happy halloween!

here's the jack-o-lantern i carved today, and the pumpkin seeds i'm going to roast once they're dry.


oh, MAN, have i mentioned how much i just LOVE fall????!!!!

easily my favorite season, by far.

the temps are finally a bit cooler here (upper 60's/low 70's), and the leaves are all a-crunch underfoot.


i've had a serious hiking agenda lately. literally, every weekend is featuring long walks through city parks, state parks, and other woodsy, quiet places. it really helps with the school burnout. must be all that much more oxygen getting to my brain.

today, i decided, upon a friend's suggestion, to go here. i spent four hours walking, pausing to pick up an acorn for my "nature table" bowl on my coffee table, reflecting, journaling some quick thoughts in a tiny shrine to St. Ann, birdwatching and hearing, taking pictures, and having my homemade picnic lunch on a dock overlooking the lake. what a gorgeous day.












after that, i traveled about 8 more miles up some country roads to go here. had a nice wander around, would love to go back and sit in their wine cafe with a good bottle!

huber:











i'm expecting the trick-or-treaters soon. by the way, did you know about this? i didn't, until AFTER i bought my halloween candy (which i have moral issues with anyway, thanks to the ingredients they put in there). so sad. next year i'll buy all fair trade/organic candy. i wish this was easier/cheaper to buy by the bagful. i do love halloweeen. i just don't believe that people anywhere should suffer for it.

i have tomorrow off from school, a small blessing. i plan to spend it knitting up holiday gifts, cooking, and checking out my yoga studio's new studio just over the river in New Albany (IN).

three-day weekends are the best. i get one NEXT weekend, too! so lucky. here's what i'll be doing next weekend, in addition to a sunday morning community yoga event during this.

(yay!! just had the first trick-or-treaters, though i think it's still WAYYY too early ... it's 5:30 p.m. and the sun is shining!)



and here are some shots from hillcrest ave., a street here in louisville which does it up big for the holiday every year. i loved strolling the street with locally-produced apple cider from here and seeing all the hard work. then i went to a small shindig at a former coworker/friend's house and played fencing and magic power rings with a very eager 6-year-old!





i love how busy-in-a-good-way this time of year feels. the last push/rush of energy before winter's quiet, cozied-up nights indoors.

i finally got the cooking bug back again, too. here's a sneak peek:

red bean curry with brown basmati rice (it's on my stovetop now)

fake sausage bake, with sweet potatoes and apples (thanks, frugal trenches!) and served with maple-mustard glazed potatoes and string beans on the side

chocolate zucchini bread

roasted butternut squash soup

spaghetti squash mexicana

cream of tomato soup

spicy peanut and eggplant soup

pumpkin oatmeal cookies

spicy lentil daal


here's what i'm tossing around for thanksgiving dinner:

vegan puff pastry loaf (from "field roast" company)

peanut soup with fresh rosemary foccacia

pumpkin-sage lasagna

jellied cranberry roll

green bean casserole

some type of squash dish

and for dessert: sweet potato pie!!

for friday breakfast: pumpkin-cranberry scones

what do you think? i think i'm hungry. mmmmm. anyway, i was getting a bit tired of tofu and steamed bok choy (though there's still plenty of that being made in my kitchen on tired weeknights, along with fake meat sammiches on ezekiel grain bread)and boca spicy chickn' patties. time for some real, soul-warming food over the next few months!!

look what my farmer friend nick sold me for $1 at saturday's farmer's market! he's lovely, and aren't they beauties? chopped one up in my basmati rice. soooooo spicy and good!!


i am trying to collect a resource for pretty, eco-human friendly, comfy but classy, clothing. any ideas for me, dear readers? i do want some new clothing sometime in the near future ... i get tired of goodwill and vintage but can't morally shop for stuff at the mall...we all know where 99 percent of that stuff comes from. :-(

i heart my "nature table":


i am blessed. have a great week, everyone! i look forward, as always, to seeing what you're up to this fall, too!

simple woman's daybook.

Outside my window... It's dark, and the temperature is unseasonably warm. I can't complain though I do miss chillier New England falls.
I am thinking... That I am ready to push my life forward into that place I'm ready for it to go.
I am thankful for... a steady yoga practice dedicated mainly to balance, serenity, and love.
From the learning rooms... I am learning to let go of the details and realize that I am bringing these children somewhere absolutely beautiful.
From the kitchen... just finished a peanut butter/rice milk/banana/cocoa powder/flaxseed smoothie. Dinner was tofu in tamari and maple syrup with bok choy over quinoa and a tahini drizzle. Sounds fancy but really I haven't made any recipes lately...just now gearing up for months in the kitchen.
I am wearing... flowy-ish yoga clothes.
I am creating... baby gifts, and soon christmas gifts.
I am going... to finish grey's anatomy so i can join real life again.
I am reading... Tantrika by Asra Nomani.
I am hoping... to have a warm visit over Thanksgiving with a very old and dear friend who just might be my ... soulmate! yes. ...
I am hearing... an airplane flying overhead, and the hum of my refrigerator
One of my favorite things... is driving down the parkway leading to my house and noting the absolute beauty of the color spectrum and the piles upon piles of crunchy leaves on the ground.
A few plans for the rest of the week: tomorrow: yoga. wednesday: babysitting. thursday: stock up at whole foods, and maybe stitch and bitch. friday: drinks with coworkers. saturday: farmer's market, hiking, dinner out for pizza. sunday: hiking, handing out candy to trick-or-treaters!

fall goodness, fall slowness, fall promise.

tomato picking, at school.


Hey, all. Just wanted to update with some pictures from this weekend, which was lovely and restful.

Am feeling a bit burned out already from school, despite loving my new position as head teacher. Could use a real, week-long school break. Sigh ... I am way too type B.



Tonight, I baked, and ate, an ENTIRE spaghetti squash! Topped with fried tempeh (in tamari), homemade tomato sauce with a little Frank's Red Hot thrown in, nutritional yeast, peppers, and ground walnuts. YUMMM-O! :-)

now i'm drinking mint (of course!) hot chocolate.

and ... i FINISHED crime and punishment! a wonderful book. Now I'll start this one, which I've been dying to read for a while now.

I could be knitting more baby items, but instead I'm a little too addicted to Grey's Anatomy to care. So, to soon for that. But seriously. Must. Get. Started. Especially since a good, oh, 75 percent or so of my Christmas gifts this year are going to come from my needles! And we won't even talk about the sewing machine gathering dust.

I am trying, in vain, to go to bed earlier and have two hours to myself in the morning (5-7 a.m.!) before work. I am fighting the very stubborn night owl self. It's an easy win for that self. :-(

Anyway, before I continue rambling nonsensically, I'm okay. Really. Just need more sleep, a bit more vacay (two three-day weekends coming up at the end/beginning of the month!), and a yin yoga class tomorrow night.

Here are the pictures. See you soon!

walk for farm animals: myself and that lovely cow, do we not share a hair color? hee hee.


knitting i finished for my friend's new baby!




pre-hike sunday breakfast out at a local eatery. strawberry-banana pancakes with peanut butter syrup! skip the butter, thanks. (too bad i realized later the pancakes were buttermilk...d'oh! oh well. can't win 'em all...i'll get wheat ones next time)

sunday hike at taylorsville lake, on the dusty dusty horse trails (hasn't really rained here in a long while!)







post-hike picnic, complete with local apples and summer blackberries. and the rest of my amazing vegan chocolate zucchini bread! mmmm mmm good!! nothing like a satisfying picnic lunch after a two-hour hike!

i can't wait until friday to jump on this bandwagon!

{this moment-started by amanda blake soule}
{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, leave a link to your 'moment'

in the comments for all to find and see.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

for the love of peppermint!

was surfing the web for montessori crafts (i think i'm going to make soap and put leaves inside!) and thought i'd share this with all of you. i'm a bit addicted to peppermint ANYTHING (about to go drink some more peppermint tea, actually), and think that vegan soaps make GREAT gifts with handmade dishcloths!

any-who, that's about all i got for tonight, y'all.

got invited to dinner after babysitting, sat outside on the patio, had a veggie burger and fries and it started to storm and pour and we all had to walk home and get drenched!

it was fun. the rain is still pattering down on the roof, and the lightning is flashing.

holding off on the hot shower i'm dying to take.

also going to make my usual daiya cheddar bake for lunch tomorrow.

tomorrow is school picture day. i despise school picture day. chiefly because i hate the way i look in posed, professional photos. ugh. i am not that ugly in real life! i considered coloring my hair .. it needs it ... but it's too late and i just want to relax with some knitting and reading.

oh, yeah, here's the link for the soap. what would we do without etsy?

A Montessori blog!

I did it! Will you link to me? There's nothing really there yet. But it exists.

I am excited to see where this leads.

Off to some knitting and peppermint tea.

oh yeah. link to me!

my montessori-themed blog to be

bread and crafts.

i am sitting home tonight, knitting and waiting for my dinner (chocolate zucchini bread!!) to finish up in the oven.

in all of my free time (ha!), i am tossing around the idea of starting a Montessori-themed blog. perhaps on wordpress ... i hear good things about it. i think it will keep me honest to the montessori method (which i think is easy to slip away from, especially if you are not held accountable to your AMI training by AMI board members or whatever they are called), and allow me to link to other montessorians and share ideas and so forth. the idea came to me as i was searching for an appropriate nature-based fall/Halloween craft, which of course has been fruitless ... blah. My children are not simply going to punch pumpkins or color dittos!

we are going to bake pumpkin chocolate chip bars ... soon ... from scratch.

oh, how i love fall! you should have seen the red leaves in the school parking lot this afternoon. divine!

and speaking of divine, that's about how my kitchen smells right now! can't wait to slather on the vegan butter and eat away!

hike.

I finally took a "hike" in beautiful Iriquois park yesterday evening. It takes just over an hour to walk the loop, and it is just delightful and nature-sy feeling for a city park!

those are just a few of the dozen or so pics i snapped.

oh and some quick shots of my new, semi-organized studio! i just love it!! sorry for the terrible photo qualities ... promise i'm going to take classes in photog. this winter! two are morning and two are night.





oh and here is me meeting Michael Pollan at the University of Louisville. I got to shake his hand, and he signed my copy of Omnivore's Dilemma. Nice guy! Don't mind my messy-looking self there, it was a bad day at work lol.



happy week...i'm off to knit a new-baby present!

new corners

How to start this post?

Oh, everything is fine, I just feel a bit slumpy and unmotivated these days. I think some of it is exhaustion from night owl tendencies that don't go away just because I'm forced onto a work schedule. Some of it is stress from a relationship that I'm having to end because it's unhealthy for both partners. And some of it is just still feeling slightly cluttered by unpacked moving boxes. Some of it probably comes from watching way too many episodes of Grey's Anatomy (currently just finished season 2) on DVD. Whoops. What can I say, it's great writing.

I have been cooking, though. And that is always good. I made an incredible buffalo tofu pizza yesterday, and lentil daal with rice for the monthly Earthsave potluck dinner. Tonight, if the tofu I forgot to thaw ever thaws, I'm going to do a crockpot dish of tofu, spaghetti squash, coconut milk, and green curry paste. For lunch tomorrow, to start.

I've been drinking lots of organic peppermint tea. How I love peppermint tea. Simple pleasures.

I have also gotten back into the habit of doing yoga at least twice a week. Walks are somewhat falling off the wayside for me, though. Hoping to hike again next weekend, it didn't really happen this one. Too much homebodying around, which isn't a bad thing. I've needed it. I might go to a restorative yoga class tonight, though. I think I pulled a neck muscle pretty badly in the last vinyasa class I did and it's been hurting me for two days now. Hoping it will pass with enough gentle exercise and rest.

In my little craft studio, I'm settling in. Got an armchair for knitting, a table for sewing, two windows with plenty of beautiful morning light. I have three out of four baby hats to finish for a sweet friend who just yesterday gave birth to a happy, healthy baby girl.

I'd really like to do that someday. Ahem, as you all know. Someday ...




I'll post more pictures soon. Gonna go try and gather up some more energy to get me through the week!

Love to you,

k.

I'm back, hopefully more regularly, too. happy fall!

recent dinner/dessert at a friend's house

Well, here I am, back again!

Hopefully to regular posting. The moving dust has settled, but there are still boxes full of stuff all over the place that need going through. I'm happy to report that I've signed on to at least a one-year lease here, so ... no more moving for a long while, hopefully! Things are good ... large kitchen with new fixtures, wood floors, a spare room for sewing and crafting (and storing my clothes in, as the bedroom has no closet) overlooking the deck and tiny backyard (erm, gardening in spring!), my own bathroom, half of the large living room, a front porch on the street, and use of the basement and washer/dryer. my roommate is nice but almost never home. works for me to have so much space, and the rent is such an incredibly good deal!

Christmas knitting will soon be starting up, I'm only planning a whole pile of dishcloths and two scarves this year, because I want to challenge myself to knit an Elizabeth Zimmermann sweater (baby surprise jacket!). Just picked up my copy of The Opinionated Knitter (formerly Knitting Without Tears) at the libary tonight on my way to yoga class.

Yes, I'm back in the studio again, a couple times a week, and sometimes on Saturdays. It feels very good. Between this and long walks, which I haven't done lately due to a sudden change in the weather (temps in the 60's!) and well moving/work/errands/etc. doesn't leave much time. But I bundled up this past Sunday for a good morning hike under overcast but pretty skies in a city forest here. Packed a lovely little picnic lunch, too. I'd been dying to hike for months, finally going out and doing it was nice.

Incredible nesting phase ... that's my life right now. Just wanting to stay home and cook, knit, read, and catch up on past seasons of Grey's Anatomy from the locally-owned video store here. For the first time in three years, I'm allowing myself to be a homebody and it feels GOOD. I still am attending my once-monthly Earthsave potluck and the Louisville Vegetarian Club meetings and events, which are peppered loosely throughout the month, but that's pretty much it. It feels good, although I do sometimes miss the company of like-minded friends; Louisville is a very social go-out-and-meet-your-friends-for-beers kind of city. I'm hoping I can change this a little bit but I think I'll just have to get out there again ... just not nearly as much as before.

Another point to all of the above which I haven't blogged much about lately is the desire to save money. Probably for buying a condo or house or traveling in a couple years' time. My job here is going well and I love having my own classroom, but I don't yet (will I ever?) see it as an end to my journey. There is gypsy in me yet so I want to be appropriately padded for the time when change comes.


vegan homemade fudge, also made a batch for a vegan bake sale at my yoga studio, which raised over $200 for Farm Sanctuary in New York! We are doing a walk for the animals in downtown Louisville on Oct. 16, followed by a vegan picnic!



lately i've been writing nearly every day in a gratitude journal. it's supposed to be patterned after the one I read about in Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. It's hard to keep to one or two short sentences ... habit blog might just make me better at that. Check it out, it's super cool!

I still have that wish to take better photos for my blog ... maybe I can self-educate? I often find workshops more invigorating, though ... we shall see!

love and light to you, dear friends. i still read your blogs nearly every day, and they help keep me going! am so grateful for finding all of you and being part of your community. this truly is a community!

i'll be back, real soon.