Author: Stacie

{A Glimpse into an Intentional Life}

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Being intentional is easier said than done.  It’s easier imagined than executed.  So here’s where we inspire you every week with a simple picture and a few words.  Think of this as a chance to help you realize the simplicity of intentional. 

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The simple observation of a plant sprouting.  An afternoon playing with watercolors.  A moment that might otherwise have been overlooked is now forever remembered in lovely color.

Be inspired.  Allow gratitude and joy and beauty to sneak in with every intention.  And then won’t you come back and share your moment with us?  Or leave a link in the comments to your blog where you celebrate {A Glimpse into an Intentional Life}. 

 

 

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{this moment}

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

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{this moment} – A Friday ritual.   A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.  A simple, special, extraordinary moment.  A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Choco-Lit: The Art of Intentional Conversation {About Books}

/ Stacie / 2 Comments

I  used to think joining a book club was a luxury.  It seemed a bit romanticized.  Women joining together over wine or dinner or coffee and tea to discuss lofty ideas in a book they’d all agreed to read.

And then I had my moments of thinking the opposite.  Surely these women gathered together under the pretext of discussing ideas when, in fact, they were gossiping and drinking wine and using it as an excuse to get together.

My only real experience with book discussions was limited to either “Here, you’ve got to read this!” passing comments or my literature classes in college where I often left feeling like I was obviously some type of nitwit because I certainly never interpreted that passage THAT way.  Add to that the poor guidance I was given through high school in reading classic pieces of literature and I tended to imagine a club to discuss books could only be fun if it involved easy, modern fiction.

Ahhh, how my tune has changed.  Or in this case, my tastes, my perceptions, my intentions.

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I’ve been in my current book club now for almost four years.  Four beautiful years of reading, reflecting, conversing.  Four beautiful years of intentional conversations about shared reading.  Four beautiful years of a community of women that I eagerly gather together with once a month where we can express our own journeys through discussions based on characters and plots and settings and circumstances.

So the thing about my book club is it has been a bit fluid in the past.  In fact, of the original members, I am the only one that remains.  Members have changed, book lists have changed, discussion formats have changed, venues have changed.  Even our name has changed (we are now the Choco-Lit Society…because who doesn’t want to eat chocolate while discussing books?!)

One thing has not changed though.  Intentional literary discussions.

Intentional literary discussions (whether done with a group of like-minded women, a group of diverse women, your husband, your sister, or even your kids) is the pathway to our souls.  Our minds are wired for stories and character transformation…our own character transformation…happens when we soak up a piece of literature and gather together to hash out the details.  We open ourselves to alternative perspectives, constructive criticism and a deeper understanding of ideas when we engage in intentional literary conversations.

Not every book turns out to be what I imagined.  Not every book sparks my imagination.  Some books are lovelier than others.  Some speak to my soul more deeply.  Some I struggle with.  Some I learn from.  Some I connect with.

But the conversation that takes place at book club?  That’s what makes each and every book worth reading.

Because when we come together and actually, intentionally, discuss the book, our minds grow.  Our souls connect over a literary world we’ve immersed ourselves in.  Suddenly the great big world seems a little bit smaller because it turns out that we all have joys to celebrate, hardships to endure, lessons to learn and we discover that through deep, heartfelt discussions that anchor our floating thoughts to concrete words.

This year to mark the our literary intentions of 2017, we have decided to lay out our plans for the entire year (in the past we chose books a month or two in advance).  We are focusing on classic pieces of literature this year.  We gather together on the last Monday of every month at 7 in the evening to discuss, with intention, the book for the month.  And each of these books are full of beautiful, worthy subjects to discuss.

I encourage you, if you are not part of a book club already, to join one.  Personally, I fail at online book clubs, but I know many women who thrive in them.  Join an intentional conversation and see the goodness, the beauty and the truth that lie hidden behind a literary conversation.  And then won’t you come back and share your experience with us?

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February Daybook

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

In my backyard…February has arrived along with beautiful weather (as is the norm for our deep South Texas location).  The leaves have all fallen and our plants in the garden are blooming.  We’ll have radishes and carrots in no time at all and broccoli will soon follow.february-2017-004_1_1 february-2017-005_2_1 january-2017-184_1_1

I am remembering…the shouts of delight as these boys chased the chickens to get them back in their coop.

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I am grateful for…having someone who shares my love of literature.

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I am watching…Katie go round and round on her scooter…one bare foot and one foot in a roller skate.

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I am listening…to William in a panic.  He thought he put his sewing needle beside me but now it’s missing.  He was walking around in a panic and suddenly it was quiet…no whining, no panicking.  I looked over and he was drinking water and I said, “You’re not even looking!” and he replied, “Well, I have to stop and drink water…this is what I do when I get stressed out.”  Drinking water when stressed?  It could be so much worse.

I am wondering…what in the world Lemon Balm was thinking the first time she stuck her nose out of her box and looked into eight eager little eyes staring back at her.

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I am laughing…when I remember Joey at co-op last week.  The older girls were teaching all of the kids the movements for the cups to go along with their folk song When I’m Gone.  Joey was incredibly enthusiastic and tapping to the beat in his own head.

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I am reflecting…on my conversation with William this morning after he read and narrated to me from his Daniel Boone book.  He agrees with Daniel and Daniel’s father that Daniel doesn’t need formal schooling but that his practical life skills are more important.  William understands why he must get a formal education but he wanted to know why I don’t place more importance on teaching him to hunt and forage and learn survival skills.  We are a society that depends greatly on a system beyond ourselves, survival is assumed, but maybe it shouldn’t be taken so lightly…perhaps basic survival skills deserve a higher place in education.  We should feel our ancestors in our daily grind, know our physical capabilities and rest in the knowledge that we are a people capable of caring for ourselves.

In the schoolroom…We’re wrapping up Daniel Boone and moving on to Lewis and Clark soon.  Another week of school and it’ll be time for a week off of planning.  We’re now fully emerged in a Charlotte Mason way of education and I look forward to seeing the fruits of our labor.

Around the house…there is a pile of laundry waiting to be put away and sweet little Lemon Balm is ready for her cage to be changed…this should be interesting to watch Joey learn the real responsibility of having a pet.

In the kitchen…a bag of almonds is patiently waiting for me to turn it into almond butter.  My jars of lemon balm glycerite are stewing.  I’m eager to try it on this handful of rowdy boys and see if it brings us any calmness.

I am wearing…black yoga pants and a teal blue puckered tee.  Gosh, that description sounds so awkward…I need to work on descriptive writing.

We are preparing for…Valentine’s Day.  Oh how I love a day dedicated to love.  I get to get all mushy and overly sentimental and no one can find fault!

Someday I am going to miss…our Friday morning herb studies together.

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I am reading…America’s First Daughter, The Highly Sensitive Person, The Hiding Place and Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline.  I’m listen to Rachel McAdams read Anne of Green Gables on my phone…she’s done a lovely job. 

One of my favorite things…watching these kids learn together (here they are using the Bird Songs Bible).

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A peek into my day…

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Please visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook for more daybook entries.

 

 

Thought I'd Appreciate This in 10 years…

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Meet Joey, age 9:

Tell me a little about yourself: I’m 9 years old and I like playing Lottie and Finn with Katie.  I’ve got a lot of Legos that I like to play with and I love learning Spanish.  I love Roman Numerals and I want to be a policeman when I grow up or maybe a zookeeper.

What’s it like being 9?  It’s fun especially when you’re the oldest because then you get to be in charge and help look after your siblings.  You also get a bigger serving of elderberry syrup and now I have a hamster because I’m 9.

What’s your favorite book?  Well one of my favorite book series is Beast Quest.  My favorite book that Daddy read to me was The Green Ember.  Also, I loved Dangerous Journey so much.

What do you like about yourself? I like that I’m eager to build and I also like playing with my siblings.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?   My favorite color is red and I like everything to eat.  And I write a series of books called Animal Fight.  I’m working on Book #17 right now, Armando the Lively Anteater.

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Meet William, age 7:

Tell me a little about yourself:  My favorite thing to do is eat and do karate.  I like to eat peanut butter and almond butter sandwiches.  Also, another favorite thing to do is snuggle Mommy.

What’s it like being 7?  It feels so great.  You just have a lot of energy and you can’t wait to get it out.

What’s your favorite book?  I have a lot, but one of my favorites is Swiss Family Robinson because they get stranded on an island and they have to survive.

What do you like about yourself?  My hair.  It’s getting dredlocks.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?  My birthday is coming up.  I’m excited to be 8 because that means I’m one year closer to marrying someone.  I might marry my friend Ada because she’s very nice and she likes to dance and she’s 8.

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Meet Andrew, age 5:

Tell me a little about yourself: My birthday is June 22 and I’ll be six years old, as old as my friend, Cameron.  I used to want to be a mud puddle but now I want to be a monster.  Hopefully a monster with horns and sharp teeth and claws as sharp as knives.  I’ll be a good monster, though, and scoop up bad monsters with my horns and fling them.

What’s it like being 5?   Oh it’s really nice.  I like playing with Joseph and William and Katie.  I like it because I can spend my day outside.

What’s your favorite book?  Uncle Wiggily.  My favorite story in there is Uncle Wiggily and the Freckled Girl.

What do you like about yourself?  I like that I’m not always mean anymore.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?  I like monster books and I like playing with yarn.

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Meet Katie, age 3:

Tell me a little about yourself:  I am nice to Joseph.  I like to do my ABCs and I like to swing.  I really like to pretend I’m driving the car and I like to pretend I’m the mommy.

What’s it like being 3?  I sleep with mommy and daddy and I like to always be with my mommy.  I’m a good eater…I get ice cream when I give Daddy a kiss.

What’s your favorite book?  Anne of Green Gables.

What do you like about yourself?  The way I run.

Anything else you’d like to tell us? I like going to the aquarium and I like to snuggle and play Uno with Granny.  My best friends are William, Joey and Rooey.  Eleora, Maddie and Baby ‘Retta are my best girl friends.  I like everything that is pink and I love to “read” to my mommy.  I start a lot of my stories with “Last year…” or “Yesterday…” (although I have no concept of time yet).

 

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Miss Daisy’s Naturals: Being Intentional About Skincare Products

/ Stacie / 2 Comments

There’s something unintentional about the way we slather products onto our bodies.  We open a product, slap it on and, for most of us, never consider the fact that the skin is the biggest organ in the body, soaking up every chemical, every preservative, every molecule of whatever concoction caught our eye at the store.

Some of us have become a little more savvy.  We avoid parabens and synthetics when we can.  We buy things in recycled bottles that are BPA free.  We read the labels and see lovely things like coconut oil and essential oils and we just skim over the words we can’t read.  We settle for a $10 bottle of organic lotion (and hope it actually works) because surely buying it is easier than making it ourselves.

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Body products shouldn’t be so complicated.

Luckily, there are people in the world, like Lori Concert with Miss Daisy’s Naturals, that can help de-mystify the skin care product aisle.  She has taken beauty products to a level of simplicity that makes my skin sing glorious thoughts.  Her wrinkle-free skin and beautiful tone are a testament to the fact that her products work.  And the best part?  She’s not hoarding the secrets of beauty products.  While she makes products to sell at her Etsy shop, she loves teaching other women how to make beauty products in the comfort of their own kitchen.

Lori’s journey has evolved over time.  It started with her food revolution.  She realized she was filling her body with all kinds of food that fueled it and she reaped amazing results (both in the physical and mental realms) but she wasn’t paying as much attention to what she was putting ON her body.  Then it dawned on her how much was being absorbed through her skin and she began reading labels and researching products.  Slowly she began experimenting with making her own products and it had a quick spiraling effect…once she made one thing, she was eager to try her hand at making something else.

Her beauty product production began with lip balm.  Then she moved onto making her own shampoo, body butters, lotions, bath salts, bath bombs and now she’s moved on to make-up. After years of making her own products, she decided to start her own beauty line to combine her love of crafts with her belief that natural products are a pillar on the road to health.  In 2015, she started her Etsy shop, Miss Daisy’s Naturals, based on the idea that people are interested in natural beauty products but are often intimidated to attempt making them on her own.

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This is her intentional movement to get natural products into the hands of women who value health and what goes on their bodies.

I had the lovely opportunity to indulge in one of her lavender whipped body butters.  Ooh la la!  My skin looks and feels beautiful and there is no greasy residue.  I have extremely sensitive skin (with the tendency to get eczema patches where products disagree with my skin) and after using her products for the last few months, I can testify that it works beautifully on sensitive skin!  Pop over to Miss Daisy’s Naturals to see what Lori has in stock (and feel free to message her with a custom order question if you don’t see what you’re looking for).

Lori and I encourage all of you to experience the power of natural body care products, whether it’s a product you discover in her Etsy shop or a product you decide to make yourself.  We promise that once you try them (or make your own), you’ll never go back to store bought products.

Won’t you join our intentional revolution and treat your skin with the care it deserves?

 

 

{A Glimpse into an Intentional Life}

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

Being intentional is easier said than done.  It’s easier imagined than executed. 

So here’s where we inspire you every week with a simple picture and a few words. 

Think of this as a chance to help you realize the simplicity of intentional. 

Be inspired.  Allow gratitude and joy and beauty to sneak in with every intention.  And then won’t you come back and share your moment with us?  Or leave a link in the comments to your blog where you celebrate {A Glimpse into an Intentional Life}. 

glimpse-intentional-life-with-every-intention

Being intentional is one stitch at a time.  One moment.  One thought.  One conversation.  It’s not about winning the race.  It’s about enjoying the scenery.  Savoring the moment.  Living in the present.

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Windy Day Imagination

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

Today was windy.  Incredibly, incredibly windy.  I’m talking about the kind of wind that Brave Irene faced.  We went out for the morning, together as a family, and I cursed the wind.  I walked with my head bowed, barreling toward my destination, never stopping to look up.  My earrings flapped in the wind, the noise echoed in my ears.  Katie’s little hand was tucked inside mine and I practically dragged her along in my effort to get out of the wind.  I couldn’t imagine anyone choosing to stay outdoors on such a windy day.

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We arrived home and after a quick dash from the car to the door, I stopped briefly by the kitchen window.  Katie was glued to my side but I realized the house was remarkably quiet.  The boys had all chosen to remain outside, despite the wind.  They howled with laughter as they chased each other around the yard.  Before too long, Joey and William were parked on the swings, straining their muscles against the force of the wind, heads tilted back, faces turned upward catching glimpses of the sun through the branches of the tree.

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And Andrew?  Well, Andrew discovered the result of a windy day.  Branches and twigs galore.  I watched as he sorted through the branches, wielding one after another, testing the feel of each one in his hand.  I watched as he swung each branch, cutting through the air, imagining himself as a knight, battling a dragon.  His face carried his expressions as he drew within, fired solely in his internal world by his roaring imagination.

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I stood and watched.  Just watched.  For moments of that windy day, I, too, was captured by Andrew’s windy day imagination.  My world stood still as I saw the windy day through his eyes.  His intentional moment was captured in his expressions, in the way the branch swung through the air, in his moment of glory when the dragon had been slayed.

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I thought about all the windy days in my life.  The days when I walk, head bowed, barreling on, too caught up in a minor annoyance to stop and see the opportunity of the day.  I want to be like Andrew.  I want to face the windy days with the attitude of promise, the joy of intention.

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Boosting my Body: Intentional Reading

/ Stacie / 3 Comments

This is the second post in my Intentional Reading series as I tackle pinning down my intentions for the coming year as far as the information I put into my brain.  You might remember that I’ve broken my intentional reading list up into three areas: Mind, Body, and Spirit.  This list focuses solely on books meant to boost my body.

So what requirements do I look for in choosing books to “boost my body” and for that matter, what in the world do I mean by “boost my body?”  By “boost my body”, I simply mean finding ways and working hard to keep my body in good condition.  I’m not getting any younger (trust me, I’ve noticed those wrinkles, too) and when I pay attention to how I’m treating my body, my world just seems better.  My body is meant to be a well-tuned machine so the food I put into it, the output I require of it (exercise), and the nourishment I give to it (herbs, rest, relaxation) all help keep it well-tuned.

So in making my list, I was thinking about those three main areas: food, exercise, and nourishment.  Since food and nourishment help boost my body to help keep it well-tuned, I have also included a few survival books that I like slowly digesting (just in case…’cause disaster can happen anytime and I’d feel rather pathetic if I was like the grasshopper playing all summer plus apparently I am at greater odds for needing survival skills based on my city’s track record with water).  You’ll see some hobby books here, too.  They’re not here by accident.  I feel it’s essential to my overall well-being to have some books that remind me to relax.  Trust me, this old body works much more efficiently when it’s well-balanced.

A final thought…this list was a bit harder to make, mostly because many of these aren’t books I plan to read cover to cover and so it almost feels like cheating to say that I intend to “read” them.  However, after thinking it over, I decided to include them all here as the information in them will be savored and mulled over and will, therefore, be food for thought.  I’ve marked, with an *, the books I don’t plan to read cover to cover, but instead plan to read bits and pieces in no specific order.

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Books for my Body:

  • Books about Food:
    • *Well Fed Weeknights:  You cannot go wrong with Melissa Joulwan’s recipes!  While she’s totally Paleo (and heavily Whole30), you won’t even notice it…her recipes just rock.  Even my kids all eat her stuff without complaints.
    • *The Wellness Mama Cookbook:  I like The Wellness Mama and I like cookbooks.  I figure it’s a win-win.
    • *Eat Like a Dinosaur:  I’ve heard lots of good things about this one.  And I’m tired of trying to explain for the millionth time why they can’t have crackers for a snack.
    • *The Paleo Kids Cookbook:  If she’s taken into account picky eaters, then this might just become my new go-to
    • Eat Dirt:  Because everybody has gut issues these days, I figured I’d educate myself a bit
    • The Paleo Solution:  Is it possible to eat Paleo and not read this?  I’ve managed to for too long…time to dig into the science a bit more
  • Books about Exercise:
  • Books for Nourishment:
  • Survival Skills:
    • Survival Mom:  I love this book!  I am working through it slowly, chapter by chapter.  It’s so practical…it was written by a mom for moms after she realized that most of the survival books out there are geared toward men and usually single men.  I love her research, her candor and her realism.
    • The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide:  I don’t tend to panic in my mind about food.  I don’t necessarily go crazy over imagining life without electricity (although that would be a nuisance!).  But the thought of having no water?  Yeah, that one drives me to my knees.  I figure without a healthy water supply, all of my other survival tactics are in vain, so this is one thing I want to conquer this year.
    • Little House in the Suburbs:  This one has been sitting on my shelf for some time.  I plan to dust it off and go through it little by little.  Will I raise chickens and bees as suggested?  Probably not if Daxson has anything to say about it but still it’s full of lots of good information.
    • Prepper’s Natural Medicine:  This falls into that “gosh, I hope I never need this” kind of knowledge, but I figure I’d rather have exposure to the ideas than face disaster with a blank stare
    • *Idiot’s Guides:  Foraging:  Mark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen has written an awesome book about foraging.  The pictures are crisp and clear and he’s photographed everything (flower, leaf, root!) you need to help you correctly identify edible plants plus he’s told you how to harvest them, when to find them, how to cook them, and their plant mimics.  This book combined with a few of his half day seminars and I’m in my backyard exclaiming, “Don’t pick that!  It’s more than just a weed!”
    • *Botany in a Day:  Because plant identification overwhelms me unless someone else has confirmed my identification
  • Herbal Study Books:  These books get their very own category because my list is so long.  I’m currently enrolled as a student at Sage Mountain and so as I learn about an herb, I use my books to research it further.  It’s slow going but already I’ve learned so many amazing things about the plants I’ve studied.
  • Books for Rest and Relaxation:

There it is.  My intentional reading list to boost my body.  It looks so intimidating but remember a lot of those books are being read in small chunks or referred to as necessary.  Others will be a slow work of progress (probably over years) as I soak in the information.  I’d love to see what’s on your intentional reading shelf…please come back and, in the comments, share some titles or a link to your list!

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{this moment}

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

january-2017-102_1_1

{this moment} – A Friday ritual.   A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.  A simple, special, extraordinary moment.  A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.