Walmart may be the best source of local produce?

Really? Potentially better than Whole Foods? Really? Hate them or love them, WalMart may be single handedly bringing back small farms. Really?

Interesting article from the Atlantic, where chef prepares side by side comparisons for discerning pallets with surprising results.

Listening to life

I started a new book tonight in the quiet moments when my husband was giving my kids a bath. I love it when that happens! I would like to become a more contemplative person and I'm hoping the book "Let Your Life Speak" by Parker Palmer will help.

I wanted to share the opening poem with you because I think it is beautiful:

Some time when the river is ice ask me

mistakes I have made. Ask me whether

what I have done is my life. Others

have come in their slow way into

my thought, and some have tried to help

or to hurt: ask me what difference

their strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say. 

You and I can turn and look

at the silent river and wait. We know 

the current is there, hidden; and there

are comings and goings from miles away

that hold the stillness exactly before us.

What the river says, that is what I say.

  - William Stafford, "Ask Me"

Tell me a story

I promised that I would publish the instructions for a craft I led recently at our MOPS group. This post is terribly tardy. And I apologize for those mama's waiting for this information. God bless you!

I first ran across story dice on Amy's blog and promptly ordered a few from etsy and this great artist. When they arrived I squealed with delight. The packaging was beautiful and it feels good to buy things that are made individually by such talented people. I think I was more excited than the kids were. Aren't they cute?

But then I discovered this great tutorial for making them and asked the author to post the illustrations she used. And she did! So now you can make them too. They are super easy and you can find the blocks at JoAnns or Michaels depending on what size you want. I've used 3/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch blocks with success.

These are pictures of the dice that we made for our craft. We put them in cute little purple bags. I think the moms really liked them!

I originally ordered these dice as a cure for our witching hour between 4-6 in the afternoon when I am trying to make dinner and am spent from the day. I think it was after I read the Creative Family book and they talked about drawing together as a family and just making supplies available to the kids to create when they want. The good stuff too. And it does help. I think my kids will be even more into this as they get older, but just creating the little booklets was really fun and they are filling them up with pictures and 'stories'. Now that they can write letters this will be a fun activity to re-introduce.

This is our little story center. It is setup in our dining room so the kids can access it anytime.

Have fun!

My quest for a fashionable camera bag

...has not been easy, let me just tell you. My goal is to find a bag that is cute that can hold my dSLR, an extra lens and flash and the battery charger in one place. Ideally it'll have some padding to keep everything safe. And it should be beautiful - not boxy and black. I'm not a professional photographer.

Here's what I've found so far:

I love that this bag is quilted and roomy.

This bag is beautiful! And according to this blog, is roomy enough for what a girl needs.

This is cool because it has dividers and was intended for photography.

I like this one too - again designed for a DSLR. Small too, a bonus.

But the one I tried first (in part because it was cheap!) was this cute bowling bag from Amazon.com:

I think it is going to work, though the hubby isn't thrilled with the design. I think he was hoping for a bag that he could lug to sporting events. This is not that bag. But really, when are we apart for said events?  It fits my Canon and an extra lens, but not much else. You might be able to shove the battery charger in there - it is a bit of a tight squeeze.  The bag has a little padding, and will keep everything nice and clean when not in use (a concern for households with curious kiddos). It is small enough that I can throw it in a larger bag or purse too if I go on a trip.

Will keep you posted. Anything else I should be considering?

If you really want to know me...

You should look at what I'm reading. Anyone who knows me knows that I read a lot. And as I was cleaning up I was noticing all the places I'm tucking away books because I don't have shelves up.

In my kitchen, I've placed my go to cookbooks by the oven so they are handy. I love these books. They are the ones I use over and over and over.

And these are the books on the table by my chair. Notice the books stacked up on the piano? My husband did that after he got sick of the tower of books on the table that kept falling over.

What can you tell about me from my books? I like to cook and bake, I have kids and am trying to figure out this parenting thing, I'm crafty, and I am our family's memory keeper. You already knew this? Look closer. These books tell you even more about the type of parent I want to be, the kind of life I'm carving out for my family, the kind of art that excites me, and the adventures I want to take.

I'm curious, what are you reading?