barn raising

31 October

All Hallow's Eve

Have a lovely Hallowe'en, friends!  I'll be back tomorrow to share our celebration and festivities!

26 October

milo

There is one particular handknit that is getting a lot of wear in our house this autumn.  The Milo vest has been perfect for fall days spent warding off the damp chill of fog and rain, as well as wearing on long walks beachside and in the woods during our recent incredible stretch of sunny, crisp, dry fall days.  It's perfect for all kinds of northwest autumnal, pre-winter weather, really, and the fact that it is so wearable makes it one of my favorite knits for Coco to date.  I love how the fit is snug enough to cover her core, keeping her vital organs warm, but loose enough to wear with woolen undershirts and other sweet little tops.  It's much like the comfort and reassurance I get when dressing her in these, which we actually use as pants (the waist reaches her chest, keeping her warm all day). 

I love Coco in this vest.  She looks like a magical little fisherwoman in it, and it seems to match with wellies and cowgirl boots alike.  I have some other knits on my list before I come back to this pattern, but I do plan on knitting larger sizes.  I think it would look great in light grey, and also in a heathery lavender.  Oh, but perhaps also in a woodsy tweed, or a soft and sweet shade of pink.  Hmn, it sounds like I'd best get knitting!

Ravelry notes can be found here.

17 October

collecting

This favorite season of mine just keeps getting better!  The conkers are dropping from the trees and we've been busy collecting.  We started a few weeks back, but realized we were too early.  I always forget that the best season for chestnuts begins around (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend. 

There isn't anything in nature quite as perfect as the conker.  The smooth, wood grain reminds me instantly of horses, the countryside where I grew up, and crisp, sunny, beautiful autumn days.  Conkers are rich and precious finds, and no matter how full the basket becomes each new one added truly feels like found treasure. 

We've been equally blessed with perfect fall weather this week.  No rain, sun so bright it warms your cheeks, and just the right amount of chill in the air to wear our favourite woolens without the added layer of a (rain) coat.  This, paired with hot cocoa upon returning home from our gathering, and it's just about as dreamy as autumn can be.

Fall offers up even more to gather with sprigs of lichen, acorns, and leaves the colours of crimson and saffron.

What have you been busy collecting this week?

12 October

with thanks

Last weekend we celebrated one of my most loved holidays- Thanksgiving.  I love it so because it is like Christmas- all the food, family, joy, celebration, and warmth- but without any pressure whatsoever to purchase material things.  There are no gift exchanges, other than the most important gifts of love, food, and gratitude.  It is a holiday full of magic, in a way that is different from the magic of Advent and Christmas.  The magic of Thanksgiving pulls us inward into our hearts and souls, and is a celebration and coming together of our families, our villages, our communities.

We often say that we are grateful.  I can easily tell you why I am.  I am grateful for my sweet little family, for my pixie daughter, for my good, old house.  I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue what I love, and for the freedom to stroll through the woods and beachcomb the seaside.  I am so very grateful for my health.  I am grateful for my community of friends, both on and offline.  I am grateful for the ability to notice and appreciate life's everyday magic- the most precious joy, indeed.  I am grateful for the simplicity of the tasks that fuel my family- housewifery, gardening, knitting, cooking.  I am grateful for the harvest and for clean water at the ready.

But, how do we know we are grateful?  I can easily tell you how I know.  I know because there are times that I catch a glimpse of Coco and my heart skips a beat.  I know because I can stand by the ocean and close my eyes and breathe deep the salt air, knowing that it is filling my lungs, my bones, my every cell, with joy.  I know because the other day, as I tidied the table after dinner, I caught a lump in my throat at the (also exciting) thought that we may be moving from here someday sooner then we expected, and I will miss the shelter this house has given us.  I know because I am content, even though I may wish for things I don't have. 

I know I am grateful, not just because I say I am, I am grateful because I feel I am.  

Yes.

We celebrated these joys with family and friends, and we feasted- a golden turkey, sage infused stuffing with nuts and apple, potatoes whipped with butter and cream, carrots and brussel sprouts, gravy and freshly made cranberry sauce.  And we can't forget the apple crumble drizzled with cream.  The fiddle music filled the house, the candles flickered into the evening, and Coco danced in her "party shoes" all the way through dessert.  For all of this, too, I give thanks.  We are so very blessed.

Warm wishes of love and gratitude to all of you, dear friends!

3 October

warming and surrounding

There is nothing quite like creating special and magical moments of love and warmth for a little one.  The fall is my favorite season for that, I think.  Before Coco was born, when the leaves began to turn, I already felt the "nesting" that comes with preparing for a change in season and rhythm.  Now that I have Coco I feel that immensely more so.  As the days grow mistier and the smell of earth and woodsmoke fills the air, I love clothing her in her woolens to ward off the damp chill.  Our kitchen is seeing more stews and soups these days, and our snacks have turned from berries and homemade popsicles to cooked apples and nut butters.

We're bringing some new rituals into autumn this year and I think my favorite is Coco's bedtime treat of warmed milk and honey.  She loves to watch me pour it from the pan into her little cup, and she holds it tight between sips as she listens to her bedtime story (or stories...sometimes that milk takes a while to cool). 

These are precious and sweet little moments.  The gift of warmth, both emotional and physical, is a profound and fundamental intention in our home, and simple comforts like this feel almost ancestral in my wish to provide them.  This time of year, as the season darkens and we draw more inward, the joy in surrounding, drawing near, and warming my little one seems innate to my role as mama and my heart and soul combined.  Children remember these sweet moments too, and the longer I'm a mama the more I understand that powerful childhood memories don't only involve celebrations and family outings; they are made just as dear through these expressions of love and warmth.

Which, to me, is the most powerful of all.