jumped both feet in. All those plans gradually changed right beneath my feet, one day at a time with the birth of our first son, I instantly became a stay at home Mom. With the birth of our second son and the idea of wanting to introduce school to our first son; we began a mommy and me playgroup class with our son at the local Waldorf School. Our children open-end our hearts an eyes to a new form of education and brought Waldorf education to the for-front of our minds.

We have two older children who both went through traditional school and it gave us a good basis of what needed to be different when looking for a school for our younger children. Once we found Waldorf it was love at first sight. Within a few years I myself enrolled into the Foundation’s Program at our local Waldorf School, and am currently working towards my goal of becoming a Waldorf Teacher. I am currently working as an assistant teacher in the early childhood department. Teaching was always a thought I had within my heart and is slowing becoming a part of me.

For today's giveaway,  Open Ended Creations is generously offering the following gift to ONE winner:

~ One Curvy Board (with shipping) for US Readers!
or 

$100 gift certificate to the etsy shop for International Readers!

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In addition,  Open Ended Creations would like to offer SouleMama readers 15% off through July 31st. To receive the offer, please enter " Soulemama " at checkout.

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Monday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after.  Comments closed! The winner is:

Looks like great fun!
Posted by: Ev

Thank  you, Open Ended Creations!

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Bee's Wrap ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Bee's Wrap. In Sarah's words:

"Bee's Wrap is a reusable beeswax and cloth alternative to plastic wrap.  Use the warmth of your hands to mold the Bee's Wrap to create a seal around the top of a bowl, half of a lemon, a crusty loaf of bread, wrap cheese or a sandwich, when cool the wrap stiffens holding its shape and seal.  Rinse with cool water and use again and again.  

Visit our Facebook page to see what is happening at Bee's Wrap this week."

SouleMama: As a child, what did you wish to become when you grew up?

Sarah: I always wanted to have a home with a family, a big garden, fruit trees and berry bushes, very simple. As I grew older I could see myself running some sort of business, my ideas took different shapes depending on what was going on in my life. Sometimes it was a restaurant (my husband is a trained chef), sometimes a little shop or an artist's studio, selling my creations. I found myself very busy with my family and mini farm and my ideas were kept on hold. Now, that my business is solidifying and growing, it is pretty exciting seeing what it is I was meant to do and figuring out how to make it all work.

SouleMama: Tell us what you envision and dream for the future of your business.

Sarah: I would love to see Bee's Wrap become commonplace in the kitchen as a plastic wrap alternative for food storage. We have gotten so used to using plastic for wrapping cheese, bread and vegetables, yet there are alternatives. Bee's Wrap is a simple solution to taking small steps towards a cleaner, healthier environment for our families and has the potential to become "normal".

 SouleMama: Is there a special place that inspires you? 

Sarah: Day to day stuff can keep me from looking at the bigger picture and from dreaming about the future and what I want Bee's Wrap to become. Every once in a while when my littlest is napping and the big kids are busy with their own activities I pull my chair up to the edge of the garden where I can see the mountains, yet feel like I am barely seen and can look out over the garden. Right now in my little spot there are ripe black raspberries for picking and mallow and black eyed susans blooming in a wild tangle. It is a lovely spot to sit with a notebook and let the creativity flow.

For today's giveaway, Bee's Wrap is generously offering the following gift to ONE winner:

~ One set of 3 sizes of Bee's Wraps (small, 8" x 9", medium 10" x 11", large 13" x 14")!

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In addition, Bee's Wrap would like to offer SouleMama readers 15% off all Bee's Wraps through July 31st. To receive the offer, please enter " soulesummer  " at checkout on their website.

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after.  Comments closed! The winner is...

Such a clever idea, I would love to try these. Thank you for the chance!
Posted by: boatbaby

Thank  you, Bee's Wrap!

{this moment}

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{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.

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this week in my garden :: July 11

Last time, in the garden. (June 27)

This morning, in the garden.

(If you're keeping garden notes and photographs and want to share it with the rest of us, do leave a comment with a link so that we may visit your garden too!)

It's been two weeks since the last garden check in, and I feel like a sad broken record with the same reports of So Much Rain! So Many Bugs! But alas, that's what happening out there. SO much rain, I do wish we could blow some westerly where it's truly needed, for it's really no longer 'needed' here. Some sun is greatly needed. (I think it's coming soon.)

And the bugs. Well, I do think we managed to save the potatoes from the leafhoppers which was my worry last time we checked in. (Fingers and toes all crossed.) And I'm being so vigilant about the squash bugs, which seem to be in larger numbers this year than I've ever seen before. It's a mix of hand picking the eggs and bugs each morning, as well as sprinkling a little bit of diatomaceous earth around the base of the plants, and adding some kaolin clay to the leaves. I don't love using anything, and would prefer to just companion plant, and better the soil (the bugs aren't interested in perfectly healthy plants, right?), but there reaches a point where you just don't mess with my squash without a little push back and I feel comfortable in the relative safety of these few chosen things - for us, our bees, and the plants.

I found some garden notes from last year that reminded me to not put straw mulch around those squash plants, for it gives the squash bugs a place to hide. Well, the secret to keeping garden notes is that one must then read them too. Oops. Next year... and next year, I'll be planting so much more nasturtium amongst the squash, for I'm convinced that the squash plants that did get a border of them are faring much better against those buggers.

I've put in some second - and third - plantings this week of things like lettuce, spinach, and radishes (the pickled radishes were so tasty, I want more!). Our peas reached the very happy point last week when the trellises were thick, and just the perfect hiding spaces for little ones who want to plunk themselves down and eat sugar snap peas. So good. The peas have a little bit more life left, but those will soon be leaving us. Broccoli and cauliflower are coming out of the garden every day, and entering our mouths and the freezer by the quart full. In addition those treats, and all the lettuce, we are eating (and freezing) a great deal of kale and swiss chard, which is growing in such an abundance that I'm filling up grocery bags full for anyone who wanders by. And beets! Oh my goodness, I snuck some little beets this week because we just couldn't wait any longer. They were the most tender and delicious little things, and I'm so glad I planted as much as I did. Soon I'll be able to dive into them without hesitancy.

And soon we will be full of berries for really the first time since we've been here. Just outside of this fenced area, we put in rows of raspberries, blackberries and twenty blueberry plants. And nearby, the newly added winterberry and elderberry are looking hopeful for years to come.  We are coming up upon our third anniversary of being in this house - what a delight to see those first plantings now looking so good, and my goodness, producing fruit! A  summer delight, indeed. 

SoulePapa Blogs :: How We're Built

It's funny, many years ago when Amanda and I met and we were planning and dreaming and scheming of how our life would look together,  I don't really remember her saying, "Ok, I don't ever want to touch or be near cat vomit for the rest of my whole entire life."  If she had said that I would have laughed and told her it was fine because cat vomit, dog poo and the like, while not particularly awesome, does not really offend my senses more than just a little.  All those many years ago, I surely didn't demand or even expect that she would perform all of the sewing needs, for instance, that we may ever require.  In fact I do recall a good deal of the opposite kind of sentiment being the very cornerstone of our marital agreement.  We were perched on the cusp of a new millenium with the liberating air of equality under our wings.  And as I look at our life today, with Amanda maintaining a daily blog, and being a swanky ole magazine editor and kind of just kickin' ass in her own gentle way while I go about the homeschooling dad camp routine well... I just have to laugh that, by our very natures, I always carry the really heavy grocery bag and she rearranges the living room.  I wield the duct tape and she cuts flowers and arranges.  I contribute a blog post or magazine article once in a great while and she tries to fix all my lousy punctuation. She shows me a picture of a chicken coop and I build a reasonable facsimile...

Here's our relatively new hoop house we've been using to house our "not quite laying yet" hens (Honey, please install a link here to the one that you showed me so I'm not accused of being a hoop house plagiarist).  The really tricky part to building this particular house was getting the damn cattle panels (4' x 16' heavy gauge wire mesh) into the back of the pick up.  Purple Working Man just isn't quite big enough yet and I had to summon a teenager at the local feed store.  Otherwise, this set-up is quick to build, relatively cheap for such a big enclosure (10x12')  and pretty mobile (a young strapping lad like myself with only one replacement joint in his whole body can drag it around all by his lonesome).  We planted these girls right in the front yard, aka the orchard, and have been letting them peck around the base of the fruit trees in hopes of removing pests from the bottom up.  So far, so good.

We liked the first hoop house so much we decided to build another.  Or rather, she decided and he built. I'm man enough to own that.  Anyway, this model was cheaper still than the first as I built it against cedar posts instead of on a frame.  So, while not mobile, this provides cover for the sheep if they want to get a break from the long bouts of drizzle that have been slapping us about here in the northeast US (respect to those out west and other places of drought, the rain is just dandy of course).  The girls are just here temporarily to chew up some of the overgrownness of this little pasture.  While I'm not really familiar with many other breeds of sheep, we are thrilled with our Shetland's ability to eat almost anything green without issue.  They have been removing an immense amount of brambly, prickly old bushes and coarse heavy weeds to make way for the finer grasses to grow.  They also have a fondness for maple tree bark and have been girdling our smaller trees at head height constantly.  While this proved annoying at first, we decided to roll with their nature and I cut trees ahead of them to leave on the ground for the sheep to strip clean of all bark and leaf.  I'll tell ya what, makes for awful dry firewood when you get a critter to chew off the bark for ya. Yup.  So, this shelter will stay here and probably house turkeys as well in the coming weeks when the sheep move onto other pasture.

We split our broilers into two groups of thirty or so this time around.  They are a month apart in age, the older birds (about nine weeks as of today) are in this Salatin style chicken tractor that we drag about the place.  We move them two or three times a day so they get to forage on new pasture and also leave us a wonderful snail trail of soil enriching chicken dookie.  Here I give a shout out and a tip of the cap to our closest neighbor, Bob.  Bob never complains even when the chicken tractor nearly encroaches on the property line.  I think he rather enjoys the goings on across the orchard between us although I'm shifting direction and pulling those nine week old roosters away from his house starting today.  Sorry about that, Bob. 

Oh boy, well the Mama is up with the smallest of Soules and we're switching on back to the regular rolls (Heheh, let's see if my sweet rhyme here at the end gets the editors whack).  I'll save the rest of our gimme shelter tour for next time, there is probably some gross cat puke to pick up out there by now anyway.  I'm on it.

the beginning of something

This morning, I woke early to the sound of rain on the roof. With garden and fencework then taken off the list, I slipped downstairs quietly to my studio. And before the work of editing and writing began, I lingered in the land of a new project I've been mulling over lately. A bit of pressing and folding with my tea, fabrics interviewed, and the work table cleaned off. Ah, there's nothing like the very beginning of a project - when it's still just an idea, and the possibilities are endless. The next best part? Diving in. 

Wishing you a lovely day, friends!

just one postcard, please

By now, my (big) boys are nestled into their summer sleepaway camp experience many miles away from here. I imagine that right now, they are waking up from their top bunks in those hot, humid cabins full of other pre-teen boys and their brave counselors. (And just thinking of all of that immediately conjures up the smell of said cabins - of dirty socks, body odor, too much cologne, sunscreen and bug spray all bleneded into one scent called "summer camp" - oh my.) Calvin had such a grand time last year that his brother wanted in on the action too. And so they're off, the both of them....best of friends, closest of brothers (as different as they may be).

You may remember last year, I made Calvin a little letter satchel for holding his camp letters both written and received, an address book, stamps, pens and a family photo tucked discreetly in there too. Ezra's this year was made from the Gratitude Wrap pattern (in a favorite vintage yellow print) and packed just the same.

But did I ever tell you what happened last year? I don't think I did. After so carefully going over the little satchel with Calvin to make sure he knew how and where to write and stamp, and on and on...we missed one critical piece of instruction. WRITE HOME. We waited. And waited. Day after day after day after day.... each letter to him increasing in pitch with our "we hope you're having fun! Are you okay??" line of questioning until finally, this Mama could take it no longer. And while Steve looked on half to giggle at me and half because he was starting to worry too, I called the camp director. Yes, yes...I was that Mom. I haven't heard from my son. Is he okay? Can you just check on him? I'm worried. And, well...of course he was fine. He was having the time of his life, and just so busy having fun that he hadn't had time, hadn't thought that we might be worried about him. The letters started coming after that. Not a lot of letters followed, but not a worry...all I needed was that one. That ONE letter that said, "I'm okay, Mom."

Lessons learned and applied then to the children that follow. This year, alongside the instructions to please do put sunscreen on every day, and be helpful to your brother, and have so much fun, and this is where the stamps go...I added one more. And I made it a requirement (the parents who pay the bill can do that, we told them). Just send us one postcard! And with a bit of silliness, I crafted the very postcard they can send - pre-stamped, pre-addressed, pre-written, even. All they need to do is check a box, and put in the mail. Hardly a distraction at all to all the fun they'll be having, right? A simple little Mama courtesy that will be much anticipated on this end.

Of course, I'd love to hear more. Are they making friends? Did they pass the swim test? What activities are they signed up for? How are their counselors? And what about all that slow dancing at the dance? Are they having fun? But I think I know the answers to most of those questions, knowing these confident, happy boys of mine as I do. They'll tell me more when they get home, surely. And the rest - well, the rest is theirs to know and experience and share as they like or not, for that's what the growing up that they're doing is all about. This time is theirs.

(Mama just needs that one postcard, please.)

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Dragonfly Toys ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor,  Dragonfly Toys . In Tracie's words:

"At Dragonfly we believe that childhood is an important time – a time that should be treasured, nurtured and cherished. The world of the child is a magical place, and as parents we can help to keep this magic alive by providing our children with opportunities for open ended, creative, imaginative play.

Dragonfly Toys is the love and effort of Tracie O'Meara and Linda Lodue. We have six children between us and many years of choosing what we would like our own children to play with. We endeavor to bring this experience and interest in beautiful children's toys and art supplies to you via Dragonfly Toys.

We also have a small tailoring workshop based in India called Kokonor. The workshop is ethically run, employing Tibetan refugees living in the Indian Himalaya. We currently employ six women on a full time basis to make clothing for us and other small items. It is our wish to make this project (still in its infancy…) sustainable and to keep these women in employment. It is hard for Tibetan women living in exile in India to get full time work. We hope that production continues and that we can employ many more women living in Dharamsala."

SouleMama: Tell us about your background. What path led you to the work you do today?

Tracie: I am a trained high school teacher and have taken additional Steiner Waldorf training to be able to teach in Steiner schools. I have always had an interest in what grabs a child’s attention and moves them into a beautiful internal world of make believe and imaginative play. My major influence on my work however has been my own three children. Watching them all grow and change has taught me so much about what allows children the freedom to really play and what hinders the creative process of imaginative play.

SouleMama: What does a typical day at work look like for you?

Tracie: My children all go to school at the local Steiner school just down the road from my office. We are lucky enough to be located within an Organic whole foods shop. My business partner, Linda, owns a whole food café here as well so it is a beautiful place to work and the hub of our community. I can hide away to do Dragonfly business or can go out into the shop to socialize. It’s very lovely.

SouleMama: What inspires you?

Tracie:  I’m inspired by beautiful things; nature, art. I really believe that my children deserve to be surrounded by beauty. There is so much that is ugly and unforgiving in this world. Why would you want to expose them to it as young children? Keep the world around them beautiful for their benefit.

 SouleMama: Tell us about your customers.

Tracie:  Dragonfly’s customers are really just like me. Some have just stepped onto the parenting path and I can see myself in their explorations of natural toys and Steiner education. Many of our customers home school and come to us for art supplies. Others have older children and are constantly looking for alternative gifts to what the main stream shops offer that age group. I can see we are all just finding our way through the sometimes very difficult roles as parents of young children and we are all just really doing our best.

              

For today's giveaway, Dragonfly Toys is generously offering the following gifts to TWO winners:

~  Winner #1: one large Steiner doll

~  Winner #2: one small Steiner doll

Our beautiful Steiner dolls are also made in a workshop that employs Tibetan women living in exile in India. Like our workshop, these women are learning valuable skills and are able to earn money in a fair workplace. Each doll in made by hand from beginning to end by one woman.

The dolls are made from natural materials. The hair is made from natural wool and each doll is stuffed with 100% sheep’s wool. The skin is made from cotton knit. All the gorgeous and unique clothing is totally removable. Being hand-made each doll will vary slightly. The small dolls make for beautiful first dolls or as companions to the larger dolls.

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Monday, and announce the winners, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winners are:

I love these dolls! Would love to give one to our wee grand-boy!
Posted by: Ona

Lovely little dolls! And a lovely interview, too. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Rachel Kate

Thank  you,  Dragonfly Toys!

SouleMama Sponsor ~ Alewives Fabrics ~

Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Alewives Fabrics. In Rhea's words:

"Established in 1978, Alewives Fabrics is located in beautiful Midcoast Maine. The shop is owned and operated by the mother/daughter team of Barbara Neeson and Rhea Butler, who purchased the shop in 2004. In 2010, we opened our webstore, alewivesfabrics.com, and we now sell fabric all over the world!  In our shop you'll find all sorts of fabrics for creative home sewing: everything from quilting weight cottons and flannels to silky soft voile and vinyl laminate!

 Those who want to keep up with all the happenings at Alewives Fabrics should follow along with Rhea's blog, alewivesgirl.   We are also on Facebook, twitter (@alewivesgirl) and Pinterest, too!"

SouleMama: Tell us about your customers.

Rhea: The customers at Alewives are quite diverse... We might have a fisherman come in to buy snippers and thread to repair his nets, or we might have a young mom coming in to make her very first project ever, or we might be shipping fabric off to people in Austria, New Zealand or Portland… all in the same day! One of our local customers is an official Poet Laureate. He writes us a poem whenever he comes to visit and I thought it would be nice to share his latest creation with Soulemama's readers. I have to admit I am so proud to have a poem written about our shop!

Searching for Linen
(For Alewives Fabrics staff and cloth…written while listening to gentle advice and the clip of scissors)

by Kendall Merriam, Poet Laureate for Rockland, Maine

The patterns of the world are here
This little town was noted for its inventories of riches
much of it in fabric
But now the ladies
of the central coast
come on a rainy Sunday
to do the Lord's work
thinking of the weavers
across our small earth
who make the brilliantly beautiful
which pleases the citizens of any country
if everyone was a seamstress
(men and women)
we could do away with war
and dress to the nines
and live in lovely peace

                  

For today's giveaway, Alewives Fabrics is generously offering the following gift to ONE winner:

~ One of our new "Grey Gardens" fat quarter bundles!

The bundle includes 20 fat quarters: mostly quilting weight cottons (with a couple of home decorator weight sateens thrown in for good measure). Colors in this bundle are delightfully quirky: everything from dusty mauve to steel gray to chartreuse green.

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In addition,  Alewives Fabrics would like to offer Soulemama readers 10% off their purchase (in-store or online) through Sunday, July 14th. To receive the discount in person, just mention the Soulemama discount at the checkout counter. For online purchases, enter the code "soulemama" into the promotional code field at checkout. Discount does not apply to shipping charges. We adjust the price of your order manually here at the shop, so the discount won't appear in the final order or your confirmation e-mail, but we will make sure that you are getting it and you can always call or e-mail us if you have any questions! 

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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Sunday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winner is...

Those are just beautiful! Thank you for the chance.
Posted by: Marcela : Naturally Fun Days

Thank  you, Alewives Fabrics!

{this moment}

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{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.

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reading

Before I talk about reading books, let's talk about reading blogs for just a moment! I know that many of you were using Google Reader as your RSS blog reader, and are perhaps scrambling now (as I was) to find a replacement. I've been using Feedly for a few weeks now and am pleased. There's also Blog Lovin, and The Old Reader. I've just added a newer subscribe set up in the bottom of the right column (or click here), where you can choose your RSS reader, and also subscribe to the blog via email if that's your preference. Now, back to the books....

I am chronically optimistic about how much can get done in a given period of time. Sometimes this works out to my advantage in really wonderful ways (those things! they get done! because I believe they will!). Sometimes it's just silly - like packing three books to read on a 48 hour trip - a working trip, no less. Oh well, no harm done, just a heavier bag, tis all. I did touch base with each of these books though just for a moment each, in the early morning hours of not sleeping and not wrangling a toddler in my bed. They have all been on my nightstand at home for a little while now, each of them rotating in and out of my hands depending on the time and the mood and the moment. I am enjoying them immensely and for very different reasons...

One Man's Meat

by E.B. White
I go back to this wonderful collection of personal essays over and over. Written in the 1930's and 1940's from his Maine saltwater farm, the range of essays covers all of his life - from war and peace to family and farming. They are witty and smart, heartfelt and humorous. And written so gracefully, I think, that they're a familiar pleasure to read again and again. Though I haven't done so yet, there are a few that I've bookmarked to read to the kids. Maybe this winter. 

Saved: How I Quit Worrying About Money and Became the Richest Man in the World 
by Ben Hewitt
Ben's new book centers around money in America, and particularly around how we define 'wealth' in our lives. It's such an interesting read and adds so much to the ongoing discussions that we frequently have in our marriage, and in our community of friends, about work and home, health care, and most especially - raising children in this culture so driven by consumerism. I appreciate Ben's ability to dive into this meaty subject with humor and storytelling and a self-effacing nature that makes it all the more accessible. He's been having some really frank and interesting discussions on his blog lately about the subject of this book that I've also been enjoying. 

How to Move Like a Gardener: Planting and Preparing Medicine from Plants
By Deb Soule

Yes, she is in Maine and no, we are unfortunately not related. But she is the magic behind Avena Botanicals (until I can make my own, it's their Elderberry Elixir that I have sworn by for years and years now). Though I haven't talked about it much in my garden posts* this summer, it is no secret among those nearest to me that I have been working on having more medicine coming out of our garden than already does. In little pockets of quiet time, with a little bit of a prayer, a new comfrey plant gets tucked over here, the elderberries go over there, and a patch of chamomile is started here. All the while, I'm soaking up and reading books like this one - Deb's is particularly beautiful in its balance of story, information, and spirit. I think this will become a much-loved guide to me in the coming years.

(*garden posts! I'll be skipping mine this week, in honor of the holiday tomorrow. I'll give you the condensed update right now - More Rain! More Bugs! More Broccoli! - and look forward to sharing something new and different with you in next week's garden wrap up.)

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What are you reading these days? Is there a book that's captivating your attention and in your hands right now?

postcards from Vermont

Good morning! I'm writing to you today from Hardwick, Vermont. I'm here for just a little bit by myself and feeling fresh this morning from a delicious dinner at Claire's (with their fantastic new chef), followed by a stay at the lovely Kimball House. I'm learning on these solo trips of mine that as much as I wish it did, my body just doesn't want to sleep in like it did once upon a time before children. Whether there is actually a child at my side or not, my internal clock says it's time to get up and feed the children and get to work! No matter though, a bed all to myself (that Annabel's a dream baby and a bed hog too, I tell you), a soak in a tub (galvanized batthub just got added to my someday wish list), and a bit of reading and knitting in bed in the morning is all a very delightful thing to make up for missing the cuddles and snuggles of my babes.

Enough lingering around in the quiet, it's time to get myself downtown for the reason I'm here. A little more Taproot work and play...in our newish downtown Hardwick office space. It feels a little bit just like home, though I do think that dreamy yellow settee would fit nicely into my own home in Maine, now don't you agree? Hmnn...

Have a lovely day, friends!

in the summer kitchen

I have to confess that I have been in a bit of a cooking rut these past two months. Soups and stews were so two months ago (say my children, and I have to agree). Mealtimes have felt a little on the uninspired side, and I was beginning to worry. What if, all of a sudden, I just didn't like cooking anymore? What, then, did that mean about my future days - years - of trying to nourishingly, healthily and creatively fill all these bellies? A bit of panic was setting in as I thought about how those hollow legs belonging to my two oldest boys are only going to grow as they do, and multiply as everyone else gets older. Oh no.

But then, the food arrived. Not just the leftover dregs of the root cellar (which amounts to nothing but a bit of garlic these days), not the produce picked up at the grocery store, not another box of pasta, rice, or grain. Not. Another. Soup. But food from the garden! First simple little things like scapes and radishes to throw into this or that, and now onto a full list of possibilities. Broccoli and greens and peas and strawberries...and so much more to come. Slowly, but surely, I've been finding myself taking a little longer to make dinner. Playing a little bit more in the kitchen. And getting excited again about what I'm making for everyone to eat.

Some things we've been playing with in the kitchen this week...

fermenting radishes (The Art of Fermentation is always handy these days)

strawberry vanilla jam (recipe from Allison Carroll Duffy in the latest issue of Taproot)

strawberry vinagrette dressing for something a little different on the nightly salad

Silly me. I should know by now that it's just the time of year. That it's normal to feel a little bored, stale and (proverbially speaking) hungry in these spring months - with last years food gone, and this years' just going into the ground. It's a relief, and a joy though, to be reminded of just how much I love cooking for my family. This morning, before anyone else was awake, and before I started any other work, I dashed out to the garden to cut all the broccoli and blanch (and freeze) it all before the day gets too full and the room too hot. Coming back into the still-quiet house, I feel glad for another day to play in this kitchen and fill those bellies I love.