Our House

"Why spend all the money for fancy details and stuff? You don't need it. You can get the passion with simpler things."
Frank Gehry, architect



Adding to our family has made us ponder our current living situation. We have just over 1,300 square feet in our home. With two dogs, a cat and two- going on three, children, it's getting a bit cozy. Some days I feel like all I can see are kids' toys and clutter surrounding me.

This year we are celebrating ten years of home ownership. We have friends who have upgraded in size and substance, but also have presumably added years of house payments.
There is so much I would love to upgrade in our current home that it makes me wonder if we too should scrap those ideas for the future and head for the bigger and better now and join the ranks of people with fabulous homes and long years of big mortgages.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about these choices. I want to share with our children the love and beauty of simplicity. I want them to be content, but striving to improve. Learning to balance these values is difficult in our culture. It seems that so many equate bigger with being better. We are surrounded by big homes, big cars, big stores - but so often they are lacking in character and filled with unhappy people who bought into the idea that buying more would make them happy.

Our home is humble, but will hopefully be full of love and good memories. It's going to take some creativity to make our current space work to the full potenial. That involves scaling back in what comes in to our home in the first place.

So, for now, we are staying put. Choosing to bring in things we not only love - but are of quality and high function, and attempting to banish the clutter and live more consciously. In some ways it sounds like a new, great adventure and I think we're going to have a good time and hopefully set a positive example for our children along the way.

Quote of the day

"The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely."

Louisa May Alcott

A Peaceful Holiday

After an eventful year with two active little boys and the exciting news we are adding a baby girl to our family this spring, we are enjoying a quiet, peaceful, snowy Christmas holiday.

Although we mananged to bake and frost sugar cookies, and get some holiday shopping completed, we neglected to pick out a Christmas tree with all the excitment of the impending holidays. My dad had provided some freshly cut cedar trees from a ditch in the country that we planned on setting up by our front door so at the last minute on Christmas eve, my husband grabbed one and set it up in our house. It was a simple tree with no ornaments or garland, but I think it might have been the best tree ever. The boys were thrilled to not only find presents had been delievered by Santa, but a Christmas tree as well!

For a short time in our home it was really this quiet and peaceful. A very Merry Christmas for all of us!

Snowflakes

Winter is one of my favorite times. A cold time to celebrate coziness and comfort food.

Some years a go my sister-in-law gave me some beautiful handmade snowflakes for Christmas.

I think they are meant to hang as ornaments on the Christmas tree, but I hung ours in a stairwell window. I've left it up year-round because I thought it was too pretty to only display once a year. The other day I really noticed it again, hanging against a frosted up wintery window. The little snowflake is so simple, but so beautiful, reminding me again of the beauty of the season.

Jane Cumberbatch Inspiration

image via barnesandnoble.com

Many years a go I stumbled across the book, Pure Style Living, by Jane Cumberbatch. This book helped change my life. The ideas that she presents are so simple, but so meaningful when it comes to a living a simple yet meaningful life. My local library would proabably appreciate it if I bought the book one of these days as I've checked it out so many times.

Some of the chapter names are: Eat, Work, Garden, Rest, Play, Wash, Sleep.

Ms. Cumberbatch talks about the importance of good food, working in the soil, a comfortable bed with good quality sheets and other great things like that. She also talks about the importance of Nature, Smell, Texture, Architecture, Function, Order, Fabric and Colour. (Which reminds me, Why do Americans not use the "U" when spelling "Color"? It seems so nice with the "U".)

Anyway, I think Americans many times have traded quality for quantity and it hasn't done us any good. We have given up healthy, savory food for fast, easy and often tastless food. We are overweight for eating food that maybe wasn't even worth it. We live in big crazy houses filled with lots of things that really aren't paid for. We buy more plastic totes to store things in without really considering if we love the things we put in them.

Less is truly so often more. The quality of the blankets we sleep under maybe is what really matters, not so much the number of blankets we have stored in the hall closet.

Imagine my total delight when I found out Jane Cumberbatch has a youtube web channel?
It's like she's giving me my own personal design and living tips! It looks like she's just getting started, but I'll be tuning in for future video posts!

I think I'll have to go to the library and check out her book again soon - maybe it's time for a refresher course on PureStyle Living.

Inspiring Lists

I love to make lists.
I love to read lists.
I print cool lists I find in books and on the internet and then carry them around with me to read when I'm bored or uninspired. Putting the lists of ideas into action is sometimes a little tricky for me, but I often find them so inspiring. I recently ran across a list of ten little things that I've been thinking a lot about lately. The new cool list comes from Martha Stewart's body + soul magazine. They call it
10 Tenets of Whole Living and I think they make a lot of sense.

Ten Tenets of Whole Living
1. Happiness is a choice. Make that choice today and every day.
2. Good health isn't a gift; it's a habit you cultivate.
3. A healthy, fit body is not enough--true fitness engages the spirit.
4. Think more about what you should eat than what you shouldn't.
5. Laugh at yourself. You're funny.
6. Nurture your spirit. It's your source of strength.
7. Stay connected to the natural world. It will feed your soul.
8. Believe in yourself. Your intuition is rarely wrong.
9. It's never too late to take the first step toward your aspirations.
10. What you pay attention to will thrive.

I'm feeling a bit more inspired after reading these ideas and might try to ponder some of these things a little deeper and maybe try to put some of them into practice.

Raspberries!

A couple of weeks a go our little family drove about thirty minutes north of town to do some raspberry, apple and peach picking.

It was a gorgeous day for a drive to the country and the fruit was gorgeous.

Our oldest son seems to be the perfect height for picking rasberries. He did a great job picking the plump berries and ploping them gently into his bucket. We even managed to see a huge garden spider nestled in one of the bushes. Our youngest son ate as many berries as he could and then managed to somehow dump out his dad's full bucket of berries to all of our dismay.

We also picked some wonderful Gala apples and some peaches that we were able to enjoy for quite some time. I'm thinking we need to go back again soon. I heard the peaches were done for the year, but there are still raspberries and now the Braeburn apples are ready. Maybe we should try for some raspberry jam for this winter?

Goldenrod gone crazy

Last spring I was at a wonderful plant sale. There were probably thousands of plants to choose from. I picked some nice perennial grasses and some geraniums. For some reason I saw some goldenrod that seemed so cute. I thought of the delightful yellow that could withstand hot, dry summers. I thought of the bees that would visit for late summer snacking.

Well, the goldenrod was planted in the little mess of perennials we have in our backyard. I didn't do much to plant it or take care of it, but here we are, the beginning of September and the cute little plant I brought home in the spring has taken over. It's reaching almost three feet high and has to have a little belt around it's waist to support it from toppling over. A beautiful cheerful yellow it is indeed, but it is like a wild child that has taken over. The bees came in droves to partake of its tasty nectar.

I'm left really wondering what was going through my mind last spring. Why did I think bringing this gangly girl home was a good idea?

I'm now feeling guilty that I can't wait to find a better home for this wild child. I've thought about chopping the whole thing down right now so the grasses and geraniums that have gotten lost underneath could have some breathing room, but have hesitated because the bees are still visiting. I'll give it a bit more time to enjoy it's first year of crazy rebellion and then I'm off to find a better home for this wild child. I hope she'll forgive me.

Things I Love - Moss!

images via flickr:
1. Moss worlds, 2. moss hdr, 3. Moss, 4. Oxbow - Mushrooms and moss growing on dead conifer, 5. moss & stone, 6. Leaves and Moss, 7. moss, 8. Moss Terrarium, 9. moss..., 10. Moss covered rocks along a trail leading from La Pont Blanc, 11. Moss on stone in moss, 12. Beautiful moss, 13. Acorn on moss, 14. Up close and personal with moss again ;-), 15. Moss Tree, 16. Field of Moss, 17. Moss in Cascade, 18. Moss, 19. Moss, 20. The Secret Life of Moss

The sight of lush green moss is a delight all year round. It seems like you find it when you least expect it. Walking through the woods, kicking some leaves around, you turn around a tree and there it is. If you go looking for it is often elusive.
I dream of putting my bare feet gently on a bed of moss beside a brisk stream.
Quietly beatiful, moss.

Snow in Summer

The middle of summer is full of air conditioned days eating popsicles and running through sprinklers. It's walking the dogs long after sunset and riding bikes early in the morning. It's renting movies to watch during the hottest part of the afternoon. It's full of fresh tasty food from the garden and catching fireflies. After a time I start noticing fall like recipes of soups and breads. I start thinking about what fall and winter little boy clothes might need to be replaced for the upcoming change of the seasons. I start thinking about the long, cold, winter nights that make us long for a warm south wind. In the middle of summer, winter seems so far away. Like it couldn't even be possible that it wouldn't stay warm like this.

I also stop and take a look at the lush Annabelle Hydrangeas at our front door that in the dead of winter are lonely brown reminders of a summer past. But in the middle of summer they are like big snowballs begging to be thrown high in the air.

Counting with my boys

Little Golden Books have been around since the 1940s.
The were staples of my childhood as they were for so many others. Having my own children has provided me with a great excuse to read them all over again. I've always thought the art work in so many of the books was beautiful. Apparently the art world is acknowledging some of the art as well. Although I doubt I will be able to attend the exhibit I can still share the books with my boys.
The newest Little Golden Book we are enjoying at our house in My First Counting Book by Lilian Moore, pictures by Garth Williams. The baby animals and their surroundings are beautiful and the simple rhymes are fun for both me and the boys. If you haven't read it in a while I highly recommend it!

Things I Love - Red Gingham!

images via flickr
1. Sew Pretty Homestyle Pincushion, 2. CherryCushions, 3. Bonne Maman Jars, 4. a taste of winter, 5. new curtains for the kitchen, 6. Kitchen curtains enjoy a Spring break., 7. Summer morning, 8. The Kitchen Curtain, 9. Kitchen cabinet, 10. nuturing, 11. Lots of jars of buttons and such, 12. Vintage Gingham Fabric, 13. Red Gingham Shirt 3T, 14. gingham, 15. Linen and Gingham, 16. invitation closed, 17. Gingham tablecloths, 18. Red Gingham Interior, 19. Get Gingham, 20. Gingham

It all goes back to childhood doesn't it?

I mean, so many of the things that I love were from fond times during my childhood.

Memories of sights and sounds and smells stay with us for years.

My first real bedroom was in the basement of a little bungalow. My new baby brother had recently taken over my upstairs bedroom so my mom set out to make a wonderful little space for me in what had been a dark and dingy basement room. She made a beautiful red gingham bedspread for my big girl bed and I received a handmade white and red gingham quilt from my Danish great-grandmother.

Although, my little room was probably not like something out of one of today's decorating magazines, in my eyes it was one of the most special rooms of my life.

Although I quickly grew out of my red and white gingham decor, my mom kept my bedspread and of course the quilt.

I think from these memories my eye is drawn to the red and white checks. They always make me smile and seem to perk things up a bit. Perhaps the cheery fabric is in my scandinavian genes somehow, trying to brighten up cloudy days. When I was a expecting my first baby I knew I had to include some red and white gingham somehow. My own mom made the cheery checkered curtains for my little boy's room. Although my husband thought they looked a bit like some Italian tablecloths hanging in the windows, for me they somehow brought it all together, all the way from my great-grandmother from Denmark. I think my son is outgrowing the curtains a bit now, but they have made his room a happy cheery place as I had hoped.

Simple, yet loved.

Red Gingham

Things I Love - Metal Buckets!

Images via flickr

1. bucket load of snow, 2. unbloomed, 3. is, 4. Tulips, 5. too late too, 6. Flower Buckets on the Bloemgracht, 7. flower buckets, 8. Garden, 9. Spring Fever !, 10. Flowers, 11. G A R D E N I N G, 12. Metal buckets..., 13. Maple Buckets, 14. Summer bucket (Sommerspann), 15. metal bucket, 16. Holy Buckets

Maybe it's a strange thing, or an interesting thing, but I've always loved a metal bucket.

Shiny new ones or old ones with obvious wear and tear.

I think they are wonderful year round.

They hold Spring Tulips, Summer Zinnias, Fall grasses and buckets of snow with candles to light the way on a winter night.....

Oh, the possiblities!

They function well full of soapy water when washing a kitchen floor or holding rolled up cloth napkins at a backyard dinner party. They are a good stand-in for a trash can and are good at carrying birdseed when filling feeders. The big ones with lids are great at holding dog food at our house and small ones with handles can also hold lots of legos!

Most have handles so they are easily transportable, but are a bit heavy enough so they don't tip over.

Simple things, Loved things.

Metal Buckets

Salad Ideas

photo via Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times

I know everyone seems to be excited about Mark Bittman's "101 Simple Salads for the Season", but I can't help thinking and talking about it too. I appreciate Mr. Bittman's Minimalist cooking ideas and I love to eat salads.

I rely on a usual salad during the week. Mixed organic baby greens, that I either receive in our CSA box or that I pick up on sale or at a big box store, buying club (to my dismay), and then I usually add tomatoes, cucumber, bits of red onion, sliced and roasted almonds, chunks of grilled chicken, and finally some shredded parmesean. I usually top it with a balsamic vinaigarette that I pick up when on sale.

This is my go-to, never tire of salad. It's easy to plan for and throw together. It's easy for me to get it all ready the night before so I can just grab it and head out the door to work if I take it for my lunch. If the guys at my house all want to eat big pasta dinners for supper I can quickly make this salad and eat it instead.

But, sometimes it's good to break out of your routine right?

The NY Times article is amazing for giving new ideas. I mean, have you ever thought about number 13? (A red salad: Combine tomato wedges with halved strawberries, basil leaves, shaved Parmesan and balsamic vinegar) or how about this one: 78. What happens when your Chicago hot dog falls apart: Toss together tomato wedges, chopped pickles, hot peppers, shredded lettuce and a few slices of broiled or grilled hot dog. Dress with a vinaigrette made with mustard (should be yellow for authenticity, but ...) and celery salt. (You could throw in freshly made croutons; inauthentic, but better than a hot dog bun.)

I'm not sure the hot dog salad is something I'll ever make, but you get the idea.

There are lots of interesting things that Mark Bittman suggests. Some ideas are definitely worth looking into!

A delicious summertime dinner

We have been brainstorming on what new things to eat this summer.
It's so nice to think ahead with meal planning. And it helps with the budgeting and managing life with little kids.
Since I'm the dreamer and my husband is more the do-er, it works well for us for me to come up with a meal plan for the week and then leave my husband alone to make the meals.
We rely on old standbys week to week and then summer comes along and seems to throw everything for a loop.
We have little outdoor activities that come up like bike riding, playing in the sandbox and going to a family swim night, so my husband has less time to prepare and cook. We don't like heating up the house during the summer so we like to keep things a bit simple.
Since subscribing to the C.S.A. we have sort of had to live on the edge, waiting to see what arrives in the box each Thursday. Although we are loving the surprises, it's harder to plan a full week ahead.
I ran across this recipe here and thought it sounded so wonderful. (It's pretty good is one of my new favorites!)
We had everything on hand except for the puff pastry and goat cheese. The garlic, onions, tomato and basil all came in our CSA box this week so on our grocery trip today we picked up the pastry and cheese.
I'm thinking that everything might be better with puff pastry!

Here's the pastry, carmelized onion & garlic and goat cheese:

Here's with a slice from the gigantic heirloom tomato and basil grown locally:

A little sliced parmesean:

This photo isn't the greatest, but they smelled delicious right out of the oven!

And here's the final product:

All the flavors really came together with this one. It also seems like a great recipe to have some variations with. I could see putting all sorts of things on a puff pastry. We had some fresh zucchini fries as a side to our tomato tarts and that was pretty tasty too. I could envision adding zucchini to these tarts. Some pine nuts might be nice....the ideas keep coming.

It's giving me all kinds of ideas for meal planning! Puff pastry might be something to always keep on hand!

(I should add that our kids weren't big fans of this. Our youngest son, who loves pizza, gave it a really good try, but wasn't interested. Our oldest son wouldn't even try it. They both agreed that they preferred cold cereal for breakfast, so they were easy to please tonight!)

Another photo from the trip to the park

Another photo from the trip to the park, originally uploaded by HarbingersofHappiness.

Testing from flickr!

A walk in the park

Today was a nice day!
My husband took the boys to church and I stayed home and had a wonderful leisurely bath without any little kids trying to barge their way in.
We had a quick little lunch and then both little boys and I took naps!
(My husband enjoyed a long solo bike ride too!)
We met some friends at a local park that we always seem to forget about. The kids played on the playground for a while and then we parted ways.
The park has some scenic drives and antelope, buffalo and geese.
The wildlife are behind fences so they they are admired from afar, but the boys really loved it and I had forgotten how peaceful it is.

We need to go back for a picnic sometime!

An Organized Closet!

We've lived in our house for over nine years and I've never made an attempt to organize my little closet in the eaves. I finally decided that of all the home improvements that could be made, this was one that might inspire me to do all sorts of stuff!
We have a friend who does carpentry work and he made some wonderful pantry shelves for us years a go. I finally got around to asking him to make some shelves for my closet. So, for a mere $100, he measured and then disappeared for a week, showing up with custom...nothing fancy mind you, but wonderful custom made shelves!
You can see how horrible it was before.
I forgot to take some before photos of what it was like with clothes in there, so the first are photos of a pretty empty closet. Only one lonely shelf just off the floor. I had rubbermaid tubs in there to store out of season sweaters and the like and shoes were just jumbled in piles.

And here's a photo of what it was like with all the contents piled in heaps while he worked:

And here are the newly installed shelves!

So then I set to task getting rid of tons and trying to figure out where to put everything:

I don't think the photos quite do it justice. I am so very excited about this home improvement!

I am still looking for some baskets or nice bins to put on the floor to keep shoes in. I'm also trying to think about what other items I could store in there.

I think in the next year our bedroom is going to get a complete overhaul.

We painted it nine years a go when we moved in and it's feeling a little dated.

It's amazing what an organized closet will do for morale!