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November 2015

My Advent Tea Journal ~ Gifts from the Heart

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Happy Monday, my friends! Blessings to all in this brand new season!

And oh, do I LOVE Advent. It's such a lovely time of anticipation and preparation, a stilling of the world in some ways (yet a rushing in others), as we journey towards the most beautiful night of the year. Today I am sitting down to tea, catching my breath (it is Monday after all!) and taking a little time to think about the Season ahead ...

(How I'd like it to be - and not be.)

Well, there is much involved in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and that includes gift-giving. And every year I hope to make as many gifts as possible (in the physical or spiritual sense), but as time and energy dwindles, I find myself ordering things from Amazon at the last minute, and feeling immensely grateful for my Prime membership's two-day free shipping! I yearn for a non-commercial holiday, yet it's such a challenge every year! The material world (and my own busy-ness) work together and conspire against me! Even so, ever the eternal optimist am I, and this year I aim to make as many gifts as possible with my boys' help, and to come up with offerings that would be much appreciated by those that we love. In short, gifts from the heart (and hands).

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic!

* Do you try to create gifts at this time of year?

* Are you super-organized (as I always wish I'd be) and start your gift-giving early each year, by starting projects, growing things, gathering materials, and just generally planning ahead?

* How do you encourage your children to give in a thoughtful manner? Even if their gift is something they've bought, they can put their hearts (not just their monies) into the selection.

 More on how you can share your thoughts on this theme at the end of this post, but for now, let me open my Tea Journal and share my notes with you ...

What refreshments am I enjoying this week?

This week it's Taylor's Scottish Breakfast Tea and a freshly baked star cookie. Not quite the "Swedish" spice cookie I was aiming for, but close enough! I usually like to bake shortbread on this particular feast day (St. Andrew of Scotland) because for one thing, I'm Scottish! And for another, I love shortbread! But today I was hoping to make some Swedish star cookies because I recently learned (through Ancestry DOT com) that I am in fact, 4% Scandinavian!

So since we're all about "stars" here this week, I decided to make some gingerbread star cookies. They're not technically Scandinavian, but I'm going to pretend they are ... ;)

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And I will confess to you, dear readers: this is not a homemade recipe, but some commercial, roll-out dough purchased at the store. It was just that kind of day - if we were going to have cookies, they were going to happen this way or no way! Also, as you can see, my stars are pretty wonky. The dough just would not cooperate!

(They still tasted great, though ...)

And how about this new mug? Isn't is sweet?

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I found it at HomeGoods recently for all of $5. (How could I resist?) I love the tiny stars and the four birds returning "HOME" (to the nest) ... :) 

Now, you may notice my nest chair is not where it's been in past posts ... well, I've been "remodeling" (re-feathering?) my nest a bit this week with an eye toward Christmas decorations. The tree will be going up in this room, so that changes things a little. I'll have a tour up sometime soon ...

What am I reading this week?

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Advent One 1

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In addition to a few children's books that work well with our nature theme this week, I am also reading Advent and Christmas Wisdom from St. Francis of Assisi. This is my daily devotional (along with this and this) and I have a pretty little notepad to use along with it - an informal Advent "journal" where I can jot notes as I read. :)

 

(Note: In a separate post I'm going to outline our nature-inspired Advent plans for this year - which I keep hinting at, but not really explaining, lol! I don't mean to be secretive (as if!) but I don't want to bog down my Tea post with too much about all of that.)

What am I listening to this week?

A lovely CD I purchased years ago, recorded by a homeschooling family, Eventide Lullaby, as well as my own humming as Little Bear settles to sleep - tuneless, but still soothing, thankfully. Today, it was one of my favorite carols. :)

 What am I working on this week?

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Crafts for the first week of Advent - using as many natural materials as possible (some found and some purchased), and making handmade gifts with the boys. I'm also arranging a quiet manger corner in the living room. This will slowly be built up over the next four weeks, according to our nature themes. As you can see, we have a few donations already ... :)

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They don't tend to stand still, though. :)

Oh! And I made up a little frame for myself ... seen here at the far right of the sill:

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This is a $1 acrylic frame found at the craft store. I printed out the Christmas Novena as well as a pretty nativity picture and cut them to fit the frame sleeves. A perfect reminder for the season!

What's happening in nature?

Ok, here's a new idea ... I am going to record a short nature video each week to share with you. A little commentary on our weather and how the season is unfolding and what we're up to in nature each week. I could not - for the life of me! - figure out how to share a video directly in this post, but I was able to get one up at my Facebook page. I believe anyone can access it whether they are FB users or not ... I hope you enjoy!

November Woods

 

A project with the children this week:

Well, most importantly - and with but moments to spare - we began our Advent calendar, with an apple candle on Sunday ...

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A tiny beeswax tea light is stuffed just inside ... and one apple is placed at each one of the table's four corners. 

(They may or may not be eaten by squirrels ... but that's just part of the fun.)


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A rock a day ... 24 in all. And beneath each one is a word, leading up to a verse. A little mystery to solve ...

And in the center of the table, a plain white, battery-lit candle. I set the candle to turn on each day as the sun lowers and to turn off around eight. We can see this table from the kitchen nook window, and it has been quite the focus of attention already ...

Waiting, wondering ...

We are also spending our outdoor time gathering twigs (as mentioned in the video) and little stones for crafts. And of course, getting busy with some of those crafts:

seashell ornaments * a pebble-filled grotto * yarn stars * twig stars * shell candles * grinding spices with a mortal and pestle * filling hand-sewn felt sachets with said spices ...

Will all of it get done? Not very likely ... but we'll do our best and pace ourselves, and hopefully make some nice handcrafts for our tree and our family and friends.

Now, I was thinking about the older boys, and how to involve them in our family Advent plans. It gets harder as kids get older to "reach" them and secure a little of their time! They will certainly be taking part in some of the activities, and helping with the youngers as they can, but I'd like to make this season a meaningful time for them as well. My plan is this:

  Each evening, they will think about the next day and decide on a small gift to give of themselves: to a friend, a family member, a teacher, etc. It might be hard to think of actions at first, but depending on their schedule, and who they'll be seeing, it should be easy enough to come up with some small token of affection or charity. It might just be a kind word or gesture of some sort, or even just an extra prayer. After all, the best gift we can prepare for the Baby Jesus each year is simply to treat others as we would treat Him.

"What can we give him? We can give him our heart ..."

I'm not asking them to keep track of this or even share what they've done if they'd rather not. But I think we can discuss this over supper each night and help call their attention to potential situations where they might give a small gift of their heart ... if they think and plan ahead it should be easier to pass out those "gifts!"

Words to inspire:

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mystery." ~ Albert Einstein

I don't even have a whole lot to say about that quote - I only just heard it today! - but it seems to go well with this season. A time of waiting and wondering ... and yes, mystery, too.

How was it possible? How can it be true? How did they manage? It's just such a miracle!

How beautiful would it be it to fully immerse ourselves in this special time? To experience the true spirit of the season - tuning out what the world is shouting at us through our TVs and laptops - and instead find the quiet where we can and just listen? I myself listen best in nature ...

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Peace

Well, my friends, as usual I've rambled on quite a bit, but goodness, do I love this topic and of course, sharing my photos! I hope you will continue the conversation with me - by leaving a comment below, or emailing me your thoughts (with pictures if you'd like!) or perhaps linking me up at your blog? You can reach me at:

> bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com <

I would love to hear about (see!) your tea and talk more about how we can give from our hearts this year. For those we love and those in need ... it's a wonderful time of year for giving, in every sense of the word.

And thanks so much for joining me! I will be back again soon - I have a little nest "assignment" to share this week, as well as some more reader nest posts, too! I will also be back with more details on our Advent with Nature plans ... I'm still figuring them all out because - oddly enough - I kind of let things wait till the last minute this year!

Enjoy the rest of your evening, everyone ... see you here again very soon!

p.s. Here's a link to my Homemade Gifts archive - there are several kid-friendly craft posts there, as well as a blog fair I hosted many years ago, The Loveliness of Handmade Gifts. There are lots of ideas and links in that one! :)


Tea with Friends ... ❤

Good Sunday morning, my friends! And a Happy Advent to you!

Today I have a few "tea and nest" notes to share, beginning with a link to a post written by my dear friend Martha, about her lovingly restored "thinking chair":

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Wouldn't this be a nice spot in which to curl up and dream? :)

By the way, Martha and I worked together eons ago at my very first post-college job, on the "features desk" at a Boston-area newspaper. Martha was, in fact, my editor! And oh my gosh, did we have fun ... "The TAB" is where I first tested my fledgling writing skills on the subjects of food, holidays, home, gardens and kids - before I even had kids! Martha, and our first editor, Celia, were so good to me, allowing a very "green" journalist to try her hand at a new passion. But those were good times - I learned a lot! - and I remember them fondly. Today Martha owns PulpArt, a fantastic Etsy shop where she sells plantable paper crafts - gift tags, ornaments, party favors, and cards, etc. All handmade by Martha, using ancient paper-making techniques - pop on over and take a peek!

***

Now here is a wonderful Thanksgiving Tea shared by Denise ...

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Dawn,


Thank you for inviting us all to Tea Time! I don't have the opportunity to have daily tea with my grands any longer. So, tea time is a bit different now-a-days. I don't have tea every day either (well, in autumn/winter/spring I normally have something hot to start the day!) During this time of starting the Holy Day season, I love that we start with giving of thanks! Thanks to the One who is Creator & Sustainer of all! And oh, the naming! So many things to be named, so many things/people to be grateful for, just leads me into worship of the One who provides the good gifts! Which helps prepare my heart for the Holy Day of Christ-mass!

It is an overcast, windy day. I heard it will be snowing in a couple of days. Much to be done! Moving hay, fixing the well-house (heat lamp or heater?), stacking wood by the woodstove. All of that will have to wait until this afternoon, as I am finishing up in the home office this morning. I had a few tasks for a client and our own to tend to. After I finish this post, I will be heading out of doors!

Refreshments:
I normally have several tea varieties. Today I had a cup of orange-spice. I haven't had time to bake, although if I wanted, I have some oatmeal cookie dough ready to pop in the oven. It is time to replenish my dough stash! I like to have several on hand for when I have the pleasure of having the Grands or company!

Reading:
I just finished reading a novel, light reading. I will be doing reading for Advent & Christmas next. Ann Voskamp's The Greatest Gift AND Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. I am looking forward to receiving a blessing through them!!

Listening to:
During this season, I tend to revisit some old hymns Come Thou Fount, Come Ye Sinners, Be Thou My Vision. I've been enjoying these as recorded by Fernando Ortega. So rich.

Working on:
We are in the "work the plan" phase of Thanksgiving! We started by enjoying our daughter's family last night. Family supper & card games. Oh, and a new made-up game by my grandtwin girl (10yo)! Such fun! I popped back and forth through the grands! Granddaughter/13 was busy making accessories for a Christmas present for her younger sister. 
Grandtwin girl/10 dictated a Thanksgiving letter to me for her dearest friend and cousin. Oh how I miss those days! I was "employed" by her quite often! When she was about 6 she said "When we are working on my books, can you just call me Boss?" (LOL!) Grandtwin boy/10 read a couple of passages from a new book he is reading for school. He also typed me out a paragraph in which I was supposed to correct the misspellings! And Grandson/15 & I walked out towards the pond to see if we could see any geese. He is really wanting to get one this year! I will begin preparing more for Advent & Christmas during the Thanksgiving break. Plus, I will be starting to work on setting up my 2016 planner which I lamented about on one of your Planner Party posts! Something I normally take great pleasure in & I do again thisyear, I'm just not real sure how this is going to go & I am having a hard time getting started. Silly me.

Happening in nature:
As I stated: Windy, overcast today. Blowing in some possible snow or ice. We were trying to identify some new sweet, small birds yesterday. We didn't come to a conclusion.

With the (grand) kids:
I've attached a picture of our "Thanksgiving Table." This is a table in a sitting area, looking out our south-facing windows. We all add to the Thanksgiving tree, you will see in the picture. We will be finishing up the Thanks Living Box. They enjoy that year after year!

Quotations:
Here are my sentiments I sent out in my Thanksgiving greetings, to family & close friends.

"To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent, O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto You forever." Ps 30:12 Oh! Let me not be silent! The end of all we experience in this life:  To sing praise to Him and give thanks, FOREVER!! Praise His holy name!

Keeping it Simple:
For us this year, we are again in mourning. So, we will definitely be keeping things low-key and home-centered. We will have the obligatory functions to attend, and we will do so with a grateful heart, just not as many scheduled as what we might do. We will focus on just the immediate family, for the most part; with the exception of looking to see who we can offer some blessings. A favorite thing for us to do.

Thank you for letting me share tea with you & your readers today!!  I've been working on this email for a while. I was thankful you hadn't set a deadline!

~~Denise

***

Thank you, Denise! I love hearing about your family and how you take tea and where you find inspiration! I appreciate your participation, and I love your enthusiasm! Your family is blessed to have you! :)

And here, my friends, are some Tea Notes from Helena ...

What refreshments are you enjoying this week?
My morning cup of Tasha Tudor's Welsh Breakfast tea, and the odd cup of apple cider with the kids. It's been a bit hectic around here, so I'm happy just to have that!

What are you reading this week?
Just finished the latest in a cozy mystery series I enjoy (The Stitching Hour) and also Teaching from Rest.

What are you listening to this week?
I may have broken my own rule about no Christmas music before Thanksgiving to sneak in a little bit of Josh Groban's Noel in the car. :)

What are you working on this week?
Getting ready for the holiday and also working on a proofreading assignment.

What's happening in nature this week?
I'm down in FL, so a bit different from you guys right now. It actually was chilly the other day (overnight low of 48, that's cold for us). The first strawberries of the season are coming in from the fields, our garden is actually doing well so far, and our neighbor's tomatoes and peppers look great. We're starting to see some of our winter visitors at the bird feeder (our female painted bunting appeared the other day, though no sign of her handsome husband yet) and the Canada geese are appearing on the farm ponds across the road.

Any projects with the children this week?
My husband helped my daughter rearrange and clean out her room, does that count? :) Hoping to get some Indian corn in to soak so the kids can string it for necklaces or garlands, but have to figure out how to get it off the cob first!

Any quotations to share, some words to inspire?
"The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies."  ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

***

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Helena! I'd love to hear how that Indian corn activity turns out!
 
 
And now let's hear from Amy's Tea Journal ... :)

Hi Dawn,

What refreshments are you enjoying this week?
For tea I'm drinking Republic of Tea's Cranberry Ginger tea - tangy and delicious!

What are you reading this week?

I'm reading a seasonal mystery: November Hunt by Jess Lourey. Her seasonal series is hilarious! Also, my stash of old November "Victoria's"

What are you listening to this week?

Thanksgiving channel on Pandora!

What are you working on this week?

I'm a full-time librarian so am prepping Thanksgiving a little bit at a time during the week (tonight: defrosting the turkey breast, defrosting the cranberries, and hard boiling eggs). Went to Trader Joe's yesterday for cranberry chevre and four other types of cheese for Thanksgiving. I'm a DAR member, so sent off a box of necessities for a VA hospital my DAR chapter is sponsoring.

What's happening in nature this week?

I work on a leafy college campus and when I leave work at night the air is so deliciously cold and smells like autumn. The drive into work is lovely too - often very foggy and cool.

***

Thank you for sharing, Amy! You've inspired me to dig out some of my own Victoria collection - they're pretty much perfect "nest" reading in my mind. :)

Friends, I hope you enjoyed this collection of "tea & nest" notes! I love sharing our thoughts on the season and how we find time to nourish ourselves - in simple, meaningful ways. I look forward to talking more tomorrow as we begin our Advent Tea Journal ... I will be "here" around 4:00, but you are welcome to join me whenever! I'd love to hear about your nest ... I hope it's a cozy spot where we can ponder Advent, and take a break from the world! I'll share my own tea and notes, and pics of course! Our discussion theme will be giving "gifts from the heart" and I look forward to brainstorming with you on that! (And I might have another nest "assignment" for you, too!)

I hope you'll join me this week ...

Tea Journal details can be found here, and please send me your thoughts/pics/links here:

bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, my friends ... see you here again very soon!


Advent Plans & Crafts: The Archives!

Happy Weekend, my friends!

I am very late with this post, because as many of you know, Advent begins in the morning! (Or maybe technically midnight, but who's counting?) And you know, I have been blogging for a while now (nearly 10 years) so I have accumulated a lot of Advent-tagged posts over time. But I tend to get wordy and off-topic, and while some of these posts are, in fact, detailed craft projects and long lists of activity ideas, some are simply reflections on the season itself, and some are just posts filled with pretty pictures (usually of trees and sunsets and such).

So I wanted to give you all a way to access just the posts that pertain to crafts and activities if you're planning out an Advent journey with your family ... without having to weed through all the excess! So I went through my archives and re-tagged those crafty/planning posts with the tag, "Advent Plans & Crafts." (Clever, I know.) Then I went and played around with that vintage clipart I like so much and made up a button - which I plugged into my lefthand sidebar. And that will take you right to that archive!

Advent Plans & Crafts Button

:)

It was fun for me to go back through these older posts and revisit how we celebrated our Advent seasons in years past ... and to see all those sweet little faces - when they were still so very little!

But Advent does in fact begin tomorrow and I will have a lot to say on the season in the days ahead. We will share our first Advent Tea on Monday afternoon ... we'll be talking about "gifts from the heart" and our usual tea notes and pics. (Remember, I'd love to hear from you - in the comments or by email or link to your blog!)

And tomorrow I have a lovely post with cozy nests and thankful tea notes from readers to share. I know you will all enjoy it!

But for now, I must wrap up because we have dinner to get on the table and I've been tooling around on my computer long enough. There's a two year old climbing my back at the moment - sorry, make that, two and a HALF year old - and a few older boys wandering about making noises about being fed ...

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends! See you here again very soon!


Our Thanksgiving Day!

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Hello and Happy Friday, my friends! I hope you all had a nice week and for those who celebrate, a wonderful Thanksgiving, too. We had a really nice time with our family yesterday, and as usual, I took a whole lot of pictures that I'd like to share here at the blog!

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We worked on a thankful garland all month, Earlybird and I (and the rest of the family at times, too), but we carried this neat tradition with us into our family celebration. Every place setting had a leaf and a crayon. I was very happy to have the boys' help with cutting out all those leaves!

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And early Thanksgiving morning, EB assisted me in preparing an apple crisp ...

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Had to get it in the oven ahead of the turkey!

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My mother's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, so I made up some spice cupcakes too!

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Each year we have a "signature cocktail" at the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter). This year it was an Apple Cider Margarita - with cinnamon-sugar rims and a tweak of orange inside ... absolutely delicious!

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Here's the table we set up in the living room, to seat six. I went with blue, gold and red to complement the colors of the room.

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A pretty turkey platter that's been in the family for generations ...

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As I arranged the flowers, I kept a few itty bitties in cordial glasses - something nice for my kitchen windowsill!

Turkey tea lights

I found these tiny turkey tealights in a bag of silk leaves - completely forgot we had them!

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A coffee station was set up in the living room ... my folks brought up their Keurig for the day. :)

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You all know how I feel about punch! There must be punch at all parties. This one was a simple mix of cranberry juice concentrate, Sprite and sparkling apple-cranberry cider. Apple slices floating on top made a nice touch!

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The bar was set up on the kitchen jetty, on the kitchen nook side so as to keep traffic out of the kitchen proper (where my Mum and I were busy getting stuff done!) ...

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But not so busy we couldn't pause for a picture - and a cocktail!

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Speaking of cocktails - aren't these the prettiest cocktail napkins you ever did see?

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Dinner was served!

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The dining table, in browns, golds and magenta ...

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I LOVE November mums! Especially mine ... :)

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Desserts were served in the living room as window candles came on all over the house ... we had an assortment of pies, the aforementioned cupcakes and apple crisp, sticky toffee pudding and even pumpkin ice cream!

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From my family to yours ... Happy Thanksgiving! Looking forward to celebrating Advent with you all starting next week!

Thanks so much for joining me here today and letting me share our holiday with you. I hope you all had a nice day, too, and that your weekend ahead will bring some peace and refreshment. I will have a follow-up "simplicity tea" post to share tomorrow and then on Monday ... our first Advent Tea! We'll be talking about "gifts from the heart" and I would love to hear from you on that subject ... and any other tea notes you'd like to share. 

See you all here again very soon ...


From Nest to Nest ... ❤

Cozy nest button

Hello, and Happy Wednesday, my friends! We've one more day till Thanksgiving and it will be a busy one for me - but I wanted to pop in while I had a moment and share this lovely nest post from Amy. It is full of her sweet, homey blessings, and this is a perfect day to reflect on our own - I hope you enjoy!

***

Dawn, thank you so much for another opportunity to blog on your blog... since mine is wholly neglected. This is an especially helpful and timely assignment (to find ourselves a nest and to feather it for the season) as I was truly just planning to write out some thoughts to myself about our big old house. I do believe that this giant abode came to us as a gift from our Heavenly Father, it's quite a story how it all happened. And yet, it's big! It's cold! It needs so many repairs! The size of our house is rather inefficient, and I know families with far more children who have much smaller houses, and I can't help but wonder, what are we doing here? And so I wanted to write out our house story and try to look at the bigger picture, try to recapture God's vision for our family at this time and in this house. I thought that it would also help with my feelings of being overwhelmed, if I could maybe grasp at God's purposes.

And so this assignment from you was just the impetus for me to get started. Just yesterday I noticed the gorgeous warm sun streaming through the window over the couch where I often sit, and I knew I had to photograph it. Here are two photos of my regular sitting spots (the third being the kitchen table) with the blessings I was suddenly able to realize. I hope you don't mind my sharing the blessings as the way to explain my "nests." Hopefully someone else will be uplifted by reading this, too, which really is the main reason I visit the blogs of other women!
 
The first photo shows our living room couch, which I sit in often during the day to read stories with our youngest, or at night to do something quiet. It's nowhere near the TV, for which I am very thankful! My night activities (if I get any at all) would mostly include reading a book, knitting, perhaps writing a letter or working things out for myself on paper, or very rarely some internet browsing on my laptop. There are usually some lap blankets there as well but our two-year-old has gotten into a hoarding habit and he has those someplace else in his "tool pile." 
 
Cozy corner amy 1
 
When I look at this photo, I see:
 
- The southern exposure picture window, which lets in sun for most of the day;
- The radiator that my husband lovingly salvaged when we redid the heating system a few years ago - we didn't want to use modern (boring) heaters in this beautiful old home. And this radiator works wonders!
- The bookshelf full of quality picture books, many of which we've been reading for 19 years now. It also houses plenty of saint biographies and homeschool overflow, and puzzles!
- My "end table," again a quality toy which we received as a gift when our oldest was turning one year. We added the second box of Duplos a few years ago. It's just right to be a modular surface. :)
- The mug, which my oldest daughter gave me for last Christmas, full of hot tea, which was soon to be replaced by a paper cup full of decaf Starbucks - thanks to my thoughtful husband! As much as decaf is a disappointment, Starbucks seems to do an acceptable - sometimes even tasty - version.
- Under the couch, the electric keyboard which has kept all five children entertained easily and quietly at different points over the years, and inherited from my eccentric great aunt.
 
The second photo shows the rocking chair next to another bookcase, which really used to be my husband's "nest" and sometimes still is, though I've been sneaking into it during the days when I think I have a few minutes - often when the kids are engaged in the kitchen with a snack. :)
 
Cozy corner amy 2
 
In this photo I see these blessings:
 
-The old rocker from my own childhood, which is just the perfect fit for my husband's frame. He loves that chair and I can see him in it for many more decades.
-The CD player that my husband bought for me to replace our old one, so that I could keep using physical copies of music when he and our older children were going completely digital. I didn't feel that I had good access that way - and now, my youngest stands in that chair listening to his "nap music" for many tracks at a time.
- Attached is the radio receiver, which allows me to absorb quality Catholic programming at any hour of the day! What a blessing that has been, so edifying! 
- My knitting, which I've been able to start up again now that our littlest is becoming (slightly) more independent. (He's hanging on me right now, singing an impatient song...) Though it seems like I'm never accomplishing anything, the minute or two I spend on a single row accumulates into a full-sized heirloom product. 
- The stacks of books: my husband's home brew books mingling with my Bible and classics. Like the knitting, a minute or two stolen away for reading a few sentences does build up over time, and I managed, in those stolen moments, to read a 400+ page biography!
 
Not shown in the photo is another great blessing, another nest, in our living room: the fireplace! We restored it when we moved in, and fit it with an insert, and we've had 8 winters of kids piled up on the floor in front of it with their favorite books. It was also the favored spot for our oldest daughter to do her homework once she was in the public high school. Seeing that fireplace yesterday and remembering all the hours she sat sitting there, maybe reading some Shakespeare for her own enjoyment, has excited me for her return home to us this weekend!
 
May you have a splendid feast with your family, and may all your readers be reminded of God's goodness to us in all the small things.
 
***
 
Amy, thank you so much for welcoming us into your nests - they are lovely! And thank you for sharing your thoughts, I especially love what you say here:
 
"And so I wanted to write out our house story and try to look at the bigger picture, try to recapture God's vision for our family at this time and in this house."
I am of a similar mind when I consider my own home. Our move here 2 1/2 years ago happened in such a crazy flurry of quick decisions - we literally went from planning a remodel of our old home - because we truly loved it there and couldn't imagine moving - to very suddenly deciding to move, then bidding on the third house we saw a week later, and then closing on said house two months later! In a way I felt like we were on auto-pilot, following a plan that we had resisted initially, to reality suddenly making perfect sense. I was so resistant to the moving idea, but woke one morning feeling at complete peace and with an urge to find a more suitable place. I knew this was God helping me make the decision I hadn't been able to make on my own - and giving me deep peace over it. Sometimes I wonder how it all happened in that way! Two months after that morning epiphany we were settled into this new house  - HOME now - and we did it all with a newborn in tow! Anyhoo, I didn't meant to go on like that, only to say that your idea resonated with me ... I want to sit down and write out that whole experience and remember how we came to live in our forever home in a unique and memorable way.
 
But to get back to your post, I love how you interpreted this "assignment." By looking at your nest and seeing the blessings therein ... and what a great lesson for all of us! How does our nest bless us (nourish us), and how can we use it to bless/nourish others? I LOVE this. I will have to ponder this idea a bit - my own new assignment! :)
 
My friends, please drop a note for Amy if you have questions or comments ... and how about you take a look around your own nest today and see all the things there that bless you? The comforts, the joys, the reminders of all the dear people in your life. I hope maybe tonight, on this eve of Thanksgiving, that will give you some peace and perhaps inspiration as well. There is always room for more gratitude in our hearts!
 
Well, everyone, I must be going, but my sincere thanks to Amy for sharing her nest with us, and to all of you for stopping by. I will be offline for a bit while we celebrate the great holiday tomorrow, but you know I will be back here again very soon!
 

From Nest to Nest ... ❤

Cozy nest button

Happy Tuesday, my friends!

As I write (type), the sun is still fairly bright in the sky, it's a chill 42°, and my youngest is (finally) sound asleep. With the rest of the family off fending for themselves, I'm finding some quiet time to sit and work on a post. My mind is straying to the cleaning and baking that needs doing before Thursday, but that all can wait for an hour or so ... because I have another nest to share. :)

This sweet nest belongs to Gill and she enjoys it way across the globe in snowy Norway! (Isn't the Internet grand?) Please read on and enjoy ...

***

Dear Dawn,

Here is my little corner nest, where I have my work basket and magazine rack close to hand. We actually have bright sunshine today after weeks of fog, and the snow is dazzling outside!

Cozy corner gill 1

When I sit here I can see bird feeders in the rowan and birch trees and the view is across two fields to our barns and then to the river, with hills behind. There was a greater spotted woodpecker on the feeder earlier, but now just the usual selection of tits, sparrows, finches and a nuthatch or two. There are usually a few of my hens underneath, foraging for spilled seeds and nuts too!

My mantleshelf is always decorated for the season and beside it, just out of the photo is my small writing desk with my Bible, prayer books and framed family photos on it.

Cozy corner gill 3

As soon as I got up to take the photos for you our smallest kitten hopped up to take my place! She is one of three, now nine weeks old. The curtains are knotted up as a deterrent to curtain climbing (although a previous batch of kittens discovered that they actually make a cosy hammock to sleep inside!). I have my tea in my favourite Emma Bridgwater mug that says, "Mother."

Cozy corner gill 2

It is a peaceful spot, and I can relax to the sound of the clock ticking (it just chimed two) and the whir of the heat driven fan on top of the woodstove. There is a contented purring from the kittens' mother cat as she nurses another kitten and a clattering and scrabbling from a more adventurous one as he explores the room. But now his siblings have scampered off to join him and my geriatric cuckoo clock has called three! It is no longer able to tell the correct time, or even coordinate its calls with the time on the dial, let alone the real time, but it has been a happy accompaniment to my children's whole lives and I love to hear it still! 

This rest time, from two to half past, usually, is always spent in this corner, reading or writing in my journal, or catching up a little online. 😉 In the evenings I sit and work at my knitting, crochet or sewing here.

Thank you for inviting us all to tea! I am looking forwards to the chatting later.

Gill.

***

Gill, there is so much I love about your nest I hardly know where to start! Well, actually, yes I do - I'l start with that KITTEN. Oh my goodness, such sweetness. As you know, I am a cat person too, and I do love black kitties very much. Our first cats were black and whites and calicos - including one all-black, handsome fella. Though I adore my marmalade boys, Archie and Ollie, my first cats will always have a special place in my heart. :)

But back to your nest, Gill! I love these colors, so much. I usually say yellow is my favorite color, but I am always so drawn to red. Especially red paired with cozy colors ... like the tartan plaid of your blanket and the granny squares of your pillow and the pretty embroidery on the napkin tucked under your mug. (LOVE Emma mugs!)

I like how you have so many fabrics at play here, too ... such a great way to add comfort and eye-appeal. And second in cuteness to that kitten is your adorable beehive tea cozy!

And what a sweet mantelshelf to gaze upon, and the view from your windows sounds lovely, too. As I read this passage I thought, Gill's feeders sound exactly like mine - including the hens! (Though "my hens" belong to my neighbors.) And here we are a whole ocean apart ... :)

Gill, thank you so much for taking the time to photograph and comment on your own cozy nest. I so enjoyed seeing it and you have given me some ideas for my own - like digging my Gram's afghans out of the hope chest for starters!

My friends, I hope you enjoyed this tour of Gill's nest ... won't you consider sharing yours, too? Maybe you have a spot of your own, that you always return to (or home, keeping in theme!) or perhaps these posts will encourage you to organize something like this for yourself. It's the perfect time of year to do so!

Please leave a comment for Gill or myself below, and/or you are welcome to email me your thoughts/pics/links anytime that's convenient for you - I'll be posting about nests all season long!

bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com

(Feel free to grab the "nest button" at the top of the post.)

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday, my friends ... see you here again very soon!


My Thanksgiving Tea Journal, 2015

Thanks tea button

Happy Monday, my friends! It's Thanksgiving week here in America, quite possibly my favorite week all year! All over the country, folks are traveling home to their families, looking forward to a day of togetherness, thankfulness ... and feasting! I love spending this week spiffing up my home and setting tables and baking stuff and listening to music ... but most of all, I love that deep sense of just HOW blessed we are to be doing all of this in the first place. To have loved ones to gather with, and a warm, safe home to gather in ... food to put on the table, with some extra to share.

So today I am kicking off my Advent Tea Journal, with a post that is - ok, yes - several days ahead of Advent. But I wanted to start our journey before we get swept up in the season! Does a weekly teatime sound good to you? A brief time each week to sit down (in our cozy nests) and share how we're living the season? 

Well here's what I'm dong on my end! On this Monday and those to come in December, I will share my tea journal notes along with some photos of my home and holiday preparations ... and then I will touch upon our weekly discussion theme. (This week: Simplifying the Season.) And I would LOVE to have you join me! You can leave me a comment here, or send me an email with your own notes and pics, or perhaps link me up with a post at your own blog! (Feel free to grab the tea button here or in this post.) We'll continue our conversation throughout the week, and I'll add you in as the days go by - no rush to get me something by Monday!

> bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com <

Now onward with our Thanksgiving Tea ... are you settled in and ready to chat? :)

What refreshments am I enjoying this week?

Thanks tea 5

My Thanksgiving Tea shown above is a bit "rustic and random" - not quite the "Victoria" moment I had originally envisioned, lol - but all that color and clutter is who I am these days! A sturdy (inexpensive) acorn mug and some ginger cookies to share with my little guy ...

And here's my cute little tea box, a gift from my sister-in-law:

Thanksgiving tea 3

I keep a LOT of tea on hand - some of you might remember my tea drawer from years back? Well nowadays my main tea stash is kept in my pantry, but I like to use this nifty box for holding the teas I'm drinking currently. It holds plenty of packets and fits nicely in a kitchen cabinet. (You could do something similar with a basket or divided tin.)

As for the cookies, well, you all know I love to bake ... but sometimes baking a batch of scratch cookies just doesn't mesh with the overall busy-ness of the household. (And this would be one of those weeks!) But these break-apart cookies are made from natural ingredients so Earlybird can enjoy them along with the rest of us. They could be frosted but honestly, they're even better on their own - they're quite yummy and the seasonal spices really come through!

What am I reading this week?

Thanks tea 4

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids

I've had this book on my shelf for a while now - almost two years! - and I've read bits and pieces, but I'd like to go through it chapter by chapter, slowly but surely. This premise resonates with me, yet I'm a great one for making things more complicated than they need to be. With an eye toward the New Year (as I think about general goals and plans for the months to come as well as our home environment) I'm trying to create a slower world for myself and my kids. More on that as we move forward through the season!

What am I listening to this week?

Do you enjoy listening to music in your nest? I find my normal "household soundtrack" provides plenty of erm, stimulation so to say, so any added sound can be a bit much ... but I do love some music at the holidays!

Thanksgiving tea 3 (1)

This traditional song is pretty much is all I need, and belted out with gusto by small voices is best. This is a page from a beautiful little book of poems, a thoughtful and generous gift from a reader last year. But I also love listening to music from A Charlie Brown Thankgiving and George Winston's Autumn as well as this gorgeous song. Do you have any favorite Thanksgiving music?

What am I working on this week?

We have the honor of hosting our family's Thanksgiving so that's my focus this week! There's a lot that goes into planning a season or holiday, and trying to keep things simple is a challenge! But I have found by starting early, I have a much better chance of maintaining a less frenetic atmosphere - for myself and those around me! And this "peace" contributes greatly to a simplified season. So here are some of the things I've been working on ahead of Thanksgiving ...

Thanksgiving tea 4

Once we know how many guests to expect, we can decide which tables to use and where to arrange them as well as what tablecloths and napkins to prepare. About a week ahead of the holiday I find a day when I will be home for several hours - then I can wash and dry and fold the linens without any lag time in-between. We all know what happens when we only finish part of the laundering cycle - smelly, wrinkled linens! Then out comes the iron or we have to start all over again ...

The other thing is, if I leave this task too close to Thanksgiving, it feels like a chore ... I feel rushed and even (in my less generous moments) a bit put-upon. By doing things like this well ahead of time, at a time of my choosing, I focus instead on the beauty of it. I think about the people coming to dine with us, at our table, and how nice the setting will look for them. In this way, I focus on the pleasure of the chore, not the pressure of it.

How about tablescapes then? This is another thing I like to think about early, so I can be a little thoughtful and creative with it ... as well as economical!

Thanksgiving tea 1

There will be flowers for sure - I can never resist fresh blooms at the holidays - but I also like to tap into the treasures to be found in our very own yard. Acorns, pinecones, dried flowers and weeds, interesting rocks, colorful leaves - the possibilities are endless! A lovely activity would be to take the children on a "gathering walk" early in the month of November. (Earlier the better if you want a small share of the acorn crop!) Here we have some glass bowls filled with our acorn stash and a small beeswax tea light candle. I may even tuck some autumn leaves under the globes. Now, you could use any bowls you have on hand ... and if you can't find acorns, cranberries from the market would also be beautiful! Once Thanksgiving is over, we will scatter these seeds on the deck ... and watch them disappear!

Here are some of my pretty baking pans - easy to collect, hard to give away!

Thanksgiving tea 6

 But when we're blessed, we want to bless others back. It's a great theme to work on at this time of year, especially with children! Because the simplest way to celebrate this season (and the next) is to just give. Give to others, give of ourselves ... it's a sure path to joy! That's a message I want my children to learn and practice in their own life as they grow. There will be more on this particular theme next week, but for now, how about setting aside time to bake together and make some extra for those people who have helped us or befriended us in some way?

Here's a little bit of a story, but I hope you'll indulge me. So this is a big deal for my 13-year-old Earlybird: making friends and learning to be a friend. He's autistic and we're working with a wonderful therapist on getting him out in the community, learning how to conduct his affairs in a polite and practical manner. Well, those folks who take the time to help him - even just a friendly greeting each time we see them - are blessing our son in ways they don't even realize. So this year we're baking breads (something EB loves to do) and bringing them to those special people in our life ...

Like the librarian who patiently helps him check out his planet books and train DVDs, the pizza place owner who greets him heartily and lets him visit the kitchen (and asks after EB when he's not with us), the grocery store clerk who gives him a high-five and tells him he's doing a great job (and then quietly tells me the same), the neighbor who lets him visit her henhouse and take home an egg, the therapist who works with him every single day and tells him over and over how awesome he is ...

These people can't know just how deeply they are blessing us, and a bread is a pretty small gesture, but one I hope will bless them back, even a little. No, it won't make my week simpler to bake with my son and deliver breads around town, but it will make us feel good ... and maybe a few others, too. :)

What's happening in nature?

Now this was the part where I was going to attempt sharing a short video ... but alas, I did not get very far! (In other words, Bill left for work before I got his help with it!) I would very much like to try this sometime soon, and as it happens Bill is home all week after today ... so we shall see! I can tell you it is bright and brisk here today, very "Thanksgiving in New England." :) A beautiful buck crossed our road on the way to Mass early yesterday morning ... he stopped and looked back at us from a frosty field. Gorgeous. And birds are furiously flocking to the feeders (squirrels, too) but no wild turkeys to report ...

Thanks tea 1

Well, except for these guys who I found at CVS for $2 each. I buy these foil-wrapped candies every year "for the kids" but they lend a little color and whimsy to our buffet. :)

A project with the children this week ...

Thanksgiving tea 7

Here's our living room mantle, adorned with a garland of family blessings. We're in the home stretch now - there are only a few blank leaves left in the basket! This was a very simple project, but the message I'm hoping it imparts to my children is that we are grateful for all of God's blessings, and that every good thing comes from Him. Some blessings are BIG, but lots of them are little. In fact, if you were to read through our leaves they would not impress you with meaningful remarks on the Big, Important Things ... but they might make you smile with their simple, sweet, smallness:

"the cats "

"pears and hot dogs"

"packages in the mail"

"dirty boots"

"rain"

Sometimes I think by focusing on the simple joys in life, we train ourselves in a kind of habit - a mindfulness that prepares us to see the big things for how great they really are. I think this is something really important to share with our children, but equally important to remember ourselves.

Words to inspire:

 "Life holds so many simple blessings, each day bringing its own individual wonder."

~ John McLeod

What a lovely quote for my season's journal ... it says perfectly what I'm always rambling on about in a very roundabout way. ;)

Oak leaves branch
Well, my friends, I'd best let you go ... I've kept you here long enough! But 
I hope you enjoyed my Thanksgiving tea Journal ... and I would love to hear from you, too!

What refreshments are you enjoying this week?

What are you reading this week?

What are you listening to this week?

What are you working on this week?

What's happening in nature this week?

Any projects with the children this week?

(and finally)

Any quotations to share, some words to inspire?

I'd love to see your tea, hear about your tea, your week and/or your thoughts on keeping it simple. This will be a good topic to discuss as we head into the "most wonderful time of the year." Is there ever a time when "keeping things simple" is harder to manage than in the weeks leading up to Christmas?

Comments, email, links - ooh, and nest pics! - all are welcome! More on Advent and simplifying our seasons in my following posts. We have many weeks of tea to come and lots of areas to discuss! I am hoping to use this weekly "refreshment" as a chance to sit back and take stock. Am I keeping it real? Am I staying true to the season?

For a look ahead, please click over to this post for my full tea schedule. And remember, all are welcome - brief comments or lengthy posts. I appreciate each and every contribution.

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends! Enjoy your tea, and the evening to follow, and I will see you here again very soon!


From Nest to Nest ... ❤

Blessings to all on this beautiful Sunday! How is the weather where you are today?

Truth be told, it's a rather gloomy day here in New England - damp, chilly, gray. Possibly THE perfect nesting weather! Well my friends, I'm here this afternoon to share another lovely cozy corner with you, and this one is from Mic ...

Please enjoy!

***

Dawn,

Seeing so many wonderful cosy corners inspired me to neaten up my own nest. It's located in the family "study" room and consists of an old comfy couch, my work table for crafts and sewing, and a basket with magazines, my planner, and a book.
 
Cozy corner mic 1
 
I keep my most often used desk/craft supplies on a rolling cart that I can easily move from room to room ...
 
Cozy corner mic 2
 
It's definitely the season for curling up, drinking tea, lighting a candle, and counting one's blessings.
 
Cozy corner mic 3
 
Warm regards from snowy Russia!  
 
~ Mic
 
***
 
Oh my gosh, do I love this cozy room, Mic! Thank you so much for sharing it! The colors are so fun - I love a neutral foundation with pops of color, especially red. Red is so cozy! And that soft blue of your cart is beautiful, too ... that's a color I associate with crafts and organization. (I think it's a Martha thing, lol.) In fact, I absolutely LOVE that rolling cart, period! I would love to have something like that for storing all my doo-dads and rolling that cart wherever I find myself working/playing/creating. You must take so much comfort from this room and find it such a joy to settle into ... you've got my wheels turning!
 
:)
 
Friends, where are you nesting these days? We'd love to see it! Please send me your pics and thoughts at:
 
bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com
 
This will be an ongoing series this autumn and winter ... sharing ideas for making our nests a little cozier throughout the cold months ... inside and out!
 
And please "tune in tomorrow" for my afternoon Thanksgiving Tea. I think it should be a good time!
 
See you here again very soon ...

From Nest to Nest ... ❤

Happy Weekend, my friends! I am so pleased to share a couple more cozy corners with you ... :)

From Chrissy:

Cozy corner chrissy 1

"This is where I curl up most of the time. End of the couch by a window overlooking the marsh ... "

That nest looks so cushy and inviting, Chrissy! I love the soft lighting ... and I bet that marsh is a wonderful window on the changing seasons!

And here's a peek at Denise's corner:

Cozy corner denise 1

"How wonderful to share each other's homes in this way, Dawn!  I so enjoy "visiting" others in this way!  I've attached a picture of my current cozy corner.  The only time I am in it these days seems to be early, early morning (from 4-6am) and evening (I shoot for 9ish to start winding down.) I say "current cozy corner" because it seems to change with the seasons! I like to sit right by the woodstove in late autumn through winter! We try to heat solely by wood, and this spot is the warmest. I took the picture this afternoon, since my afternoon schedule was rearranged for me. Unfortunately, I only had time to write one of the last few Thanksgiving greetings & take a few sips of hot tea, then took the hot tea back to our home office where mounds of work awaited me! The cozy corner looks straightened up!  Normally it has a stand up work station in the corner, also. I had already rolled it back to the office. And my journals were elsewhere. :-)

The morning session is my "communion" time. This is when I read God's Word, study, pray and worship. Of course, I journal a lot of it ... The evening is a time to reflect on the day, on God's goodness to us through this day, to record positives and negatives of the day, to worship, to pray. When I was homeschooling, this is where we would gather for read alouds, practicing math factors, extra reading helps. This is also where I would listen to my grandchildren read to me, with one or both of the now 10 year-old twins on my lap! (I must say, I really miss those days!)

I too enjoy capturing the "firsts" of each season. I must say embracing the autumn and winter are much easier for me! I've attached a sketch from my planner capturing the first fire in the wood stove ...

Cozy corner denise 2

First cup of my dear friend's tea recipe AND first bowl of chicken-wild rice soup! Yum!! 
October 30th was very chilly here!"

~ Denise

What a lovely nest, Denise! Wood stoves are wonderful! I grew up with one, and although I was no fan of moving/stacking wood, lol, I did love the warmth and coziness of that family room stove! Thank you for sharing your sketch as well - I love it! What a nice way to capture the spirit of the season! And you have me curious about your friend's tea recipe ... and that chicken-rice soup! :)

***

Well my friends, I'm back in my own little nest at the moment ... dark here now, and I just heard my first "What's for dinner?" So I'd best be off ... 

But I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment, and perhaps you'd consider sending me a picture of your own cozy nest? And don't forget, we've got Tea coming up next week! (See post below.) Lots to discuss and look forward to!

You can reach me at:

bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com

Enjoy the rest of your evening, my friends ... I will see you here again very soon!


An Advent Tea Journal ~ Please join me!

Advent tea button 2015

 Good Friday morning, my friends!

I'm popping in today to tell you a bit more about my 2015 Advent Tea Journal, which I'll kick off on Monday with a little "Thanksgiving Tea" here at my blog. How will this work? Well, I will be posting pictures of my own tea things (my favorite autumn set) and a few of my Thanksgiving decorations. (I MAY try to do a short video tour, but that might be beyond my technical "prowess," lol!) I will also share what I'm writing in my tea journal that week: nature notes, a recipe, a quote for the week, a book I'm enjoying, etc. Then I'll introduce the theme of the week which on Monday will be  ...

Simplifying the Season

These are the questions I'd like to ponder and pose:

How are we going to simplify the season this year, for ourselves and our family? What can we step back from or make easier in some way?

What is our Season's focus? What are the main things we want to do (activity) and feel (atmosphere) this Advent?

Can we plan a family meeting next weekend? A time to talk about expectations and perhaps look at the calendar together?

***

Each Monday through the end of the year I'll share my Advent Tea Journal (themes and dates can be found here), and I would LOVE to have you all join me, in any way that works for you. You might leave a comment on Monday's post ... or link up with me at your blog ... or you might send me your thoughts on this topic - along with pictures! - by email:

bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com

I will add your thoughts and pics to my post as we go along ... no deadlines, just reply as you have time. I might even do separate posts as I did with the planner party so we can spread our discussion throughout the week. :)

Oh, and feel free to grab my tea "button" up there if you'd care to help spread the word! :)

My friends, I do hope you'll join me for tea this Advent ... and of course, "tea" is whatever your preferred libation might be! Cocoa, spiced cider, coffee ... etc. It's such a nice time of year to do this - to sit down and re-set our batteries and perhaps, re-set our focus if life is taking us away from where we want to be. I find these weeks tend to just FLY by and the pressure builds all around us - are you done wrapping yet? have you mailed all your cards yet? - and the next thing we know, it's more about getting things done ... and less about the big picture. If we look back at the "hopes" we wrote for ourselves in November will we see that living vision around us?

But aside from all that - it's also about sharing tea and enjoying each other's company. :)

So please consider joining me in whatever way you can. I'll post reminders each week about what's coming up next so everyone has time to think over the theme and if and how they'd like to participate.

And of course, I'm still hoping to see more of those wonderful cozy nest pics! You may send me those at the same address listed above ... I'll be on-and-off line all weekend. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by, everyone ... I will see you here again very soon!


From one nest to another ... ❤

Nest dawn 2 (1)

Good Thursday evening, my friends! I hope your day's been a good one. :)

Yesterday I showed you all where (and how) I'm feathering my winter nest, and today Dawn V. has invited us to peek into her own lovely spot!

A note from Dawn:

My little corner that allows me to relax, unwind and reflect ... I have found these wonderful candles at Yankee Candle Shop called "Radiance." As they burn, you hear a faint noise of crackling. I sit here in my little nest enjoying the candle's scent, glow and gentle crackling sound. Through the window I see my backyard (forest) and deck. I feed many forms of wildlife from the deck and ground. I never-ever sit in my nest without a cup of coffee ...

Nest dawn 1

Nest dawn 3

Nest dawn 4

Nest dawn 5

 ***

How absolutely beautiful, Dawn! Your corner is beautiful and so inviting! I can just imagine how nice it must be to sit here and relax, watch your birds and relish your surroundings. I, too, live next to a forest and what a blessing it is! I love all your seasonal touches, and the lighting is so soft and warm. I wish you many happy hours in your cozy nest, Dawn!

My friends, how nice is this, to share our nests with each other? I hope you will consider sending me a photo of yours, too ... (bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com) ... in the meantime, I love all your comments as well! Thanks to you all for your encouragement and support!

At this very moment I'm writing to you from my own nest ... it's almost 4 p.m. and there's a big mug of "American Breakfast" tea by my side. (I don't usually do caffeine this late in the day but I'm kind of dragging today! Plus I'm out of my favorite decaf blend.) Bill and I just got back from getting my van at the shop (ack, it's on it's last legs!), and now he has the younger boys outside doing leaves. And by doing leaves I mean, he's raking and they're jumping in piles! I can hear them just outside my window ... a bit of high-spirited chaos.

And it's quite a dark day here - we're expecting rain any moment. I'm wearing my favorite gray cardigan, there's a cat by my feet, (another behind my head), and I can hear the heat clicking on in the registers ... as well as the clicking of a mouse as Crackerjack plays on his computer. So it's not exactly quiet here, but it's warm and bright and alive ...

It's home.

 Well, tomorrow I'll have a post up with more information about my Advent Tea Journal - which kicks off this coming Monday! (Yes, it is still a week or more until Advent, but I want to "talk tea" ahead of time!) So I'll have a few more details on the schedule (questions to consider, themes to ponder) and just how you all can join me in what I hope will be a wonderful, weekly gathering of tea cups and conversation. Let's press the "pause button" now and again as the busy weeks ahead unfold ... :) 

Oh, whoops - and there's the door now:

"Wow, it's so warm in here! Coats and boots off first, boys! Little Bear, you have to put down the truck before we can get off your coat ... Where's Mama??"

And so life resumes ... I'm off to the kitchen! See you here again tomorrow, my friends!


Living in Season: Creating A Cozy Corner

Cozy corner 1

Happy Wednesday, my friends! I hope your week's going well! 

So I talk a lot here about embracing the seasons and the changes they bring to our lives - the way we dress, eat, feel, pray, etc. I love how with each passing season there is a feeling of something new and yet a comforting familiarity as well. There's a first snowfall every year ... but somehow it's always full of magic. The daffodils return every spring ... but they're always such a miracle.

But I think it's fair to say that some seasons are easier to embrace than others ... and this time of year is a challenge for some folks as the light fades and the days grow short and the weather is often unfriendly. So I thought I might start posting about the things we can do to create a more enjoyable season - for ourselves and our families. Simple, little things that might brighten our days ... if only figuratively. :)

My friends, will you join me? Shall we learn to live "in season" by accepting the changes and adjusting our mindset a bit? What if we saw every change - the long nights, the soggy days, the frequent storms and the early sunsets - as a reminder we're here to see another season? That we've been blessed with another year on this earth and all that comes with it - the light and the dark?

(Ok I'm getting a bit deeper than I meant to, so let me step back for a moment!)

Why don't we start very simply this week by creating a cold season cozy corner ... this will be our first "assignment."

How about over the next few days we find a nice spot in our homes where we will build a little nest. This will be a spot where we can sit down, think a bit, read a while, or just take a breather. A spot where, on these dark afternoons, we can get off our feet and surround ourselves with a humble helping of comfort and joy.

Where would this be in your house? Do you have a spot like this already?

It would be wonderful to make "nesting" a daily ritual - late afternoon, just before supper? - but if daily is inconvenient, or too much to attempt, what about once a week? On which day of the week can you carve out an hour to spend in your nest?

Here in this nest you will have added some wonderful feathers: throw blankets - slippers, perhaps? - good things to read, a notepad and pen, perhaps some hand lotion rich with the scents of the season? Lights are important here - a good one for reading - but I also like to have candles around, too (LED for me, since I have a toddler in the house). I like the ones that turn on as the sun dips low in the sky - a glowing reminder to slow down and rest, just as nature is doing.

More to consider:

There should be a good spot where you can safely put down your chosen refreshment. Since I'll be taking tea in my nest, and there is the aforementioned toddler afoot, I will need to place my tea well past the edge of the table.

Sitting by a window is ideal, I think, if you can manage it. A seasonal view and a good dose of natural light is good for the soul! Hanging a bird feeder here would also be lovely!

A basket with notecards and stationary would be handy - this could be a time to pen a note to a friend or relative. Maybe get a head start on those Season's Greetings? :)

 And finally, how about some artwork? A picture or sculpture upon which you can reflect? This might be something representing your faith or the season at hand ... a quote for the month, or simply a photo of your loved ones.

***

However your nest is feathered, it will be different in style and content for different people. Some like things streamlined while others prefer a bit of clutter. Some want things formal and some not. Some of us will be wedged in a corner of a room filled with other people ... while others might secure a spot of privacy somewhere in the house. And some of us have little ones we can't escape all around us and that needs to be taken into consideration, too. 

Well, lets take a look at what I've set up for myself today ..

Cozy corner 3

My nest is set up in the living room (aka library ... aka playroom), and my chair is old and squishy, but comfy as all get out. For as much as I'd like to make my cozy corner a somewhat private affair, it's silly for me to think it always (or even often) will be. But that's ok. This is the season I'm in! I am the mother of a little one and he's growing so fast ... some days I will get some time to myself (if LB's napping or busy with Bill or the brothers) and that will be enough. To sit here and relax will be nice, and because there are plenty of toys about, I can sit, and Little Bear can play in the room or perch on my lap and "read" his own books ...

I also have a basket of magazines here ... and BOY do I love those fall-holiday magazines!

Cosy corner 2

As well as the Thanksgiving basket, filled with our books for the holiday at hand.

(Truth be told, I love reading through them even by myself!)

Cozy corner 4

And right behind my chair is yet another basket full of books. These are Little Bear's favorite board books - he likes to stand on my lap and pick through his collection ...

On the windowsill I have displayed favorite Thanksgiving cards (never sent or received, just part of my collection), and under the lamp I have my page-a-day calendar as well as a stack of favorite reads.

Cozy corner 7

At day's end ... living by the light!

 ***

My friends, I'd love to hear about (or see!) your cozy nests - please leave me a comment below or consider sending me a picture (email: bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com). I would love to share this endeavor with others and carry on throughout the fall and winter, visiting each other's nests from time to time and chatting about seasonal ideas. I will continue to post little "assignments" now and again - and of course you'll be seeing more of my nest as we being our Advent Teas very soon!

Speaking of tea ... tomorrow - or Friday at the latest - I will have a post up with more information on my upcoming Advent Tea Journal. Monday's tea will be ahead of Advent, with a focus on Thanksgiving, and our theme for discussion will be "simplifying the season." I plan to have my post up on Monday afternoon and would LOVE to have you all join me!

Ok, I think I've kept you all here long enough! Thanks so much for joining me and also, thanks for the kind words about my podcast with Pam! I am so glad I did it ... I'm pleased I was able to step outside my "comfort zone" and join in the fun. And those podcasts are SUCH fun. What a service Pam is doing for the homeschooling mama community - and I am honored to have taken a small part!

Enjoy your evening, my friends ... see you here again very soon!


My Podcast with Pam!

Podcast

Good Tuesday morning, my friends! :)

Oh my goodness, I am so excited to share this with you today! And maybe a little nervous too. Well, I was nervous at first, but it was SUCH a fun experience and Pam made me feel so welcome and asked some great questions and as we talked I realized  - we're chatting away here like two old friends! (Who, you know, happen to have just met and live in opposite corners of the country!)

:)

So, what am I rambling on about you all must be wondering? Well, recently I was invited by Pamela Barnhill at Ed Snapshots to chat with her about homeschooling and my family and the file crate and nature study and ... well, all kinds of things! Now, I think I might have talked a little fast - maybe that's a New England thing, or maybe that was the nerves! - but I really had such a lovely time talking with Pam, who is a very gracious hostess. I felt so comfortable and cozy, all settled in with my big cup of tea and Pam on the phone ... I probably could have talked on and on! 

Anyhoo - here is a direct link to the podcast so you can check it out. (If I was tech-savvy I'd link up that neat image above but alas, I am not.) I hope you enjoy our conversation, and if you have a moment, please leave a comment (or question) for Pam or myself!

(Also, if you're new to Pam's Homeschool Podcast series at Ed Snapshots, I urge you to head on over and take a peek (or a listen)! I am just so honored to have been asked to participate in this wonderful community ...)

 Well, enjoy the rest of your day, my friends! Thanks so much for stopping by and I will see you here again very soon!


November Nightfall

It comes so early now ... the night. And some might say too early, but it's all just part of that rhythm. Outside there's a fading of color and a sharpness to the air ... while inside we have our lights burning and there are extra blankets on the beds. At this time of year the comforts of home seem all the more comforting, but the outside is still welcoming too, especially on evenings like these ...

November sunset 1

November sunset 2

November sunset 7

November sunset

November sunset 3

November sunset 4

Sunset, 4:20 p.m. Sunday. Just before the Patriots Game.

:)

How wonderful for a little one to get all rosy-cheeked and leaf-littered on a cool autumn evening ... then to come inside for a warm bath and a good supper before bed. I love teaching my children to appreciate our days in ALL seasons and by "teaching" I mean, sharing my own joy right alongside them. That's the best lesson, I think - what we show them. Because those little eyes watch us so closely! Little Bear might not read his mama's blog yet, but I know he can read my moods ...

You know, I've been working on that book of mine, and trying to figure out just where I'm going with it ... getting distracted sometimes, or maybe even a little defeated ... but when I look back at this post, I can see it. This is what makes me tick, and this is where I zoom in: on the simple, little joys ... the easy, homey comforts. Every week brings something new to learn and share ...

As organic as it seems it should be to just follow the seasons and accept nature's rhythm, I find that Life As We Know It often gets in the way. So I create a little structure - weekly themes and file folders - and hope that by planning ahead we'll make more of the moment. The seasons pass so quickly - not to mention the years! So this week we're watching our world get sleepy and dark and we're feeling grateful for things like light and warmth (and peace) ... in nature we're observing a fallen log and exploring the tart curiosity of cranberries, while baking breads to bring to neighbors across town ... 

November days - are they dark? Yes, they can be. But dull? No, they don't have to be. There's much to be thankful for and so many ways to explore this big, blessed world. It is my hope to highlight these joys in each week of the year ... to work them into my "plans" so they become more than just ideas, but actions ... and then to share them all with my family, and you!

So anyhow ... that's where I'm at right now. I mostly just wanted to share all these happy photos and then I got carried away. (You all know how I get.) And now I'm watching another (early) sunset, lighting a candle on our seasons shelf, and conjuring some good smells in the kitchen ...

And putting the laptop down, for now. But I'll be back here again sometime soon ...

(Good Night!)


Binders, Binders, Everywhere ...

Binders 1

Eons ago I showed you all a picture of my rather large collection of binders sitting on a living room shelf ... and in my usual fashion, I promised to follow up "sometime soon." *blush* Well ... here it some time later (as in, months, maybe a year?) and the binders have not only yet to be discussed, but have since moved to a shelf in the dining room (better known as the learning room these days).

*peeks out from behind binders*

My friends, I am so sorry I sometimes promise posts that don't come to fruition. It is never my intention to not follow-up ... and it is always my intention to deliver what I promised ... but ... I often get distracted and/or busy and then that draft gets shunted down in the queue and well, we find ourselves without a binder post to discuss! If there is something that you hope I'll post about, something I've mentioned or not, please don't hesitate to ask and/or remind me. :)

Now, without further ado or disclaimer ... here are the binders on my bookshelf, from left to right:

The Baking Sheet (newsletter storage): a collection of THE very best baking magazines I have ever read, published by King Arthur Flour of Vermont, but sadly, no longer in print. I relish these issues (so seasonally inspired) and am grateful for the handy binder my parents gave me to keep them together and all tidy. :)

Seasonal planning bindersalmanac/overview, projects/events, at home, in nature, with faith, food/feasts, activities/ideas/crafts, inspiration (quotes, poems, etc.), research (photocopies) ...

Home & Family: emergency information, general family information, housecleaning routines, room-by-room information, house purchase information (includes room sizes and utility information) ... always a work in progress!

Address Book: a correspondence log (what I sent, what I am meant to send, what I have received), alphabet dividers, a friends & family birthday chart ...

Town & Parish: general information about our town and church parish, phone numbers, informational flyers, calendars (when is the town festival or hazardous collection day, for example) ...

Education: any and all paperwork to do with home education, a tab for college information ...

Finances: accounts overview, a model monthly budget, monthly budget pages, printables re budgeting, spending log pages, upcoming expenses list ...

Blogging/Writing: Typepad blog information, writing projects (for myself and for others), post ideas, contacts ...

Food: Meal ideas, master marketing list, seasonal notes/chart, local foods (notes/resources), growing our own (notes/resources), freezer/pantry notes, printables, projects (root cellar, for example) ...

Monthly calendar storage: I keep my retired Day-Timer month-at-a-glance calendars in here ...

My Book prototype: basically a place to organize and work on my book ...

Yearbooks 1 (labeled), 2 (blank), 3 (lavender): here is where I keep domestic journal pages from years past.

***

So there we have it at last - my binder breakdown! As I've said before, some binders get more use than others - some are mostly used for storage, and some are meant to be consulted on a regular basis. I also have a new binder for my gardening notes (an "herbal" if you will) in the works - it's green and tucked in at the end - and there is of course, also, my master binder which never actually sits on this shelf because it is always very much "in play!"

Now, I do have tabs in my master binder with labels like, "Home & Family," "Meal Planning," and "Blogging," etc. and yes, some of the matter gets repeated. I go back and forth on this. Sometimes I think I need some information right under my fingertips, and sometimes I'm ok with it sitting on that shelf. It really depends on how good I'm being about sitting down once a week to do planner maintenance ... and THAT is such an important topic - planner maintenance - one I'd very much like to discuss it in a future post. (And if I forget, please remind me!)

But that's all I have time for now, folks ... I thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening! 

I will se you here again very soon ...

p.s. How do you all like the new look? :)


Planner Party ~ Link up!

Good Friday morning, my friends, and Happy Weekend! I just wanted to pop in quickly and link you all up to a wonderful planner post written by Jennifer at Wildflowers and Marbles:

Planner party jennifer 1

A Planner Post: How I Plan and a Review of a Few New Planner Goodies

Jennifer gives a fantastic (and beautiful!) overview of how she uses her Erin Condren planner ... and oh my goodness, she has an exciting giveaway in the works, too! (As well as a coupon you can use towards an EC order!) I am sooo tempted to really investigate an EC planner - I am so drawn to those gorgeous colors and that thoughtful layout! Jennifer's post has also inspired me as I trudge along trying to tweak my own planner ... so helpful to see how she uses a planner and what she likes about it - how it fits with her own planning style.

Now see this is why I love sharing planners with each other! The more we "show and tell," the more we inspire and encourage each other! We might find a new planner or a "tweak" we had not thought of before ... and of course, there's that wonderful sense of camaraderie. So many thanks to Jennifer for sharing this excellent post ... I highly suggest grabbing yourself a nice cup of tea (or coffee!) and sitting down with this lovely post at your earliest opportunity ... I definitely plan to when the little guy naps later today!

Before I go, here is a brief quote from Jennifer's post ... I LOVE her thoughts here: 

"Whatever your planner preference, whether you work just fine out of an inexpensive spiral notebook or you have an elaborate schemata of post-it notes, remember that God is a God of order – not chaos and confusion. Write it down. Set a goal. List it. Plan it. Scratch it out and keep moving it forward if you have to … but keep trying."

***

Wise words, Jennifer! I think whatever we do to plan, it's our motivation that's the important thing. I might keep trying (and failing) to get it "perfect," but I know that I'm striving to create order for myself and my family. Because with order we can put the important things first in our life. Sure, I get silly about the paper and stickers and pens and whatnot, but it's all for a greater good. It's a way of thanking Him for all he has blessed me with - this time, this place, these people. I try to be a good steward of these gifts ... even if the "paraphernalia" does get me sidetracked sometimes! ;)

Well friends, I'm off to tend to my kiddos and get to work on our family's weekend plan ... I hope you enjoy the rest of your Friday ...

See you here again very soon!


Tea Parties & Plans ...

Oak leaves branch

Good Thursday morning, my friends! I hope your week's going well. :)

First up - in Planner Party news, I'm eager to hear from more of you and am very happy to share more planner posts, so if you have some thoughts or pics to share, please send them to me at:

bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com

I have a bit more to share on the subject myself - in fact, I'm currently working on a post about my binder tabs ... but of course, mid-way through I decided to completely overhaul the whole thing. ;) So that post will be up soon, I hope! 

Now, about my next "party" ...

Advent tea

I was thinking it would be nice to bring back my Advent Tea Journal from last year ... and I'd love to have you all join me again! If you'd like to see how we "took tea" last year, here is a link to my Tea Journal (and here is a link to my Advent archives for good measure). This year I will follow a similar format: there will be a theme to each week, a topic to discuss. I will share my own thoughts and photos, and I invite you all to do the same, whether by e-mail or comment or by posting at your own blog and linking up ... :)

And just like last year I will begin with a Thanksgiving Tea! Join me here on Monday, November 23rd to share some afternoon refreshment and take a collective breath before the busy holiday week gets underway. Our Advent Teas will follow over the next four weeks and then there will be one final Christmas Tea before we conclude our party. :)

Here are the Tea dates and topics:

Thanksgiving Tea: Monday, November 23rd ~ "Simplifying the Season"

Advent Tea, #1: Monday, November 30th ~ "Gifts from the Heart"

Advent Tea, #2: Monday, December 7th ~ "O Christmas Tree"

Advent Tea, #3: Monday, December 14th ~ "Magic + Meaning" (Advent for children)

Advent Tea, #4: Monday, December 21st ~ "Welcoming Winter"

Christmas Tea: Monday, December 28th ~ "'Tis the Season!"

******

My friends, I welcome you to send me your thoughts on our weekly topics (along with photos if you care to share them) and if you blog, I hope you'll consider posting about our Teatime and sending me a link. I'll also collect comments as they post and add them into each post ... so there's a way for just about everyone to participate!

In the week leading up to each Tea I will post reminders (where, how and when to send things) and describe more fully each topic. And I'm going to try to make up a pretty Tea button of some sort ... but I haven't done that in a long time, so I hope I remember how! 

I think this will be such fun - a nice chance to pause and reflect on the season while indulging in a little teatime together. I'm hoping by organizing this all now I'm giving myself (and you!) some time to digest and think ahead ... I hope you'll join me if you can!

For now though ... well, Advent seems pretty far off ... it's a damp and dark (dare I say dreary?) day here. Very mid-November. Most of the leaves are gone (from the trees, that is ... there are plenty plastered to the wet ground). But December is just around the corner! I'm not one to rush things (and certainly not seasons) but there is prudence in getting things set, at least in your mind if not also on paper. Because as much as I don't like rushing I really don't like scrambling ... and that's what happens when I leave things to just happen without planning ahead! I want my seasons to be simple, yes - but also satisfying ... and that takes a little forethought, I think.

Well that's all for now, friends ... my little one's due to wake any moment. So I must be off ... but I thank you, as always, for stopping by and I will see you here again very soon!


Thinking out loud: Thanksgiving plans

Thanksgiving folder 6

Good Wednesday morning, my friends! It's quite early here ... as in, really, really early. Our aptly pseudonym-ed third son, Earlybird, has been rising well before 6 a.m. lately so our days have been getting a real "efficiency" boost. I know most people don't see the appeal in getting out of bed while it's still dark and cold - and, quite frankly, it really isn't all that appealing in the moment because that bed is just so darn cozy - but by mid-morning, when I've gotten a nice head start on my daily tasks and I'm on my second third cup of coffee - well by golly, I am just HUMMING right along.

So here I am at 7 a.m. and I've gone over my agenda and I've made a few checks on my task list and I've read through my daily devotions - both spiritual and practical - and I thought, you know, I should really get a start on my Thanksgiving folder. We're only 15 days away from the big day, after all!

So what does a Thanksgiving folder do, you might wonder? Well, I make one up every year, and it's really not slick or snazzy or even a particular unique idea, but it works for me.

You know, of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite. For one thing, I love all it celebrates (gratitude, family, harvest, home) and for another, it often falls on my dear mother's birthday (11/26)! So it's a double celebration for our family, and some years we have close to (or more than) 20 people! Hosting a gathering of this size is a blessing and privilege, but it can be a little overwhelming - we want the day to be special and relaxing for everyone! - so my aim is always to start early and be organized! Then, come Thanksgiving, I'll be less consumed with the dinner details and more focused on the deeper meaning of the day. 

(Now, that might be the third cup of coffee talking, but I hope you know what I mean. Anyhoo, back to that folder!)

So inside this folder I place any recipes or crafts or other information I might like to use this year - these are mostly clippings from magazines or print-outs or photocopies. Sometimes there are a few paper-clipped recipe cards. Along the folder tab I place a strip of washi tape on which I have written something clever like, "Thanksgiving, 2015." I also add a pretty turkey sticker because it makes me smile. :)

To the front cover of the folder I staple a sheet (sometimes two) of loose-leaf paper. Here is where I start making my lists: guests • menu (dinner, apps/cocktails, dessert) • table arrangements • serving notes • decorating notes • cleaning • errands • grace

Thanksgiving folder 3

I even have a tiny calendar in the corner which represents the days left before the holiday and which ones are available for errands or house cleaning or cooking, etc. 

Thanksgiving folder 4

Now this folder is mainly for "hostess" notes - lists pertaining directly to the family gathering and dinner itself. But there are many other things I plan out ahead of Thanksgiving: crafts/activities with the kids (ex. a gratitude project, table decorations) • parish/community events (ex. a food or clothing drive) • weaving nature in (ex. autumn walks and material gathering) • atmosphere/decoration (ex. garlands and lights) • extras (ex. When will A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving air?) • our Thanksgiving cornucopia of books

Now, all these notes find their collective home in different places at different times. I go back and forth about where it makes the most sense to keep seasonal plans such as these. The main homekeeping binder? The Late Autumn (Nov-Dec) binder? My homemade planner, if I can find the room? In my file crate, perhaps?

Because when a holiday, feast or season is upon us, I like to have my planning pages close at hand - not in some storage spot in the next room. I need to refer to those notes to keep on top of our plans but most of all - whatever does or doesn't get done - all that seasonal inspiration is good for my soul! :)

***

Well, I could add more about my Thanksgiving prep and I probably will in another post, but as it is now mid-day and I still don't have this post up, I will wrap up  and press "publish." 

But before I go, here's the "help" I had while getting this post done ...

Thanksgiving folder 5

Good help really is hard to find - especially when it's this cute!

:)

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday, my friends! I will see you here again sometime soon!

p.s. Oh, I forgot to mention! I have a new "post party" in mind ... with the days growing dark and cold, and the urge to settle in taking hold ... I'm thinking it might be a good time for tea? A weekly gathering to chat about holiday plans? Details to come!


Planner Party Guest Post Number 15: Amanda!

{Happy Monday, everyone! Our Planner Party continues this week, and I'm very happy to welcome Amanda this morning!}

***

Thanks so much Dawn for adding my planner post in!
 
I use two planners. One is a Plum Paper Teacher Planner for homeschooling. I love this planner, it’s big and has enough room for my few homeschool students and I customized it so it works just fine for my homeschooling needs. I’ve planned our entire year in a 9-week-quarter format ala DonnaYoung.org but obviously don’t want to flip through several pages all day long. So I take that big-picture plan and plug it into the weekly Teacher Planner every Sunday evening ... or Monday morning when I’m not as on top of things :) I’d love something homeschool-specific but haven’t found the perfect option yet and for now this Plum Paper planner really is an excellent fit. 
 
My main planner for everyday use is my Liturgical Living Planner. These pictures are of my new 2016 one which I haven’t written in yet.  I’ve used a lot of different planners but most of them were lacking something for me. So I made my own! 
 
Firstly, I really wanted a Catholic Liturgical planner that would let me work towards structuring our family’s culture around the church year. I didn’t grow up in a practicing family and so being aware of holy days of obligation and liturgical seasons is new to me. In my planner I also wanted a vertical format because I’ve found the large horizontal boxes don’t leave a good visual of when everything is in my day. With five children at home and a husband with a variable schedule I really like to see at a glance whether my morning or afternoon is free ...
 
For example, the other week I was able to glance at my planner and assure my friend that Thursday morning we had nothing going on and could go to the corn maze and pumpkin picking. The old secular planner I used to use had the same feature. It allowed for me to plan well by the hour, but it was still not a good fit because it didn’t let me plan for an event like a birthday or Thanksgiving, that technically spanned the whole day, without blocking out the whole day. That doesn’t work when often I want to note that Nov. 1st is All Saints Day but that we have church at 11:30am and a party from 1-3pm. Or maybe it’s the Feast of the Archangels, which I want to remember so we can make a cake, but one of the kids has a doctor’s appointment at 8am and I have tutoring at 12pm. And I really really got tired trying to pencil in every feast day into the regular planner myself!
 
Planner party amanda 1
 
So in my own planner that I made for myself and other Catholic moms I decided I wanted to list all of the feast days in the monthly view so that I could see them all at a glance and then list just the critical ones and Sundays on the weekly view. That way I could pick just a couple big feast days to write into our weekly plans and other people could write in different ones that are special to their families. And the weekly view includes a spot for writing all-day events, such as birthdays and holidays and vacation days.
 
Planner party amanda 3
 
I’ve always loved how your planners and papers are decorated seasonally, Dawn, with stickers and such! Unfortunately, I’m not crafty enough to add things like that in myself regularly, so I also included seasonal images already in my planner so it’d be pretty like the ones I admire but low-maintenance for me on a daily basis  :) 
 
Planner party amanda 2
 
I’m also big on practicality. If my planner isn’t with me I can’t exactly use it! I need my planner to be big enough to fit all our family’s events but small enough to throw in my purse. Mine is 8.5” by 7”, exactly half of a legal size sheet of paper, which I find is a really fantastic size for both those purposes. 
 
Anyway, this has become a super long post! I’m just so excited to finally have my Liturgical Living Planner done for the year and to get the chance to talk about it here where I know you are as in love with planners and the details of home management as I am! 
 
And I’d love to offer your readers a 20% off coupon code in case they want to buy their own. The Liturgical Living Planners will be available on my Etsy shop November 9th, 2015 in a hard copy or a PDF download.
 
The coupon code is “SUN2015” and will work through the month of November.
 
~ Amanda
 
***
 
Fantastic post, Amanda and THANK YOU for your very kind offer! I think your planners looks absolutely lovely - friends, please do pop over to Maple Leaf Planners and check them out! I think it might be just what many of you are looking for!
 
Going back to your points, Amanda, I'd like to say I agree with you wholeheartedly about needing a vertical format so you can really see where you have time free each day. I have tried using (some very pretty) weekly planners that have the days listed horizontally - and oh, did I want them to work! - but somehow that just doesn't keep things straight in my mind.
 
And I, of course, love how you've woven the Catholic calendar into your planning - for me, the seasons (both liturgical and natural) hold the keys to planner peace! I too am always trying to be aware of what is happening when and to somehow create the space I need to prepare for it. I think having those special days and seasonal reminders listed right there alongside our other domestic matters makes a lot of sense.
 
And you're right, there are so many things to choose from - some feasts need more attention than others from year to year. And some weeks afford us more time to celebrate than others! Knowing these days return every year is a comfort. 
 
I also agree about the size issue ... while I find 8.5x11 useful for the actual work of planning, it's not always convenient for taking the planner itself out and about. I am always torn on this issue! I am currently wavering between two sizes as I tweak my own planner!
 
Amanda, thanks again for taking the time to offer us a peek at your lovely planner and your thought process as you created it. And of course, I am very grateful for your special discount offer ("SUN2015"), just for my readers this month! :)
 
Well friends, thank you very much for popping into our party and please leave a note for Amanda below! And don't forget to pop over to her Etsy shop and take a closer look at her liturgical planners!
 
Have a great Monday, everyone - see you here again very soon!