Write down who you are...

This may just look like our cozy little coffee station. A home for our electric Hario pot, cone coffee dripper, hand thrown mugs and Old Factory Coffee Beans. And it is, it does a fine job, but if you look closer, you'll see something that is much more important.

The chalkboard above tells more of our story than this little nook of heaven ever could. When we started our Family Meetings last year, it was out of near desperation to draw the four of us back together. We put out a big piece of poster board and we wrote down things we needed to remember on a daily basis-- we wrote down our rituals for living.

We chose things we wanted to be about. We chose guiding themes for what was important. We talked about or values. Then we wrote them down and put them up so we would be held accountable, by each other and by every person who steps foot in our house.

I encourage you to take time to find out who your family is and write down your values. It guides us toward who we should be every day.

Be a JOYfilled Mom!

This summer, I decided… my word would be participation. I would no longer be the mom on the sidelines.

There is so much JOY in participating! Pave your life in stones of DOING!

Throw being ‘cool’ or ‘refined’ out of your vocabulary.

Jump in pools with your kids.
Wear an Ironman mask and play light sabers in the front yard.
Throw water balloons and get really wet!
Go on a walk to pick up discarded sticks, bark and recycling for a fairy house.
Skip.
Jump.
Love.
Dance in the kitchen.
Stay up late and watch movies on the couch with your kids.

And go kiss your husband. IN PUBLIC!

I promise you.

Your life will feel a bit lighter, a bit brighter and you’ll be JOYful too!

In Defense of Solitude

I sat in the grass, under the shade of a tree and breathed in and out. I tried to drop my stubborn shoulders, they have hovered near my earlobes for quite a while.

And I contemplated how I had ended up in this grass. On a beautiful day. With about 20 people I did not really know.

My spiritual director administrated a retreat for those who needed a day of solitude, prayer and direction. And I paid a small fee, hopped in a minivan with two friends from church and traveled one town over for the day. And I have a really hard time taking time to myself these days. But, divinely, I took the plunge and made time for the retreat.

In the morning, we had prayer time, a guided reading and then we were set loose on the retreat grounds to find a quiet spot for a few hours.


I was a bit apprehensive, I had no idea if I could sit in silence for 2 plus hours at a time, but here I was.

After a bit of silence, I felt myself drift away to this quiet, spellbound place--  as if the solitude itself was feeding my soul. Gently handing bits of bread and sips of wine.  It reminded me of the line in a Eucharistic prayer, "Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal."

The quiet was as satisfying as a cool drink after a hot day. A part of me that was bound up-- tied in knots slowly faded away as my pen struck the paper of my journal. And it was not all comfortable, but it was stretching and growing.

After a few sessions of solitude that day, I felt refreshed, whole and hungry for more time, more bits of bread, wine.

I am wondering how to get this type of solitude in my life without a formal retreat, without an entry fee and without driving to a venue a town or tow over for a lake view. How can I take this time in daily life?

So I started bit by bit. When I walk at night, I turn off my ipod and run towards the sunset.
I find a quiet spot with my journal on the front steps of my home. Even if it is just for a few minutes.

"Glaciers move in tides. So do mountains. So do all things." John Muir

Do you take time for solitude? Do you set aside time to be alone? What feeds your soul?

Love After Love
Derek Walcott

The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Yarn Along: Litany

We were snuggled in on the couch reading before bath time and Isabel read the cover of my book and asked, "What is a Litany?" I said, "usually short prayers where the priest will pray and we will respond. It's a practice of prayer, but in a structured way."

And then I begun thinking about Keeping House -- and the truth that it brought to light. Meeting basic needs of a community is spiritual practice.  I know that warm food, warm clothes, clean sheets make us feel safe and whole.

Last night, I had all three kids (my two plus our beloved Olivia!) in the snow. The snow was so wet, they came and changed some article of clothing, pants, gloves, hats, just to run outside again for more. When they came inside for dinner, their cheeks were rosy, their hearts were full and they were hungry. We lit candles, added a few more chairs, shared dinner together. And I realized, keeping house is much more than folding laundry or changing beds, but it is those things. It's a heart cracked wide open to the people we love and the community we live with.

---

This picture is the beginning of another pickles plain vest, it's off the needles, gotten a few wooden buttons and has been given to a sweet little man. It's knit in Plymouth Yarn- 553 Coffee Beans, colorway Gray 9389.

Joining Ginny for Yarn Along.

November Gratitude

November 1: For parents who come visit. And who are content in the excitement of sewing costumes, Halloween Parties and Trick or Treating. And who are content in the quiet: drinking coffee around our table, reading magazines, helping with homework, walking in the leaves and snuggling while watching movies. We are blessed.

November 2: For a few moments to sit on the porch in an old quilt. For the little pajama clad man who came and sat with me. "Share your warmth, Mama." By all means, Mr.

And for amazing friends, who encourage dress up, family togetherness and laughter!

November 3: For our glorious church and potlucks. Yellow leaves and fall sunsets.

November 4: For God's grace, practiced forgiveness, vulnerability, hard work, long roads and strong friendships.

November 5: For warm clothes, soft places to land, arm chairs, phone calls, letter writing. Things that make this world seem not so harsh.

Into the Woods

Sunday evening, we packed up our dinner and headed off to the woods. We were all craving a little out door time. We at our pork roast sandwiches and hardboiled eggs within sight of our favorite Royal Red Maple tree and marveled at her growth in the last years. 

After dinner, we took a short be steep trail up into the hills and where the woods were alive and glorious. Truman led us most of the way, he loves to 'be the leader.' When we were near the hill top, Truman exclaimed, "This is Terebithia." 

And I couldn't help remember when she actively lived in Terbithia for a while. We re-read the book this summer and it was still magical, melancholy and still had so much to teach us about friendship. 

We are soaking up the last few days of summer, school shopping starts this weekend for us. And then we all start back up in the school routine. I am so grateful for little blocks of time where we can journey into the woods-- running, laughing and playing. We come home happy, tired and thankful we have each other. 

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Good read, good thought, good listen: a list for the weekend

Hello and good morning. It's not a holiday here, we're all up to our daily activities. Kids are with their glorious caregiver, we're going to work. But, I did sleep in a little and I will wear flip flops to work. That makes it feel like a holiday!

I have a few more images for you from our trip, but we'll have to wait until the weekend to look at them together. What a joy! I brought home thousands of photos. I am thinking about combining them into something. Any suggestions?

For the weekend here's a little list of things I'm loving right now:

Good coffee: Every morning, I am grateful for the Old Factory Coffee shop. We even took a huge bag of their coffee on our trip. A little bit of home on the road.

Good photography: I'm taking Erin Little's class and I've been shooting manual for a few days now. Eeek, really? Me? Shooting manual? She's patient, kind and explains the hardest concepts like an artist. Thank goodness.

Good read:  I just finished reading Wendell Berry's The Wild Birds. About membership, community and family.

Good thoughts: Huge list of easy steps for sustainability. It's inspiring, every little bit helps.
And Wendell's own list of Rules for Sustainability.

Good listen: And finally, a rare reading from Wendell Berry. About Arthur Rowenberry, one of his Port William Membership characters.

Gluten Free Week: Keep it Simple

It is easy in the booming market of expensive gluten free foods to get swept away with all the marketing. You do not need to buy gluten free items when naturally gluten free items are throughout the grocery store. And most convenience foods can be made simply and at home.

With a few quick changes many of our meals became gluten free. We traded for gluten free soy sauce, gluten free pasta noodles, quinoa for couscous. We now use rice flour instead of wheat to make a roux for a gravy, bechamel sauce or cheese sauce will not alter the flavor too much. Though I typically use 1 part flour to 3 parts fat (instead of the usual 1 to 1 ratio). All you have to remember is that gf flours tend to take in much more liquid. They are thirsty flours!

Many of our dinners were already gluten free and Isabel, for years had self regulated without realizing it. But, she had also stopped trying new foods because she was afraid she'd get a stomach ache. Now, she eats things she would never touch before: mushrooms, onions, spinach, beans, sour cream. Knowing what makes her sick frees her up to eat anything other than gluten!

I was looking through my menu planning (it's sparce!) and my archives. Here are some of our favorite dinner ideas and recipes, most were written over the years. Dinner should not be a problem without gluten!

*Tacos, use authentic corn tortilla's. All of the toppings meat, cheese, beans, sour cream(check label for thickeners), salsa, tomatoes, lettuce...

*Pot roast, potatoes, veggies, green salad

*Roast chicken, brown rice, sliced fruit, raw veggies

*Beef and veggie soup (with gf pasta noodles)

*Shepherd's pie, green salad, fruit salad

*Steak with holiday potatoes, lemon asparagus, green salad

*Pork chops with sweet potato fries

*Hungarian goulash

*Beef bourguignon

*Chicken Strips and roasted potato fries (Recipe this week!) 
*Spring rolls (use gf soy sauce)


*Something out of nothing soup

*Broccoli soup with chicken

*Chicken stir fry with soba noodles (use gf soy sauce)

*Easy baked gumbo
 
*Split pea soup

*Flank steak with cilantro pesto, grilled corn salad with tomatoes and feta cheese (use gf soy sauce)

Dessert: 

 *Sweet chex mix

*One-one-one cookies

*Chocolate flourless cake (Recipe this week!)

*Ice cream (watch for mix ins)

*Frozen yogurt (watch for mix ins)

I love... Knitting and Reading

I finally finished these simple mittens (made with Coffee Beenz yarn in Black from Athena's Fibers). And they were simple. I was a bit afraid of them-- the thumb gore, exact replica, measurements!

But anxiety aside, once I got started I realized these mittens were the perfect project for me-- pushing me outside of my knitting comfort zone while being quick and with an easy-to-follow pattern. If you want to try something new, this pattern could be for you!

I started a simple scarf for Truman. After knitting most of the skein, I figured I'm not going to have enough yarn! So I ripped it out last night and I'm making it much thinner. We'll see if that will get me some more length. I'm going to take the time to brush up on my stitches while making this simple project.

We've also been reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe together. They are fascinated by it. And I have to admit that I am too, I remember these books holding my attention and infusing me with so much magic as a child. But they haven't lost that magic at all-- it's wonderful to see them again through my children's eyes.

What are you knitting? Reading?

Linking up today with Kerry for I love and Ginny for Yarn Along. 

**My comments are not working well on the first post on the homepage. If you would like to comment, please open up the post by clicking the header (I love... Knitting and Reading) above then you should be able to comment easier. I haven't made it a priority to fix that. So at least there seems to be a work around for now.

For Today

the lumineers album. every. single. song. on. this. album.

lattes. we've been making them almost everyday. and when we don't make them ourselves. we visit Erin and she makes them for us. so spoiled.

the weather. negative temperatures makes all of us want to be home and in the big bed reading books. i love being home.

wool socks. mom got me these beauties for my stocking. loving my growing smartwool collection and my tootsies are toasty.

simple mittens. i am almost done with mitten no. 2. this video really helped with the thumb gore.

girl scout cookies. they are tasty and i do not have to coordinate the sale this year. this is a win win. carmel delites now come stress free. (on sale from today to march 17th... wink wink)

husband. he came home with teacher appreciation chocolate bars + an extra for me. truman wrapped it up along with my favorite-daily-used pen. "i knew you would love the pen. since i KNOW you love that pen." nice thought, Truman! even if he did have to borrow it from me-- to wrap it up and give it back.

this book. this documentary. this show (so dramatic!). this video.

What makes your week happy? What things are you loving?

Giving Thanks

I wrote another post but, I realized that I have written it almost every year!... (2009, 2010, 2011). But this is such a special week and time of remembrance for our little family.

We've made a lot of huge life changes in November. And for the past few years, we've looked back with grateful hearts at where we've been. And we've said prayers for where we are going.

So as you sit at your Thanksgiving table, in such sweet abundance. For food, for family, for life, health and (hopefully) peace. Let's give thanks together to the one who gifted it all in the first place. Asking that He "Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty" of the world.

Finding Fall: Sky Color

We recently got a book from the library called, Sky Color.

In this simple story, a little girl is given no blue paint for her classes mural project-- and she must paint the SKY! She ponders the question what color is the sky? And through observation and quietness of heart she finds a beautiful answer.

And I've thought of it daily since we read it.

As I've watched the Midwestern sky-- purple and midnight in the early morning, grey and frosty decorated with dancing yellow leaves on our walk to the bus, pink, orange and majestic on our quick morning drive into the office.

And like in the picture above, this energetic, electric and soft blue. In quiet tension with the orange, golden, yellow leaves.

We could also write a little book called leaf color, I suspect.

What Sky Color have you seen today?

Finding Fall: Light that Binds Us

I am the light in the late summer and early autumn afternoons that bathes the fields in gold.
I am the light that blisters your skin in the summer,
I am the light that sparkles on the snow in the winter.
I am the light you ache for in the winter,
revere in the springtime,
escape from in the summer, honor in the fall.

Seeking autumn's beauty: 

Early Morning

I can't think of a place I'd rather be, before that house starts moving-- with a cup of coffee and a few thoughts.  

Plus, the way the light plays on the table I know Autumn is coming. 

Dinner Dinner

If you watch my instagram feed (yellowdoormary), you'll see that I mostly post about us dinner's ingredients, dinner on the table, whose visiting for dinner..... and so on.

Dinner is a big deal at our house. It's a rhythm that is so grounding. When we've had a busy week and we've taken too much food on the road or even at other places-- I can feel us floundering a bit.

On the evenings that seem to run smoothly-- we come in, we check the mail, let the dog outside, wash our hands and then we start in on dinner.

We pick a good pandora station, we set the table together, we chop, stir and sautee together. And then we all sit down for dinner. For me, the simpler the ingredients the easier and more carefree the meal. And at this time of year, how can it not be fresh, local, simple. Last nights dinner, I bought still warm from the sun broccoli from the farmers market down the block. And after a quick rinse, I roasted it with a little olive oil and some garlic. So. Good.


But more than food, I know I love that we all gather. The four of us to talk about our days, our best parts and it's a time to be silly! After dinner we read a bit from a devotion book then discuss how it applies to our own lives. The kids really seem to get into saying what is on their hearts and their minds and I get to see a window into their souls as they start to develop their own moral imagination.


So today, after a very busy week, I am looking forward to dinners together. Simple and lovely foods and faces that I love sharing their hearts as we break bread together.

What moments are lovely to you during the week?

Let Dinner Make Itself: Easy Baked Gumbo

The last few weeks I've been thinking about how I cook. And I've been finding ways to make dinner time easier, less stressful and no problem at all. HA! At least with the food.

Last night's supper was particularly easy and tasty. Both kids had two servings!

Since growing up we called this Auntie Sherry gumbo. And for good reason, my Aunt Sherry made it for our large brood whenever we would come to visit. This gumbo is warm and filling, inexpensive, super tasty and not hard at all to make. You find what you have in your kitchen and throw it in the pot.

My mom makes her's on the stove top, my sister in the crock pot, I do ours in our dutch oven on low heat in the oven for half a day. It's versatile and forgiving! We've traded the ham for ground pork sausage, ground beef, polish sausage sliced into rounds or with bacon.

You can trade the brown rice for white rice or for flavored rice (one Spanish and one something veggie or chicken based).

This is how I made mine at lunchtime and when we walked in the door, it was ready to eat at 4:30! We let it sit on the back of the stove for a bit before dinner, our cast iron dutch oven stays hot for a long time!

Aunt Sherry Gumbo
2 cloves of grated garlic
1 small onion diced
2 carrots diced
1 stalk celery diced
1 small green pepper diced
2 small cans (or one large can) of tomato sauce
1 quart of chicken stock
1 pint of water
1 3/4 cup of soaked/sprouted brown rice (you can also use uncooked)
1/2 cup of diced ham
2 whole, frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 slices of bacon
1 bay leaf
salt (generously)
pepper and garlic powder to taste
finely chopped chives to taste

Dice uncooked bacon. In a dutch oven over the stove top, brown bacon until fat is translucent. Remove from heat. Add all remaining ingredients, in no particular order. Stir. Bake with the lid on at 250 degrees for 4-5 hours. Start checking for the rice to be done and the chicken to be done at 3 hours. When chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, take chicken breasts out, dice in to bite size pieces. Return them to the pot. And serve.

Serves 4-5

For Today: A Short List

Listening: I am in process of listening to a new book called Home Safe. I checked it out from the library. So good so far.

And we've been listening to a couple new Pandora stations, Dry the River and First Aid Kit. Go forth and have good listening all day!

Loving: I am loving that dinner is already in the crockpot. I will walk into a yummy smelling house, set the table, cut up some fruit, butter some bread and dinner will be on the table. So good!

And the weather has been so lovely. I know the coolness is not here to stay, but it's been so good for my healing. I love sitting on the front porch with tea or coffee and feel the cool breeze in the morning.

Thinking: About church yesterday. The passages were so right on, the conversation-- thought provoking and my heart felt full.

Wanting: My sister Jayme to hurry up and get here already! I can't wait until the middle of tomorrow night. TOOO long!

Needing: To finish up that dress I've been tinkering with on my sewing table!

weekending: rest

This weekend was filled with more rest and hopefully restoration, I am getting stronger everyday!

Brunch, pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries.
Thrift store trip with my beloved friend.
Rest while the kids played over at their best friends house.
Back to school shopping at one place. Amazing!
Dinner and more rest watching the olympics.
Coffee in the cool morning air on the front porch.
Lunch with a dear friend, yummy roast!
A nap and some knitting.
A post dinner trip to our favorite place in the world. The kids and Eric play while I snap some photos from the shore.

We didn't 'accomplish' much but we had a beautiful and restful weekend just being together.

What did you do this weekend?




Joining The Habit of Being.

I'm Learning Lessons

And during this season, I've admitted that I am not super-woman. I cannot have a corporate job, keep a clean house, train for a half marathon, have happy children and a happy husband while making wholesome meals, gardening, canning, knitting, reading, blogging. Something had to go.

Namely, my pride.

And I had to ask for help and accept help. In the last month sweet friends made meals, brought meals, folded laundry, done dishes and had the kids over to play. That utter support leaves me speechless. And I feel determined to learn better how to say yes when people offer to help.

I am also determined to teach the kids how to be a big help too.

No man is an Island. And no mom can keep her home tidy by herself. One of the many changes around our house concerns who cleans up. I sat the kids down and I explained that this house is not just Mommy's House, it's OUR HOUSE. And they will help me and take responsibility for our house.

So we've set up teams. This week, Truman and I on the blue team and Isabel and Eric on the Gold Team. Simple tasks. Make sure your responsibilities are tidy and we alternate.

The only reward is getting to make an x in your spot. I don't want to bribe them instead of teaching them true responsibility.

Nor do I want to teach them to trash the house, then I'll pick it up! If they make a mess, they'll be responsible. I'm already hearing them say to each other. "I don't think you should dump that, this room is my room today!"

Community Garden

We have a little allotment, a piece of land in our town's community garden. And it has been such an enriching experience.

I think the kids are more apt to help in this garden than at our home. As soon as we get to our garden plot they take their shoes off and stick their toes in the mud. Because what's the point of gardening if not barefoot?

They rake and hoe, they shovel and run around like crazy.

Truman likes to water plants and people (mostly his sister who HATES getting wet unexpectedly). Then runs off with my camera to say to our other gardening neighbors, "Hi! I'm a news man, I've come to take your picture" Snap a photo then run away (:

One of our 'neighbors' lives just beyond the garden, so she told the kids she had bugs for them and she would be right back. She came back with a handful gummy worms and gummy butterflies. The kids laughed so hard! Truman kept saying, "WOW. Mrs. Korver, I thought you were bringing us real bugs!" And Isabel chimed in with, "These taste much better than REAL bugs!"

Eric spends the most time here, I think it's soothing his soul. He has a natural grace for gardening.

Thanks for taking a peek in our second gardening home.

Have a lovely weekend!