Yarn Along

Good afternoon! I'm still knitting my red ruffle scarf. Sigh. I used to be a fast knitter. Not sure what happened. (Well, I sort of know. Sewing happened. So that's part of the slowdown.) Here you see the progress on the scarf and, oh yes, that does look like a twirly skirt for Katie. I've been reading Smart Medicine for Healthier Living and Optimal Wellness. These books, along with Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child, have long been the mainstays of health reference books around here. Still trying to overcome the joint stiffness...those are relatively small pains, though, and they serve a greater purpose as they remind me to keep Kim in prayer (won't you offer a prayer, too, on her behalf?). Knitting, sewing, reading, praying. All good.

Go visit Ginny for my reading and knitting tales. I'll see you there!

Introduction and Giveaway~Arbonne

"The glory of God is man fully alive."  St. Irenaeus 

I am pleased to introduce you to Amanda Laudadio, a homeschooling mother of 6 with a passion for helping women to take care of themselves, so that they can better serve their families. Arbonne is a great resource for health and beauty products that are safe, pure, and beneficial. From wellness products like protein shakes and immunity boosters to skin care products to makeup, Amanda can guide you to the tools best suited to helping you to be fully alive.

She is so passionate about helping women to take better care of themselves that she has a little challenge and a big giveaway for In the Heart of my Home readers today. Amanda wants you to go to this page and read her thoughts on being fully alive. Ponder it a bit. Pray about it. Then, come back here and leave a comment telling us what you need to nurture yourself in order to be fully alive. What feeds your soul? Everyone who leaves a comment and joins the conversation will be entered to win a $50 shopping spree at Arbonne.

We'll announce the winner next Wednesday afternoon.

Please, please, please! Comments are moderated. That means that you won't see your comment right after you hit publish. It's going to linger in cyberspace until I read it and I hit publish. Since I'm not attached to my computer 'round the clock, it's likely that it could be an hour or two or even five before you see it. But it will get there; I promise. 

Sponsor Giveaway~ Give Jewelry

Remember Give Jewelry and all the great things they are doing?

I'm so pleased to bring you an amazing giveaway from Give Jewelry and an update on Charlie's trip to Bali.

Give Jewelry is offering you a $250 dollar, "Take care of all your Christmas shopping at once" giveaway.  The winner of the giveaway will also have 10 weeks of food (that's 210 meals!) donated in their name to the 2 new orphanages Give is just beginning to help on the islands of Sumba and Timor. Just leave a comment below to be entered. We'll do a random drawing and announce a winner next Tuesday afternoon.

Please, please, please! Comments are moderated. That means that you won't see your comment right after you hit publish. It's going to linger in cyberspace until I read it and I hit publish. Since I'm not attached to my computer 'round the clock, it's likely that it could be an hour or two or even five before you see it. But it will get there; I promise. 

Also: 
There are 5 free friendship bracelets for everyone who goes to Give and orders jewelry and puts "Heart of My Home - 5 free bracelets" in the comment box during checkout. 

If you have just a moment, here's a fresh look at Give Jewelry and their mission:

Apples and Autumn Daybook

Outside My Window

Cool, gray baking kind of day.

I am Listening to

a rowdy bunch of children doing something morning-ish upstairs.

 

I am Wearing

A new haircut. This thyroid thing has had my hair falling out by the handful. So, I went and got it layered a whole lot more. And I like it :-).

My girls are wearing Missoni for Target. Apparently, these are hot items that sold out in moments. My sister Krysti scooped up three full outfits for each of the little girls and a skirt for Mary Beth and just happened to have them on hand when we just happened to stop by unannounced yesterday. Pretty sweet. 

I am so Grateful for

an aforementioned impromptu visit with my sister.

I'm Pondering

 St.Thérèse never founded a religious order; 
she never performed great works and never went on missions,
but she understood that what matters in the Christian life 
is not great deeds, but great love,
and that anyone can achieve the heights of holiness 
by doing even the smallest things well for love of God.
"All is well," she wrote,
 "when one seeks only the will of Jesus."
 St. Thérèse is a reminder to all of us who feel we can do nothing,
 that it is the little things that keep God's kingdom growing.

I am Reading

Legacy of Love: Biblical Wisdom for Parenting Teens and Young Adults.

 

I am Thinking

that I overthink things.

I am Creating

sewing:

some oh-so-darling patchwork tiered skirts--still. Mary Beth kicked off the sewing bee with skirt for Sarah, usingSoul Blossoms from Amy Butler. I was in a little slice of right-brained heaven the other day as I moved squares of Terrain fabric all over my dining room table to get just the right combinations. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I think I might really like to quilt. Today, we lay out some Ruby squares to begin Karoline's skirt.

knitting:

I'm still working on last week's projects..

Speaking of handmade Christmas, we picked apples yesterday and I had some apple/craisin/pecan jam in mind to make as gifts for Mike's office. I cannot find this recipe for the life of me! Anybody have a pretty apple craisin jam recipe to share?

To live the liturgy:

Friday is the Feast of St. Padre Pio.

Towards a Real Education

A is for apples today, in a very big way.

 

 

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

It is truly autumn, isn't it? Try as I did to stretch summer a bit longer, fall has come and it's time to embrace the season that is.

I am Hoping and Praying

for Katie Phillips

for Elizabeth deHority

for Kim Fry

for healing

 In the Garden

We're harvesting basil and putting tomatoes by. My tomatoes haven't done well all year. There is a farm nearby that usually has good picking this time of year. I'm counting on them for our freezer stash.

Around the House

I'm heading out to cut vases and vases of roses. This place needs some brightening right now and that's the quickest way I know perk up whole rooms at a time.

From the Kitchen 

how about a dinner meal plan for the week:

Monday

chicken piccata

butternut risotto

salad

apple pie

Tuesday

roasted pork 

baked sweet potatoes

salad

cinnamon apple bread

Wednesday

 pork and snap pea stir fry over basmati rice

apple crisp

Thursday

Stuffed butternut squash (stuffed with apples and cornbread and bacon or something...?)

Stir-fried garlic green beans

Friday

Angel hair pasta with pesto sauce

apple cake

  

One of My Favorite Things

Weekends when Mike is home.

A Few Plans for the Week

I'm sharing some thoughts on early childhood education  tomorrow night with my neighborhood homeschooling group.

Some more cleaning and decluttering in advance of the great painting and tiling and carpentry adventure to come.

Here on the blog, I've got some great sponsor giveaways planned.

Picture thoughts:

 
 
 

Intentional Weekend: Hearth and Hands

Good morning! I made homemade pumpkin spice coffee this morning (no sugar, organic pumpkin from my carefully guarded stash). Yum. I have lovely strips of Terrain squares waiting to be gathered into a tiered skirt for Katie. And there's a crisp, new stack of Ruby charm squares to be transformed into a similar twirly autumn skirt for Karoline. My basil is lush and full and green and ready to be harvested and loved into pesto for the freezer. I bought butternut squash at the Farmer's Market this morning, destined to  become stuffed squash for dinner tonight. And tomorrow, there are apples (after the first three soccer games of the weekend and before the second two).  Picking is good. I'm unplugging just as soon as I click "publish." I leave you this morning with a family recipe. Perhaps you, too, have some very bushy basil?

I pray your weekend will be blessed with the abundance of late summer becoming early fall. 

Here's our favorite family pesto:

2 1/2 cups fresh basil, washed and patted dry

1/2 cups walnuts or pine nuts or almonds (I let my budget dictate)

4 good sized garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

1/2 cup olive oil

1 pound angel hair pasta (reserve 2 cups of the cooking water)

1/2 cup romano cheese, grated

[secret ingredient: 2 ounces of cream cheese]

Chop the basil, add nuts and process together in the food processor. Combine the olive oil and the garlic and heat on the stove until it just sizzles . Remove from the heat immediately. Heating the  garlic takes away the bitterness--it's an extra step but my husband appreciates it. Blend basil mixture with the oil mixture.

{{At this point, you can spoon it into cute little glass jars or zipper freezer bags and freeze it until you want to add a taste of summer to your winter meals.}}

Cook the pasta.

Now, for Aunt Lisette's secret trick: While the pasta is cooking, blend the cream cheese into the pesto mixture.

Pull off 2 cups of the pasta water before you drain the pasta and add it to the pesto. Drain the pasta. Toss the pasta with sauce and cheese.

For a variation, blend some sundried tomatoes into the sauces while it's still in the food processor.