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.

;)

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.

:)

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!

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.

:)

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!



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.

:)

~this moment~

Capturing Light

~a moment to pause and savor~

Happy Friday, Soule Friends. 

do you see what i see?

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.

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.

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!

~this moment~

 

"January morn"

A moment that causes me to pause

and appreciate

the beauty that is all

around us.

Happy Weekending, Soule friends! 

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

:)



still life

the pause.

the freeze frame.

that weird week between

christmas and new years

(until schedules resume!)

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.



a triptych



challenged

to step out of my

little comfort zone

(such a confining place)

and allow growth...

in myself

and those i love.

:)

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

 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.

:)