c

c is for...

...crabs. delicious and cute little critters.

...cupcake. just a happy little indulgence.

...curls. even though i spend most days fighting them. they do come in handy on those hot humid days when everyone else's hair falls flat.

...coat. although i hate wearing them in the winter, i think nothing is lovelier than a bright pop of color in a rain coat on a rainy day. my current favorite is a bright green.

...catimini. i know a shameless promotion, but i adore this french brand of kid's clothing. so colorful, eclectic, and forward. fabulous.

...craft. i'd like to consider myself crafty - in the arty sense but time is tight these days to actually accomplish much crafting.

...china. not the country, but that's ok, too. but the dishes. as i mentioned yesterday, i love to collect dishes, and china is included. good dishes make event he most humble meal taste better. if there's one thing i've learn - don't scrip on the china.

...collecting. i love to collect. have ever since i was a little kid. everything dishes, jadeite, clothes, jewelry, cookbooks, silverware, flowers, and more.

...coffee. my necessity for starting a day. also discovered to be good in the p.m., too.

b

...is for

...blueberries. I love blueberries, in muffins, pancakes, fresh from the box. One of my favorite memories of summer vacations when I was kid was picking blueberries in northern Minnesota. I don't mean going to a farm and picking. I mean going out in the woods with my tin pail and seeking them out. Remember the book, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey? That's what it was like. Bears and all.

...baking. A way to clear my mind and create something that makes people happy. I love to bake and create new things. There's something very soothing to me in the measuring and combining that helps me to relax. Who doesn't love a batch a fresh, home-made chocolate chip cookies? Plus, I love it when Madeline refers to me as being a good cooker.

...best friends. My friends all bring different things to my life. They're all an intricate part of who I am. I'll write more about each of them as I go through the alphabet.

...boxes. Yes, crazy, but i love boxes. Not the ugly brown cardboard ones, although these do deserve some respect, but the decorative pretty ones that carry bits of happiness in them. Perhaps a little jewelry box? a tin (yes, I think this falls within the realm of box) with a goodie inside. The box that contains girl scout thin mint cookies, a pizza box, a box of new shoes, a box hidden away in a closet long ago and just discovered with all sorts of treasures and the brown
box that arrives in the mail full of special stuff you've ordered from somewhere.

...beach. ahh how i love the beach. the sand, the surf, the shells, the sights and sounds. i can lose myself at the beach in a book, with my toes in the sand and a cool drink next to me. the noise of the kids running around chasing birds and building sandcastles. the smell of suntan lotion, the spray of the surf and the craziness that overtakes people at the shore. washing the sand and lotion off at the end of the day. and the good night sleep that comes after a day of sun and salt water.

...bowls. yes. bowls. i love to collect dishes. (10 sets and counting). but mostly i love to collect bowls. all shapes and sizes. all colors and patterns. old, new, thrift, ebay, target, williams sonoma. bowls have so many uses. of course holding food, but also storing trinkets, displaying candles, holding knick-knacks, and drinking coffee.

...birds. i love birds. especially in the spring when they are all coming back to nest. this am i was awakened to the sound to the sounds of birds chirping. surely this means that spring must be here....

i've been inspired by an ... A

well, people, i've been inspired. i've seen something called a meme - something that rhymes with dream - basically a list of questions that you see somewhere that you're inspired to answer.

so here's my inspiration - the alphabet. i'm going to take a letter a day and answer "a (and so on) is for..." something that relates to my life. like r is for raspberries...and why i love them. c is for cookie and all the cookies i love....

i think it will be really fun and an interesting commentary on my present life to look back on later. join me!

so here goes...

a is for....

...apple green. my absolutely positively mostest favoritest color. it is bright and cheerful and always makes me feel better when i am blue. if i could paint my house this color i would. instead i just settle for my bright green door and hope of painting my kitchen this color.

...a.m. nothing better than a quiet house, a cup of coffee, my slippers and a day ahead of me.

...amazing. and all the amazing things my littles do each day. max's power of language is growing by leaps and bounds every moment. madeline's inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness and zaninest is a delight.

...audrey. my brother's fiance. she's a delightfully witty, very interesting and terribly creative person. she'll be a fun addition to the family.

...apple. not the fruit. not my favorite. certainly it's good in a crisp or a french apple pie, but it's better when it's glowing on my computer. apple the company. i am amazed by all the cool stuff i learn each day on my apple.

no socks.

i've given up. i've broken out the flip flops inside the house, not outside yet. give me a few more days on that. but what i have affirmatively and decisively decided is that i've decided that i'm done with winter. done with cold. done with bundling up. done with heavy coats and gloves and mittens and scarves. done with the snow and the ice and the slush and the sleet and the overall mess that jack frost sends our way. but mostly, i'm just done with socks.

i know. not much of a stand. but a stand nonetheless. take that winter.

doing it your self.

so the little comment "let's repaint the kitchen cabinets" has now blown three weekends. the kitchen is still a disaster, dust has settled on everything, but i think the end might actually be in site. we finished (well almost) painting the cabinets today - ok so I did. we still have to work on the island, but i'm going to tackle that one with a friend as well as the walls. So much for just redoing the cabinets. the new countertops are coming in a couple of weeks, the new sink is in the garage and i'm desperately seeking a new faucet. how exciting my life has become. ah the excitement.

at least we got in our 45 minute break at Starbucks this am while we ditched the littles at sunday school :).

Doing my civic duty.

yes, I know. People think there is only one election this year. But actually, there are 4 here in this Kansas county. The next one is April 1st. Yes, that's right. April Fool's day. But seriously. There is an election and people should get out and vote. Spent my morning at "refresher" election worker training. The things people get hung up on...cell phones in particular.

Question after question about cell phones and voting...Did you know that while there is no law against talking on your cell phone while voting, it is considered electioneering if you are talking on your phone while voting and in talking you discuss what you are doing. Who would've thought? Now, I think you should probably pay attention while you're perusing those screens and making your selections (so you don't make the wrong choice as other's clearly have in the past), others feel that they can talk and vote at the same time. Just watch out for those election workers!

I appreciated the answer to the question of what if someone gets mad when you ask them to get off their cell phone? Call 911...duh. What a morning.

enough.

march 7 and more snow. surely spring is on its way? where are the birds? I'd stay south, too if I were them.

it's been a long time. a long time.

hair today, gone tomorrow. two long years. ten long inches. all gone in a snip of the scissors. a good deed done, but woefully a bit of regret, too. while it had been driving me crazy for months, i had grown quite attached to it, too. short hair in a matter of an instant. what's next?

published again!

Yippee! My photo made it into the Spring edition of the Boulder Schmap!

another birthday.

another birthday. come and gone.
good food. great friends. family. fun. coffee. cards. presents. sleeping in. sunshine. rain. breakfast. shopping. hugs. kisses. cake. frosting. roses. flowers.phone calls. emails. diamonds. drinks. midnight. a good day.

as i see it.

i love the quotes that are on Starbucks cups. Some are quite inspiring. as I see it today. a good day with a latte, a cozy chair and my mac. working on some photo editing. and to think I used to be stuck in an office.

This is one of my favorites:
The Way I See It #282
Childhood is a strange country. It’s a place you come from or go to – at least in your mind. For me it has an endless, spellbound something in it that feels remote. It’s like a little sealed-vault country of cake breath and grass stains where what you do instead of work is spin until you’re dizzy.
-- Lyall Bush
Executive director of Richard Hugo House, a center for writers and readers.

happy new 2008.

peace to you and us in 2008.

dinner with friends.

good food, good friends. my annual holiday dinner party.
wine
crab rolls
stuffed chicken breasts
sauted green beans
wild rice
popovers
chocolate lava cakes with fresh cream
coffee with grand marnier

published

To reactivate my brain after a day of giggles, fun, and lots of play with my two little ones, I challenge myself to the New York Times crossword puzzle. I don’t always finish it, but I feel as if I’ve gotten my self back.

published in Real Simple, October 2007 "your words". Yikes!
www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1663787-2,00.html

Mother's Day...or a break from the craziness.

Hmm. I wonder what finally drove the instigation of Mother's Day? I'm sure if I spent a few minutes googling it I could find out the journalistic answer. But truly, honestly what was it that drove that Mother to declare that "today was her day"?? Was it the running into the street, the tossing of food on the floor, the coloring on walls, the picking of every flower in the garden, the raspberries, the running naked through the house and outside, the screeching, the sticky hugs, the "mommy, mommy, mommy" chanting, the slobery kisses? Which one finally pushed to her to decide? I thank her today. For while motherhood is a tricky tough and crazy winding road, it is blessed with those sticky hugs and wet kisses and the knowledge that maybe you can make a difference in the world. One little handprint at a time.