Wednesday, January 30, 2013

You know they love you...

when...


they care enough
to show you
what you're going to look like
after the
zombie apocalypse.

And they thought
I was scary
now!

What can I say,
it's a rainy Wednesday
folks.

;)



Tuesday, January 29, 2013

always learning

Sources of knowledge
are literally at our fingertips
while at the computer
drumming on a smart phone
ipod...or pad
then the old-school
while reading a good book
delving into the encyclopedia
there's the time-honored method
through a really good teacher
while listening to a sermon
friends
let's not forget
gleaning wisdom from
mom
(Who knew scarecrows were
mentioned in Jeremiah!?)
(That's 10:5 big buddy ;)

Then there is the unexpected
surprising and wonderful
learning from our children
who often guide me
through the confusing world
of computers
modems
remote controls.

Why would it surprise me to
learn from my grandgirls?
In one afternoon
I found
you don't need a knife to slice a banana.
That's why God
created fingers!

You can make sure
that all your pins
are in place

but don't forget
to have
fun!

Read all the signs
along the way.


and start counting!


each
and
every
beautiful
blessing.

:)


Monday, January 28, 2013

early morning

Right on the cusp of a
new day
as night gradually
gives way to light
as silence
is disturbed only by the
ticking clock
a single car driving by
the hum of this computer
and random creaks

I imagine the one that got away
his tiny steps made louder
in the dawn
finding a resting place
as his bedtime approaches
belly full from his
nighttime excursions
dodging the bullet
disguised in a peanut-buttery smell
of temptation
curling-up in a little ball
to sleep the day away
in the comfort of a warm
borrowed home

until dusk calls on him

until
that peanut-y goodness
can be denied
no longer

just

one

little

SNAP!


Friday, January 25, 2013

this (very) moment

 my daily grind

this coffee table 
changes 
almost by the minute
depending on the need
as I sip my morning chai
and begin my day
what happened 
the night before
lay around me
a little bit of television
talk of what our February read will be
hard to top
The Catcher in the Rye
for my boys
a deceptively simplistic story
that has even my reluctant writer
delving into the craft
with pages mimicking Salinger's style
playing with shading
and a changing light source
typing a second draft
for the paper entitled
Something I really hate is...
free weights standing ready for 
mom 
who has been getting her wintry arms
toned for the beach
(yeah...vanity thy blah-diddy-blah-blah!)
ditto with the PediSpin 
throw a little math into the mix
and you've got my
yesterday
captured in a still.
makes me wonder what today's
coffee table will 
reveal.


Happy Friday.
:)

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

baby it's cold...


It's hard to capture cold.
Hard to show in a picture
booger freezing temps
in the single digits.
Wind chills
in the negatives.
The dogs are staying
indoors
all day long
as is their fragrance.
Humidifiers
are working overtime
to counteract
the static effect...
crazy wild hair
zapping each other with a kiss
sparks flying
when you scootch on the couch!
Back a few months
my hubby shared the news
that he (we) had won a trip
to the Dominican Republic
because he had such a good year
in sales.
Ugh...
a work-fun (an oxymoron for sure!) trip
to a resort local
that had me dreading the day.
I don't own a resort-style wardrobe.
Active mom-style...
yes.
As the day nears
I have acquired a few
last year mark-downs
a this year swimsuit
a few attic finds.
Fast forward
or would that be
flash back(?)
to today's frigid temperatures
and you know what?
I think that chaise lounge
has my name written
all over it.
Yeah...
it's gonna be tough
but I'm willing to
take one for the team.
Today...
I'm beach dreaming!


Monday, January 21, 2013

one-on-one

Saturday morning
brought a rare and wonderful
gift.
Kaylee.
All by herself.
Now I love it when
both girls come over to play...
but there's something
magical when it's
one-on-one time.
This is something I
still cherish with my grown
and teen
boys.
My attention isn't pulled
in a million different directions
and I can focus on
that
one
special
 person.
To snuggle with while
watching cartoons
and
 nibbling on cheerios
bananas
and
clementines.
Together.
Coloring.
Feeding the pets.
Pop-bottle bowling.
Wresting.
Washing our hands.
(That's a big deal with these girls of mine :)
Together.
One-on-One.
Something tells me
I'm not the only one who enjoyed
our alone time.
:)

Friday, January 18, 2013

~this moment~

Capturing Light

~a moment to pause and savor~

Happy Friday, Soule Friends. 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

do you see what i see?


The Art of Silliness Book
On a quiet
lonely
boring
Tuesday (I think)
I began to
surf sites I had heard about
and landed on one
I had never heard about.

A Gem.

Carla Sonheim and the Art of Silliness.
An artist.
A teacher.
A guide.
An inspiration.
She offers online classes.
Writes books.
Gives free tutorials.

There's that word that gets me
every time...
free.
But now I am Kindling
her books to use for myself
and homeschool.

Trying to re-kindle
that spark of
creativity
that is there...
buried
deep.

One class
 and I am looking at the world
in a whole new
way.

Blob Hunting.
Looking high and low for random
shapes...
drawing 4 outlines and then
looking at them from every direction
until you
see.

Imaginary (or real) Animals.

A Gallery of Blob Art.
James (and even Joe) had fun with this.
It is an adult course
after all...
pssst...
kids of all ages will have
fun with this.
Because
Blobs are everywhere.
On furniture.
On the driveway.
On a tree.
A stain on my carpet.
E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E.
 The best part.
I...well
Carla
got them drawing again.
Nothing like the word 
silly
to release any hidden reserves
expectations
insecurities.

Head on over to her site
and get ready for
fun art.
Yes...
those two words can be
used in the same
sentence.

:)

 Thanks, Carla Sonheim.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

the shift

conversing

gathered around the table
together
with good food
and lively answers to the question
how was your day?

 Out to dinner with mom
and sisters
sipping on fancy drinks
at a table that is filled with
an endless stream-of-conscious
kind of discussion 
complete with
belly laughs
and tears
while sharing the
what have you been up to latelies?

These moments of open
dialogue 
leave me hungry 
for more.

Maybe because I am aware of
the shift
the phenomenon
that 
like the sly blamb
has crept into my life
in a most
troubling way. 

 Stark contrasts.
In the span of one day.

First
a taking care-of-business call
where I am pushing buttons
as directed
 to different
departments
and in the end I get
the recorded message 
(a pleasant robot voice)
telling me 
my concern will be processed
soon.
have a good day


 Stopping at the library
to return and pick-up books I reserved
online.
With the newly installed
self check-out
that allows the librarians
to do...
well
whatever it is they do back there.
I can now do their
old job for them
without even a
good day

how convenient

The grocery store...
ditto.

Now flash back to the dinner 
I was discussing earlier.
the talking
the laughter
the tears.

To return home to my family
One is upstairs playing
a video game
The other two are
multi-tasking
i.e.
the television is playing
a re-run
#2 son is also texting or
playing a game on his phone
hubby has his laptop
open to
very important work
I'm sure. 

A lot of noise.
All are quiet.

It's true.
It has insinuated itself
right here in my
living room.
I could lie and say
this was a first
occurrence
but I think we all know better.

We can call these little
devices
time suckers
conveniences
budget busters
but in the end I can't help but ask
the age-old question

are we gaining or are we losing

Turning to myself
what I have allowed to happen
(never underestimate mom power)
Those dinners at home around the table
have found their way into the
living room
watching re-runs.

Today 
is a new day.
I feel a shift coming on.



Saturday, January 12, 2013

market bag makeover :: an apron's story


A fun weekend project.

Start with an old market bag...

that has seen a better day...
or one of the dozens
you have acquired.

With scissors or a seam ripper
finish what has already
begun on its own
(tisk-tisk...the construction
these days!)

This is what you're left with.

Separate the center seam 
as well
and then you'll have
two pieces to work with.

Remove one handle
and cut the extra
fabric
from the bottom of each.
 You're left with all the 
pieces you will need to 
construct your apron.

Pin the portion you'll be
using as the top
a bit narrower
than the bottom or skirt
of the apron.
Here mine is pinned together.
One tie is formed from the extra handle
the other from the two
bottom pieces we removed earlier

The double peace sign was a bit much
so I just flipped the bottom 
section around
(easy enough during the design and pin stage)

The try on.
Yeah!
I'm lovin' it. 
(You gotta love it when an idea
pops in your head and comes together so
easily!)

Off to the sewing room we go.
Using white thread
for contrast
(and because I was out of blue :)

First
 I hemmed all the raw edges
on the top or bib portion
of the apron.
Same with the bottom.
Sewed top to bottom.
Since one of the ties were already finished
I just made the other...
sewing the two cut-off pieces 
together and creating the tie by rolling
in the edges and giving it a double top stitching.
Attached the ties
and arranged the pieces together
in a pleasing way.
Having it close at hand
and ready for service.

Making the transition from
kitchen to table 
a bit neater.
(I get pretty messy)

The transformation from
market bag to apron...
way cool.

I'm going to call this
 a re-purpose
with
real
purpose!

Have fun with this one...
and please send me pictures
of your 
market bag creation.

Happy Weekending!

Friday, January 11, 2013

~this moment~

"January morn"

A moment that causes me to pause
and appreciate
the beauty that is all
around us.

Happy Weekending, Soule friends! 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

make it quick

internet access limited
phone line sketchy

the bundle strikes again

waiting for the
cable guy


while i'm at it
why not make

Raspberry Scones
(Babycakes)
and
Chai Tea
(Beauty That Moves
@ sidebar)

just in the nick
since I have been complaining
about jitttters
 nervousness
edginess

far exceeding normal

it must be the caffeine

it must!

moving at breakneck
before the disconnect...

enjoy your day!

p.s. the chai tea was delightful and highly recommended.
the scones? well...that goes without saying
:)



Saturday, January 5, 2013

still life

the pause.
the freeze frame.
that weird week between
christmas and new years
(until schedules resume!)
Pinned Image
where real time ceases to exist.
if you follow any blogs
then you have surely read about
this anomaly.
or spoke with a friend.
each has their unique take on it.
for some it is a glorious
break from pace
others feel a little lost
wandering aimlessly
some may find it expresses itself
as a continuation
of the previous month...
filled with more malls
more food
more...
finding it hard to
s-l-o-w
down.
each year seems to yield a vastly
different feel for me
none stranger than this
it is reflected in those around me
feeling a little numb
finding we have successfully
exchanged our days
for nights
nights for days
yeah...
can't wait to see how this
effects our school time
our meals have taken
on a time of their own
breakfast at noon
(if we're up by then)
lunch around 3:30
dinner at 9
i could look at it and say
 we are eating
when we're hungry
a good thing
i know...
i'm digging deep for that one.
the only days i can relate to these
are back when we first had
our babies
and my hubby would come
home and i would
proudly announce
i got a shower in today!
and that would be my greatest accomplishment
and somehow
it was enough
i will glean from that experience
we have seen our way
through some tough times
disease
surgeries
death
happy holidays
i will no longer ponder
 the why of this break we're taking
i will be gentle
i will lift a prayer of thanks
for a time well deserved
for this warm
fatherly
outflowing of 
love
wisdom
and strength
for the granting of
still life.


Friday, January 4, 2013

a triptych


challenged


to step out of my
little comfort zone
(such a confining place)


and allow growth...

in myself


and those i love.

:)

Thursday, January 3, 2013

inspired to

january  


elizabeth st hilaire nelson
paper artist
extraordinaire
her amazing work with collage-ing
is so inspiring to me
and why I felt drawn to
this lang calender

when you sit with it
you will soon see
beyond the sweet bird
to snippets
of postage
sheet music
a child's homework

captured and preserved

oh
how i feel a stirring
of inspiration

exactly how that will
express itself remains
to be seen

inspiration abounds
and can feel like a slippery slope
when you begin to peruse
the internet

i'm not a pinterest gal
but i am a blogger
who can
pin these little
trysts
that interest
me


a hodge-podge really
of things that caught my eye
on a recent
sitting at my desk

these darlings will
look adorable
out of my felted wool stash
a martha project
that i will make my own

hopefully.

then i saw these babies

New Year's Day
 a feast for the eyes

what is it about bacon?

i have successfully captured
its flavor with tofu
no joke here
when my boys tasted it
they wanted seconds
and it is super-duper easy
the recipe:

extra-firm tofu; drained and sliced thinly
a hot frying pan with 2T canola
get 'em frying
about 10 minutes on one side
flip
4 minutes on the other
(you want them brown and crispy)
sprinkle all with
2T nutritional yeast
a few shakes of soy/tamari sauce
a few shakes of liquid smoke
serve it up

between pancakes
swimming in
maple syrup
or
any
way
you like it.

up next...
exercise.

yep.
that's right.
from bacon to
sweating on the mat
no connection...

or is there?!

an ab workout
that claims to be the best
 by
tone it up

 i stumbled upon it
at a blog called
the stirring place
which has a video clip you can
watch
but you'll only reap the benefits
if you do

while there
check out what's stirring in
 faith's kitchen
so good
it got her doing this workout
to compensate...
hmmm...
sounds familiar.

and so it's
january
a month to
renew
unwind
curl up
with a good book
and treat her
like
the good friend
she is.

:)