3/12

A photo of my little man, once a month, on the last day of each month, in 2016

Reece, I can't believe we have reached the end of March already, just where did this month go? Although it seems the month has flown by in the blink of an eye, we still managed to soak up each and every moment as best as we could. We have filled this month with all the things we love so much...hiking, reading, crafting, cooking, visiting friends, and playing games. It was a fun-filled month, and one I think we will both remember for a long time. We have, of course, also been enjoying your homeschooling journey. Main lessons right now involve math, and you are enjoying them very much. So much so, you actually ask to do main lesson so we can do more math. This makes me smile for two reasons...the first, I too love math and working with numbers and sharing this love with you makes me happy, and two, you love learning, and that little man is something I hope you will always love. This month has not been without its frustrations, and on more than one occasion you have felt upset and angry, and been unable to properly express your feelings. I want you to know little man, that I see you, and I know it is hard at times to find the words to properly express what you are feeling, but I am here, and I understand, even when you think I don't. I will always be open and accepting to whatever you are feeling. I love you little man, with every part of my being, and I promise to always be here for you.

Discovery

Things around here have been exciting. When I say exciting, I mean I am having a great time discovering me, or maybe I should say re-discovering me. After being in a relationship for the last 24 years I am stepping out of who I used to be, or who I was expected to be, and stepping into who I am, and who I want to be. This is not to say that I have not been “me” but that “me” was always attached to someone else, and well, now it isn’t.

I find it hard to put into words what is going on, except to say I am finding bits of me that have been tucked away for a long time, and as those bits of me come to the surface I am enjoying the act of combining them with the current me. A few weeks ago I shared that I felt like the old me was back, and that is true, but it's a different old me, it's a me with experience, a me that has learned many lessons on this journey.

I will be the first to admit that over the last four or five years I have enjoyed stepping out of the labels that once use to follow me, and have chosen to uncover the layers of who I am without those labels. That process has given me courage and confidence to put the real me out there, and it has always felt good. But now, with a major life change tossed my way, more layers are being chipped away, slowly and intentionally, and what is being discovered is a new version of me. None of it feels drastic, although some in my life might make it seem that way. Instead I am asking the questions what makes me happy now, and what will make me happy as I move forward, and those answers are leading me to make changes. 

Many people are afraid of change, but at this stage in my life, with all the changes I have been through already, change feels kind of freeing, and maybe it is that way because these changes are on my terms. I am making active, intentional choices, and after not having a choice in the end of my marriage, it feels good to take control again.

Pausing

Pausing on this Monday morning to let the most wonderful weekend with friends settle in my heart. It was a good one, my friends, full to the brim with sweet goodness, and I am going to hold on to it as long as I possibly can.

Have a great start to your week, and Happy Spring!

A Little Something for You {Giveaway}

It's a big weekend around these parts, and there is lots of celebrating planned. First up, my birthday. I will celebrate 44 trips around the sun on Saturday, 44 trips my friends! I am going into this birthday with a renewed enthusiasm for life and all that it holds. I am happy, I am feeling strong, and I am excited about the direction my life is headed. I wasn't sure how this birthday would play out a few months ago, but it seems that everything has fallen into place to create the perfect backdrop for my special day, and for that I am so very happy.

Second, we welcome spring on Sunday. If I am being honest it really doesn't feel like we had much of a winter, but still, I am excited about the arrival of spring. Seasonal changes hold a special place in my heart, I love them, and always feel like they are the perfect time to re-evaluate, set new goals, dream a little, and just take a little time to celebrate life. To welcome spring we are meeting friends in the woods for a hike in the morning, and then heading back to their place for a Spring Equinox lunch, and a bit of play time for the kids, while us adults chat.

Third, I have a little something for you. In celebration of both my birthday and the arrival of spring I am hosting a little giveaway. Up for grabs is a rope basket, a spring peg person, healing salve, and lip balm...all made with love, by me.

For an entry to the giveaway sign up for the Mama Collaborative newsletter, and leave a comment on this post that you did so. As you know Mama Collaborative is a new venture for myself and a small group of mamas. We promise not to land in your inbox too often, just a few times a year with shop updates, a few photos and maybe a short essay or poem.

I will close comments and announce a winner within this post on Monday March 21. Thank you and good luck!

And the winner is:

Alyssa Corley

Congratulations Alyssa!!!!

Our Weekend

This weekend was full, in a good way. It began Saturday morning with a soap workshop, hosted by Life at Nature's Pace, in my home. A small group of ladies gathered in my kitchen, and while we drank tea and chatted, I shared the ins and outs of cold process soap making. It was a great way to spend the morning, and as always the joy I receive from teaching a workshop left me feeling inspired and motivated. The rest of the day was spent around the house, tidying, and puttering, and the evening was spent with a friend, enjoying dinner.

Sunday morning was a little dark around these parts with the time change, and so we took it slow. After a late pancake breakfast we hit the trails for some fresh air. As soon as our feet hit the trail we heard the call of the red winged black bird. What a beautiful sound, a sure sign that spring is definitely on its way. We also heard a ton of chickadees, and saw our first robins. We stopped at the water to toss some stones before heading back to the car, and home. The afternoon was spent in the yard. Reece let the chickens out to roam, and had fun chasing them around, and I started to do a little spring yard tidy up. It felt so good to be outside, working in the yard, and enjoying a mild almost spring day. Both Reece and I were tired by the time Sunday night rolled around. He passed out pretty quickly, much earlier than his usual bedtime, and I wasn't far behind.

How was your weekend?

Ten Things

One
There really is nothing that compares to a sunrise on the beach. Always so magical. And this one, on our final day at the beach, was special because I shared it with my little man.

Two
We are home! It was a long day of driving, but we made it. It felt so good to be home, and to settle into my space again.

Three
I have been busy crafting since I returned home because Mama Collaborative is having a shop update...today! New stock for Easter is available. Take a peek, there are some great items perfect for adding to the Easter basket of the little one in your home.

Four
Spring is in the air around here. The days have been mild, the yard is a mess of mud and puddles, and there is that earthy smell hanging in the air. It's a dreamy time of year, at least for me, as I think about the garden, meals on the back deck, picnics, and evening fires in the fire pit. Oh, Spring, I am so happy to see you again.

Five
Planning has begun for a small summer homeschool block for my little man. He has requested that summer learning be all about dinosaurs. I am game for that, and kind of excited to learn all about dinosaurs with my little man.

Six
More planning, this time summer camp. Life At Nature's Pace will be hosting summer camp days again this summer, two days a week throughout the month of July.  Themes for the weeks include bees, birds, butterflies and wild plants. I might be just a little excited about summer camp days.

Seven
Seeds!!! Need I say more. I have been gathering and sorting my seeds, getting ready to start planting. I am hoping to get the cold frame planted within the week, and then two weeks after that one of my tunnels. I can't wait to get my hands in the dirt, and I am really looking forward to enjoying fresh food from the backyard again.

Eight
The hens are laying in full force again. I collected ten eggs yesterday, not bad when you have fourteen hens.

Nine
New chicks will be arriving on our homestead soon, and certain little man is pretty excited about it. You can be sure I will share some pictures.

Ten
I am, as always, feeling so very grateful for my life, and the abundance I have been gifted.

Wishing you a magical weekend, my friends.

Life Keeps Moving Forward

A funny thing happens when you go away for ten days, life keeps moving forward. While I have been away the life I left behind at home has gone on, an Etsy shop has opened, registrations for my spring workshops have been rolling in, connections were strengthened, and I began to feel like the old me. That last one, beginning to feel like the old me, that one, well that one has me feeling pretty darn amazing. I said in a text to a friend the other day I have my mojo back.

This trip south has been so good for me. Time away with my little man deepening our connection, time by the ocean, walking on the beach, and soaking up the sunshine allowing my heart, soul and spirit to heal, time with my parents, chatting and feeling supported, and time, time to be, to soak up the present moment, and to enjoy slow and simple days. This trip has allowed me to focus on the things that are important to me, and I think in doing so, I have found myself again, the real me, the one that is happy, content, and inspired.

I still have many questions about my future, and many options to explore, but right now, as I sit here writing this post, I feel ready for whatever lies ahead. I know there will be more bumps along the road, there always are, but I feel strong, and most of all, I feel ready to accept the challenges that will come up. Life hasn't been easy the last few months, if anything parts of it have been downright horrible, but you know what, I am here, I am happy, and I made it.

Tomorrow, Reece and I begin our journey home, and I am looking forward to stepping back into my life at home, the life of a homeschooling, homesteading, homemaking mama. I will arrive home inspired, with new dreams and goals to work towards, feeling grateful for my time at the ocean, and blessed, yet again, to walk this path I am on.

Wishing you a lovely start to your week my friends, and sending a little love your way.

Postcards from the Beach

The sand, the ocean, the sun...yes, we have been soaking it all up, and totally sinking into our days here in Mrytle Beach. We haven't been doing much, instead keeping things slow and simple. It feels good, and oh so right after the last few months.

We have enjoyed both sunsets and sunrises on the beach, we have hit our favourite hiking trails for hikes, ending at the beach for shell collecting and wave chasing, and we visited Brookgreen Gardens this morning. We have been swimming in the pool, catching the sun on the pool deck, and taking long walks on the beach. Reece enjoyed his very first visit to an arcade, and I had a little fun playing PacMan. Postcards have been written, and treasures collected, lots of laughs had, and many memories made. It has been a wonderful few days, and the good news is we still have four days to enjoy more of the same.

Mama Collaborative - An Etsy Shop

As a new single mom with the desire to continue living a slow and simple life, that includes staying home with my little man, homeschooling, homesteading, and all the other wonderful things I enjoy as part of this little life I am leading, I have been working to find ways to earn a living that would allow me to continue on this path. Naturally an Etsy shop has crossed my mind a number of times, and has also come up in conversation with friends as I toss around ideas, but the thought of stepping into Etsy kinda scared me to be honest. But all of that changed a few months ago when I was invited to be a part of the Mama Collaborative, an Etsy shop with a group of very talented and inspiring mothers who love to create and who were looking to come together virtually not only to build an Etsy shop, but also to support, encourage, and inspire each other. I said yes without even thinking about it, and I couldn't be happier with that decision. The last few months has seen a wonderful group of women, some I knew, and some I didn't, come together and create not only a beautiful, well stocked Etsy shop, but also a wonderful community that has inspired me, encouraged me, and supported me.

And so, it is with great pleasure that I announce the grand opening of the Mama Collaborative, an Etsy shop filled with beautiful artistic creations from an amazingly, talented group of women. Let me introduce you to these women:

Melody: A yarn obsessed, homeschooling mother of five, aspiring designer and artisan of life. Her creativity and children run amuck in a messy house and untamed garden, in a wild wood, on a mountain in New England. Melody blogs at www.littlehomeblessings.com

Tonya: So happy to be working with these other women to share our creative pursuits. As a mom of seven children, I find joy and beauty in the daily ordinary of raising a family, keeping up with our homestead dreams, and helping to run a family business. Tonya blogs at http://www.naturalearthfarm.net/blog

Melanie: Home school mama to five in New England. We spend our days together creating all sorts of things, attempting to garden, reading good books,and observing the natural world, where we draw much inspiration. http://www.ourashgrove.blogspot.com

Jules:  I'm delighted to be with these inspiring women. I am a mama, a wife, and a lover of all things woolly. We are raising our three kids on a small farm in BC, trying to make as much of our own food, clothing, and furniture. www.alittlecraftynest.com

Kris: I am a mama to four and farmer’s wife who loves all things handmade. We live on a small farmstead in Vermont where we attempt to grow most of our food and raise veggies, milk, eggs, meats and maple for our community. http://www.oldgatesfarm.com/

Elizabeth: Mama to three unschooled boys :: Tiny house living :: Off grid homesteader :: Lover of wool :: Maker of natural goods :: blogs at http://www.thesittingtree.net/

Taisa: I am a mama to three, living in a cabin in the mountains where we homeschool, make stuff and grow a weedy little garden. I am delighted to be joining these amazing, creative mamas in this collaborative. http://heartfullearning.com/

Kirsten: http://littlepennycress.blogspot.com/

So, hop on over and take a peek at what all these wonderful ladies have created, you won't be disappointed. And if you would like to stay updated on the shop sign up to receive our newsletter.

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