Whispers in the Woods, Magic in the Kitchen
- Najha
- Aug 5, 2025
- 3 min read
Today began like most others—with a quiet moment to myself and the gentle tug of routine. I slipped into my clothes and reached for my Momento deck, shuffling with intention. The card that greeted me was the Hourglass—a quiet nudge to shift my focus toward the long-term, to plant seeds in my thoughts that might bloom someday far down the road.
With that inspiration in mind, I dove into editing yesterday’s blog post and got it polished and published. The weather forecast called for rain yet again, so it became clear this would be another cozy baking day. I sent a quick message to our group chat letting everyone know the goats wouldn't be grazing, and made a post on Facebook marking the farm stand closed once more. I browsed through some recipes to set the tone for the kitchen today and decided dinner would be a simple leftover night. No pressure, just warmth.
Then it was time to prepare the girls’ schoolwork. I started with the stack of freshly laminated materials from yesterday—cutting, organizing, and tucking everything into labeled bags. I set up any games in the pile and began prepping the banners for our learning wall. Persephone’s folders and clipboard were done first, then I moved on to Aria’s. I added two more folders for our laminates and a bag of clips for books and banners to the Walmart cart. Organizing all the laminate pieces carried me straight through to breakfast.
I was running wildly behind today, the hours slipping through my fingers like water.
I got the girls each a bowl of cereal and tossed a few more items into the Walmart cart before memory failed me. Then Sephy helped me feed the turtle while Aria joined me to tend to the sourdough starter. Once they were dressed, we headed out—finally—for our long overdue dog walks.
But on Cain’s walk, the woods whispered something else. I heard the low grunts of a wild boar nearby, so I made the call to walk Freya alone, just to be safe. By the time Lucifer was done, both Charlie and Dameion had emerged, ready to help me get back on track. Dameion took over Alister’s walk and tackled the rest of the animal chores: feeding the sheep, tending to Bushka and the chickens. Meanwhile, the girls worked on cleaning their room.
With their space tidied, we shifted into a quieter gear and listened to a book. We watched a lovely little video about sunflowers and dipped into our daily poetry. Time ticked closer to their visit with Gigi and Papa, so I turned toward my own chore list. The girls wrapped up a summer-themed tic-tac-toe game, practiced their sea shell three-part cards, and played a multiplication match game for their 2-times table before it was time for them to go.
While they were away, I got the dogs fed and finally posted the Hawaiian roll recipe—and the pineapple sheet cake recipe too. Meanwhile, Charlie and Dameion worked on prepping three pizza crusts for a future family night. I conquered the dreaded toy corner (at last!) and even began organizing the desk—a mountain in its own right.
When the girls returned, we gave ourselves a little transition time to settle. Dameion paused his baking to run a quick store errand. Then it was time to tackle the donuts we didn’t get to yesterday. The girls stayed productive, completing a count-by-2s puzzle and counting up to 50 together. They filled out the cover page for their zoo unit and enjoyed a picnic-inspired dinner: turkey sandwiches and classic ants-on-a-log from our themed packet.
With little ones tucked into bed and the house beginning to quiet, Charlie and I ate our leftover dinner and got the trash out for both homes. We took a warm shower together to prepare for his appointment in the morning—a moment to breathe.
As I drifted into sleep, the soft hum of activity continued—Charlie and Dameion were still in the kitchen, finishing off the donuts that would greet us all for breakfast come morning.
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