Please Let Me Bless You

Earlier this week, I hosted a co-op planning meeting.   My favorite bunch of super women homeschool moms who work hard, plow through, and give it their best shot every day sat around my dining room table, which I had set with fine china and our great grandmother's silver. 

Not to celebrate how I've got it all together.  (I don't.)

Not to show off. 

To bless.

To say, "I'm so glad you're here." 

To say, "I think you're valuable."  

To say, "I just want you to know that someone noticed you." 

When you come to my house, and there is tea time or touches of thoughtful hospitality here and there, please smile.  Let your heart be warmed. 

Please let me bless you.

Because you're worth it. 

Dominique

Sadly, I forgot to snap a pic of Monday's meeting.  The snapshot above is when the little Blossoms and I were recently celebrating a regular evening.  The white tablecloth was salvaged from our great grandmother's things and the beautiful demitasse (miniature tea) cups were given to us by my sister in law.  She thought the girls would enjoy them.  Combined with a quaint half-sized tea pot from my sister, our quick tea times have taken on a more delicate and festive air.  

Behold, the Sackpack!

A good friend made a great recommendation to me:

Behold, the sackpack!

Much more durable than the string backpacks that little league teams give away or you occasionally find as freebies, these babies are HARDY.

I gave several as gifts and outfitted the Blossoms with their own carefully curated versions.  

Blossom1 and Blossom2 were thrilled that their sackpacks match brand new pairs of Converse they received for Christmas this year. They love to match as much as I do.

The Adidas sackpacks are made of VERY thick, durable fabric with thicker and more comfortable cording than other sackpacks.  

They have two outside water bottle or small gear pockets, a zipper "media" pocket and large inside compartment.  They come in a plethora of colors, suitable for any personality.  (It's easier to see the all the colors, if you view from a mobile device.)

THEY ARE AFFORDABLE.  

Some days a backpack just is too much, but sackpacks allow the Blossoms to carry their own essential gear when we're on the go.  When we headed to a Teen Bible Quiz match last week, I notified the Little Blossoms that I would not be packing my usual entertainment bag.  They should pack quiet forms of entertainment and carry their own essentials.  This worked SO well.  

Just like their backpacks, we keep these in an easy to grab locations.  Add in the fact that Grandma did personalized water bottles for them for Christmas and it's been so convenient!

Dominique

A Few Notes on Tea

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." 

~ C.S. Lewis

I thoroughly enjoy tea time... 

any time... 

all the time!  I especially enjoy loose leaf teas.  The flavor is superior to that of pre-bagged teas, though I can hardly be considered a snob.  I still drink it pre-bagged too!  

There's a ritualistic quality to preparing loose leaf teas in the morning and I enjoy that.  I purchase the most basic varieties from my local Amish health food store, flavors like English Breakfast and plain Black tea.  I love to order teas from The Herb Shop.  Doing a bulk order a few times a year keeps it affordable.  Their Irish Breakfast tea is one of my absolute favorites!  Over the past month, I've savored several cups of their Christmas Spice blend.  It's cozy spicy notes are perfect for this season.

A friend gave me the most exquisite Earl Grey loose leaf blend as a thank you when she returned from the shore a few months ago.  It's like drinking the creme de la creme!  I was sorry to see the end of that little paper bag.

I don't like to fiddle around with too many gadgets that need to be cleaned after my relaxing cuppa, so I prefer to use these paper tea bags.  They make drinking loose leaf tea much more enjoyable and much less work!  Be careful not to order the large size by accident though!

Since tea is an all day affair here, purchasing an electric tea kettle about four years ago has been a good decision.  This little work horse gets heated up at least four times a day.

Especially on our busy Thursdays, I love to take some tea along on our errands.  This travel mug keeps it hot for a LONG time.  The reviews are excellent and the price is affordable.  I also gave some as gifts this year because they came so highly recommended.  I love mine!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put the water on.  The wind and snow are blustering outside and a cup of Christmas Spice is calling.

Dominique

A Holiday Hike

I know how hard it is to get outside in the winter.  

At least, I think I know... but I wonder why I let myself think it's that hard.  I've already shared my Layers Guide and that's really helped us around here.  The weather has been mostly mild these days, so getting outside is more about making myself get up and walk out the door... 

and enforce the Layers Guide. 

(I realize a mom of littles wonders if 30 minutes of monkey wrestling is worth the inevitable 30 minutes of whining about the cold that will follow.  I'm looking straight at my younger self and saying that the vitamin D will be worth it, for them AND for you.)

The Rugged Mountain Man mentioned that he wanted to do some scouting and get the dogs out.  Jake and Rory tend to fall down the priorities list over hunting season.  I'm busy managing the Blossoms and the homestead. The Rugged Mountain Man is juggling hunting, processing meat, work piling up at his day job AND around home. 

 

Plus, throw in all of the holiday hustle, bustle, details and festivities and our canine crew is RARIN' to go here... early and always.  

I declared that we'd join him.  

You'd think being a hunting family, I'd remember to wear the orange, but I had to prance back inside to gather up the mandatory orange.  Better safe than sorry.

(Zoom in, Rory has an affinity for jumping.)

It was only about 1.5 hour jaunt.  For the second half, there wasn't even a trail.  Yes, there was some whining from the Blossoms.  This is a real family, after all.

We just keep going, with reminders to stop complaining and look around.

Eventually, the satisfaction of a misty mountain view eclipses whatever made whining seems so essential in the mind of our youngsters.

I'm looking at the New Year, hoping to do more of this.

Dominique

In the Kitchen

Fruit salad?

No worries...

I've got my army on it. 

When the Blossoms help me in the kitchen, it seriously makes my heart happy.  It also lightens my load, which was a huge blessing on a day that I didn't feel so swift. 

Happy New Year!

Dominique