lady i swear by all flowers

carrots for cookies

So many good book recommendations.  Thank you!  I'm sorting through them now, compiling a list of books to look into.  I thought I would make a comprehensive list for everyone, soon. 

One very, very kind and generous soul sent us a big box full of books her son had outgrown.  There were a few books in that box that we already have, so I thought I would pass on that kindness to someone else.  I was just going to select someone at random who had left a comment on the book post, but then I thought that some of these recommenders would no longer have a need for toddler books.  Sooo, if you have a need (or desire) for a few good toddlers books, leave a comment and we'll pass on the book love! 

And for everyone else, a cookie! 

Pan and I made these the other day.  And then ate them all up in the same day.  They are good.

And good for you. 

Carrot Cookies
1/4 c shortening
3/4 c maple syrup
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c besan (garbanzo bean flour)
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 large carrot, finely grated
1/2 c almond butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
shredded coconut for rolling

Cream together the shortening and maple syrup.  Add egg, vanilla and almond butter.  In a separate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Add the flours to the liquids and stir just to combine.  Stir in carrot. 

Form dough into small balls and roll in coconut.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. 

+Chelsea

for the first day

A new pair of Mocs.

Quinn is really into them. 
It's my watered-down take on the triabl trend for fall. 
Because, I love mocassins. 

I wasn't quite as on the ball with everything I wanted to prepare for the Equinox, but it was still a really lovely day.  We lit our new mealtime candle for Autumn and had pancakes for breakfast.  I pulled our box of Autumn nature table decorations out and set it up while the boys were napping.  We were going to have a special dinner, but our neighbors threw an impromptu potluck in their fairy-lit yard, and that just felt like the right thing to do.  And -- watching Pan run with the "big kids" -- it totally was.

We gave the boys two new books for the Equinox, Winter Lullaby and Autumn.  We're experiencing a bit of a dry spell with the reading just now.  We need some new books.  And I need some recommendations.

What books for the 0-3 age range do you love?  I'm thinking mostly board books (which tend to be either really dumb or all about counting and the alphabet -- for toddlers!), because we're still a bit rough for paper pages.  We love the seasons series by Gerda Muller, and are on the look-out for books similar to this.  Illustrations that are beautiful and rich in detail, with few to no words.  Please, recommend!  

Here's to a new cycle of days,

+Chelsea 

this, too, is autumn

I can now belong to myself
And shining spread my inner light
Into the dark of space and time.
Toward sleep is uring all creation,
But inmost soul must stay awake
And carry wakefully sun's glowing
Into the winter's icy flow.

--Rudolf Steiner, 25th Week of the Calendar of the Soul

 

+Chelsea

a handmade holiday

Last year's success is prompting sufficient preparation this year, too.

I've got Quinn's Michaelmas vest made, Pan's Solstice sweater (above) all done but the seaming of the collar to the neck, and the boys' Martinmas hats on the needles (Meg convinced me). 

It's my goal to make as many gifts as possible this year.  It's definitely a shared goal.  And for everything I can't make myself?  I'm so happy about this store opening locally.   

What's on your to-do list?

Ready, set, go.

+Chelsea

 

to market to market

My Mother-in-Law had a booth at an antiques market this past weekend.  It was a gorgeous weekend, a gorgeous drive out through the country. 

He's climbing the stairs now.  Cutting four teeth at once.  Completely delighted by his brother.  Loves grabbing on to the edge of the couch (or anything) and bouncing.  And today he is eight months old. 

Pan and I took a walk down a dirt road, away from the crowds.

Sebastian has been working on sculptures using a lot of found wood lately.  He'll work in the yard, examining different pieces, holding them together, moving them around to different piles. 

Pan seems to be picking up on this process. 

A few things:

• I have a new list of links on the sidebar and a fall mix up...
• In addition to my tried and true remedies, I want to give this syrup a go.  
• I'd also like to make some cough drops -- substituting honey for sugar?  There may be consistency issues, so we'll have to experiment a bit.  Has anyone tried this?
• I'd never really listened to them much before, but the Black Keys new album is so so so good. 
• Um, yum. 

I think we're going to the fair this afternoon.  It's been a very festival-y kind of week. 

+Chelsea

 

songs that are new / new to me.

keeping the colds at bay

I say, bring on the chill.  My little ones say, we can't handle the quick  changes in weather.  And they get runny noses and junky coughs.

It isn't anything serious, mostly just unpleasant.  So we've been taking a few small measures -- congee, essential oils, rest, herbals --  to nudge the colds on their way. 

These little remedies have become my go-to comforts for when anyone in the family start to feel the early stages of a cold.  I've tweaked some of them a bit for the little ones (it's difficult to get Pan to drink a cup of tea, for example, but a popsicle is very welcome). 

Congee
Mothering Magazine had a great article about homemade food remedies a few issues back, but I think I must have given my copy away.  So, this is my version of congee -- a porridge-y dish that is nourishing and comforting.

1 tbsp olive oil
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1.5 c brown rice
1 c chopped carrots
1 c chopped celery
7 c water
1 piece of kombu
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
salt + pepper to taste

Warm up oil in a large pot over medium-high, add onion and garlic until fragrant.  Add rice and toast, stirring to coat with oil, for 1-2 minutes.  Add carrots and celery and cover pot for 2-4 minutes -- carrots and celery should brighten and soften slightly.  Place chicken breasts skin up in the pot and pour water over.  Add kombu and stir slightly.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to very low.  Cover pot and let cook for 3-4 hours over low.  The congee should be very thick and sticky.  Lift the chicken out of the pot and remove bones + skin.  Shred the chicken meat and return to the pot.  Season with salt + pepper.  Serve hot hot hot.

Blueberry Tea Popsicles 
3 c herbal tea (key herbs for head colds are elder flower, linden, chamomile, and peppermint)
1 c frozen blueberries
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger

After steeping tea, let cool to room temperature.  Pour tea into a blender along with blueberries, honey and ginger.  Liquify.  Pour mixture into popsicle molds and freeze.  Yum. 

Essential Oils
For a very basic application of essential oils, rub a mixture of 3 drops of lavender and 2 drops eucalyptus onto the soles of the sick one's feet.  Cover with warm socks.  I try and do this at least three times a day -- once when we put on shoes and socks to go for a walk, once before naptime, and once before putting on slippers and socks for bed.  Even if you don't use essential oils, it's important to keep the feet warm and covered when the colds are coming on. 

I also like to do a steam treatment with essential oils.  Bring a big pot of water to boil.  Place a large bowl on top of a towel at a table where it will be comfortable to sit leaning over the bowl.  Pour the boiling water into the bowl and add ten drops roman chammomile, ten drops lavender, and five drops eucalyptus or peppermint.  Lean over the bowl, inhaling deeply.  If you can, create a tent over your head and the bowl with a towel (this can be really intense).  Take in the steam for as long as possible.  Have a hanky and a large glass of water at hand for when you are finished.  To do a steam treatment with a little one, have them sit on your lap with the bowl in front of you and use a towel to tent the steam towards you (don't cover your heads though, this will be too intense). 

And for a homemade version of cough syrup, warm a tablespoon of honey just slightly so it a bit runnier.  Add a drop of lemon essential oil and swallow. 

It also helps to have a grandpa on hand to read to you. 

+Chelsea

something new

We've tried crayons...

But mostly he just wanted to eat them.

So I thought we'd try something a little more physically loose.

Some cornstarch-salt-water goop from this book.   It held his interest for about ten minutes, ending when he decided that rather than banging his little wooden hammer into the goop like I showed him, he just wanted to hammer the table.  It does make a very satisfying ruckus.  I think we'll keep trying.

He's not quite yet two, so I'm not expecting much at this point.  Mostly the approaches to art are for me.  I tend to get lost in the afternoons, after he wakes from his nap.  Having a little activity like this helps to fill an akward time with something that holds my interest.  Also, it's a way to share something I love -- creating -- with Pan. 

Maybe we'll try painting next?

+Chelsea

my favorite

September, you are my favorite.

No hard feelings to the rest of the year, thats just how it is.

September is my new year.  It's when I make resolutions, and then follow through on the them.

It's when my wardrobe finally gets interesting again.

It's when knitting begins to feel relevant.

It's when vacation is over and we can get down to business. 

It's when the oven can be turned on.

It's for celebrating and celebrating, and for preparing for more celebrating.

It's when I start to crave popcorn in the evenings.

And when I trade in the iced americano for a hot americano.

Welcome, September.  I love you.

+Chelsea