The Great Basement Clean-Up

Okay.  Wow.  In showing you these next few photos, I am making myself completely vulnerable to you.  I am allowing you into an area of my life in which I can't stand.  I am overwhelmed, feel helpless, hopeless and defeated by this area.  This is a huge area of the basement which I avoid.
When we moved into this house 10 years ago, we made a "kids' side" and an "our side".  "Kids' side" is fun and has a chalkboard wall, a comfy couch, bookshelf full of books to cozy up with, a puppet stage, paints and papers, paper dolls and scissors, a cubbyhole under the stairs with a beanbag chair and several journals, flashlights and other various but much-needed "things".  The "kids' side" does NOT have a t.v., a gaming system, a telephone or anything electronic.  It is a quiet area for reading, thinking, doing, being.  It's messy at times but never out of control.
. . . . . . . Out of control is the "our side".  Before I reveal these photos, please know that I'm showing you these photos because this is my huge, overwhelming fall project.  I'm going to address every box, every stack and pile.  I'm going to wheedle through papers, make new file folders.  I'm going to purge.  I'm going to clean.  I'm going to post photos when I'm finished.  And then . . . . . I'll take a nap.
Deep breath.  And . . . . . you may look.

Ahem.  I'm really not even going to speak anymore about this.
Happy-ness is a new adventure, if that's what you want to call an overwhelming, almost hopeless, great basement clean-up project!
XOXO

A Most Delicious Breakfast

Madeleines are a shell-shaped sponge cake originating in France and have a reputation for being a light dessert served with berries or as a treat with a cup of tea.

In my house, they are breakfast!  Warm madeleines before school?!  Who would want anything else?

I use the recipe straight from Martha Stewart's Cookies and it has never failed me.

Lemon Madeleines

1 1/2 cups sifted cake-flour (NOT self-rising)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. coarse salt

3 large eggs AND 2 large egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for pan

Confectioners' sugar for dusting (a MUST!)

1.  Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.  Set aside.

2.  Put eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on medium-high until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes (the longer you mix and the lighter in color and thicker the batter, the lighter your madeleine will be---melt in your mouth!)  Using a spatula, fold flour mixture into egg mixture.  Let batter rest 30 minutes (but I never do!)

3.  Preheat oven to 350 and butter your madeleine pan (but I usually do this first as I never wait my 30 minutes.)

4.  Pour batter into prepared pan, filling the molds 3/4 full.  Bake cookies, rotating pan halfway through, until edges are crisp and golden, 7-8 minutes.  Let cookies cool slightly in pan on wire rack.  Invert and unmold.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.  Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 day.

. . . . but instead of storing them, they are BEST SHARED!  Warm with the children; warm with best friends over a cup of coffee and good conversation.

I was hesitant to buy the molded pan because I wasn't sure how often I would make the madeleines.  I am sooooooo glad I bought the pan---I make them all the time.

Happy-ness is warm madeleines!!  Come over and we shall bake some together!!!!  :-)

My Summer Romance

. . . . . has it really been that long?
And in case you've forgotten me, I'm going to let you in on a little bitty secret.
I've been having a hot romance!  With summer!  And my three favorite people in the world!  My kids! :-)
Here is a smidgeon of what we've done since May:

(See her flippers?!  LOVE this picture!)

(Library books during the 3 hour daily swim practices!)

(Swimming championships at Miami University)

(We lost electricity for an afternoon--the 3 of them playing a game together!)

(Napping!)

 (Eating at one of our favorite restaurants, The Taste of Belgium)

(Body butters, deodorants, lip balms and farmers' markets every Saturday!)

(A little bit of dressing up.  The best we can!)

(First day of school.  Three different schools; three different start times!)

I'm absolutely certain I've had time to blog about my daily happy.  I'm certain I should have made more time for friendships, near and far.  I should have picked up the phone and called.  I should have knitted more.  Sewn more.  But my summer romance was a whirlwind. I blinked and it was over.

I spent every waking moment that I possibly could with my three favorite people. We were swimming every day, both for fun and for competition.  We played games, watched movies, grilled outside.  We stayed up late and took afternoon naps.  We savored.

Because just yesterday my first baby was born . . .  but I turned, kissed him on the cheek and sent him with a car full of teenagers to find his way as a Junior in High School.

And just yesterday my first daughter was born . . . but I turned, kissed her on the cheek and walked in the dark to the bus stop with her so she can rise above mean girls to be a seventh grader.

And just yesterday my baby-baby was born . . . . but I turned, kissed her on the cheek and sent her with the neighborhood car pool to find herself as a fourth grader.

I blinked.

But . . . . with summer over and school starting, I have time.  My house is quiet and I am listening to opera with a dog by my side.  And I'm blogging again. And planning sewing projects and socks to knit.  I am mixing up new fragrances for body butters and perfume sticks.  Thank you for my summer romance; let's enjoy each other this fall!  :-)

Happy-ness is this quiet peace I have after a wonderful summer love!!!

April Showers Bring . . . .

Ahhhhhhh Happy-ness!  May you enjoy your fields of May flowers today!

XOXO

Spring Knitting

Hello, dear friends.
I've admitted to you before, I am a most terrible knitter.  Slow.  Painful.  I am not sure if I'm a process knitter, one who enjoys the rhythm of the knitting, or a finished project knitter.  Or not really a knitter at all, but a knitter-wanna-be. Or maybe a little bit of all of that.  At any rate, I'm not highly motivated to finish a project.  And I do enjoy having a bit of knitting in my hand; but if I'm not knitting, meh, I'm okay with that, too.
Anyway, I have been knitting this silly sweater for too long.  I bought the yarn years ago.  For the middle child.  But now, it will have to be for the Pipsqueak.  I find it boring.  Tedious.  But I want it finished!  This is my year of finished projects and inspired knitting!  I decided to sit under my favorite loverly tree and, well, knit.

But it's beautiful outside!  And there were distractions.

And I felt like I was being watched the entire time.

Hmmmmmmmm it's loverly knitting in the spring sunshine and fresh air.  I think Keeper is in the right frame of mind!!  And I did manage to knit . . . . a few rows, anyway!

Happy-ness is distraction and playing!!
Go outside and enjoy your spring romp! Now!  Go!
XOXO

Sometimes Sadness

Hello, dear friends.
This has been a week of sadness.  A day of defeat.  I meekly stand and wave my white flag of surrender.
And....
I put on my favorite jeans.  And a favorite white linen shirt.  And I turn up the Italian opera music so loud even the neighbors can hear it.  And I make tea.  From a tea kettle given to me by my most favorite person.  A birthday gift.

And I mourn the loss of friends and loved ones with Buckeyes.  Not very pretty Buckeyes.  But therapy. Remembering.  Wishing.

Happy-ness is one more day. To love.  To be loved.
XOXO

Be True!

It has been too-too-too long since I have posted anything!

I have been busy.  And lazy!

There was a trip to Atlanta, Georgia to visit family.

Spring Break.

A few sick days.

Lots of sewing.

A little knitting.
Wine drinking.
Dinners with best friends.
Lunches with good good friends.
And a business launched.
You can see me here on Etsy.
I have always been about the natural body, home, lifestyle.  In this day of ultra conveniences and throw-away mentality, I embrace the simple even more.  Clothes drying on a clothesline.  Books borrowed from the library.  Handmade (everything!).  Fresh (air! food! everything!).
I have been making my own deodorant for years, I have been sewing since I was about 9, which is not so many years ;-) and I have been using essential oils to freshen (the house, the laundry, everything!) and to cure what may ail the body (the big teenager had a very big, very nasty blister on the bottom of his foot; so nasty and big that it was making me woozy just to look at it!  I used the magic combination of essential oils to soothe over the blister and it was gone the very next morning!)
So . . . . . when my friend (and business buddy!) approached me about starting an Etsy business, I don't think I hesitated even a fraction of a second.  I jumped up, gave a war cry and ran with it!  And, me being me, she did all of the leg-work/prep-work while I did all of the cheerleading!  And some sewing.  Stephanie is fabulous!  Her cafe mocha sugar scrub is out of this world!
Visit our shop!  Check us out! Support two moms with a love for the all-natural, healthy, holistic, simple lifestyle!!  You will find my deodorant, Stephanie's sugar scrubs, eye masks that relax with lavender or soothe a headache (hangover?!) with peppermint.  I have an indulgent body butter that I will be adding; new things are being made and added daily!  Leave your comments; let us know what you think!

Happy-ness is being a mom; a woman business owner; empowerment; doing and being the person I'm made to be!  Be true to yourself today!!
XOXO