Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Holistic Living
Gratitude
This morning I am so very grateful for…
~brightly colored tulips dotting our flower beds.
~the scent of fresh coffee steeping in my french press.
~kindergarten-sized hands planting seeds in rich soil.
~ballet and tap shoes strewn across the floor, mixed with some lovely pink feathers, in preparation for an upcoming dance recital.
~the Nadig family and the crew at Eikman’s Processing, and the delicious pork our family is now able to eat throughout this year.
~four garden beds beginning to sprout with life. (I’m just choosing the ignore the other 13 beds that are filled with dandelions and soil untouched since November. Ahem.)
~evenings spent discussing Nick, and Daisy, and Gatbsy…oh my!…with my husband, in preparation for The Great Gatsby movie release Friday.
~family who live close enough to spend Sunday with in celebration of Mother’s Day.
~only three more weeks until both of my babies are done with school for the summer! (How did the year go so fast? Oh my.)
~the peanut butter cookies I am about to bake…and eat for breakfast 🙂
Wild Abandon
Why is it that so often we as adults feel swept up by our to-do lists, errands and the like? Recently, it has seemed that my life is whizzing by in one quick to-do-list blink.
But it was when I observed my two little ones over the weekend, that I yearned for the wild abandon they seem to live their lives by. It awakened in me something that had been held down by all those things I thought I had to do. But, in all reality, do I really need to get all those items crossed of my list? Do I really need to get all the laundry done? (I mean let’s face it…It is never really done is it?)
So, with that, I have decided to try my best to live a little bit more like my girls. With at least a hint of that wild abandon they embody on a daily basis, and a bit more mindfulness, I venture into the rest of this week.
I hope all of you can find some carefree freedom as you move throughout this week.
Kicking Things Off
It’s official. The school garden at The Cathedral of St. Peter School is fully under way! Sunday afternoon, we hosted a School Garden Kick-Off Festival where students and their families were able to peruse the garden space, take a look at our fabulous garden sign (hand-crafted by my father-in-law and decorated by the students of St. Peters), and visit with some very special guests.
We were so very fortunate to be joined on Sunday by Father Beekman, who blessed the garden space; Andrea Hazzard of Hazzard Free Farm spoke with families about growing and cooking with grains; Dick Zander of Zander Nursery met with students and their parents to discuss how to grow the best tomatoes in town; and Chef Paul Sletten of Abreo and Social visited with guests to discuss cooking with fresh produce. It was truly a wonderful afternoon. The weather could not have been more beautiful, and we were so thankful for all of the families who came out to help ring in this exciting new program for our school.
The entire day left me feeling a great sense of gratitude for all the Earth provides, and how her beauty and bounty can truly bring people together for the greater good. I cannot wait to see what wonderful adventures await the students of St. Peters as we venture forth with this new endeavor.
Kairos
Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Breaking Ground
After much anticipation, last week we began work on our school garden! Today I am thrilled to take you on a quick tour of our progress thus far. So strap on your garden boots, here we go…
We have a bit of structural work to complete this week because we are hosting a “School Garden Kick-Off Festival” on Sunday, where there will be garden tours, local farmers and a chef…oh my! We then hope to get the kids planting next week. I cannot wait!
At This Moment
At this moment I am…
~thrilled by the fact that our first plants of the year are peeking out from beneath the soil.
~snuggling with my kindergartener before she heads off to school for the day.
~loading my van with garden tools for another day of work in the school garden at Cathedral of St. Peter School. More on this later this week 🙂
~checking out a fabulous blog another mama passed along to me. It is amazing!
~attempting to craft a plan for tonight’s dinner, knowing I will be out of the house most of the day today.
~making breakfast smoothies for the gals of our house: oranges, kale, sprouts, apples, strawberries and blackberries…yum.
~trying to squeeze in some time to work on a family photo book. The last one I made was from the beginning of the school year, and now we have less than a month of school left. Yikes!
~counting down those last few days til school’s out for summer.
~wishing you a wonderful week!
Kairos
Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Big Sister Baby Brother
This May marks ten years since I graduated from The University of Illinois. (How is this possible I ask you? Oh my!) In honor of our decade since graduating, and the birth of the 15th baby born to my group of college girlfriends, we gathered in central Illinois for some food, fun and fabulous conversation.
And of course with every new birth, there must be presents. I had a bit more vintage fabric in my closet, so I decided to try my hand at a stuffed animal for the new baby, and why not a skirt to match for the big sister? I used the same variation on the Butterick pattern I mentioned in yesterday’s post for the Big Sis Skirt. And I played around a bit and came up with the following process for the stuffed owl. I hope you enjoy!
Step 1: I took a wool sweater I had already felted (I washed it in warm water, then let it dry. Repeat this step several times to shrink the stitching up a bit.), and using the edge of the sweater as my fold, I cut 2 4″ X 8″ strips.
Step 2: Placing right sides together, sew around 2 sides of the strip, leaving the top open. (I actually sewed two lines of stitching to strengthen the edge.)
Step 3: Turn right side out, and stuff the “legs.” Set aside.
Step 4: I then used the cuffs of the sweater and cut out two ovals. Then take remnant fabric and cut out two more ovals a bit smaller than the first two. Stitch the smaller oval on top of the larger, sew on a button and your eyes are done.
Step 5: Again using remnant fabric, cut out a triangle for the nose.
Step 6: Draw an owl pattern on a large sheet of paper. Take a large piece of fabric, fold it so the right sides are together, trace the owl pattern and cut out both pieces.
Step 7: Sew the eyes and nose to one of the owl cut outs.
Step 8: Place one owl-shaped piece down on a table (right side facing up). Pin each leg in place along the bottom of the owl.
Then place the second owl-shaped piece on top with the right side facing down.
Step 9: Sew around the outer edge of the owl, being sure to capture both legs in your stitching. (Again here, I also sewed two lines of stitching to strengthen the edge.) Be sure to leave about a 2″ opening so you can feed the fabric back through and stuff the owl.
Step 10: Feed the fabric and legs through the opening, and remove pins. Stuff the owl and then sew shut the opening.
Spring Sewing
I can feel it. Spring weather is on its way. It has surely been slow in coming, but I think it is just around the corner. For that reason, I tucked myself in behind my sewing machine to craft some Spring goodies for my girls. Using vintage fabric I found at a thrift store, I made a slightly adjusted version of Butterick B5757 for my oldest daughter.
And then I made a mini-verson of the maxi dress from this wonderful blog for my youngest. I kid you not, both of these pieces took under 30 minutes total time to sew. This mama has got to make a few more of these quick projects to finish off the girls’ spring wardrobes.
Making of a Home 