bunny pillows

two baby showers in the past few weeks

inspired these pillows. 

one hand appliqued...

and one done with the machine satin stitch.

if you are born during the year of the rabbit,

you might like a bunny pillow, right?

rabbit romp pattern from

carolee pollock.

pausing

Due to a cluster cuss of circumstances, I will be taking a wee break from blogging...just a few days. No worries, just some technical difficulties, and a very full calendar. Enjoy the weekend and have FUN!

good morning and good yawning

looks like it will be a very busy day, 

with things to do from morning 'til night.

my resident zen master reminds me 

to be present and breathe.

 morning meditation includes watering our windowsill gardens,

where i am reminded that as things flower,

so do others droop and fade.

as work out in the world calls me away,

there is a pile of projects waiting for a stolen and quick playdate

here in the sewing studio.

being mindful launches my day,

black tea fuels my departure

and the shelter of home will welcome me back.

namaste friends.

winter warmer

imagine picking organic raspberries in the heat of summer.

imagine putting them in a jar with sugar and vodka.

over the weeks, the liquid turns the rich and beautiful color of 

the raspberries, and the raspberries bleach white.

strain the liquid into a container and, voila...

raspberry cordial to enjoy after coming in from an 

afternoon of snowshoeing or on a freezing winter night.

the recipe is here.

(for years, i hunted for sweet vintage cordial glasses

and put one in batman's stocking each christmas. 

 now we have a fun collection.)

do you have any beverage recipes that you love

and would be willing to share?

pie, twigs and a 30 day vegan workshop

we are back from a long weekend at our beloved

"bit of earth" in vermont

where batman could not resist the urge to begin pruning the apple trees,

even on snowshoes.

he brought a bundle of twigs back to connecticut

where they will leaf out in the warmth of our dining room.

even though we love the winter's snowy blanket,

  we take our signs of spring very seriously around here.

and what better way to celebrate the winding down of february

than a cherry pie, baked in honor of 

george washington and his mythical axe?
i cannot tell a lie.

(read last year's post here)

last week, i read about heather's 30 day vegan workshop on her blog,
beauty that moves.
i found myself coming back to read her post several times,
and i became more and more intrigued.
i became open to the possibilities of what i might learn.
i talked with batman about it and i was surprised and encouraged
when he said he'd be willing to give it a try, so we signed up.

have you made changes to the way you eat,
due to health, ethics, curiosity or some other reason?
please share!

sara argue, artist

watercolor painting by sara argue

in detail

of the view at our "bit of earth".

A few weeks ago, our daughter Lindsey and a posse of her buddies from the Boston area retreated from their urban lives and spent a weekend at our place in Vermont. One of her best friends, Sara, is an amazing, multi talented artist. Sara gifted Batman and I with this exquisite painting. Our breath was taken away when we found it sitting on a table, with a sweet note penciled on the back.

To see more of Sara's work, and read about her spunky style, click here. I've been lucky enough to have a peek into Sara's studio (and  a cup of tea at her kitchen table!), and I can tell you that her work is luminous, diverse and exquisite. She is young woman on a remarkable journey. xo.

simple truth

There is only one caste,

the caste of humanity;

There is only one religion,

the religion of love;

There is only one language,

the language of the heart.

Sathya Sai Baba

possibilities in a packet

The seeds arrived in February, a whole farm in a box. Of all the mysteries I'd encountered on the farm, this seemed the most profound. I could not imagine how several tons of food could come out of a box so small and light I could balance it on one hand. Mark and I had spent evenings pouring over the seed catalogs that had arrived during the darkest week of the winter, piling up next to the bed like farmer porn.

From The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball, 2010, Scribner Books

We will have a garden at our "bit of earth", not a farm, but this passage really sang to me. As I spent the morning vacuuming and cleaning, I  stopped by this newly arrived collection of seeds to admire the photos, shake the contents and smile at the possibilities held in these packets.

And outdoors, there's magic afoot. Seventy two inches of snow vs. fifty one degrees of sunny warmth on the thermometer.

HOPE. It's what keeps us going, eh?

my clothes drier of choice is not coin operated and it doesn't use electricity.

i don't have to worry about the warranty expiring, or calling a repairman.

and i don't have to be home when it runs.

perfection.

i just got home from a day full of meetings and was delighted to read all

of your thoughtful and interesting comments on yesterday's post.

i love that we all have different experiences,

yet can be kindred spirits at the same time.

now i am going to have a glass of wine and put up my feet.
tomorrow will come soon enough.
:-)

mid february check in

i'm feeling inspired by spring scents and colors on the windowsill

and this fabric and more repurposed jeans in my sewing studio.

i'm grateful to have challenging and good work to do on two boards.

read a little bit about some of it here.

while i was at earlham college (i will share more about that next week), 

batman spent the weekend in burlington at the winter conference of NOFA-VT,

and heard the keynote speaker, bill mckibben. 

batman and i continue to work at our dreams of a rural life.

after my week of being under the weather

batman and i share a renewed commitment to eating more mindfully
(funny how that happens...)

our family conference call last night was filled with 

love and fun banter, and i am reminded of how truly 

blessed we are.

the spring equinox is closer to us than the winter solstice

and we can feel it every day.

inspired, grateful, work, commitment, love, banter, blessed...
this is my kind of accounting!

how about your mid february check in?
i would love to hear from you.
xo

love in stitches

a few simple stitches on a tea cozy

and some appliqued hugs and kisses on tea towels...

to remind anyone in our kitchen that LOVE is what life is all about.

my beloved earlham college

if reaching consensus would catch on,
what a different world this would be.  

listening

today i listened to this podcast.
 krista tippett's interviews always, always speak to me.

and i had a sharp intake of breath when i heard this quoted during the story,
 taken from the very end of thoreau's walden.

only that day dawns to which we are awake.

and this, too, is exquisite.

more winter whites

finding calm

and meditation

wherever i can today.

are you noticing any winter whites today?

under the sky

black construction paper, crescent cut out.

On Friday night, I was captivated by the sliver of a crescent moon in the early evening sky. My thoughts wandered to all the people in Egypt, yearning for better lives, under that same crescent moon. 

And I thought of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, characterized by tranquility.

From the beginning of time we have planned our festivals, celebrations, plantings and lives around the phases of the moon and the cycles of the sun. We may be divided by our many differences, but we all live under that very same sun and moon. The sky is a neighborhood we all share. And that, somehow, is a comfort to me.

resurfacing

and getting my feet back underneath the rest of me.

thank you so much for your kind comments on my last post,

and your emails and concerned phone calls from local friends.

you're just the best.

surrender

-down for the count since sunday night, with a nasty stomach flu. fever broke last night. still exhausted.

-batman is in brazil this week (probably a good thing).

-our winter weather has taken a nasty turn. looks like our neighborhood is iced in.

-sometimes, my schedules, calendars, responsibilities, "to do" lists

just have to be let go.

-thanks for the reminder, once again, mother nature...

i am not in control.

got it.

-henry has been by my side the whole time. he is ever vigilant.

-i wish i could train him to run downstairs to brew a cup of tea.

-hope all of you are safe and cozy and well.