Where We Are

Lately

Spring is nearing...our first-year tulips tell me it is so! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these beauties today. Somehow they just seem so magical. All gardening and growth seems magical to me, I guess.

I realize I haven't been posting very much lately. I haven't been using my camera as much (partially because I feel that I still have so much to learn, partially because my lens was dirty and I was getting spots in all my photos, and partially because it has been so gorgeous outside that I have just wanted to be and enjoy it), and we haven't been doing anything particularly noteworthy. Our days have been filled with marker drawings, cutting paper and taping, building with legos, knitting, cleaning, packing bags and bags to take to Goodwill, playing in the mud, blowing bubbles and watching the chickens. Oh, and daydreaming!

On the upper right side of this photo, you can see the cloudy spot that I was referring to. I had to include it anyway, because Esme' and her friend were having such fun!

Everything feels lighter right now. I am a rare kind of person who actually enjoys cleaning my home, and in the spring I enjoy it even more. I love the natural scents of the homemade cleaners I make (as of now, I am making my own all-purpose spray and mopping cleanser... any other recipes would be appreciated), I love getting rid of things that feel weighty or unnecessary, I love the serenity that comes with having most things in their place, and I love the sense of creativity that arises out of that serenity.

Here is the playroom after a clean-up. Don't get me wrong; I am no stranger to extreme messes. Nor do I get angry about them. I have a little boy who dumps chocolate milk on the bed and empties jars of jam on the countertop. I do have to take a big breath during moments like this, but I know that messes are a child's work. I like for my children to get messy and to fully explore their surroundings. I just also like to have it cleaned up afterwards; to be able to start fresh every day (no, not every room in the house is clean every day!!!).

Playing with toys that held new interest after a clean-up.

This is getting lengthy, and although I did have more to share I will just leave you with one of my favorite images with a quote by Rumi. I framed this many years ago and it still inspires me every single day.

 

Introduction

Welcome to Where We Are. The name of my blog was inspired by the following quote:

"All I need to do is start where I am and move in a direction I want to go. The path will unfold as I step forward."

I wrote this down several years ago, but didn't jot down the author's name. I just wanted to have the quote around me. If you know who wrote this, please let me know so that I can give credit (and perhaps read more by the same author!).

I visit several blogs on a daily basis- mainly blogs having to do with parenting and children- and recently I began to feel the pull to start one myself. The main draw of a blog for me is to stay connected, in a more dynamic way than email, with my family and friends who live far away. I also want to be a part of the growing community of parents who are sharing their wonderful ideas on how to enrich the lives of their children (and themselves), while at the same time creating a lovely photographic journal to show to my children over the years.

I don't have a clear vision of what I want this blog to be. In the spirit of the quotation above, I will just take a step forward and see where it leads. I will be sharing photographs, stories about life with chickens, quotations that I find inspiring, my bento creations, my knitting projects, art & craft ideas, and more. I look forward to meeting you along the way.

Dawn

Welcome to Where We Are. The name of my blog was inspired by the following quote:

"All I need to do is start where I am and move in a direction I want to go. The path will unfold as I step forward."

I wrote this down several years ago, but didn't jot down the author's name. I just wanted to have the quote around me. If you know who wrote this, please let me know so that I can give credit (and perhaps read more by the same author!).

I visit several blogs on a daily basis- mainly blogs having to do with parenting and children- and recently I began to feel the pull to start one myself. The main draw of a blog for me is to stay connected, in a more dynamic way than email, with my family and friends who live far away. I also want to be a part of the growing community of parents who are sharing their wonderful ideas on how to enrich the lives of their children (and themselves), while at the same time creating a lovely photographic journal to show to my children over the years.

I don't have a clear vision of what I want this blog to be. In the spirit of the quotation above, I will just take a step forward and see where it leads. I will be sharing photographs, stories about life with chickens, quotations that I find inspiring, my bento creations, my knitting projects, art & craft ideas, and more. I look forward to meeting you along the way.

Dawn