pinned it. did it. {with meg}

Meg's sharing another recipe today! It's perfect for this time of year and for those of us who want to try cooking without gluten but keep wondering if what we make will really taste as good as we hope.

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It’s no secret that I like things made with pumpkin. And with it being the holiday season and just after Thanksgiving here in the U.S., I’m tempted to have a pumpkin treat each day. It just seems festive and appropriate. So I decided to start with a recipe that I’ve been wanting to try for a long time now - and I am so glad I did.

 

These pumpkin mini muffins are grain-free. They are also dairy-free and refined sugar-free. I admit to being a bit skeptical of the end result. As someone who has been in and out of various dietary restrictions over the years, I have had my fair share of disappointing baked goods. However, I was thrilled at the outcome of these muffins. They are incredibly soft, fluffy, spongy, and bare no resemblance to any dense or gritty grain-free recipe I’ve tried thus far. I would serve these to anyone and am willing to bet that no one would realize that they are not the typical flour and sugar made muffin. 

In our house, we love Justin’s Almond Butter**. In this recipe, I used the honey almond butter. The end result has a very subtle nutty taste, much less noticeable than if I’d used peanut butter. We did not have mini chocolate chips on hand, so we sprinkled the tops of a few with regular chocolate chips. (Keep in mind if you are dairy-free or have allergies, you will obviously need to use something like the chocolate chips made from Enjoy Life. They are dairy, nut, gluten, and soy free). These muffins are also delicious without the chocolate chips. They would be great with the addition of chopped nuts or a touch of cream cheese-type filling. There are so many possibilities for expanding this recipe. 

 

They whip up with only 8 ingredients (9 with the chocolate) in the blender and bake at a very quick 7-8 minutes. They also keep nicely in the freezer for up to 4 months. I will be baking a few batches at a time and freezing them for a quick breakfast in the cold months to come. 

What pumpkin goods have you been making lately? Are you enjoying the pumpkin season as much as I am or are you someone who doesn’t care for it? Wishing you all in the U.S. a happy Thanksgiving this week and sending love to our readers all around the globe.  

**This almond butter can be expensive. We find really good deals at regular grocery stores and health food stores. I got two 16oz jars on a buy one get one free sale at my regular grocery store for $10 so be sure to watch the sales!**

Meg Brothers is an artist, photographer, mama, and dreamer. She loves cooking, tattoos, and sporadic dance parties in the kitchen. She prefers dark chocolate, black coffee, and flip flops when weather permits. She is a lover of Pinterest and truly believes in integrating ideas and inspiration - big or small - into normal life. Meg lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Dustin and son, Julian. Meg writes about photography, family, and creative inspiration at megbrothers.com. Find her on Pinterest here and on Twitter here. 

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Note from Liz: Over here in my corner, I'm trying to "use Pinterest for good." I really see it as a community of people trying to see the beauty and possibility in their lives. I'm adding a few new features here on my blog inspired by or directly about Pinterest as a way to invite others to look for this beauty within a social media community. Connect with me on Pinterest here. Read other "Pinned it. Did it." columns here.

finding compassion in the space between

print available here

I came across the following words that I wrote around this time last year and wanted to share them today:

Friday evening, I was cuddled up in bed with Ellie. She had a fever and was in the midst of crabbiness and wanting to be held and not wanting to be held. My exhaustion was pretty thick and I was holding on to patience by the tips of my fingers. Finally, she sighed and leaned against me. In that moment, I consciously took a deep breath and found the space between my inhalation and exhalation. The space where my body and mind could rest even if just for a second. In those seconds, a quiet voice inside me gently said, "You've got this." Within just a minute or two, she was back to grumpiness, but I felt my patience expand and I was able to move from a place of compassion and gentleness, which is what she most needed. What I would most want if I wasn't feeling well. 

The seconds where I found the space to notice my breathing and recenter was like first aid to help me stay present for Ellie, for myself.

Today, this glimpse into a year ago reminded me to breathe deeply and come back to compassion for the now three year old who is trying on different ways to stall instead of going to bed. And it helped me to come back to compassion for myself as I navigate the different unexpected curves on my current path.

Finding compassion in that space between the inhalation and exhalation is such a beautiful practice to carry with you. I thought I would share it in case reading this story might be just the reminder you need today too. 

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YES to sparkle & joy

You Are Invited to My Facebook Holiday Party!

This week, I'm hosting a holiday party on my new Facebook page.

There will be recipes and holiday music and party favors, including shop specials [today, all bracelets are 20% off!] and other free goodies, and connection with kindreds and other good things! All who "like" my page will be entered into a giveaway to win a box of some of my favorite gifts to give this season + a necklace from my shop.

Today we're sharing our favorite holiday tunes. Come over and join us!

yes, even this

This week has held sadness right next to joy. It has held laughter and disappointment. It has held conversations that open one's heart just a little more alongside unexpected grief. 

And today, we cook. And we feast together. And we nap. And we laugh. And we miss deeply. And we remember.

Through it all, I keep feeling this infinite yes. Even in the moments with tears. Even in the moments of toddler exhaustion. Even in the moments of unstoppable giggles. Even in the moments before coffee. 

Especially in the moments cooking side by side. Especially in the moments where Ellie Jane runs to her grandparents. Especially in the moments where deep breaths are remembered. Especially in the moments where gratitude arrives unexpectedly.

I just keep thinking: 

Yes, even this.

That is my prayer today.

(for you, for me)

Yes, even this.

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the kind light of creative community {a guest post}

Today, I'm sharing another guest post from my blog series "A Circle of Kindreds." This series includes stories from a few people I consider my kindreds who are shining a light on the true stories and sharing adventures from their own creative self-care practices.

Today's post is from my dear friend Jenna McGuiggan who is one of my favorite storytellers, and someone I can talk to about anything because she's also a very good storycatcher.

Sometimes phone conversations take the form of magical excursions into truth and possibility. One such conversation happened a few years ago between Jenna and me. She shared an idea, and through our conversation, the idea took form as it stretched until it had wings. She put the idea out to others and they answered her call. Over a few short weeks, her idea was loved into reality into a beautiful little book full of wisdom and truth called Lanterns: A Gathering of Stories.

I am honored to have contributed an essay and a couple of photos and to be in the company of six amazing women in this book. It is one of my favorite things to share with others, and today, Jenna is sharing a story from Lanterns and a bit more about it.

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Several years ago, I was inspired to celebrate women in creative community. The result was Lanterns: A Gathering of Stories, a collection of prose, poetry, and photography by seven women writers and artists. Every time I hold this beautiful book in my hands I’m grateful for the power and grace of creative collaboration. Today I’m sharing the essay that closes the book (plus a special kindred spirit holiday sale). You can read the essay below or listen to an audio recording of me reading it (just click on "Lanterns" at the end of this post to hear the audio).

I can chart my life's course by constellations of friendships. The stories of friends past and present shine like stars in the night sky. Some have faded like a bittersweet distant star; others have exploded like a blazing supernova; some burn steady and bright. Every star with her own name, her own story.

She is the girl who made ice cream floats with cheap vanilla ice cream and generic grape soda during weekend sleepovers. Together we belted out Whitney Huston songs and played mad scientist with a chemistry set. We took long walks in the humid summers, our young hearts longing for something beyond the acrid smell of hot, sticky blacktop in our small hometown.

She is the roommate, the hallmate, the classmate in college. She taught me to love the precise smell of lavender and folk music; before her, I was all baby sweet and pop culture.

She showed me that a kindred spirit with a goofy sense of humor can lurk beneath a picture perfect exterior.

She taught me that shared friendship will outlast shared crushes almost any day.

She introduced me to the pleasures of cheap Australian white wine and American sitcoms on foreign telly. She took me home for Christmas when I was thousands of miles from my home. 

She sees straight through me to the other side, between where I am and where I could be. She calls, she texts, she chats, she emails. She comes for a visit. She invites me into her home. She writes me poems, shares her story, folds me into her journey. She is laughter in the dark, sobbing in the light.

She is a creative companion, my very own personal cheerleader. She holds my hand, hugs me, calls me on the carpet, tells it like it is. She inspires me to try crazy things and to encourage her to do the same. When I'm sad, she listens deeply and with love. When I run out of creative juice she inspires me, reassures me, kicks me back into gear. When I rejoice, she celebrates with me.

These are my lanterns, my friends. When I stumble and feel lost, they hold up their lights and say, “Look: You know the way. I'll come with you.” They are, as Lisa [Ottman] has called her essay, “lights unto my path.” By their examples, by their words, by their laughter, they have lighted my way and lightened my load. They have been, to borrow a phrase that contributor Rachelle [Mee-Chapman] often uses, my “withmates” on this journey of living the creative, authentic life.

You are here with us. As Jena [Strong] wrote in her essay, we are all “alone, together.” There are many women along these paths, each of us finding one another in the beautiful twilight, in the deep dark: gathering together, pooling the light from our lanterns until the darkness itself is invisible and everything glows.

* * *

This holiday season, I’m offering a kindred spirit special on Lanterns: A Gathering of Stories: Buy one book and receive a second at half price. That’s two copies (one for you and one to give as a gift) for $27 (normally $18 each).

Jenna McGuiggan is a writer, editor, and teacher.

Visit her in The Word Cellar, where she writes about everything from living the writing life to playing roller derby.

(Photo credits: Photo of Jenna by Vivienne McMaster; Lanterns front cover photo credit: Darlene J Kreutzer; design by Tilky Fernandez

Lanterns

YES to gratitude {on being positive}

the you are not alone locket

Every now and then someone who has found me via Pinterest will comment on a pin or send me a note that says something like this, "How are you so positive all the time?" 

And in my head, my reaction is often, "Oh honey, if you only knew me."

But last Friday, as I was hammering lockets and pendants that will be going out across the miles this holiday season, I was thinking about this question. And the truth is when I push past that immediate need to hide a little or worry about what you would think if you saw the real "messy" me on a daily basis, this is what I find resting inside this idea of being positive:

I do believe that most of us are all doing the best we can each day. I believe that we each have hard stuff in our lives. Sometimes that hard stuff is huge and literally about life and death. Other times that hard stuff is the daily living stuff that piles up and feels heavy.

And in the midst of all of this, we want to know we are not alone. We want to know that we are loved.

Being someone who creates talismans that serve as a tangible reminder that we are not alone on this crazy, awesome, messy journey has become a way for me to be in touch daily with what I believe.

The act of literally hammering phrases like "I am enough" and "You are not alone" and "I am brave" and "hope lives here" and "deeply loved" pushes me to believe these things even on the hard days.

I am pushed to believe them because I know you believe them. How do I know? I've hammered thousands, yes thousands, of necklaces during the past few years filled with these phrases and words of the year and prayers.

And I've shared stories and quotes and other good things over on Pinterest and you keep saying, "Yes" and "Me too" and reaching out to say that you look at my pins each morning as you drink your coffee because they help you begin your day with a positive feeling in your heart.

You give me the gift of believing so that I know I am not alone over here holding onto these truths...tucking them into my pockets as I go about my day...as I experience the ebb and flow, the beauty and the mess, that each day brings. 

Thank you for this gift. I'm so blessed to do what I do each day.

*****

This November, I'm exploring the idea of saying YES to gratitude in all its gorgeous, sometimes confusing, heart-expanding ways. And I'm inviting you to come along on the adventure here on my blog.

Throughout the month, there will be a practice in letting others know I'm grateful for them, a few stories, a collaboration or two, inspiration from others, some giveaways, and a few other good things. 

You can find all the YES to Gratitude posts right here. 

love this: doctor who goodness

So we are neck-deep in a Doctor Who sort of weekend over here. Isn't everyone? So I thought I'd pull together some of my favorite Doctor Who goodies I've come across lately (and have been adding to potential gifts for Jon for Christmas). And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, no worries. I'll be back to non-time travel related programming in a day or so.

1. So this shirt references the scariest hour of television I've ever watched. EVER. But gosh the "Blink" episode was brilliant. (And I don't ever want to watch it again.)

2. Love this iPhone case. (I actually think it would be an awesome tattoo...not for me...but for someone.)

3. A "Sonic Screwdriver" toothbrush. But of course this exists.

4. The only thing that would make this 11th Doctor Mr. Potato Head better was if it was the 10th. (Because well, Ten Is My Doctor.)

5. And he's my doctor because he says things like this: "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey… stuff." And you can wear that on a t-shirt, which is pretty much perfection.

Hope your weekend is full of good things and time to just have a little fun. 

yes, this.

Tonight, I'm thinking about the "yes" moments I've been collecting over the last week or so...the moments that gently pushed me to be really present and notice the beauty in the midst of the crazy and the hard and the real.

When Ellie Jane came out of her bedroom for about the tenth time after she went to “bed” to tell me one more thing but instead curled up on my lap for a few minutes and put her hand on mine, and I made the choice to just be right here instead of worrying about what tomorrow might bring if she didn’t get enough sleep.

Yes, this.

When I stuck with it even though I wanted to run. 

Yes, this.

When I realized he needed a hug more than he needed me to tell him how to do it right.

Yes, this.

When I paused to just listen to the rain fall on the roof instead of checking my email, then Facebook, then Instagram for the hundredth time. 

Yes, this.

When I picked up the phone and burst into tears as the words tumbled out and she said, "You aren't alone."

Yes, this. 

When I decided to make biscuits for breakfast even though I was the only one home (and I ate four of them).

Yes, this.

When I had an upside-down sort of day but remembered what I know. And what I know is Barbra Streisand's Broadway album, a scarf made with love by my mom, lipstick + mascara, and reaching out to Jon to say, "Can you come home soon?" all help me feel loved and not alone.

Yes, this.

When the deep missing caught me by surprise, and I closed my eyes to try to remember every detail of the guest room in my grandmother's house and suddenly I heard her voice but then it was gone and I wondered if I'll ever remember how it sounded when she'd say my name.

Yes, this.

When I let myself really hear you say, "You really are a good mom." And I tucked our conversation in my pocket to pull out on those days when I forget.

Yes, this.

What "yes" moments are you collecting over in your corner? Give yourself the gift of noticing.

*****

Water Your Soul is an invitation to see the beauty and the mess and making the choice to say "yes" to all of it (even on the days that feels impossible). 

It's about realizing you are not alone in feeling whatever this time of year brings up for you.

It's about making simple moves in December that will help take away from the chaos, not add to it.

It's about being right here giving yourself the gift of replenishing you even as you also give to others.

We begin gathering in our private Facebook space this Wednesday. In that space, we'll share stories, connect, and just be present with one another. We "officially" begin our time together December 1.

Click here to learn more and join us.

Please email me any questions you have.