Halfway

Today marks the halfway point; four of eight work days complete. I must admit I was tired when I arrived home. My feet hurt. I very seriously considered a nap. But outside it was (is) beautiful; not too hot and not too cold with a mild westward breeze. Plus the chickens needed free-range time (which requires supervision after this incident). And, truthfully, Mama needed some outdoor time as well.

So we went to tend our flower garden. I suppose you could call it a cutting garden. It's full of shasta daisies, black eyed susans, lavender, geraniums, chives, yarrow and cat nip; whites, yellows and purples filling every nook and cranny. But this garden has also been woefully neglected.

Bad Mama. Bad. Bad. Sit. Stay.

Because we were slack there were several demonic thistles interspersed amongst the glory.

Grrrr!

Well? What's a girl to do?

Hoe in hand Little and I tackled the despicable weeds. We eliminated the worst of them though many invaders still remain (should you find yourself bored I'd happily permit you weed my garden. Anytime!) We also managed to water and dead head our parched patio plants.

Finally Little picked a sweet bouquet for the kitchen. What cheer these flowers will bring as I'm waiting for the coffee to percolate!

But coffee comes in the morning. For now a simple dinner and then sleep. I do believe I'll sleep well tonight.

I hope you, too, had a lovely Thursday.

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Things I'm loving today:

• Warm summer breezes
• Puttering, dead heading and listening to the babble of chickens
• Six-year-olds who fall sound asleep at 7:30 pm (in the middle of the living room floor)
• Fresh bed sheets
• Light-filled evenings
• Lemonade mixed with sparkling water

Things I'm hoping for today:

• That I might be able to squeeze in some mama pampering (i.e. pedicure) before work tomorrow night
• Steady, productive but not overly stressful work nights
• A housecleaning fairy
• Time to work in the shop.

Love Thursday

Ah the farmer's market! I've been waiting with bated breath. Everyone else, it seemed, had their markets open. They had pictures and goodies and tales. But here, in Central Oregon, everything arrives a bit late. Finally finally opening day arrived. And though yesterday was scattered with rain we managed to catch the market during a brief dry spell.

Oh the glory! Fresh cherries, sunflowers and sugar snap peas. Baby bok choy and local cheese. It was truly truly lovely. I just *love* summer. Now if only the sun wasn't quite so demure...

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Things I'm Loving Today:

• Sweet sweet farmer's market cherries
• A new tee with an upcycled vintage camper
• My first tweet (eek what have I done?)
• Plans for this for dinner (so good on a rainy evening)

Things I'm Hoping for Today:

• To get a little cleaning done around here
• A quiet peaceful evening
• That I am not getting sick (I AM NOT GETTING SICK)
• That my co-worker will be able to switch shifts with me so I can go to a vintage trailer rally (oh the dorkiness -- it gets worse and worse as the years go by!)

Happy Love Thursday! What are you loving today?

Earth Day 2010

"Mister!" he said with a sawdusty sneeze, "I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees!"

Around here Spring arrives slowly and subtly. While the rest of the country is awash in color we reside in browns and grays. One must hunt to find undertones of renewal. I have been marching around our yard, camera in tow, poking and prodding, waiting for my beloved plants to return. Finally, finally this week our trees have begun to bud and bloom.

Of all our trees I absolutely adore the apricot in the back yard. This tree, technically, is not ours but rather our neighbor's. Nonetheless she is mine. I love the way she rests her branches across our chicken coop as if protecting the contents within. I'm smitten with her blossoms and, in the summer, revere her limbs laden heavy with fruit. She is also one of the first plants to show true signs of Spring. As she blooms my spirits lift; rejuvenation has begun.

And so today, Earth Day, I honor her and all the trees.

"You're in charge of the last of the Truffla seeds.

And Truffla trees are what everyone needs.

Plant a new Truffla. Treat it with care.

Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.

Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.

Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back."

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Things I'm loving today:

• Trees, trees, trees!
• Warm weather (after rain and snow).
• Cupcake pencil toppers (another 4th grade town project).
• The return of the scrub jays.
• The delectable scent of our new pine mulch (which was free -- sort of. Stay tuned).
• Florabella actions and textures.
• A distinct lack of jury duty all this week (hooray!)

Things I'm hoping for:

• Continued luck on the jury duty front.
• Energy to finish the yard work and cleaning begun earlier in the week.
• A gorgeous clothesline such as this.
• Opportunities to earn some extra income (we could use a little boost).
• Continued photographic inspiration.

Just Right

This is my living room. I snapped this shot yesterday because it looked just right -- not too big, not too small, not too fancy, not too shabby, not too messy, not too clean -- just right. If you go to Flickr you can peruse the photo's notes and learn a bit more about the individual objects within.

Right now I am sitting in that chair by the fireplace. My legs are criss-cross applesauce. There is a pillow on my lap and on top of that my laptop. Delectable heat radiates from my computer and the lamp next to me. Across from my chair is a large picture window that looks out onto the street. There is a slight breeze. The sky is blue overhead but storm clouds lurk on the horizon. Outside it is crisp and cold. I'm happy to be here, inside, still in my pajamas. Little sits in the next room watching the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - on loan from the library. Soon I'll gather up my knitting and join her.

Our house smells scrumptious. A honey mustard pale ale pork tenderloin is simmering in the crock pot. My husband is in the kitchen doing a load of dishes. Later today I'll go to the store for ingredients for my first ever green smoothie (thanks Tammie!).

To sum things up: Life is good.

And now my daughter beckons. I hope you are all having peaceful wonderful days.

Things I love today:

• Spanish lessons on my ipod
• Crock pots
• Baby girls who love to snuggle
• Pajamas
• A weekend to sleep in
• My friend's bird feeder (I am inspired to get one of my own)
• Dreams of an orchard and clothesline in my backyard

Things I'm hoping for today:

• Happy content children.
• To finish Loving Frank before it's due back at the library.
• To be bold and brave and follow my heart.
• To let go of fear and take a chance.

Soon, soon I'll post my Mondo Beyondo list. For now it is simmering, just like that tenderloin, until it, too, is just right.

Random Mumble Jumble and Thursday Love

The house is quiet. I can hear the gurgle of the dishwasher and the hum of the dryer. Today is cooler and grey outside. The wind is picking up and I can hear the occasional squeak of some roof top contraption. In my mind this is the tv antenna of days gone by. But all our information comes underground via a cable network. There is no longer the need to climb on the roof and jiggle the reception back into place. I doubt my children have ever seen static on television.

The kids are still visiting relatives (though the boy comes home tonight). My husband is at work. Our two dogs and three cats are contentedly sleeping the day away. I myself am a little sleepy. But soon I need to get into gear. Showering would be a good idea. I'm having a bad hair day and wearing a scarf. The scarf is fine for puttering about the house but doesn't seem like appropriate work attire. Yesterday I donned a housewife doo-rag. Again only appropriate for being indoors and alone. You see I'm growing my hair out and we've hit that holy cats nothing looks good stage. I'll probably pull it back into an almost ponytail and call it good.

So here I sit. My week of freedom is over. Back to work and back to parenting. I did not accomplish much. I was hoping to clean the house top to bottom. There is an odd sticky ring in my bathtub -- of what I have no idea. I was hoping, at least, to eliminate that. Yet I don't know how to make it go away. I keep thinking of The Cat in the Hat and am subsequently stifled; Thing One and Thing Two won't pop out from under this scarf to fix things when I get in a bind.

I was also hoping to buy some wool roving and felt some eggs. Instead I've barely left the house. I did clean the kitchen table, the fridge and rearrange the spice pantry. I even scrubbed the kitchen floor (which doesn't happen all that often). So I 'spose something is better than nothing. Oh yes I also managed to shop for food. My cupboards were truly bare. It seems I took the frugality thing to its utmost limit and most definitely needed to restock.

I think I need to make a list; a checklist of things to do so I can actually accomplish what ought to get done. But maybe later. For now I will shower and call it good.

Things I love today:

• Changing Flickr into a different language - what a great way to play with Spanish (a big one on the bucket list; learning a new language that is).
• Figuring out why I am so sleepy (I just took a new allergy medication - duh!) and now am feeling a little better about my lethargic state of being.
• Thrifted fabric turned into my new spring table runner - easy peasy!
• Quiet houses.
• Clean and stocked cupboards.
• Anne Lamott in Sunset Magazine (permission not the clean the house and just be -- hooray, I've been quite good at that this week!)
• Flowers.
• Thoughts of all the things I will accomplish once I get around to it.

Happy Thursday!

Love Thursday and tidbits from the week ... again.

At this very moment I am sleepy. I worked last night, spent the morning constructing a dog sweater (to stay awake) then attended parent-teacher conferences in the afternoon. Tonight it's back to work. But it's not all bad. Tonight is Mr. Peculiar's last graveyard shift for at least six months (we made it!!). And after this shift I'll have six nights off.

This week has been surprisingly productive (I suspect it's the result of our spring like weather that put a little spring in my step). I baked cupcakes and cinnamon rolls, went to sweater upcycling party and book club meeting. I constructed a new pillow and a sweater. Shaved down our mangy mutt and made a delicious pork tenderloin (hint: pour a bottle of beer into the crockpot to keep things moist). In addition I started a new knitting project but that one is under wraps as it's a gift.

So all in all we're a bit sleepy in these parts but life is good.

Things I'm loving today:

• Warm breezes and budding leaves
• Crocuses (also valid croci or simply crocus)
• Friends who are wordsmiths
• Book clubs and crafting parties
• Spring break (i.e. SLEEP!)
• Naked dogs (poor poor Walter)
• Coworkers who do not admonish my dog grooming skills
• Excellent school reports from today's conferences
• Babysitting little ones and their genuine smiles (oh she is growing up!)
• An upcoming Saturday night date with friends (to watch Mad City Chickens)
• Dreams of summer, reading and lazy days at the pool.

Happy Love Thursday!

Love Thursday and tidbits from the week ...

Conversation in the car with a 6-year-old:

"Mom. Your hair looks dyed" said Little ever so innocently.

"Oh really? Why?" I asked.

"Because there is a HUGE white streak across the side" she said.

Lovely. I'm choosing to assume she's commenting on the natural blond highlights. Mmm hmm. That's it.

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Things I love today:

• This Mac 'N Cheese prepped for tonight's dinner
• Delectable thrift store finds
• Cloth fortune cookies (another 4th grade town project)
• Sleep (It's amazing what a good night's sleep will do)
• Coffee, coffee and coffee
• Two weekends off in a row
• The way my eyes wrinkle when I smile (I should smile more often)
• Knitting in progress (for 7-months) that is nearly complete
• An upcoming (and very quiet) spring break -- the kids will all be away!

Happy Love Thursday!

For the Love of Color (and other things)

Today begins for the LOVE of COLOR week. And the color of the day is, ba da da dum ... Green! My favorite hue of green is bright lime (almost a yellow green). Such a cheery invigorating sight for the eyes (and soul).

Yesterday my daughter and I went on a photo walk in search of this elusive color. It's rather amazing what can be found when one opens his/her eyes (and heart). Who knew so much color was just lazing about waiting for admiration. Go look. Yes. Right where you are. See all the radiant color?!!

Lovely, 'eh?

Today is also Thursday. One of seven days for gratitude and love.

Today I love:

• The sun!
• The Hothouse Flowers
• A river trail oh so close to my house
• Learning to run again
• Homemade pizza dough waiting in the fridge
• Little girls all dressed in pink (stay tuned for tomorrow's color)
• Little old lady clip on earrings (absolutely perfect for dress up)
• Sumptuous snow-capped mountains standing guard
• Simpson clouds speckling the sky (as seen upside down while stretching)
• Living in a place with next to no traffic
• Reading, reading, reading
• Knitting, knitting, knitting
• Family

What do you love today?

Love Thursday

Today I'm loving:

• Halloween in February (which may even end up in a book!)
• Bright hearts constructed by an awesome teacher
• Chickens who have decided they do indeed lay eggs
• Glorious warm sunny days tucked into winter
• One Peculiar Momma who started running again (albeit slowly)
• Swans paddling through the river
• Geese squawking overhead
• Birds chirping and rustling through the reeds
• The smell of granola baking in the oven
• Little girls who love to snuggle
• Little boys who aren't so little anymore
• Grandparents who take the kids overnight so parents can work
• Being halfway through our rough schedule
• Starting a new book with my daughter
• This post (I wish I was part of it!)
• A weekend off

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Happy Love Thursday!

Love Thursday

The day wherein I cleaned the kitchen then proceeded to mess it up again (i.e. you should see it now). And the day wherein I choose photo montages over a shower before a share holder's meeting. It's all about priorities.

Now off to that meeting ....

Happy Love Thursday!

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All of My Love -- A Bedtime Story

Mr. Peculiar and I work non-traditional schedules. I'm on duty nights, weekends and holidays. Mr. Peculiar has weekends off but switches between day, swing and graveyard shifts. We are currently both working nights; it's arduous to say the least.

This type of schedule can be problematic for us parents. What is one to do with the children? Life would be much easier if we had relatives in town. But we don't. It'd be great if we could afford a nanny. But we can't and won't.

We briefly considered leaving the kids alone but quickly thought better of it after a night of mayhem where even parental authority wasn't enough to keep all h*ll from breaking loose (if you've seen my marbles let me know!).

Luckily we have amazing friends who are willing to shelter our children. This keeps them from destroying a) our house and b) each other. And it keeps me from losing any more marbles.

This care does not, however, keep middle daughter from being sad. She misses me and wants me home when I'm at work (of course when I am home the term mother is synonymous with persona non grata but that's a different story). The other kids miss us too but not with the same intractable longing as Middle.

Anyway the other day we saw a Hallmark commercial for recordable books. Ah - the perfect solution! I'll put my voice to a story, pack it off for the overnighter and contented bliss will prevail. Not.

You see these books cost upwards of $100.00. And like it or not the Peculiar Household is on a very strict budget. Expensive books are not part of our balance sheet. Another solution was in order ... one that didn't drain our hemorrhaging bank account.

Then the light bulb went off. I have a computer (a Mac, a Mac, a Mac -- I love my Mac). My lovely computer has a web cam and a recording feature. So what did I do? I made a little movie; me reading a book. And I'm so hip that I uploaded it to YouTube.

Now the next time my twenty-first century progeny have a sleepover they can get online for their bedtime story. Total cost? Zero dollars and zero cents. (And no I'm not counting the cost of my computer because I would have bought it with or without that little YouTube feature).

For those who are interested the video is posted below. I'll not list all the ways it embarrasses me.

Happy Love Thursday and Frugal Friday! Here is all of (or Olive) my love.

It's all about heart

"...the secret of the care of the patient

is in caring for the patient."

Francis W. Peabody, October 21, 1925

Tonight it's a blanket stitch on felt. Tomorrow it may be a Ford-interlocking suture pattern on skin. Either way the technique is the same; bound with love and care.

Things I'm loving today:

• Wonderful, stupendous and spectacular friends.
• My new felt bookmark.
• Books, books, books.
• A project in the works (under wraps until I'm sure I'm capable).
• Validation.
• Snuggling under the covers on a cloudy morning.
• Heat seeking lover kitties.
• Snacks.
• This chair
• And this chair
• This roof which kept the rain off my head today.
• This fireplace which is keeping my feet toasty.
• This day which saw me through from one end to the other.

Happy Love Thursday!

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Love Thursday

This day is grey. We've had brief periods of sun but clouds are the overriding theme. I don't do well without the sun; especially weeks on end. I'm tired. I don't wanna do things (said in THE whiniest intonation); I have no desire to cook, clean, drive, shower, or exit my pajamas. But I have a family and a job and other minor impediments that prevent me from staying in bed. So I continue on but not with my usual fervor (my husband would now like to butt in to state that my usual fervor is hardly fervorish. I will contend, however, that it is fervorisher than now. And yes. Fervorisher is a word as is fevorish. Why? Because I said so. My blog. My rules.).

This week has been trying. The kids have been at each other's throats. We're all testy. And I find it's times like this when daily gratitude really becomes important. So here is today's list.

I am grateful for:

• Beautiful perfect tiny babies who fit into their tiny knit hats
• Stripped socks in bright colors
• Funny felt wallets made for 4th grade town
• Heart crayons also made for town
  
• The blackboard hanging from our coat closet
• The library
• A book club full of wonderful women
• No predators in my backyard the night before last (when our chickens were inadvertently left to roam free)
• An upcoming week off work
• My crock pot
• My six-year-old who would rather make a gift for an upcoming party than buy something because it "means more" that way.

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This feeling of fatigue? It's nothing new. It too shall pass.

Happy Love Thursday!

Love Thursday

Things I love today:

• New knitting projects.
• Cupcakes!
• Tiny tiny hats for tiny tiny babies.
• A *relatively* clean kitchen.
• Two nights off work.
• My lovely bed with it's mismatched flannel sheets and down comforter.
• The chance to watch my son's first wrestling match.
• 2 1/2 hours of quiet mommy alone time.
• Coffee!
• The warmth of the computer as it rests on my lap.
• Hats to hide my lack of showering.
• Sweats, sweaters and blue jeans.
• Big Huge Labs and their mosaic maker.
• Pajamas.
• The distant whistle of the train as it slowly rumbles through town.

Happy Love Thursday!

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A Revealing Love Thursday

Things I'm loving today:

• Reading Pollyanna with my daughter and learning to play the glad game.
• Homemade snowflakes adorning our windows.
• Thrifted wooden thread spools.
• Fitting in exercise all this week (snowshoeing, treadmill, exercise bike and wii).
• Finding time to practice my chanter*.
• This cupcake kit purchased for my daughter's birthday party.
  

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* I've been keeping a secret for the past six months. Well it's not really a secret but it's something I've only briefly alluded to here. And no. No! I'm not pregnant.

I've been taking lessons. Music lessons. You see I'm learning to play the bagpipes. Yup. Bagpipes. I feel like that middle spool of thread. The blue one. Scattered. Disheveled. Not quite wound right. What in the world am I doing?!!

Once a week I drive to the next town over for an hour of instruction -- this takes two hours out of my day; one for lessons and one for driving. Thus far I've been learning on a practice chanter. But soon I'll be ready for a set of real pipes. I've already picked them out. I've saved about $400.00. Only $1200.00 left to go.

Imagine. Imagine saving enough for pipes. Imagine playing them with abandon; without fear, without judgment. Imagine letting go. Imagine joy.

You tell me -- am I crazy?

Love Thursday

Here are a few things we've been up to. Life has been busy. It's a task in and of itself not to be overwhelmed. I've yet to ship packages. None of our handcrafted holiday parcels will arrive on time. Yet it is okay. We are okay. I've given myself permission to slow down and enjoy the process. Surely friends and family will appreciate gifts in the New Year just as much as now. Nothing, no life, no person is perfect. Certainly not me.

I'm very much looking forward to a few days of down time before the rush of the holiday. No work. No taxi service. No place to be or go. I fully intend to bake, sew, knit and craft to my heart's delight. Why, perhaps I'll even sneak in a bath, a bottle of wine and a good book -- just for good measure.

Next week the whirlwind will return; dragging my heart between work and family. But you know what? We'll get through that too. And I'll be looking forward to the next ebb that follows the flow.

I hope each and every one of you are giving yourself a break and enjoying the life you have been given.

Happy Love Thursday!

Love Thursday Yet Again.

Well here is Thursday yet again. Time to list all the things I love. Yet I'm not feeling it. I just don't feel all mushy and gooshy and warm and happy. In fact I'm rather blah. It's nothing major - just the ups and downs of life and the ups and downs of parenthood.

But, mood notwithstanding, I am here. Why? Because this exercise is about appreciation. It's about finding beauty despite circumstance. And really my circumstances are quite good.

So, without further adieu, here are the things I'm loving today:

1. The description of the Simpson's on our cable box: "Matt Groening's subversive animated satire." Dude! Who wouldn't want to be that guy?!!
2. Breakfast for dinner (Huevos Rancheros made with farm backyard fresh eggs).
   
3. Homemade dog biscuits made by middle daughter (minus the mess in the kitchen).
4. Another apron sewn for the holiday gift exchange (only six left to go).
5. One more night of real sleep before work.
   
6. The gigantic mess ball of paper mache drying in my living room (hopefully a future Halloween costume).
7. Convincing my son to serve dinner (including teaching him how to cut into an avocado).

And I have a question for you ... what are you loving today?

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Happy Love Thursday!

Love Thursday

Things I love today:

Love coming in under the wire ...

Things I love today: 

• Glass creamer containers turned into vases
• Bouquets from the garden
• Farmhouse Sandwich Loaves
• Crispy Crusts of No Knead bread and crock pot chili
• Dreams of Plum Honey Vanilla Jam (dancin' in my head)
• Flowers from grateful clients
• Thrifted sheets
• A clean house (thanks to the hubby)
• Cheese puffs that disappeared in a puff
• A post all about Peculiar Momma on this gorgeous blog.  
• And a lovely award from this excellent blogger.  

Happy Love Thursday!

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Things I'm Loving Today ...

Today I Love:

• Learning to make apricot preserves (with homegrown fruit!).
• Knitting in progress.
• Treasures from the library.
• Delving into embroidery even though I don't have a clue.
• New vacuum hoses that don't short out every 10 seconds.
• Tiny onions harvested from the garden.
• Lemonade stands run by little girls.
• Semi-annual haircuts where someone else deals with my daughters' tangles while I sit innocently by and knit.
• A boy who can think of nothing but fishing.
  
• The caw of a scrub jay whom I can call a friend.
  
• Mom's night out and a great film.
  
• An "in" with my daughter's kindergarten teacher (I promise I won't abuse the privilege!).
• Sending all the neighbor kids home and having family reading hour.
  
• Autumn's beckoning ... I adore that season!

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For more love check out Love Thursday!