Live Free

When I let myself

When I let myself dream - and dream big - this is what it looks like.

I think I'd like to live and work in this world.

When I was a girl, I remember knowing that this is what I wanted - after I spent enough time exploring, traveling, studying...

A life of work and rhythm.

Of simplicity and mindfulness.

Of beauty and function. 

The hard life. The good life. 

To me, there is a profound quality to appreciate about a working farm that maintains not only its purpose but a sense of elegance and aesthetic. Perfection. 

So there it is - my dream existence. 

Children roaming freely in pastures. 

A family garden.

A milk cow. Fresh cheese, butter, and milk. 

Little ones working alongside mama.

Spring time babies.

If we ever move away, I think this farm will be one of my greatest misses. I found this farm our first year here by way of a kindergarten field trip. And I fell in love. Every year since then, we try to return at least once. Some years, we've been fortunate to visit it a couple of times.

It's a working farm as it would have been a hundred years ago. It's a beautiful, hidden gem. Not over the top or amusement park feeling at all. Instead, very real and very soulful. We spent a perfect spring morning there a couple of days ago and we were three of a handful of visitors. 

We always leave thinking...pondering...inspired...to keep at it.  

A Quiet Fall Afternoon

I discovered these photos on my computer a few days ago. It's from a trip home last fall. We stopped at my grandmother's house, not to visit her, because she doesn't live here anymore, but just to walk around, smell, breathe, and remember her and my grandfather's soulful lives together. Their place was so eerily quiet on this warm fall afternoon. So different from my childhood memories of running, hiding, skating, playing in the barnyard with my siblings and cousins. Family dinners under the oak tree in the back yard. Adults sitting in a circle around the kitchen fireplace conversing in Cajun french. Laughter, craftsmanship, hard work, love.

Nothing fancy here, just a little homestead built, pruned, loved, and labored over for a multitude of generations. To me, their lives exemplify living well through the heart, hands, and mind. Walking around on this property inspires me, fills me with gratitude, and makes me smile. Every nook and cranny reminds me of the the good life they lived together. 

 

Out and about

If you know me well, then you know my 'out and about's' are of the predictable and mundane sort. Let's see, the grocery store, post office, bank, grocery store, grocery store, grocery store... On the weekend, I might tackle one or two thrift stores.  Yes, and that's about it!  

But this weekend, my oh my, I put myself out there. The weather was sunny and bright on Saturday. And so I just had the greatest craving to drive alone and stretch my legs, and think uninterrupted thoughts without having to answer "wa ya doin'?" five hundred times.  And I also wanted to see some pretty fabric and yarn.  So off I went to two of my favorite little shops in Austin.  I bought a couple of yards of fabric because the little one will need some "I can do it all by myself" items for the spring and summer months which will be here before you know it.  She is, of course, all about the care of self these days.  More on that (and toddler clothing ideas) later....

I didn't get anymore yarn. Nope. Not until this is done. Alright, let's not go there.  

We were sort of caught up on chores around the house, or at least, we didn't feel like facing them on Sunday. So we took a drive.  Which is something Byron and I use to love to do "before we had children."

Aside: I always get perturbed by people who complain about or compare their life to before and after they "had children."  But here I am saying it too because Bea is not the "let's take a drive kind of child"!  At least I don't say it very often though.  Really, we like having the little Bea around a whole lot. We were quite a bore before we knew her! 

What was I saying? On Sunday we took a drive out to one of our favorite small towns close to Austin. Besides a couple of antique stores, their main street looks like so many other American small towns. Beautiful, yet vacant, brick buildings with for sale or for lease signs adorning their windows. All just waiting to be revitalized. It's always, always fun to do a little antiquing in between herding and buffering a toddler from collectibles and breakables. Good times! Really, it was! My spirit can't be broken! 

And that, my friends, was my weekend. By Sunday afternoon I was exhausted from all the out and abouting I did. And now I should be happy and content at home for another couple of months! 

 

Under the Big Chestnut Tree

Once again, my love for, what seems to be, all things Japanese is reaffirmed.

I came to love Japanese children's songs during my three years of teaching at Casa Montessori. Charlene, the founder of Casa and a wonderful, wonderful, mentor and Montessorian, lived in Japan for several years before coming home to Texas. She's one of those gifted teachers that children remember for their entire lives.  Music time with Mrs. Trochta is something children of all ages never want to miss out on! She really opened my world up to sharing music with children. While teaching there, I learned several little Japanese folk songs through music with Mrs. Trochta! And I loved them all - seriously. True to Japanese culture, even the children's songs are composed with such delicacy and care, while all the while, being utterly simple. Perfection.

It's fascinating to witness children learn lyrics from different languages with as much ease as they learn the English ones. I, on the other hand, have a boring, adult brain that has lost its ability to absorb languages with ease. So it's always a real effort to learn new lyrics in a foreign language. But nothing is as motivating as a sweet little song about playing under a chestnut tree.  

Then three years post Casa (can it really be that long?) along comes Elizabeth Mitchell's new album and I fall in love with Japanese children's songs all over again... 

 

Isn't this video the sweetest...

What are you listening to? 

Weekend Happenings

We had a busy weekend full of outdoor activity and kitchen fun.  I had the camera with me so much and so tonight I uploaded what seemed to be hundreds of photos! I think the overcast skies had me itching to test out the new (to us) light outside. The white balance and saturation was so unusual compared to what I'm use to uploading. So many shots came out super, crazy saturated or bland and washed out.  I did a little touching up on Iphoto to lessen the harshness.  Just goes to show you that the light was indeed different this weekend. 

The photos below were actually taken in sun. As we arrived for a hike in Mayfield Park, the clouds broke and the sun came out. It was very humid and hot, but Bea didn't seem to notice. She had a great time perfecting her footing on the bumpy trails. She loved the challenge! It's so exciting to see the look of pride in her eyes and she conquers the challenges of growing up. The highlight of the hike for mama was when she found an acorn on the ground and decided to keep it in her pocket. Be still my heart. What a little girl she is - collecting things (like round little acorns) and putting them in her pocket! 

Mayfield Park is one of my favorite places to go in Austin. So much to see and explore right smack in the middle of the city. 

Yes, peacocks roam free throughout the park. Bea was intrigued but the peacocks weren't. 

This pretty stone wall surrounds an old farm house and a lush garden area that borders the trails. 

Check out her war wounds! Unfortunately, she's no stranger to mosquitoes! 

I think I'll hop my way down this portion! Ready...set...jump!
    

 

 

A transitional time of year indeed...As we begin to find the first of fallen acorns and such, the delights of summer are still very much with us.  Zinnias and basil make up this arrangement of local blooms!

   

We took a wonderful outing to another one of my most favorite places in Austin. Why, yes...I did have a great weekend! On the way there, we drove beside a pretty little pasture on a back road. There grazed a beautiful black cow and bull and a very handsome oatmeal colored horse. We pulled over to let Bea visit and say hi to them. The cow and the horse appreciated the sentiment. The bull, not so much. We abruptly aborted the scene when the bull began to stump his feet.  Sorry Mr. Bull, didn't mean to intrude! 

 

 
 

Scenes from the gardener. Bea now starts "oohhing" when we drive up into the parking lot. She knows she'll get to roam around the farm, exploring gravel pathways, petting donkeys, and talking to the goats and chickens. She took a three hour nap after the excursion. Can't beat a Natural Gardener adventure!  
 
 

While she napped, I got to work. Fall is really the most interesting time to garden in Texas. 
 
 

And when she woke, we got busy in the kitchen making applesauce and banana bread. The apple corer was very interesting to Bea,though a little frustrating, as she isn't quite ready to turn the handle all the way around. She found that moving the apples from bowl to colander, back and forth, to be more satisfying. Both the banana bread and applesauce turned out delicious! I know what we'll be snacking on all week. Yum, yum. 

I wish with all my heart that apple picking could be one of our fall "things to do" out here.  However, it's just not an easy dream to conquer here in Austin.  Although, Texas does have a few orchards. The closest ones to us are at least an hour and half away. Plus, apples are harvested in August out here.  Who wants to pick apples in 100 degree hot and humid weather?  Not I. I did manage to buy some local apples last week from our coop. They were plum size and okay in flavor. 

What a great weekend! I love productive days home with my family. When everyone is busy working, doing something, to help make our lives more enjoyable and beautiful. I can't tell you how heart warming it is to see Bea want to help out and be a part of our duties as much as she does. She's such a wonderfully sweet and ambitious worker. Plus, when she is engaged in this sort of challenging and meaningful work, she seems to forget that she's toddler and the tantrums practically seize to exist. A real win-win situation for everyone, don't you think?  

    

   

 
 

   

Green Mountains

Here's (well more than) a few photos from our week in Vermont.  What a serene state Vermont is. Internet and cell phone connections were spotty throughout the entire week. We saw one Wal-Mart and about two McDonald's. When there, I constantly have to remind myself that this place is home, is what is normal, to Vermonters.  Dense mountains, tiny villages, miles, hills, and mountains between... Other worldly coming from central Texas and livin blocks away from I 35.

What I'll want to remember about our week: 

Crowe's Bakery and Opera House - mmm...this place had the yummiest pastries, pies, and breads. All made fresh by the owner each morning. Total gem if your goal is to get a made-with-love baked goods fix. 

Singleton's General Store:  where you can get your SmartWools and moose sausage all under one roof!   

Buttermilk Falls:  In the evening, we would hike down to the stream and hold on tightly to our dare devil toddler. Nothing, I mean nothing, would make her happier than splashing and jumping in these cold, rushing waters. But really, it's a beautiful little spot to escape to and it was only minutes from our cabin.

Village libraries: Each small village takes pride in having a library for its community. The libraries are housed in old, beautiful buildings.  The library in the town we stayed in use to be a Methodist church. Sunlight, streaming in through the stained glass windows lit the stacks. Proper libraries can't be beat! 

Cheese: So good and so abundant.  

Beer: Byron mentioned to me last night how he was missing his Long Trail brews. 

Milk:  when running low on milk for Bea, we made sure to stop at the very next farm on our route to get more for her (and us). We love our milk. And we loved being able to patron a farm (instead of a grocery store).  

 

Farmer's Diner: Very pleasant surprise. After snagging a second super cheap copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle at a used bookstore in Maine, I fell in love with Kingsolver's memoir all over again. One night, while up late reading, I opened the book to the chapter on their summer road trip. While in Vermont, Kingsolver's family ate at a place called the Farmer's Diner. So I did a google search (I think I had to drive up into town to get a connection for my phone) to find out the location. The next day, we travelled through Middlebury and had our lunch there.  It was perfection. So good. And so worth the hunt!

Beautiful drives: I can only imagine the stunning scenery that autumn offers. One day I will experience September/October in New England!  

To be honest, we didn't spend as much time outdoors as we would have liked. The heat wave really put a damper on our hiking and relaxing outdoors plans.  It was hotter in Vermont that week than it was in Texas. And summer in Texas is not the hiking/camping season for us!  

The Sea

Life is settling down after our wonderful getaway last week. We have so many great memories. It was so nice to explore in another part of the country. To be together everyday and to just enjoy each other's company. We talked, we laughed, we sang, we dreamed, we explored, we studied maps, we got lost, we found our way back, and we saw the world through a toddler's perspective (which is always the most refreshing and endearing, don't you think?).  

While in Maine, we stayed at the most lovely bed and breakfast in an 18th century farmhouse.  The hosts were so warm and interesting.  Their lifestyle was so inspiring and I just knew that if time were not an obstacle, so much could be learned from them and their journey to this farm and their life thereafter. The home was cozy and so beautiful. I could of taken photos of the interior forever and never bore - it was that lovely! The grounds were just as inviting. Chickens, a great big organic garden, two work horses, and 200 plus acres of wild blueberries. Bea was in heaven. As were we. 

I can't tell you how comforting it was to be near the coast again. Byron and I were reminded of our days living at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. There's just something about the air and the pace of life that really makes me want to breathe deeply.  

We smelled the ocean.   

We had a lobster roll.
We watched and listened as fishing boats coasted into the harbor. 

We squeezed in a little thrifting here and there.  

And... I got to make it here!  What a lovely little fabric store. Oh boy, it was thrilling to see all of those fabric lines in person. I had to stop twice - the first time to take it all in and then the second time to decide on one yard of fabric to purchase. This was our first time traveling to a new place with a little one. It was so much fun to watch Bea make friends every where she went. Visits to coffee shops, bookstores, cafes, and parks are so much more interesting with a bubbly and curious one year old!  

After spending a few days in the lovely Down East, we left Maine and drove west to the Green Mountains of Vermont. I'll post about our adventures there soon!  

Our Own Beds

Ah...we made it home safely and the little one is having what looks to be the most peaceful of naps in her very own bed. Her recipe for this moment includes all of her favorite comforts: black beans and rice for brunch, a warm bath, soft clean t-shirt, a nice bottle of milk, and clean sheets.  And there you go, wouldn't you want to do what she's doing?  

More on our New England adventure in the coming days.  Right now, I've got some serious unpacking to do and an over grown garden that is calling my name. 

Home...my little home...makes me smile.  

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Toddler Traveling Kit

The little one, Byron and I are taking our first airplane ride since her arrival fifteen months ago.  Ah, we can't wait to get to our destination. If only we could click our heels three times and find ourselves surrounded by tall trees, mountains, and cool New England air. I've tried many times and it doesn't work in real life. That said, we're going to have to board a plane. I'm crossing my fingers and toes and hoping for the best. I've got a very mobile, energetic, and independent toddler to take on board. The airplane ride will certainly require the best of my redirecting skills. Did I mention that she's not a fan of car rides? Yes, she can scream and holler like nobody's business when she's strapped down. I've tried all the tricks (except popping in a DVD or sedatives) and I've come to find out that she has a mind of her own.  

So I've created a little flying kit for her. I made her a little backpack which she can use on the trip and when she returns home. I'll keep a variety of little objects that I hope will capture her attention and help her to forget that she is unable to move around.  She really enjoys the challenge of learning how to open and close right now. So I have a variety of containers which open and close in different ways. Also, I've thrown in some crayons and an art pad for her doodling pleasures. My mom sent her an old cell phone and an empty make-up compact. She's obsessed with cell phones so I'm hoping that this will be a hit. The makeup compact has a mirror and a powder pad.  I've also included a tiny photo album, two books, and a pocket doll. 

Wish us luck!  

 
 

Seven:: 30 Days of Summer

What are summer months without a little time spent traveling - perhaps to places faraway, new, and unfamiliar or to places so comfortable one could navigate to and through them in blindness? 

Last week, we spent some time with family and good friends in Louisiana. Every summer we return home for a week or so. We spend time at my mom's. Catch up and hang out with my siblings, and squeeze in time to visit with old friends. Bea had a blast this year! She loves, loves her older cousins. I wish she could play with them more often! And of course, she loves her granny. And her granny loves her.  

I'm posting from this past week since I left the laptop at home. And though I did manage to peak into the internet world a bit here and there, I couldn't commit time to posting on a day to day basis. 

It's been so very, miserably hot here in the south lately. And humid. Oh lord, the humidity is fierce. While in Louisiana, I asked my brother. "Have summers always been this horrible? Or are we just getting old?" "Nah, it's not us. They're hotter." he said matter of factly.  

Anyhoo, we've been spending lots of time dodging the outdoors or else finding water to accompany us while outdoors. Such is summer in the deep south I suppose. 

We did manage to enjoy one pleasant evening on my brother and sister-in-law's front porch. The evening started off "warm". But in my brother's words, the night would "only get better". The breeze picked up ever so slightly as the temperatures dropped below 90! Ah, relief! In my book, nothing much compares to front porches and loved ones. Especially once the little one is fast asleep!  

By the way, isn't their porch the cutest? Who wouldn't want to hang out there!