In Rememberance

Its been a hard week. We lost my grandfather on Thursday after a week of caring for him as a family in his home. I am at loss for how to describe the beauty of each moment we shared with him and with one another...I am at a loss to even begin to describe the significance of his life and the love I have for him. I know that he was a rare man of great influence. I know that he loved others. I know that he loved Jesus. There is so much I want to write about this man and I hope to a bit later in the week. Today I am finding my thoughts so muddled.

Autumn was his favorite time of year and I thought this poem by Walter de la Mare was fitting for where I am today:

AUTUMN
There is a wind where the rose was;
Cold rain where sweet grass was;
And clouds like sheep
Stream o'er the steep
Grey skies where the lark was.

Nought gold where your hair was;
Nought warm where your hand was;
But phantom, forlorn,
Beneath the thorn,
Your ghost where your face was.

Sad winds where your voice was;
Tear, tears where my heart was;
And ever with me,
Oh, ever with me,
Silence where hope was.

The Harvest

The bounty from the front walk...


The pumkins are still plumping in the backyard, but one of the beautiful elements of the harvest we are enjoying is the insane ammount of lavender that is produced every spring and summer in our yard. In August, the kids and I harvested the beautiful stuff for the second time and are currently finding ways to enjoy it! I think we gave more than half of it away so that other families could enjoy getting crafy with it too, but we are also making...

~dry bouquets
~lavendar sachets
~sugar scrub
~firesticks

The boquets give off a wonderful fragrance all year long! I stick them is vases or jars all around the house for color and flair...

For some added insensity, I use a pestal, or have the kids grind the blooms in the palm of their hand before filling organza bags from the craft store for the sachets. These are favorites for the girls to stash in their drawers or give away to friends at the holidays.

The sugar scrub is a combination of ground lavender, essential oil, sugar and lemon and is incredible! I can't wait to suprise my mom, mother-in-law and sisters with this at Christmas...or I guess right now (hi guys!).

Lavender Firesticks are my personal favorite because to create them, I use the stem of the lavendar, a piece of the plant that is typically thrown away, although it has such a beautiful fragrance! My friend, Yvonne shared this idea with me a few years ago and I have loved the addition it has made to making our home cozy all winter long. Simply dry lavender stems and toss a few onto the fire or even use them as fire starters... the heat will fill your home will the smell of lavender! I am planning on making some bundles of these this year to wrap and give with some special matches for hostess gifts or stocking stuffers.

I am learning so much about the healing benefits of lavendar these days. Did you know it is a natural anti-fungal and also great for helping you sleep... that is the best perk for me in the early days of the school year...