What's Inspiring Me Today

I woke up today feeling energized and peaceful. Coming out of my cancer treatment has left me feeling hopeful to the point of being elated at times. Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments just like anyone else, but overall I am feeling filled with optimism about the future. I have also been reading a lot of materials that I find inspiring and I wanted to share my current inspirations with you.

I just finished reading a wonderful new addition to my cookbook collection called "brown Eggs and Jam Jars. I love this book because the author focuses on simple, healthy foods with a focus on family. Her descriptions of the turning seasons and holidays celebrated with family and friends are warm and rich. There is a lot of basic info on homesteading included and I like her approach is really nice because it encourages you to start small and not get overwhelmed by making big changes all at once. Instead she asks readers to try making one thing from scratch instead of buying it at the store or to try growing some herbs in a simple container garden. There is so much about her life that I admire and would like to emulate!

I usually try to read one non fiction and one fiction book at a time and the non fiction book I am currently reading is The Artful Year. I have done a few projects out of this book with Echo already but I am now sitting down and reading it cover to cover. I read Jean Van't Hul's other book, The Artful Parent earlier this year and found it so inspiring! I am loving this seasonal celebration book by her as well. It's so full of timely projects and activities for every time of year. She focuses on little ways you can celebrate throughout the year as a family and as someone who looks for any excuse to celebrate it really speaks to me. It's a good mixture of recipes, art projects and games to enjoy with your kids.

Last but not least I highly recommend checking out this blog, Crafting Connections. It's full of information about living a creative life and how to encourage creativity in your family culture. I love the most recent post on meditation, something I really want to try to start doing regularly.

These are just some of the things that are brining me joy and inspiration at the moment. With so many depressing stories clogging my facebook feed it's nice to have some positivity from other sources. What are you inspired by at the moment?