Clean.

Stepping back.

Despite being an incurable introvert, I have a tendency to talk too much.

I'm not sure I've ever left a party and not wondered why I talk so darn much.

Too much.

In some ways I've transferred that habit here, to the blog. I have a captive audience and I can come and share my thoughts whenever the spirit moves me.

And the fact that what I say might inspire you somehow? Whoa. Now I might never shut up.

But the truth is thought, I also crave silence.

Crave it.

I need lots of quiet time to be lost in the day-to-day work of my life, to soak of the magic of my family, and to be in my own head.

There is mindfulness in the silence.

But you and I have an unspoken agreement.

You know that if you come here during the week, there's a pretty good chance you'll find a new post. Most days during the week.

And I feel a little sorry if I don't share something with you.

So I come here and share.

Day after day.

Even - sometimes - when I really just need quiet.

Like today.

Today I'm feeling still.

I'm feeling present.

I'm feeling the need for peaceful down time with my family.

I'm feeling like powering down my laptop and going outside.

And yet I don't want to let you down.

Because I really like you.

It's like we have a Monday Morning Coffee Date that I should either show up for or call and cancel.

I doubt that most of you know how much it means to me that you come here and read what I write. What a gift that is! And I don't want to disrespect that by disappearing on you.

But sometimes I need to.

I need to disappear now and then and get lost in my own head.

And get lost in the quiet.

So I'm here this morning to share a new plan with you. (Not unlike I shared here but never followed through on.)

I won't be showing up here everyday.

Maybe sometimes I won't be here all week.

And when that happens you can assume I'm in the woods with my kids or canning the last of the tomatoes. If I'm away, it's probably a good thing.

Perhaps it will inspire you to power off your computer and head out into the world for an adventure of your own.

I'll still be here, but I want to allow myself the freedom to write only when I have something to truly worth sharing.

How does that sound?

With that, I'm out of here. For today anyway.

I do hope you understand.

So. Much. Love.
Rachel

P.S. To keep up with me you can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. I'll still pop into those three places now and again, too.

{This moment}

Joining Amanda today with {this moment}.

Feel free to link to your own "moment" in the comments.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

Love,

Rachel

Perfect homemade chai. (A recipe.)

This is a repost from last autumn. And I thought we could all use this recipe again on this cool September morning.

Make it with nettle, raspberry leaf, and rooibos tea, or substitute black tea for a more traditional caffinated version.

My favorite drink. Ever.

Love,

Rachel

 

Some time ago I shared my old nettle chai recipe with you. And really, it's good. So good.

But since that time I have continued to tweak and refine the recipe, week after week.

Like so many things, cooking - and yes, simply making tea - is a living process around here. And where that recipe is at now - well, that old version just can't hold a candle to it.

So I jotted down my latest recipe for you. The changes are minor - just four new ingredients. But to drink it is to love it. As in seriously obsessively love it.

It's crazy good.

This newest incarnation of chai is spicy and sassy and sweet and amazing.

And caffeine-free to boot without feeling like something was forgotten. I loved the nettle version I shared with you before, but it always felt just a little too thin to me. I knew the black tea wasn't there. But this version? You won't even miss it.

That being said, you can also throw in up to six black tea bags to make yours with a caffienated kick. If I'm jonsing for caffeine I'll often make the whole pot without, then add a single tea bag to my cup. Then the kids can enjoy from the pot and I can have a little jolt at the same time.

What is different from last recipe?

Here are the four magical tweaks:

1. Rooibos

When I cut out the black tea I really missed the dark richness that it gave. The mouth feel of black tea. And no matter what I added I just couldn't reproduce that. Until I tried rooibos. Rooibos is herbal but has the dark richness and thicker mojo of black tea, without the cranky jitters.

2. Star anise

Lupine would tell you it's cute (always helpful in a spice) and she's working on hot gluing one she swiped from my spice cabinet to a barrette. I'm more interested in the smooth, floral edge it lends. Of all four tweaks this is the most subtle, so if you are out of star anise charge forth without it. I add one to a large pot of chai.

3. Chili powder

Holymoses. I don't know what compelled me to first put chili powder in my tea. (Truly. I have absolutely. No. Idea.)

But since the first morning I did I don't think I've skipped a day. It's surreal how transcendentally good even a humble cup of black or red tea is with a pinch of chili powder. (My standard morning tea is now a cup of black tea with a pinch of ground ginger and a pinch of chili powder.)

And in chai? It's spicy heaven. If you are terrified of spice start slowly but if you are feeling brave add a decent pinch. Good morning!

It's freaking fantastic I tell you.

Do be sure your chili powder is just ground chilies. We don't want salt or funny chili seasoning blend in our tea.

4. Coconut sugar

Oh, coconut sugar. Where have you been all my life?

We long ago gave up refined sugar of all types. (Except that type in that hidden pint of ice cream in the back of the freezer. Shhhh...) When we began to eat more Paleo foods we discovered coconut sugar in lots of recipes.

And unlike agave's tarnished reputation and recent fall from hippie food glory, coconut sugar is clean. We reach for it often because it doesn't jack your blood sugar. (A good thing for lots of health reasons. Please don't bring up that ice cream.) It's also easy on your gut and has a more subtle flavor than honey, maple, or stevia in recipes. 

But enough chatter. Let's get on to the recipe, shall we?

Are you ready? Because if you are, know that you'll want this every day. Consider yourself warned.

Rooibos-Nettle Chai

2 tsp Cardamon seeds or 2 T cardamon pods (ideally crushed with a mortar and pestle but whole works okay too if your lack of a spice grinder would stop you)

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

Scant 1/2 tsp cloves

1" x 2" piece of fresh ginger, sliced thin or smashed with the butt end of a knife handle (or substitute 1 scant tsp dried ginger)

1 star anise

1-2 cinnamon sticks or 1 Tb cinnamon bark chips

1/4 tsp chili powder or 1 small whole dried chile

1/2 cup dried nettle

1/3 cup raspberry leaf

1/4 cup rooibos tea

coconut sugar to taste (1-3 tsp per cup, approximately)

milk of your choice (I use raw cow milk but it's outstanding with homemade coconut-almond milk as well.)

Bring 6 cups water to a boil with the spices. Cover and simmer for 5 to 25 minutes, depending on how spicy you like your chai.

Add nettle, raspberry leaf, and rooibos. (Note: While both nettle and raspberry leaf are safe, healthful herbs, nettle can be a bit drying to your system. In the winter feel free to leave it out if you are feeling dry. I add it because I appreciate the minerals. Listen to your body on this one if you drink it often.)

Remove from heat and steep covered for 15 minutes. 

Strain out and compost your herbs. (Or if you simmered your spices for a shorter amount of time, strain out the first batch of chai, then add 4 cups of water to the herbs, simmer covered for 10 minutes, and then remove from heat. Let it steep all day. You'll have a second batch of chai that's almost as good as the first for no additional effort.)

Transfer your chai infusion to a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to a week.

To drink, combine 3 parts chai with 2 parts milk or whatever proportions your palate dictates. Warm and sweeten with coconut sugar to taste (also lovely is half coconut sugar and half honey, or just honey if you don't have coconut sugar on hand).

Drink and enjoy, and wonder how you ever lived a day without this chai.

Love,
Rachel

 

Cultivating gratitude.

I believe that cultivating gratitude can transform not only how we view our (beautiful yet deeply imperfect) lives, but transforms our lives themselves.

Each week I will share with you seven things that I am thankful for.

I'd love to have you join me in your own post or simply here in the comments.

Because taking just a moment to appreciate what we have can change everything.

Today I'm thankful for...

1. waking up each morning, here, on this little farm;

2. jars in the pantry and food in the freezer - abundance everywhere I look;

3. fresh elecampane for the first time - and watching my son dig it, clean it, and make his own cough syrup before bed;

4. our strong and swift return to health;

5. the leaves turning color on the hills, and knowing that full color won't slip by unnoticed this year;

6. excitement as I rock out a few LüSa projects during my work day;

7. and the promise of a better day.

 

Link up to a post of your own in the comments, or simply leave your list there. I look forward to seeing what ordinary, extraordinary blessings you're counting today.

Love,
Rachel

Never easy, always different.

This post starts grumbly, but it doesn't end that way. Stick with me...

 

I spent the weekend in and out of bed with two kids with change-of-season bugs.

Oh, come now. Both of them? Over the actual equinox? How punctual we are.

 

Now it's Monday morning and I both feel and look like death after spending most of the past three nights tending fevers and oogie bellies; rubbing sore heads, back, hands, etc.; and running up and down the stairs for bags of ice, hankies, and puke pails.

Sleeping? Not so much.

 

Oh, motherhood. Thanks for keeping me humble.

At around 3:27 AM this morning I had this delusional moment of self-pity when I remembered what it was like to have a sick baby and pretended that that was somehow easier.

Because I could latch that little one on and go back to sleep.

 

Except when I couldn't.

 

And then I'd tuck an arching and screaming babe into a sling - too congested or miserable to nurse - and wander the neighborhood, diluting their cries into the cool night air. And sometimes my own.

 

And now here we are.

Big kids.

And autumn.

 

And while the seasons of our life change, the essence is always the same.

It's about nurturing. Loving. Being real.

It's about pushing the limits of what you can give while still remembering to take care of you. (That one has taken me a while to learn.)

 

I remember when Sage was a baby and life felt so hard, all I wanted was to fix it. To fix him. 

If I did this right he would stop crying. If I tended that need it would be easy. If I stopped eating those foods or found the right remedy or the new magical hold for burping.

Then it would be easy. We'd find our groove.

 

But then my midwife (mama to many) said to me, "It will never be easy. But it will always be different."

 

While she was speaking specifically about mothering a highly sensitive child, her words applied to motherhood in general.

Never easy. Always different.

 

And I was free.

Her words freed me from my need to fix it all. To fix Sage. To fix me. To fix every hard moment.

 

Because life isn't meant to be easy.

It's meant to challenge us. To help us grow. To inspire us to stretch and evolve and expand and to break every boundry of what we think is possible.

 

And no, last night was not easy.

But it was different than those early sleepless nights. And like those early days it pushed my limits of compassion and patience and giving.

 

How much did I have to give?

Just barely enough.

And could I take care of me, too?

Yes. This time I could.

 

Never easy. Always different.

So tonight we'll pull dinner from the freezer. I'll say "yes" to reading books together, but "no" to reading one. more. book. when I need some space. And then I'll pick up my knitting instead. Maybe we'll even watch a movie.

 

I'll find the balance in caring for us all. Myself included.

 

No, it won't be easy. But it will be different.

 

Love,
Rachel

Be you - bravely.

 

I've been working on this design for a LüSa project (that I think you're going to love!) and I thought you might just need to see it. And be it. Today.

Have a fabulous weekend, friends.

And be you. Bravely.

Love,
Rachel