{this moment}

Joining in with SouleMama tonight while Tiny has a moment with the music... Slipper (there is only one) optional.

Happy weekend, peeps. xx

seasonal delight :: rocking our world right now...

Apples... As a treat, or breakfast, or a snack... Anytime... Fresh from the Huon Valley.
Peeled and cored on the "spinny thing"...



Sauteed with butter...



Lots of butter...



Served with farm fresh milk. Delivered to our door, by the farmer himself...



Candlelight. Time spent together. Snuggling by the fire. Sunlight through windows...



And lashings of fresh cream...

Remembering quiet days as winter approaches and finding space for each other, within our nest... That gentle in-breath, settling into a rhythm after a long, wild Summer and early Autumn. Finding abundance and luxury in small things, simple things.

What's rocking your world right now?
How do you find simple abundance in your nest?

xx

The Tooth Faerie :: marketing and magic

There's been a bit of excitement in our house... Wobbly teeth all over and Little Owlet has finally been visited for the first time. The owlets have decided that instead of just one universal tooth faerie, each of them has their own dedicated personal tooth faerie, who happens to be a millionaire (or at least have enough money for a gold coin for each tooth - gosh!). You'll be pleased to know that Little Owlet's tooth faerie is named Marigold and she wears a dress spun from spider's silk. There's much talk of silvery moons, dew drops and faerie magic!

Just as we're watching Little Owlet's teeth with anticipation, we're watching Tiny's with a degree of trepidation and making sure the products we use for her and for her teeth are of the purest and gentlest, most nurturing form. Regular fluoride toothpaste bit the dust long ago. We look for products that support and truly clean her teeth with their antibacterial qualities, and we don't mind that we are ingesting them because they are so pure.

With little changes have come some occasional resistance from the owlets. Switching to homemade toothpaste brought doubts from all of us, but I decided it was all in the magic and the marketing...

So I whipped this up:

2 x heaped tablespoons organic coconut oil
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
10 drops peppermint oil

Mix it around in a small bowl, then pop in a jar and label appropriately. Use as you would regular toothpaste...

They loved it. At first the saltiness of the bi-carb shone through. You could tweak that if you fancied, adding as much coconut oil and peppermint as suits, and I believe you could add a natural sweetener like stevia, if sweetness was your thing. It doesn't bother us now.

Our teeth are cleaner than they've ever been before. And we're quietly surprised and pleased that we're saving money on expensive fluoride-free toothpastes that owlets eat like lollies.

There's also a buzz about having super shiny teeth ready for the tooth faerie's next visit. Yep. It's all in the marketing and in the magic. xx

dreams :: {part one}

When I was growing up, just a little older than Big Owlet is now, I'd visit Jeffrey's Bookshop with my pocket money and I'd look at art supplies. I'd walk past the shelves full of books to the dark back corner full of little shelves and glass display cases. I'd pore over all the paint boxes, tools, pencils and paintbrushes... I'd wonder at what things might be used for. I'd delegate a portion towards buying something small and some to save for a tin of Derwent pencils. I loved the smells and the colours. All that wood and pigment just waiting to be put to paper... The potential. The colour. I decided that one day I'd learn to use those tools. And one day I'd have my own art supplies shop.

About a year ago Huz and I sat down after a long day and we decided to make that tiny glimmer of a far-off dream a reality. The dream looks a tiny bit different now, but the chest of drawers in my hallway is home to a growing range of beautiful, colourful art supplies. Childhood fantasy realised.

I'm a bit of a dreamer, as my year 10 maths teacher can attest... "You're very vague and dreamy, aren't you...?" She sighed in exasperation over what, I don't remember, although the words have stuck. Vague perhaps, but dreamy indeed, and unashamedly so. Dreams are what propel us along and I've got lots of dreams to work my way through. Part two is a doozie. Stay tuned...

Do you have any childhood dreams that have been realised?
Are you a dreamer? 
Are art shops your favourite thing too? xx

While the cat's away...

I've been away from our nest all week long. It's been amazing and a time of huge learning and expansion for all of us. More on that later, but for now, a little update on what the owlets have been up to with their lovely Papa. Photographer, owlet wrangler and my greatest supporter. Love him.













All photos by Huz. Find him on Instagram @berondi

Late Night Yum :: Chocolate Mug Cake

We work and play hard most days and end up on the couch in a comfortable but tired little pile most nights, watching episodes of Community, doing Spiral Garden work, stitching and nibbling treats with a warm drink... Huz and I really super look forward to this end of the day - quiet time together while the owlets snore... Sometimes we'll be stuck without a treat to nibble and it'll all end in tears. Either that, or we get inventive. 

So with a little help from google and a little tweaking, thanks to ingredients on hand, we gave a primal version of the Chocolate Mug Cake a go. I wasn't a huge fan of the original, but this is actually pretty delish. And the bigger owlets rather fancy it too and can't believe that much awesome can happen in two minutes. Tiny isn't in on the secret right now as almond meal is pretty much the worst thing for severe tooth decay, so I wouldn't recommend it if you have that going on, although soaking the almonds first would help... And the microwave probably  kills the goodness in the awesome real food ingredients, but sometimes a little lazy indulgence is called for...

Chocolate Mug Cake

1 mug or cup sized ramekin

3 tbsp cacao powder 

2 tbsp almond meal

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 egg

Melt butter in the microwave, in your mug. 

Add all other ingredients and mix until well combined - little lumps are ok.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook it on high for 2 minutes. 

Eat with lashings of cream if so desired. Feel smug. And enjoy. xx

creative space

It's been too long. Mum and Dad have missed my blog, so I know it's been too long. Right now I can spy Huz checking the computer for a new post... The one I've been trying to write as my posts grow further and further apart. Not to worry... all is ok. I'm just a little burnt out.



This week I'm a year older. I'm feeling loved and understood by this little owlet family more than ever, and that's such a wonderful feeling.

But I'm tired. Ten years of interrupted sleep have caught up. And despite the decluttering, the planning and the hard work, I'm creatively, emotionally and physically spent. Fortunately, I can identify what's going on, take notice, live with, sit with and understand it. I'm learning more about myself and my limits and that when I'm stretched, there's a limit to what I can share with those outside my nest. Sometimes there's not enough of me to go around and I'm learning to be ok with that. And generally I know what I need to do next to dig that hole out of the little trench I'm in. But it takes time...



It takes  nourishment. And rest. And space to daydream. I've been missing that. And so I suppose in the times when I'm not blogging and doing the day-to-day stuff I do... I'm daydreaming. Processing and learning and moving through it. Finding some creative space, in every sense, so that I can let some of that creativity free and I can share a bit of myself again.



It takes grounding in nature. And talking and cuddling and loving... and a whole lot of learning and of growth. There's plenty of that to come and I suspect that breaking this small writing drought, ripping that bandaid off, will lead to a string of catch up posts as I fill you in on what we've done between daydreaming...

Have you had time for daydreaming lately?
Have you felt burnt out?
What did you do to get your creativity flowing again?

Have a gorgeous week. xx