Author: sofijaburton

Night Hike

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IMG_2874Have you ever been on a night hike? Would you try it?

I went on my first one last night with my friend Judy. We borrowed my husband’s bike lights (he goes mountain biking at night), so we could see very well. And we went on a hike we had done lots of times before. I wasn’t about to get lost at night. I have to admit we were a little spooked out by the thought of meeting a mountain lion (which we didn’t). But other than that it was so much fun and adventurous. We had a great view of the city lights down below. My I phone picture above doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea. This morning it is snowing in New Mexico. Now I’m thinking I would like to try a night hike in the snow next…

Have a great day,

Sofija

Night Hike

New Photos of Me

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Remember the recent photo shoot I did with Emily for my blog? I asked her to take some pictures of me as well. Of course Emily added a generous amount of photo editing. I asked my children how different I look here and in their usual honest candor the answer was: ” It is the pretty you!” 🙂

i-cL4scdw-L sofija i-ST2Mx5X-L i-NWhhLSg-LShirt: Old Navy

Hat: The Gap

Have a lovely day,

Sofija

 

 

New Photos of Me

Fellowship for African Relief

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who_mainFriends,

Today is Giving Tuesday and I wanted to introduce a small Canadian relief organization called FAR you probably have never heard of. Yet their work in Darfur has been nominated for the UN’s Global Project Prize. I only know about them because  my good friend was their country director in Sudan for the last couple of years.  FAR is committed to sustainable development and currently has projects in water and sanitation, economic development, food security, peace and conflict transformation, emergency relief, and health. FAR began in Sudan in 1984. Today they are one of the most respected development organizations in the country. They currently have offices in Kosti, South Kordofan and West Darfur, and employ approximately one hundred staff.

I have been interested in relief organizations for a while, but it has been enlightening talking to my friend about criterias that make a good organization. One of them is how much money actually goes to the people that need it and how much is spend on advertising and administration. My friend assures me that if you donate to FAR it actually goes to the people of Sudan. Sudan is a very closed Islamic country, suspicious of any Western aid. In the last year they have kicked most expats out the country. Yet FAR is still there. A good agency walks a tight line between employing locals yet maintaining their integrity and ethical standards. This is not easy in a country with corruption and tribal biases. Lastly FAR is openly Christian yet works well with its Muslim employees, not forcing their faith on them but not hiding it either, as some do in Muslim countries.

So if you wonder how you can make a difference in Sudan, consider giving to FAR.

Have a lovely day,

Sofija

 

Fellowship for African Relief

Joules Christmas Shoot

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Wow, is it really December? I remember it just being October, and I am not really sure what happened to November…Thanksgiving kind of flew by and I have not a single Christmas decoration put up as of yet.

Here is what is helping me to get into a Christmassy mood. A photo shoot by the British label Joules.

020813_Joules_AW13_Xmas_Kids_05_510-1024x636 020813_Joules_AW13_Xmas_Kids_06_904-682x1024 020813_Joules_AW13_Xmas_Kids_03_296-823x1024 020813_Joules_AW13_Xmas_Kids_09_1232-768x1024Isn’t this too cute? These are great ideas for your next family photo shoot. The flower skirt and fair isle sweater in the last picture are my favorite.

Have a wonderful day,

Sofija

Via Smudgetikka

 

Joules Christmas Shoot

Thanksgiving Crafts

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I did this post last year and since it fits so well I wanted to repost it today.

Did you wake up this morning and realize that it is getting really close to Thanksgiving?? Are you ready?

If you are teaching this week you might be focusing on our nation’s beginning. Here are some craft ideas I found via the Martha Stewart website for your visual learners.


Here are the links to the tutorials: The corn dolls. The hat and bonnet. The table ship.

Happy crafting!

-Sofija

Thanksgiving Crafts

Thanksgiving Table

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Friends,

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Have you decided on decorations? Here are some ideas I pinned this week.

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I’m really liking natural decorations more and more. The kind where you just go outside, gather some branches, leaves, and rocks, and you are done. It looks pretty, doesn’t cost anything, and it doesn’t add to the landfill.

How about you? Do you go all out for the holidays, or do you have pretty china you use for all special occasions?

Have a lovely weekend,

Sofija

 

Picture credits top to bottom:

Terrain

Once Wed

Terrain

The Woodgrain Cottage

Thanksgiving Table

Have You Packed Your Box Yet?

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This week is collection week and this morning we dropped off the shoe boxes we packed a week ago. What I like most about this family tradition of ours is that it enables my kids to think of others before they start the holiday season. I take them shopping and they pick out things they want to put in their box. And believe me, they would love to keep every single item they buy. Yet they have to give it away. My hope is that they will always live their lives like that, thinking of others first. Probably not going to happen, but a mama can try, right?

Between the AHG and our Cub scouts troop we had 59 boxes. They barely fit in our trunk. Below is a rare appearance of my son Shane. He usually does not like me to take his picture. Today he felt generous and gave me permission to put this picture in my blog.

IMG_2751 IMG_2749Here is Lori from Calvary who has been working with Operation Christmas Child for the last several years. She remembers us when we show up.

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After we dropped the boxes we got cookies and hot chocolate and wandered around the Calvary campus. Calvary is Albuquerque’s biggest church, with 15, 000+ members.

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Do you have any fun family traditions? Angel Tree comes to mind as another way of shopping for other children first. The gifts go to children of prisoners. Or the toy drives that fire fighters do every year.

-Sofija

 

 

Have You Packed Your Box Yet?

Kids on the Moon Fall/Winter 2013

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The more I get into children’s fashion, the more I find myself gravitating towards Polish designers. They seem to design with children’s needs for comfort and play in mind. Kids on the Moon is a company based in Warsaw. Take a look.

902654_470475423067651_758453030_o 1273781_446645775450616_331202456_o 1273973_446645778783949_655639883_o 1264001_446645632117297_65820520_o Kids-on-The-Moon-winter-2013So dreamy! Perfect for a lazy Saturday…The cloud sweater with the tutu is my favorite outfit. My daughters are really sensitive to seams and restrictive clothing; I appreciate when companies design comfortable and loose pieces.

Have a wonderful day,

Sofija

All pictures taken by Dzienis Przemek for Kids on the Moon

 

Kids on the Moon Fall/Winter 2013

Thankful for This Week

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IMG_2696Friends,

It has been one of those epic weeks for me, the kind that couldn’t be possible more full and packed with all sorts of goodness. Not the kind where you get any school done worth mentioning, but a whole lot of life, which is just as important.

Monday I organized a Operation Christmas Child shoe box packing party for our local American Heritage Girls (a Christian version of Girl Scouts) group. I have been in charge of organizing this for several years now. I enjoy it immensely, but it does take a certain amount of planning on my part. This year we packed 45 boxes, more than the last two years. Very happy about that.

On Tuesday I finally finished creating a Facebook page for this blog. I have been wanting to do that for a while, so this was a welcome accomplishment for me. After I did the recent photo shoot with my friend Emily, I finally felt like I had pictures that communicate what I want for my blog and Facebook page. Thank you Emily for realizing my vision!

On Wednesday I woke up to a the news that a longtime friend was coming through town that day. I hadn’t seen her in 12 years!! I got to see her for about an hour; she was making her way to Phoenix to sell at a craft show. She brought a friend, and another friend who lives in town joined us, so the four of us had a great time catching up over a cup of tea.

On Thursday I took my oldest daughter to the orthodontist. We are now entering the world of braces and navigating how to do it in the best possible way financially. I went for a consultation and the news was not good. However one bit of positive news was that we won’t be starting treatment next year, and by waiting hopefully some things will straighten out. That is what I am praying for anyway. 🙂

So on this Friday I am thankful for living right by one of the biggest highways in the US, which has enabled me to see several dear friends passing through.

And I am thankful that we have access to the best dental care possible.

Now I am looking for my husband coming home from a work trip and doing absolutely nothing tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

Sofija

Thankful for This Week