Alba's birth and a mantra for milking a goat

We made it through another successful kidding season. The does are reaching peak production and the kitchen is full with the sounds of sudsy water sloshing and the gentle rattle of glass bottles boiling for most of the morning.

This year our Sannen does were bred to a mini LaMancha. For most of the herd white coat and gopher ears were dominant.

Our girl, Alba, had a surprise for us. She was the last to kid and had two mostly black bucklings. She is the only doe with wattles, so I’m curious if this had something to do with the genetic roll of the dice.

Here she is in early labor with gentle contractions.

These get more forceful over the next fifteen minutes.

The does like to have us close while they're in labor. They occasionally reach over to lick us on the cheek between contractions.

This year my older daughter was able to help more. She now has a basic understanding of the birthing process. This knowledge applies to most mammals, so she's ready to help in a variety of situations.

If you would like to see a more detailed account of kidding look here.

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After we clear the airways and help dry the kids, we observe as they struggle to get on their feet. In my experience, this usually happens within 20 minutes. The doe coaxes them toward the teat and we watch to make sure they get to the colostrum. This is important and we’ll have to step in and help if it doesn’t happen quickly enough.

The new babies spend the day bonding with their mom in this smaller kidding pen. The next day they join the herd. Within 24 hours they are frisking around with the rest of the kids.

During these busy days, I writepaintsculpt in my head. I’ve gotten pretty good at making detailed “notes” as I milk and feed....trim hooves... I call on them later in the afternoon when I have some time in my workspace. Following the natural rhythms around me has been a lesson in how I create. I am able to honor parts of the process that are valuable, but often get overlooked. I’m more patient (a little more) and I settle down through daily tasks. My mantra is: there is an abundance of time for the things that are important. If I bring a nervous energy to the milking stand, I’ll get a kicked bucket in my lap. It has happened.

The Zen of milking a goat.

Halloween and Tarot for Children

Halloween was a blast, despite the fact that my youngest spent Mischief Night in the ER getting stitches in her finger. She was quite adamant that she did NOT need any help tackling the largest pumpkin she could haul. I applaud her determination, but next year I have the feeling she'll take me up on my offer plead to help.

The Halloween costume I mentioned in the last post was inspired by the character, Prunella on the Arthur show.

Prunella is a a peach colored rat who is interested in yoga, fortune telling, and paranormal phenomena. In one episode her sister, Rubella, makes a cootie catcher as a gift for Prunella's half birthday and claims that it can tell the future. We made cootie catchers after watching and started talking about other ways people play with telling fortunes. The cootie catcher gives very definite answers, maybe you remember from grade school, things like:

no way
for sure
you can bet on it
not in your dreams...

Just like in the episode, some people around here were not too thrilled with the cootie catcher's answers. I remember feeling the same way about my magic 8 ball. This got me thinking about  Tarot cards; the way they act as a Rorschach test of sorts, and allow you to explore aspects of life without pushing definite answers. I looked up "children's tarot cards" on-line, not sure if I would find any. It seems that others had the same idea because there was a list of results for various ways the tarot deck could be re-imagined for children. These days the tarot deck could incorporate anything from astrology, Kabbalah, runes, I Ching, animals....so you can see how children's fables and storybook characters could find their place in the major arcana. These cards deal the human condition and their titles might remind you of fables, or Shakespeare characters. I see it as a good way to explore the human condition with the child leading the way. There is no need to lend belief to the occult to use the cards; the Tarot has been a source of inspiration and creativity for individuals simply by sparking their imaginations.

I decided to ask my kids if they wanted to illustrate their own set. After taking a look at how diverse the decks are, they dove in with their own ideas about what strength, justice, earth, fool...might look like to them.

My daughter went from curiosity about Prunella's cootie catcher, to dressing like a fortune teller for Halloween and doing "readings" (which consist of selecting some cards and then telling a story around them). The tarot deck is a work in progress and I will post some pictures soon if I get the artist's permission.

for the wild things

As I work on preparing the outbuildings for winter, the kids have taken on a project of their own. They will be in charge of turning the upstairs of a small carriage house behind the house into a club house. They've filled a note book with plans and yesterday we started the patching and painting.

This will be a place for the children to exercise freedom and responsibility...a place the kids will rule. The only requirement is that they (and their club members) discuss and come to an agreement about the rules they will live by. I've already heard some spirited round table discussions over chocolate chip cookies.


Although my kids played in the ally and small garden behind our row house in the city before we made our move, I really had to overcome my concerns to give them the space they needed (and I admit I was peeking out the kitchen window the whole time) I think any mother could imagine what my concerns might be. In contrast, I remember being told as a child to go play outside - I'd run around exploring the barns, fields and streams, with or without a neighborhood kid, until I was called for dinner. I know that time was important and I've tried to find a balance between caution and "executive function" no matter where we find ourselves.

It's interesting to watch the diplomatic skill and work ethic that emerges when they really believe they've been left to their own devises.

thoughts on education reform (a response post)

If you've been reading, Mistaken For a Rebel you may have picked up on some of my thoughts regarding education and the challenge of finding the balance between what we believe, what we can afford and what we can change.

This morning I read a post at Boundless Voice that echoed many of my sentiments. I realized that aside from wanting to thank her for sharing her thoughts, I wanted to give a reply that would best be shared here.

One of my favorite quotes is by Charles Bukowski, "An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way." I'm going to take the artist's approach here because it seems that sometimes the most complex issues are best tackled by breaking them down to very simplest terms and then adding one truth at a time. I am no expert on the subject, but I am an advocate for my children's education and I am concerned with the effect schooling has on our communities.

I am in agreement with the post I just read - what we need is a revolution. It has been noted by many that we are in a creativity crisis, our minds are not rising up to meet the challenges of our times. In an article in Newsweek (it's a good one) Nurture Shock authors, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman put it this way,


"The necessity of human ingenuity is undisputed. A recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the No. 1 'leadership competency' of the future. Yet it's not just about sustaining our nation's economic growth. All around us are matters of national and international importance that are crying out for creative solutions, from saving the Gulf of Mexico to bringing peace to Afghanistan to delivering health care. Such solutions emerge from a healthy marketplace of ideas, sustained by a populace constantly contributing original ideas and receptive to the ideas of others."

We are finding ourselves at a dead end creatively and at the same time young people's respect for each other as human beings seems to be deteriorating. Time and energy are wasted on arguments about religion's place in school while the idea that students explore ethics goes ignored. Something is not working and better test scores aren't going to solve the problem.

For me the goal is that my children grow up to be healthy, loving, compassionate and fearless - exactly what they do is not much of a concern. I hope that they have the freedom financial prosperity can bring, but never at the expense of a balanced and peaceful life. My hope is that their school helps us develop their love of learning and provide the tools of discovery, not define what success must be - I've seen far too many adults discover they had it wrong to believe any of them can label who the winners are.

I'm going to focus on the public school system because it's where most of the country is and where we are now. I've experienced struggling urban schools, which led me to explore a variety of private options, charters, home schooling and finally throwing in the towel and moving to one of the country's best school districts...all the time struggling with my politics, ethics, and budget. I must say I feel fortunate that my children are enjoying a school that is running (as far as the system is concerned) as it should, it's excellent resources attract some of the best teachers and the facilities provide a healthy stimulating environment. The problem is, with all that has been accomplished here, it is still part of a system that is broken and the there's a frighteningly steep drop-off from these schools at the top and the next in line.

Standardized testing

Even among the three children in our family I see extremely different strengths, talents, weaknesses, and learning styles. Please stop using the word "standardized" I am aware that the standardized test is supposed to provide accountability and that the education system has become increasingly tied to standardized testing to make decisions about public funding, but the sad truth is, the tests usually just provide the paper work for the decisions that were going to be made anyway. In the process of preparing for these tests schools institute a "teaching to the test" approach to learning, narrowing the curriculum and embracing a multiple choice format.

Do these test help the individual student achieve their goals? How could they! Their purpose is to point out vague deficits, not uncover talent and intelligence. The results of these tests can lead to children being put in remedial programs and being held back. Holding a child back a grade is an easy way to have that individual child's test results appear relatively higher contributing to higher percentages for the school (just one of the ways schools game the system) but that child will be permanently, academically and emotionally injured. What about the child who is advanced in some area and has difficulties in others? The atmosphere these tests create does not support the flexibility needed to address the individual. How often is brilliance ignored? How often is the self esteem of a child diminished as they embark on the path of learning?


Without delving into the details of testing any further, I will simply say that we need to do the work of evaluating our schools, staff and students with compassionate, open eyes. The test will not make up for our short comings. This is McEducation, and if we want our system to advance we need to look at examples in other countries where the multiple choice standardized test is not considered an effective tool - these countries look at the overall performance and behaviour of the student and include essay questions that test the next level of thought. And please don't think that if your child's specific make up allows them to be proficient at these tests that their potential is not being effected - they are missing out on a more dynamic education by learning in an environment that structures itself around them.

Charter Schools

The new movie, Waiting for Superman has received a lot of press, I've watched the trailer and listened to the review on NPR, I haven't seen the film yet, but here's what sticks out to me - the emphasis on charter schools, including the dramatic final scene where the children wait to hear if their number is called. Charter schools receive public money, but are not subject to all of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools. Charter schools are often the only alternative for people who are dissatisfied with their public school. They are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition, but that doesn't mean everyone has access to them, they fill up fast (usually with the returning students) and then families that want to get in go on a list to be included in a lottery. That's how it's supposed to work, but in practice, hidden factors often get in the way of any true choice and there's no way around the fact that they take money from the neighborhood schools that in most cases are desperately in need of the funds.

The BC Teachers' Federation put it this way, "Charter schools don't encourage system reform and improved quality. The theory put forward by many charter school advocates is that the competition of charter schools will lead to reform and improvement to the mainstream of the public schools. In the U.S. and Alberta, most of the charter proposals have been for 'niche schools' that serve a particular special population. Charter schools end up serving special interests, rather than creating programs that develop alternatives that would be offered to most students. They divert money and attention from improving all schools to enhancing a few."

There's another movie that I have watched and highly recommend that touches on charter schools, Spike Lee's, If God is Willing And Da Creek Don't Rise If you believe charters are a brilliant option, watch this film to gain a new perspective. Right now 10% of the newly formed charters schools are run by what Wall Street calls,"Educational Maintenance Organizations" That kinda sends chills down my spine.

That being said, I know many families that are having great experiences at charter schools and I know that their ability to find schooling for their children allowed them to contribute to transitioning urban communities. I have even filled out the applications hoping I would have an option if all else failed - if they actually called my number I would have had to wrestle with the final ethical debate. My point here is not about what a family feels they need to do in the best interest of their children with the resources at hand, but to discuss some of the reasons our public education system is failing so many.

Housing Policy Is School Policy

Economic integration. Well, now at the end of my ramblings we're getting down to the nitty gritty. If you have the time, please read this Century Foundation's Report regarding Montgomery County Maryland's achievements within the public school system. Providing truly diverse learning environments by working on the problem of affordable housing has paid off. Aside from documented academic success, there are many other things that start to happen when a family doesn't have to struggle to keep a roof over their head - they can breath - they can take the time to observe their children and ask questions that nobody dares to ask when the goal is survival.

If housing policy is school policy, than the issues of minimum wage, distribution of wealth and health care certainly are as well. There's a whole web of factors effecting whether families can have an effect on the education system, but simply put, they need the dignity to claim their role as advocates. It's not going to happen when you're working like a slave. When your head rises above the water - that's when the evolution of the spirit takes place. This is why poverty is such a crime; it robs us of reflection and we fear to ask what could be.



"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better."
- Albert Camus

paper people

This piece was finished yesterday, but I missed the sun for photographing. It felt good to be reunited with the paper people; there are quite a few waiting to be made. I've written before about how I find them akin to the Mayan worry dolls; the Mayans believed that there are worry people. At bedtime you would whisper your worries to these very little dolls, and then, during the night the worry dolls would carry your worries away.

These paper people do their job through expressing the human experience, they display the simple pleasures that go unheralded and they are honest about the hardships that linger on the margins...the ones that are harder to articulate because they are so co-mingled with our love and hopes that we hesitate to name them.

I hope to get more time tonight to start a flock of birds, until then I have some real ones that need my attention in the back yard.

getting warmed up (it's been a while)

Well, it seems I'm finally returning to my regular work habits. Not so homesick now, just other-home-fond, and I'm finally getting to enjoy my new surroundings instead of fussing with setting up house, and nail biting observation of my children's transition. They are doing just fine and the level of annoyance with my hovering seems to be in direct proportion to birth order. So far we've been working on the farmette, enjoying the countryside and exploring one of my favorite cities. I like being in this place that escapes suburbia, but lets me be in the city easily when I want. I'm still getting used to seeing my kids running off through the field or hanging out with the pony, chickens and dogs for hours. There's so much for them to learn from this quiet observation and wordless communication.

I've been able to carve out a few days in the studio; I'm warming up with some small oil paintings inspired by my hikes on the mountain and I'm near completion on the first of the new paper people sculptures. Here are some images of the work in progress; I should be finished with this piece by tomorrow.

It feels good to be back in the swing of things. Check in to see how the balancing act continues...urban homesteading turns homesteading, new animals arrive, the family explores and I'm reunited with the studio!

Confucius say...

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated

Remember I was talking about serendipity? Well, I suppose serendipity has a funny way of showing up, it can't always be served up on a silver platter, we'd either be suspicious, or miss it all together. As we stood at the threshold of renewing a commitment, an opportunity blew in - at first I almost let it flutter past with the dust being stirred up by the first autumn breezes, but then I recognized it for what it was and grabbed it in the nick of time.

So, what was it? If you've been reading the blog you might have a guess - if you haven't you'll need to know that my husband and I have been wanting a change for our family for a while. We've made efforts to bring the elements we desire into our lives, but with one foot still in, the real change eludes us. Once we tied ourselves down and were missing out on the delightful perks of my husband's career in restaurants - flying to new cities, being put up in lovely hotels and eating amazing food, we had nothing to balance out the downside - long hours (hello my name is Rosemary and I'm a restaurant widow) and in the past couple years, the chilling effects of an unstable economy. Our commitment to stay in one place put us in the position of having the financial tides break waves on our back instead of riding ahead of them as we had in the past.

Little A on the day the movers came to the Chicago flat.

My kids loved the adventure of the traveling days, they felt stable through any transition because we made the choice that I would be home with them. With our home set up within 24 hours of arriving, the pets in tow and home cooked meals it always felt like home - a vacation and home all wrapped into one. I'm not sure if we chose where we live now as much as it happened to be where we were when we decided we should stop. Many people and places made me love it here, but was it the right fit? For some reason I kept asking. My husband worked more so that we could supplement our children's lives with the things we felt they were missing because of our location, but honestly the biggest thing they were missing was their Dad. The effort to make the situation better fed the need to be tied to the situation -- you know, the old vicious cycle - when you don't have a safety net you can't find a way out.

A few months ago a man who lives in one of the neighboring homes around Washington Square started coming into Big A's restaurant one night a week; he would eat dinner and watched the game. They had snippets of casual conversation and he would scratch notes on a little pad of paper as they talked. After a week or so he asked Big A if he could have any situation for his family, what would it be? He shared that other than knowing he could do his job well, the only thing that he felt a connection to was the food its self - he wanted to be closer to the source - that was the part of it that he loved. He told him about our dream to live in the country again and for our family to have more time together. It turns out the man has a background in financial planning and has married it with a Ph.D. in psychology to become a professional career counselor; right now he gets paid quite nicely to guide individuals through graduate school. During their last conversation he said, "Be careful of becoming a slave to a new situation that only partially solves the problem." and "Don't add additional steps to the path that don't need to be there - what makes you think that if you are both committed to your dream that it can't be your next choice?"

Our backyard the last time we made our home in the country

Well, when I heard this we both had a good laugh! I could give a few good reasons without hesitation. Funny thing is, a couple weeks later we were offered 10 acres in the country (goats and pony welcome!) a job in a new career within commuting distance for Big A and a building to convert into a studio for me. Here's the deal - no daisy petal path, just a swift decision, commitment to change, and a whole lot of getyourassingear.

I'll be off line during a short transition, but stay tuned to follow our migration to the mountain. It will be The Simple Life, The Swiss Family Robinson, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and I love Lucy (after they moved to Connecticut)all rolled into one.

the pass around journal - dreams

Here's the next peek into the pass around journal. The journal is a children's project where one page is completed and a prompt is left for the next participant to work with. It has been making its way around the city and I'm trying to catch up.



I was waiting for this one - illustrate the dream you had last night. What a fun prompt!


Maybe the adult version that was suggested could be a traveling dream journal - illustrated snippets of a collective unconscious???


"It is on the whole probably that we continually dream, but that consciousness makes such a noise that we do not hear it."
- Carl Gustav Jung

money - the passport of the intellect?

"There are two things: a search for a road and a search for freedom. It's so very hard to get freedom. You know all those things in life keep crawling over you all the time, so it's very hard to feel free." - Alice Neel

What is the path to freedom?

First a definition - I like how Albert Camus summed it up, "Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better."

I'll say "being better" is increasing health, creativity and peace. None of those things can be bought, but it's painfully obvious when lack of funds stands in their way.

If you look around right now you might start to believe the path to freedom is paved with yoga retreats, sabbaticals and hobby farms, but what if you need to find peace and nurture creativity right in the midst of it all? What if your second work day starts at 10:00 PM? What if you need to provide nutritious meals for your family without increasing the budget? This perspective is missing from most of the books and articles regarding adventurous self discovery and improved health. Going green, mainstream appreciation of eastern philosophy and foodie mania have done a lot to make people aware of alternatives, but their attachment to marketing produces the same patterns of polarization we already see in our class system....I would venture to say that in some ways they have made them worse.

This divide is illustrated in many ways; sometimes it shows up as anti-intellectualism, but I think some of what we're calling anti-intellectualism is simply exhaustion and well founded loss of hope (both of which breed fear and anger). After a lifetime of working for slave wages would you encourage your child to pursue a degree in fine arts? Would you have time to read after needing to work 80 hrs a week to make rent? I know you would hesitate to take a chance when there's no safety net.

I'm interested in people who have their feet in both worlds. the ones that found freedom despite the odds. There are many voices that have been ghettoized, they're occasionally given a platform, but it's not much more than a side show. We'll know we're collectively on the path to freedom when we hear these voices, not just on patronizing cultural appreciation days, but at a level of acknowledgement educated white males have enjoyed for centuries.

So how do we accomplish this? I believe this evolution begins with a living wage. The dignity of receiving a decent exchange for ones work will be the first step to reducing the stress that cripples the mind and body. This breathing room will allow for the time and funds needed to nurture health and creativity; it will change family structures and education opportunities. Only when we understand how these inequities have shackled us will we begin to live in the land of the free.

I recently enjoyed reading this post at cheapbohemian on the subject of creativity and money. I encourage you to take a look... you might find yourself saying, "Virginia Woolf is my homegirl"

"All things are ready if our minds be so"

"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves." Carl Jung

Serendipity - fortuitous coincidence

Shakespeare speaks about serendipity in act 4 of Henry V "All things are ready if our minds be so"

Many scientific discoveries have been serendipity in action - Albert Hofmann and Louis Pasteur knew this to be true. I mention Scientific serendipity because understanding how it works in these cases will show you how prepared minds can make discoveries about themselves and the world around them - seemingly by chance - without any esoteric or mystical inclination. If a humming bird can find its way alone from British Columbia to Mexico, certainly we humans have been endowed with some instincts as well. How to prepare the mind to use them - that's the key.

The concept of synchronicity is now being integrated into once fixed and linear fields such as career counseling. It's become apparent we can't make the important decisions in our life without acknowledging all the levels we operate on, so whether you call it an intervention of grace, Jung's acausal connecting principle, or mother's intuition, imagining you "see the signs" isn't just a flight of fancy.

Be still

don't grasp

watch what happens

the pass around journal

It's so busy here this time of year! We're slowly adjusting to a school schedule and trying to get the most out of the last weeks of summer. I know the participants of the pass around journal want a peek at the completion of their prompts, so I'll make an attempt to catch you up over the next few days.

The pass around journal started out with an invitation and a prompt. Each child would receive the journal with a prompt created by the child before them. They would complete it on a page of the journal and then create a prompt of their own to pass along. The pass around journal acted as a summer activity, but it was also sent around to strengthen the love of journaling. A personal journal can be our spark when we need inspiration and help us learn to be still and listen to ourselves - clearing away the clutter and noise. A group journal adds the element of passing notes, sharing windows into our lives and discovering what we share, and where we differ.

So far the ages have ranged from six to nine for this project. I imagine writing could become a more significant component with teens or adults...that would be fun!

Here's one of the recent exchanges:

You can see more here, here,and here.

"Art makes work; work makes art" (done being on hold)

Lakshmi represents the beautiful and bountiful aspect of nature.

We've been experiencing a pause button moment around here (actually it's been a couple weeks) It's just one of those times when things need to be evaluated, a healthy thing to do, but lack of forward movement can make me feel a little lost. I try to still my mind and stay in the moment - Om shrim mahalakshmyai namah - what an exercise with three young children asking me, "What next, what next!"

The pause has also effected my work; for a while I felt like I couldn't start anything. This went on until a couple of days ago when I realized I was missing my almost daily walks in the Wissahickon. I pulled out a canvas and told everyone I needed fifteen minutes. I put in the basic composition - notes to myself about what it was that struck me at that moment. Later I realized that the painting was of the light in the woods at spring time, a time when I was not asking the questions I am now.

What a refuge the forest is! A symphony of change, movement, and growth contained by the promise of its seasons. I'll hike to the spot again tomorrow before I add the finishing touches.


When I was washing my brushes today I realized I was done being on hold.

guest blogging at cheap bohemian

This is a perfect inspiration image for my personal decorating style....simple, beautiful use of color, and great use of vintage finds. I found it in an article by Sarah Coffey for, Apartment Therapy - Chicago

My guest spot at cheapbohemian - from poetry to advice on saving, "better living through thoughtful penury" is the goal. I will talk about homekeeping and the Japanese aesthetic ideal, Iki.

अनित्य

I'm going to be away for a couple days and will fill you in when we return. We're headed out for a memory lane tour peppered with some new adventure.

You see, there's an ongoing debate in my head right now; a debate between the philosophies:

Bloom where you're planted.

VS

The only thing constant is change itself which has many variant translations I'm sure you're familiar with, for instance:

Nothing endures but change - Heraclitus

The Buddhist doctrine of impermanence - Annica or Anitya

I've been challenging myself for a few years to still my desire for change and movement (I've always said I have a bit of gypsy in me and I'm sometimes overcome with the desire for adventure) I've been given the hard sell on eliminating transition and I can honestly say staying put has brought with it some treasured experiences, deep connections and a house I enjoy working on...but let's face it, nothing quit changing even when we were sitting still. The trouble is, deciding whether a situation is legitimately more difficult to manage than it needs to be, or whether frustration has gotten the better of me.

Well, I could ramble, but you see the problem - two conflicting philosophies and one person who has stayed still long enough to doubt her instincts. I'm hoping a face to face with the past coupled with some new surroundings might bring it all into focus. It's easy to romanticize things when you're looking at them through the veil of distance.

miso - it's what's for dinner

I love soup and will happily eat it all year round. Tonight I'm making miso soup; it's light and may not be a meal on its own soup, but it is a healthy accompaniment. Once you get the basic ratio down you can tweak it to your liking.

Miso is a fermented paste of soybeans, brown rice, or barley. It's tangy and salty and great for dressings and marinades - keep a container in the fridge (it lasts a while) and you can experiment.

For a basic soup:

• boil 4 cups of water
• add wakame, or arame (dehydrated seaweed) to the water. Let simmer for 10-20 minutes.
• add a third of a cup miso, but don't let it boil. A trick I learned is illustrated above - take a sieve and drop it in the water then push the miso paste through it with a wooden spoon. This helps it dissolve faster; you don't want to overcook any of the ingredients and loose valuable nutrients
• drop in cubed tofu and cook until it reaches the soup temperature
• add a dash of toasted sesame oil and/or soy sauce to taste
• throw some sliced green onion on top
• This is the base; you can add whatever veggies you like.

I'm hoping this soup will give me the energy to push on after tuck-in time. A client picked up a commission today and I have a little time before my next two are due, so tonight I can get into the studio and experiment a little. I went to the art supply store today and came home with canvas and some fresh new paints -- here's hoping my energy will hold out!

pass around journal update

I didn't post about the journal on Monday; the journal was wandering (as pass around journals are want to do) but it's making a stop here tonight, so I thought I'd open it up and give you a peek at what's going on inside. Readers have expressed an interest in an adult version of the pass around journal, I think we'll get it started in the fall. I'm very excited to see where we could take it.

Concerning the blog in general, I think I should label a few days of the week to add a little organization to the subcategories. This will also help guide me when I'm having a jam packed day and feel at a loss for words.

• Tuesday - journal check in
• Wednesday - update on my studio project
• Thursday - garden update
• Friday - homekeeping project
• Saturday - vegetarian recipes