Reclaiming The Home

just a little bit of busy.

So I know I haven't posted as much as I usually do... but...

...we've had a few things to do lately.  *ahem*

And on that note, I also wanted to say thank you so much to Catrina over at Because Mommy Said So for the lovely Kreativ Blogger Award she gave me! :)  Her blog is a lot of fun, and definitely worth going to go take a peek! :)

I'm supposed to list 6 things I am grateful for, and then pass this on to 6 other bloggers.

1. I am incredibly grateful for my children who keep me laughing through the tears on the hard days.

2. I'm so very grateful for my friends, in real life, and here on the Internet.  You guys keep me connected to the world, help me to stay grounded, and are there for me in so many ways.  Thank you.

3. I'm grateful for my hubby who serves  his country in the Army, and devotes so much of his life to it, as he lovingly cares for me and our daughters.

4. I am grateful that through these economic hardships we are facing as a country, we remain blessed with a job for hubby, a home over our heads, and food on our tables.

5. I am grateful for my able hands to work here at home, and to be creative with.  We all too often take for granted the ability to do the daily tasks that are so necessary to life.

6. I am grateful for the goodness of mankind that I see in small ways here and there through random acts of kindness, support from strangers, smiles in the grocery store, etc.

There are many bloggers who I admire and feel are incredibly inspirational and creative.  Its hard to limit it to 6, but here are a few that I may not have mentioned before. :)

This Vintage Chica is awesome - she has beautiful photos, heartwarming stories, and lots of creativity to go around.

Thimble is a wonderful blog filled with color and down to earth ideas and stories that you won't want to miss.

The Merry Church Mouse is such a fun blog by one of my freinds - she is always posting about one creative endeavor or another - I love her work!

Stitchy Britches is a fabulous blog FILLED with vintage transfers that can be used to create the CUTEST works of embroidery. Definitely worth a peek

Scrumdillydo is one of my favorite creative blogs for ideas of things to do with children.  She comes up with such unique ideas all the time! 

Mayfly is another that warms my  heart with beautiful photos and a general down to earth feeling you get when visiting the blog.  Plenty of creativity to keep you inspired.

Hope you all enjoy a peek at a few of my gratitudes and favorite blogs  :) 

Big News!

Here at Reclaiming the Home big things have been going on behind the scenes.  The needles have been knitting, the sewing machine has been sewing, and bits of craftiness are showing up everywhere around the house, here and there.  Because of my cold, the only cooking that has gone on was done by the infamous Mr. Rose with some buffalo cheese dip that he was quite proud of.  I'll have to ask him for the recipe so that I can share it soon!

The big news though, comes in the form of the new public Reclaiming The Home forum! 

My goal for the forum is to be a community of people who care about their homes and the gentle home arts.  There will be tutorials, resources, and information that will help us all to learn to be better Reclaimers, while providing incentive and motivational games in a fun atmosphere where we share our love of the home with one another. 

It is a place of friendship that welcomes people from all walks of life, where we all get to be ourselves, get to know one other better, support each other, and share our joys as well as our sorrows.  You don't have to be a mother, a wife, or stay at home to enjoy homemaking.

I know you will find real community here, grow friendships, build each other up, learn new things, and just enjoy hanging out at the forum.

If you have a moment, stop on by and take a look. There is so much to be found there and so much more to come, including a big surprise event for all of the forum members that will begin within the week! 

This idea has been in the works for some time, and I am so pleased to say, has finally come to fruition.  So many people were involved in its creation.  A big thank you to Caitlin, Pam, Diane, Audrey, Rachel, Robyn, Danna, and SO many more lovely women who helped to make this part of my dream a reality!

Fresh Air and Green Things

It has been unusually warm here, getting up over 90*F yesterday, and that has left us all wanting to get out and enjoy some of the fresh air before it becomes so hot that our only outside experiences are running from the house to the car in search of air conditioning.   In Oklahoma spring usually lasts about a week before the blistering heat comes in and takes over.  We have been enjoying the pretty weather while it lasts by spending a good portion of our days playing outside in the yard.  The little ones are especially enjoying Spring's brief interlude into our lives, asking for "ou-siiigh?" every chance they get and being reciprocated with a resounding "sure! lets go play!" at nearly every opportunity.

Being outside so much this week has made me want to start the seedlings for the garden.  I'm a little later this year than I usually am, but I'm not too worried.  Autumn lasts just about as long as spring and usually doesn't show up until the end of November, so we probably have a little more time for harvesting at the end of the season than most areas do. 

I'm thinking of starting a paper gardening & sketch journal for this year.  I have some ideas in the works for how I'd want it to look, since I am going to be making it.  I always wonder if others do things like that, or if its one of those "Kristin's dreaming again" things.  Anyone else journal their gardening experiences?