big picture dreamin'

hey there!

so around here we've been doing some big time dreaming... thinking about our future and what that looks like. doing all our dreaming and then committing to some good ol' fashion work has always been the way that my guy and i go about things. the dreaming stage is a current fave. it is easy to do when a fresh start to a new month is only days away {spring too!} and we have our little boy in the house that gives us so much material to dream about.

how do you go about moving your dreams to real life achievements? 

i'm thinking and planning out a general weekly rhythm to dedicate times for some of the current ambitions we have {i.e. my husband's consulting work, yoga classes i'd like to attend and family hikes are already on the calendar}... maybe things will fall into place if our routine supports our big dreams.


i'm also loving some elise joy podcasts - she always pumps me up to get a goal in motion and i found this read from code of living super inspiring.

here's to a happy + productive week!

grateful for keeping house...

i've recently felt really grateful for our home and the bit of rhythm i have found in trying to keep up with it..

+ i've learned that a quick sweep in our main spaces keeps clean floors for a lot longer in the rest of the house {less tracking of pet hair and dirt from being outside}

+ having an empty dishwasher to start the day really is super helpful when trying to keep the dirty dishes from stacking up

+ and fully completing a load of laundry {yes, start to finish - like put away the clothes "finish"} saves me from having several clean baskets just waiting around the house

how about you? any good home tips that seem to just work lately?

need some inspiration? try one of these links:

A good and quick read: 

10 Ways I Keep My House Neat with The Happiest Home

A quick/simple cleaning schedule we are considering for our postpartum period: 

How to Clean Your House in 20 Minutes a Day for 30 Days with Apartment Therapy

Game. Changer. Just leave spaces like you weren't there: 

Leave No Trace with Zen Habits

real food + whole15 inspiration {january 2016 edition}

hi there!

i am using today to start a 'whole15'. just a little reset to relieve some of the bloat and get my sugar cravings back under control. having the holidays and several family birthdays (including my own last week) always make about eight weeks a terribly difficult time for me to make good food choices. i hope i can be a little smarter next go-round. being a year older an' all...

so in honor of my reset i've pulled together a few links/ideas of what/who has been inspiring my prep-thoughts for my whole 15. (which maybe it will turn into a whole30 i don't know, but last time i set out for a whole30 i found 15 days was great and i was able to move forward with many good food plans for quite a while after that... so we are starting here with 15 days)

dollyessfit {i follow her on instagram}

Dolly is super positive and i love her quick work out videos. she also shares many recipes where you can use leftovers or with just a few tweaks the same ingredients will be a different lunch than the day before.

my chickens
these ladies are still laying eggs on the sunny days. full force! so on yesterday's blustery sunday (no eggs or only one when it is cold and too gray - we are not putting in a lamp this year to increase winter egg production) i made two dozen hard boiled eggs for snacks and lunch salad toppings. thanks ladies!!

epicureannie {i follow her on instagram}
Annabelle is working for way more than just a whole30 (i believe she is going for a whole60). her health gains on her overall journey are amazing. i love seeing her food photos - especially the simple snacks/quick lunches, which make me not feel so bad when i am just really needing a coffee and a larabar to get the kids to the end of the school day. (we are all human, right?) she also is such a positive reminder of thinking ahead with again, the quick fixes that you can take along with you when you know it is going to be difficult to stay compliant when out with friends or around town.

of course i still use whole30.com and i follow whole30 on instagram and that is always super helpful + motivating. day one can be exciting so here's to hoping i don't crash out on day two!

happy monday!

.:thankful:.

each day i think of five things i am thankful for prior to getting out of my bed.

it is a good practice for me to remember how much i have. what i need to keep close to my heart and to be present in all the great aspects of my life.

similar ideas come to mind each week. which makes me believe that i am pretty lucky to have... a solid relationship with my husband, a wonderful roof over my head, a loving family, close friends that i consider family, good {and still improving} health, a job i enjoy...

i am very thankful each and every day.

i hope you find time to count a few of your most precious + loved joys over the next few days.

.:take a breath:.

this morning i need a moment.

a moment to just take a breath.

i thought maybe someone else did too.

so this is your reminder to take a few deep breaths and be present. right now. 

welcome to the new week. 

i'm going to keep breathing deeply with my eyes closed and then live my day with my eyes wide open. 

 i hope you enjoy the same.

around these parts {+ on my bookshelf}

well, i've got a few books to recommend today...

i recently read...

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman and really enjoyed it. there were several chapters that had me teary-eyed and two afternoons where i couldn't put the book down.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and man i got sucked in! just after a few chapters i was hooked into the story and wanting to learn more about the characters.

i've been requesting books from a few "books you just can't put down" lists {like this one from buzzfeed + this one from Modern Mrs. Darcy} and other titles at the library that just look entertaining or inspiring. where do you find titles that you plan to read?

around these parts {+ on my bookshelf}

hey there bookworms!

i've been reading like a maniac this summer. i just love having time to get into books that i enjoy that i don't necessarily plan on sharing with the kids at school.

::most recently i read::

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn


during a few recent short road trips i had a great time listening to Paper Towns by John Green and The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. i really enjoy listening to books on cd or by virtually checking out audiobooks thru my local library {+ listening on my phone}. it has been a fun way to get in a few extra stories this summer while i can, drive, declutter or clean. i will keep up listening to audiobooks as i move into preparing for the start of the new school year.


any great books to recommend?

my canning favorites

i love good local food - especially when it looks pretty in a jar. and even more so when i know that i put forth the love and effort to place the tasty produce in the jar myself. i have a list of canning-mainstays for sure. i also like experimenting with something new each year. i wanted to share some of my favorites {linked to their original source} incase you are trying to decide what to can this year!

what i put-up each year...

ketchup - I love making traditional tomato ketchup so that I can control the amount of sugar in this much used condiment. Also, every other year I make roasted red pepper ketchup which was featured in the book Put 'em Up. I like to keep it as a "treat" in the ketchup department.

jam - i make atleast two types of berry jam each year {usually strawberry, cherry, blackberry or triple berry} and then either peach jam or apple butter too.

salsa - we love a good homemade salsa! to the point where once we are out of salsa in the pantry we resist buying salsa from the store as long as possible. this year i'm hoping to make more salsa than i have in the past just to avoid this situation. our favorites will always be: corn salsa + chunky salsa

tomatoes - i also can tomatoes to add to soups, chili, etc. in the winter. my family has a great tomato sauce recipe that we sometimes jar up together as well. this year i am going to use up my excess tomatoes by trying this quick + easy tomato sauce plan with a crockpot.


what i often experiment with...

various sides
i like to try to use up squash or save beautiful carrots by making interesting sides or snacks. i do love snacking on pretty much any dill vegetable.

jams or butters
i like to try at least one unique jam or fruit butter each year. i often make several jars and save them as gifts. a few of my favorites i've tried in the past:

honey sweeten peach vanilla jam

cranberry apple butter

mango jam 

{mango jam was not a locally sourced treat - but mangoes were a great price at the grocery that day!}

how about you? any adventurous canning you've tried this year? or did you just stick to your absolute favorites?

*click over to the Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop to see my post in the link-up, as well as many posts about homesteading, homemaking, and more...

*update: this post was selected as a "featured post" for the blog hop with Nancy on the Home Front! Thanks Nancy for featuring my canning favorites!

sew lovely::a few significant stitches

i had gotten into a bit of a sewing rut. where many other things always seemed more important of a task and i just didn't get out my machine.

plenty of little project ideas, and even all the materials to do them.

but yesterday. that was the day. the day to put a few stitches on the studio curtains. 

short. simple. needed.

needed for me. and for those windows.

how about you? any good stitches lately? 

around these parts {+ on my bookshelf}

happiest Wednesday to you!

i've been getting into several books this summer season!

which makes me oh so happy. 

::most recently i read::

Still Alice by Lisa Genova...

i really enjoyed this book and read it in like a day and a half. highly i recommend it. but i did get fairly emotional during reading.


The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

i also enjoyed this book. it was a longer read and i enjoyed getting lost in a few chapters - reading for an hour or two at a time. i don't often put this much time forth in reading, but since it is summer break i thought i deserved a little quiet afternoon reading in our sunny chair.

okay, now, let's go grab a book + read...

i have The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright patiently waiting to be picked up!

Keeping Up with the Throwing Out of Clutter

Simplifying my life has been something I've been working on for a few years. I'm feeling more in control of my clutter and craziness every month. And actually completing a few larger efforts has really put me in the driver's seat.

However, some days it still feels unsurmountable. I feel as if I will always be participating in some major overhaul of freeing stuff. I really want to get to a place where things are manageable. Where everything has a place in our home.


What I'm trying:

asking the question - 'Does it bring me joy?': I find that often I have useful things that just are no longer needed now that I'm no longer interested in something or that I have doubles of tools. This makes it easy and I can simply select the one that I will keep. More of one thing doesn't make me happier. Being surrounded by useful, beautiful and important items brings me happiness.

decluttering 'by category' - which may not always link up to 'by room': If I'm working on something and I have everything that I need I try to assess what is extra and cut from there. Or if I'm putting away laundry and I have a stack of t-shirts then I can see how abundant this one specific category is... it is pretty easy to admit that I don't need thirty t-shirts to wear around the house.


Things that are working right now:

cherishing the progress: I've recently noticed how happy I feel in specific rooms ... they are so livable and open. These are rooms that we've done a major overhaul together - my husband and I - where we both had some say in what went and what stayed. Rooms that we set the way we wanted to and only allowed back the items that we truly loved and valued.

continuing the process: Each day I keep my eye out to grab things that I just plain don't need/want for example when I try on something to wear that I thought I truly loved and realize it doesn't wear nicely anymore I place it in my donate bag right away.

Now that it is summer break I've started a second minimalist game. This time I'm just cutting clutter from my life, work included, not just in our home. I think it will allow me to breathe a little more easily when it is time to return back to school in the fall. So far I'm really enjoying it! How about you, any plans to cut the extras? What is working for you?

30 Days of Declutter {Completed}

I am so thankful to write this post! We've survived {triumphantly} our month of the minimalist game. Yes 30 days of declutter. And declutter we did. 

Both myself and my husband decided to take on this challenge. Over 30 days we removed 960 unneeded items from our home. Wow. And it feels great! 

We are really noticing a difference in our house. Especially certain - mostly often used - spaces. We found it easy to identify items to remove from those common places. There is still more work, organizing and letting go to do but much has also been accomplished. We plan to take a little break while we are working on a studio space for me. But we will revisit the idea of maybe returning to the declutter challenge or something that might work for a more daily/weekly routine.

A few things that worked for us during our 30 day overhaul:

Leaving out a container for donations

Having a "catch all" bag or box in a central location was very helpful to aide in quick decisions. If I noticed something during daily life it made it so simple to quickly say goodbye and place it in the box. {We kept a running list to tally up our number to make sure we were on top of the challenge amount each day. We kept that in an obvious space as well.}

Virtual yard sale

My husband belongs to a local virtual yard sale group which allowed us to make a few bucks on some items that I had a hard time letting go. Nice, working items that we just didn't need. {I wanted to know that it was going to be used. Since I had hopes of using those things.} It wasn't a ton of money but it was a nice perk to grow our savings while slimming down our clutter.

Quick drop offs to Good Will

We did a quick trip to our local Good Will Donation Center twice or so a week in order to not have any second thoughts and to keep our pile of goods to a manageable amount. 

Setting a time to bulk declutter 

Two times during our month we got behind {typically during the work week} on our tally. When this happened we decided to dedicate some time on the weekend to get rid of many, many items {one day we completed the goal of finding 100 items to leave our home}.

Short bursts of declutter

Of course, there is the flip side - such as doing a quick walk through the house - finding ten items and then moving on for the day. 

Asking the hard questions

+Would I buy this again? (As inspired by this Pure Green Magazine Podcast)

+Can I find a replacement for this?

+Do I have time to fix this right now?

+Do I love and use this regularly?

+How many copies of this do I need?

It was amazing how as the month grew I would find myself picking up things thinking 'this is not worth the clutter it makes in our home' or 'I would rather be one item closer to my goal than keep this'. It was invigorating!

So, how about you? Any tips for declutter and managing the madness that we may unnecessarily keep in our homes?

Homegrown: Garden Dreaming

It may come as no surprise. But I've been doing a bit of garden dreaming these past few days. Making 'Garden Resolutions' and considering a schedule for this year. Last year I had a poor garden display. Partly my {lack of} doing, partly lack of sun, partly who knows...

In 2015, I'm moving on and hoping for a better year. I'm claiming a fresh start and making a few Garden Resolutions {as inspired by this post}

2015 Garden Resolutions

::grow fewer types of produce and more of what we actually eat {such as}::

• tomatoes
• peppers
• onions
• lettuce, spinach
• zucchini
• cucumbers
• potatoes
• sweet potatoes
• carrots
• garlic
• herbs: basil, thyme, bay, cilantro, rosemary, sage

::spend time on our food or garden everyday {cooking, prepping, menu planning, gardening, etc.}::

::grow flowers::

::make plans for chickens {and possibly carry out those plans - I've been just dying for a few layers}::

::plant a fruit tree::

::find ways that work for us to preserve some of our mushroom harvest::

I'm using January to read some gardening books, lay out my garden plan, and consider the year's schedule + flow. How about you, up to some garden dreaming? I'd love to hear about it. Just comment below!

Sew Lovely::Infinity Scarf

This year we've begun placing weekly "maker time" on our family calendar. It is awesome and allows us to get to a few projects that both my husband and I've been trying to get to. You know, the projects that are continually deemed not-really-important. {Isn't it funny how we can find it difficult to make time for doing what we love? That is something I'm working on this year...}

Anyway, one of my projects this month has been a simple infinity scarf. There are tons of tutorials on the internet, I'm sure you've pinned a few yourself... I just looked at a few DIY blog posts, dusted off the ol' sewing machine and went with it. 

Some of my favorite tutorials:

Infinity Scarf - Tutorial with H is for Handmade

How to Sew An Infinity Scarf 30 Minute Project with SewCreative

DIY infinity scarf tutorial with I Heart Nap Time


Let's hear it for stripes, time management, and just making!

Hope your Monday is lovely!

Local Love: Hen Pen Paper Co {Columbus, Ohio}

Oh dear friends! I have to tell you. I'm a bit giddy. 

About these darling winter-love greeting cards I've found. 

See it started with not finishing my winter holiday cards... and realizing that I didn't want to lose sleep or happiness level when it came time for this year's holiday celebrations. So I decided it was okay. 

It was okay to just stop. I would stop where I was and send a different winter wishes card to my friends and family who had not received a card from me yet. I would write them a card that didn't connect with any specific December holiday. I surely was not able to meet that deadline. 

I hoped for a greeting card that could share a little winter wish or pass for a simple valentine. You know, incase I could not finish writing all my notes prior to mid-February {procrastination meets practical, if you will}.

And Hen Pen Paper Co. provided just that! I love these sweet cards and wanted to share my excitement with all of you. 

These beautiful {blank inside} cards are assembled in Columbus, Ohio and printed in the great U.S. of A.! They are four and a half inches by six and a half inches and are printed on 100% recycled white cardstock {80 lb for you cardstock lovers out there}. Included in the purchase, of course - recycled kraft paper envelopes. 

My experience was great with Hen Pen Paper Co. and look forward to checking them out for other stationary needs. Because, truth be told - I'm a sucker for sweet, paper + local!

::Please note that this post is entirely of my thoughts. I did not receive any gifts or any prompting to promote this specific product or brand. This blog series is to celebrate the great products that are made in my home state of Ohio. The photos on this post are mine. ::

Living an Intentionally Local Lifestyle

Hello Friends! Have you been over to the actual blog to see all the changes around here? {If not, please click away:: here} You probably can tell that I've been thinking, reorganizing and giving even more thought to what my current direction of this little space is.... I realized that I wanted to give more attention to my intentional lifestyle and some of the daily work that I'm doing for myself, my home, and my family.

For years we've been simplifying. For years we've been focusing on "local" - local food, local goods, local entertainment -heck, even local brews! Some of these thoughts, trials, and triumphs have been what inspired me to start blogging! So I want to bring some focus to these thoughts once more.

This year I have a huge hope and goal to make even more local choices than I have in the past. I'm thinking about what is in our lives daily and there are still so many things that I can make myself that I'm not as of yet. Or different needs that can be met from a source that is more local to my home. {Of course there isn't something "more local" than what you create, grow, or supply yourself or on your own land - but that might be for a different post}.

If desiring to live a more local lifestyle one should make choices and use resources based on what is available locally.  It can be entirely manageable - just start small and see what is comfortable to you. Every little bit can be something positive! Think about a little something you can do today. What could you make yourself {laundry soap, ketchup or jam}? Or what is something you don't need that you know comes from somewhere far off + away? 

I'm excited to consider these topics here on the blog and get into sharing a few tips and ideas of living a more local lifestyle! 

30 Days of Declutter

A little over two weeks ago my husband and I decided to play a 'minimalist game'. We are each donating {giving away or selling} items that we no longer need, use, or find productive to our life and home.

As per the directions, the amount of things we must free from our home each day is dictated by the number of day into this adventure- one item {board game} on the first day, two items {coffee cups} on the second day... and so on. Each day there are just a handful of non-useful things gone from your home. But by the end of the thirty days it will be pretty liberating!

It is amazing how it seems so tangible to find just ten or twelve things to part with.  Maybe I'll be a seasoned pro by day thirty and finding those items will seem like no big deal at all. 

Considering a more simple home + life as part of your fresh 2015? {click here for some tips from yours truly}

*Quick idea: Recycle last year's calendar - there is one easy item to get you started today!

My 15 in 2015

I have been making lists and goals and drafting plans as long as I can remember {see my lists of goals from 2012, 2013, 2014}. I love to check off a task + to plan all the ways I could spend my time, money, energy and other resources. I love to consider options.

This year I'm going to harvest my energy and stick with some plans. Take some real actions. I have decided to continue my goals + habit plans for 2015. I love having open ended goals because it gives me the flexibility to really strive for whatever I deem most important or appropriate to me. 

I write the following 15 goals for 2015 in order to work on passions and spend my time in meaningful ways. I know that my efforts may not always have perfectly posed end results. 

I will live 2015 with the word "do" in mind. 

I will start. I will take action. I will plan and find a way to begin and then take the following steps. 

I will ask myself "what can I do to support my happy + healthy life?"... 

My 15 in 2015

1. Simplify. 

2. Read.

3. Experience.

4. Taste.

5. Create.

6. Rest.

7. Search.

8. Learn.

9. Photograph.

10. Enjoy.

11. Express.

12. Save.

13. Appreciate.

14. Make.

15. Do.

Goodbye 2014 + Hello 2015

We are wrapping up 2014. What a crazy year. 

Good things, busy things, happy time spent with family and friends. 

We had huge professional accomplishments and time where family members and friends really helped us move forward. And of course times where we really helped family and friends move forward.

Lots of effort in our home and making the most of now. Of life. Including investing and preparing for our future happiness.

I've noticed since this fall that my days have been full with making decisions and carrying out plans. I love to think things through and weigh each and every possible outcome - any and all options that are available. But for several months now I will push and say "okay, let's go". It feels right. And I believe that this is my season for putting in some work, investing energy to make my home and life be what I want. 

This has supported my selection of my word for 2015 - "do". The feeling I'm craving for 2015 is that I can make a plan and just start. Yes, to take action. What manageable steps can I take to continue shaping my days into continued success and happiness? What can I do to actually carry out the work I need to achieve goals that I have set? I will celebrate the planning and the first step as well as the completion {if and when I am able to do so}. 

Okay, 2015. I've thought things through. I am ready for you. {Oh and thanks for the fun, 2014!}

Wishing You A Happy + Healthy New Year!

My Goals + Ideas of Growth {From 2012, 2013, 2014}

Love to see my "work in progress"...


My 14 in 2014

First of all, I will live the year with the word "presence" in mind. 

I will also consider the following 14 habits or open-ended goals for the year.

1. Finish {something I've already started}.

2. Read.

3. Experience.

4. Taste.

5. Create.

6. Rest.

7. Travel.

8. Run.

9. Photograph.

10. Enjoy.

11. Write.

12. Save.

13. Appreciate.

14. Start {something new}.

Did you know that I've almost finished my 13 goals of 2013? {I plan to continue my work on this list into the new year}

My 13 in 2013

1. Read 2 books each month {I'm a bit of a book worm these days}

2. Create and follow a financial plan {eliminating debt sounds like a great plan for our future}

3. Continue de-cluttering of our home {I will kick box madness out of our office and garage}

4. Run, bike, hike or hit the gym four days a week

5. Share 10 tips, recipes, or ideas that consider or assist with my lifestyle choice of cutting out processed & non local foods on the blog {this has been a long quest -and I'm still not quite there}

• Real Food Budgeting Ideas
• Juicing
• Kale Loaded Pasta Salad
• Spicy Chicken Sausage & Kale Soup
• Tips for Freezer Meals
• 2013 Garden Reflection
• Popcorn Recipes
• For the Love of Canning
• Packing Real Food for Lunch
• Whole 30 Journey: Half Way + 30 Days Complete + Reintroductions

6. Take the time to travel to a "someday" place or go on a "someday" trip

7. Write {write more, write often and not just on the blog}

8. Garden {goodness knows that our compost pile is ready - 'grow big & grow at home'}

9. Create a desirable working space in our study

10. Run a registered 5k and continue the family 5k tradition.

11. Share about my choices and plans concerning "simple living" {share 5 tips or ideas indicating intentionality of this lifestyle choice on the blog}

12. Complete a photography challenge

13. Be mindful and creative with support given to friends and family {no matter how far apart we live}

Did you know I achieved 12 personal goals during 2012? Click on links below to read more. 

My 12 in 2012

1. Explore my cooking creativity and post about 10 personal recipes on my blog this year
2. Run, hike, bike or hit the gym four days a week

3. Sew an article of clothing that I or someone else will actually wear

4. Make 12 different loaves of bread

5. Paint and decorate our bedroom
6. Register and run a 5K
7. Go on a brew-cation
8. Start and care for a container garden (hopefully not known as a "contained deer buffet")
9. Read and finish one book each month (is it bad that I'm in the middle of 5 books right now? I'm having trouble with reading one at a time)
10. Organize my box madness (this might be my husband's favorite as we have sacrificed a clean "music room" until my boxes are sorted)
11. Draft plans and a working schedule for our "backyard heaven"
12. Host a party at our home