this and that

A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

- despite Magnolia's exceptionally sweet and easy going personality, keeping up to date in this space has proved to be much more complicated with two children rather than one.  I have gone back and forth about stopping altogether, but after some thoughtful consideration and encouragement from my husband, I think it's worth keeping on, and I just need to be ok with how it will look during this time...just less. I've always loved keeping this blog and it has encouraged me to chronicle beauty, count my blessings, share some creativity and record our days. So, for now I'll keep on...whenever I can find a spare moment. :) For those of you on instagram, I've found it a bit easier to post little bits more regularly over there. 

- maybe this year's seasonal list was more realistic or maybe our days have been more full and purposeful, but I'm happy to report that we've almost finished every item on our Autumn list. That's NEVER happened! 

- a chimney guy (a sweep?) is coming soon to see if we can get our fireplace up and running in the near future. We'd love to be able to use it for fires and we are thinking about possibly investing in a small wood stove. While we wait and save up for a stove, we picked up an electric stove space heater that looks like a wood stove. Despite Brian's disdain for "fake" fires, it was cheap, it's cozy and it warms up the room quite well. He laughs at me when I tell him how much I love our "hearth". Levi especially enjoys the new addition to the living room and he spends much of his time playing or reading in front of it. He has called it "the fire of heaven". haha

- speaking of the impending cold weather and hibernation, I just started my first knitting and crocheting projects of the season. A new cowl for me and some halloween costumes for the kiddos. Stay tuned..

- I've been killin' it with my thrift finds recently. A vintage oatmeal tin (now a candy tin, thanks for idea Cousin Alex!), a basket tray, some corduroy overalls for Maggie and a darling crochet hat, flannel shirts for the rest of us, handmade pottery mugs; not a piece for more than a few bucks.

- home pre-schooling has been going very well. Our favorite day is on Friday when we get together with two other families to go on nature walks, read together, do art projects etc. It's a huge blessing to have these moms and kids to play and learn with. 

- October in Salem is drawing to a close. We've done our part to embrace the fun parts; parades, carnival rides, craft booths, performances, people in costume everywhere and of course the fried dough. Sure we have to dodge the occasional zombie or other scary/gory character, but I love that we can easily walk down to the excitement and then go right back to our cozy and quiet little house when it all gets a little too overwhelming. 

- Hope your autumn is going just swimmingly, too! xo

sea kettle studios - a new series - nature studies

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world; I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and  seas, His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world; He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere.

Cosmo, Zinnia and Chrysanthemum in October - Ink, Watercolor, Pencil

McKenna Garden, October - Ink, Watercolor, Pencil

October Color - Ink, Watercolor, Pencil

{Ever since Levi and I started more formal nature study this summer, I've been inspired by the natural elements we see, study and collect during our walks and adventures. To model, I began little sketches of these beautiful, delicate elements in my nature journal, but soon found it more fun and inspiring to arrange them in pleasing compositions to draw/paint as finished pieces. I've really enjoyed these exercises in beauty hunting, arranging and careful observation. In fact, at the moment, I might be rather obsessed and I'm eager to see where this series leads me. And now, I have a whole bunch of freshly picked flowers to attend to.} :) 

Dear Magnolia - 5 Months