Sunday Happy

I think we are pretty much out of the clear. Yes I woke up yesterday morning to a light coating of snow on the ground, but I feel like that was it. It has got to be because I have to wash my winter jacket that is as of now, covered in dirt and concrete so it needs to be washed. And once it is washed, it is getting packed away with all of the other winter stuff. So you see, we really cannot have any more winter jacket weather because I won’t have a jacket anymore. It must be sweater weather or warmer and that is that. Are you listening weather?

The week good, if not a bit hectic and all over. There was work, paper work, the “must not be mentioned” and no they are not done yet but must be by next Monday or else. The mr has been running around all over town doing this and that which has been a slight pain because when he is super busy and I am busy and we only have one car and my bike needs a good tune up before it is safe… Well it makes things some what difficult. But so far we have managed and there wasn’t too much arguing over car. We did manage to take a nice walk down by the lake, I also was able to sneak in a warm afternoon of clearing out the garden and picking up yard trash. The back porch is almost ready for summer living and green things are popping up all over the place making me ache for more more more. Think of it, trees with leaves. I am getting more excited every day.

Friday was a crazy day. Woke up, went to the gym with no plans other then work at the studio and having the littles over for dinner. By the time I came home I had plans to quickly make a cake before work because the littles pizza party turned into a family birthday party for Megan. So I made that cake, ran to work, moved 700lb of clay and loaded kilns. The mr picked me up with littles in tow, we ran home in time for all the family and partied partied until I kicked everyone out of the house at 7 because I was exhausted and plus Megan needed to go to Costco so she needed to leave anyway. Ha.

Yesterday, after a near sleepless night due to a racing mind, we woke up (again, to snow. BLAH), I bundled up and out we went to spend half the day pouring wet, heavy, cold concrete. I must say, pouring concrete usually isn’t the worst, but yesterday, well it was. First off, we were working in very tight quarters making moving somewhat difficult.. Secondly, I was sore from all the clay moving the day before. And I was freezing. And tired, so so tired. By mid morning my fingers and toes had tuned to ice, I was covered in so much dirt and concrete, the mr was basically rolling around in dirt (reference picture above) so was trashed worse then me, but we were getting it done. The mr was brilliant and saved us so much time and hassle by coming up with a tarp and jostle concrete mixing technique so that was good. Anyway, the concrete was all poured and it is over. (Now we wait for it to set to finish porch construction) The rest of the day was short and went by with cleaning the house. I don’t know how my family does it but there were sprinkles from the cake EVERYWHERE!

Today, after a quick romp to the gym, the library, the grocery store, and all the other little chores I need to do, the mr and I are going for a drive to look at a van. We need a work car. The life car is getting trashed, we have been having to get materials delivered (which costs money and stupid time) because we cannot fit wood and big stuff in the car, and it is just not practical for us to share. So van. A van for work, A van for cross country travel. A van for sanity. Hopefully this van is the one. Wish us luck.

Some stuff from the internet that you might care to look at.

-Thinking real hard about buying these Birkenstocks…but not sure. Any opinions?

-Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be When They Grow Up The question forces children to define themselves in terms of work. And really, what do you consider grown up?

-Gluten sensitive? Try sourdough. Why Some Gluten-Sensitive People Can Still Eat Sourdough Bread.

-Kitchen spices look startlingly different in the wild. So pretty

-Brown is one of my favorite colors

-Got a power drill? If yes, you also have a oven cleaner. I Cleaned My Oven with a Power Drill

-All Right. Some Cats Do Fetch. Only never fetched. That would have been beneath him. But he did respond to his name. Cats Might Not Act Like It, But They Know Their Names As Well As Dogs

-I very much like this house.

-Will Kevin Costner be my neighbor? Floating cities could ease the world’s housing crunch, the UN says

-10 Things Nobody Tells You About Plywood. I love a good application of ply wood. We have plywood floor tiles in the pantry and our kitchen cabinets are plywood and they are great.

And some pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

Hey there people. Happy end of March. Yes, it is true, already a quarter at the way through the year. And no, I don’t know how it happened either. But so that is the way of time now isn’t it.

A week, oh what a week. Not going to lie and say it as all to fanatic to start with. We have been so busy with work and other stuff. Other stuff being bills and paperwork and me trying to get the taxes done. (New rule. We just not mention taxes again until they are done). We did manage a warmish walk to with the littles to spend an hour arguing over weather they can get a king sized candy bar at the store over a lollipop (ended up with gummy worms). There was also a little wood carving, yarn weaving, library pursuing , and neighbor visiting to be had, but other then that, not much else of interest. The week just came and settled into what it was.

And then it was Friday which was a shit day. First off, it was the anniversary of Seans death so you know, already a not great day. But better yet, I Woke up at 4, stub my toe hard on the way back from the bathroom, laid in bed in pain until the throbbing subsided, went to the kitchen to start coffee. As soon as a I turned the faucet on, a little mouse ran across the counter. It took me a good minute of just staring at counter before I registered what happened and started to scream FUCK, FUCK FUCK! I woke the mr up with my profanity. Yup, a mouse in the house, munching on the a bowl of squash seeds I left on the counter. So what can you really do at 4 in the morning? Not much so I went to the gym. I then came home and started cleaning before I had to work at the studio but as I started in on cleaning, the vacuum decided to stop working. Agh. And so the cleaning ceased, I went to work, came home, ate dinner, emptied all the food from the pantry into bags and boxes, then felt all to defeated and sad to do much of anything so just crawled into bed. I figured I would just deal with it all Saturday and I just really needed the day to be over.

Yesterday was the lady, my moms, 60th birthday. Whoop whoop!!( HAPPY HAPPY TO MY MOM). I woke up, baked two cakes, two batches of focaccia, and home made mac and cheese, salad, prepared other foods, and then something for my dinner (my breath still have not recovered from the funk that is of a red onion eaten raw).There was a quick detour during the bake-a-thon to the library for the annual seed swap plus I definitely took out everything from the pantry and vacuumed and sprayed every surface and inspected every piece of food for mice disturbance. (I pretty much have the cleanest pantry ever now.) As for the rest of the house, it is still a mess. Not anything to do with mouse mess, just my Saturday, tear the house apart before I clean and put it back together, mess. While baking I starred in on my weekly clean but things happen and all of a sudden it was time for the mr and I to pack up all the food and head over to my moms house. There we finished food preparing, helped Erin decorate and clean up the house, and then lost my mind a bit. After a near breakdown due to lack of sleep, I mellowed out in time for everyone to show up while Mark and Paul were out with my mom for coffee. When they came home, Mom walked into a house full to the brim with all her kids and most of the grandkids. She was so very happy, I think….. Ha, no, she was. We then ate the dinner I spent the day slaving over, played outside, went for a walk that looked like a parade, came back for cake and ice cream and presents (everyone got her plants.), and whoa, before I knew it it was 7:30 pm and I was still awake and not in bed. Craziness. But that was it, I lost all steam. We came home to a half trashed house and I basically just assed the f out. The mr set the mouse traps. Have- a-heart, but also some not. I don’t want to know. I just can’t.

Today I am going to clean clean clean. Then maybe clip my toes nails, brush my hair, and get my head ready for the hectic week to come. It’s going to be a full one. There is concrete pouring, the dreaded “not the be mentioned until they are done” papers, I have a shit ton of stuff that needs to be glazed, seeds to start, yards to clean. It’s spring. Everything needs to be done. Good thing the world has coffee. I am going to need it all.

P.S. It is official. The sandals are out. No more shoes for the next 6 months!

Here are some interesting reads from the interent this week. Read what you want.

-The most significant event in the history of earth. Thats some shit. The Day the Dinosaurs Died

-Why Do I Put Off Doing Things I Love? I know I have been guilty of doing before but I really try to use what I have, especially it is my favorite. Having shit just stashed away is pointless. Use it (whatever it is)

-I want to experience the greatness of the cherry blossom. 25 gorgeous photos of cherry blossoms

-Life we would be something with giant cats. Japanese Illustrator Imagines A World Where Humans Live Among Giant Animals

-I love airbnb but this is definitely something that has crossed my mind and kind of freaks me out. Airbnb Has a Hidden-Camera Problem. But there are cameras and hidden cameras everywhere so….

-Why Rewatching the Same Shows Is Actually Good For You. I get this. I barely watch tv, but when I do, I like to watch old shows that I have watched before. Gives me good feels and plus I don’t have to pay attention. Plus. Too Much Video Streaming To Choose From? It's Only Going To Get Worse

-Whoa dude. Yep, You Can Juice a Lemon Without Cutting It—Here's How

-14 ways to break your plastic habit. Even doing a few of these things will make a difference.

-Awesome. KAWS Floats a Massive Inflatable Sculpture in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour

-GREEN IN THE KITCHEN. Yes to all of them.

Pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

Hey there lovely peoples. So nice of you to stop by. Hope all is well and dandy with you. Well and dandy.

Holy crap am I one tired lady. Mentally and physically but mostly mentally because it has been one of those weeks. It all started off with the mr and I both feeling like absolute crap. Sinus infections and some other fun stuff. Heads and brains super dysfunctional (although we can’t blame being sick for all the dysfunction). I blame the ick on the weather and it not being spring yet. But let’s not talk to much about the weather. It’s a touchy subject for me right now and I just can’t. Anyway, the week started slow. We got a few things done that needed doing then got ready to take off for PA to visit with my dad and go to my grandmothers funeral.

Took off mid week, the mr driving the 6ish hours down and over. A super sunny and bright day it was . One might think that sounds kind of nice but I hated it. Brightness while in a car without sunglasses makes for brain pain, at least in my case. So I had my head under a blanket for a few hours. Got to PA alright but as soon as we pulled into my dads driveway the wave of pain knocked me to my knees and I got a full fledge migraine. I haven’t had one of those fun episodes in years and I can safely say that I hope to NEVER get one again. But after a night of zero restless sleep, I got up and rallied and went about the next day as half a human baking machine. Made the breakfast pancakes, some lunch, a birthday cake, cookies, my dinner, and cinnamon buns for the next morning. “Don’t worry” my dad said. .” We can go to the store and get as much flour and sugar as you will need!” And so we did because I used a lot of flour.

The next morning was the funeral. Early to wake, walked the dogs, fed people buns and headed to the Catholic Church. The one my dad and his siblings went to for their entire childhood. OH boy oh boy, what a hoot. Their mother finally got them to go back one last time. HAHA. And as for me, I can say that was the first time I have ever been in a Catholic Church (for church reasons) and seen a catholic funeral. Very interesting to say the least. And I do go to hand it to the priest. He was pretty cool. Hip, sweet, not a typical catholic church man, and he kept calling my grandmother Ava instead of Eva. That got some laughs. My grandmother would have loved it.

The funeral ended and we all went to a restaurant and did the food thing with the family love fest. It was very bittersweet. Sad because of the loss but we were celebrating a freaking amazing lady and her amazing long life. Oh Grammy. She was the greatest, coolest, funniest little lady ever and I will miss her deeply. So yeah. Then after all the food we topped it off with the birthday cake I made for Teena cause it was her birthday too. My family, we packed it all in because that is how we do it.

After hugs, pictures, Shannon falling asleep in a booth, we headed back to the car and away we went, a long drive home with lots of shitty weather and bad roads. But we made it. And I even unpacked the car and managed to shower off before passing out. And a pass out was exactly what I needed and still kind of do. I told myself I would let myself sleep in a bit, but 430 came and look at me, awake.

So it’s today and I must do some stuff. I’m going to go to the gym for the morning, Run run run until I cannot possibly run anymore. Then I will come home and eat eat eat until I can not possible eat any more. After that it is a bunch of chores that need to be done and I need to go see the littles because I miss them. And I know I will need a nap at some point because I am feeling the even all the coffee in the world will not be enough to keep my brain afloat for a full day. Or maybe I’ll just go to bed at a unreasonabley early hour. (5ish sounds good to me. Ha. But really) Yup yup, looking forward to that.

Until then.

Internet link from the online.

-Greener Childhood Associated With Happier Adulthood. NO SHIT for reals.

-My Library even lends out baking pans and garden tools! 8 Unexpected Perks of a Library Card. And I don’t think the article mentions, but library cards are cool people card to. HA

-Thank a cloud today. Five reasons you shouldn't take cloud cover for granted. OH how I love me a nice cloudy day.

-Nothing like FRESH HORSERADISH ROOT. Might be picking up a piece today to knock out my sinus crud.

-Do anxious owners make for anxious dogs? Yes. There is no question in my mind what so ever.

-I listen to a story about this article on NPR. It’s really crazy how people, especially in our culture, are living to work,n to working olive. Workism Is Making Americans Miserable

-A scientist on the myth of ugly produce and food waste. Interesting, very interesting.

-I don’t need a baby nursery but if I did (or ever do) I want it to look just like this. MARIGOLD’S NURSERY TOUR

-What. I thought they were real. Balloon Birds by Terry Cook Mimic Their Real-Life Counterparts

-Vanuatu Has One Of The World’s Strictest Plastic Bans. It’s About To Get Tougher. We all (the entire world) should be getting tougher.

And some pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

Did you get a good dumping of snow this week? Sunday was awesome. A good foot and a half and it came down fast. Enough where everyone was pretty much snowed in for a least part of the day. Too bad it was mother freaking cold out so being outside for too long was very uncomfortable, but still. Any snow is good snow to me!

Monday was still crazy with the snow and all the roads so things were not much different then Sunday. We managed to make it up to the hospital for a visit with Coco, and the mr did work some and had to go into town to shavel more, but other then that, we pretty much just hung around the house. I really wanted to go cross country sking or snow shoeing but it was still like -20 out so being outside for more then a half hour wasn’t the smartest. My body couldn’t handle it, but man, after a few walks in that cold, my nose and eyeballs felt like they were going to shatter. Oh and it was my birthday so there was that.

After a semi quiet Monday, it was back to it. Coco was in the hospital up until Friday so we had the older littles all week. So we would work and do our thing during the day but then meet them at home after school, do the homework, eat the snacks, make the dinners, fight about computer time and showers. Just the every day type of stuff. Then we would get them ready for bed, do balloon yoga, look up real estate listing for houses with a private bathroom for everyone that was within their school district (found and it was a million dollars) and then get their butts to bed. Part time parents we are. Good thing we like those littles.

Friday when Coco was finally released from the hospital prison, he and the other two came over for dinner, abc puzzles, and a sled walk. After that Coco went home while the two others slept over. Slightly burnt popcorn while they watched Bio dome and who the heck knows what else they did.. I was so exhausted I passed the F out.

Saturday was pancakes with the normal hoopla and then the littles went home. After that the mr and I did a few things, he worked, I cleaned. Right back to the grind.

I am hoping today will be a good day. We might get a little fresh snow and it’s suppose to be hella warm out (mid 20’s to 30 degrees!) and the roads are not treacherous so that means we can grab our snow shoes and head out into the woods. I need, like really really need some nature action. I didn’t get enough last week. After that, well, I don’t know. Maybe I will just build a snow fort in the woods and hide out for the rest of the week. So if you really need me, you might want to check the trees.

Interent to check out while I am away in my Snow Castle of Solitude (thats what I will name it)

-Sorry, SweetHearts Candy Hearts Won’t Be Sold This Valentine’s Day. Are you going to miss them?

-People are already complaining… It’s way to early for that. Wait until mid March, that’s when the fever really sets in. Yes, cabin fever is real—here's how to prevent it

-What's Healthy At The Grocery Store? Shoppers Are Often Confused, Survey Finds. Ill tell you whats healthy, the stuff that is not in a box or can or has 1-2 ingredients like a bag or dried beans or whole wheat flour.

-Wool is an amazing fiber. 10 Things Nobody Tells You About the Benefits of Wool.

-Fresh spices are always the best but sometimes you find a little baggy stuck in the way way back of the spice drawer sooooo.. How Long Do Spices Actually Last? We Asked an Expert.

-New 'tent' makes it possible to camp underwater. Always up for a new camping experience!

-Pack your bags for crazy town! 7 Things to Know Before Checking Into ‘Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club’

-The mr and I are back on finding a van or something to run away in. NOT YOUR AVERAGE AIRSTREAM. Any one of these will do.

-Can Americans learn to love ugly fruits and vegetables? I sure hope so. I never understood how people can think of produce as “ugly”. The more fun the shape, the better. And a few dings and bruises in the food never hurt anybody.

-Can We Stop Calling Cake "Bread" & Bread "Cake"? It’s something about baking anything in a loaf pan. I call banana bread baked in a circular cake pan banana cake. It is what it is.

Pictures from the week. o

Sunday Happy

Mid January and I love it. Yes I know it is coldest part of the winter and still dark early and people are still crashing over the holidays, but this time of year always makes me feel like the world is all for me. Even the cold, the super cold that is scaring most people inside, well I love that too. Crisp and clean and oh so beautiful. I’ll take this freezing cold any day over being hot. I am a winter lady here through and through.

This past week had been busy busy. Mark and Paul turned 21(Happy Birthday BROS!) and had a little birthday party, alcohol free, but with 2 cakes. Drove out to the North East Kingdom in a freaking snow storm to see some of the mr’s family. We went and made dinner with the littles then watched Miley play her saxaphone in the sixth grade band concert. I finally got to pick up farm share. (I went through more then half my stock of frozen garden veggies over the past week which is sad because I have been rationing them and hoped the chest freezer of veggies would last a little longer..Oh well) The mr spent half a day creating ice sculptured on the porch. We did some work and dealt with annoying things. All this while I have barely been able to move my neck. I think the drive to Rhode Island last weekend started off a tweak in my neck the has turned into a pinch nerve or something and I have been spending more then too much time in pain with either a ice pack or hot water bottle propped up on my neck. It has sucked and still really does. I can’t wait for the day when it doesn’t hurt. It’s gonna be amazing.

Jeff Dad came into town for a long postponed weekend. We did dinner at Megans, I made soup and so much bread. Then yesterday the whole family came over for the postponed Christmas with Dad. Sure I had no tree, and there was no Christmas music or anything, but it was super fun. The kids were all behaving and being nice to each other, probably because they were not all cracked out on sugar. I fixed a bunch of food and it was all eaten. We all exchanged presents. Jackson stuffed his shirt with my squash. Good time. And my house got trashed which was a-ok because it was cleaning day anyways.

And to is Sunday again already. In a few hours the mr and I are zipping, if that is what a 4 hour drive is called, down to Rhode Island again for the afternoon and then zipping that 4 hours back. Excited to see family, not excited to sit in the car for 8 hours. My brain and neck already hurt thinking about the drive.

And then I am taking tomorrow off and doing nothing, or as close to nothing as possible.

Interenting from the internet.

-Have you watched and started to “tidy” your life? My life is pretty tidy so I am good on that but it seems eveywhere I go I am hearing people talking about it. Marie Kondo and the fantasy of a tidy life, explained

-Who knew those little demons were actually helping to grow the rainforest. How termites help rainforests survive climate change

-I never use measuring devices when cooking and even sometimes when I bake (as long as I am not writing a recipe) It really is a lot less dishes and hassle to use the old eyeballs. Your Life Will Change When You Learn to Eyeball Measurements

-I have thought about this on multiple occasions and the song always changes. What’s the last song you want to hear before you die?

-ISLAND: A Cast of Colorful Creatures Pop, Quiver, and Hiccup in a Charming Stop Motion Animation. Only watch if you want to smile.

-How Much Junk Am I Consuming Online Every Day?. People average 12 hours a day…That shit is crazy! I feel pretty good about my 1ish hour of digital anything a day. If you want to stop, read. How to go on a low-information diet

-Good time of year to get all the shut eye you need. Why do people need to sleep?

-Why Costco? 27-Pound Bucket of Macaroni and Cheese and  Costco’s Giant Tubs of Nutella

-Don’t Reply to Your Emails. Ok. I won’t.

-I didn't know I wanted a net in my house until now. 10 Homes With Nets to Make You Feel Like a Kid Again

Pictures from the week.