POST SIXTEEN - FROM THE MOUTHS OF BABES...

i always thought that when i got "older" i would feel secure in myself- who i am. but, somehow the same issues of worrying about how i am being perceived, or comparing myself to others and seeing how i "measure up" seem to follow me.

so, i found it rather refreshing and a bit challenging to see my 3.5 year old be who she really is. no holding back, just being real. we were at the CSA (see post 14) picking up our share for the week. the kids were really excited- sadie especially. the owner was chatting with her, and asked "what is your favorite thing to do?" without hesitation, sadie replied "eat candy and watch movies" with a big smile on her face. apparently she did not realize that we were here to pick up fresh organic produce, and the "correct" answer would have been something along the lines of "eat carrot sticks and go for hikes." i had to laugh.

its a simple example that actually happened a week ago, but it came to my mind again tonite

and for some reason i felt compelled to share it. in one way or another the struggle to be truly genuine is common to us all-whether we are holding back or putting on a front-

so, today be inspired by a preschooler, and just be you!

POST FIFTEEN - DIAPERS...

using cloth diapers has been an on and off thing in our home. we used them some with our daughter, and have been more committed to using them with our son. a friend actually passed some our way for us to try out a few years back, and i really liked them (thank you shanna).

it was nice to not be throwing so many diapers in the trash, to save some money, and our daughter did pretty well with them.

since, as of late, we have been trying to use them more exclusively with our son i have been having some "diaper issues" and have been doing a bit more research as to cloth diapering and cloth diaper care.

in addition to the advice of veteran cloth diapering moms, i have found

http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/ to be a great resource! i have searched all kinds of questions and found some really helpful answers. the site is run by a stay at home mom autumn who is committed to cloth diapering, and helping other moms do the same.

so, if you have any questions about cloth diapering, check it out!

POST FOURTEEN - CSA

joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) is something we have been wanting to do for a while, and this year we decided to make it happen. i'm sure most if not all of you are familiar with CSAs, but just in case you aren't here is the basic idea. a CSA farm has a certain number of shares available to be purchased each season. the shares usually include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables (varying depending on what is in season) and sometimes additional items- flowers etc... which you pick up on a weekly basis during the farming season.

these strawberries are the first produce we have gotten from Stoneridge Farm http://www.stoneridgeorganics.com/ which is the CSA that we joined, and they are amazing!! it's really cool to know that the fruits and vegetables will be coming from just down the road (litteraly, at least in nh terms) and that we are supporting a local farm. we will be receiving produce from mid june to october and i'm looking forward to trying some vegetables i probably wouldn't try otherwise. another cool thing is that we were able to lower the cost by signing up for a working share - (working a bit on the farm) which will be neat for us and the kids. i'm not sure exactly how the cost will compare to the amount i usually spend on produce, but for the reasons listed above we felt it was worth it!

if you are interested in finding a CSA near you, check out http://www.localharvest.org/

POST THIRTEEN - TAKING TIME...

hello all, thank you so much for the kind comments about the folklore bag!! i hope those of you who are checking out the book one-yard wonders really enjoy it!!

so, todays post isn't really anything new or original. its just a friendly reminder...

i was prompted to write this post in part by things i have read and observed lately, and in part by a woman i saw at the grocery store yesterday. she was reminding me that time really does go by so fast. i know we've all heard that lots of times, but for some reason i heard it yesterday and it made me think about how i am choosing to spend the time i have.

so, today along the lines of creating, i wanted to encourage you to take time for the hobbies/activities/passions in your life. i've been recognizing lately how therapeutic it really is for me to spend even a little time sewing, or learning to knit, planting flowers, or pulling weeds etc... a lot of times i don't see that there is any time to spare for it, but when i make the time, i see how good it is for me (and in turn those who are around me). i can see how God uses that time to help me become a bit more quiet and slowed down and to refocus me a little. i know it looks different for everyone, but we each have something, (often something really simple) that we truly enjoy, and that often gets neglected in the crazy bussiness of life.

now, i realize that its not realistic to say that we can be spending hours a day on these things, but i think we can spend at least a few minutes here and there, and can definately benefit from those few moments!

so, i want to encourage you to try to take some time...