I have such happy memories of sitting on the patio at my grandparent’s house. Lunches with Grandma…while listening to the mourning doves sing and admiring her beautiful gardens. Wind chimes blowing in the breeze.

My grandparents have since passed away…but I was able to bring these two pieces of happy into our home. A little part of my history. My sweet Matthew sanded them down and re-painted them for me and I couldn’t love them more. Grandpa would be so proud…he always took such good care of everything he owned. They are the perfect shape and they have the nicest rocking motion. And they match my rug

I have a little crush on front porches. I love driving through lovely neighborhoods and checking out their chairs. And the flower pots. And the twinkly lights. And now we finally have own very own. I love sitting out here, sipping kombucha, and watching the world go by. The girls gleefully ride their bikes up and down the sidewalk, stopping to draw with their chalks and blow bubbles.

I have big plans for our  little porch. A quirky side table. Hanging flowers. I can’t wait until the leaves come out and we’re surrounded by green! More delights. But it takes time to layer all of this love. A work in progress…starting with two blue chairs.

This week we spent a few hours at Clementine Studio in Boulder. They recently offered a Living Social coupon for 5 sessions and I thought it looked like fun!

It’s an open space art studio where the kids can pick and choose their creative adventures with all the supplies accessible and everything at their fingertips. They also offer art technique classes for 5-10 year olds…I think Bella would really enjoy that, so next time we’ll check out that option.

I loved the paint wall…and so did Lucy.

The printmaking station was also a favorite. I got lots of ideas for our art time at home!

Lucy LOVED to wash her hands in the wash bucket.

Bright.

Bella was in her element…creating over 10 pieces of art to take home! I loved seeing her so focused on whatever she was creating.

More printmaking…so great!

Little sweetie.

Sisters creating together.

At the end of their session, Lisa read them several stories and handed out pretzels to the hungry artists. A fun way to end our time there! The girls can’t wait to go back.

 

 

We are slowly getting settled into our new little house in Longmont…and we are LOVING having so many options for community and fun. I captured the girls snuggled up together on our chair…watching YouTube videos on how to give a guinea pig a bath We are considering getting 2 guinea pigs and they are in full research mode. When I’ve polled my friends, I’ve heard everything from “Yes! They are great first pets!” to “Oooooh…don’t do it!”. Does anyone have any words of wisdom for us?

We’ve spent several blissful afternoons with our unschooling community…it’s SO nice to be connecting again on a regular basis. It’s done SO MUCH for my mama heart.

Spending time with other moms and dads who view life/parenting the same as you do is very empowering and refreshing.

Seeing this photo just makes me smile and takes me right back to the a-ha moment Lucy had this week. She realized that it was ok to get dirty and be dirty and not have to wash it all off immediately. She’s normally does not like things on her hands. She doesn’t like even a drop of water on her clothes. But when I explained that she could stay outside with her dirty hands and PLAY and HAVE FUN, it produced a new spark and excitement in her eyes. Revolutionary! She got very excited and ran out to make more mud and more mess…and didn’t come in for another 30 minutes. Just the fact that she can play outside makes me incredibly happy. We were unable to do something that simple in Nederland because of the land/terrain we were on and the ice/snow.

Sisters feeding the mailbox a delicious little letter.

On Tuesday, it was  a balmy 70 degrees! We spent much of the morning and early afternoon playing at the park and soaking up every last bit of sunshine.

Lucy raced after Bella on her Plasma car…wanting to be just like her big sis.

Today we spent all afternoon at a a nearby bounce playhouse/gym…because the temp had dropped back to 37 and chilly! The girls played so hard for 4 straight hours and are sleeping VERY soundly as I type this in the quiet of the night

And lastly…a few things that are making me happy this week. A new painting from my friend Lisa…this photo just doesn’t even do it justice. The colors in this original are so gorgeous. I can’t wait to hang it in the perfect spot!

I’ve been loving the kombucha…which is funny because I haven’t always been a fan. Trilogy and Gingerberry are my favorite right now…but their chia-filled fruity friends are a close second! Bella loves them too…which makes me happy. Although as with anything (even “good” things)…I try to keep our intake moderate and not go crazy with it. I will eventually need to start making my own because we go through it pretty quickly! If you’ve never tried it…give it a whirl! But don’t give up if you don’t like it on the first try. Experiment with different brands and flavors until you find one you like.

And lastly…this little gem of encouragement that my friend Alicia of the fabulous Milagro Girl sent out on her Insta.gram feed this week. It really resonated with me and I’ve gone back to read it many times for inspiration. I hope you feel the same way.

So many great reminders…but to sum it up, LIVE AN AMAZING & FULL LIFE!!

What is inspiring you to do that this week?

 

There are lots of wonderful things about living up in the mountains. There are also a lot of challenges. Cold. Lots and lots of snow. Wind like you’ve never felt before. Mama was about to lose her mind being so isolated…so we prayed a lot and waited. And after finding a subleaser within just 1 day of listing it, we headed back to the low lands…with a new understanding that we can LOVE the mountains and enjoy them without actually living IN them. (A side note for those who are new here…we moved to Nederland for a “mountain trial run” with the intent to re-evaluate in July when our temporary lease was up…we just came back down a few months early!).

All packed up…a familiar feeling for us! It was a pretty easy move because we didn’t own any furniture except our bed.

Longmont welcomed us with open arms and a big ‘ol sunshiney day to move into our new house. Can you believe this temperature is just one day after the first photo up in Nederland?! Crazy.

Lucy (and Bella) are pretty smitten with our new place…and so are we. It’s a quirky little house built in the early 1900′s…but it was completely gutted and remodeled about 4 years ago. It’s got everything on our “list” and we are LOVING being closer to city life again. Oh, and see that little mailbox there? I love having a mailbox ON my house again! Send me a direct email if you would like my new address. (janssenfamily (at) gmail (dot) com)

An empty trailer. Yay! We are getting settled…although with me being 34 weeks pregnant and Matt working full-time, it seems slower than our normal pace. We moved in about 5 days ago and we have have found all the furniture we’ve needed on Craigslist, so we’re super happy about that! I’m in full nesting mode…creating a cozy space for my family and for a new little one. I’m very ready to embrace the final weeks of my pregnancy…enjoying the warmer weather and being closer to my community of friends and family.

 

It’s been a week since I jetted away from Colorado on my first “mama trip” in 8 years…all the way to one of my favorite places, Santa Cruz, California!

I flew right into the open arms of dear friends. Monica flew in from Texas, and Sarah joined us from the redwoods.

This was taken just 2 blocks from our perfect ocean cottage.

Staring at the ocean and soaking up the sound of the crashing waves.

31 weeks pregnant…by the sea. Pure happy.

So much time was spent together in the little living room. Listening to music. Soothing our souls. Talking for hours and hours about life, family, passions, and trials.

One of the most very sacred moments we had together was walking through the redwoods at dusk…

…touching the soft, damp moss. Oh how I’ve missed it!

And finally arriving…in the dark…at the opening of an enormous redwood. Sarah had gone ahead and prepared a space for us INSIDE of the hollow Felton mother tree. Twinkling white lights everywhere. Hot candy cane tea and dark chocolate. Sarah and Monica prayed for me, the baby, the birth, our friendship.  Sarah knit me a beautiful and oh-so-soft “prayer shawl” that will be treasured forever. We laughed and talked and sat for a long while in the silence of the woods. When we finally emerged and stepped out in the expanse of redwoods, a screech owl let out a loud screeeeeeeech above our heads and then continued to fly along with us as we walked out. So symbolic :: wisdom shared among mothers. Mere words could never convey the magic that happened that night at Henry Cowell, but we all felt it, and will remember forever.

We walked down Pacific Ave…stopping in little shops and touching all the pretty things.

We indulged in the magic at Verve Coffee 4 times over the weekend. Mmmmm….

Love.

My dreads have new beads and wraps to remember our sweet time together.

And this…the last moment at the ocean that we spent together. Sitting close. Praying together. What a blessing these women are in my life. The gratitude I have surrounding this weekend is immeasurable. So thankful.

And then I flew home to my babies and my sweetie. Life is good.

I’ve been having a blast knitting knitting knitting! Here is a cowl that Bella started and I finished. Super chunky and yummy.

Of course, Lucy had to get in on the action. So I whipped one up for her too! She would check in with me every 10 minutes to feel it and say “….oooooh squishy!!”. The chunky wool is so fun because it only takes a few hours to finish something like that.

Here is my first coffee cozy…knit up for a mama friend. I love how it turned out!

AND THEN…I went to my very first knitting gathering! Although I had to drive all the way to Iowa for it! This last week, we took a last minute trip to Iowa for 8 days while Matt was working on a remodel in North Dakota, so I took full advantage and gladly spent a lovely evening with the “Natural Parenting Fiber Artists”.

Lisa graciously hosted. Lisa has lots of yarn. LOTS. And she’s a great knitter. You should check out her very funny blog, Meanest Mommy.

It was a VERY serious night.

I am putting all of my projects up on my Ravelry page…and will have a few more to add soon. Thanks to all of you who added me as a friend! I’ve been having fun checking out all of your yarn goodies.

I’ve been knitting on straight needles and in the round,  using some yummy yarns, trying new things and learning along the way.
It’s good exercise for my mama brain.

 

It’s hard to believe it’s already the weekend again! Last weekend we spent four blissful days in Vail with our family. See all the fun here. This weekend was just as wonderful. Here is the recap. Above: My favorite teacup and teapot filled with Rishi citron oolong.

Banana muffins on vintage Norman Rockwell.

Daddy and his girls.

Lunch at our favorite Indian buffet, Kathmandu. They have the most amazing sweet potato masala. Mmmmmm…

You know how I love flags.

Kathmandu has a great little play area, so when the girls are done eating…it’s ALMOST like Matt and I are on a date

I took a nap. Oh yes I did.

Sunday morning sunshine on my little sunshine.

After church, we met up with family in Boulder.

Uncle Dan and Lucy reading together.

Jess and the girls with their rice krispie treats

Scotty smiles.

Dan took the photo so I could be in a family photo more than once a year! Thanks Dan.

And the big fun of the weekend…Bella’s new love of Legos. She has discovered the Lego Friends line and has been creating her little city. So fun to see her work for hours on all of her “projects”.

And that was our weekend.
How was yours?

 

This month’s issue of Bamboo Magazine features an article about how different bloggers celebrate the seasons…and I am honored to be one of them! Bamboo is a fantastic resource with thoughtful articles and interesting content. Even the ads are great! Be sure to check it out …the article is on page 66. Oh, and don’t forget to sign up for your free digital subscription!

 

 

Last week I stopped in at little PO Box 1631…with the usual anticipation in my heart Imagine my delight when I opened up a beautifully wrapped package with these hand knit lovelies inside. My sweet friend, Khrista, sent these to me in chilly Colorado from her adorable home in Texas. Now that I have started knitting, when I receive something that was knit by a friend, it’s so much more special because I now know the work that goes into it!

I wanted to take a moment to send out a HUGE thank you to all of you who have sent me heartwarming goodies over the past couple of months. I’ve received such amazing gifts in that little box…

*a gorgeous orange knitted scarf that I wear all the time
*a colorful paper star
*felted wool cup cozies
*a blue glass star that hangs in my mama cave
*herbal bath yummies + velour washcloths
*sand from a California beach that I love
*numerous gifts for the girls
*tea and other edible goodies

…to all of these mailbox angels and any I have missed, thank you thank you thank you!! Your thoughtfulness means so much.

The weekend is coming to a close…and it was lovely. On Friday, we spent some time with friends in Longmont. On Saturday, Matt went snowboarding in Vail with my brother and his friends, and today we checked out a new church in Boulder and really enjoyed it.

Some favorites from the weekend: my newest passion is in full swing…and I’m LOVING it! It’s so fun to take a piece of string and make something pretty with it. I so look forward to finally sitting down in the evening and knitting for an hour or so.

The sunrises have been phenomenal lately…this particular one took my breath away! (photo is SOC/no filtering! Just the God filter )

Yes, more green! This one was juiced…apple + lemon + kale. So simple, but so delish. Trying to get lots of greens in every day…mostly in whole foods, but juicing is fun too.

Oh, and as a side note, I’m still very pregnant. At 27 weeks, I’m just entering the 3rd trimester…and feeling larger by the day. And emotional. And sore. And ready to meet this baby! Let the final countdown begin…