GardenMama

.: Embracing Life :.

.: Noticing my oldest son playing marbles while a very interested kitten looks on :.

As mothers we do not receive a standard handbook that tells us exactly what to do or not do. Rather we live alongside our little ones while our homes and our family organically becomes a reflection of who we are together.  

.: A moment later the kitten strikes and marbles roll over the wooden floor :.

There may be moments in our younger years that stand out to us. They may even serve as markers in our own lives with our own children today.

.: Noticing beauty in the ordinary, extraordinary part of the day :.

I can remember specific feelings of the warmth of home as a younger girl while babysitting-- a home filled with little treasures from nature and the harvest of the gardens sitting on the counters still flecked with soil. It had that beautiful mix of a lived in home - evidence of children and of life that reflected so much love.

.: Understanding math with smooth white stones collected at the ocean nearby :.

As a younger girl playing house for the day while acting as a mothers helper I remember dreaming of having children of my own as I grew older and what that would be like.

.: Appreciating my son's ear for music as he freely plays what comes to mind :.

I feel so grateful for the family that I now have and that we are able to live and learn at home alongside one another creating our very own life, following and creating our very own dreams, we get to choose just what our philosophy for our own life may entail.

.:Noticing a beautiful vignette while the music still lingers in my heart:.

This journey together as a family is rich and good, it is lived in and full with life.  There is beauty in the everyday - the small and big moments, the creative and organic vignettes that fill our days in both the good and the more difficult.

.: These sweet friends eat our veggies, create their own compost, create fiber for us to spin and most of all share their love :.

Clotheslines, composting, and backyard chickens.  Learning alongside one another at home and growing some of our own foods.  Trading in television for making art together, caring for one another, dreaming of having sheep and farm living, knitting and spinning and reading "Little House On The Prairie" at bedtime while creating our own little houses on the prairie or  apartments in the city or little houses on islands in fields or in the woods... wherever it is that your life inspires you to call home fill it up with love, mindfullness, and notice the life that surrounds you. 

 .: Noticing a sweet vignette left behind after opening presents on Valentines Day :.

We only live these days, moments and life once, just once never to be repeated in exactly the same way.

I am thankful to share moments of our family life with you. I also enjoy seeing moments of your own journeys. However vastly different or very closely knit our ideas may be lets all follow our dreams together. Say yes to life--to the life we always dreamed of for our families even when things may be placed in the way.. go for it anyway.

 

.:Appreciating bits of nature that creates this personal space we call home:.
 

Embrace this thing called life that sometimes gets in the way but continues to happen to us every day.  From the small and mundane to the great and profound lets say yes and embrace life for all that it gifts to us!

.: Ice Mandalas :.

   

.: Pink petals suspended in ice create an ice mandala :.

To live presently with the rhythm of each season is a true joy of life. It helps us to soak in each inspiring and beautiful element of the season with gratitude, mindfulness, and artfulness.

.: Cranberries and Evergreens suspended in ice  :.

It is a yearly tradition for my family to make Ice Mandalas in February. The deep cold this month has to offer perfectly maintains this outdoor gallery of art while the monochromatic landscape offers a complementary backdrop for this bright display of color!

.: Berries and greens starting to freeze :.

With much excitement I shared with the children it was time to create ice mandalas. Soon we set out our supplies to create a dream-like world under the trees in honor of the winter season.

.: Baking pans with water set outdoors while nature does her part to freeze each mandala :.

Circular baking pans were filled with water, jute rope was taped to the edge of the pan, and then came an imaginative session of placing in each object that would soon be frozen in ice!

     

.: Each ice mandala sparkles as it catches the light :.

It is wonderful to step outside and behold the morning sunlight slowly returning to sparkle through the colorful objects suspended in ice. 

.: Petals on ice :.

The early evening light highlights the bubbles and swirls that form in each ice mandala. This brings great beauty and a big smile into our day!

.: Cranberries and Evergreens on Ice :.

Nature collaborated beautifully on this project, freezing each icy disk.

  

.: This doile is set in water outdoors to freeze, creating an Ice Mandala :.

A crocheted doile was captured in ice today and was set out in the branches of an old cherry tree to share with us the details of its pattern.

.:The sunlight illuminates each Ice Mandala as it hangs from branches:.

Soon the sun that is shining brightly once again will melt all of the snow and ice and hand back to us this doile that will be placed on a spring table set with fresh tulips from the gardens.

.: Adding petals to water creating an Ice Mandala :.

While we place each medium into the pan of water, we enjoy the yearly traditions we take part in together. These traditions are a way for us to mark the seasons and remind us of what is to come...

   For a look at last year's 'Ice Mandalas', visit the link here.

.:May you capture beauty, tradition and magic with your family!:.

.: Snow Girl ~ A Photo Journey :.

While my thoughts drift to the green of spring the snow drifts continue to rise...

When the snow finally ebbed into a gentle flurry, I told my husband  I was planning to set off into the woods with my camera to capture the energy of the end of the storm.  My daughter said: "Wait for me mama!" She always has her camera at the ready and creates her own beautiful places that she captures in her mind as well as on her camera.

This time spent capturing moments with my daughter was a memorable one. I watched her as she took her time along the trail in the woods finding beautiful spots on her own. Soon my own photos reflected her journey of enjoyment, entering into the peace of the woods and the mindfulness that nature brings.

This little one has such creativity swirling within her mind and heart. She has more talent and beauty in her mind's eye than I could ever imagine.  I am thankful to be on this journey alongside each of the children, watching them find meaning in their lives through their interests and mediums of choice.

I am thankful for this time with my daughter doing something we both love--walking together in the snowy woods finding beauty while bonding with one another.

This time for me in the woods turned from a time of appreciating nature to a time spent appreciating the beauty of a child appreciating nature. 

I am thankful for these quiet, unexpected, and unplanned moments.  They are cherished moments in time that will never be repeated in exactly the same way but will last a lifetime in my heart.

Children in our lives are remarkable creatures of light. I am thankful to be let into their world and to share these moments of seeing the world through their eyes, while watching them grow and learn.

 

I look forward to many more moments with each of the children--finding beauty in life together in quiet unexpected times that are truly magical.