little things lately

breakfast

After  last weeks posts, and all my looking for real life joy each day....it's kind of hard to stop. 

Once I started noticing all the little joys around me, they seem to pop up all over the place. 

The tiniest things bring butterflies fluttering to my chest and a smile to my face. 

Little Things Lately:

-early out at school! two extra days of weekend to play with my Littles.
-an afternoon fall run. cool air. crunchy leaves evvvvverywhere.
-pushing my body. The last few months my runs have been fairly comfortable--just out for some miles and pretty scenery. But today I pushed. Lungs burning, heart bursting, legs on fire and begging to stop. So I pushed harder. Sometimes it takes a little discomfort for us to realize how awesome our bodies are, and how hard they are willing to work for us if we just push them a little.
-being back on my mat. I hadn't been to yoga in two weeks, and yesterday it felt so good to be back. Stretching and twisting my body, putting my muscles to work.
-discovering a tiny pumpkin patch, and meeting the nicest old man who sold us our pumpkins. His name was Wayne, and we were having such a great time talking about gardening and animals and Montana, that I didn't snap a single photo.....oh well. Talking to Wayne was better.
-after dinner. Listening to The Civil Wars as loud as we can, all of us helping clear and wash and put away.
-Thinking ahead. Making double or triple batches of waffles and pancakes so when we are dragging in the mornings (most days) I can have breakfast ready in no time.

-fuzzy hats, soft jackets, flannel, mittens, boots, a whistling kettle, a woodsmoke breeze, actually SEEING the leaf fall, bright yellow leaves against the darkest stormy sky, rain.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles

double or triple this recipe and freeze the waffles for a quick breakfast!

1/4 c coconut oil, melted

1 cup pumpkin puree 

2 eggs 

1 1/4 c milk 

1 tsp vanilla 

2 cups whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

1/4 c ground flax seed 

1/4 c wheat germ 

1/3 c old fashioned oats 

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 cup chocolate chips

 Mix coconut oil,  pumpkin, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, and stir until everything is incorporated. Mix in chocolate chips-batter will be thick. Ladle into preheated and oiled waffle iron, cook until golden brown. Serve with warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

What little things make you smile lately?

tag your little moments on instagram with #reallifejoy

dear garden,

last harvest, in the rain

Dear Garden,

well, here we are again. 

End of season. 

So sad.....yet I know it's time.

I remember when you were young and small,

tiny green and new.

How has the time passed so quickly?

Thank you for a great summer. 

Thank you for all of our favorite kinds of tomatoes...

......they were a little slow this year because of the early heat, but we forgive you. 

Thank you for the zucchini and squash that just kept growing and growing and growing. 

Thank you for all the tomatillos.....how does one plant grow so many?

Thank you for the radishes and onions and tiny peppers (maybe someday we can figure out peppers?)

Thank you for the pumpkin I forgot I planted. 

Thank you for arugula and sunflowers that came up all over the place like weeds. 

We left them, and loved them. 

Thank you for not caring that I kinda stopped weeding after a while (as usual). 

Thank you for being a home to bees and butterflies and lady bugs for us to watch. 

Thank you for teaching my kids about how things grow and where our food comes from......so important for them to learn.

Thank you for one last harvest, tonight, in the rain. 

The kids hunted and searched and found every last green tomato that was hiding. 

We will let them slowly ripen over the weeks and enjoy them, thinking of you with each bite, when the days are cold and short and we are missing summer.

thank you, and see you next year,

me.

photos from my iphone edited with vsco cam

bicycle, bicycle

"I want to ride my bicycle,  I want to ride my bike"

bonus points for singing along to that song.

Last week we left all of our troubles at home and ran away to the desert. 

Sunshine, rock, and red dirt as far as you could see......the perfect place to be. 

We braved wind and rain and HAIL (more on that later) and were able to get out for not one....but TWO amazing bike rides.  

me on top of Gemini Bridges near Moab

We camped and played with amazing friends, and our campsite was dotted with bikes everywhere you looked, and just as many red dirt stained kids running around with the desert animals. 

The dads headed out for a ride while us moms stayed and played at the campsite with the kids. Then we swapped and while the moms rode out to Gemini Bridges the dads took the kiddos (all 11!) on their own little ride (best dads ever.) 

We rode down over rocks and boulders (myself screaming all the way like it was a roller coaster), along a canyon rim, past natural bridges, and stopped at least 100 times to admire views and climb and play on the rocks. We felt like kids.

The last day of our trip, none of us wanted to go home, and in an effort to make our weekend  last as long as possible.....we decided to each do one more ride. We camped near Moab's famous Slick Rock Trail, so as the sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, the girls sped down the road and hit the trail. Rolling red rock for miles and miles. Up and down and up and down. Legs burning and heart jumping out of my chest on the crazy climbs up, and then squeeeeeeealing all the way down. 

all photos from my iphone and edited with VSCO cam

the end. 

more moab tomorrow!

in the morning

this week I am blogging my Real Life Joys, read more here

her.

Today I am thankful for mornings.

Her school doesn't start until after lunch, so we have the mornings to ourselves....and we love it.

I try to hold off on errands so we can have quiet, slow mornings at home.

We check the garden (things are slowwwwly) still coming. Sometimes we have to hunt.

Lots of art--coloring, painting, drawing.

We practice her reading.

Loud music. Some dancing.

Baking. Making. Creating.

It's our time.....I hope she remembers it forever.

I will.

Extra Joys today:

-The temperature is perfect. Not too hot or too cold.

-Both Littles RUNNING to me after school to give me a hug and tell me about their day. 

Best feeling ever.

-I have a wind chime outside my front door that has been here since we moved in 5 1/2 years ago. I have no idea who it belonged to or how old it might be. 

But I love when I hear it ding-a-ling-ing from the fall breeze.

-Time. It has seriously been the craziest week. So happy that a week has already gone by, and anxious to get a few more under my belt.

-Middle-of-the-night-half-sleeping-kids. Our house is small and we all sleep just a few steps away from each other. We hear every breath, snore, and midnight bathroom break. My favorite is when they stumble back to their rooms talking in their sleep......it never gets old.

-fresh flowers from friends on my big table. happiness.

-watching soccer snuggled in a blanket. I love blankets.

take a minute. think. 

What is your Real Life Joy today?

strength to the body and soul

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, 
places to play in and pray in, 
where nature may heal 
and give strength to body and soul.”
--John Muir

This is my motto, and I believe every single word.

Today was just what I needed.

A slow morning. (no school!)

Sleeping in, waking up sandwiched between my three.

Waffles for breakfast.

Gathering backpacks and snacks and shoes.

Out the door for adventure.

As soon as we stepped out of the car onto the dirt I was consumed with happiness.

A cool breeze. The smell of woodsmoke. Crunchy leaves beneath my feet.

My family on the trail ahead.

We had the mountain to ourselves--just us.

Yellow, orange, and golden coins, lining our path,

fluttering down down down into our hair. 

Standing on top of a giant rock overlooking a sparkling mountain lake, 

hearing a whisper that all will be well.

All simple things, all pure joy.

Strength to my body and soul.

all photos taken on the trail to Silver Lake

See Silver Lake covered in snow HERE along with trail details

This week I'm blogging all of my real life joy (read more here)

What is your Real Life Joy today?

real life joy

Oh Life. 

Such a funny thing sometimes.

Just when you are sailing along smoothly in one direction, the winds quickly change and send you the opposite way into rough waters.

What is it they say.....?

When Life gives you lemons.....

....or when Life throws you a curve ball. 

Or sometimes, Life throws you a lemon curveball.

But what Life doesn't know, is that I happen to like lemons and I played softball for 8 years.

It has been a rough few days around here......OY.
I have found myself mentally and physically down, and unsure of which direction to go.....a place I am very unfamiliar with.

I was so happy to read Natalie's post about real life joy. 
A few simple words that hit me so hard, and came at the perfect moment.
(I'm pretty sure she wrote it just for me)
 A good reminder that I simply need to focus on what is directly in front of me--
REAL LIFE--and find joy.

Not to worry about what is around the bend in the road, or what may (or may not) lie ahead.
What I have right here, right now.

And that my friends, is so much.

all photos taken a few weeks ago, around the Cecret Lake/Albion Basin area

This week I will be blogging about all my real life joys--
small and simple as they may be.
Things that make me happy, right here, right now.

today:
-my family
-the mountains
-my family in the mountains
-crisp, cool, fall air, and how it feels to breathe it in
-sleeping in, wrapped in blankets
-listening to our prophet speak in General Conference over the weekend
-sunday dinner together- roast chicken, mashed potatoes, grilled beets
-warm brownies
-snuggling on the couch as a family and watching Willow

These posts this week are for my own good--so I have something to focus on throughout my day and a reminder to look for small and simple joys in my life. Please feel free to play along on your blog and link your posts here in the comments if you like....it's good to remind ourselves how blessed we are.
tag your small and simple moments #reallifejoy on instagram.

Here's to a happy week.
What is your Real Life Joy today?