Tea @ Dawn's ~ Cozy Little Nests (& a Big Cozy GIVEAWAY!)

Hello my friends, and Happy Friday! I'm so pleased to welcome you back for another Late Autumn Tea. ❤

On this raw and blustery day, how about we settle in for a nice little coze ... as well as, of course, a wee something sweet and a cup or two of refreshment! I'm so grateful to be here and I've had such fun putting this post together - it's been quite a week, let me tell you! - so I'm very happy to finally sit down, reflect and sip.

I hope you will join me - it's a rather long post as usual! - but if you're curious about the details for my Tea at Dawn's Giveaway, please skip to the bottom of this post. 😉

Now let me just put the kettle on and we can begin ...

I often think how nice it would be if we could all truly sit down together "in real life" and share tea and little stories about our lives. Since that's most likely not possible (though, never say never!) I will be content for the time being with our online connection. I do love hearing from friends who also enjoy tea and the seasons and the changing weather and good books and crafting and seasonal living ...

So today I'd like to share this cozy picture from a dear longtime reader, Gill ...

"Happy Friday! I spent a few minutes perusing our newest picture book with my cup of tea this afternoon. The tea is a West Country blend, from Somerset, and its in a vintage Wedgwood cup and saucer given to me by a friend for my birthday. It’s dark here by 4pm so I have candles lit already.

Thank you so much for sharing your cozy tea spot, Gill! Your teacup is gorgeous. ❤ And as luck would have it, my library was able to acquire a copy of that lovely new book for me ... I hope to read it with my boys during Solstice week. It's getting dark very early here, too ...

And please don't forget to swing by Kim's later today ~ I know she'll have a lovely tea ready for you all!

As for my own tea today, it's a soft and refreshing blend called Lady Grey ... a new (and decaffeinated) favorite! (And absolutely wonderful as the base for a London Fog Latte, by the way.) My mug is an oldie but goodie - sturdy and big, featuring a swath of acorns and leaves (our homeschool symbol) - and on my napkin is a pretty autumn leaf cookie, purchased at Whole Foods. (Made with plant-based dye! I shared this with Little Bear, natch.)

I thought this cookie was a perfect choice for today's tea because to me, a sweet little seasonal treat like this is the epitome of cozy eating. In fact, if I had to pick a favorite dessert it would probably be a simple butter cookie with a thick coat of icing, decorated for whatever holiday or season is at hand. Unless of course we're talking apple desserts in which case, my grandmother's aptly named, "apple dessert" (a kind of autumn cobbler concoction) is pretty hard to beat for scrumptious and seasonal flavor! Another very nourishing and autumnal dessert is Indian Pudding ... are you familiar with that old-fashioned dish? I love making that for Thanksgiving Day - and while it's a great crockpot dessert, here's an oven-baked version.

Speaking of Thanksgiving ... what are your plans for the holiday this year? Will you be traveling or staying at home? Keeping it simple or hosting a crowd? Don't you just love Thanksgiving? It's always been my favorite day of the year. This year we are blessed to be hosting our family gathering, and there will be close to 30 of us for dinner! (That might be a new record!) I absolutely LOVE hosting holidays, and this one in particular ... a celebration focusing on thanks and thoughtfulness. A day to reflect on the blessings of family, freedom and food. ❤

Simple as that premise might be however, there's always much to do before we all sit down together to feast!

This is the to-do list from my Thanksgiving planner. Where would I ever be without my lists? I guarantee there would be not enough chairs and too much pumpkin pie ...

(Though is there even such a thing as too much pie?)

Pssst - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will be aired on ABC next Wednesday night at 8 p.m. And yes, I realize we can now watch holiday specials any old time of the year - thanks to streaming and DVDs and the like - but don't you think there's something special about sitting down to watch, all together, the very night that the special is on? Maybe I'm just showing my age here but I am a stickler for these kinds of things!

🤷🏻‍♀️

Ok, back to our Tea ...

Now, if you recall, we follow a simple annual schedule in our family and homeschool, wherein each week of the year is assigned a theme, reflecting a particular seasonal nuance or event.

So why Cozy Nests for this third week in November? Well, for a few different reasons!

The trees are now bare, so we can easily see where birds and squirrels have made nests.

Hibernation (as well as migration) is well underway ...

Dark and dreary weather sends us scurrying inside, with a promise of more (and worse) to come.

Our own instincts kick in and we remember that it's hibernation time for humans, too! And that doesn't have to be bad thing, not if we plan ahead and create a warm nest of creature comforts, just as the local fauna works so very hard to do.

Because let's face it: winter is dark, cold and - if you live in New England - long. I personally don't mind it too much (though I do wish for an earlier spring every year!) but then again, I'm someone who really enjoys being home. I don't really get cabin fever!

Of course every home is a blessing of shelter, but within each home there is potential for some serious nesting behavior. It's a perfect time of year to focus on HOME ... to look inward for contentment and light .... and to nurture ourselves and our families!

So what would your cozy nest look like? Where would it be? What would you be doing in it? What would you keep close at hand? Would this be a space to cuddle up and read, or a space for working together on a project? Perhaps cooking up a hearty meal, puttering over a puzzle or sitting by a window to watch for little snowbirds?

Many of us naturally feel sad as the year winds down, and light and warmth are mostly stolen away for months to come. For some this goes much deeper, and I certainly don't mean to make light of what can be a very serious affliction. After the bright blip of the holidays, those long weeks of winter will arrive - stormy at times and secluding - but I think arming ourselves with a plan is always a good way to begin any season. For me that's making sure I have a cozy nest to where I may retreat and indulge in the blessings of home comforts.

As I embark on my own seasonal observations and appreciation, my greatest desire is to share it with my children and encourage them to look for the blessings in each turn of the year. I want them to be aware of their surroundings and especially their own "habitat" if you will. This is why I set up this concept of seasonal homeschooling many years ago. I like to think it's left my kids with a deeper connection with nature (and its creator) ... and some really nice memories to carry with them as they grow.

With Little Bear, my one and only homeschooler this year, we began exploring this week's theme by thinking about just what the word "cozy" means. Cozy, after all, is a particular feeling and everyone has different feelings about things! So to get ourselves started we dove into some wonderful books ...

The Cozy Book

Our Nest

You Nest Here with Me

Cozy Light, Cozy Night

Three Pebbles and a Song

These books got us started and gave us much food for thought! Cozy can mean many different things, depending on the season, where you live and what you love! Little Bear and I made up our own list of ideas - something to refer back to as we build up our nests.

And now, I have a whole bunch of pictures to share, but first I'm going to pause to refill my mug since I've been chattering on for a bit now! Would you perhaps care for another cup? ❤

So what does cozy mean to me? Well, there are a lot of things that make me feel cozy inside and out ... 

My journal pages and special children's books ...

Calendar-keeping and planning for holiday fun ...

My sunny kitchen, spreading out and taking control of my day.

Walking the woods with my Little Bear ...

... looking for signs of nesting in nature!

My cats are the BEST at being cozy!

On a rainy day, a library can be wonderfully cozy ...

(Exploring nests at the library!)

This bean teepee would be OH SO COZY next spring! (A next-year garden journal is a wonderful winter hobby!)

Window seats are also so very cozy ...

As is crafting! 

Here are a couple of crafts for your kids this Thanksgiving - cranberry structures above and pumpkin pie plates below:

(Thanks to our local librarian for the idea!)

Family traditions are cozy ... like this Tom Turkey who graces our front lawn every year. Little things like this - that everyone enjoys and remembers - helps foster a sense of togetherness. We are all individuals but we all share the same nest!

Candles in my kitchen window are super cozy! Especially when they are made of beeswax - that smell is particularly sweet and comforting.

And dare I say it, but ...

Snowfall is cozy!

(We've had a few dustings so far this autumn.)

And finally, comfy corners where one might gather their favorite things and just sit and putter ...

These little "personal" nests are perhaps coziest of all!

Ok, at long last, now it's time to talk about my "Tea at Dawn's Giveaway!"

What I would like to offer one dear reader is a Box of Winter Comfort & Joy - a la By Sun and Candlelight. This would arrive just after Christmas, and it would include some happy little things for feathering a warm winter nest ...

PLUS:

A By Sun and Candlelight 2020 Planner!

(Fresh off the presses just for you!)

So, here are the contest details:

On Monday, December 23rd, I will announce a winner, randomly drawn from Post comments, Tea submissions and social media shares. During the week between Christmas and New Year's, I will mail my Box of Winter Comfort & Joy to that one lucky winner!

Here's all you have to do:

--> Leave a comment on this post - and/or either one of my next two TEA posts. Every time you comment you are entered!

That's it!

However ...

You can improve your chances of winning by sending me a submission for an upcoming Tea post! You may contact me via email (drhanigan AT gmail DOT com) - send me a photo or a link to a post you've shared at your own website!

Also ...

Bonus points for spreading the news about Tea at Dawn's through social media!

(Feel free to grab this little "logo" if you'd like.)

(Please give me a heads-up if you do, so I can keep tally!)

Now, before I go,  here is the upcoming Teatime Timetable and Topics:

12/6: Heaven & Earth/Holiday Greenery/Christmas Trees

12/20: Winter Solstice/All Creation Waits/Gingerbread

12/23: Giveaway Winner Announced!

1/3: Winter Stars/Comfort & Joy/Word of the Year

I'm rather talked out at this point, but perhaps we have time for one more pot?

Well my friends, as always I thank you very much for joining me ... I hope you enjoyed our Tea! I would love to hear from you, whether you want to enter the giveaway or not (and if you do not, please let me know in your comment so I don't include your name in the drawing). And please feel free to email me (see above) or contact me via Instagram DM or Facebook PM. I look forward to hearing from you!

Most of all however, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and very Happy Thanksgiving next week, if you celebrate. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones ...

I'll see you here again very soon!

Hello, my friends, hello ...

... and long time no see! :)

I can hardly believe it's been TWO MONTHS since I last posted here. I'm very sorry I've been away so long, but I do hope you are all happy and well and that your autumn has been going along nicely so far. We have been busy here (as I'm sure you have, too!), and I have a few different posts percolating, but for today I'll just share a few quick things with you all.

First off, in case you missed it last week, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is on again tonight!

8:00 p.m. on ABC. And sure, you can easily watch this beloved show any old time you wish nowadays, but there's just something special about watching a special the night it is aired nationwide. Don't you agree? 

You might be wondering what we've been up to the past two months ... and well, we've been busy with all the usual things ... except Crackerjack is now off to college! We began our homeschooling year right after Labor Day and that is going well with both Earlybird and Little Bear. EB's daily home therapy hours have increased greatly which is wonderful (for him AND us) but it does mean less "down time" for me. And by down time I mean reading-writing-computer-slash-blogging time! Still trying to find my groove re ~ that part of my life, but if you are on Instagram I do post to my account there just about every day. (I also have a Facebook page for the blog and though I post there a little less frequently, it's usually at least once a week.)

How is Autumn unfolding where you live? Have you had any neat nature adventures recently? Today I took pictures of the pretty foliage around our yard since we are expecting a big Nor-easter here tomorrow so my guess is most of our foliage will be "gone with the wind," so to say!

I am also working on a post about my current planning system ...

But it's been slow-going for the usual reasons - ahem!

Which leads me to the topic of my planner and planning sheets. At the end of the summer I mentioned that sometime this fall I would have my 2019 planning sheets ready to share as well as possibly some news about making my planner available for sale. Well, the good news is - I will absolutely have those sheets ready for you all soon! Definitely this fall, and hopefully sometime within the next month! (Planning sheets through the end of 2018 are available in monthly PDFs found in this post.)

The bad news I'm afraid is - as much as I would love to say I will be selling my planners in some manner, I've decided that's just not possible right now. Because right now I just don't have the time it would take to devote to such a project, though I do think it would be fun and I'm thrilled some of you have expressed interest in buying a ready-made, spiral-bound planner from me. I'm not saying I won't ever open the planner shop I've envisioned, but for now I'll have to "keep things simple" and devote myself to our boys, our home and our homeschooling. 

That said ... I DO plan to share (as usual!) my free printable planning sheets here - and for the foreseeable future! Because I love using them and so I'm always creating more and tweaking them to work a little better. (Plus, to reflect the new year's dates.)

I am also planning to to share more detailed information on how to go about printing and assembling my planner, and how I use the planning sheets myself, particularly as they pertain to our seasonal homeschooling. I know I keep promising to do this in a video format and that is still my plan ... but again, that will come in a bit, but hopefully well before the end of the year.

What's that you say? We ARE near the end of the year already?? 

Goodness time flies much too quickly these days! As does my time for sitting down and computing!

So my friends, that is all I have for today, but I will be back here again just as soon as I can with those 2019 planning sheets, some pics from our fall and a few thoughts and plans for the upcoming holiday season! I am also in the midst of revamping my "themes and plans" series and hope to have those ready for the start of the new year.

Thanks again for your patience, everyone, and as always, for reading ...

I'll see you here again very soon!

Printable Planning Sheets! Plus, WEBINAR news!

Hello my friends and Happy Monday! I am so excited to share a couple of super fun things with you all today!

First of all, I have some more seasonal planning sheets for you! These are for the remaining months of 2018, and I do hope you enjoy them! (Please let me know if you have any problems opening these PDFs, or if - heaven forbid - there are mistakes!)

September 2018 Planning Sheets

October 2018 Planning Sheets

November 2018 Planning Sheets

December 2018 Planning Sheets

(Please stay tuned for info on 2019 Planners this fall.)

And now for more details on the webinar I mentioned earlier this month, and that exciting event is coming up THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 17th!

Here's a link with all the info and a sign-up form:

Homeschool Connections: Inspire Virtual Conference 

"This FREE online conference will provide you focus to ramp up your planning efforts while invigorating your outlook for the upcoming school year."

(Did I mention this webinar is FREE?!?)

My dear friend Mary Ellen Barrett will be interviewing five different folks on various homeschooling topics, and honestly I am more than a little overwhelmed by the amazing company I am in: Jennifer Mackintosh, Dave Palmer, Tony Agnesi, and Bonnie Landry! I feel truly honored and humbled to have been asked to join this panel of gifted and accomplished speakers!

Now, when you sign up for INSPIRE, you can choose which talks you wish to "attend" - they begin with Jennifer's at 10 a.m. and end with mine at 2:45 p.m. (eastern time). My talk is titled, "Seasonal Homeschooling: Cultivating a Gentle, Grateful Year," and not surprisingly, I'm still working out my notes! I do hope to have some helpful thoughts to share, a few favorite resources to show you ... and well, you just KNOW I will have a big cup of tea in my hand! :-)

Ok, so that's all for today, but I will have another post (maybe two!) to share this week as we get closer to Friday. I have some PDFs in mind to create and there MAY be a GIVEAWAY in the works!! So please stay tuned, and I will see you here again very soon!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

p.s. Top photo: Sunday office hours - it was a "big mug" kind of day!

Hot off the Presses: My Spring Newsletter!

Hello my friends, and Happy June! I am popping in quickly today to share my latest newsletter with you all! Some of you received this in the mail last week (or will very shortly) but here it is in printable PDF form for everyone else:

By Sun and Candlelight Late Spring Newsletter, 2018

I hope you enjoy my letter ... it's nothing too fancy, just a bit of "this and that" ... including a copy of my favorite spring recipe! I have in fact just made this dish today ... can you guess what it might be?

It's not perhaps the prettiest of bakes but it really is quite delicious! Check out my newsletter for all the details!

Enjoy the week ahead, my friends, and thanks so much for stopping by ...

I will see you here again very soon!

p.s. As I announced on Instagram and Faceboook last week, this Sunday (6/10), I will be hosting our next Mitten Strings for God Tea. We will be talking about chapter 15, "Listening." I hope you will join me!

Did you enter my giveaway? Well, you've got mail!

Or you will ... if you'd like to send me your address! :)

So this is a little surprise from me to you ... for anyone who entered my "blogiversary giveaway" (and there were 80 of you in all!)  ... I'd love to send you a little snail mail, celebrating the new season ahead. This will just be a simple newsletter I print out here at home, with some thoughts and plans for the days ahead. I'm thinking of things like ...

♥ herb garden plans

♥ Little Women (on Masterpiece this May)

♥ spring self-care tips

♥ a favorite spring recipe

♥ a walk in the spring woods

I had mentioned in my original blogiversary post that 12 readers would be selected to receive my "Spring News" but as I went to publish this post I thought ... why not share it with everyone?

SO here's what to do:

If you are one of the 80 folks who commented on this post here or over at my Facebook page or Instagram account, please send me your snail mail address at your earliest convenience, by emailing me at:

drhanigan AT gmail DOT com

(I promise I won't do anything with your address except place it in my home management binder, behind the blogging tab for personal correspondence purposes only. I would never share it with anyone else ... aside from maybe my husband, lol.)

And if you are not interested in the mail ... well that's fine, too!

I will plan to mail out these newsy little newsletters around May 1st. Sometime after that I will make them available here on my blog as a PDF. I just think that snail mail is so fun ... a rare and old-fashioned treat for those of us who still love the look and feel of paper in our hands. :) 

So! I hope to hear from you and thanks so much for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of this lovely spring day ... rainy and cool though it may be, here in New England!

See you here again sometime soon ...

And my planner giveaway winner is ... ❤

HELENA!

Congratulations, Helena! I am so happy for you, and will be in touch soon to set up mailing details! I hope you will enjoy using this wonderful planner - I know mine has made a real difference in how (well) I manage all my weekly to-dos!

My sincere thanks to all who entered my "12 years of blogging" giveaway - especially for all the good wishes! I really enjoyed reading through all your comments and questions - your ideas have given me quite a shot of inspiration! How fun to begin my 13th year of blogging with so much encouragement and so many possible posts already in queue!

Here is Helena's question, which I will definitely feature in an upcoming post ...

"My question for you would be this - I think Little Bear will be in kindergarten in the fall, right? If that is the case, I would love to read about your plans for him - not just the seasonal themes, but curriculum, if you use any, and favorite resources."

This is a great question, Helena, and perfect timing - because yes, Little Bear will be starting Kindergarten this fall! (I can hardly believe it!) So next year, because Crackerjack will be ... gulp ... off to college, I will have just two students in our homeschool: Earlybird (16, special needs) and Little Bear (turning 5 in May). So naturally I'm already thinking about my very last year teaching Kindergarten ... and have started organizing a lesson planner for next year. So far it's mostly just notes and pretty tab dividers, but I will share my ideas and a peek at this planner soon!

You all had so many great questions and I appreciate the time you took to share them! I printed all of them out (including comments left for me here, at Facebook and Instagram - 80 in all!) and filed them in my home management binder, right behind my blog planning tab ...

I will happily refer back to this list as I work on getting back to a semi-regular posting schedule this spring. :)

For now though, I will concentrate on putting my house put back together and catching back up with routine tasks that often get pushed aside whenever we're preparing for a major holiday! The "holiday hangover" I call it, lol! I will also be posting a new Mitten Strings update soon - I'm thinking our next chapter discussion will be on Sunday, April 15th, but will post a firm "teatime" in another day or two ...

Oh, and back to the planner shown above for a moment - I'll have a tour of "this week" coming up soon, but here's a sneak peek. As you can see it doesn't have much in it! I usually have my planners filled out well in advance of a new week, but with the busy Easter weekend, that all got pushed back ... so this morning (after a super early dentist appointment) I finally sat down to start writing out my spread:

p.s. No cavities!

Well my friends, I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks again for the kind words, thoughtful comments and as always, your lovely encouragement! Congratulations again to Helena, and to all, I wish you a day (and night) filled with peace and joy ...

See you here again sometime soon!

Happy 12 Years, Little Blog! (+ a Giveaway!)

Hello my friends, and Happy Thursday!

❤

Today I have some exciting news to share! Not only do I begin my 13th year of blogging today - but I'm kicking off a super fun GIVEAWAY, too!

And here's the grand prize!

This is a: 

Day Designer for Blue Sky 2018-2019 Academic Year Weekly & Monthly Planner, Laminated Cover, Twin-Wire Binding, 8" x 10", Navy Stripe Design

 

Woot! Woot!

This is the weekly planner I use to keep track of our family's weekly to-dos and to-gos. I will do a post very soon showing you exactly how I use it, but here are a couple more glimpses inside:

(Note: Mine has a black and white striped cover and a green/white interior - but the layout is the same.)

This is a wonderful planner - slim, sturdy and thorough. There is plenty of room to do a LOT of weekly planning in here, as well as to keep track of all your month-at-a-glance details. I absolutely love mine and I would be so happy to see someone else enjoy this planner, too!

So!

ONE lucky reader will win this planner (along with a few favorite blogging accoutrements), but in honor of the TWELVE years I've blogged so far, I will also choose 12 names to receive a bit of fun "spring" mail from yours truly! Nothing too grand or fancy, just a little-old fashioned "snail mail," from me to you, in celebration of the new and lovely season ahead. :)

Ok, so to enter my GIVEAWAY, here's what you have to do:

1. Leave a comment below this post (or at my Facebook page) with your name, along with a question you'd like to ask me and/or a suggestion for a post you'd like to read. 

It's that simple!

I will collect names up until Monday, APRIL 2nd - that's the day after Easter! - and then "roundabouts teatime," I will announce the GIVEAWAY winners!

🤗

I think this will be fun! And I look forward to hearing from you! I can't promise I'll answer every question asked or write every post suggested, but I will certainly do my best to make my way through the ideas throughout the year. :)

(I'm keeping a list for future blog posts - including "Full Disclosure Fridays" - behind the sunny yellow tab shown above!)

❤

Now, what would a birthday be without cake? :)

On Tuesday Little Bear and I baked "vernal equinox cupcakes," seen below in a recent Instagram collage ...

I simply frosted yellow cupcakes with ivory buttercream, then dusted half of each top with "spring green" sprinkles and the other half with "snowflake" sprinkles. Because - per New England tradition - Spring almost always kicks off with a good dusting of snow - or more! Hopefully though, having dodged the most recent snowstorm, we will get a little (or a lot of) melting here next week ... because I for one am dreaming of a GREEN Easter! 💚

But back to the cake ...

Since I only used half of the batter for the cupcakes, I decided to bake my blog a yummy, sunny, sprinkle-topped birthday cake - it's not like I haven't done it before! So tonight after supper, we'll light those sweet-smelling beeswax candles and dig right in ...

😋 

Well my friends, I feel so blessed to be starting my 13th year of blogging and look forward to sharing more of my mothering/home-schooling/home-keeping/seasons-following/nature-loving journey with you all! 

Wishing the very best of luck to all who enter my GIVEAWAY, and to everyone, many thanks for stopping by! Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones ...

I will see you here again very soon!

Mitten Strings for God: Schedule Update!

Hello again, my friends! A quick note about our Mitten Strings for God book study schedule. I have a request to make, and I hope you'll all be ok with it ..The next chapter in our book is called, "Surrender" and it addresses the concept of children playing with weapons. (Toy weapons, obviously.)

In truth, I'd been feeling a bit apprehensive about this chapter and how to approach it ... it's a tricky topic to discuss with other families, though it is definitely worthy of honest and respectful discussion. As the mother of four boys (not to be sexist), it's something we've encountered many times throughout the years.

But my friends, I just don't have it in me to tackle this particular topic at this highly sensitive time - especially in light of the horrifying events in Florida last month. It is perhaps THE time to talk about this with each other (and our children), but I don't feel I have the kind of time I'd need to craft a blog post that would be as thoughtful and careful as I'd want it to be ...I just don't have the heart for it, I guess.

So, I hope you all understand that I'd like to skip this chapter (for now, anyway) and move on to the very next chapter which is called, "Breathing," and I'd like to host that chapter chat on Sunday, March 11th - roundabouts teatime!

March 11th is Rose Sunday AND the day when we here in the USA turn our clocks forward and gain an extra hour of daylight. So it's quite a day for feeling joy and hope, and I would love to share a sweet cup of spring tea and our thoughts on slowing down and learning to breathe ...

I hope you will join me!

Remember, everyone is welcome to join our MSfG discussion - the archive of all previous posts can be found here. I'd love to share your thoughts (and pictures?) here in my next post and if you are interested in sharing, you may send me an email ---> drhanigan AT gmail DOT com.

Or just jump into the comments box at anytime!

Wishing everyone a very peaceful week - I will see you all here again soon!

❤

 

Mitten Strings for God: Let's Get Back to It! ❤

Hello, my friends and Happy Monday!

Well, the holidays are behind us and a long winter looms ahead ... so I'm here today to announce a return to our Mitten Strings book study! I hope you're all ready to get back into it! (Please see my MSfG archive for more information and all previous posts.)

I'm so looking forward to digging back in, but to give us all plenty of time to catch up, I'm scheduling our first chapter discussion for a week from this coming Friday:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26th

* roundabouts teatime *

(aka 4 p.m. EST)

Now, to refresh our collective memory, we hit pause at chapter 10, "Stories" ... so that's where we shall begin! And what a perfect chapter for this time of year when telling stories around the hearth are, for many families, a cherished tradition. In our family we weave storytelling into our weekly homeschooling rhythm, and all our boys have enjoyed their Dad's funny bedtime stories for years. (Sea Monster and BooBoo were two favorite recurring characters.) Personally, I love making little crafts to go along with my stories - short tales usually connected with nature or the nuances of the seasons - but I'll get into more of that in my post on the 26th!

Before I go though, here is a chapter quote I found especially inspiring:

This is a picture I snapped one frosty morning, looking through Little Bear's bedroom window which faces east. I was marveling over the scrolls and feathers and "frost flowers," (not to mention the fiery glow of the rising sun behind them) and you can just imagine the storylines that popped into my head as I savored those quiet moments before the household got busy ... ❤

But again, I'm getting ahead of myself! As you can tell, I'll have much to say when we gather for our chapter discussion. :)

Going forward, I am thinking of continuing with a Friday teatime schedule. (Fridays are my "hearth and home" days, and a little tea break is most welcome come late afternoon!) I thought we might try a weekly post schedule, but if folks would like a little more time between chats, we could easily do an every-other-week format. Let me know in the comments below what you prefer ... I am completely flexible!

Well my friends, I'm off for now, but I hope this post finds everyone well. I hope to be back again later this week with a planner post, but in the meantime, please take care of yourselves and your loved ones ...

I'll see you here again very soon!

Tea & Mitten Strings: A Pause & a Plan!

Hello my friends and Happy Sunday! I hope you are all doing well. ❤ I'm popping in today to share a cup of Advent tea, and announce a little change to my December blogging schedule ...

Now, I know had promised to pick up where we left off in our Mitten Strings for God book study, and to continue on with our weekly tea schedule as well, but - and I know you all saw this coming - I think what I really need is to keep things simple this month. I have a lot going on at the moment - there's a season to savor, my concussion to coddle, and college applications to finish for my son!

So what I would like to do for now is to hit "pause" on my blogging for the rest of the month. In early January we'll gather here again for a cup of Winter's tea and hit "play" on our MSfG book study. I'm thinking there may even be a little giveaway involved ... 

But to touch on our current chapter, "Wants and Needs," I would like to say a few quick things before getting on with today's tea ... Here is a link to my post on this chapter from 2008 which I just re-read last week, and in doing so I thought:

You know what? I really like what I had to say back then!

So here's a little excerpt:

I think helping our children find and feel contentment, is vital to their happiness later in life. We grown-ups know, in our hearts, that contentment doesn't come from things, but rather, from having our needs met consistently. Because once those needs are met, we feel comfort, and comfort provides plenty of space for joy. (Did I just talk in a circle? Possibly, but please bear with me.)

There are so many places this post could go, but in the interest of time (mine and yours) I'll just offer up a few notes I jotted down for myself re this particular endeavor (and as always, these are just things I am trying - I don't presume to know what would work for your family):

1. Expose the kids to less media/commercialism.

2. Shop as infrequently as possible and be more thrifty with our spending.

3. Make giving thanks a bigger part of our everyday life. Hone in on our non-material blessings.

4. Volunteer more as a family.

Now, I think I had good intentions back then, but I know my family could definitely use a little refresher! So as we approach the new year I'll be brainstorming ways to work these four goals (back) into our life. In particular, I'd love to spend less time shopping - and make the shopping we do do more meaningful and focused. I'm pretty sure Bill would love the idea of less spending, too!

But for today, let's share some Advent tea and revel in this season of twinkling lights and sparkling snow ... and first, I am so pleased to share my friend Gill's lovely pics with you all. I can always count on Gill to share a cozy cup of tea and a peek into her life across the pond!

From Gill:

"We are just beginning to put a few things out for Advent, and I was given this little tablescape decoration yesterday. It had rather a Scottish feel to it, so I have had a little St Andrew’s day tea beside it this afternoon ...

"Whilst I was doing that, my menfolk were cutting down a Christmas tree for our front yard! They had a lot of fun and we now have a tree to rival the one in Trafalgar Square!"

Thank you, Gill, for sharing your warm and welcoming tea here with us! Your views are so pretty ... and I have to say, I was a little jealous of your snow when I first opened your message. ;) (We've since gotten some of our own.) But that tree - wow, it's a beauty! I especially love those large lights - so pretty! And who's that sweet little doggie posing in front? What a love!

Speaking of loves, here's my Oliver, whose favorite haunt is the library ... 

Isn't he handsome? ❤ Archie finds his way into more of the pictures because he gets into more trouble he's always wherever we are ... whereas Oliver tends to snuggle up and sleep in quiet corners when he can find them. His favorite spot? Behind the loveseat, sidled up next to the heating register ... where I keep his preferred pet bed, natch. :)

But speaking of Archie?

Yes, he's just LOVING the Advent season as you can see ... with all the little knicknacks to bat around and fresh greenery to nosh on ...

#andthisiswhywecanthavenicethings 😂 

As part of our Advent storytelling, I made this peg doll St. Nick and, as an extra surprise, purchased that sweet little cat, one of a few new wooden figures from Bella Luna Toys. The story I told had to do with a lost cat finding a new home at the Farm, in thanks to a kind stranger in the woods (St. Nicholas/Father Christmas). I was inspired by the book seen below, one of my favorite Christmas stories of all time ...

The Christmas Cat by Efner Tudor Holmes (and illustrated by the beloved Tasha Tudor) is such a beautiful story - especially for those of us with a soft spot for animals. What is extra sweet about this photo is that BOTH of my younger boys were sitting at this table, listening to me read aloud. (While sipping their traditional St. Nicholas Day treat, candy cane cocoa!) Earlybird is usually very uncomfortable being read to, but he was really calm and content to hear the story! Such progress he has made ... it makes this mama so happy. :)

And here's another festive spread, one I arranged a few days later, when I expected a dear friend for morning tea ...

This is my favorite Christmas china, a set I started collecting several years ago. "Winter Greetings Everyday" it's called, and I love it most of all for the birds! Several species are represented on these dishes ... cardinals, chickadees, titmice, goldfinches ... downy woodpeckers even!

Here's another shot of my tea table last Friday ...

This was *before* we got our first snow of the season!

Speaking of ... here I am with Little Bear on our way home from Whole Foods Saturday morning. We made a quick run to get bread, milk and a few other sundries before the storm set in!

This chapter sprung to mind several times as we shopped ...

"Hey, can I have that?"

"Mama, I want that!"

"Wait! Mama go back, I want to look at that again!"

And me: "Honey, we don't need to buy that today, but it IS a really neat [insert desired item here]."

The snow was light as we left the store, but within a few hours, it was falling in earnest ...

With all of two inches on the ground, Little Bear said: "This all has to go. Let’s get to work.” 

(This boy has the strongest work ethic I've ever seen in a 4 year old!)

Next morning ...

All was calm, all was bright ... ❤

I do love a December snow. An old-fashioned Christmas just isn't complete without at least a dusting of snow! (We had about 6 inches and are expecting more in the next week or so!)

And finally, here is our Christmas tree ...

I'm quite fond of our tree this year ... and as you can see, so is Archie. :)

Well everyone, thank you very much for stopping by and taking the time to read. I hope you are all having a nice December! And Mitten Strings friends - I hope you will excuse this little break from our study and join me back here again next month!

Now, that's not to say I might not pop in again before January ... and I'll definitely be around on Facebook and Instagram! But for now, I will say ...

Blessed Advent, my friends. I wish each of you a love-filled, perfectly peaceful and happy holiday season. God bless you all and thank you so much for your friendship, kindness and care!

See you here again very soon ...

So Who Won My Mitten Strings Giveaway ... ???

Well, before I answer that question, I have a little surprise to tell you first! :)

Not only am I giving away one book this afternoon ... but I'm actually giving away THREE books today!! Yes! I'm very happy to say that I have three extra copies of this extraordinary book to pass along ... and so without further ado, here are the three lucky ladies who will be getting a package in the mail from me next week:

1. Helena

 

2. Emily B.

 

3. Sarah Paquette

 

Helena, Emily and Sarah ~ I am so happy for you, and I hope you all enjoy this book as much as I have! It's the kind of book you can easily devour in one sitting, but as mothers we hardly ever have that kind of time, do we? So we can pick this up and read a little ... make a couple of notes ... put it down ... digest, reflect ... and resolve. Motherhood is such a gift and we all know how quickly the years fly by. Mitten Strings for God encourages us to slow down and be mindful of this great gift. To appreciate this place right here ... and this time right now. ❤

Ladies, I will be in touch with each of you via email to arrange the mailing details. I will aim to have your books on their way to each of you by early next week!

My sincere thanks to ALL who took the time to comment on my giveaway - it was great to hear from you! Some of you are new readers and I'd like to say welcome! I hope you will all tune into our on-going Mitten Strings book study ... this week we are up to chapter seven, which is entitled, "Play."

Here's the page I'm looking at right now:

This is perhaps my fourth or fifth re-read, but I still find such wisdom in each chapter. And each time I read I come away with new impressions - and new pencil marks on the pages! Certainly this current chapter has given me much to ponder considering my extremely playful four year old! But there are things in here for all of us to consider ... things like the benefits of lollygagging and unscheduled days.

But I'll be sharing my thoughts on all of this - as well as a hot cup of Autumn Tea - on Sunday. And I hope you will join me! For now I will wish you all well and once again thank you for participating, and reading, and stopping by ... I hope you all have a nice weekend!

See you here again very soon ...

The Winner of My Picture Books Giveaway!

Hello my friends, and Happy Thursday! I'm here today to announce the winner of my Thanksgiving picture books giveaway!

So without further ado, I'm happy to inform ...

MICHELLE S.

... that she is the winner! ❤

"Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays. Mostly because I enjoy good food, family, and friends."

I have to agree with you there, Michelle! Food, family and friends - three things I just love about Thanksgiving!

 

(Speaking of Thanksgiving ... it's just a week from today! Are you planning a meal this year? Will you be making any pies? I'd love to hear about your plans if you have time. You know I'll be sharing mine before long!)

 

Well Michelle, I will be sending you an email shortly so we can sort out our mailing details and then I will pop these books right in tomorrow's mail ... I hope you will enjoy them!

 

And my sincere thanks to all who left a comment ... I loved reading all your thoughts on this wonderful holiday! Please stay tuned for my next giveaway announcement - coming up tomorrow I'll be drawing the winner of my extra copy of Mitten Strings for God. There's still time to enter if  you're interested ... please see this post for more details. :)

 

And speaking of MSfG, our next Autumn Tea/book study post will take place this Sunday ... we'll be talking about chapter seven, "Play" and I've been having fun gathering my thoughts - and photos - for that. I'm enjoying reading all of your thoughts, too!

 

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, my friends ... see you here again very soon!

Hey, Howdey, Hey! It's a Mitten Strings Giveaway!

Hello my friends, and Happy Friday! I hope you're all having a nice week. :)

So I have some bad news and good news this morning ...

First, the bad news:

I'm afraid yesterday got a little complicated, so I didn't have time to sit down and sip ... and type! So my next Autumn Tea/Mitten Strings post will be posted on SUNDAY (instead of today). Happily though (always look on the bright side, right?), this means we have two extra days to read and savor our next chapter ("TV"), before sitting down down to chat ...

Ok!

Now for the good news ...

... which, as you've probably guessed from the title of my post is ... a giveaway! And my giveaway is a brand new paperback copy of our current book study:

Mitten Strings for God by Katrina Kenison!

So all you have to do for a chance to win this book is to leave me a comment below. (Any kind of comment - simply your name, a suggestion, a question - whatever!) In a week's time I will gather all the names, choose one randomly, and announce a winner on Friday, November 17th. Then I will mail this book out to the winner right away! (There might even be a pretty new bookmark tucked inside those crisp, new pages as well!)

I sincerely apologize for putting off our Tea once again (I'm thinking going forward Sundays might be the better day for my posting), but this mothering gig, as you all know, does not always fit neatly into those pretty planner boxes! Some days you just have to switch to auto-pilot, push up your sleeves and hope for the best ... and such was yesterday, my friends!

Well, good luck to all who enter my giveaway! I hope to hear from you and in the meantime, I'll be back on Sunday with a spot autumn tea and some thoughts on our next chapter of Mitten Strings. (For those just joining us, here is a post with all the book study details!)

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

Mitten Strings for God: Let's Take It Slow ...

Hello again, my friends! I hope you're all enjoying a lovely weekend ... :)

I'm popping in quickly today with a little tweak to our Mitten Strings for God book study schedule. I am so happy to hear that many folks are excited to join in - some are dusting off their old copies, while others are awaiting a copy from the library or Amazon. So I'd like to give people a chance to catch up, plus I'm also thinking each of these chapters really needs a post all their own. The chapters are quick reads, but inspire LOTS Of thoughts. The message contained within each is deep and, I think, deserving of our full attention. 

Because my first post on Friday - though a complete joy to write - really took me some time to finish! In addition, I found myself trying to switch gears between chapter topics while still focusing on each meaningful message. I think for my benefit, and hopefully yours, we will slow things down a little ...

So, my plan is to scale back our study to ONE CHAPTER per week. The rest of the "rules" still apply (see this post for how you can participate) and as always, everyone is welcome to chime in! If you are still catching up, just leave comments as you can or send me your thoughts/photos as you have them. I will plug them in to the appropriate post(s).❤

Here are the upcoming Autumn/Advent Tea dates with our new chapter schedule:

October 27th: Quiet

November 3rd: Simplicity

November 10th: TV

November 17th: Play

November 24th: Secret Places

December 1st: Wants and Needs

December 8th: Stories

December 15th: One-on-One Time

December 22nd: Surrender

(And before the end of the year I will have a new Winter/Spring Tea schedule posted!)

Well my friends, that's all for now - I hope this schedule change works for you and please let me know if you need any clarification. Any thoughts/photos or post links can be messaged to me at Facebook or sent to my email address here --> drhanigan AT gmail DOT com.

Hope to hear from you and hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

A Mitten Strings Book Study: Why, How & When!

Hello my friends, and Happy Monday!

I am so excited to renew our Mitten Strings for God book study this week! I have mentioned my idea here, there, and everywhere the past couple of days - and now that I've had a little time to think about it, I wanted to announce a few more details. :)

(First though, how cute is my new bedding? Honestly - it's a complete coincidence that it just happens to match MSfG perfectly!)

So, a little back story - and for that, I'll point you to last Thursday's post in which I announced my intention to revive our original 2008 "Mitten Strings Book Study." For those unfamiliar with this lovely little book (one of my favorite books of all time), this is a slim, pretty - absolutely wonderful - collection of one mother's thoughts on the art of mothering and slowing down. The subtitle captures it best: "Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry."

I think it's safe to that say most of us could do with a little slowing down - no matter what stage of life we're in! ❤

Personally, I'm in a stage of mothering right now that's somewhat unique. I'm an old mom - but also, a young mom! (Well, sort of, lol. My oldest son is a grown man, while my youngest is only 4 years old!) So yes, I've been doing "this" for a while now - 22 years and counting! - but that's not to say I've got it all figured out.

Goodness, no.

The truth is I've figured some things out, and I do have more confidence than I did years ago, but life just doesn't stay still, you know? Just when you get in a groove, life throws a curve at you. Like an autism diagnosis ... or a baby at age 44! So reflection is ALWAYS a good idea - and especially when there seems to be no time for it.

Too busy to sit? Too busy to think? Sound familiar?

People after all, particularly children, are always changing ... and in ways that go much deeper than growth spurts. 

I think what can sometimes happen is that while we're all caught up in planning and doing - the checklists are being checked and the "must-dos" are being done - our inner lights are not being kindled. We're being efficient perhaps, but are we being nourished?

As mothers and wives and as families?  

Because in the blink of an eye it seems the little boy who couldn't wait to wake up simply to tell you his dreams is suddenly the quiet young man who shrugs more often than he speaks. Enthusiasm for favorite family pastimes might wane. The outside world gets bigger as our children do, and suddenly we have fierce competition for their attention ...

Predicting our family's needs gets a little murkier once our children leave young childhood.

I think in the beginning of our mothering journeys, we're just so eager to TALK and THINK about what we're doing and the choices we're making for our family. We're reading parenting books, surfing forums, attending support groups and flipping through Parents Magazine in waiting rooms with a keen interest in all things to do with raising children ...

Is this the right choice? Is there a better choice? Why are there so many choices?!

And then time starts flying and our Parents subscription expires and suddenly we're sending our babies off to college! We spend our days keeping up - trying to field life's changes as they come at us. Sure, families get busy, kids develop different needs - some you might never see coming! - but there is always that need for their mothers.

Always, always, always - no matter their age or their protests - children need their mothers. And mothers do well, I think, to slow down and take stock - not just for our kids but ourselves.

Ok, I'm getting carried away, so back to our upcoming book study! Here's what I have in mind ... 

❤ Each Friday, starting THIS Friday (10/20), I will post a Tea here at my blog. This simply means that at home I'll prepare a pretty cup of tea (and share a pic), and then the rest of the post will revolve around the topics at hand. In each post I will chat about three chapters ONE chapter from Mitten Strings for God and share my thoughts now - as well as reflect back on my thoughts then. (See chapter schedule below.)

Note: I decided to combine three chapters per post because for one thing, they are fairly slim chapters - very quick reads, yet filled with deep thoughts. My hope is to work our way through the book and be done by Christmas, ready to start the new year all encouraged and refreshed. And maybe move on to another book come January!

Update! I decided to change our book study schedule to ONE chapter per week. My thinking is explained in this post. Chapters 1-3 were discussed on 10/20 and the rest of the book study will unfold every Friday according to the schedule updated below and in the post I just linked.

❤ Everyone is welcome to join the conversation - whatever your children's ages, if you're a new reader or an old reader, whether it's your first time reading this book or your tenth!

❤ You are welcome to send me a link to your own blog if you have a post (old or new) that fits the current topics. You are also welcome to email me with your thoughts and any pictures you'd like to share. (I'll weave them into my post.) And of course I would love for you to comment on any post you'd care to - the first one, the last one, or any of the ones in between!

Pop in when you can! I want this to be a very low-stress book study, for all of us. :)

(Note: You can email me here --> drhanigan AT gmail DOT com.)

❤ Here are two book study "buttons" for you to use at your blog if you wish - or at any social media site. Just please link back here if you do! :)

❤ And finally, here is the schedule for each week's chapters:

October 27th: Quiet

November 3rd: Simplicity

November 10th: TV

November 17th: Play

November 24th: Secret Places

December 1st: Wants and Needs

December 8th: Stories

December 15th: One-on-One Time

December 22nd: Surrender

❤❤❤❤

In each post I'll share a link to the 2008 discussion, and then reflect on how things have changed for us as the boys have gotten older. (And how things might be different with Little Bear!)

I will also be sharing pictures throughout the week on my social media sites (Facebook and Instagram) that will reflect the chapter themes.

Well my friends - I hope you'll consider joining my book study - perhaps tuning in and/or chiming in as you can. I am so excited to revisit this wonderful book - for its content of course, but also because it will encourage me to take a little time to sit, read and look inward as the leaves fall and the days grow dark ...

My fondest hope is that we mothers might all be inspired and rejuvenated as we read - especially as keepers of the spark that lights our family's collective journey.

❤

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

(Or at the very least by Friday!)

Mitten Strings ~ a conversation continued!

Hello my friends, and Happy (almost) Friday! :)

On Facebook the other day I shared a beautiful post by Katrina Kenison, author of one of my favorite "mothering" reads of all time, Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry. Some longtime readers might remember back in 2008 when I ran a chapter-by-chapter book study of Mitten Strings here at the blog - and oh, what fun we had with that! We discussed some wonderful topics - Simplicity, Wants and Needs, Stories, and Quiet, for example - but we only made it to chapter nine before my posting ended. (I've always regretted dropping the ball on that series! My sincere apologies to those that were following along.) And we still had another 20 chapters to go - including Grace, Stretching, Sabbath, and Rhythm - so many more excellent topics to digest and discuss!

Well, as Autumn descends and my reading habits change (as in, I crave more of it!) I've been sorting through my books and organizing my baskets and trying to build more reading time into my days/nights. I've had my tattered copy of Mitten Strings sitting on my bureau all Summer, just awaiting a re-read and so I thought ... why not start there?

In addition to my own re-read, I thought it would be nice to revisit that old post series and see what I (what we) all thought and shared in response to those chapters. And then, hopefully continue on! I'll post more about my ideas on continuing our conversation - beginning with my Autumn Tea post next week - but for now I want to talk a bit about Chapter One, which I just re-read last night. If you follow me on Facebook you probably already read this, but it grew so lengthy I thought it really belonged here at the blog ... :)

So, I just re-read the first post I wrote in the series (Chapter One: "Dailiness") and first of all - wow, what a snippet of life from nine years ago! I smiled as I read about the goings-on in our home that random day - the boys running about and the things they were into, what I was cooking, and hearing and thinking ...

My blog at that time was just two years old, and it was quite a hodgepodge of "everyday" things. Not that it's not still rather *ahem* eclectic in style - but back then I posted quite frequently (daily, even) as I tried to capture all those little things that made up the fabric of my life at home with a husband and three young boys. I wrote as much to preserve family memories, as I did to shine a light on the happiness I found in being at home ...

But then, as I read on, the post absolutely stopped me in my tracks - because it referenced a death we'd just had in our family. I hadn't thought of this person in so long and it was quite a shock to remember that tragic event. It also brought back the feelings of disbelief and despair which at that time were quite fresh. Amy's death was so sudden and it just seemed so unreal - and unfair - that someone so young and vibrant, leading a life so much like mine, could possibly be gone forever ... 

The message of Ms. Kenison's first chapter - appreciating the very DAILINESS of life while we can - really hit home for me nine years ago, and it still does today. I vowed, as I wrote that post, to always be aware of the blessing of those simple, everyday moments ... the sweet AND the mundane. I even wrote out a few suggestions for doing that very thing, and then invited readers to join me and add their own thoughts. (And what a wonderful conversation we had!)

❤ Maintain balance within our family schedule. I say maintain, because I think we do a pretty good job with our schedule now, but it's always a balancing act. I'm a true homebody at heart, so I make sure we have plenty of quiet days (or at least hours) in a week. I want to set an example for my children, to show them a way to live that is not frantic or pressured. I hope they learn to set their own pace in the world, without tethering themselves to its demands.

❤ Learn to appreciate the "humble household rituals." Remember that it's only for a while that I'll have little boys underfoot and five sets of socks to sort. Focus on the fact that the things I do for my family - even the smallest offerings - are all gifts. From me to them and back again. Even the meatballs. ;)

❤ Make home a nurturing place to be - physically, emotionally and mentally. Help the kids cultivate hobbies. Create space that is cozy and fun to be in. Brainstorm family activities that don't require money or even a lot of fuss - things like lighting candles at dinner every night. (Thank you Mary for the idea!)

❤ Take time to consider it all. Keep up my blog, because it is here that I am preserving my family's memories - our family's dailiness, if you will. When I read through my archives, I remember how "big" all the little things really were. Hopefully my boys will do the same someday. As they grow, I want them "to be able to see the sacred in the ordinary ... to know how to "love the dailiness." And I want them to want that for their own families.

I'd like to think I've been keeping up that kind of awareness, and that I've been as mindful as I could possibly be of the blessing that is LIFE every day, here and now. But a reminder like this is necessary sometimes, mixing the sweet with the sad ...

Ironically enough, I'll have my hands dug deep into cold ground beef tonight again (you'd have to read my post to understand!), but you can just bet I'll be thinking about this book and that chapter ... and especially about my cousin's wife who lost her life so many years ago.

So in my kitchen this evening - a different space, a different soundtrack, one more little guy underfoot - I'll light a candle in remembrance and gratitude. Another day, another chance to be with my loved ones - who could ask for more than that?

I hope you might like to join me as I revisit each of the nine chapters we covered - and continue on with the remainder of this beloved book. We'll talk more at Tea next week!

In the meantime - thanks as always for stopping by! I will see you here again very soon!

Hey, Hey, Hey! It's a Giveaway! ❤

Hello my friends, and Happy Saturday! Hope your weekend's going well so far!  :)

So let's get right to it ... what you see above is what I'm offering as a giveaway! It's a Day Designer for Blue Sky daily planner and if you click on the link you will get a much closer look at the contents, but I've added some more pictures below as well. The planner runs from January 2017 through December 2017, so yes - it's already two months in, but - it is brand new and has not been used at all. I picked it up a while ago thinking I might switch back to this planner (which I used in 2015) when my current DD runs out in May - but have since decided to stick with the Flagship version ... which, fyi, can be ordered next month. I can hardly wait. (New covers to be revealed this coming Wednesday at their Instagram page!)

Anyhoooooo ...

I now have this extra planner to share! I'd love to pass it on to someone who is in need of a new planner or perhaps has been curious about Day Designer planners but hasn't yet made the leap. This is a wonderful planner and I love so much about it, but I hardly need two planners, now do I?

Ok, here's a closer look ...

The planner includes reference and goal setting pages, wonderful lined monthly calendars, and a separate page for each day of the week! (Saturday and Sunday share a page but there is still lots of room). The paper is smooth, the text is soft black and the design is prettily shaded with a light bluish-green. The front of the planner (a golden spotted design) is protected with a see-through plastic cover (as is the back) and the bright golden coil binding is super!

So obviously I love this planner but as I said above, I would be happy to see it being enjoyed by someone else! I blog a lot about the weekly planning I do, but I really like a daily planner for my nitty-gritty, where am I at kind of everyday planning. The Day Designer has filled that bill beautifully for me over the past couple of years!

Ok! If you'd like to be entered in the planner giveaway contest, please leave a comment below answering the following question(s) ...

What would you like to see more of at my blog? What kinds of posts do you most enjoy?

Or, if you don't really have an opinion on the above topic:

Ask me a random question! I'll try to do a Q&A roundup sometime soon ...

Now, I know blogging seems to have become a little passe, but I do still love this medium for sharing ideas, preserving memories, and expressing my joy in the changing seasons and my station in life as a homeschooling mom to four wonderful boys - plus two cats and six hens! I do share on social media (here, here and here), but I think I am most comfortable here at my blog which has always been fairly eclectic (a little of this, a little of that) and turns 11 years old next month!

So please leave a comment below, and I will enter you in my giveaway. I will pick a name randomly next Friday morning (February 24th) and announce it here at my "Winter Afternoon Tea" post. :) I will then mail the winner her planner immediately so she may have it in time for the turn to the March calendar!

Hope to hear from you soon, but as always, I appreciate you stopping by to check in! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone ...

I will see you here again very soon!

A Home for Our Hens!

Happy Friday, my friends! And Happy Earth Day, too!

🌎🌞🕸🐚🌙🍁🐝🌳🐔🌻

I just wanted to pop in this morning to show you the progress we're making - or I should say, Bill is making - on the chicken coop! He's such a talented guy, my fella. :) It's been many years since he's flexed his woodworking muscles, but I think he's really enjoying this project - as well as the time off from work! We have not ordered our chicks yet - I think we want to get the coop a little closer to "done" before we do that - but we'll be keeping our flock on the small side. Maybe a half-dozen hens or so ...

We've wanted to raise chickens for so long - going way back to the old house where the endeavor would not have been as welcome - but the time seems right now. I think this will be a wonderful focus for our family and I'm looking forward to learning as we go ... and of course, collecting "farm fresh" eggs sometime down the road!

(If any of my readers have chicken advice, I'm all ears!)

Now, before I go, I'd like to offer my apologies for being so slow with posting this month - as well as with emails, comment replies, etc. It's been a rather trying time here lately, with a few pressing medical issues and some anxious days awaiting test results. It's just kind of sapped my energy, to be honest. Everything so far is ok though, so I'm feeling mostly relieved and just trying to focus on all that is good and true ... not what could be or might be ... but what IS, in the here and now. Remembering to trust that God will carry us through whatever comes our way ... but boy, it is hard to let go of worry and stop over-thinking things, isn't it?

"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles, it robs today of its strength."

Wow, is that quote ever gosh-darn true. I spent too many days this month absorbed in anxiety and what-ifs. Too many hours not appreciating the blessings in front of me. Worry is such a clever thief and unfortunately, lately, I've been an easy mark ...

But I've turned a corner in attitude and I'm trying to get back on track. And for me, with blogging, it's either "on" or "off" it seems, and right now I'm just trying to find my groove again. I hope you'll bear with me while I do just that. I am here and will always return, even if it seems like a long pause between posts. I do pop in at Facebook and Instagram - oh, and Pinterest - fairly often, if you happen to frequent any of those online spots. :)

OH! Also, if you are one of my "Happy 10 Year Blogging Giveaway" winners, those packages will be going out soon! So sorry to have taken so long in getting them to you ... but I do plan to get over to the post office this weekend, now that I have all the packages organized and ready to mail!

So I will be off for now, but I do wish you all a very nice weekend. Enjoy your loved ones, and thanks so much for stopping by ...

I will see you here again very soon!

Announcing the Giveaway Winners!

Happy Friday, my friends! Happy April, too!

Today I'd like to announce the winners of my "Happy 10 Years Blogging Giveaway!" I picked them randomly (using an online number generator) and below are the names of the 11 ladies who won a giveaway prize. I will be in touch with each of you soon to arrange mailing details. :)

I want to thank everyone who took the time to comment and tell me a little about how you found my blog and what kinds of posts you like to read best. I am so grateful to have such kind and supportive readers! My hope is always that this blog is a place of warm welcome and that my posts are of interest to some folks!

I though am pleased to be able to name so many winners in this giveaway, as always, I wish I could send something to everyone ... and, that said ... I will be contacting each of you who left me a comment in my Celebration post to ask for your mailing address ... I'd like to pop a little "spring note" in the mail if I may! :)

Ok, without further ado, here are the 11 giveaway winners ...

Baby's Morningtime book and CD - Kellylynn Vega

The Life Giving Home - Irina

Collection of children's books - Terri

Montessori & Oak Meadow books - Amanda

Break in at the Basilica and Lost in Peter's Tomb - Maria R

Seashore journal and sticker book - Jess McCarthy

Organic baby food books - Grace

Children's Books of Prayers & Blessings - Cassidy

Little Boys' Bible Book - Sarah Reed

Golden Children's Bible - Teresa in Ohio

Downton Abbey DVD - Sara R.

 ***

Well my friends, I thank you all for taking part in my blog's birthday celebration! This was so much fun! And to all who stop by, I thank you for spending a little of your time here with me. I will be back again before long with a new post, but for now I wish you all a wonderful weekend. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones and I will see you here again very soon!

❤

Celebrating 10 Years of Blogging! (and 11 Giveaways!)

Hello, and Happy Tuesday, my friends!

Well I can hardly believe this, but it was 10 years ago TODAY that I wrote my very first post here at By Sun and Candlelight! I remember being so nervous to make this leap, taking my private life and making parts of it public ...

Who would read this? Would I have time? Would I embarrass myself (or my family)? Was it even safe?

But boy am I glad I got up the nerve, because this has been such a wonderful adventure! I love chatting with you all here - always wishing we were really sitting in my living room with pots of tea and lots of books and goodies to show and tell about - like planners and journals and nature notes and cookbooks and favorite resources and of course, our precious kids! I've loved meeting new friends through this blog and hearing from readers who've been with me from the beginning (or thereabouts). As a blogger, I've enjoyed being a little more creative than I might otherwise would be - and being curious, testing out new ideas and exploring familiar passions. Reporting in, and hearing back. Sharing pictures and memories and goals and my various attempts at this project or that. Maybe a new way to celebrate a season or a different way of keeping track of those daily to-dos?

But perhaps most of all I LOVE that with this blog, I have a very thorough family scrapbook of the past 10 years! I love reading back over all the memories ...

When I started here, this is what my boys (only three of them then) looked like:

(And now these little guys are 20, 16 and 14 years old ... while Little Bear will be 3 in May!)

So, today I'd like to bless my readers with a wee bit of the joy I myself have found through blogging. One of the ways blogging has blessed me is in finding and sharing wonderful resources - so here I have a set of 11 such resources, and I'm offering them all as giveaways! If you are interested, take a look at the picture below and then leave me a comment telling me which numbers (further described below) you are intrested in. I'll choose a winner for each giveaway from the names of those interested.

(So, say you like #s 1, 4 and 7 - I will enter your name when drawing for each of those "prizes.")

All I ask is that you let me know how you found me and what you've enjoyed seeing here at my blog - and what you'd like to see more of in the future! This will help me shape upcoming posts ... I have a crazy number of ideas but I love getting a little "direction" when I can. :)

Ok, so now, here are the giveaways ...

⭐️ No. 1 The Baby's Good Morning Book & Baby's Morningtime CD  ... my all-time favorite baby's book, a collection of nursery rhymes and poems, beautifully illustrated in sunwashed shades by Kay Charao. The CD features all these poems set to music, sung by Judy Collins. These are second copies I came to own unexpectedly and would love to pass on ...

⭐️ No. 2 The Life Giving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson ... a new book I purchased recently, but have not had time to read, and really want to bless someone else with what I can see is a lovely and life-affirming (home-affirming) book. I'll borrow a copy at a later date ... when I have more time to read!

⭐️ No. 3 A collection of favorite children's books - some of our go-to reads of which we have extra copies to spare! I'd love for other children to enjoy them as much as we have/do. (Click on the picture to get a better look.)

⭐️ No. 4 Montessori Play-and-Learn Handbook and The Heart of Learning (K-3) which is an introduction to Oak Meadow in the youngest grades. I have extra copies of the latter and I no longer need the former, so I'd like for someone else to enjoy them!

⭐️ No. 5 Break-In at the Basilica and Lost in Peter's Tomb ... fun mystery novels for kids set at the Vatican! My older boys enjoyed reading these many years ago (there was a time when they were fascinated by Vatican architecture), and now we'd like to pass them on to another family.

⭐️ No. 6 This is a sweet little journal I picked up on clearance - a soft, beribboned, shell-print cover protecting a tidy notebook lined in blue and red. I think this might make a handy seaside diary! The Seashore Sticker Book was never used by my boys and I think it would make a nice companion to the journal ... a way to inspire some summer nature adventures, perhaps?

⭐️ No. 7 Organic Baby & Toddler Cookbook and La Leche League's Whole Foods for Babies and Toddlers ... two really great healthy-eating cookbooks for those precious early years. I'd love to pass them on to another organic-minded mama!

⭐️ No. 8 A Child's Book of Blessings and A Child's Book of Prayers ... I forgot we even had these! They turned up recently and I would love to share them with another family. They are very pretty little board books filled with sweet words of faith and grace and charming illustrations by Susan Wheeler of Holly Pond Hill fame. :)

⭐️ No. 9 A Little Boy's Bible Storybook (for Mothers and Sons) ... I read this many years ago with my older boys but have since moved on to other resources for my younger boys. This is a colorful and easy-to-use book of bible stories for little boys (with suggestions for follow-up talks with mom).

⭐️ No. 10 The Golden Press Children's Bible ... I'm sure many of you have copies of this beloved, old-fashioned children's bible - we have three or four copies, including both Bill's and mine from when we were young! I'd love to offer one of my extra copies to another family to enjoy with their children!

⭐️ No. 11 Downton Abbey, Season 1 DVD ... my dad just gifted us with a set of seasons 1-3 so this is an extra I'd love to pass along! Plus a pretty bound notebook which would make a neat little journal for all manner of things - daily gratitude, a running to-do list, a shopping notebook for your purse?

🌞

Whenever I do a giveaway, I always wish I could name more than one "winner" and now I can! But, why the number 11 you might wonder? Well, there's one giveaway for each year of blogging ... plus one "to grow on." :)

So, my friends - I hope you are excited about these giveaways! And I hope you'll comment and let me know which of the 11 you are interested in. (You can "vote" for all, or one, or however many you'd like! Just name the numbers in your comment.) You are also, of course, more than welcome to comment even if you have no interest whatsoever in these giveaways! I'm just hoping all of these items will find good homes, and I know there are many such homes to be found with my readers. Let me know what you think, when you can ... drop me a note, cast a vote ... I will be taking a break from blogging till after Easter, but will announce the winners on Friday, April 1st. So spread the word if you will and of course, best of luck!

And as always, THANK YOU, so much, for being my readers ... my listeners ... and such very kind friends. I wish each of you a wonderful Easter and am keeping every one of you in my prayers.

In Peace,

~ Dawn