Mountain Magic: Learning in Nature

We are still so in awe of our surroundings here in the mountains. There is a magnetic pull to the rocks and trees...and to the highest heights. If I even utter the word "outside"...the girls have their coats and boots on faster than you can say "fairy house"!  

We were inspired by our dear friends at EcoWomb (the family who is traveling in our Live Lightly Tour bus) who have been participating in Mandala Monday on Instagram (#mandalamonday). I was first drawn to nature mandalas by following @faithevanssills and her beautiful creations. I suggested that we try our own hand at it and the girls got busy collecting little bits of goodness. 

While the origins of mandalas stem from Hinduism, we can find and apply truth and beauty in our spiritual walk with Jesus as well. We talked about the circular beauty of creation and the order of nature. Mandalas (nature or otherwise) are commonly used in meditation. I love the idea of using our mandalas as a path for prayer.

The moss we find on the rocks and trees here is so green and lush! I cannot help but to stop and touch it every time I pass by! I've even taken some inside and added them to my succulents.

While the big girls are busy racing up the highest rocks, Emma has her own agenda. Wandering and weaving through the trees, laying on her back looking up at the sky, and playing with the doggies. 

While we were exploring, we heard the rumble rumble of Daddy's diesel truck. "He's HOME!" ...they screamed. We walked the property together...planning Airstream parking and gardens. I've been collecting a few mountain gardening tidbits on this Pinterest board, but would love any wisdom YOU can share. I'm thinking raised beds and lots of greens and hardy stuff. I have recently been informed that there is a seed shop in Nederland that ships in awesome alpine/cold weather seeds. I'm sure I can find them online as well...but it's a great excuse to eat at Kathmandu! We have lots of late morning and afternoon sun on the south side of our property (right where Matt is sitting in the photo above) and on the 900 sq ft deck. There are even built-in planters on the deck already! Can you tell I'm getting spring fever?

It seems like we find new nooks and crannies to explore every time we go out...and I'm so excited to start trimming and cleaning and clearing. There are several tent spots tucked away in the rocks, as well as 3 look out spots, which we have affectionately named "Moss Rock", "Inspiration Point", and "The Nest". 

As we walk and climb, we discover that we want to know everything!

What kind of tree is this?! What bird is that? Why is there moss there? How does lichen form? Why is it more windy in the mountains? What kind of animal pooped here? How are pine cones formed? What is the life cycle of a pine tree? How does granite form and how does it change over time?  

The mountains are rich with possibility!

This was the view from Moss Rock yesterday...we can see Denver, Matt's shop in Boulder, our old farm, and even Mt. Evans. Pretty much everything. Lucy said she could even see Paris! We are learning new things daily...just by walking out the door. 

What has been your most impactful nature experience lately? 

Prepped and Primed

I am thrilled to be up and about today after spending much of my weekend with the view above. Snuggled up in bed not feeling well. Not exactly ideal. Unfortunately, I never got to see my sweet sister after our surprise sushi night because of all the sickies in my house. We are now all almost back to health. I'm still pretty dizzy and nauseous, but I'm UP.

Sickness didn't keep us from pressing on with renovations! We finished the pine ceiling and prepped everything for our first coat of primer...applied with our paint sprayer.

It's getting lighter and brighter every day! I know many of you have said "leave it natural!". And to that I say..."Noooooooo!!". I'm not a fan of naked pine in my home. Not a fan at all. Northwoods cabin is not exactly my style. I'm going for open, bright, white, spacious...FRESH! The big beam on the ceiling is going to be capped with barnwood. *sigh*. Can I just do my whole house in barnwood?

We had initially decided to whitewash the fireplace...but I think that we are just going to paint it completely white instead. I cannot wait to get that part done...it will change the dated look of the living area dramatically! Our main dilemma with the fireplace is what we will do with that left side. The living room layout is not super TV-friendly, and the fireplace might be our only placement option. Yuck. Not my first choice! Today we talked about creating a built-in bookshelf on the entire left side of the fireplace. I prefer to keep it all brick to maintain the sheer size of it. It creates visual impact! Does anyone want to brainstorm with me? 

We are in the midst of kitchen layout and cabinet finding as well. I've been spending lots of time on Pinterest and on lighting websites. Matt found CRAZY DEAL for us on a dual-gas range! An open box item that they were just trying to get rid of fast and we saved TONS of money. So excited. We now have all of our appliances...next up: apron sink!

In the tiny window of time when everyone was well, we headed into town on beautiful sunny Saturday and picked up supplies we needed at Home Depot. I love walking down the aisle where they cut the wood...my favorite smell ever!

Happy healthy Monday everyone!

One Month of Nesting Gypsy!

This morning I'm watching snow float down from the heavens...it's so peaceful and quiet here on the mountaintop. It's hard to believe just one month ago TODAY, life looked oh so very different! On the morning of February 7,  I sat on my couch at the farm and nervously/excitedly pressed PUBLISH. And then I waited. Waited for YOU!

And you liked it! In that moment, I shared tears and joy with my "blog doula", Hillary Rain. In the time we spent working together on my blog design, she became dear to my heart and someone I will forever call "friend".  If you are looking for something different and desire someone magical to walk alongside you and help you create a new blog or a blog re-design...she is your girl. Your perfect fit. Her creative process and her attention to detail far exceeded my expectations. I could go on and on...but you really should just click over there and get a quote! And while you're over there, read her beautiful words and sign up for her eCourses. Her words are so full of life, I just can't get enough. 

It's been such a joy interacting and getting to know all of you even better than before and to meet so many new readers as well! I sort of surprised myself by posting 5 days a week...in the middle of a move. The principle of "creativity breeds creativity" definitely applies here, it's so much easier sharing with you daily than monthly or every couple of months. I re-discovered my love of writing and it encourages me to live my life with eyes wide open. My goal is to continue this schedule as much as I can...I have a huge list of things I want to share with you and love connecting here in this space. 

And so on this Friday, after a week of little girls puking and canceling THREE play dates...I'm looking forward to some fun!  My sister-in-love, Jess, surprised me by flying my sister, Laura here! I thought that I was just meeting Jess for a last-minute sushi date in Boulder...boy was I wrong! What a great start to my weekend! Happy Friday everyone!