Visiting!

Just saying a howdy to those who are visiting today. I had the beautiful opportunity to give back to author Catherine Newman by doing a little blog design for her. I usually don't get to give back to people who I don't really know that have touched my life with their own: through art, writing and honesty.

I have a little project going...

365 paintings-- not nessisarly one a day but, I'm moving toward painting more. Ending my day with a 4" x 4" painting. Big enough to fufill my soul and communicate something. Small enough to finish in one sitting.

I only have pictures of the ones I've given away. Like this one.

Sleep with the Windows Open

Good morning, how was your weekend? We took some time off, resting and cooking. Resetting the house, finishing laundry... and getting things that have been collecting over the winter moved out. Ahhh spring cleaning makes me feel like there are so many possibilities.

Sleeping with the windows open gives me ideas. Breathing sweet air of growing grass in the mornings helps my brain start churning in creative goodness. So, I've been working away in my little studio (ahem... the kitchen table). And that is how this little poppy was made. Out of love of spring.

The poppy has a few other friends that are up in the store too... with much more to come. Pop over and say hi!

Good Morning!

Do you know what day it is? It's Rhythm of the Home, Spring launch day!

So grab a cup of tea and stop by some amazing articles:

Herbal Healing for Spring

Wet on Wet Watercoloring

PoeTree

Signs of the Robin

You can see my article about Revisiting Sanctuaries too!

I love:: a good deal!

Hello Loves,
I just wanted to stop by and let you know that TODAY ONLY, I'm offering Revisitng Sanctuaries at a 10% discount. So jump over and start the journey with us!

His Girl Friday

This morning was wonderful. The kids have been crabby all week. You'd think with a week of snow days we'd be a little more joyful. But they have not been. Finally this morning, they slept until they woke up (which was on time!!) then all four of us snuggled in the big bed until it was time to get ready for our day.

I am eternally grateful for mornings like this. Happy kids: no teeth-brushing-negotiations, no snow-boot-wearing-negotiations and no coat-and-hat-negotiations.... ahhh wonderful.

Thank you for your reception to Revisiting Sanctuaries. All your words, calls and emails-- I am excited too! More information out next week. Plus a little look into the heart of it.

Here are a few things around the web that have been keeping me going this week.

This scene of Yosemite, I miss this place-- being thousands of miles away. 

I'm loving my free Owl Lover Calendar. You could make one too! 

This Recycled Canvas Bag from etsy. 

This week I made laundry soap and I'm reminded why I love this so much. Cheap and cleans our clothes so well! I'm not trying to jinx it but, we have had the laundry caught up for three weeks. That's the longest it's been caught up in our marriage. And something about a clean laundry room is more motivation to keep it cleaned up!

Eric made Chicken Stir-Fry with Soba Noodles last night. It is such an easy week night meal!

This sweet moment from by hand at home.

This perfect latte. Some wonderful looking eggs.

And this book. Which I'm devouring.

What have you been admiring? Give me some link-love for today!

Photo from Country Living via here. 

News! Revisiting Sanctuaries

It is a valuable practice at night to spend a little while revisiting sanctuaries of your lived day.  Each day is a secret story woven around the radiant heart of wonder.  We let our days fall away like empty shells and miss all the treasures.  -John O'Donohue
 
I read this quote last spring at Kerry's blog and it seemed to sum up all the things I had been reading, thinking about and trying to deciper in my own daily life. Really what I needed the most was honesty in myself. This honesty came through seeing. But I couldn't see with my eyes tightly shut, my ears closed and my heart firmly locked up.

What does it look like to view nature, family, community, gratitude all in the context of seeing our own life? How can I be a person of gratitude-- and have gratitude for the beauty in my daily life? 

I don't have answers, but I would love if you would join this conversation.

To open our eyes and ears-- for a deeper nourishment of self and in turn to nourish our community. What could life be like if I lived with my ears, eyes and heart opened-- what if you did it with me?

So I'm will host a five week workshop called, Revisiting Sanctuaries: a workshop for daily seeing.

This workshop is set up on a five week schedule. Each Monday you'll get a new workbook on a new facet of seeing-- with journal prompts, videos, thoughts, interviews, tutorials-- each week experiencing seeing in a different way. An 8x10 printable poster by artwork made by me. A private blog for deeper discussion, a private forum for conversations. 

Registration starts January 25 for $40. The workshop begins February 14th. But each week is set up to work along as you can.

So let's start together. And really see.

And It Rained Art and Poetry

It rained here this weekend; torrential rainstorm.

I can't say I minded. It made everything beautiful. The trees, the fields, the streets, the windows...

Saturday night Eric, my friend Emily and I literally RAN to the coffee shop, less than a block away and were soaked to our skivvies by the time we got there. I threw my orange raincoat over my head and had to abandon my sandals half way-- I thought I was going to fall they were so slippery.

We we did not just make a coffee run, this time. We attended one of the monthly poetry slams. Have you ever been to a Slam? Poets, authors and storytellers come together to compete for in this case, a old gold lamp (and all the glory it holds). But the amazing words that were flying. Art performed.

It rained down words, laughter and deep thoughts.

I love rainy weekends.

{This Moment}: Noticing

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

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Upon some prompting, I made yesterday's quote into a little poster. If you want one, you can print it yourself! 

Tweet, Tweet

I'm trying out this twitter thing. I'm on there now, are you?



*Find this lino block print, here...

i love:: family time

Hello friends, this weekend was chocked full of activity. But we took sometime to be together, if just in the little things. Celebrating the everyday.

Like washing dishes or the bathtub rubber duckie, Truman's toy car, a screwdriver.

She wanted to take a warm bath afterwards, she felt 'freezing' from being all wet!

Walking to the grocery store. We were in dire need of some outside time so we got bundled up and ventured out. Stopping to crunch ice under our feet, listen for the tweeting birds, chase the end of the sunshine and get our hands cold, cold with the snow on the way home. 

And what is Saturday morning without that hair?

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The new rhythm of the home is up today! Check out my contribution to this amazing magazine, here.

Christmas Tag Templates

As an early Christmas Gift to you, I've designed just a few sheets of Christmas Tags to add to your gift giving goodness.

I print mine out on sticker paper, but you could on any paper, really!

Thank you for such a wonderful year, I have appreciated the notes and encouragements from a wonderful group of people who have a special bond-- whether it's through knitting, crafting, green living, parenthood, rhythm of life or family. I hope you all a blessed season.

You can find them on my flickr photostream. Here's a link to individual pages,

Oh, My Deer!    Happy Tree.    Green Sleeves.    Awesome Ornaments.

I'd love to know if you use them!

Fun to use, please do not sell. For personal use only.

Goodness for the Growing...

This is my last post on the weekend. But it’s chocked full of thinking/cooking goodness.

Are your friends like mine? Do you enjoy eating/talking/being with them. Is it soul-filling for you? I have a few groups of soul nourishing friends, and this group knew me from the infancy of my soul. The stretching and growing from a college freshman into an artist, friend, wife, mother and beyond. We are all in a stretching and growing season again, but now with more grace, it seems. This is one time in our life where we feel centered in our personhood as we make changes and choices about the world around us. But we feel very centered, knowing ourselves and being know by others.

A few things we’ve been throwing around at each other. Goodness for the growing--if you will. I’ll make a short list for you here. These books and music were thrown around quite heavily this weekend.

Books:
Wisdom Distilled From The Daily
Let You Life Speak
The Quotidian Mysteries
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
The Will of God as a Way of Life
Music:
Sufjan Stevens Christmas Album

It was really good to have time to spend in our friendships, enjoying and celebrating the years we’ve been together and the years we’ve been apart.

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I promised my beautiful Kim that I’d post the potatoes recipe so here goes.

On Saturday night we had our annual ornament exchange and holiday party. We made a big meal together roast chicken, holiday potatoes, Kim’s sweet corn frozen at it’s peak in the summertime, and fresh bread. Eric made one of his delicious cheesecakes too. There was of course coffee.  

Holiday Potatoes
5 lb bag of red russet potatoes
1 pint of heavy cream (divided in half)
4 tablespoons of butter cubed
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
8oz sharp cheddar cheese grated (divided in half)

Wash, peel and cut potatoes just into large chunks, half moons. Place in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Season generously with salt, pepper and paprika. Mix. Add half pint of heavy cream, portion cubed butter evenly over potatoes, drizzle olive oil over pan. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Add the 2nd half of the heavy cream, half the cheese. Stir well to incorporate. Top with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 45 minutes more covered in foil.

Remove foil and bake for remaining 15 minutes. This recipe reheats very well.

Show and Share

Once in a while I just feel the absolute need to tell you about all the things I’ve been reading/thinking about lately. These little bits are from around the web in the last week or so.

How rhythm works in your house via Kyrie and Bluebirdbaby.

Emily’s because she left her umbrella on the train. Eric and I had a long talk about this one... 

Totally obsessed with this.

Thinking about baking these ooh and making these too .

Have you seen these blankets? Yes please.

Skirts!

The Craft Fair.

It was such a great success! We saw a ton of people we knew, met an amazing group of new people!

Here's some pictures of our booth:

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I'm daydreaming over at techno anthro today. You can go visit!

Craft Fair in Sioux Center!

Friends,

I know I’ve been rather absent here but, I have some awesome news. After weeks of working on some great new products, we’ve got a booth, some new tags and we’re excited.

Wendy and I will be at the craft show in Sioux Center Iowa!

Helping Hands Craft Show
Saturday, October 17, 2009
9AM-3PM
Sioux Center Middle School
Sioux Center IA 51250

We will have lots of new felted bags, Halloween totes, scarves, cup cozies, wonderful smelling bath products, headbands and some vintage items.
Andrea and Aimee will be there too! Yes!

Ok, so if you’re going to be in the area for the weekend... come on by and see all of us.

If you need more information, shoot me an email at theyellowdoorpaperie[at] gmail.com!

A Beautiful Face on a Fall Day

Here are some snap shots I took of a friend of ours. Enjoy!

Odds and Ends

Some good news, day two went much better! Their little room is so cozy. It seems like they’ve always been like this.

I really like that our bedtime routine became more cohesive just by proximity. No longer are we stretched between two rooms, with books and songs, hugs and kisses then our prayers. Each kid gets to choose a song, two each. I used to sing a string of songs, about eight, all the same songs, every night. I like the variety and the number four much better.

We all end our night together, which makes a great full circle moment for the day. And brings everything back together. We talk a little bit about what tomorrow brings and what we have to look forward to. 

We sing the old hymn At the Cross, which my grandma sings in Spanish and English (and now I do too).  To hear Isabel’s little voice singing, ‘where I first saw the light... And the burden of my heart rolled away.” It’s makes me think I’m doing something right.

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Ahhh... On to what’s ahead for the weekend: 

I will be at the farmer’s market, come visit! Eric made five kinds of delicious jam and preserves— a loaf of bread and a jar of jam could make your weekend! Done!

Wendy and I are furiously crafting for a craft fair in October, more info coming soon! I'm going to be a knitting/sewing fool for three plus weeks!

Wendy and I are also participating in the Vintage Swap 2009 hosted by Heather. I am so excited about this! I can’t wait to figure out who my swap partner is. 

Yesterday marked the end of the 30 days of happiness, thank you bluebirdbaby for hosting it. You can find all my posts here (:

Jayne and I are going to bake apple pies and pumpkin pies until we’re stuffed to the gills this weekend. I should start making coffee (decaf) now.

And I want to get my house back into shape. I think I have a lot of tasks ahead! Done!

Anything exciting happening for you this weekend?

Etsy Shop is Open

Hello Friends,

The Yellow Door Paperie's Etsy shop is restocked and open for business. A few more items will get added this weekend.

My dear friend Wendy's SixTimesThree felted and one of a kind purses are perfect for fall!

So stop by and shop around!

Lots of Little Things...

Good morning, friends.

This is what I would like to be doing all day... following my family to the park and taking pictures of them.

The air this morning is just beautiful. Truman, Lucy and I were up early, playing out in the front yard. They were running about in the grass and hydrangeas which are blooming and so lovely (a photo soon!)!

I’m proud of myself, I got all of my to do list accomplished for home yesterday. It wasn’t that long, but it did get done. Phew. That feels good!

After Truman went down for bed, I out and weed the garden.... and at the end of the night, a shared beer, a conversation that lasted pretty late. So sweet to have beautiful friends.

It was just a really fulfilling day, nothing remarkably special happened, but it was just summery sweet.

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Just a few little links and reviews for you today.

First off, I was invited by Simmer Down (a Food Lover’s Blog) to share my ideas about Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton. It was a book club blogging style! If you’ve read the book hop on over and share you’re thoughts too.

Have you seen this? It’s by A Field Journal, how to make tea light vellum lanterns. I need to pick up a bunch of those battery operated tea lights— Can’t you just see these hanging from my apple tree in the summertime... I see a weekend project coming on.

I’ve recently added Reading My Tea Leaves to my reader, I love the photography and the sentiment. Her photos have color, texture, and her morning coffee— this is my kind of girl...