Saturday, February 28, 2015

9/52

  "A photo of my little man, once a week, every week, in 2015"
 
Reece, all week we have been exploring the beach, but today the woods were calling. Each time we visit Myrtle Beach we take time to hike at Huntington Beach State Park. It is a beautiful spot, with the woods and the beach in very close proximity. What I love most is this spot, along one of the trails. I call it "nature's playground". It is the perfect spot to climb and hang from trees, and that is just what you did, for quite some time.

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

Thursday, February 26, 2015

An Adventure






I love a good adventure, I really do, but when it includes not one, but two snowstorms, not so much. As you know Reece and I hit the road early Monday morning for our annual trip south to visit my parents. About four hours into our trip we hit a snowstorm. Reece had finally fallen asleep, and I was able to focus on the road, or I should say lack of road since it was covered in snow. I managed to get us through with no troubles at all, except being thrown off our planned arrival time at our overnight stop. And the good news, as we drove further south the skies were blue and the sun was shining. I had high hopes that the storm we hit would be the only crimp in our travels.

At our overnight destination I checked in my parents, and my dad mentioned there was snow and freezing rain in the forecast. What??? It seems I brought winter with me. We awoke Tuesday morning to clear skies, and sunshine. I was feeling pretty good, and we set off for the final stretch of our journey. About an hour in, things changed and we drove right into the snowstorm. It was a treacherous drive with snow and ice covering the roads. It seems a lot of people down here don't really know how to drive in this weather, and since they don't often get this kind of weather I completely understand that. I put my hazard lights on and slowed right down for the next three hours, yes, you read that right, three hours. There were cars and transport trucks in the ditches, and the highway was closed at two different spots. Lucky for us one of the closures was right at a rest stop, so they diverted us off at the rest stop and then right back on, but with the second closure we weren't so lucky. We were stuck on the highway. The GPS was giving me the option of a detour, but there was no way I was getting off the main highway to travel unknown roads in a snowstorm. So we sat there. Reece was listening intently to Heidi on audio, and my knitting basket was sitting just behind the driver seat, so I reached around and grabbed my latest project and knit away.

Finally we started moving, and continued along our way. It was still slow going, but we were moving, and although we were much later than expected, we finally reached Myrtle Beach. Upon arrival, we unpacked swimsuits and hit the pool, and while Reece frolicked in the water with my mom, I hit the hot tub to soak away two days of intense driving.

The temperatures, at the moment, are below seasonal, and as you can see in the photos, Reece is still wearing his winter hat. Today rain is in the forecast, and the temperatures are expected to remain low for the next few days. By low, I mean 5C, which is actually quite warm compared to the temperatures we have been dealing with at home. The temperature won't stop us though, from enjoying the beach, searching for shells and other ocean treasures, hiking and swimming (indoors). We will soak up all the goodness of this beautiful spot no matter what.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Road Trip


I have, over the years, been called crazy for many different things that I do, one of those things is packing up the car with a child and driving 19 hours to Myrtle Beach. As you read this, Reece and I will be well into our journey, we left at 3am this morning, and plan to drive 14 hours today before we stop at a hotel for the night. The key with this road trip, and I think with any road trip, long or short, is to be prepared.

Over the last few weeks I have spent time preparing for our travel days, and our time in Myrtle Beach. Crafts, stickers, sketchbooks, audiobooks, and a new DVD (which Reece will most likely refuse to watch) have been purchased to keep a certain little person busy while I drive. I have been in the kitchen baking and cooking, both food for the drive and food to eat while we are there. I have made list upon list of things to bring with us, and slowly I have packed everything. I use one of my large baskets to pack up all of the things for Reece to do, and put it on the front passenger seat so they are easily accessible to me. And a cooler is right there too for quick snacks, and drinks. We stop regularly for bathroom breaks, and to run around for a few minutes, and then we jump back in the car and keep on driving.

I won't lie, I do hear a lot of "when will we be there" from the backseat, but honestly at some points in the trip I am asking myself the same question. We get through those moments pretty quickly with a few jokes, a game of I Spy or by me handing Reece a little surprise from my basket of goodies in the front seat.

So, just why do I do this, when we could easily hop on a place and fly. Well, it is a little cheaper to drive, it means I have my car while we are there so we can go on little adventures during our visit, and honestly, why not? Life is about adventure, trying new things, and pushing our comfort zones. During our drive Reece and I talk, we laugh, we cry (honestly I did cry when I drove through a big snowstorm two years ago), and we find out that we can get through it all, together.

Next time I pop in we will be on the beach. Let the adventure begin!

Saturday, February 21, 2015

8/52

"A photo of my little man, once a week, every week, in 2015"
 
Reece, time in the woods, just you and me, exploring, wandering, talking, laughing, listening, connecting.

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Loving Winter











Some people find it difficult to believe that we actually enjoy winter, but we do...really, we do! While there are some aspects of winter that are not always fun, like the very frigid temperatures we have been experiencing lately, for the most part winter provides us with lots of opportunities to explore our world during a different season.

Next week, Reece and I will head south to visit with my parents for a few weeks, when we return, spring will be just around the corner and winter as we know it, will be starting to fade quickly. With that in mind we are trying to soak up as much of winter as we can. Daily trips to the woods have been happening this week, and there has been lots of time spent in the yard, playing, and on my part, dreaming.

I joked with Reece on Tuesday, as we walked in the woods at one of our local conservation areas, that the temperature, at -12C, actually felt warm. We spent a good part of the morning in the woods, and didn't see another person, we had the entire place to ourselves. We stood in silence more than once, taking in the peace and calm of the woods. We listened to the rat tat tat of a woodpecker, we stopped, turned our faces to the sun to feel her warmth, and we sat in the snow, quieted ourselves and our minds and reveled in the silence.

There is a deep sense of connection I feel in the woods, to myself, to nature, and to Reece. And I know, from a feeling I get deep inside, that Reece feels the same way. It is one of my greatest joys to share this simple, ordinary pleasure with him.

Monday, February 16, 2015

On My Needles



In my books, anytime is a good time for knitting, but if there was ever a winter weekend made for knitting, it was this one. With temperatures topping out at -32 degrees and dropping to -40 degrees, and exposed skin freezing in five minutes, we have been safely tucked in at home. The fire has been one, hot tea is always close at hand, and there has been lots of playing, crafting, reading, and knitting.

With all the holiday crafting, and then a few knits for friends in January, my February Lady Sweater was tucked away for a few months, but I am happy to say it has made its way back to the top of the list, and I finally finished the first sleeve last week. This week I will get started on the second sleeve, and hopefully have a finished sweater in time for spring.

I always like to have an easy knit on the needles, something I can work away at while the kids play, and pick up and put down as my attention is needed, so I decided to cast on a little scarf/shawl with some beautiful yarn I bought back in October from Mountain Girl Yarns. The colours kinda shout spring to me, and I think it will be perfect for those chilly spring days when a heavy winter scarf is not really needed.

Happy mail days are always fun, but when they include yarn I do a little happy dance. When Justin came in from collecting the mail one day last week with a package for me, I quickly peeked at the return address and knew immediately it was more yarn from Mountain Girl Yarns. Of course, I opened it right away, and was ever so pleased...gorgeous, stunning yarns, full of life and love. I am not sure, yet, what any of them will become, for now I am just enjoying the pleasure of them on my craft table, bringing a little bit of colour to these cold winter days.

What's on your needles?

Saturday, February 14, 2015

7/52


"A photo of my little man, once a week, every week, in 2015"
 
Reece, you have had a ton of fun in the snow this week, a few milder days gave us an excuse to spend lots of time outside. Our week was filled with a little bit of everything...snowshoeing, sledding, hiking and playing. It has been a great week!

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Taking Stock




It's that time of year around here...taking stock of what is left from last summer's harvest. This week I have sorted through the freezer, and the pantry shelves, figuring out what is left and how much. We are in good shape with jam, beets, green beans and pickles still on the pantry shelves, and raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, roasted tomatoes, green beans, zucchini and kale in the freezer. It is slowly dwindling, but we are so happy to have reached the mid winter point with food in the freezer and on the pantry shelves from our summer garden, and the local you pick berry farms. I hope with our early spring planting, we might actually be enjoying food from last summer's garden as we start to enjoy food from this year's garden. That, my friends, has been the goal all along...to reach the point where we are feeding ourselves year round from our garden. Now, we can't survive on what we grow, at least not yet, but knowing with each meal we eat there is a little homegrown or locally grown food on our plate is a pretty big deal around here.

And so, I take stock of what we ate a lot of, and what we enjoyed the most, and as I start to dig through the seed catalogs, picking seeds and deciding what to grow, I keep this in mind. After years and years of gardening, we finally have a really good handle on what we enjoy the most from the garden, and while I love to experiment, this year we are moving more towards growing what we know grows well, and what we know we will eat, and saving the big experiments for another time. There will still be one or two things tested out, maybe a new vegetable or a new canning recipe, but for the most part we are sticking with what we know and love. It makes sense for where we are, and leaves the door open for experiments in other areas of our homestead....more berry bushes, more chicks, ducklings, and a full jump into beekeeping, learning as much as I can from a neighbouring beekeeper.

It felt good this week, to take stock of our freezer and pantry, to realize we might actually make it to spring and still be eating food from our garden. It has been a long road, little steps taken every year to reach this point, and it has been totally worth it.

*****

A big thank you for the lovely comments, and emails on my last post. I honestly had no idea it would touch people the way it did. Thank you. xo

Monday, February 9, 2015

Appreciating the Light





Shadows dance within our home,
after day upon day of grey.
The slant of light
hits everything just right,
catching the eye,
slowing the moment,
capturing attention.

How often do these
moments pass,
unseen, unnoticed,
in the hurried normal
of everyday life?
Refusing to let them pass,
I take time to appreciate
the little things,
the simple pleasures,
that bring light and joy
into my day.
Space is created
to notice,
to be aware,
to live,
in this moment.

I have been appreciating
the light,
watching it move through our home,
leaving behind
shadows, silhouettes,
a contrast between
the dark and light.
It's a reminder that life
is a balance,
that the light is never truly
appreciated without
the dark,
and that sometimes
we need to stop,
be still,
and notice.

Will you join me?

Saturday, February 7, 2015

6/52

"A photo of my little man, once a week, every week, in 2015"
 
Reece, the sun was setting, you leaned forward on the table, and all of a sudden you looked so grown up. How does that happen? One day you were a baby snuggled in my arms, never letting me put you down, and in what seems like the next day, you are a boy, full of life, testing boundaries, and finding your way in this world. This week has found me feeling so blessed, little man, to watch it all unfold, holding your hand along the way.

Joining Jodi for the 52 Project

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Scenes From a Winter Day











Why, hello there Winter. You eluded us in January, bringing frigid temperatures, but no snow. It seems you were waiting for February. We were so happy to see the snow falling, falling, and falling some more this week, and even though you are still very cold, we are so happy for snow to play in.

Thank you Winter, I knew you would come.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Celebrating Candlemas



Photos from Candlemas 2014

Have you noticed it? A little shift in the light, a slight difference in the winter stillness, the soft humming of the earth's energy under the frozen ground, and the sense of hope and promise for what is to come? Today we honour these things with the celebration of Candlemas, marking the halfway point between winter and spring.

Slowly Mother Earth is beginning to wake up from her deep winter sleep, the seeds below are beginning to stir, and the birds sing a happier tune as both light and warmth fill our days. We notice as we sit down to dinner that we are no longer sitting in darkness, and our thoughts turn towards the lengthening days, and the excitement of what is to come. It is the movement forward, out of hibernation, into the light and warmth of the earth, knowing with certainty that spring is coming.

Today, in celebration of Candlemas, and the returning light, we will walk in the woods, create snow candles, and rain sticks, plant seeds, and enjoy a fire in the backyard, burning our winter evergreen decorations. Dinner will be enjoyed by candlelight, as it is every night throughout the winter, but tonight will be different, because we know the need for this light is fading.

Spring is coming, with its fresh face, to shower us in light and warmth, and I am looking forward to it with great anticipation.

*****
Candlemas 2013
Candlemas 2014