Thoughts to Keep Me Warm

It's just over a year now that my faithful friend Tania and her family made their trek back home (389 days ago to be exact). The Northwest was never home to them, although they worked hard to make it fit for a handful of years. Looking back I'm surprised they made it that long. Torn away from their families, the places they've known all their lives to be banished out into the rustic setting of the Olympic Peninsula. Tania and I only had each other while our husbands circled the US on tours for weeks and weeks at a time. We managed a sort of co-parenting for our 3 young children, trying to keep life as normal as possible without their dad's. It was under no uncertain terms: Survival of the Fittest. We were each other's support system, and E has always viewed these friends as blood. Tania's news totally knocked me off my feet, and I can say honestly that recovering has been a slow and painful process. I'm not convinced that the ache will ever subside. She walked with me through the peaks and valleys and that's important, the immediate absence of kindred friendship like that leaves you wounded.

Tania knit me a scarf one year for my birthday, or was it Christmas? She knew my favorite color, and chose a very soft and cozy strand for one of her very first projects. As is custom in mastering the art of knitting the stitches are uneven and awkwardly sag in places. I recall her mentioning that she had to wrestle it away from her oldest son (2 or 3-years-old at the time), leaving a fringe of uneven loops at one end. Character. I've often worn it proudly, and this afternoon just seemed like another great occasion. She's been on my mind. The thought did once cross my mind to re-knit it to even things up, but to do so would have snuffed the soul right out of it and I'm glad I've left it just the way it is.


I picture her unconventional grip on the needles, her concentration, her love. How she touched each part of this scarf that wraps round and round my neck and can't help but feel the warmth. After all these days and miles apart we've managed to stay connected, I feel like I'm still part of her life, part of her family. I think we both sense the invisible strand that stretches, stretches from her to me; both of us holding ends not willing to let go.

Easter Has Hit

Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I like the Holiday's. Christmas of course being the king of the Holiday's (no pun intended), Harvest/Halloween a close second, and then Valentines & Easter. I've ordered up the appropriate holiday books and DVD's from the library, started thematic art projects for E to mail out the grandparents, and will make a few trips down to our local candy shoppe for handmade chocolate bunnies and Kinder Eggs. All the decorations have been boxeded up in the garage according to theme, and I eagerly pulled them out this morning and declared today as "Decorating Day."


This morning E needed a few projects, so out came the plastic eggs, window cling-on's, stuffed bunnies and baskets. Along with the store bought paraphernalia were a few hand-made treasures too; art projects from the previous year and a sweet garland Jen made us (the oh-so-cherished stuffed bunny she lovingly made for E last year stays close at hand all year round on her shelf, but decidedly needed to be on display in the living room as well).

I love decorating, but I'm with Rachel, when's the last time Easter and St. Patrick's day fell into the same week?

10 in 10 on 10 - March

The Shape of Things in Black & White

(7 o'clock hour)

(8 o'clock hour)

(9 o'clock hour)

(10 o'clock hour)

(11 o'clock hour)

(12 o'clock hour)(1 o'clock hour)

(2 o'clock hour)

(3 o'clock hour)

(4 o'clock hour)

Gimme 10!

Are you interested in joining us tomorrow? Get out your camera and let us in on your day; 10 sequential shots, one for each hour, for 10 hours.

RFID?

Let's just start off by saying; I'm not a huge conspiracy theorist, but...

How do you feel about this? Are we appropriately weighing the benefits of other's knowing where we go and when, what we buy, etc.? Are the powers that be masking this as a benefit or time saver, while we're slowly loosing our rights?

What do you think?

If you have the time, it may be worth watching this YouTube video. It's extreme, but even if it's only half true, I think it's important to educate ourselves and be aware of the possible infringement of our personal and family rights.

What kind of world do we want to raise our children in?

It's all so exhausting. I feel like some days I'm barely able to keep my head above water. You try and do the best for your family: putting a home cooked meal on the table that's not injected or sprayed with chemicals and antibiotics, get in some exercise, keep up with laundry, use sunblock, buy locally, provide artistic experiences, maintain important and meaningful relationships with friends, pay the bills, pull weeds, recycle, read, keep gas in the car, keep the pet's alive, get to the dentist, the list goes on and on.

So many questions and yet, I feel like there's not time to get answers. Our world is just changing too fast. Do you like the direction in which we're heading?

Family Night

Now that E is growing a little more mature everyday we've been incorporating things like "Game Night" into our weekly evenings at home. Tonight we tried UNO, it wasn't without it's frustrations but overall rewarding.

No Ordinary Fairy

Lot's of dress-up lately.

This combo was especially good; undies, skull w/crossbones & fairy attire.

Lemon Curd

(this is a follow-up on the conversation Jen, Rachel and I had a few weeks back)

For those of you, not unlike myself that can't really have the ooey gooey goodness of Nutella just sitting around in your cupboard. Because well, we both know it doesn't just sit there, it's out on the counter with a huge spoon dipping in and out all afternoon long. We justify it with; "It's going on an apple, that's healthy, right?" That stuff is good for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a few "healthy" snacks in-between.


There is hope. The other delectable, spoon-licking treat from across the pond, LEMON CURD. Ok, I know what you're thinking, "Anything with 'curd' in its name is not jumping into my shopping cart." Take courage, it's amazing. And, AND 1/2 the fat of Nutella, and you actually need less because this stuff is sooo flavorful! You'll want to eat it all day long, I promise. It's not unlike eating a lemon bar (a really good one, like Jen makes) when smothered on toast. Oh my word, oh my word, oh my WORD (sung in an operatic voice).

*Thanks Anna