something exciting

is about to happen...

but first
step into
my busy kitchen

truth is

I like it that way

a fun haven

a place where i can

experiment with new and exotic 

ingredients

chop

saute

boil

sip on some wine

 eat

and repeat

a routine that

I enjoy

on a normal day

lately

it's been anything but

food prep 

has been made more interesting

with a slight

remodel

to dance around

what should have taken

a weekend

has somehow segued into

its second week here

in my abode

but 

as you know

life marches on

things happen

like 

Sleepover Saturdays

Lazy Sundays

uninspiring

rainy days

 stupid moments

after patching a crack in the ceiling

then sanding

then priming 

then painting

I found

a new light fixture

I had to have

darn that home Depot!

it doesn't sound like it should

have been a BIG deal

but

when the old came down

Is it really necessary for me to describe

how ugly it was under there?

not to mention the bases are

different sizes

in other words 

more patching

more sanding

more priming

more painting

giving the whole shebang

a second 

bright white

coat

phew!

Unfortunately

 stomachs

wait for no 

woman

preparing even the simplest dish

has me scrambling to find

relocated

kitchen supplies

and cooking now

doubles as a workout

cool

another excuse to

 skip the gym

in all that

living

trying to eat right

which in my world means

whole-food

plant-based

cough-cough

for the most part

diet

It must be 

Spring!

if my morning crave is any indication

smoothies

Strawberry Fields

Chocolate Banana Cream 

most of my smoothies

begin with

frozen ripe bananas

instead of buying those bright yellow beauties

I go right to the 

discount bin and gather

the real prize

brown spotted

oh, so sweet

ripe

delicious 

cheap

bananas

pop 'em in a container

and in the freezer they wait

to give my smoothies

an unbelievable creamy texture

like a malt

then 

there's the ever popular

Green Smoothie

with kale 

and 

dates for sweetness

 looks wrong

but

tastes so right

Which brings me to

 the exciting part of this post

No!

this will NOT be a kitchen reveal

as I said 

still a work in progress

staring down week three

Drum roll please

...

Heather 

from 

Beauty That Moves

is offering her

Spring

30-Day Vegan Workshop

just click on her web page

on my sidebar

and 

take a moment to meet

Heather Bruggeman

I could tell you how

wonderful

genuine

informative

she is

but I'd rather you find that out

when you go for a visit

this week

she is offering her

bring a friend special

basically

two for the price of one

I highly recommend this

journey

it truly has transformed the 

way I eat

and think about food

PLUS

she has the

most amazing recipes

All those I have mentioned above

are from this course

Hand's down

my favorite go-to recipes

So

if you've ever thought about

trying on a vegan lifestyle

to see what all the

hullabaloo

is about...

this is your chance.

I will be participating again

because

it is that

good!

Won't you join me?

stirrings

closely linked to one's 

roots

this wasn't part of
the garden tour
at the art museum
but it spoke to me
as I was walking by
and asked to have its
picture taken

on St. Paddy's Day

chores were made joyful

with a Celtic

backdrop

pictures and music

that had me

trying my hand

well...feet

at river dancing

like no one was watching

images of Ireland

and Celtic crosses

seemed to surround

me

wearing mine

right along with

the green

and as it goes

the mind wanders

with a prayer in your heart

that touches the lips

and you find yourself standing

at the spot of another cross

that somehow bid you to 

come.

Stirrings 

that pull at you

draw you to them

and you just know

you must

listen.

roots

I have a saying

words of wisdom

if you will

that I claim ownership of

an observation from

living

life

You cannot travel far from the

way you were 

raised

Oh

I know there are times

you  may want to break free of it

but 

in the end

somehow

you always 

return 

home.

Even where food is concerned.

Comfort foods.

The stuff that mom always

made

closely linked to one's

nationality

As a kid 

whenever I was asked this question

a sense of pride bubbled

as I recited

English, Irish, German, and Scottish.

And today

the Irish is coming out in me

along with green beer

and a bit of a brogue

my taste buds turn to

Jiggs dinners

Reuben sandwiches

and a pot of Irish Stew

with

potato biscuits

browning nicely

like the pot o' gold

at the end

of the rainbow

a special dish like this

is deserving of

a fancy

bowl

I can look at that bowl

and feel a wee bit of

departure from my roots

for

rather than beef there is

seitan and beans

a plant-based stew

made hearty and flavorful with

a good stout beer

which poured a plenty

in the days of ol'

back at the homestead

served alongside

corn on the cob?

that I couldn't pass up

when I spotted it at Costco

and 

for some strange reason

sounded like the perfect

accompaniment

to the stew

and then it hit me

the story of my birth

a hot August day

a day

that my mom

had her mom

making food to satisfy an

odd and unusual

craving 

Can you guess what it was?

Stew with Corn on the Cob

and no

I am not making this up!

The sad ending to this little tale...

mom went into labor

and was rushed to

the hospital

without

enjoying the wondrous meal

prepared for her.

But ah...

the story remains

it grows and transforms

and makes one wonder...

did the craving come from the 

mother

or the

babe?

This is the stuff

Irish folktale...

legends

are made of.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Now

go make some

mom food.

love ya

 mamai!

(that's Gaelic for mommy)

xo

my Keebler fence

A year ago

almost to the day

I took these pictures

naming the file

chaos

Why chaos?

My gardens have a way

of going all natural and wild

this time of year...

nothing to do with the gardener

who slacks on weeding

duties.

And so I mulch

and tell myself

I am taking back control

on how my garden grows.

Ha!

I built a little 

twiggy fence

to give the weeds a border.

The rule:

Flowers to the North

Weeds to the South

It worked for a little while.

I love my little fence.

Looks like elves

erected it.

Fast Forward

to today.

I do remember

planting and transplanting

daisies...

cone flower

lavender...

hoping to let this little area

just

do its thing

without much supervision.

Oh...

and it did.

A few cosmos

reseeded themselves...

how nice of them.

But let me draw your attention 

to the green leaves

near the bottom of the picture.

What am I looking at

you might ask?

Check out this angle.

Or this one.

My Keebler elf fence

took root and is now

sprouting.

That's it.

I just thought it was a cool thing

to show you.

It makes me chuckle

every time I step

out my door.

There's a lesson in

control here...

somewhere.

Maybe

one about

letting 

go.

Maybe nature is trying to

tell me

to mind my own business.

Could go really deep

and say...

maybe...

just maybe, mind you

God is showing me how

some things are out

of my control

and I should leave it

in His capable hands.

Maybe.

nature's heartbreak

This is not for the faint of heart

or the weak in spirit...

this cleaning of outdoors

that will change with the wind

as the maple decides

like a little joke

that this is the night to drop its

seeds...
"whirlie-birds"
 everywhere.

Michiganders

have a rule...

Don't clean your windows

until the cottonwood

has dropped its

"cotton"...

Save yourself from doing the job

twice!

But as the weather warms

and the sun shines

its hard to hold-off

on some of the jobs you want to have done

before the heat of summer

saps your energy.

And so
you clean house
and invite unregistered guests

to come for a spell
with enticing accommodations.


They take the hint
but prefer their own
construction.

Thank you very much!

A good
sturdy
location for her babes
to grow until they're
ready to
leave the nest.

She chose wisely.

Another robin did not.
Unfortunately for her
she decided my dryer vent was an
ideal location
for nesting.

With care we removed the nest.
Gloved...
we gave it a relocation
with its 6 precious
robin blue eggs.

I was concerned.
As any good hostess would be.

"you live here now..."

Joe cleaned the air vent
but when he heard
a clunk and roll
was sure one of the
eggs got away.
I agreed that
this must have been the case
since
my clothes began to reek
as they came from the dryer.

We had a big job ahead
that involved
power vacs
leaf blowers
power tools.

No egg was found.

Warning!
This is where the story takes a turn for
the morbid.

After removing the back of the dryer
we found the stink source.

Let's just say mama bird
must have been in her
nest at the time
of our relocation
and flew away from the light.

It was a sad night here
at the Ondrus home.

Joe said he thought we should put a screen
over the outside opening
to prevent such a
horrid accident from happening again.

Good idea.

Or add to the waiting list
that has come from living in these parts:

Wait for the whirlie birds to fall
before cleaning the deck.

Wait for the cottonwood to fall
before cleaning windows.

Wait for the eggs to hatch
before clearing-out nests.

Learning the hard way.

transitions

This blog world is strange.

It changes.

I change.

It is a reflection...maybe sometimes

an imagining...

at best 

a glimpse

of one's life.

Like a photograph

that shows the smiles

without the tears.

Those rare occasions that 

we get up-close and personal

and really see inside...

rare in this world

of blogging.

Rare. (period).

Segue...

It's hard to imagine

how my babies

got so big

and yet

there I was right along with them

growing and changing.

When I visited FIMBY

this morning 

Renee
(so you can blame her for this post)

discussed the changes happening

in her homeschool routine.

She is riding the wave

and going with the flow.

I know that wave.
I surf that wave.

The waters can be rough...

with doubt

fear

uncertainty

and like a surrender

you find ways to navigate

until the calm returns.

Times like

illness

when most kids were in school

and mine were in and out of

hospitals

rehab centers

hospice facilities.

Making changes to our

"routine"

as our life demanded.

Funny...

every year seemed to bring

its challenges.

Every year

my boys learned and grew

in astounding ways.

Maybe not with the typical

A+ in Science 

BUT

with immeasurable life experiences.

Oh...

and those are the true
 benchmarks.

They aren't memorizing

facts and dates

to ace an exam...

they are observing

processing

evolving.

Constantly learning.

This isn't meant to be a

condemnation of the public school system.

My older two graduated from 

that system
and they are fine young men
who contribute to society.
(If that is the gauge to measure by)

Instead
 I hope to

show others who are taking this path

that it will be 

alright.

We need to support each other 

during the highs

and 

lows

of the ride.

Because life

 isn't a competition.

We are better

than that.

As my boys transitioned through

elementary...intermediate...to high school

courses changed

interests changed

styles changed...

 we changed.

By constantly adapting

being a chameleon

to our needs
we grew
together.

This process is
and has been
amazing.
Like the proverbial
light bulb
I now realize fully that
they were molding me
as much as I was molding them.

A give and take.
A take and give.

A little thing we call...
lifelong learning.

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.

:)

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.