in the meantime

Hello there! I know I disappeared for {this moment} on Friday and for Gratitude*Sunday today. I've been working on something behind the scenes in this space and it's gonna be awesome! In the meantime, I just wanted to pop by to say that I'll be back soon.

making & mothering (an interview)

The lovely Sonia, of Stash yarn shop (my favorite yarn shop!) just interviewed me on her blog, in her series called Making & Mothering. It was a fun interview, I enjoyed her questions. You can read it here.

5 years

Today marks five years that I've been blogging in this space. Five years. Wow. I'm amazed by that. It's hard to express in words how much this space means to me. It's the connections that have been made through writing here that have been such a huge blessing in my life, more than I could ever say. On February 25, 2009, I wrote my first post. I started writing here before I was pregnant with Bracken. It's hard to even imagine life before he was with us. I'm sure many of you parents know what I mean. Some of you have been reading for that long. Some of you followed the journey through my pregnancy and saw that post announcing his entrance into the world. Some of you have watched him grow from a baby to a toddler. And now he's three. Three. Through it all, I was dedicated to this space, even when there hardly seemed a spare moment to write. Even when the camera broke and I didn't have pictures to share here, or the computer died. You'd probably laugh if you knew how many blog posts were written with one hand, while I was breastfeeding. I'll always remember cradling his tiny self in one arm as he fell asleep on me and typing with my one free hand. (You other moms who have done this know how much longer it takes to type things that way!)  No matter how chaotic things seemed at times, showing up here to write was something that brought me peace and clarity. I could take a small step back from my life for a moment and see it in a different way. Writing just helps me process things. Do you know how much your kind words have cheered me up on hard days? I don't think you do. Every time you leave me a comment, it's like a gift. In the beginning, I only wrote a post here and there. I think my only readers were Jeff and my mom. Over the years, I started writing more regularly. I started getting comments from people I'd never met, from different places around the world. I felt a wonderful community here and I've felt blessed as it's grown. And boy, have I written a lot. As of today: 1,544 posts. Say what? I know. I'm surprised too. (29 of those are drafts that have never been published, but there are 1,515 published posts!) At one point I started offering space in the sidebar for sponsors and they were all trades. Eventually it got rather confusing to keep track of it all and I started charging a very small monthly fee for ad space. That marked the beginning of making a bit of money from this space. The modest amount I make from this space means so much to our family, but I'd blog no matter what. I write here because I love it. And I thank each and every one of you for visiting and taking the time to read what I have to say. I'm honored to have you here.

creative time

Recently Beatrice asked to interview me about balancing mama time with creative time. Naturally, answering the questions made me itch to do some more creating. On Sunday I gave myself a rare gift and dedicated Bracken's entire nap time to myself, not to my to-do list or getting anything done for the business. Just time to create whatever I wanted. I got out an embroidery hoop and started playing around with that for the first time. Then I got out my drop spindle and spun some wool. It was so relaxing and regenerating...and so wonderful! Oh yes, back to the interview. Beatrice blogs at Thread and Ladle, and you can read the interview here. 

P.S. She has some beautiful knitting patterns available for free on Ravelry, here.

Getting to know you

 When I first started this blog, I'm pretty sure Jeff was the only one who read it. I kept writing because it brought me so much joy to do so. As time when on and a comment or two came along, I realized there were actually a few people reading what I wrote in this space. I've loved hearing from you. Connecting with people all over the world has been one of the greatest gifts this blog has brought. 

I've been thinking.. you read about me, about us....

Now, dear reader, I'd love to hear about you. (And I know Jeff would too!)

I jotted down some questions one night before bed. If you feel inspired to answer any of these, please leave a comment below. (You can copy and paste the questions into the comment section and fill in your answers, if you'd like.) The first three are related to this space and the rest are ones to get to know you better. Any other questions come to mind? Feel free to add them. Share what you feel inspired to. 

 Do you comment regularly? Then I'd love to learn more about you. 

Have you not left a comment here yet? Then I invite you to do so.

.

-How long have you been reading Wooly Moss Roots blog?

-Do you read every post or do you pop by every now and then?

-Which posts (or types of posts) are your favorite?

-What is your name?

-Do you have any nicknames?

-Where do you live?

-What did you want to be when you grew up?

-What are your dreams?

-What are you passionate about?

-What are your favorite colors?

-Do you have a website or blog? (Or other way to connect online?)

-What makes you laugh?

-What are your favorite foods?

-What places in the world would you like to see?

-Who do you admire?

-Which people in your life understand you most?

-What would your dream home look like?

-What would your dream life look like?

-If you could be a magical creature, what would you be?

-What brings your Spirit joy?

-In what ways would you like to make a difference in the world?

-How would you spend your dream day?

-What's on your bucket list?

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I look forward to hearing from you and learning more about you!

Friday Updates

Hello All!

Some Friday updates:

We will not be at market tomorrow. We are busy building a new booth (replacing everything that needs replacing, so it will practically be new) to get ready for market next week. We'll miss seeing you locals, but we'll be back at market soon.

Another update is that I've changed the commenting system on here. I'm super excited about this! It's something I've been dreaming about for years, but didn't know how to do. Why did I want to change it? Well, firstly many people complained about having a difficult time leaving comments. Also, there were times I've done giveaways and haven't been able to get in contact with the winner. To leave a comment with this new commenting system, it asks for your name and e-mail address (the e-mail address is only visible to me), so I will be able to do giveaways more easily and get in contact with the winner no problem. How awesome is that?! It's good to get excited about the little things that make life better, isn't it?
It's also easier for me to respond to your questions now. So, feel free to use the new commenting system (it's on blog posts beginning today and from now on) and say hello! Your comments always make my day. 

Last update: We are having a giveaway tomorrow. We'll be giving away two things and I'll give you a hint: one of them smells really good.....

From Helena...

Hi Taryn and Jeff,

I just thought I'd drop you a quick letter to say thank you so much for the buttons you made out of the yew wood, and I have joyfully used them all!

I have just finished the cardigan I was making for myself, and have sewn them on, and they look so great!  It is a really good match.

This cardigan was so much fun to make, my first bit of pattern work, and I am just thrilled with the result.

Hope you're all well, 

Helena

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What fun to see! Thanks for sharing Helena! 

I created a fun place just for putting pictures like this, which you can see here. Your creativity never ceases to amaze me!

Waiting..

Hello all. 

We've been without electricity since Monday night. I'm writing this from our local coffee shop (that has wi-fi.) Will update more soon when our power is back on. 

New banner!

 Things are very exciting over here at Wooly Moss Roots right now because we have a new banner! To say that I love it is an understatement. I've been dreaming of a new banner for a long time and I'm really excited!
Created by my artistic and gifted sister, Samantha. It holds so much meaning for me.
The picture on the left was taken by that same sister, on Jeff and I's wedding day. The picture on the right is Jeff holding blueberries, one of the first times we went picking together.
My sister is a graphic designer with the patience of a saint. I kept changing my mind about what I wanted the banner to look like because she made so many that I loved! (I'll show you more of her work in an upcoming post.) I finally chose one and as soon as I put it up, it felt perfect.
I want to stare at it for hours. (Did I just write that out loud?)

Samantha,
Thank you so much for all the time and energy you put into creating a new banner for me!
I love you!

Just so ya know...

Blogger (how I write this blog) recently had technical difficulties and was shut down for awhile, in which time I wasn't able to update. (Also, I was not able to receive your comments, so if you wondered why your comments weren't published, that's why.) A few blog posts I had written right before that, disappeared. Yesterday they re-appeared, but in the wrong order. I just wanted to let you all know what was going on.
Even though a little jumbled up, I'm so glad it's up and running again!

All the way from Germany

A new Wooly Moss Roots reader, Heike, bought some items from our Etsy Shop that we recently sent to Germany. Today we received a package from her with gifts for Bracken.

 A little forest dwarf (complete with pointy hat) made with wool from a sheep farm near her town. And a little outfit made of wool and silk (it's so soft.) She included a postcard with pictures of forest elfs on the front and wrote a sweet note. 

Jeff and I feel so incredibly blessed to be showered with such love and generosity. Bracken is going to be so cozy in that striped outfit and I have a feeling he will have so much fun playing with that woolen toy!

Giving gifts from our hearts makes a greater impact on the world than we know. The goodness spreads.

Heike- Thank you, thank you! You made our day!

Organizing Categories

There are over 500 posts on Wooly Moss Roots now! Wow! And they need some more organizing, so if you see some categories changing around, that's why. The Farm Life category was getting pretty big so I decided to make a 'Glorious Goats' category and a 'Chicky Chickens' category. If the post is about a bunch of animals, it will be under 'Family of Animals.'
Thanks for reading!

"Jerry-Rig" Jeff

My husband Jeff (or "Jerry-Rig" as I like to call him) did it again! My computer is back in business for the time being. Thanks to a strange looking tool and a bobby pin (once again.) Hooray!

Technical Difficulties

My computer has been running on a miracle (and lots of prayers) for a long time. When it needed fixing, Jeff fixed it with a bobby pin and a piece of thin copper. (Thank goodness for a creative husband!) My power cord is not plugging in and the battery is slowly running out. The bobby pin ain't cuttin' it lately. So my point in telling you all of this is that I have a bazillion blog posts flowing though me all day every day. Inspired words float through my mind like poetry, and I have them all written..... just not on here. So so busy these days and when the computer is acting up- I just take long breaks from the computer, which also has it's blessings.
But know that I am thinking of all of you and my heart is writing each and every day on here. Can you feel it?

Oh Happy Day!

My computer died. I missed it. I had inspirations for a bazillion blog posts flowing through me constantly. I continued taking pictures and thinking of all the beautiful things I wanted to share with all of you. I appreciated the gifts of the break from the computer world and immersed myself in summer. I was patient.
Today, my hero and husband all wrapped up in one, surprised me and bought a new battery for my computer. My computer is alive! Oh Happy Day, indeed!

Blog Awards

Recently, Wooly Moss Roots has been nominated for two Blogger Awards. 

The first was from:

Green Momma

You can read the post here:

Versatile Blogger Award

The second was from: 

Wild As Weeds

You can read the post here: 

Beautiful Blogger Award

Thanks so much ladies for nominating Wooly Moss Roots!

Just to let you know...

I have been having some computer problems lately so I haven't been posting very frequently and I'm a little behind in responding to comments. But I'm thinking of all of you and I'm overflowing with blog post inspirations! My computer is having a serene moment right now so I'll post all I can. Wish me luck! :)

Feeling so Loved... and Being Interviewed

First my husband Jeff wrote the sweetest blog post on our anniversary. 

Now our dear friend, Lara, interviewed me on her blog and what she wrote about us made my heart so happy. (Lara is an amazing writer and her blog is a constant source of inspiration to me.)

You can read the interview here:  

An Interview with Taryn Kae Wilson, Modern Homesteader of the Siuslaw River

Feeling so grateful for all these sweet people in my life. 

My heart gets so full sometimes, I feel like it's all the love I can take, but somehow it keeps expanding. I haven't burst yet....

Wooly Moss Roots on Facebook

Some people were requesting a Wooly Moss Roots page on Facebook that would give them updates every time there was a new blog post. Ta-Da! I am happy to say there is now one!
You can search Wooly Moss Roots on Facebook and click "like" if you would enjoy getting updates on blog posts through Facebook. I have seen some blogs that have a link on their blog where you can "like" it straight from there. I've played around with putting that on my blog to make it more convenient, but have not figured out the technicalities of that yet. If anyone has any tips in that regards, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I am loving this new Facebook page because it's fun for me to see your faces!
Enjoy!

Wow

I am feeling slightly speechless right now. One of Wooly Moss Root's readers just wrote about us on her blog.
I feel so touched and so grateful to have people enjoying Wooly Moss Roots so much!
Thank you, thank you dw, for everything you said! My heart is bursting with joy....
You can read her post and see what I mean: Blue Like Alis Blog