weekend giveaway*smell better butter

welcoming the weekend*

 today ::

* rain * coffee, glorious coffee * the last load of vacation laundry washed, folded and put away * a movie and snuggles with my sweet kiddos * chicken coop building by the mister * mama made soap carefully poured into wooden whiskey box molds * mac n' cheese dinner * warm bathes and early tuck in *

a proper welcome to the weekend!

well friends, we are home from our little spring break mountain get away. we came home yesterday afternoon and reluctantly abandoned our vacation schedules and got right back into the daily rhythm of our home.

oh, and i thought i would share with you the big, huge mess my little luca made the day before we left for our mountain trip.

 this is my oven door just seconds after a pretty rock from esme's collection went through it (you can see the point of entry over there on the bottom-right corner) the safety glass splintered into millions of tiny little cracks and barely held up long enough for us to get something (our shower curtain) under it. immediately after the plastic shower liner was placed on the floor the whole glass door fell out.

 leaving me with this. it looks like it will be a pretty penny to replace the glass and i could barely sleep that night because i was so upset. but my patient husband and sweet friends pointed out that it really could have been a whole lot worse, like the new sliding glass door or our huge front picture window or the new television screen. so i am currently {trying desperately} to look at the bright side of things and not obsessing about things like the hard earned funds i was saving for a brand new camera going right into my oven door instead... sigh.

on a brighter note, i have finally stocked my organics shop with wonderful smell better butter and tiny heiny diaper balm and foaming wipe wash! and lovely hand made, organic soap is on it's way to the shop later this spring! to celebrate i am going to have a little inspired mama giveaway, so check back tomorrow for details!

happiest friday, friends!

xoxo

in like a fish * out like a light

we bought luca little arm floaties and he paddled all over the pool squealing " weeee, weeee, weeeee!!"

then we came back to our room and he nursed and fell into deep sleep. he hasn't even had lunch yet.

we are smack dab in the middle of vacation schedule and loving every second! happy spring break, friends!

hello spring*

like magic*

 peppermint paddy flavored syrup...

 ...makes magical, festive milk and is sure to impress all the smallies in your life!

happy saint patrick's day, loves!

cheers!

{today i am linking up with gingerbread's sweet saturday party! head over for a visit and more wonderful diy inspiration!}

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kombucha*breed your own SCOBY

 i am sure you have heard all about kombucha and the wonderful and many benefits of drinking fermented tea. we have gone back and forth between brewing our own and buying bottled kombucha for the past year and a half. but when we are drinking it regularly it gets pretty spendy to purchase it. so i am currently back to brewing!

here is a quick and easy tutorial to get you started - the first thing you will need is a SCOBY {symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast} tasty, huh?this is also referred to as "the mother" or "mushroom". this is what you will need to ferment your tea. you can order them from online sources or inherit one from a friend as they reproduce and make scoby babies.

or, you can make your very own like this ::

 

you will need a bottle of raw, unflavored kombucha, a glass container (i used a quart size ball jar) and sweetened tea.

1. brew 1 cup of black tea (make sure it is not decaffeinated) and sweeten it by stirring in a couple tablespoons of sugar. let it cool to room temperature then pour it into your container. add the bottled kombucha to the tea and cover your jar with a clean tea towel or cloth secured with a rubber band. this will allow it to breathe while protecting it from insects and contaminants. 

now place your jar of liquid somewhere out of the way and let it work it's magic.

{10 days in - the scoby is approx 1/8 inch thick}

several days later a film will begin to form on the surface of the liquid. that is the scoby forming! this seems to happen faster in warmer weather, sometimes in just a couple days.

{20 days in - the scoby is 1/4 inch thick and ready to start brewing}

 

your new scoby will look like a small leather-y pancake. you will use the same scoby each time you brew and new layers will form with every batch so before you know it you will have babies to pass along to all your friends!

now on to brewing...

brewing tutorial can be found here!

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next week i will post brewing and bottling instructions so check back in a couple days!

currently*in march

 here is what we are currently up to ::

planning new garden beds, spring crops, chicken coops, nature table displays, a new vlog post and outside gathering spaces.

making a hooded vest for luca, soap, wonderful goodies for the organics shop, and home brewed kombucha.

loving new haircuts, taproot, this cookbook, new bikes and the sunshine and fresh air... we needed it, so bad!

hair before

 hair after :: new bangs!

 esme's hair before

and after :: adorable a-line

listening to jewel (we are especially fond of "sammy the spider"), fleet foxes, and ani difranco on pandora.

excited for a super fun saint patrick's day celebration at a friend's home, babies, spring break trips, longer days, more outside and SpRiNg! 

seriously spring, please hurry...

transitions*

"Things do not change; we change." ~ Henry David Thoreau

i've been spending a lot of time lately planning for the high school graduation of my oldest child. the boy who was 5 years old and starting kindergarten just yesterday. he pretended to be a favorite cartoon character that day while we waited outside for his very first teacher to come collect her bunch of brand new students. he hopped all around and talked in a silly voice and then stood in line with his great big backpack strapped to his tiny body. and after a quick wave he followed his teacher into the school while i stood behind, teary eyed.

next week i will take harper to kindergarten registration. the boy who was a tiny, new baby in my arms just yesterday. some days he is excited and some days he is not. some days i am excited and some days i am not. we spend a lot of time talking about back packs and school supplies and making new friends and learning new things. 

one child finishing up and one just beginning. you simply cannot imagine the ups and downs and loop the loops of my mama heart.

esmé and i have appointments to get our hair cut this afternoon. in about one hour to be exact. bangs have been heavy on my mind this afternoon. yes to bangs, no to bangs? thick bangs, short bangs? 

i have a small urge to cut it all very, very short. it seems sort of appropriate.

*before haircut hair*

so, it is yes to bangs. i am sure of it. after photos tomorrow perhaps...