So Tuesday was okay.

Just wanted to share with you the delicious salad I made, post-yoga, tonight (am eating it now, in fact!). I've been craving a simple salad lately ... this satisfied it, for now.



local chard
local sorrel (tried it? very intense citrusy flavor ... delicious!)
california organic carrot, one, grated
shake of black pepper
sprinkling of flaxseed
one large handful walnuts
1 tbsp organic EV olive oil
couple light shakes of organic balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp raisin sauce (this is another gem from the kripalu cookbook; basically you soak raisins in water for a few days and then blend till smooth in a blender or FP)

elemental. back to the basics. feeding the whole of body, mind, and spirit. raw.

now, if only i had some hot ginger tea around here .... supposed to be 53 degrees tonight. oh, well. Will pick some up this weekend.

Weekend plans, aside from the art festival and much knitting of scarf and dishcloths, include the making and freezing and possible gifting of one of summer's great treasures before it's too late: basil-walnut-spinach pesto. Must buy small jars and label stickers. A worthy investment. Best thing: the basil is free, the kids have grown it at school!

Paid for the yoga retreat today. I'm going!

Teaching kids to knit, then getting re-inspired yourself: priceless.

A sewing class is on deck. I've put the wheels in motion.

Look for a post on my new financial plans, soon.

Peace.

We must become receptive to find that peace which we seek.

here i am.

my first stripe ever, on the record! love those fall colors and that soft, soft Nashua handknits yarn.

Where to begin? Well, with today, of course! Although it's been three weeks since I've blogged here ... I don't like that, you know. Wish I could be like some of you amazing stay-at-home-moms that have four kids, homeschool, and sew/knit/bake themselves into a frenzy ... believe me, if i didn't have to work at this young age of mine, I'd be right there with you! I do the best I can with the time I do have, I think. Lately it's been difficult, but I'm finally coming into a comfortable routine with the school day and schedule, and my energy is coming back thanks to resuming yoga again. That always makes a huge difference in my life. That, and my near-daily walks, even if they're short. Tonight I have a headache so it was short, about 20 minutes. Sometimes I go for more than an hour. Just depends ... also depends whether I do the 2.5 mile loop at the park or just walk the streets of my adorable neighborhood.


sometimes i just hang out on a blanket ....

Today it only got up to 70 degrees ... for Kentucky, that means fall is here! I was actually excited to wear a long-sleeved L.L. Bean dress (a great thrift find), leggings, striped knee-high socks, and my cowgirl boots ... which the kids loved! lol ....

Things I have planned: live music on the waterfront wednesday night, our town's big art festival next weekend, and a yoga retreat over Thanksgiving at a place called Red River Gorge, which includes a cottage stay, rock climbing, hiking, and vegetarian food. I'll also be attending my very first vegan Thanksgiving dinner at the yoga studio owner's home. ... I can't wait!

I have a lot of pictures from the last few weeks, so I'll try not to be too wordy. The knitting is going here again ... I am doing dishcloths and scarves for this Christmas, and am so excited, as I've taught myself to knit stripes! I also have just received a sewing machine in the mail and plan to take a class on the basics very soon. I must say, all the tiny accoutrements for sewing leave me feeling quite overwhelmed! I'm thinking it can't possibly be as intimidating as it looks ... er ... right?

School is going well. I like the teacher I'm working with. I lead the knitting club Tuesdays after school .... the children have already taught me more than I've taught them!



Cooking is going ... well, it hasn't whipped my kitchen into an urgent, pulsating frenzy yet. The nesting instinct hasn't gripped me fully yet. Actually I am wondering, since I've been trying to keep it simple, if any of you have good salad recipes? As in, not boring ... I like a lot of flavor. I'm open to those making use of grains (there was a bulghur wheat/granny smith apple/raisin salad at whole foods I'm dying to replicate, I think it also had parsley and mint in it?), but am trying to incorporate more raw food into my diet, too. I won't become a raw foodist, it's just not me, I enjoy a wide variety of food too much, but ... yeah, more wouldn't hurt. Any suggestions?




egg salad with vegenaise


yep, sometimes i must admit it's been that way ....

Okay ... sorry this post is kind of drab but I'm feeling headachey and want to soon snuggle up in my warm bed.


me without a headache on another day

Can't wait to share more of my fall with you as it unfolds.


some good friends, who happen to be all in a local bluegrass band


farmer's market bounty .. i'm going to stuff that squash somehow ...


babysitting



around town, barn


around town, festival


dahl and golden basmati rice, from the kripalu cookbook


in love with chard


birthdays




yep, it was cool enough to wear all that today.




two nice goodwill finds



sweet williams ... sorry my pictures have been very lazily and hastily taken, lately.








here are the practice and keep-at-school bags for the first-grade knitters ... i was pretty partial to those fish stickers and the metallic gold marker ... the totes are reusable which i love, too ....

much love to you.

happy to report ...

... that my computer is up and running again, and this blog is BACK!! stay tuned ... i promise to update real soon.

i finally saw Julie and Julia last night. What an awesome movie!! Reinspired me to both cook and blog, which I've really been doing none of lately ..... my energy kind of stagnated ... but I've started yoga, and things are coming back!!

Can't wait to read your blogs again.

Thanks for the patience.

Love,

Karen

p.s. The knitting is un-stagnating, too!!

technical difficulties, grrr.

PLEASE stay tuned for new posts from me soon ... I may be gone for a while, due to a problem I've been having with charging my computer. I'm either going to get a new charger or buy a new computer (hello Apple store!) when my student loan comes in.

I'm well ... waiting for three weeks from now to jumpstart my financial plan. I'm going to save for a house ... among other things.

Walking home to eat an egg for breakfast. Outdoor bluegrass festival tonight.

Peace and promise to be back soon,

Karen

random mid-week ramble.

hints of fall already in the air around these parts. cool mornings, warm days with a breeze, cool evenings. tons of walks, whenever i have the energy. school is absolutely wiping me ... especially today. i initially felt twinges of guilt about not thinking of all this extra stuff to cram into the day, baking projects that are potential with the age range i help teach. etc. ... then last night it hit me, damn it i've just got to get used to the routine! as do they ... forgetting it usually takes more than a month to "settle in." i try to have patience. it's difficult, but i muddle through.

i'm single again. i'm more than okay with it, though i have no hard feelings toward he who just wasn't (again) the right one. i'm reading like a madwoman lately. i can't complain, though my knitting is taking a huge hit and knitting club at school starts right around the corner ....

monday: my first lights-free night. how pleasant to come home, finish reading Twilight, go out for a very long walk, and come back for a hot bath by candlelight? followed by a warm cozy bed and reading a yoga meditations book by candlelight? i could get used to those mondays.

the bus thing hasn't happened yet ... it will require waking up at 5 a.m. one day a week. i can barely stumble out at 6:30 at this point ... hey give me credit, last year it was 7:30 (and shall be again next year, if i can help it! lol).

the friday popcorn thing ... not sure i can sustain it. my appetite requires something more. still, i like the idea of "no fuel friday..."

i recently did the grocery shopping for 2 weeks, on a complete whim, while at the first of the shops i visit. i stocked up on what extra i could at the farmer's market, too. this means just a quick, cheap trip to the farmer's market this weekend.

i'm thinking about holing up with some rented videos i want to watch. and that pesky knitting ... a big project i've been trying to finish forever. yeah, the knitting's at a stalemate right now while i feel the winds of earthly change (happens every fall, i hear you, sweetfernhomemade!) swirling. i stand, trying to be as still as possible until it's safer to move more freely about.

just some random thoughts on an exhausted wednesday night. soon, this will become more usual and i'll be able to pursue some mid-week interests (live bluegrass music and practicing my own sad guitar skills) with more gusto. for now, i'll concentrate on mostly keeping to the menu plan and getting enough sleep to make it through the school day awake and level-headed. good news: a three-day weekend coming up. more time to practice all of it.

peace to you,

karen