November

The leaves are fading and falling,
The winds are rough and wild,
The birds have ceased their calling,
But let me tell you, my child,
Though day by day, as it closes,
Doth darker and colder grow,
The roots of the bright red roses
Will keep alive in the snow.
And when the Winter is over,
The boughs will get new leaves,
The quail come back to the clover,
And the swallow back to the eaves.
The robin will wear on his bosom
A vest that is bright and new,
And the loveliest way-side blossom
Will shine with the sun and dew.
The leaves to-day are whirling,
The brooks are dry and dumb,
But let me tell you, my darling,
The Spring will be sure to come.
There must be rough, cold weather,
And winds and rains so wild;
Not all good things together
Come to us here, my child.
So, when some dear joy loses
Its beauteous summer glow,
Think how the roots of the roses
Are kept alive in the snow.

--Alice Cary 1820-1871

Family update

So I know it has been a while since my last post, as per ush. Life just gets so busy and full with working for Mia Kat and playing with 2 toddlers during the day, keeping up the house and caring for all of the plants and animals around here, cooking healthy meals , sharing in community, and finding the time to do what I love, craft. But I just had to find the time to share this with you all......

Matt and I have always had a hard time finding christian/worship music that we really genuinely like (if I am allowed to say such a thing, lol), and I'm so glad to have come across this: come&live (a label started by former A&R guy for tooth & nail records.) They give all the music away for free. It is the album "Hymns" by Ascend the Hill, especially the songs "take the world, but give me jesus," "hallelujah, what a savior," and "be thou my vision". Here's a taste:

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way,

I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray,

That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day

May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,

I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,

I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead,

And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.

--"Oh Love that will not let me go" by George Matheson, 1882

Annnnd, I guess I also owe you a family update on all of us. ;)

River is getting SO BIG! He said "I love you" for the first time 2 days ago, and just cut his bottom 2 year molars. Yay for sweet, sacred sleep that we have been so deprived of. He favorite things currently consist of coloring, watching music video's and singing/playing along on his "boom boom's", feeding the chickens, and being outdoors. That's our boy!




Matt is spending a lot of time getting things set up here to begin recording. He is so ready to get his new project, Station Agent, off the ground and begin playing live. He's also been busy getting things prepared for our fall garden, and getting the chickens set up for the coming winter months.

lovely chicken tractor that Matt built

As for me.... I think I mostly covered that in the first paragraph. ;) I have been keeping a friend of ours 2 year old son, Gavin, during the day four days a week. He and River have so much fun playing together! I spend most of my time working away on Mia Kat, our record label, taking care of the plants and animals around here, and finding time here and there to sneak in some crafting, (though some days my time spent cooking in the kitchen is the only moment of creativity that I have, & I have grown to cherish that. I have developed an immense love of cooking & baking over the years, & a real appreciation for the aesthetic elements involved in the creating & eating of a fine meal with my family and our friends.)

Currently I am working on making felted wool dryer balls. Here is a link to a basic tutorial, but I will post pictures of the finished product when I am done.

http://goodmama.typepad.com

River and Gavin at the Mercer Arboretum

herb color bowls we just made for the porch

As far as Mia Kat goes, we have so much exciting stuff coming up in these last few months of the year. We are helping to host a benefit show for a local non-profit here called Houston CERT on October 23rd. We also have 2-3 releases coming up in November and December, finishing out the year with a Volume 3 MKE New Years compilation. WOW have we been busy! ;)

July 27th = 9 year anniversary!

On this day 9 years ago I married my best friend and my soul mate. My how time flies when your having fun!

We decided to take some pics to commemorate our 9 year anniversary and how fast our baby River is growing up. He is now 20 months!! We were hoping to get a cute pic to send along with his 2 year birthday invites. I think one of these just might do! ;)

He definitely got the very best traits from each of us... he is going to be a looker. Girls, watch out!

In other news, we are slowly starting to get our little homestead off the ground. We aren't wanting to do too much on this land, as we only plan to be here for the next 2 years while we are working towards buying acreage to have our house moved to. The current prospect is 10 and a half acres out in Shepherd with a pond on the property. If you are praying for us, please pray for guidance and direction. Matt is going to walk the property with the guy this Sunday and measure/stake it out. ;) In the meantime we just moved our rabbits outside in to their new hutch last weekend and they seem quite happy! This weekend we are bringing home our baby araucana chicks! We are getting the brooder ready for them now, and then Matt will have about 4 weeks to construct their chicken tractor. For those of you who do not know what a chicken tractor is, here ya go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tractor. We plan to use the tilled up, fertilized ground for a vegetable beds each time we move it to a new location. ;) I'll be sure to post pics here to track the progress.

Almost Buttermilk Pancakes!

Now that berries are in season we are all about pancakes for breakfast over here! Here is a delicious recipe that uses yogurt instead of buttermilk (we ALWAYS have yogurt on hand.) Mmmmm.....

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/4 cups plain yogurt, such as Nancy's

fresh blueberries

maple syrup

1. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg with the sugar and canola oil. Whisk in the yogurt, then whisk in the flour mixture, stirring just enough to bring the ingredients together. Do not overmix or the cakes will be tough.

3. If the griddle or skillet is not well seasoned, rub a little butter over the surface. Spoon the batter onto the hot griddle, and if using blueberries sprinkle them immediately over the surface of the uncooked pancakes as soon as the batter is poured.

4. When the pancakes are puffed and golden brown on the undersides, after about 3 minutes, turn and cook until light and cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Top with butter, syrup, homemade whipped cream, walnuts, & more blueberries

(recipe from West Coast Cooking by Greg Atkinson)

Matt's new band!

A few iphone pics I took of the guys (Nathaniel, Matt and Daryl) out behind the barn. Look for these guys to start playing out soon!

Summer days + A place for us

This is the second time this summer that I am keeping my two darling nieces, Hannah and Kaylee. The last time I kept them they stayed with us for a week and we had so much fun! We did crafts, rescued a baby bird and built it a nest, spied on the raccoon that lives in our pecan tree, went swimming, baked home made biscotti, made pine cone bird feeders, and generally just enjoyed each others company. They were also great helpers, helping me hang the clothes out to dry and Kaylee was all about doing the dishes! River so enjoyed having them around for entertainment. They sure can put on some pretty mean plays (and by "mean" I mean awesome!)






This weekend we are planning on taking advantage of this sunny weather and doing some berry picking, playing in the sprinklers, starting some tomato seeds indoors, and maybe even hitting up the Farmers Market. (Pics to come soon!)

I am not sure if I remembered to mention that Matthew and I moved into our own place a few weeks ago and we are smitten! It is out in the middle of a grass farm and has the most amazing scenery and sunsets! It is the old style farmhouse that we have always wanted and we could not be more blessed. ;) After having most of our things in storage for the better part of a year it is so nice to be able to really nest again. Matt and I LOVE hospitality and have already jumped into it full swing. It has truly been great to be able to welcome our friends into our home once again. This is perfect for us and we are delighted. Please come visit us! We can not wait to share this place with you.

the scenery

clothes line

weather vain and lightening rod on top of our house

the pond behind our house

Last few weeks at a glance...

WARNING: this post is very image heavy!




Two weeks ago we went to the annual crawfish boil at the beach. This was River's first memorable beach trip, since the first time we went he was only about 3 months old. He loved the water, but wasn't quite sure what to make of the sand! Ha ha. We took the ferry home and it was so windy and the water was so choppy that we could barely keep our balance at times. Still, we all had a wonderful day of fun in the sun.

High five!

River's Curls (I am SO not ready to cut these!)


Ferry ride home

Last week we went to Herman Park with Jack Potts and his awesome kido's!

River had a blast picking flowers, chasing birds, checking out the turtles (which inspired us to get him a pet ornate box turtle. We made that decision after all he did was chant "tur-tle!" for the next few days!) and riding the train around the park chanting "Choo-choo!."

River trying to catch the birds

The Potts clan <3>




River and I went to a friends wedding and River was my date since Matt had to work. He was sooo cute in his little suit and converse!

looking "shy"

He had a blast "shaking his booty" to the music and running around giving everyone a fist bump. It is hilarious that in his mind he thinks everyone wants to smile at him and applaud his cuteness. I guess we do a good job at that around here. ;)

Yesterday we went down to Galveston but unfortunately didn't get many pics. We met "Uncle Tom" there and perused The Strand for a while. We had lunch at Yaga's Cafe and then ice cream at an old 20's style creamery and candy factory. Then we grabbed some coffee and headed back into the city to catch the end of the Farmer's Market and made away with some goat milk, goat cheese, chana masala, local honey, egg plant, and free range, antibiotic free chicken and sausage. Success!

I can't wait for the day when all we have to do is simply walk out into our own backyard. This is the life that we dream of, and the self sufficient life that we work towards.

An afternoon by the lake

We had a really lovely afternoon rummaging through an old junk store earlier and found River 3 pop-up story books for $1!(I also found a vintage galvanized double washing basin that I would love to have!)

Then we all got ice cream cones and hung out by the lake skipping stones in the water, and we even caught (and then released) a baby catfish! (We took pics of the fish, but alas, they did not turn out very well.)

pretty view

teaching River to be kind to nature ;)

Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens

Two days ago we had the pleasure of meeting our friends Marty Durlam and his son, Miles, at the Mercer Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. We had such a fun time walking through the trails of the bamboo forest and had a picnic lunch in the Chinese tea garden. It was so good to spend some time with these guys that we haven't seen in a few months, although we did miss the company of our dear friend, Christine. ;)

River actually rode in his stroller ( for like, maybe the third time ever!) I think it has become somewhat of a novelty.

River passed out on the way home...(and notice the skinned knees)

Last weekend we set up a pool for the kido's (River and his cousin, Aubrey) in the back yard. River has had so much fun playing in it in the afternoon's.

helping Dad fill up the pool

is it ready yet??

We even managed to get in a little gardening. (Can't go too long without getting our hands in the dirt.) Matt showed River and Aubrey how to plant tomatoes and peppers in containers.





Things are beginning to settle down a little as we get comfortable in our new routines. On the music front, a lot of exciting things are happening. It is amazing to me how when you step out in faith into something that you feel prompted in your heart to do, even when it is scary and you can not see the entire picture, it is as if God begins to guide each step and reveal a little more of the big picture as he releases his blessings and doors begin to open. I can not share all of the details yet, but rest assured as things unfold I will be posting updates. ;) For now, I leave you with a final photo that is just too cute for words....

did I mention that River is obsessed with shoes?

Catching up on our last year!

All right guys, I have no good excuse. I have really let this blog go. I/We seem to have sailed our boat off the edge of internet land over the past year, so I thought I'd post and let you know that we're okay. I intend to start this blog back up and keep it active. But first, I guess I need to catch everyone up on our life over the last year:

- While we were in Beaumont we helped to start a Farmer's Market there, as well as a group for backyard gardeners to share in community and their access bounty, called the SETX Green Exchange. (For more on that you can go to www.pleaseremainseeded.wordpress.com.) Or if you are near Beaumont and would like to participate you can get all the current info. at www.geauxlocal.com.


-River had his first Halloween! He was a dragon. ;) We went to a festival with some of his cousins and got to see a lot of farm animals, he was especially taken with the goats.



- River turned 1!! We had a perfect birthday party for him and shared this blessed day with a lot of friends and family who love him. We had splendid but healthy carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, among other yummy healthy snack foods (fruits and veggies, hummus and pita chips, etc.) The theme was whimsical forest creatures (owls, squirrels, acorns - er, ok, so this isn't really a "creature") and pinwheels! It was rather cold outside so we all stayed indoors and sipped hot cocoa with marshmallows.

He is now 17 mths and walking around getting into everything. He is such a curious little kid. He is also very strong willed and determined, (hmmm, wonder where he got that from...) but this is one of the things we love about him. I have heard this could be challenging to parent in years to come, but we're grateful for these characteristics, & think it makes for a fascinating human being! While I was pregnant with him I prayed continually that he would be creative, joyful, compassionate, adaptable, curious, and full of life.... and we have already seen glimpses of all of the these traits in his short life.

a rare family photo of the 3 of us - Christmas 09

River posing! - Christmas 09

His vocabulary has grown so much, and with it, our understanding of him. He seems less frustrated when he feels like he's getting his thoughts through to us. His first word was, of course, mama. ;) But now he can say dada, night night, nurse, water, meow, quack, ruff, neigh, moo, baa, grandpa, mimi, pa, bubble, uh-oh, etc. He now has 12 (going on 16) teeth. His favorite foods include: banana's, citrus, avocado, fish, brown rice and Bulgarian yogurt. This is such a fun age, though I have truly enjoyed something about every age he's been. He has brought so much joy to our lives. Here are some of his favorite things:

*Nature - being out doors as much as possible!
*Animals - all kinds (cows, ducks, birds, cats, dogs, sheep, etc)
*Brushing his teeth (and playing with his toothbrush, mimicking the sound, pretending he is brushing his teeth.)
*SHOES!! (I swear he got this from Matt - not me!)
*Helping mama sweep (we even bought him his own broom - after he sought it out at Whole Earth Provisions and insisted he did not wish to leave without it in his clutches.)
*Romping and wrestling - he LOVES to get all hyper and giggly and shriek with laughter.
*Hugs and kisses (he even kisses all of his stuffed animals on the mouth and loves to snuggle up on the floor with the puppy dogs)
*Reading books - especially books about animals
*Blowing bubbles (and popping them)
*Playing guitars, pianos and bongo's
*Bath time with Daddy (Dad let's him splash really hard and make a big mess)
*hissing like a snake every time he sees one or hears the word "snake" - he gets really excited

enjoying one of the last cool fronts in the park

hanging out in the sculpture gardens at the art museum

- So you may have heard some rumors here or there about the Ellis family moving back to Houston. As we approached the end of our year with my family in Beaumont, and as we've prayed about it, we knew the decision to not extend our stay was the right one. Over the months there we've had many talks about the need for community and support (on many levels) that we have so missed since being there. We realize that we were where we needed to be for a season in our life, and Matty being hired on in Beaumont enabled me to be able to stay home with River (our #1 priority), so we began to pray fervently about the Lord's plan for us. A few weeks ago an opening in Houston with the company that Matt works for opened up and was brought to our attention. Everything fell into place and we knew it was the right thing for us. We are so thankful for the Lord's faithfulness & guidance. It sometimes comes down to the last minute for us, but it always works out in the end...

SO....that brings us somewhat current. Matt and River and I are currently in Houston! We are very excited to be back. We have so missed our community here (with our friends, with our home church, with the Houston music scene.) Though our love for Jesus has always been present + growing, we've recently felt a little isolated from a real & celebratory community of believers, and are looking forward to re-engaging in some fellowship. Matt's parents, 2 brothers + wives and 1 sweet niece also live here. We have many plans for Mia Kat Empire (our record label) this year, as well as for Matt's own musical endeavors (exciting!) and I hope to be more inspired to be crafty once again. ;) Matty & I have been blessed with some great conversations lately about the future (and the present!) , & it feels like life has movement & inertia.

On a side note, we've been living for the past 2 1/2 weeks under the gracious hospitality of Matt's parents. All of our things are currently in storage, as we prepare ourselves to purchase a home. Our family is ready to settle down. We aren't sure exactly where in Houston we want to buy, yet, be it in the middle of the city, the suburbs, or a surrounding area with a lot of land. But we are looking forward to taking our time and putting a lot of thought and prayer in to this major decision. I think we are both learning the deeper meaning of patience and waiting on God. We welcome your prayers in this new journey.

More to come soon, I promise. ;)