11.24.2016

Grateful



Giving you a virtual pot of beautiful fall mums today. 

But what is more important than the symbolic bringing of a bouquet of flowers, I want to give a note of thanks. This year, proven to be simultaneously long and short, has helped me grow in ways I couldn't have imagined. Between the mountains and valleys of happiness and sadness that had me tumble off the side of a cliff at times, I am forever grateful for everything I have learned and the people at my side.  

I'm also incredibly thankful to all of you returning week after week to my humble space, reading my posts along with me. Your continued support is extremely uplifting, even in my troublesome moments.

And through it all, to God be the Glory. Always.

Also shared here

11.22.2016

Celebrate Blogging Link-up Party #21




WELCOME TO THE PARTY!!!

Hi bloggers and visitors!
I just want to let you know that we are hosting a Christmas
blog hop. All you need to do is join our Facebook group
and follow the event link to leave your links.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR GROUP:



LET'S START CELEBRATING...!



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CELEBRATE WITH US...JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP:




FOLLOW OUR PINTEREST BOARD:
We pin every link to our board every week!!!






ARIANNE FROM FAMILY JOYS:

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BIBI FROM SIMPLE SUMMIT:

SHANNON FROM CRAFTY MAMA IN ME:

MARILYN FROM TILT A MOM:






BY FAMILY JOYS

BY JSACK'S MOMS BLOG

BY SIMPLE SUMMIT

BY CRAFTY MAMA IN ME

BY TILT A MOM



THERE ARE NO FEATURES THIS WEEK BECAUSE NO ONE
CLICKED ON ANY OTHER POSTS! MAKE IT FAIR AND VISIT OTHER LINKS!!!

***PLEASE REMEMBER YOU MUST VISIT 3 OTHER LINKS, PARTY RULES!!!***















11.20.2016

Simple Moments


Moments that shaped our week

 Playing outside a lot.

 Getting wood for the colder nights.

 The last of the Paisley. Now in the freezer.

Pumpkin Kale Soup. Fall. And a warm meal for colder nights.

11.19.2016

Simple Kids: Currently Reading




This has been a hectic week for us, for no particular reason really. It just happened that way. One thing, however, to help us slow down and regroup - besides spending time outside - is reading books. We often times begin our mornings snuggled up in the kids' room, reading a book or two {or three} to help us {read: Mommy} wake up properly. 

My passion for reading books was born during my own childhood and has grown with me over the last decades. I remember our freshly bathed, still damp hair and the bare feet poking out of our pajamas, as we laid in bed waiting for everyone to gather; the way my father drew in his air while reading. I can still see him sitting on the bed with us, reading us a page from a 365 Good Night Stories book, his words gliding calmly over his lips. These recollections, deeply cherished and warmly remembered, resurface almost every night as I sit down in this house while reading to my children. Some days, e is sitting on my lap, softly nestling her head on my chest, and other days j takes over her spot, usually to nurse. But either way, we are making memories every time we sit and read together.

And while our own library of books is pretty significant - we have enough books to keep a good selection in the kids' room and another one in the living room - I also make it a point of borrowing seasonal books from our local library. With fall in full swing and Thanksgiving less than a week away, I am sharing with you today what has been on our nightstand these last couple of weeks.







The Hatseller and the monkey by Baba Wague Diakite
Where's Mommy? by Beverly Donofrio
Autumn Orange by Christianne C. Jones
The Thanksgiving visitor by Truman Capote
My Little Girl by Tim McGraw


11.15.2016

Celebrate Blogging Link-up Party #20


The time change last weekend may be the last reminder that we are indeed heading towards the colder months. It's officially cold weather season and most of us delight in wrapping ourselves in cozy sweaters and chunky scarves. And while I just shared a picture of my bare feet on some moss in front of our home that I took last week, the air has turned decidedly colder over the last couple of nights. 

On these days that are colder and moodier, we officially started the tea-time season at our home. My very favorite thing about the colder season are not the chunky layers or crispier temperatures, but the warming foods and drinks. We begin tea time with the time change around here and sitting down together sharing our hearts over a warm cup of something makes our home feel cozy in no time. 

That said, grab yourself a warm drink, settle down into your comfy chair and please share with us your latest post and enjoy reading what others have linked up with us today.  We are happy to have you!



WELCOME TO THE PARTY!!!


11.13.2016

Simple Moments

Objects and moments that shaped my week.

A Wichtel, sent by my grandmother.

More fall projects being done around here.

A mushroom, reminding me of a wonderful weekend day.


11.11.2016

Recipe Weckmänner


Today is St. Martin's Day. As dark cold days are approaching and I think about ways to lighten up the fall mood around here, I make a coordinated effort to move away and brighten, as much as possible, the darker days in our home. 

Here is something I have noticed while raising my children - rediscovering traditions of my own childhood and looking forward to creating memories with our own family. Legend has it, that St. Martin, a roman soldier, met a scantily dressed beggar at the gates of Amiens, asking Martin for  help. The soldier, not having any money or food to give to the beggar on this cold night, parted his cloak in two with a single swipe of his sword, giving one-half to the beggar while keeping the other for himself. It is said that after this night, Martin was baptized and left the army. 

On the days leading up to and on the night of November 11th, you can find children walking in procession through the streets with their handmade lanterns, singing songs of praise and light to St. Martin. They are led by a man on a horse, meeting at a bonfire at a public square or school yard, where the story of St. Martin is retold through a play. While the origin of the lanterns is unclear, they may have come from the bonfire, symbolizing the light it brings in a dark night, as St, Martin brought a flicker of hope to the poor at his time. 

The night singing around the bonfire ends with hot chocolate, mulled wine, and Weckmänner. Growing up receiving and enjoying a Weckmann was always a memorable end to our evening. For e and j's Weckmänner below, I used a Hefezopf recipe {if you're German, click here)} I followed the recipe very loosely, with the main exception that instead of braiding the bread I formed four little men. And I used all purpose flour with great results.


Weckmänner

Ingredients 

{I encourage you to weigh the ingredients if possible as it yields better results}
500g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 envelope dry yeast {the German recipe calls for 18g fresh yeast which would be better}
200 ml cold milk
75g sugar 
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
90 g butter, softened
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice {original recipe calls for lemon zest}


Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a kitchen aid type bowl, knead all ingredients on low about 10 minutes, then up the speed and continue kneading for an additional 5 minutes
2. cover the dough and let rest/rise 1 hour
3. divide dough into 4 equal parts, cut your arms and legs using kitchen shears or preferred tool
4. brush the men with egg, add your face and buttons, cover with foil and let rest another hour
5. bake in preheated oven 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. 
6. enjoy while still warm with fresh butter and jam






What about you? Do you have St. Martin's Day traditions?

sharing with some of these blogs


11.10.2016

How to Preserve Leaves for Decorations


On these days when the last of the leaves are turning and slowly making their way to the ground, fall colored decorations keep my spirits up. Especially the ones we collected in the woods and took home.

My favorite part of fall are the vibrant colors. Whether set against a deep blue sky or gray clouds, they are a beautiful reminder that we are moving from a season of dark green trees with an air filled with heavy humidity and insects calling late at night, to one of crispy cold days and silent nights that feel extra dark. Now that time change has passed and it gets dark before dinner time, it doesn't matter whether or not you participate in Halloween, Michaelmas, or even celebrate Thanksgiving, adding a few fall colors to your home is worth a try to cheer up the home. 

The best way to add some fall colors is to go for things you can toss guilt free after the season. I'm thinking dried oranges and cinnamon, apple cider simmering on the stove, pumpkins, gourds, corn husks, and homemade leave decorations. As a bonus, they are also budget friendly.



Preserving Fall Leaves

You need:
Vegetable Glycerin
Surfactant 
a heavy book
newspaper or wax paper
paper towels
fresh or already dried leaves 

Directions

1. Gather the leaves of your choice. I used both fresh and already dried leaves for this project. 





2. Fill a large bowl with one gallon of water, add 2 cups of vegetable glycerin and a few drops (3-5 drops) of surfactant to the bowl. Stir to mix.

3. Place each fresh or dried leave in the bowl, then lay on a paper towel to dry. You want to be more careful with a dried leave as they break fairly quickly.



4. Let the leaves dry for 1 to 3 hours or longer if necessary. Then, if preferred, lay them in between sheets of newspaper before placing them in the pages of your book to dry. The newspaper is optional but if you omit it, you may run the risk of messing up your book due to the moisture that is still in them. Leave the leaves in the book for a day or longer. 


5. Once they are dried you are ready to use them for your project or as decorations. My first ones are framed and my next batch will be used for window garlands in the kids' room. 
The difference in using dried and fresh leaves is that the vegetable glycerin with the surfactant helps keep the color better than if you were to just dry them. The solution also makes the leaves soft and less delicate for projects.



sharing with some of these blogs

11.08.2016

Celebrate Blogging Link-up Party #19


It is all over social media. It is all over the news. Today is the big day and all day I have seen people share their "I voted" posts. Have you cast your vote yet? If not, there is still time to do so. Regardless of who you are voting for, participating in this process today is what makes this work. Your vote counts. 

So find out where to vote and what to bring. Then.please.go.vote. Thank you. :)

And now we shall resume our normal program. We are welcoming two new hosts for our Celebrate Blogging Link-up Party this week. I'm very excited to see these two ladies join our team and am looking forward to not only read their posts but yours as well. Please join us, I'm happy to have you. 


11.06.2016

Simple Moments


Moments that I'm grateful for and that shaped our week --

Green moss we used for a project and warm temperatures. 
 #unpaintedtoenailsbecauseithoughtitwasbootsweatheralready

Firewood. Because the temperatures also now are cold enough {again} that we have a fire going.

Her and j have had the best times playing outside in the leaves. 

The Casting Crowns concert Saturday night, because they shaped my weekend. 

Also sharing here