Do you have your holiday music playing yet? I worked many holiday seasons at Anthropologie—THE only place to visit for a sweet holiday season pick-me-up. And by now Jingle Bells and One Little Christmas Tree had been playing for days. I started up my Classic Christmas station on Spotify the day after Halloween and I swear it puts me and my three year old in the best mood!
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So we have been growing sunflowers at our little suburban want-to-be homestead. They have grown massively tall and we love seeing the little balls of sunshine outside our windows. But, with no rain for ages they have seen better days. Braxton and I cut the stalks and took the drooping heads inside the house. We discovered tens of beautiful seeds so masterfully tucked next to one another in the flower's center. We will harvest the seeds for next year's crop. This begins a new sunflower tradition in our house.
What traditions do you have in your garden or outdoor space? People are willing to be brave when they admit their smallness within the enormity of the world, and the best way to understand our smallness is to leave our comfort zones and start exploring, one foot in front of the other. When we go on adventure, we'd better understand where we truly belong. We want our kids to know that it doesn't always take an airport gate and a 747 to experience the world. It was big even in our own country. This is why we take road trips. // Tsh Oxenreider, Notes From A Blue Bike It was with our bodies we worshipped in the great vastness of God's ocean—sure proof of Himself—tossed and lost in the waves of the Atlantic.Home may be where your heart is, but on the open road lie your five senses, and when you return to your heart, you'll better see, smell, and hear. When you stay in the confines of your town for too long, your vision blurs. The same goes for your kids. Keep your vision intact and experience the slow, deep pleasure from seeing the new as a family. // Tsh Oxenreider, Notes From A Blue Bike Escape | by Suzanna West MakowskiI am so thrilled to share my photo that was just featured by the EyeEm Blog as a part of The Week On EyeEm—weekly highlights of images by photographers all over the world. Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. // Dale Carnegie Sometimes I think I take too many photographs and don't do enough with them. It's so easy to doubt myself and the creative process, yet I know creativity and skill is practiced. I push myself to make shots visually interesting or tell a story, even if just from my everyday life. Having a recognized and talented group of people to share them with is the great advantage of the incredible world of social media we live in. Getting my own images out for discussion and interacting with others' about their work—without comparison—are actions I must continually strive for to keep fear at bay and grow creatively.
I have wanted to compost for a long time and even had some meager attempts at doing it years ago when I lived with my parents. But, without having my own place for so long I never really owned it like I should have to make it successful. Plus, I got caught up in the seeming complication of it. Like I often do, I felt like I couldn't do it perfectly so I was paralyzed to do anything at all. Now I'm in a house and working toward some homesteading practices I have been dreaming about to keep our family healthy, sustainable and frugal. I found the Living Homegrown Podcast to start learning a little before jumping in. The episode on Composting 101 pushed me—succeed or fail—to just start. So while I'm no expert, here's what I've been doing. TURN IT // Give It Some AirI have a good size backyard, so I decided to stop worrying about what container to put my compost in and just start a pile by my back fence. Every week or so I go turn my pile over to loosen it up to make sure it has air. I wasn't sure if my pile was starting to smell a little funny when I approached (which means things are out of wack), but was encouraged by the deep earthly smell I caught wind of when I flipped the bottom of my pile over. BROWN LAYER IT // Give It Some CarbonWhile I used to worry that I needed to source some herbiside-free hay, I realized I had tons of brown (carbon) stuff all around the house. I was able to collect plenty of dead leaves, twigs, shedding Crape Myrtle bark, (even corrugated cardboard!) etc. from around my property. GREEN LAYER IT // Give It Some Nitrogen Throughout the week I keep my food scraps in a container in the fridge. Soon enough I will invest in a countertop odor-free bin, but for now this system seems to work. I dump them, along with grass clippings and other green stuffs on top of the brown layer. Apparently the ratio of brown to green should be about 7:1. Odor is a giveaway that this ratio may not be quite right, so I'm keeping that in mind. But honestly, I'm not worrying too much about that right now. DIRT LAYER ITI finish by piling dirt on top, usually just covering up the food scraps. WATER ITDepending on how dry the pile looks or what the rain-prediction is for the week I will soak the compost with water. What about all you real food growers out there? Any compost tips I need as I figure this thing out?
After many years of renting without a permanent garden spot I am finally getting my hands dirty to grow some veg! Compost and more compost is my first feat in preparation for Spring. Plus, we are potting a little tomato plant gifted to us so we can start growing now! |
Hi. I'm Suzanna.I like running outside, eating real food and crafting beautiful images. I am captivated by documenting everyday life–revealing what authentic, adventurous and lovers of life we all are. Life is full.Sign up for my newsletter, PRISM, for creative inspiration to remember the details that count. Thank you!Look for a new PRISM in your inbox very soon. |