Higher Ideals

I was going to be done posting today, but then I was going through mail and had to gush for minute. I have always been sensitive to smells. I had seen Esoteric Muse online and considered ordering some of her fragrances, but I'd hesitated because unlike items with a visual component, you can't really sense through the internet what you're getting. Well a few weeks back, when I was in Minnesota (helping with Lord Wolfshield's latest film), one of the gals there had some perfumes from Esoteric Muse, and they smelled so good! I of course had to go home and place an order. I got some scents that I had already smelled, as well as the Library of Alexandria (the book nerd in me couldn't resist), and the sampler set (so I can explore what else I like). My order has arrived, and I just had to share how wonderful her fragrances are in case anyone else needed some aromatic magic in their life.

After almost a year of working on it, I'm so excited to have finished crocheting this fairy coat for my daughter. It's some of the most intricate crochetwork I've ever done, and I'm just so pleased with how it came out!

"Stories of fierce fertility goddesses, nimble-fingered old crones, and vengeful maidens were sustained over the centuries by women, unraveled and rewoven daily, like Penelope's tapestry, by countless retellings. Tales were spun, murmuring, to offspring in the dark, or recounted to companions as they sat and created cloth of their own." – Kassia St. Clair, The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History

Last year I began picking up random mismatched teacups whenever I went to our local thrift shop. Once or twice a week, we now do teatime in the middle of our homeschool afternoon. I ordered some cheap, “fancy” spoons online. Sometimes we have special treats with our tea. It’s been such a fun addition.

"Bread making feels a bit like a ritual. It is repetitive and rhythmic. It's a fulfilling sensory experience, a practice of being in the present and enjoying it fully." – Emily Morrow, Really Very Crunchy

You don't need to be an expert on homeschooling to teach your children. You are an expert on them, and that makes all the difference.

For my birthday, my daughter made me jam jar covers. Some had patterned fabric, and some she embroidered with the relevant fruits (pears, blackberries, and peaches). I love them so much!! 😍🥰 Homemade gifts are the best!

I love returning to the comforts of home, sleeping in my own bed and cooking in my own kitchen. We celebrated with pumpkin muffins for breakfast (or, as my three-year-old called them, "buttcakes" which is what he apparently thought we call cupcakes 🤔😂).

"To fully appreciate 'the ordinary' is an extraordinary gift." – Kim John Payne, Simplicity Parenting

🍂🍁Loving the fall foliage🍁🍂

We're in Minnesota this week, helping with the shooting of Lord Wolfshield's next film, and the Northern Lights were out in full force. I'd never before witnessed them, and it was pure magic. Light seemed to ripple and writhe across the sky in a celestial dance of beauty and mystery. I can't help but believe it's a good omen for this latest film project.

A campfire is the start of so many beautiful memories, timeless stories, and deep conversations.

Observing the seasons has felt so much more natural since moving to a homestead. Fruiting trees lead to picking activities which ends in delicious flavors. I look forward to pulling out seasonal picture books with the kids. I want to expand the autumnal vibes to my own reading as well, so this year I’m getting into the fall spirit with a mystery, a gothic novel, and Jane Austen’s parody of a gothic novel.

I've never really noticed my family's habit of singing. One of us will hear a turn of phrase that brings to mind a song and sing the line. Then others members join in and soon we're all boisterously singing along. My aunt laughingly says our life must be a musical. What we lack in talent we make up for with enthusiasm.

A few of my girls and I spent this week visiting an older relative, crafting and baking. I love that my girls are getting to learn from someone who's been sewing so long she started on a treadle machine.

"Hail to the merry harvest time, the gayest of the year, The time of rich and bounteous crops, rejoicing, and good cheer!" – from "Round" by Charles Dickens

Is it still slow living if my 2-year-old has a need for speed?

"Create beauty around you and you won't feel the need to escape or as if you are losing yourself in the humdrum of everyday life. In this way of living, self-care becomes a by-product of living well." – Emily Morrow, Really Very Crunchy

Don’t forget to go on a Harvest Moon hike tonight!

There were a crazy number of spiders out on my run this morning. Falling leaves would get caught in their webs, creating this surreal frozen-mid-fall effect, like I stumbled into a time glitch. I guess if time pauses, I'd rather the cusp of autumn than Groundhog's Day.