I posted this late last week on my profile on FB because it so perfectly depicts how I feel about this lovely season! Autumn and winter are equally my favorites, both for their varying beauty, but also because the first leads up to the holiday season (which I LOVE!), and the latter falls into this lovely, quiet season of rest. But another thing happens in autumn that I love equally as much, my thoughts return to home! Not that home is not always forefront on my mind, but for me, September has always signaled a time for new beginnings, and probably for you as well! You can't start school every year for twelve+ years of your childhood and not be left with that sense of nostalgia! Blank notebooks, newly sharpened pencils! It's probably why I restock my office supplies around this time every year!
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
A September Re-set: The Rhythms of My Life
Sunday, September 26, 2021
When The Hidden Beauty of Life Breaks Through
"Our lives are filled with moments like these — ordinary moments when the hidden beauty of life breaks into our everyday awareness like an unbidden shaft of light. It is a brush with the sacred, a near occasion of grace.
Too often we are blind to these moments. We are busy with our daily obligations and too occupied with our comings and goings to surround our hearts with the quiet that is necessary to hear life’s softer songs. There is no shame in this. We are only human, and the demands of life make a raucous noise. But we must not let those demands drown out the quieter voices of the spirit. We must take the time to stop and listen, knowing that the voice of the spirit speaks more often in a whisper than a shout. For spirituality is far more than religious practice. It is a cast of mind, a leaning of the heart, a willingness to see the shadow of the divine mystery in all people and all things. It is feeling the presence of God in every encounter, and seeing the reflection of the divine in the face of every person we meet on the street. "
Saturday, September 25, 2021
From My Reading
- Excerpt fromThe Magic Apple Tree by Susan Hill
But I have never been let down by autumn, to me it is always beautiful, always rich, it always gives in heaping measure, and sometimes it can stretch into November, fading but so gently, so slowly, like a very old person, whose dying is protracted by peacefully, in calmness."
★
Small Things - September 25, 2021
"Life is not, for most of us, a pageant of splendor, but is made up of many small things, rather like an old fashioned piecework quilt. No two people have the same, but we all have our own, whether it be listening to Beethoven's fifth with a beloved friend, or seeing a neighbor at the back door with a basket of white dahlias. Or after a long, hard day, having the family say, "That was a good supper."
- GLADYS TABER
In no particular order, here are six small things that have inspired me this week.
1. If you're looking for ways to use up the last of your blackberries, this Skillet Pear and Blackberry Crisp looks yummy!
2. Read this on FB this week and loved it! "I saw a post the other day by a lady who said she always grabs vintage casserole dishes when she sees them at thrift stores or yard sales and uses them when she brings a meal to someone! She said often they are cheaper than disposable ones and the family can either keep for themselves or pass on to someone else who needs a meal in the future! So in the spirit of reduce, reuse, renew & recycle... I thought this was a neat idea worth sharing!"
3. Create A Culture of Slow: 8 Ways To Transform The Pace of Your Home
4. Pay Attention To The Beauty That Surrounds You
5. Do you read The Simple Things magazine? I own several digital issues (though I prefer the real deal). I started buying magazines digitally while I was on the road last year and found them a suitable alternative to all the space the printed editions required. These days I take a trip to Barnes & Noble about once or twice a month and peruse the contents while I'm there taking note of anything I find interesting in journal I tote along exactly for that purpose. But one of the things I've always loved about this publication are their playlists. I've discovered several artists this way that I'm sure I wouldn't have found otherwise. You can find the Autumn Playlist, here.
6. Small Things I've been reading Ginny's blog for several years now, though I'm not sure I've ever shared it with you here. This week she reminded me of a book I've had on my Kindle for almost five years now but have never read (I do this with hardcover books, too! Can you relate?). Anyway, the book is called The Magic Apple Tree by Susan Hill. It's on my list of things to begin this weekend, including copious amounts of tea, crocheting and cross stitching!
★
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Monday, September 20, 2021
The Season For Mums and Reflections on Tradition
Traditionally we've always bought several baskets of them to adorn our porch, last year being the exception since we were in the van. With traveling and the lack of light, it just wasn't practical. When I moved back into the apartment after Christmas I immediately began to look forward to all the seasonal traditions I could indulge in once again, especially this time of year. But unlike previous years, without a porch to speak of and only one window that gets decent sunlight, I knew that when it came to plants I would have to keep things simple. But that's fine by me, one mum is better than none.
My daughter and I made a trip on Saturday to Lowes to pick up some pumpkins (they have a much better selection than Walmart for about the same price with long curly stems), and I picked out this tiny white mum while we were there, as well. Typically I would have preferred one that was blooming, but since I was only purchasing one I settled on this one with all those tiny baby mum buds so that it will last as long as possible.
I've been enjoying it today, along with reading the latest edition of Bella Grace magazine, where this article caught my eye, "80 Lost Traditions To Bring Back". Readers submitted entries which were then selected for publication, and there were several that caught my attention, a few that I honestly hadn't thought of for some time, so I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you.
- Sitting on the porch after supper and waving to all the neighbors. - I have a couple of neighbors here at our apartment complex who regularly stand or sit outside every evening. Being more of an introvert, I don't typically join them, but that's primarily because we are in an apartment. When we lived in the country my husband and I sat on the porch regularly, and I miss it.
Saturday, September 18, 2021
Small Things - September 18, 2021
"Life is not, for most of us, a pageant of splendor, but is made up of many small things, rather like an old fashioned piecework quilt. No two people have the same, but we all have our own, whether it be listening to Beethoven's fifth with a beloved friend, or seeing a neighbor at the back door with a basket of white dahlias. Or after a long, hard day, having the family say, "That was a good supper."
- GLADYS TABER
In no particular order, here are six small things that have inspired me this week.
1. I discovered a couple of new blogs this week, including this one, All The Household. So good!
2. And this one, The Holy Days. I am IN LOVE with both of these blogs! So much goodness!
3. And finally, The Lovely Wild, which was a balm for my soul one evening after a particularly hard day.
4. Handcraft a Life You're Delighted To Show Up To, One Step At A Time. - Great article!
5. September's Song: Supporting Our Emotions In Late Summer. Because we all need a little extra support sometimes.
6. And finally, this out, just today, the autumn edition of The Cultivating Project. This is hands down one of my favorite seasonal and inspirational resources. I read almost every article, every season!
★
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Mom's Hidden Recipe - Apple Crisp
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping:
2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup salted butter,cut into small pieces
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium size bowl combine the crumb topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.
Peel and slice apples. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Pour butter mixture over apples and toss to coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8x8-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the apples.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce, if desired.
Monday, September 13, 2021
Small Ways to Celebrate the Days
- National Chocolate Milk Shake Day
Yesterday was National Chocolate Milk Shake Day, and as usual, I'm a bit late posting about it. The reason for that is that I prefer to live life in real time. I'm not one of those bloggers that makes up things days in advance so that they will have pictures for their posts that they write ahead of time. Sorry, that's not me. While I do like to inspire people to find reasons to celebrate life every day, if you're going to learn from me, you better be prepared to bookmark it for next year! At least, that's the case with most things. I do try to plan ahead for some things, but for something like this, probably not.
At any rate, as I've been working on improving my health, I do my best to reserve treats for the weekend. This past weekend I made a delicious apple crisp which I'll be sharing with you later in the week. Johnny Appleseed Day is coming up on the 27th, so maybe for once I'll be sharing something that you can make to celebrate ahead of the game! But since I knew that National Chocolate Milk Shake Day was on Sunday, I ended up gifting most of the apple crisp and vanilla ice cream to my next door neighbor. She has three children, so I knew it wouldn't go to waste, and they were overjoyed! That way, I was able to enjoy my shake yesterday without guilt.
This recipe is one that we've been making for years, though typically at Christmas with a sprinkle of crushed peppermints on top and a candy cane for stirring. But this go round I omitted the peppermint and just enjoyed it plain and simple. If you like chocolate shakes, then I encourage you to give this recipe a try. It's the best I've ever tasted.
2 cups chocolate milk
2 cups chocolate frozen yogurt, softened
2 cups crushed ice
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
Saturday, September 11, 2021
Small Things - September 11, 2021
- GLADYS TABER
Friday, September 10, 2021
Covered In The Dust of My Rabbi
- My Journey As a Disciple of Jesus Christ
For a couple of months now I've been watching the series, Practicing The Way with Jon Mark Comer who is the pastor of Bridgetown Church. I haven't spoken about it much here, because it's never been my goal for my blog to be "preachy". But this week someone shared with me that a good writer writes about the things they want to know about or need to hear, and since the focus of my blog is about living intentionally, slowly and seasonally, I've found that what I'm learning about being a disciple and apprentice of Jesus, is a perfect fit. And so I've decided to share. But please know that I am no expert. I come to you, not as someone who has this all figured out, but as someone who struggles with these issues daily, and who strives to find the balance. And please know, as well, that if this type of post isn't something that suits you, then I invite you to check back another day for something that does, I won't be offended. And with that, I'll begin with a question;
Did you now that when Jesus told the disciples that if they would follow Him that He would make them fishers of men, that wasn't just some funny pun? Because I'll be honest, I always kind of thought it was. But let me tell you what I've learned, because I think it's BEAUTIFUL!
During the time that Jesus was in ministry, He was known as a rabbi, and to follow a rabbi was to apprentice under a rabbi. In the first century, discipleship was the apex of the Jewish education system and there were three levels.
Thursday, September 9, 2021
Call To Action - When Is It "Officially" Autumn?
I measure summer by two distinct book-ends and patriotic holidays, Memorial Day and Labor Day, with the 4th of July being the height of the season. So Autumn, in my mind anyway, officially begins the day after Labor Day. Of course it doesn't truly begin until the Autumn Equinox, which is one of my favorite days of the year! I'm going to be working out my plans for celebrating this weekend, and by that I really mean just reviewing what we always do! But since things look a little different these days with my husband across the country and my daughter working full time, some of the celebrations I will most likely be doing alone. I'm fine with that, but it is something I need to factor in my planning.
So what about you? Is it "officially" Autumn in your home? Do you decorate for the season, and have you put your decorations out yet? What are some special traditions (if any) that you have this time of year? I'd love to hear from you!
★
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
The Betty Crocker Cooking Calendar - September
This sweet vintage illustration and poem is from a gem of a little book I found among my mom's things after she died, Betty Crocker's Cooking Calendar: A Year Round Guide to Meal Planning with Recipes and Menus. The original copyright was from 1962, and since I was born in '61 I'm guessing she probably owned it most of her life, though I don't recall ever once seeing it before the day I discovered it covered beneath a stack of hand towels in a drawer in the kitchen. To be honest, I hadn't seen some of those hand towels in almost as many years! My mom was as frugal as they come!
That copy, sadly, had met with some fate years before and was stained and many of the pages were stuck together. But as luck would have it I was able to find one at Amazon. If you're interested, I checked just now and there are several copies of the facsimile edition available at a reasonable price, just click the link above! I was hoping I could provide you with a little sneak peak, but unfortunately it is not a title that is available through the Internet Archives. And so with that, as the original and the reproduction are both out of print, I thought I would share a few charming snippets with you.
SEPTEMBER
- HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
Saturday, September 4, 2021
Small Things - September 4, 2021
That was back when my girls were little and we were in the thick of homeschooling. My blog was known as "Life in the Little Nest", and we lived in a little farmhouse on seventeen acres of land about an hour from where we are now. My how much life has changed!
But since I'm nostalgic, I decided to give that little graphic a bit of an update, changing the name to the current, SMALL THINGS, as well as changing out the colors to match my current theme. If you can believe it, I went through a pretty long stretch with a fondness for shades of rust and blue, and my blog back then reflected it. That eventually gave way to red and blue, when our house was decorated in a patriotic theme, and eventually to red and green. And with the exception of a little hiccup last year when rust and brown made a short appearance, this color scheme has stuck with me for close to ten years now, and I don't see it changing anytime soon. Almost every room in our apartment is decorated in some shade of red and green, with a mix of black and buffalo check. My friends say it's "homey", but technically I think the style is referred to as primitive.
Anyway, let's walk back up from memory lane now and get to the latest edition of SMALL THINGS.
In no particular order, here are six things that inspired me this week.
1. Field Notes: September - Ochre and Flax is my new favorite place to hang out. She also has a podcast, Quiet Matters: Slow Living For Real Life.
2. Chili Chocolate Popcorn Seasonal Movie Sunday starts in our house on September 12, and I've been looking at recipes for snacks to add to the fun! I'm a HUGE chili/chocolate fan, so this might be first on the list!
Friday, September 3, 2021
A Little Sonnet About Little Things
Produce the drops of rain;
These little drops commingle,
And form the boundless main.
Then, drops compose the fountains;
And little grains of sand
Compose the mighty mountains,
That high above us stand.
The little atoms, it is said,
Compose the solid earth;
Such truths will show, if rightly read,
What little things are worth.
For, as the sea of drops is made,
So it is Heaven's plan,
That atoms should compose the globe,
And actions mark the man.
The little seconds soon pass by,
And leave our time the less;
And on these moments, as they fly,
Hang woe or happiness.
For, as the present hour is spent,
So must the future be;
Each action lives, in its effect,
Through all eternity.
The little sins and follies,
Leave stains, that tears of penitence,
And little acts of charity,
And little deeds of love,
May make this world a paradise,
Like to that world above.
- S. W. IRVIN