a mermaid's nursling

In keeping with my recent visit to the lake, & my gorgeous little breastfeeding daughter, I made this piece in hues of the waters. This nursing mermaid really touches my heart. She so gently holds her darling mermaid baby who nurses voraciously. I love her!
For calming, loving, nurturing, & celebrating the boundless bond between mama & babe
Aquamarine, rare Owyhee Opal (Oregon), Crandalite, Apatite, Honey Jasper, Pink Tourmaline, Amber, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Blue Chalcedony, Opalite, Peridot, Rhodonite, Hemimorphite, Peruvian Blue Opal, Swarovski Crystals, Lampworked glass beads, & hand made Balinese sterling silver! Exquiste hand made artisan lampworked glass nursing mermaid by Elaine La Flex Green. Blue Morpho butterfly wing pendant at clasp. (ethically collected). 19 1/2 inches long. $575.00

the orange of a sunset

Lake Michigan at sunset is a thing of beauty. People arrive at the lake moments before the sun begins it's descent, cameras in hand, to capture those dramatic moments.

My children played on the shores of this lake all afternoon, until all too soon we realized that the sun had fulfilled it's promise. I lined them up like little soldiers and we captured the sunset with giddy good will.

Sand! And on a weekday! :)

I made vegetarian chili in my big roaster & it tasted incredibly good after swimming in the cool water.

Bodiewatu really loved this whole day, and so did I. (Boddiewatu is his nickname:)

tea with a friend

Diane, you send the best tea! Look at these pretty one serving diffusers with the cute little leaves on top. I am right now, enjoying this most delicious hibiscus, cinnamon, & licorice root tea! thank you.... :)

the awakened one

This vibrant piece was such a joy to create. The stones draw warmth from each other and radiate light & heat. Buddha is serene as always and introspective. This is a good piece to wear as the days grow chilly and the excitement of fall is upon us.

The Awakened One...for cultivating a positive state, for peace, for warmth, health, & for passion! Turquoise (Mozambique), Cinnamon Agate, Rainbow Casilica, Shattuckite, Malachite, Fire Agate, Jet, Peridot, Honey Jasper, Carnelan, Pristine, Serpentine, Red Coral, Mali beads (1800's), hand made Balinese sterling silver, copper beads, sterling silver beads, & hand carved wooden fans! Hand carved boxwood Buddha pendant with Shattuckite, Carnelian, Golden Tourmaline, Malachite, Red Coral, Turquoise, Serpentine, & Cinnamon Agate. Adjustable length. $575

I utilized the five symbolic colors plus black:
Buddhist color symbolism:

Blue ~ tranquility, healing, ascension - ears, air

Red ~ life force, sacred things - tongue, fire

Green ~ balance, yourth, vigor, harmony - head

Yellow ~ humility, stability, grounded nature - nose, earth

White ~ purity, knowledge, longevity, - eyes, water

Black ~ primordial darkness

blessed gifts from a sacred friend

Today in the mail I received a gorgeous box from a dear friend. She is a woman who has been in my life a long time, and whose friendship I value like my own life. She is precious to me, and so are her goodies. She is generous, kind hearted, spirited, and has a love of life I aspire to.
This month's pleasures include her delicious Chocolate Rose cream, Elder Blossom oil, & Wild Oregano Tincture.
See more of her goodies at her shop, Amrita Apothecary.

Some lovely hand made soaps I cherish. Her soaps are to die for! She has a very informative & lovely blog at Plant Journeys.

My beautiful friend. :)

nuts & seeds

It was so quiet outside this afternoon despite the kids being outside. I went around back to the pasture and found them cracking hickory nuts. A lovely first harvest!

I love it when hungry kids figure out a way to snack!

We don't spray our nut trees with chemicals so this little cutie is a natural occurence in some of the nuts.

The life giving hickory nut trees. It's a small grove of about 15-20 trees.

Beautiful holly hock seeds from my very dear friend. :) Thank you for these! I can't wait to see them grow. I love holly hocks!

amethysts in autumn ~ a time of letting go of what holds you back

Fall is a perfect time for letting go of attachments. Many of my own attachments are sacred to me; my children, my home, my friends. I do have some old attachments that I want to release, and I begin planning a ceremony for this around this time. Amethyst is a good ally for this ~ Amethyst helps you attain wisdom. It can help you let go of all that is old and all that holds you back - on every level and in every aspect of life - so that you may fully embrace your spiritual destiny. It stirs the intuition. Amethyst can also help you understand and let go of anything that keeps you attached to a condition. This gorgeous stone affects all your inner aspects, helping the wearer to let go of attachments. Helps in healing addictions, alcoholism, withdrawal symptoms, and aids in curtailing compulsive behaviors.

Another beautiful fall goodie I've been working with; Betel Nut. I just made a healing piece utilizing this natural material; Warming Brew.

Corn Coral ~ which looks good enough to eat!

Fire Agate, which is a good warming stone for fall!

Lava! Real lava in bead form. Just imagine chipping away at hunks of lava to acquire these beads. Great energy and strength in this stone.

This gorgeous Sponge Coral is nothing short of apples in a basket! The mottled reds & oranges are so pretty.


And finally, beautiful, healing Turquoise. This ancient stone comes to me from Mozambique. So very far away. A wonderful, calming, healing stone to wear in the fall. Turquoise provides cleansing, protection, & is considered the "master healer". It is a wonderful healing and cleansing stone and provides protection. It is also a grounding stone and provides strength and protection during meditation. It brings peace of mind. Turquoise brings clarity, balances male and female energies, induces wisdom and understanding and increases your psychic powers. A good absorber of negativity.

their first college football game

Maverick's excited!! So fun to be in the city!

Mmmmm, junk food of the highest caliber.

Men, I love. Men in tight pants I love even more. This is the Western Michigan Broncos team.

Sky & her friend Petey...
taking advantage of the tailgating splendor that was ours.


The marching band! The kids loved seeing them! Too bad mom didn't notice the impending clouds moving in! We soon were pelted with torrents of rain and lightening! We had a wonderful time anyway, and the kids are still talking about the game and the naked buns!

What?

Amulet's opinion on the new jewelry. Ahhh, you made THAT? Let's rethink it.

New Life

~for nurturing, gestating, grounding, loving, & for all phases of fertility in colors of new earth & plants~
African Chrysoprase, Oregon Opal, Chrysotite, Vessonite, African Trade beads (1800's Nigeria), Fire Agate, Tourmaline (green), Gaspeitite, Butter Jade, Moonstone (gray), Peridot, Chrysoprase, Poppy Jasper, Pristine, Ruby in Zoisite, Septaria (Utah), South Sea Saltwater pearls (white), hand made Balinese sterling silver, & sterling 'create' talisman, & exquisite Russell Wray babe in the womb pendant!

This pendant speaks so much to all that I am. Seeing a babe so secure in the womb is so warm and settling, and it represents much of what my life has been about.

$575 *for more information about this piece click here*

snapshots of life today

Unschooling is about trust. Trust isn't easy for many of us, though children know it. Trusting our children is one of the most peaceful and easy things to do. That is, if we forget about our old notions about learning. Joyce Fetteroll has an amazing site that is full of fantastic wisdom about unschooling.
Just waking up & ready for breakfast. I love looking at this sweet face every morning.
First thing this morning. Since Maverick had a scooter upgrade they are at it full force!
Maverick's new scooter. The thrill of it! He's ridden it all day, every day since his birthday.
Sweet Amulet fell asleep nursing with her dishtowel bunny. I can hardly take the cuteness.
After baths & showers. Does anyone know if these are chef hats or simply accessories to the wands?