Winter Nature Nook

As days grow shorter and the chilly air blows us home, it's nice to bring some of the outdoors in to admire by the warmth of the fire. The kids and I created a space in our cabin where we can study this season's beauty in the comfort of hearth and home.  We wanted our winter nature nook to delight all five senses.  There are cinnamon sticks and dried orange disks to smell and touch, warming candlelight, bright red Christmas Berries to look at, Paper Whites and Amaryllis bulbs to watch grow each day.

To make dried orange disks, simply slice 2 oranges as thin as you can, toss disks in 1/2 cup sugar, and dry in the oven or dehydrator at 200º for 2 1/2 hours.  We tried making a batch without sugar and what we got are brown disks pictured below (the brightness of the other disk was preserved by using sugar).

It felt good to step away from the business this season can bring, take a deep breath, and collect treasures from creation with the kids.  Their creativity was activated and a peace entered the house as everyone crafted elements of the nature nook.  We love how it all came together, and checking the bulbs' growth progress each morning has become a before-breakfast ritual.  I do think we have started a new family tradition.

You Capture ~ Winter

Ah, winter.  I love the coziness it brings.  This year, I attempted my first winter garden.  It is meager, but a start!  Sadly, my nice camera is out of commission, so I had to complete this assignment with the iPhone. :)

We get a LOT of rain here in the Pacific Northwest during the winter, but today we had a little break, so I made the most of it and enjoyed every second of being outdoors, no matter how soggy it was.  First, the chicken coop.  Not so fun, but it does yield all the free fertilizer I need, so that is happy.

And here is my very first head of heirloom broccoli grown from seed!

This little cabbage head is quite tattered, but it's organic, it's local (from my backyard), and it's from a seed that I planted.

And after a lovely day outdoors, I brought some of the bounty in (spinach, rosemary, & broccoli) to make a yummy raw soup.  Goodness.

~ See more Captures here! ~

Hello, Friends

Abandoning blogs during and after the holidays seem to be a trend for me.  I must fix that.  Next year.

This is just me stopping by, wanting to say hello to my faithful readers, and to reassure you I have not forsaken this special place that owns a bit of my heart.  I am so very glad you read this little blog and hope you enjoy it even a fraction as much as I do.

A little update: I am plunging back into raw foods and am thoroughly enjoying a particular book (of which I will soon review) that brought me back to raw, after almost abandoning most of it.  Before I start my review now, I'll stop because it's bedtime for this mama.

Well, many branches are bulging, some bulbs are even sprouting, and I just put in a substantial heirloom seed order.  I am giddy with excitement to plunge my hands into that gorgeous soil again.  Get ready for spring!  More to come on that, too.  :)

For real now, good night, gentle people.  Happy New Year.  May this year be filled with countless memories, satisfaction as a keeper of the home, healthy children, fertile soil, and delicious foods.

You Capture ~ Holiday Decór

~Christmas at my parent's means beauty, warmth, joy, connectedness,

memories, and a myriad of stockings awaiting to be stuffed.~

~ See more Captures here! ~

Lines

I discovered a fun little thing from my blog mentor mamarissa :)

called You Capture. This week we're capturing lines. I immediately

thought of the beloved peach tree I look at through the playroom

window every day. Only a few short months ago it bore the most amazing

peaches I've ever enjoyed. Good night, sweet tree. Slumber well this

winter. I'll feed you, prune you, and treat you well so when you wake

up, you'll have every opportunity to bare even more of your treats

than last year. :)

~ See more Captures here! ~

Today.

In between making several batches of fudge, going outside to water the chickens and get some fresh air was joyous.  This is what I saw.

Wintery Accents

When I was trimming some dead branches off my blueberry bush, I thought they might make a fun, trees-in-the-snow, wintery type of decoration.  Then I saw a twitter post by MamaRissa where she decorated branches with snowflakes in a mason jar.  Perfect!  I learned how to cut snowflakes, stuffed some batting down a jar, and adorned the old, dead blueberry stems.  I thought about going with a colored ribbon, but liked the monotoned simplicity.  You can't see from the picture, but the ribbon has glittery white snowflakes on it.  I'm taking this to a party as a hostess gift.  So fun, cheap, and easy!