Warmth For the Soul

The perfect meal for winter weather: turkey soup!

I made stock from what was left from our Thanksgiving turkey and made a rich and hearty soup. There are actually some pretty amazing healing benefits from homemade bone broth. If you do it right I truly believe it can help heal what ails you and will warm your soul. Also, cabbage makes a great substitute for noodles if you are interested in skipping the grains and adding more veggies!

The winter storm wasn't as bad as was predicted but Maverick felt right at home. 

He spent almost the whole day outside. 

I did a party with the pets today. 

and spent time with this cutie!
Maverick gave me the sniff down when I got home.  I think he knows...

It was probably the best party I've done because it was a group of 11 year old girls. They were quiet and interested in learning about the animals.  They asked real questions, were able to answer mine and I was able to give them more freedom when they handled them. I LOVE working with little kids but there is something to be said about connecting with older kids too.  Kids are kids, no matter what age, and they are all pretty special if you ask me.

It was so weird not having Ayden with me in the car. Time away always sounds nice, but in reality I always miss my little side kick. He takes a lot of patience and energy out of me but gives me so much back in return!  At least the break reminded me of that. He actually got sick while I was gone (a little stomach bug we suppose?). David took it all in stride and Ayden seemed to feel better soon after the "incedents."  He took a really good nap for David and seemed to be back to himself by the time I was home.  I don't really do well with the whole vomit thing so perhaps it's best David was by himself for that one...  The thought of "it" doesn't bother me at all but as soon as the smell hits my nostrils my body has an uncontrollable "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em reaction.  David's stomach, on the other hand, can handle that sort of thing.  Yet another reason we make a great team.

David's parents came for a visit and were at the cottage when I got home. They gave us ornaments for St. Nicholas' day and brought some things from David's childhood. 

David made this little guy in cub scouts.

Ayden kept taking out one of the antlers and singing, "pee-yup, pee-yup" (his way of singing the clean up song) and pointing to the boxes they brought it in.  I think it may take him a bit before he gets the concept of Christmas decorations being more of a permanent fixture for the next several weeks rather than something we get out and then clean up like everything else.

We are going to finally decorate for Christmas tomorrow!  So far we don't have any plans so we're going to take it easy and follow tradition.  We'll make some hot chocolate, put Elf on and deck the halls!

There is a cool dinosaur exhibit going on in our area and we are going back and forth about taking Ayden.  He loves dinosaurs and we are always up for some fun, but we are also trying to avoid hyper-scheduling ourselves this holiday season.  I think we'll invite some family and if we have takers we'll go for some quality visiting time.  If we don't, we'll just stay home.  

What are your holiday decorating traditions?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Change of Plans"

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5 Happy Things

Today was our favorite kind of day!  Since stay home pajama days aren't too exciting, I thought I'd share some photos of happy things that have been going on around here over the passed couple of days!

Breakfast time!
We are LOVING having chickens.

New activities and toy rotation.
It is amazing how taking a little time to do this can keep Ayden super engaged and free up time for me to get a few things done!

Boys only fort nights!
Bonding time for the boys and quiet time for mama.

Making new friends.
Ayden is coming out of his shell and LOVES being social settings.

Looking for photos for this post and finding 10 foot selfies that Ayden left for me.
He found my phone and I heard him saying, "Cheese! Cheese!"
I guess this is what he was doing, haha.

The big winter storm is hitting us as we speak. In KY winter storms typically manifest in the form of freezing rain with a top coat of snow...  So glad it is happening on a weekend when most people don't have to be out and about!  

Has the winter storm hit you?  What shape does it take where you live?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Listening Ears"

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Our Top 5 Favorite Crock Pot Recipes

Wednesday and Thursday nights can be tough around here.  Every other night of the week we eat dinner around 5:30 but on Wednesdays I teach dance until 6 and Thursdays are errand day so I'm usually out and about pretty late.  If we don't plan ahead and have a pre-made dinner of some sort, we end up with a tired, hungry and fussy toddler and a night filled with food prep, cooking, eating and cleaning up instead of a night of fun quality time together.
Over the past couple of years we have found some fail-safe slow cooker meals that we have enjoyed time and time again and I would love to pass them along to you!

Roast Chicken and Gravy
The gravy is AMAZING!
{recipe here}

Honey Apple Pork Loin
{recipe here}

BBQ Pulled Pork and Collard Greens
{recipe here}
we use this sugar free BBQ sauce recipe.

Pork Chops
{recipe here}

Kielbasa & Superkraut
{recipe here}

With the help of our crock pot, if I know we are going to have a late or busy night, I get dinner taken care of earlier in the day, *try* to go ahead and clean up the dishes and such.  Then, all we have to do is come home and dish it up!  We either pair it with or put it over a salad or I go ahead and prepare veggie sides that we can warm up later.  If you don't use your crock pot very often, or don't have one at all, it can really make a HUGE difference in your life!  You can have the health and money saving benefits of a home cooked meal yet feel like you have the night off.  I even know some working parents who put everything in the inner crock part of the slow cooker, put the lid on and put it in the fridge overnight.  Then, in the morning, they just plug it in and put it on low so dinner will cook while they are away.  Most soup and chili recipes work well in a slow cooker too!  Leftover nights are also a great way to get a quick homemade dinner.  A night or two a week, instead of planning a crock pot recipe or two, I'll double a recipe and save the leftovers for Wednesday or Thursday night.  There is always a way around eating fast food if you are willing to take the time to plan ahead.  

What is your favorite slow cooker recipe?  How often do you use yours? 

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Cleaning In Circles"

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How To: Burlap And Lace Wreath

I made a new wreath months ago and am finally getting around to sharing it with you!

  

Here are the supplies I used:

- burlap {here is tutorial on how to cut it without it fraying}
- a flour sack towel from Target
- tea (used to die the towel)
- twine
- lace
- pearl beads
- self healing mat
- acrylic ruler
- rotary cutter (the last three are optional.  Could use scissors)

- grape vine wreath
- wooden letter (from Hobby Lobby)
- acrylic craft paint in color of choice (I chose a happy yellow)
- paint brush

-glue gun

First, I made fabric roses from the burlap and died flour sack towel.  

Secure them by hot gluing a small circle on the back of each one.

I added a pearl bead to the center of each burlap rose.
Just to give it a little something extra...

Arrange the flowers to your liking on one side.
Hot glue in place once you decide where to put them all.

At the last minute, I decided to add some leaves.
I cut them, free handed, out of some burlap scraps.

Wrap the other side in your twine.

Secure it in the back with a dot of hot glue.

Add a little lace.

And your letter.

And you're done!

I feel like this is a wreath that could be up year-round if you aren't really the type to change such things seasonally.  I have Fall and Winter wreaths that I love so I've put this baby in a safe place to bring back out in Spring!

There are so many wreath ideas floating around out there and the grapevine type always catch my eye.  I am glad I have one of my very own now!

Have you ever DIYed a wreath?  What is your favorite kind?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Big Time Walker"

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Toddler Tuesday: Play-Doh Shape Match

Ayden is finally ready to play with play-doh without trying to eat it.  Yay!!  In my classroom, I had this very table in front of a window and it was the "Play-doh Center."  Only one student at a time could sit there.  It was a place for quiet, independent play where they could gaze out the window and experience the amazing calming effects of the squishy stuff.  Needless to say, it was a favorite center.

Today, I showed Ayden how to squish the play-doh flat and use cookie cutters.  I had a shape mat that I made for my class way back when that I pulled out.  To make the mat I simply traced the cookie cutters onto construction paper with a Sharpie, labeled the shapes then laminated it.  Contact paper would work for this too if you don't have access to a laminator.

Ayden has really been into matching and puzzles and such lately so this activity went over well.  He definitely needed my assistance with flattening the dough and cutting the shapes but he tried to do it himself and was engaged with this activity for a while.  

I'm just so glad that he is ready for play-doh now!  I see it as something I'll be able to pull out when I need a few minutes of peace and all mamas need something like that in their bag of tricks!

Please share your fun play-doh ideas below!!

~Sarah

PS.  I found this speech sound development timeline helpful today and thought I'd share: 

{via}
Ayden doesn't make the /k/ very often and I wanted to make sure that was okay for his age.  Looks like that is something to be mastered in the 3rd year so his substituting it with a /p/ or /b/ sound is normal.

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Attaboy"

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Getting Personal

Today was our 5th weekly playgroup meeting.  We've been to everybody's house so we're going to start all over again next week.  The kids are starting to fight over toys more which I see as a good thing because it means they are getting more comfortable with one another.

The moms seem to be getting more comfortable too.  It is interesting to see the parallels between the dynamic of the children and moms. There must be a 4-5 week window for building comfort, no matter the age...  Today's play group ran 45 minutes longer than all the rest because we were having some real conversation. We talked about crazy hormones during the first month postpartum and all of the irrational things we did and cried about during that time and stuff like that.  There are a couple of moms with two kids (toddler + infant) and they opened up about difficulties with being there for both and the guilt that can go along with how impossible that actually is.  We also talked about our efforts/journey so far with night weaning.  

In my real life I don't usually open up to people, especially new people, about any struggles I am having while I am having them.  I tend to like to figure things out on my own and worry that opening up before I've got a handle on it could invite unsolicited advice or perhaps cloud my perception of my thoughts and feelings on a subject or experience.  Another reason that I don't often talk about my own obstacles is because I really enjoy putting a lot of energy and reflecting on what is going right in my life.  I value this in myself because it is what brings me inward peace and contentment with my life just the way it is, which I feel is so important.  I think bringing up or dwelling on negative or difficult things can result in negative energy and can place a storm cloud over someone's head that they can't shake.  

Though I value that I truly feel happy and content, I do recognize that what brings that to my life often leaves me unreachable or difficult to relate to for many people that I meet.  I give off a false sense of perfectionism and she-has-it-all-together-all-the-timedness.  Many people in my life will come to me to celebrate when things are going right but rarely do so when things take a turn for the worse.  Part of me accepts that this is just who I am.  I don't "sugar coat" things in my life intentionally to paint a perfect picture for spectators.  I just save my energy for focusing on the positive and try not to give the negative too much attention in my own mind so that is what always comes out.

I went into this play group seeing it as a new opportunity or a clean slate if you will since none of the ladies knew me before we met at story time.  I am still being myself but I have been intentional about what kind of listener I am and make a point to open up a little to show that I am no more perfect or have it anymore together than any other mother out there. I do not offer advice unless specifically asked and try not to elaborate too much when asked about our lifestyle, farm journey, etc.  I chose our night weaning journey and Ayden's sleep obstacles as a personal struggle, yet safe subject for me, that I discuss with these ladies.  As an introvert, it can difficult for me to let people in and build friendships.  I have decided it is a part of my life I am ready to work on and so far, it's going well.

I hope to continue to be mindful and intentional about this aspect of my life.  I'd like to be someone to whom friends not only come for celebration but also someone who can offer support when things aren't going perfect for them.  One of my favorite quotes says, 

"The reason we deal with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else's highlight  reel."  I don't want to dwell on the negative but at the same time I am realizing the importance of letting people in so they can see your "behind the scenes" every now and then.  Imperfection is what makes us all human.

Do you have trouble letting people in?  What do you do about it?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Let The Winter Holidays Begin!"

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How To: Make Fabric Roses

Wreaths, headbands, shirts, oh my!  There are so many uses for fabric flowers and they are a lot easier to make than you think.  How to make:

Cut your fabric into strips.

The longer your fabric, the larger your flower.  My pieces were 2" x 24".

Start by folding a corner down.

Roll a few times.

Twist and roll a few more times.

Rinse and...

Repeat.

Continue this pattern until you have your flower!

You can secure the end with hot glue or a straight pin.  Sew on to dresses or shirts, hot glue on to head bands or wreaths.  You can even hot glue a small hair clip onto the back and clip it right into your daughter's hair.  Fabric flowers will add simple elegance to anything!

Did you give this tutorial a try?  Please come back and let me know how your flowers turned out!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "On the Road Again"

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