Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Join in remembering a great moment throughout the week.

photocredit Before I get started, I should warn you there is almost nothing redeeming about what I'm going to share. Whole foods? Out the window. This recipe is NOT healthy by any means, unless you happen to be using raw milk & cream to whip your cream. Seriously, even then, it would be masked by the massive amount of sugar. Just sayin'. Carry on. Ingredients *favorite hot cocoa mix (I love to make homemade mix, but I also like " Swiss miss " for prepackaged) * Torani' s carmel syrup * Smucker's Sunday Syrup (Carmel) *Whip cream *Kosher or Flake Salt (not table salt!) *Milk Grab your favorite mug and begin by adding the carmel (torani) syrup to your mug. These are good starting off points, because you can always add more: 2 tblsp for 12 oz, 2 1/2 for 16 oz, 3 for 18+ oz. This amount gives just the hint of that carmel flavor without it being too sugary. Set aside. Next heat your milk on the stove or in the microwave (90 sec on high) until pre...

Source: amazon.com via Sarah on Pinterest The Rhythm Of Family by Amanda Blake Soule and Stephen Soule had been on my wishlist since back in Spring, when (I think) I first heard of it. I'm an avid reader o f Soulemama' s blog . I love her thoughtful posts, her children's funny antics, her knitting and sewing addictions, and her chosen lifestyle. I also should admit that I have her other two books, purchased with weeks of their release dates. I didn't expect this book to be too different from her previous two, The Creative Family and Handmade Home . It does have a couple homey crafts mixed between it's pages, but there are a lot more recipes, and the main difference is this seems to be a compilation of seasonal (monthly) essays written by the two Soules through the calendar year. The photography is even better than the last two, and I could definitely see the mix of seasons within the pages, but  I have to admit, this is probably my least favorite of the t...

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Join the fun of remembering a moment. Happy weekend!

While we on the wagon of glorifying fall to nullify summer, a spoof. Please replace the word "sweet" with "sweaty" as this horrid summer was the hottest most people can remember...so: a tribute to your leaving!

This week we're celebrating the first day of Autumn, also know as one of the best days of the year. Not only is summer as far away as it possibly can be, but it's also the start of the holiday season, filled with warm and cozy things like knitting, hot chocolate, leg warmers and oversize sweaters. Enjoy the lovely week! Source: honeyandjam.com via Deanna on Pinterest Source: tig-fashion.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: nauticalstripesandcritterskirts.tumblr.com via Maria on Pinterest Source: thepapermulberry.blogspot.com via Letrecivette on Pinterest Source: shop.lovefeasttable.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: whatsupmynerdizzles.tumblr.com via Fionnuala on Pinterest

I finally caught a non-stink face! Join the fun with many others and savor a simple moment .

Source: ladyanndeborja.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest Today I'm just sharing a list of my favorite go-to resources for home schooling. It's a list of where I find games, books, crafts, and fresh inspiration. Also included are articles I've loved about home schooling. One of my favorite websites about homeschooling, updated daily, is Simple Homeschool . It's a shoot off branch of SimpleKids & SimpleMoms, and they often have great giveaways, advice, and have concise and interesting topics. A friend recently guided me to World Book Online to find the general requirements of each grade. At the curriculum fair I went to in April, I remembered two vendors that I want to revisit if they return. One was Hepner's Legacy and the other was Miller's Pads and Papers (don't be fooled by the poor websites, they have great products at good prices). TED Talks . Go. Watch. Now. All of them. Awesome. Even if home schooling is a laughable topic to you, you're ...

Source: playfulearning.com via Sarah on Pinterest I always love to read what others are doing for home-schooling, so I thought it might be helpful for anyone who is interested in learning more about it, doing it already but needs some fresh resources, or who loves to do activities/read with their (or others') children. Today I'm going to just list the main books we hope to go through this year, some resources we use, games + puzzles that will aid us, and the curriculum I have for this year. The schedule of subjects are Monday-Thursday, with each day getting about 3-5 subjects, depending on how busy that day normally is for us. We have music class on Wednesdays at 11, so usually I can get quite a bit done in that morning (5 subjects) whereas Thursdays I often have other things going on, and so I leave it at 3. The main things we are focusing on this year are: Math, Language Arts (LA), Science, Social Studies, French, and Art. We also incorporate Free Play or "Recess...

Well yesterday was our first day back to (home)school and it went...alright. I think I've figured out if I call it school it will be horrible ! awful ! not to mention long ! but if I never say the word 'school ' again, I'd have perfectly attentive little activity masters, calm and sitting engaged kids, and... anyway. Lukka is in an 'in between' stage now because although he has already mastered half of the Kindergarten curriculum that regular schools learn in a year, he's still quite young at 4 (just turned, in fact, in June) and I don't want to squash that free-play loving sprite who wants to just play outside with more hours of sitting still. Instead I've written a plan for each day that involves at least 3-4 subjects, and includes a recess time (which means nature walk, free play in the backyard, playing at a friend's house, etc.). Each subject takes between 10 minutes and 30 minutes. I'm also teaching the kids basic French this year, an...

This week is our first week 'back to (home) school' and in honor that, I give you my visual monday: school edition for all things inspiring. If you'd like to glean more amazing play spaces ideas, educational activities for home or after-school, and DIY links for things like home made finger paints and glue, you can follow my For the Love of Learning pinterest board. Enjoy! Source: behance.net via Alvaro on Pinterest Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Paula Andrea on Pinterest Source: alphamom.com via Lisa on Pinterest Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: rhythmofthehome.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: etsy.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Something a little different today. Join the fun.

Source: rumplestiltskein.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest Linky Love is here again. I love to share my great, interesting, or worthwhile links every month, so enjoy! This month is all about books, school, fall, fashion, and of course, what would it be without a bit of crafting and food mixed in? In no particular order...I give you...the bullets: Teachers, parents, and child-care providers get excited for some well designed free printables . They actually exist. Looking for frugal items to stash in a bin for rainy days and crafting with littles around? Here is a great list. This new farmhouse (kitchen shown here ) has me drooling for our own little plot of land. Don't ask Stefan how many animals I want. He'll just roll his eyes. There's still a place in my heart for this job . Yes, wanted to be one until I was about 16 and scraped by in my Chem class. Travelling and learning--the perfect combination. And another thing about life-long learning .... probably the prettiest f...

Source: hawthornethreadsblog.com via Sarah on Pinterest I have big craft goals to attend to these next couple of months, some are just for fun, pinned to my " Make Do and Mend" board, and some are gifts for the end of the year. This fort, above, is something I'd like to make before mid-October, and I know I have enough scrap fabric to do it. In fact, I could probably make 20 of these with all the fabric I have. Source: psimadethis.com via Sarah on Pinterest I found this on pinterest and thought it was so cute, perhaps because it's my favorite color and it's a scarf. I also have a growing pile of purged tees recently...so...there's that. Source: elsiemarley.com via Sarah on Pinterest This is actually on my to-do list for this week as next week we're (finally) starting school at home. This is for Lukka to grasp the concept of dates/seasons/weather and it should be fun! Source: thriftyknitter.com via Sarah on Pinterest Here is my 'sweater for th...

Awhile back when I had my mornings of sewing , I had two cut-outs of Lotta's simple dresses for Ani. One in a cute color palette of fruit pattern, and the other an awesome fall hounds-tooth scheme in corduroy. Here are the finished projects, each with their own vintage button from a lovely stash a friend gave me! I used regular bias trim for the button loop holes, and hand-made matching bias for the arms and neck holes. Of course it normally matches right up but she's sitting and so it looks a bit off. Here is an up-close of the fruit dress where I put the bias trim on the outside to create a slight cap sleeve effect and open neck with decorative stitch (read: didn't know what the heck I was doing. You can see the insides of the sleeves here...a bit rough. The neckline worked out). Here is her second dress, another great print that I'd been saving for her. This dress looks exactly like the Lotta Jansdotter pattern, just an easy sleeveless dress with a stitched line ...

Source: digitaljournalist.org via David on Pinterest Some history on the first Labor Day. Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

Join the fun with others around the world. Remember and savor.

Source: buckthefilm.com via Elsa on Pinterest When Stefan and I were in Colorado a few weeks ago, one of the relaxing things we did on our vacation was go to a movie. Rarely do we go to movies in the theaters, but we had a couple hours to kill where nothing was really going on in the city. We each had our "I really want to see this " choices, which were pretty much akin to our genders, but this was the movie we agreed on. I love horses, Stefan loves documentaries and it was a perfect fit. * BUCK is the true story of the real horse-whisperer. The man who inspired the film The Horse Whisperer , Buck Brannaman, had a tumultuous upbringing with a violent father, and finally came to a place of peace around horses. As Buck said in the movie, "I don't help people with horse problems, I help horses with people problems". The story itself is set up in documentary form ranging from his early childhood abuse and neglect, to his early twenties trying to figure out l...