Waldorf, Handwork, and Rebirth

It's been nearly 5 years since I've posted to this blog. I feel like I've lived an entire lifetime in those few short years. We sold Walnut Cottage in early 2016. Since that time all the land around it has been bought up, the houses torn down and new developments have gone in. Mostly car lots. Yuck. While I desperately miss those days in the gardens and with the chickens at Walnut Cottage I am grateful for having sold it when I did. I really don't enjoy the idea of having a car lot for a neighbor.

As sad as the fate of Walnut Cottage may be, I am afraid that I have even sadder news. In early 2018 Jacob completed suicide while serving in Syria. I can't even begin to explain the situation, but suffice it to say the kids and were and still remain devastated.

In April the kids and moved to Tucson where we are getting along quite well. I had been teaching online, but found a handwork teacher position at the local Waldorf charter here and I am beyond overjoyed about it!

While our lives have changed dramatically a few things remain constant. Waldorf, handwork and gardening. I miss writing about those things. I don't know how I can transform this blog into something new, but I plan to do my best. Walnut Cottage 2.0? Nah, that sounds silly. But maybe something else...I wonder...

So very tired...

Greeting friends! Hope everyone had a great holiday season and that you're getting ready for spring. There has been a lot going on here at the cottage, some good and some not so great.

If you've been to the gas pump lately you've no doubt noticed that gas prices are down significantly. While this is great for the rest of the country in the interim (it does have negative long term implications) it's disastrous for our family. Jacob's hours have been cut by half and since most of what he makes is from overtime his paycheck has taken a very significant hit. We are okay for the moment, but it's not sustainable for the longterm. This means either I go back to work or find a way to pick up the slack while working from home. Of course I prefer the latter since it means that I can spend more time at home with the kids. Which brings me to the good goings on...

In the interest of bring more income into our household I've been VERY busy working on projects!

I've finally finished all my Dr. Sear's wellness coaching and pregnancy and postpartum coaching classes. I hope to start offering the online versions of these courses starting this Monday as soon as I launch my new website so please stay tuned! These are really awesome and powerful classes that are super fun and interactive! I love the way the material is presented and the way it translates for implementation into a home setting. Seriously. These classes are AH-MAZING!

I've put a ton of new things up in the etsy store and am planning on doing a lot more in the coming weeks. If you haven't checked it out lately go do it now!

I've also started working on my courses for childbirth education, postpartum and birth doula work and lactation education. While it's going to take me awhile to get through the course work I hope to be doing some postpartum doulaing and childbirth education classes by early this fall.

Of course with all this work and taking care of the house and two kids I'm exhausted. However, despite the gray clouds looming overhead, I am actually pretty happy with all the work I've been doing and I hope that you with join me on some of these journeys in the coming days as I post new arts and crafts, new classes and new coaching and doula offerings! Have a great weekend folks!

Monday Rundown- Holiday Edition

Whew! What a week! Sorry I failed to post last week, but Jacob made it in early on Sunday morning and the rest of the week from that moment on was pretty much a whirlwind!

We got to spend 6 glorious family days together cooking, baking, playing and visiting. We retired early on the night of the solstice and slept extra long. Even though we didn't do anything particularly special I think getting the extra sleep was a fitting way to mark the longest night of the year. The next two days were passed by preparing for Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

When Christmas Eve finally rolled around we had a wonderful day visiting family. Then on Christmas Day Jacob made duck and other delicious dishes for our Christmas dinner and I got to pull my Great Grandmother's linens out of the closet and use them for the first time in two years. The kids made out like bandits both days with some beautiful and thoughtful presents.

Friday was spent enjoying each other's company, having a nice dinner out and then visiting the Christmas light at the Louisville Mega Cavern. We had to be up early the next morning to drive Jacob to the train station in Indianapolis to catch his 6am train. Saturday and Sunday were spent putting the house back together, resting and nursing the wound that Jacob's leaving always causes.

In the coming week I plan to pack up the Christmas tree and put away the lights. It seems like I just put them up not too long ago. Funny how time seems to pass by more quickly the older I get. I hope that in the coming week I can carve out the time to plan for the new year. I plan on making plans to savor every bit of time I have with my growing baby, my ittle boy and enjoying the fleeting moments I get with my husband.

Hope you all had a great holiday season and are making grand plans for the new year! Have a great week!

Goal Setting Sunday - 12/28/14

Last week I decided to dedicate each Sunday evening to setting and reviewing my weekly goals. I think that this week I will print out a copy of this post and pin it to the fridge so that I can see it and remember what goals I set. 

Here are my results from last week's goals. 

Last Week's Goals

1. Christmas baking on Tuesday.- Done!
2. Do one reiki session for my husband on Friday. - Didn't do. Sorry Jacob!
3. Christmas presents wrapped on Tuesday. - Done!
4. House cleaned by Tuesday night. - Didn't do on Tuesday, but it got done eventually. 
5. Shopping finished on Monday night. - Done!
6. Banks and bills on Monday morning. - Done, except the fact that I tried to pay one bill out of the wrong account and overdrafted. Womp. Womp. I'll remember to check the next time bills are set for autopay. 
7. Return all correspondence Monday afternoon.- Still haven't done. I am truly terrible at this! Sorry to anyone I owe a response!
8. Christmas cards sent on Monday afternoon. - 3 lefts to send. 
9. Enjoy this time with my husband and don't get too rushed. - I think we did okay!
10. Make it to the gym Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.- Didn't do. :(

This Week's Goals

1. Return all correspondence by Tuesday morning. 
2. Do one reiki self session.
3. Finish my Life and Biz workbooks for 2015. 
4. Put all Christmas decorations away. 
5. Get Will signed up for after care if school office is open. 
6. All laundry put away by Monday night.
7. House cleaned by Tuesday morning.
8. Gather Will's school items Sunday morning. 
9. Meditate at least once. 
10. Finish Christmas cards.

If you are inclined to set your own weekly goals go ahead and post them on your own blog and leave me a link in the comments. Next week we can review our goals, report on our acheivements and then set new goals. Let's help hold each other accountable!

{this moment} -12/26/14

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, head on over to Soule Mama and leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Goal Setting Sunday

With the new year on the horizon I've decided that I'm hoping to improve my thought collecting skills so that I can more readily meet my daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. In order to do so I've decided that I will start off each week by listing my goals so that I can get a clear idea of what I need to do.

Here's my list for this week:

1. Christmas baking on Tuesday.
2. Do one reiki session for my husband on Friday.
3. Christmas presents wrapped on Tuesday.
4. House cleaned by Tuesday night.
5. Shopping finished on Monday night.
6. Banks and bills on Monday morning.
7. Return all correspondence Monday afternoon.
8. Christmas cards sent on Monday afternoon.
9. Enjoy this time with my husband and don't get too rushed.
10. Make it to the gym Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

If you are inclined to do the same go ahead and post your goals on your own blog and leave me a link in the comments. Next week we can review our goals, report on our acheivements and then set new goals. Let's help hold each other accountable!

Monday Rundown- It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Last week I told you that we weren't sure if Jacob was going to make it home for Christmas. After much finagling and some logistical acrobatics it looks like he may just make it. It involves a train, a bus, a dog sitter, a mailbox and maybe even a thumbed ride by the time it's all said and done, but as long as we can get him on the train this Friday he will be home on Sunday morning. I hope. Keep your fingers crossed blogfolk!

In the meantime we've been rushing around trying to get all the Christmas-y things done. I only have a few more gifts to buy, cards to mail and gifts to wrap. I'm planning on spending the next couple of days doing some baking and cleaning. I still have to find some type of roast beast to adorn the table. Jacob wants a goose, but I'm not too keen on spending $70+ for one. Any ideas on where I can get one for less than $70 are welcome!

Will has had a wonderful week which included his first every party with friends. He has such a great time and it was nice for me to be able to talk to some of the other parents n his class. In just the few weeks that he's been at school he has changed so rapidly for the better that it's truly amazing! They also had their Winter Spiral ceremony last Friday and I was amazed at how beautiful it was and how reverent all the children were. Sending him to school was definitely the right choice!

Litha had her first real food yesterday. She thinks unsweetened applesauce tastes funny, but baby oatmeal is pretty good. She also finds it rather amusing to blow raspberries with her food. She's a delicate flower, that one.

So, all in all everything seems to be falling in to place! Have a great week y'all!