as the days grow still and short

on my desk...

katrina's free online course was fabulous.... and it really inspired me to mend again (and enjoy it)

updating our little school "record" books... a wonderful (and simple) way to keep a record of the year to year changes.

everything is changing quickly now.

the weather has taken a chilly turn, and the days are noticeably short. 

the last batch of apple juice will be pasteurized and bottled today, marking the end of our harvest.

winter clothes have come out and summer clothes have been put away.

and christmas is constantly creeping into our thoughts and conversations.

i seem to get the christmas spirit a bit earlier each year now... i love this season.

a few things that have been inspiring me lately...

• amanda's recent (in person) craft swap.... find the post here
• some recipes... chanterelle mushroom and lentil stew from dishing up the dirt and maple glazed roasted delicata squash and brussels sprouts from simply recipes... delicious and beautiful
• i plan to make bird feeding, outdoor, winter decorations as soon as it's cold enough... found some fantastic inspiration for that here, here, and here
• loving these little christmas elves from magic cabin
• and i started my annual christmas gift... the family photo calendar... found a new place that i love http://www.mixbook.com/ and i'm using this template

what is inspiring you right now?

apron inspiration

i'm planning to tackle this "craft cabinet" over the weekend... i haven't gone through and reorganized this in about two years... and it is time. i have some really exciting ideas (inspired by my daughter's montessori school). i want to get various "projects" set up in there so it's really quick and easy to set them up with sewing/beading/painting/etc... even if i'm in the middle of cooking dinner or something. i'll let you know how it goes.

my other plan for the weekend is to make a plan... what i am going to make for my "swap partner". i feel so lucky to have been included in a blogger swap hosted by amanda at sweetpotatoclaire. i think amanda said there is around 78 bloggers included and she swapped our info... and now i am making a surprise something for someone on the other side of the country... and another surprise person will be sending a handmade something to me.... it is all very exciting.

my iso setting was just a little off in that "snow picture"... but by the time i realized that.... they were done with photos :)

the sweet calendar printout is for eislee and ollie's room... i have a bunch of sweet printouts to put up in there with pretty tape... fun. i printed out another calendar for layla to make for her room. i have a link to the free download on handmade charlotte in my sidebar. for those of you reading this on your smartphones... there is a way you can get to my sidebar... you scroll to the bottom and click "view web version" and then zoom in on the sidebar. i have some links to the valentine printouts we are doing this year as well.

the drawn family portrait just behind the calendar... well... i just discovered that it is not made by who i thought! it was drawn by my dear friend erin.... years and years ago.... and honestly, that makes it even more special to me... oh erin.... i miss you!

and the apron...
i bought it at a little antique store... it is not an antique. it was one of those things where i kept telling myself... "you could make this so easy!" but sometimes you just have to buy it anway. the colors on it.... which is one of my all time favorite color combinations... the grays, the blues, a pop of red, and some smokey yellow... so pretty. the construction of it is what i found so inspiring though... the simplicity of it. for example... i have put off sewing many aprons because i hate hemming... but this apron no hemming whatsoever and i think it just adds to the charm... inspiring. not to mention i bet it took the person around ten minutes to make... i also find that inspiring... and because of the simplicity she was able to only charge $12.... i don't do a lot of apron shopping but i think that is a pretty cheap deal.

anyway... i suppose that is enough rambling for one day... i hope you are warm and cozy.
-jenny

the beautiful chaos that i call christmas

This christmas was a bit of a blur... and unfortunately so were most of the pictures that i took of it. But it really was a beautiful sort of chaos. It left me feeling so thankful. Sometimes i just can't believe how lucky i am. How did i end up with so many wonderful people in my life? How was i so lucky to get four perfectly healthy and happy children? I am full of gratitude when i think about all of the people who have done so much for us, and the ones who constantly have us in their thoughts. I am inspired by the selflessness of a certain father in law who came to our house for christmas and worked almost the entire time to fix up our bathroom. I feel thankful for all that they constantly teach me about life and especially about giving this season. 

There is nothing more important than family and i am so lucky to have so many amazing, loving, and thoughtful people in my life. I am so grateful for every single one of them. It really was a merry christmas. Whether you were on the giving, or the receiving, end this season... i hope you realize how lucky you are... that either you had someone thinking about you or you inspired gratitude in someone else. it is a beautiful thing.

inspiration

 

• Three rules of work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Albert Einstein 

• Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

• The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude. William James