SouleMama

out walking

"Can we go for a walk?" is surely one of the most commonly asked questions around here. Alright, if we're getting technical, it actually follows behind: "when is it dinner?", "can we do papier mache?" (there's a serious obsession going on) and "can we get our tree today?". If we're getting technical.

But the walks these days. Ah.Who could possibly say no to a walk here right now? We're deep in the loveliness of late fall (one of the eight seasons here, I do believe - the early/late of each of the four seasons are so different from each other), and there is much to behold and treasure out there. Today, some of my favorite images from this week's walks...I hope you enjoy them.

Oh! I'll be sharing mostly photos this week, as we get ready for all the holiday baking, the shop opening, the book writing, the merry making, and well, all that really special walking.

what i love :: ocean gold

what i love :: the yellow gold of the ocean that shines at sunset.

Thank you for your beautifully kind, lovely, and funny comments and emails this week! You make me smile. Wishing you a wonderful weekend...

lessons learned. again and again.

There's this guy in my life who seems to be an expert on this thing called breathing. I think it has something to do with having spent so much of his life upside down in a boat under water. Or a plethora of other life details that have resulted in a pretty mellow guy.

I also just happen to have three little people around me all day, every day who - by nature of their beings - are also experts on said idea of 'breathing'.

And then there's my beloved ocean. Breath itself.

So when a crazy day - full of far more commitments than we're used to, and far too many expectations of what can be done in a day with three little ones - takes a wrong turn, and things start to fall apart? Despite my own inclination sometimes to: A - forge ahead against the grain and against all sense; or B - head home to fester the day away, I really need look no further than directly in front of me to find the answer when I've forgotten it. Stop. Breathe.

And with that - twitchy and bug-eyed, all commitments and plans are abandoned, and we drive straight to the beach. Without proper beach 'gear' or plan, we sit and play for hours until we find ourselves breathing again. Another lesson.

peeping

Instead of concert or movie-going yesterday, I opted for leaf peeping. Oh, yes I did, and it was just the perfect day to do so. We had a glorious drive to a Fall Foliage party (thank you Bob and Patrice for such a special day!). The trees are so gorgeous right now. At the party, the sun was shining. The air was crisp. The company was such fun, and the food was plentiful. This morning, we all smell like campfire. Yes....perfect, indeed.

So, to fill my Maine blogger/photographer role that I've been neglecting this season with my complete lack of foliage shots thus far, today I bring you a little bit of Autumn in Maine.

i heart film #4

Late summer at the farm.

(You'll notice few pictures of the boys here - because, you see, I can never find them at the farm.)

hello, autumn

A happy Equinox to you - in whichever hemisphere you call home!

Hello to - slippers :: favorite fairs:: foliage :: cardigans :: tights :: knitting weather :: wool socks :: cool weather hikes :: acorns :: baking :: apples :: pumpkins :: crunchy leaves :: a quieter city :: emptier beaches :: and so very much more.

After a summer hiatus, I'll be opening the Etsy shop tomorrow, at 10am EST. I'll post here when it's all up and ready!

my early september pledge

"We try to hold on to the last days of bare arms and legs. Early caches of sunflower seeds stored by eager squirrels sprout a leggy forest hoping for just a little bit more. Just a wee bit more. Don't let go. We only have sixty-four? Eighty-seven? Ninety-four summers if we are lucky. We hold on and take the last quick swim just to say that we did."
--Nikki McClure, Collect Raindrops: The Seasons Gathered

My September pledge? Take in, soak up, and dive in. Just a wee bit more.

I hope you're having a lovely - perhaps long - September weekend. I'll see you back here on Tuesday.

{PS. There's a wonderful Weekend Read up on Bloesem now - 5 bloggers lists of wish gifts. Lots of lovely gift inspiration over there - it was much fun to join in. Thanks for the invitation, Irene!}

I heart film #3

I'm not ready to say it's the end of the season yet, but this is my little goodbye ode to the end of August - a la old school film. It's been a really good month. 

Enjoy, and thanks for sharing in some of our August journeys!

also inspired by green

Of course, I'm not the only one inspired by all the green.

Moss is most definitely the perfect bedding of all for those tired little fairies. And a good pillow for the big ones who wait patiently for their arrival while at camp.

And back at home, the green leaves from a trail walk provide just the right inspiration for my littles to rush home and paint what they see.

inspired by green

Just a couple of steps north to DownEast (yes, DownEast is truly is NorthEast), and the landscape is ever so slightly different than what's outside my own door. Just enough so that I noticed throughout our week, and marveled at the color - the rich lush moss, and all the green.

I might be particularly noticing this right now, as I've been spending a lot of time visiting The Art of Embroidery again. This book amazes me - full of beautiful inspiration from nature and then the translation to art and craft through embroidery.

There's a bit of embroidery instruction included in the book, but I think it's best use is as a beautiful reminder of the inspiration that really is all around us - everywhere. Grass, moss, fern, leaves. Everywhere and Anywhere. It's there.

and a little more green today from my flickr favorites:
into the woods
spirals
leaves
bouquets from above
ground floor
the forest floor