my girl loves to come up with new recipes. she has made this before and it is yummy.

we don't have measurements right now but here are the ingredients.

ground cinnamon

cayenne pepper

salt and black pepper

honey

and water.

she mixed it up and we put it on green beans. she likes to cut up the bread and serve it that way, i must say that i prefer it on the green veggies.

here are some fun discoveries that i made yesterday when i was emptying boxes that have been packed for three years. can't wait to see what's in the rest of the boxes.

i especially love those little girl hands and the photo that my cousin took of my husband and me right before my girl was born.

tonight my sister-in-law took me to a fundraiser and there were many local artist there. here are a few that i really enjoyed.

vicki hartman clay - i met vicki for the first time tonight. funny i see her in town all the time but have never met her. she makes really beautiful pieces and it was nice to finally meet her.

shanna murray - is an artist, print maker great photographer and co-founder of second storie indie market

pine tree designs - she creates embroidered paper art.

sara silvio jewelry - beautiful gold jewelry.

ocean beach, san francisco 2005 - balancing with the rhythm of the ocean

i've been trying to get settled with myself for quite some time now. days go by and i am losing track.

i have several ideas that i have been trying to work through but timing is always a challenge for me. i was thinking about the structure of my day and how i am having trouble getting in a rhythm. i have been getting into bed early lately and getting to the gym before my sweets awake. so i feel like i am getting a good foundation going now but the rest has not fallen into place yet still having many non-starter days.

my dear friend and teacher marisa from creative thursday had a great post last week about time as a state of mind and life as yours to design. this is a great video that she created i hope that you check it out. it really resonated with me. i feel busy all the time but doing what exactly? marisa really helped me find some clarity, i am working on some reprogramming. i am choosing to "design my life" so that i make time to create what i want. thank you my friend! powerful insight again!

then yesterday sarah jane tweeted about simplicity hoping this will remind me to stay in the present.

lastly this morning i found a post from heather at shivaya naturals about serenity this was a really powerful post that spoke to me about embracing all of who you are and finding the finding the balance within without trying to mask or deny your challenges.

so i am starting a new week NOW!

designing my life

simply while remaining present

embracing who i am and finding the balance and serenity.

thank you for your inspiration today marisa, sarah jane and heather. it is so wonderful to find all of this insight just when you need it. be well. monday is a great day to start fresh!

sunshine and happiness.

great story about children in haiti and los angeles on npr this morning...

npr also reported on the the knitting graffiti

enchantedmama was looking for us to "think green" this week to celebrate the coming of spring. this was more challenging than you would think. we have had a beautiful winter here in western new york mostly because it has been relatively cold and the snow has remained on the ground so even on the overcast days there has been more reflected light then usual because of the snow. i am not typically a fan of winter, i have trouble without the light, this year i have felt much happier, i have just been embracing it and hoping that it continues. we still have snow even though it has been warmer here. we went ice skating today it was in the 40s and my little sweet pea has a pink little face, i feel so bad that i did not sunscreen today, so out of practice (she says it does not hurt but this was really unexpected in our area not so common as out west).

so here we go with many photos from the week. i never found a bud and i looked hard and long for the entire week. i did have some fun though, thanks kellen.

split peas and sunshine

on the day you were born by debra frasier

thoughts on being green

the creative family by amanda blake soule

made from scratch by jenna woginrich

animal, vegetable, miracle by barbara kingsolver

the backyard homestead by carleen madigan

the handmade home by amanda blake soule

sewing green by betz white

how to design your own clothes and make your own patters by claudia ein

living on earth by alicia bay laurel

the art of sewing-restyling your wardrobe by time-life books

ric rac love

green love

potential in green

my mama made this sweet cookie jar for my grandmother in 1971, my grandma loved roosters.

my grandmother gave this to my sweet girl when she gave up her house. so sweet.

she loved my girl and my girl loved her. missing her so much. so luck that she had the chance to know grandma.

green comes in all shapes...mostly man made these days.

looking for buds...

to the left too...

green on a tree...not what i was looking for!

feeling the joy...

nurture and wonder...

sunshine and happiness!

what a great way to start a friday!

i woke up and realized that susan gibbs from juniper moon farm has included my blog in her post probably something you would like...

WOW!!!

so the funny part about this story is that i read her blog everyday and did just that yesterday. somehow i missed the note about sustainable suburbanite! she had so many wonderful 'somethings that i would like' that i missed the link to mine!

so today i feel...very excited...grateful...no need for caffeine...exposed and exhilarated and so much more that i cannot put into words.

i can't thank you enough susan!

i've been waiting to share my blog until it is just so.

i still have so many things that i want to do and add and learn about how to lay this all out. also i have about 30 different things that i am working on...least of which what i want my main focus to be...maybe i should start there!

my husband was trying to help me sort out some of my technical challenges today and i realized that i already have over 100 posts. not to say that i procrastinate.

last summer i attended the squam art workshops and i have previously posted about this incredible experience. and took a class with the marvelous marisa from creative thursday. marisa suggested risks need to be taken, that if you wait for perfection you might just miss out. those are not her exact words but i hope that i have captured the meaning behind what she was saying. she is brilliant! so here i go.

i feel so fortunate that i have found so many wonderful creative women that i visit everyday and learn from and that i am inspired by everyday. i really want to share them with others that are in my life and share what i am learning that might be useful.

many of the blogs that i love have come to me from amanda blake soule - soulemama. she is also how i originally discovered squam. one of the blogs that i visit everyday (thanks to amanda) is juniper moon farm i was also lucky enough to meet susan gibbs (and amanda) at the squam art fair. susan is a shepherd and her farm had the first yarn and fiber csa. she had a post the other day about confronting your fears. she confronted her fear of dyeing some precious roving. let me say it is so incredibly beautiful i am so glad that she conquered that fear. she asked what we were fearing and my response was to put my blog out there. she was also looking for a date of commitment to conquer your fear. i chose march 1st 2010! i am a little late. technical difficulties today but coming very close anyhow.

i still would like to add all of the other wonderful woman that inspire me. i hope to figure this out soon. until then i will share a few here because i must. many of them i also met last year at squam and they really inspire me. i hope that you enjoy them as much as i do.

lizzy house

nelkin designs

enchantedmama

lavender and limes

shivaya naturals

thanks for visiting.

sunshine and happiness to you today.

my mother sent me this beautiful apron yesterday that belonged to her great aunt.

isn't it beautiful?

she also sent our favorite cutout cookies...yummmmmmmmmmm

she made these scrumptious coconut cookies with chocolate buttercream frosting. that is real "butter"cream this is a new recipe. we are really enjoying it!

we had plenty of sugar in the house then my mother-in-law stopped by with a box of chocolate for us. what to do? have a piece, plenty of dark chocolate in here for me. don't you love their chocolatier?

hope that you are enjoying the holiday as much as i am.

i have been wanting to do this daily blog for over a year.

everyday i plan to post and go through the day planning each post to the point of taking the photos and writing the post in my head.

i came to a realization the other day after getting upset with myself once again. i had promised myself that in the new year that i would do a post every day. needless to say this is not happening.

here is the realization:

i have a fear that i will fail...i know that many people have this fear. i have just let it win. i can accomplish goals if i think that something is not permanent, or out there to be judged on a grand scale. i have been like this for as long as i can remember. i am committing to this as the beginning of the end of the fear. i promise myself to move forward and to stop wasting time with fear...to push on and make mistakes! i have put it out there. let's see if that does it.

thank you to all who inspire, support and have patience with me. i hope to have today be the beginning of a new adventure.

SQUAM Art Workshop is online today. what an amazing offering this year. 5 options...how to choose? i had such an amazing time last year and met so many creative, warm and nurturing women. i can't wait to return this year.