moment of mindfulness...quarters from heaven

Last week, I had a day of gifts.  It all started when I responded to a freecycle ad requesting baby items.  I had just days before washed up Jude's crib set and gathered up other baby blankets that I knew we needed to pass on to someone else.  

The problem was I also felt reluctant to give away these items, especially the crib set, because I originally picked it out for my first son, Bennett, and never got to use it for him.  When Jude was born, it was really important to me that these items got used.  I don't understand it.  Many people would have the exact opposite reaction, but this was mine.  I kept hanging on to them thinking it would be nice to pass them along to someone I knew.  

When I finally met the woman who placed the ad, I discovered that she made the request on behalf of her daughter who was a former student of mine.  And I was so grateful for that.  It turned out that her daughter was planning a home birth and so that was another connection that was made, as I birthed Jude at home.  

Right after giving the items away, I went into the Natural Food Store that I used to work at and when I went to the counter to purchase some items, I discovered that even after I emptied out all my change I was $1 short.  The owner and longtime friend graciously said to forget about it.

After that Jude and I went to the thrift store just to look...;)  Jude found a 3-D puzzle that we thought would be fun to put together.  You have to match up letters so I thought it would be good for letter recognition skills if he was into that.  It was only 25 cents so I said sure.  And then it dawned on me that I had just emptied out my purse of all change at the Natural Food Store.  Just as I was telling Jude that we would have to put the puzzle back, I looked on the shelf right in front of me and low and behold there was a shiny quarter...head's up.

That night, as is our usual custom, I asked Jude what his favorite part of the day was, and he said playing with the castle...and I had to agree with him.  With my deepest sincerity, I am incredibly grateful for this simple gift.  It reminded me that it is only by letting go that we receive.

over at threading light today....

I'm threading light today

..but

I should be back in this space later today or this evening with a moment of mindfulness.

wabi sabi moments...it broke her heart

a heart is a fragile thing

until you find

the real One

:::

  

You can find the entire wabi sabi moments collection over at flickr.

And if you want to see some unique valentine's day gifts, check out my post over here.

blessings~

homemade...vegetable broth

Soups are so nourishing in the winter, especially homemade soups.  I like to make my own broth whenever possible because there is almost always sugar added to commercially available broths even the "better" organic ones.  And I like to use local ingredients whenever possible.  So the other day, Jude and I made a big batch of vegetable broth to use in some recipes (but mostly to be consumed by me for breakfasts, lunch and dinner!).  This is what we used but use whatever vegetables (saved peels, broccoli stems, etc...) you have and see how the flavor changes subtly with each batch.  I was delighted that carrots, black radish, celery root, daikon, parsnips, fennel and peas created a very rich, flavorful broth.

Jude chopped up carrots into roughly inch sized pieces.

Mama cut up a black radish with the big knife into inch square chunks.  Black radishes are very purifying and really good to eat this time of year as a food tonic.  They are not strong once they are cooked and they help maintain your body's alkalinity (really, really important!!!!)

Celery root also proved to be too hard for the crinkle cutter.  It is loaded with fiber, minerals, and B6.

Jude gave the daikon a go, but it also proved to be too hard.  

We like to try though!

Daikon is another powerful purifying food.  

Parnips are great drumsticks...but we eventually chopped these up too.

We coated the bottom of a large stock pot with olive oil and threw in all the chopped root veggies.  I stirred them around quite a bit to make sure everything was coated with oil.  Turned the burner on medium low and continued to allow the to cook for 20 minutes or so until everything was tender.  Then we added water  to cover the vegetables and fill the pot 3/4 full and brought it to a boil. 

I froze these fennel stalks from this summer and added those along with some frozen snap peas to the boiling water.  I also added some sea salt. I let it return to a boil.

I reduced the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes...longer is better.

Strain the veggies...but don't compost them.  

Mash them up and add some butter and a bit of salt and you have a delicious treat!

Pour your broth in jars.  Refrigerate or freeze if you will not be using it within a few days.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Broth

what you need:

6 cups of cut up vegetables 

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

2+ quarts of water

what you need to do:

1. Coat the bottom of a large stock pot with olive oil and warm up on medium low heat.

2.  Add hard chopped veggies and cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Add water to fill your pot 3/4 full and bring everything to a boil.

4. Add any tender green veggies and return to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low, cover and continue to cook for at least 30 minutes.

6. Strain the veggies from the broth.

7. Store the broth in jars that can be frozen.  Freeze what you will not use in a few days.

Enjoy!!!

handmade...valentine gift inspiration

I am finding myself short on ideas for simple valentine's day gifts...so in hopes of getting my creative juices flowing, I'm going to share a couple from last year and ask you to share some of yours.... 

tissue holder (or even better hankie holder)

this tutorial got me started 

but I liked the look of combining different prints

if I were doing this again this year...

 I would put a few vintage hankies in each one

rosette pin

it ended up with three little pins in the center...

a fabric covered button works nice for the center too

this pomander tutorial shows the technique 

and the pomander is really sweet too!

do you have any sweet little gift ideas to share?  it doesn't have to be a tutorial, just a picture would be great or just a description!  I can't wait to be inspired;)

I love to give little gifts like this to the special women in my life...my mom, other women in my family, and special friends. I always seem to have someone in mind that I would love to make something special for even if it isn't valentine's day.

threading light

A few of you may remember this post from the winter solstice.  When I wrote this, I had a huge urge to do something more to thread light into this world.  You'll also notice that Earthmama (Lisa) was the first to comment on that post.  It was actually her first visit to so wabi sabi.  A series of communications between us guided us to share a vision and a direction for threading light into this world.  This is just the beginning...

I hope you'll take a look and even pick up the needle yourself!

::::
so much for a morning announcement!  there is obviously still a part of me that unconsciously wants to drag her feet;... I accidentally scheduled this for 8:30pm instead of 8:30am...thankfully, the Universe is not solely dependent upon me;)

moment of mindfulness...under my foot

wherever you place your foot, there rests a blessing....

the leaf of every tree brings a message

from the Unseen world

look! every falling leaf is a blessing. ~rumi

When I am not being fully aware, it is easy to miss opportunities to be grateful. I might look at this soggy ground and think only of the mud that my dog and child will inevitably track into the house, or the bare patch of lawn that will need to be re-seeded....again.

I might miss spotting the leaf that reminds me to be grateful for the tall oaks that grace our creekbank. Or, I might forget about the beautiful sunrise that I witnessed reflected in the same puddle at dawn...

or miss out on the joy of puddle stomping with my child...

There are always a multitude of things for which to be grateful.  I know this...all I have to do is remember to look right under my feet to bring them to my awareness.

:::

Check back on Monday morning...I have a very exciting announcement!