{inspiration} :: the sunflower sessions

Blue? Down in the dumps? Well, take a mason jar, add some giant sunflowers, and PRESTO!...instant joy!

Just a little weekend inspiration from my dining room table to your soul:)

{whole home} :: woolen dryer balls

As we have journeyed away from harmful chemicals, I had pretty much everything covered... except for the dryer sheet issue. It didn't really dawn on me for a while, that those would leave harmful residue on our clothing and skin. So, imagine my surprise when I was reading a valued blog one day, and realized that I had missed a biggie! Functional though they may be, those suckers are heavy-laden with chemicals and toxins. I was at a loss as to what to do.

So, for a few months, I tried the "nothing" approach. Just the dryer. Well, that was miserable. I'm not a fan of static cling...in fact, it makes me a little furious. Sooo...after much ado, I found woolen dryer balls. (thank you, Google) Of course, the minute I discovered them, they just came out of the wood works and everyone was talking about them...I mean...where had I been?

I have to tell you, I was pretty skeptical, because the claims on these things were kind of unreal...

• they cut your drying time by 25%
• they last for up to 10 years
• they reduce static cling
• you can add essential oils if you want scent
• no toxins...at all

I doubted it, but I bought some anyway.

Well...I'll gladly eat my hat, because these things work, and I can now do the happy pants dance! So, that's it...$16 for a set of 4, that I just leave in my dryer...and voila!! They do everything they say they will...no static, no toxins, and I'll be doggoned if they don't cut my drying time significantly.

Is there anything negative about them?...well, if you just need something, Eeyore...I occasionally have to unroll them from the end of my sheets. So, there...if you're bound and determined to have a catch, there it is.

Thank you handmade, people driven, community oriented business!

{these have been used for about 4 months, now}

I got mine here. Happy ball shopping:)

{whole food} :: new life

I posted about our little backyard farm a couple of months ago, and I've taken pictures time and again, with the intent to show the progress as we went. For a while, that was an extremely boring endeavor. But, we kept at it, and with a little help from some rain and temperature pops...WHAMMO...something new happens every day.

It turns out this little farming thing goes way deeper than growing your own food.

I believe that God gave us the duty to work the land with our hands, and to try to be self-sufficient. But, as with every child, the older I get, the more I realize that His instructions to me are not simply face value. As it turns out...this works out heavily in the realm of cultivation. I realize a new metaphor every single day as we do this. In order to bear fruit, we have to be vigilant, consistent, patient, gentle, caring, nurturing...we have to do the physical act of all that it takes to cultivate a spirit, a relationship, a child...a healthy body. We sweat, we ache some, we talk about what's best, we pray, we thank God...it encompasses all the effort it takes to make a life full and real.

I want the best tasting food, from the best possible source, in the best possible way. That takes work...

WORK WORTH DOING.

So, I give you the food...soon to be nourishment to our bodies...currently, the unexpected nourishment for our souls.

{our flamboyant squash blossom}

{the undercover San Marzanos}

{herbs}

{unruly lettuce}

{banana peppers!}

{random prodigal spinach}

{our first color...I can't wait!}

{more tomatoes}

{more lettuces and carrot rows}

{the view from the end}

Thanks, Lord...what will You show me today?

{whole children} :: the great inquisition of 2011

Well, here I am. I know...I don't have any excuses. Yeah...there's school, my child, my husband, my hormones. Truth is...I had the time, but I've been wasting it. God's getting a hold of me about it...don't worry. But, what I really want to talk about today is...

The Great Inquisition of 2011...help. me. Rhonda.

My son has entered that stage where he asks the million questions over and over and over and over and over. But, it's not just an inquisitive stage...he asks questions like "Mama, what's my name?", "Mama, where are my feet? I lost my feet?", "Mama...who's your husband?"...you know, questions he knows all the answers to.

*insert hair pulling*

Here's the thing...I know that he just wants to find a reason to have conversation with us. I love that. It's just problematic when he wants to converse 24 hours a day. To his credit...he's an only child who was SO NOT built to be an only child. He loves people, he loves to talk to people, and his social prowess knows no bounds. I love it. I was the same way as a kid. But, sometimes...we have other things that need attending to. Bless his sweet, little heart...he's driving us crazy.

I know, I know...there will be a day, approximately 9 years from now, where I will be wishing he would just open up to me...ask me some questions. There will be a day, when the 4 year old will be a 13 year old, and I will be longing for the problems of today...wishing I had all the answers to his questions. I know that, and I'm working on it. But, today...

I feel like I'm in an interrogation room all day, every day. But, then he does this...

...and I just want him to wake up and ask me more inane questions, and step on my feet, and kick me in the shins, and leave a trail of destruction in his wake...sigh. I love him and his little warrior spirit...crazy as it makes me.