Our Own Journey

30 Days of Beauty: Good Things

I found this awesome hand thrown stoneware mug at a thrift store and I connected with it...What else can I say?

Call me cheap but I love thrift stores!

We have a couple thrift stores around here that I love, some more than others.  At this one that benefits the local animal rescue I got a bunch of fun stuff for under $10.  Why would anyone want to buy anything new?  

Wooden knitting needles can be so expensive but I got these for a buck a pair!  I also found this brand new matching crocheted washcloth and scrubbie set for $1.  I've never seen a scrubbie like that, isn't it clever?

Lots of vintage tins for 25 cents a piece.  Hope these will help my sewing space become a little more organized!

 

And a stack of material and kitchen linens to add to my stash.

Here's to saving money!

New friends..

My poor little girl caught strep throat last week.  That is one of the most horrible illnesses I've ever "gone through".  Very high fever, 103-104, body aches, headaches, horrible white patches all over her throat.  I learned that if it's not caught quickly it can turn into Scarlet or rheumatic fever, possibly causing heart or lung damage.  Now I am completely an herbal mama.  We do not see the doctor unless it's an emergency and treat everything at home with herbs and natural remedies.  When my daughter came down with this I new that this time would be an exception.  We took her in and got her on antibiotics and will be restoring her intestinal flora with good things like yogurt and acidophilus as soon as the round is over.  She is doing much better now, thankfully. 

On another note, a special little friend came into our family.  Hosanna named her Sallie, after her aunt that passed away 5 years ago.  She's a pug/chihuaha mix (we wanted a small dog to offset the cost of feeding our lab) and is 11 weeks.  The moment I walked in the house with her Hosanna scooped her up in her arms and has hardly let go since. 

 

She's such a cutie...very friendly with the kids.  Orion loves holding her and doing any number of torturous things to her. Sallie just sits there and lets him play with her..

We have been enjoying fresh sprouts in our kitchen.  It's so lovely to have fresh LIVE food in the winter and they are so easy to grow.  Soak your grains/legumes or seeds in water for 24 hours, then strain them and rinse 3 times a day.  Keep them at an angle so that they can drain properly and you will have lovely sprouts in 2-3 days.  You can buy your own sprout trays or do what I do and use the mason jar/screen lid method. (Panty hose work too.)

 

My nephew found these sweet little bottle at a thrift store.  He paid 75 cents for all of them!  Right now they're being used to store our garden seeds we've saved.

Here is something else fun that we put together for Christmas.  It's a fairy house that started out as a Christmas house I thrifted for $2.  It's really cute and the top comes off so it's perfect for lots of imaginative play.  My sweet mother in law painted it beautifully and put flowers on it (note the hot tub chimney=).  We glued it to a board and I put craft moss all over it and painted a river and glued river rocks to it.  It's the perfect place to house the lovely handmade gnomes that we received for Christmas from friends, and the little fairy I made for Hosanna.  She was my first bendable doll made from pipe cleaners and a wooden bead for a head.  Her body is wrapped in embroidery floss and her clothes are made from felt.  I was inspired to make her when my friend showed me the book " "Wee Felt Folk" 

Orion fell asleep like this on the chair the other day (excuse my ratty cushions that I am dying to make covers for)  Your can see the piece of bread in his hand and half in his mouth practically.

 

My new sewing machine!  I have been sewing on a 1950's Singer 201-2, that I still have and love.  But I really wanted a machine that could do a zig zag stitch.  I am very pleased with this Bernina.  I picked it up off Craigslist and it included tons of accessories and a nice rolling cart with storage bins for only $150.   After cleaning and oiling it (thanks to Bernina for creating the easiest and straight forward manual I've ever used) I started her up and she stitches beautifully!  I made a hooded cloak for a friend's son on it as my first project.
 

Still going over lovelies from Christmas.  This is probably the most beautiful gift I gave ever received.  It's actually a floor length poncho type dress that my aunt picked up when she went to the United Arab Emerates.  This is actually what the women there around the house! It's made of pure silk and hand embroidered. 

 

The detail and stitch quality is breathtaking!

I hope you all have a lovely week!

 
 
 
 
 

30 Days of Happiness

So I've finally buckled down and started a blog.  I decided to start it with an idea from a friend of mine, to spend 30 days intent on finding happiness in each day.  I know it seems somewhat silly, but with the hum drum of the usual chores and activities the days begin to meld into each other.  When we seek out the beauty, newness, and well, happiness of each day, each moment seems a little more worthwhile. 

Today was easy. Things started off with a bon voyage party for a friend and neighbor.  There was superb food, much of it prepared from fresh fruits and vegetables from local gardeners, and good vibes abounded.  After resting a bit, we headed over to Grandma's for a sign language lesson.  No Grandma wasn't teaching, but learning too.  It was a video designed especially for kids by a mother who's little girl is deaf.  We settled in to learn while the summer rain drizzled outside. 

Which brought me to the moments which seemed to bring this day of happiness together perfectly.

 

What is it about summer rainstorms that makes us feel so heavenly? And rainbows of course always top it off....

 

Eating ripe, juicy white grapes off the vine... 

Somebody else discovered the grapes...

 

Cutting some fresh wheat grass to juice in the morning....What a blessing!!

 

And this was from yesterday but I couldn't resist including it....Hosanna and David were being my biggest helpers...They unloaded the dryer (we fluff, then air dry) and both worked together to carry the basket all the way outside.  I thought they would just wait for me but they both decided to team up and hang up the laundry together.  "Here sissy..." David passes the clothes to her while she stands on the slide..PRICELESS!