christmas and little traditions

I have always loved the smell and feeling of a real christmas tree. growing up we never had one, supposedly my mama was allergic. but, i am still not truly convinced of that. so in our first year of marriage - our first christmas together - mind you before there were any littles running around, I convinced chris to get a real christmas tree with me. to my surprise, he never got a real one growing up either. so we got a little charlie brown tree.{our first christmas here}

and so our tradition began. if it was up to me, I would have the tree up by thanksgiving, but my husband is bit of a separatist when it comes to holidays. and honestly, i am starting to love it too. to fully celebrate thanksgiving and gratitude all month, and allow the waiting and tension of christmas to build. so on the first sunday of advent, we get our real christmas tree, I make homemade hot cocoa and cookies, and we all decorate the tree together. for as long as their attention span will allow. I just love it - and having our littles celebrate with us, makes it so much better.

so keeping with tradition, on the first sunday of advent, we got our real christmas tree. and it's something we look forward to every year, I just love this time of year. I made homemade hot cocoa and cookies, and pull out all of our christamas decorations, and we go to town. and i just can't stop listening to the she + him christmas album. this year juniper was old enough to participate, and oh my goodness it was darling to see her face light up with excitement over the tree. she kept giving it kisses and of course had more fun putting up and taking down the same ornament over and over. so precious. we basically just have lots of lights, homemade ornaments that sparrow has made or some from my childhood, and we've started getting one new ornament a year - usually from anthropologie because they always come out with the most darling ones. so our collection is slowly building, but I just love it.

the girls also get their own little tree to decorate in their room, we started this a couple of years ago with sparrow, and now juniper gets to join in! sparrow is so proud that she gets to pick her own tree out and can choose which ornaments to decorate with. she usually picks lots of candy canes and yarn.

i didn't grow up in a super traditional home filled with lots of specific traditions - we did have some, like wearing matching pajamas on christmas eve, and also getting to open one gift. but, it's something over the years me and chris have had lots of conversations about. what traditions do we want to keep that come from our childhoods and which ones would we like to cultivate in our own family. we don't have them all totally figured out, and most have just kind of happened organically. but, my favorite is doing advent as a family. neither one of us grew up doing advent, and so this is something we have been intentional about doing together every year. right now in this season of little ones, we keep it simple, it usually involves a little craft and scripture. we also have a nativity that sparrow helps set up and we use it as a visual story guide. but, i love being intentional and carving out time each evening to let go of empty busyness, choose joy and contentment, and receive the true gift of christmas. and to help give eyes to my children to see the truth and depth of why we celebrate. we give gifts because he first loved us and gave himself as a gift to us.

 

a bit of our thanksgiving

 

I didn't get too many photos from thanksgiving this year. my sister and niece came into town and we celebrated thanksgiving with some family friends. so much good food and company - turkey, ham, all the yummy sides, and pies! I just love thanksgiving! I really try and be thankful and practice contentment everyday, but I love a whole day to remind myself of all the goodness in my life. for all the people in my life. my little ones, my husband + partner in this life, our families, and all the friends who love us so well. the older I get, the more thankful I am for the very simple things. the things money can never buy or replace. the intangible goodies that the father gives.

during the month of November, we have a thankful tree at the center of the table. and over dinner we each share something we are thankful for and write in on leaves + hang them on the tree. it can be anything, there are no rules to being thankful. this tradition started a few years ago and honestly is something we have kept up most evenings throughout the year - either at dinnertime or bedtime. but during November I like to be super intentional about having the tree and being able to visually see everything that causes us to give thanks. coffee. babies. warm beds. pie. community. all kinds of things make the list. and sparrow's are some of my favorite. through the eyes of little ones, if we are slow enough to listen and watch - we will see so much truth. to be like my children is my prayer. wherever and whoever you were with, I hope you had a lovely thanksgiving.

Ethical Shopping for the Holidays

so with Christmas literally around the corner and many of you are in shopping and gift giving mode, I thought I would share about something that is really dear to my {and my husband's} heart. shopping with others in mind. by that I mean, avoiding things made in China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, ect.. and choosing to shop as local and ethically as possible.

It all started about 7 years ago, when me and Christopher watched the documentary, 'The high cost for low prices'.{you can watch it here if you've never seen it}. around the same time I read this book {I really, really recommend!} It was the true starting point for us in shopping ethically for all of our needs and wants. it has even spilled over into how we buy groceries and feed our family - which I plan to talk about more in a future blog post. and the road hasn't been easy, trust me I have had my fair share of moments, of turning a blind eye to the truth, because I just wanted something pretty. and I am not proud of my apathy and weakness in those times, and in those moments I am met with grace and forgiveness from my husband. but, the more my heart loves people, the more I want to be careful with how we are spending our money as a family. and as a mother now, it truly breaks my heart how most things are made.

so here are a few tips and resources that I have learned along the way {and a couple of littles later}



 

one of the easiest ways to shop ethically is secondhand - it keeps you from contributing to unfair labor practices, while also keeping waste to a minimum, because you aren't feeding the industry to create more. so whether it is your local thrift store, consignment store {buffalo exchange, platos closet, clothes mentor} or even craigslist, I always recommend starting there first. if you aren't keen on thrifting my friend Bethany has a wonderful blog and tips here. as well as my friend Shannon, here. {I have my own tips +  tricks too that I could share if there is enough interest}

 

but, maybe you are looking for something specific for a loved one or friend, if you live in denton, I would encourage you to check out the dime store - everything is made by a local artisans {like my shirt that I am wearing is made my dear friend Rachel}. and this place is darling, from Christmas cards, to art, candles, jewelry, they probably have that special something that you are looking for. plus it supports the local economy! another great place is etsy, unless you are living under a rock, you've all heard of etsy! right? you can find everything - as a mama, I just love etsy! this is where I have bought baby moccasins, clothes, blankets, even cloth diapers//covers for my little ones. I also really love the store ten thousand villages - there is one in Ft. Worth, a couple in Dallas, McKinney, even Austin. it's a wonderful place full of fair trade + handmade items - even furniture! and I have to mention one of my absolute favorite resources for shopping ethically - the art of simple. It is a very thorough guide listing every company that is above reproach, from furniture, toys, accessories, beauty, even chocolate. you name it, it's listed!

 

one of my favorite ways to gift give, and is something my husband truly loves to receive, is through organizations like compassion or heifer ministries where you can either sponsor a child in someone's name {or your own name and develop a friendship} or buy a family chickens, a goat, or even provide a water well to truly make a sustainable difference. it's kind of a running joke in our family that we always ask for goats, but our parents know what that truly means, and its an opportunity to practice generosity for another's well being over just getting things. people over things.

{I just had to include this photo, because this was the same day I got to meet baby Gideon}

my hope is that you aren't filled with guilt while reading this, but maybe encouraged to dig a little deeper into how you shopping and spending your money. it's all the father's anyway, I just want to be a good steward of his gift. and maybe you are thinking that this is an impossible task, it's too hard or too expensive, but I want to encourage you to try, even if it's in a small way. just start with a small thing. and when you have to go to target, {like I did last week to buy a trash can/I couldn't find one used} - just take a look. I was able to find a trash can {now, if I am perfectly honest it wasn't the one I wanted, it isn't sleek, slender or metal, but it also isn't something eternal - so I can let that go} permanent markers, and a candle that I really wanted because it smelled like fall, all made in the USA. and with Christmas gifts, I hope this encourages you to be a little more intentional, bake that loved one cookies or make a card, or maybe you know how to sew or paint or make jewelry - go the handmade route. everyone loves receiving something special and especially if you put thought into it. give the gift of intentionality this year, whether if you buy something or make something.

 

hat // gap, from platos closet

top // madeline wood

jeans // old navy, trifted

 

morning smoothies

we pretty much enjoy smoothies all year round, their a healthy + fast way for me to feed my wilds. not to mention they give me the ability to sneak all the green things in. my children basically wake up hungry. and remain so all day. breakfast. second breakfast. snacks and snacks. lunch. snacks and snacks. dinner. snacks. and right after we've said good night prayers after reading several books...we usually hear from sparrow, 'but, mama I am hungry...' {so we toss a few carrots her way} anyone else feel this way, like their littles are hungry all of the time? the amount of food my girls can consume is amazing.

but, anyhoo - smoothies have a tendency to make them feel fuller longer, plus their fun to make together, leave hardly any mess to clean up, and on mornings when we need to get out the door in a hurry - they can 'eat' their breakfast or snack {by the time we are actually leaving} on the go.

here is one of our favorite smoothie recipes {makes 2 servings}:

2c coconut water

1/2c aloe vera juice

1/2 avocado

1 banana {sliced + frozen}

1c kale {or spinach}

1 scoop of protein {totally optional, I use this kind, it's raw + vegan}

1/2 hemp seeds

blend all ingredients together on high for a couple of minutes.

 {pretty much how every meal ends around here}

those might sound like all exotic ingredients, but they are all easily located at the cupboard or natural grocers - or if your lucky to live near a sprouts or central market. we tend to keep flaxseed, hempseed, ect...all on hand - it's an easy way to add extra nutrients to any recipe. and I just love coconut water, we always have a bunch, it's my favorite way to rehydrate after a run or workout, I personally love the zico brand, but there are tons others if you haven't found a favorite yet. and aloe vera juice has so many amazing benefits, from regulating your blood sugar, aids in digestion, helps with stomachaches and heartburn, and even strengthens your immune system, which we could all use as cold/flu season approach. green smoothies aren't world changing, and you've probably created your own, but this is our go-to around here for health and doesn't make the littles spit it out!

Friendship Pumpkin Patch

there was a short window where the rain calmed down a bit last week and we decided to visit the pumpkin patch. it's something that makes our 'fall bucket list' of traditions every year. i love traditions, keeping some from my childhood and creating new ones with my family. it doesn't have to be grand, just something that we all love doing together to help cultivate memories and to help savor and be intentional about the seasons and up-coming holidays.

this was the first year for this darling little pumpkin patch to open in denton! and it was so precious, the church that hosted it did such a wonderful job. there were so many pumpkins and gourds, ranging in all sizes to choose from. there were fun little hay and train rides, pulled by tractors and a John Deere, face paintings, and they also set up little photo-op stations with stacks of hay that were curated beautifully with pumpkins and flowers.
we somehow lucked out and had the entire place to ourselves, it was so wonderful, and simple. sparrow and juniper just got to run around all the fields and play with the pumpkins without me worrying about them getting lost in the crowd of other parents and little ones. and no lines for face painting or the hay rides, which meant they could on as many times as they wanted. I really recommend it for next year. especially if you like a little more low-key,or maybe you have a little one with sensory needs who can't handle noise or overwhelming situations.

we normally trek up to the town south of us {flower mound} and visit their pumpkin patch...and it really is worth it. on a weekday. {don't ever make the mistake of going on a Saturday morning unless you have grandparents with you, also known as, extra eyes + hands to help}, it has all the bells and whistles, corn maze, bounce house/slides, pumpkins everywhere + tons of little wagons that your littles can pull to help haul your pumpkins around. but, something i have learned over the past year in towing two littles around is simple is often times the better choice. i am naturally full of ideas and love making things extra special or creative, but sometimes just choosing to slow down and go the simpler route, often times means its more flexible and relaxing, which is more enjoyable for everyone, but especially little ones. and sometimes you can get caught up in the chase of the better thing. the better park, the better view, the better, whatever that may be. this little pumpkin patch was a lesson in that for me. simple is good. real good. just like my journey in finding beauty in the ordinary, in the mundane of life. find the good stuff right where you are at.

a morning at Cardo's Farm Project

It's pretty rare that papa ever has to work on a Saturday, but sometimes it happens. so last Saturday, me and the littles spent a leisurely morning out on Cardo's Farm. I just happened to have my favorite blanket in the trunk and I spread it out for us, as our spot to picnic - there was a lovely brunch spread of homemade nut butters, a delicious rosemary thyme butter (OMG! it was so good), fresh bread, pesto pasta,, salad, and cookies galore (sparrow's favorite of, course). we snacked and snacked, put together our own bouquets, played with chickens and the friendliest farm dog, and enjoyed fresh air and the gift of an open field. I dream of living on a farm one day, or at least having a couple of acres, being out on the farm was pure happiness for my soul. one of my favorite worship songs has a line that says, 'your love is so great, you set us in open fields, you whisper your love...' (free coffee on me to anyone who knows?) but, that's kind of how I feel when I am in openness, I feel like 

I can breathe, and hear. and think a little better.

we pretty much lounged here all morning, and sparrow graciously filled our plates for us each time we were low (on cookies!).

the bouquet making station was such a hit with sparrow, she loved that she got to clip her own flowers and was determined to find all the red ones, Cardo's also has fields of sunflowers. just beautiful!

if you've never been out to cardos farm project - Go! Amanda is such a beautiful and kind soul, you can schedule a tour, sign up for a farm share or even volunteer. I love their vision of incorporating the community of Denton, as well as educating on sustainable agricultural practices. but, please don't go without me (giving my extrovertedness away) ~ I live literally down the street from their farm, and would love to go with you!

blackberry picking

one of our favorite summer traditions is to go fruit picking. we've visited duck creek farms for the past three years, and it's something I look forward to every june. We love visiting and supporting local farms, meeting and talking to the farmers {and various family members} that own them and sustain them. Plus, the blackberries are so delicious!