Sunday Happy

What time is it really? Do you play that game when it's Daylight Savings? For the past week I have been walking around saying it's 4, but it really it's going to be 5 in a few days. So yeah, a little confusing because I can do that to things. But these year I have been proactive about the change and going to bed a little earlier ever night  (we spent an evening laying in bed, cause we couldn't fall asleep so early, looking up obscure meanings of words and things about birds. Did you know that a bunch of flamingos is called a flamboyance? Sometimes I hate the internet, but sometime, sometimes it is full of magic.) and waking up a little earlier (me, not the mr) And even better, we officially lost our hour yesterday, like I set the clocks forward when I woke up(the mr was confused all day but mostly went along with it). I wanted to get it out of the way so that today can be normal and I can stop thinking about the clock. Look at me, I am so smart, or maybe just really weird, but whateva, I am one (hour) up on everyone. 

The week had been pretty full and fun.. There was and has been lots of snow falling and melting and falling again. I have loved it all because warm snow days are like the best. On one of those nice days we took the littles and Barb and climbed a little mountain. (You know when you walk to the top of a mountain and see a snow penis? No,well its pretty freaking fantastic, especially when you have two littles with you. There was no shortage of wiener jokes for the rest of the day) The mr made Coco a sweet ass toddler bed and now he is sleeping in his own bed like a toddler boss. We found the last remaining light fixture needed for the bathroom and put that it, and now the house is completely done, except for wanting to start all over again. (we need to find a new shitty house to fix).  I got a bunch of chores done, cleaned a bunch more, and every day getting a little more pumped about spring and outside and all the things I need to do outside once the ground thaws. I can't wait to play in the dirt!.

Then a couple days ago the mr took me on a driving adventure that ended up at an outdoor church in the middle of nowhere to pick up some free church pews. And to see all the geese flying home. But church pews, yeah that was interesting. I didn't really want them, but the mr was all about them and has some ideas for them. (cutting in half and sanding)  SO we loaded up the truck and drove an hour with large cross incrusted pews sticking out of the. truck bed. (The things we end up doing.) As for the pews, they are cool, but I really don't think I need a church pew in the house, way to clunky and it just doesn't seem right. 

As I said before, we lost our hour yesterday so the day was a little wonky. Ate lunch at 1 but dinner at 5 but it was really 12 and really 6 but went to bed at 8 and his clock said 4 but mine said 5,  but who's 5 were we talking about. Yeah, it was confusing but we got through it, mostly because we didn't have anything time sensitive going on. During the day the mr and I each ended up with a little. The boys went and did some wood shop stuff and us loadies stayed here and went over her play lines and  baked cookies. Or I baked cookies and the girl watched baking shows and ate cookie dough. And then I washed my hair, ate dinner and went to bed. 

So today.. my brain is good but my body is still adjusting to time so I already know that I am going to need a nap today, hell, I might even just go back to bed for a little while (no, I probably won't) Then I am going to strip the sheets and blanket and I am going to make the bed with the spring sheets and blankets because time change means it is basically spring which means I should probably get out my shorts and mud boots and get on it. But that is all after the nap, and the million cups of coffee I will be drinking today. But spring guys!!!! 

Interesting internet that interested me. 

-Are you a fan or do you hate the time changing? One Hundred Years Later, the Madness of Daylight Saving Time Endures

-For a Brief, Brief Moment Ketchup Was Green. I just had a conversation with the littles about the colored ketchup.. they didn't believe me. 

-We are getting closer and starting to prepare... are you?  Companion Vegetable and Herb Planting in Raised Rows

-The Joyful Dancing Boys of Instagram. Amazing. These little dudes remind me of my nephew Jackson when he was a little... The kids could dance like no other..and then cry whe he messed up. SO cute. 

-I always wondered why the hell you can't recycle the cartons and try to avoid them as much as possible. I hate not being able to recycle, it makes me mad.  In The Recycling World, Why Are Some Cartons Such A Problem?

-LEGO Goes Green With Sustainable Bricks Made From Sugar. So can you eat them?

-I could see us needing this pretty soon because living in a van.... This Solar Energy System Is Perfect For #VanLife

-How cool would it be to see wild flamingos, they are so pretty. Florida's Long-Lost Wild Flamingos Were Hiding In Plain Sight

-More fantastic terms for groups or flock of birds. 

 -These shoes... I really want these shoes. 

And pictures from the week. 

Enjoy that day!

-C

Sunday Happy

Hey hello there. How's it going? Hopefully all is good and well. Maybe you got some crazy snow or some nasty wind (because March and that is what March does) but the bomb cyclone should be over now and we can get back to spring. We all need.a good spring. 

The week came and went. A family dinner, weird little odds and ends got done, a walk and a hanging out with the littles at the lake where we saw a kid run out onto the ice, fall in, run back out and laugh it off. (I was a bit shocked but all the littles could talk about was how the kid had a British accent. Didn't faze them that he just fell into freezing water). Besides that, nothing really out of the norm happened other then I did turn the heat off in the house for a few days (it has sense been turned back on). I also managed to clean the back porch and the car out and the mr and I were able to have an outdoor picnic lunch. Those warm days were really something special. When it got cold again, which it kinda did, (I got really cold because a little cold makes me colder then really really cold) I stayed inside and watched Ugly Delicious which is so so good and you all should watch it too. Oh, an I have pretty much stopped looking and using my phone because life is nice without it. 

Sunday Funday and today I want to have some fun. What the initials I have yet to figure out, but it will be done. (board games on the back porch? Maybe a really cold bike ride?) And then I will probably drink lots of coffee and watch a few more episode or  Ugly Delicious because once you start watching, you really can't stop. 

Internet on the internet from the week.

-How many different salts do you have? I have these 4.  Here’s How to Use Salts With Flair (& Confidence!)

-The mr and I have thrown the idea of green roofs around for years now. Maybe one day we will actually do it. Grow a Green Roof

-A Dreamy A-Frame Cabin in the Forests of the Pacific Northwest. This should be mine.

-I drink a lot of water and started to wonder if I was drinking too much water. Ask Well: Can You Drink Too Much Water?

-Lost Art Of Bending Over: How Other Cultures Spare Their Spines I now am very conscious of how I am bending my body. 

-I have actually seen this but never knew it had a name or that is was a Vermont thing. A Crash Course In Vermont's Head-Turning, Homegrown Sport

-High Mowing Seed Catalog... I want so many seeds! Got to get on it soon too because we are going to start seedling in the next 2 weeks!!!!!

-Spring and dandelions soon. How to Make Dandelion Jelly: Cooking With Weeds

-The Rise and Fall of the Once Beloved Sunken Living Room. Ill tell you one good reason sunken rooms are no-good....they are dirt and dust traps. 

-Handmade love. CERAMICS, A LOVE STORY.

Some pictures from the week. 

Have a great day.

-C

Sunday Happy

Another week come and gone. The month of February is already flying by and I would be lying if I said I cared, because I kind of don't. It's not that I am not appreciative of every day and all that good stuff, but I am, and more so everyone around me, are in the midst of some serious winter crazy. It happens, and I accept it, but I just want to open all windows, stop having to wear all the layers, sleep under a tree, and get away from all the people. I could do all that now, but then I would be really cold , so I wait, and I deal with all the crazy. At least I like winter weather and have been able to escape outside when I need to. But I think that hardest part for me right now it food. I miss freshy fresh food. This is probably my slimmest month for food, which is basically all roots.  I have gone through pretty much all of my back stock of frozen and canned stuff from last summer. I have already gone through all my farm share which  is basically all roots and hasn't had much for greens lately and probably won't for another few weeks. I am starting to really crave the fresh stuff, more greens, beans, tomatoes, eggplants, you know, the spring and summer stuff. Yeah sure I can go buy that food at the grocery store, but it is all  out of season and would probably taste like shit so I will settle for bitching a little here and wait for the good stuff to be more in season. That is the natural thing to do. 

Enough of the bitching because it really hasn't been a bad week.  The mr and I went for a little hike in the woods which was just so very very nice. Did a bit of babysitting of just the baby. (he is obsessed with his Woody and Jessie calls.. so dang cute) We hung out with the bigger littles and talked lofted bed building, and my mom and Barb came over to eat the cutest little heart jam hand pies. The mr got his new mud hawk which he now carries around the house everywhere with him and has also been bringing home more and more tools to add to the collection on the back porch (aka, the wooden spoon carving work shop)  He is now officially obsessed. 

The Olympics started and I have sound myself on more then one occasion watching the people do the craziest of things.(are you watching?) I never used to really care but I don't know, I found myself a little more interested this year, especially in the figure skating. Those athletes are beasts. How the heck they do what they do  it is beyond me. I guess that is why we watch them right? 

I was talking last week about how I wanted to start painting everything. Well I haven't painted everything, but I did paint the kids rooms cave a really dark blue. I am really excited to finish painting all the stars and set the room up more for the kids and also so that the mr and I can use it a bit too.  House projects.. I am trying to not get myself to deep into anything right now, at least until I can open the windows to air out the fumes. (paint fumes are not joke) 

I am not are whats going on today. The mr is running around, doing some  landlord stuff, some moving , some shaking. (That guy, I tell you, he is always doing something for someone else. He really is a gem of a person.) Me, I might lend a hand too, but I really just want to keep on painting the room, do laundry, take a walk into the woods, and nap. Or drink all the coffee in the world, embrace the crazy stirring inside of me, and see where I end up. Maybe I'll go take a crack at some figurer skating.. hahaha. I don't not need to spend the day in the hospital. 

A few internet links from the week.

-If you are watching the Olympics ice skaters and have no idea how it is possible and what the hell is going on.  Figure skating jumps, explained

-These are some cray cray potties. Japanese-Designed Public Restrooms in the Shape of Fish, Crabs, Tree Stumps

-Everyone pees in the shower. If you say you don't, I don't believe you. Is it OK to Pee in the Shower?

-Space X sent a cute red Tesla Roadster into space. Here’s what’ll probably happen to it. Car accidents happen, even in space. 

North Korea’s Cheer Squad. Whoa ladies, whoa.

-Eating Leafy Greens Each Day Tied to Sharper Memory, Slower Decline. I eat more greens in a week then the average person does in a year. I will never loss my mind!!!!

-I am not a barque of roses type of girl, but I know that a lot of people are. But do you ever wonder Why Do We Give Roses On Valentine's Day?

-Why Your Brain Clings To False Beliefs (Even When It Knows Better) 

-Sorry, I'm a Mammal: A History of Women & Body Hair // RAZOR BURN: A Brief History of How We Got Tricked Into Shaving. Lucky me, I was not tricked although it does piss some people off.

-FABRIC IN THE WIND. Something about billowing fabrics makes things slow down and gives me some feelings. 

Pictures from the week

-C

Sunday Happy

Happy first week of the year. How has it been going for you? Mine, well it has been kind of a bust. 

New Years Day came and went. Too cold to go for a hike, too cold to even go for a walk, and the mr ended up dealing with a faulty heater for a full day at an apartment so we didn't get spend the day doing anything that we had planned. But shit happens, and we were going Ikea in Montreal the next day so we didn't let it bum us out too much.

Ikea on Tuesday was kind of a bust too because everything I wanted was sold out. I got a few things, but the cookie cutter stamps that I have been lusting over for months were sold out. So was the drying rack and light fixture. Again, I guess that happens and maybe better luck next time?..? ( I really want those cookie cutter stamps) At least the mr and I got to spend the -8 degree day (it was colder even up north) in the warm car, see an Ikea clown, and have coffee and hot dogs for lunch (me coffee, the mr had the hot dogs). So maybe not a total bust. When we got home we ended up getting Judah for dinner because he was suppose to have an appointment that the mr was taking him to which actually  ended up being the wrong day, so we just kept him. Plus his sisters was sick...... She had the stomach flu. Oh boy. But Judah was fine and happy and we were like ok, but wash your hands all the time and do not touch me and it was all good. So we feed the boy, he played with the new soccer goals we got for him and then brought him home.  We were both pretty tired after that and jumped into bed by 8.

Wednesday was like the calm before the storm. The mr was feeling pretty sick but somehow  he was pushing through and doing some work and got rid of the mountain of recyciling in between long naps. I was getting things done and had a laundry list of things that I needed to do on the next few days to get the week back on track. I was determined to have it all done, the Christmas tree and decorations gone, the house spotless, and a good start on taxes  Him being sick and me, well I was starting to not feel so good either. we were both in bed by 7. The next morning the mr woke up feeling a little better and I woke up and basically half dead. I only left my bed to vomit. (too much? yeah well it was for me too) I couldn't open my eyes, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't think or stop thinking. It was hell, and worst yet, Taylor Swift (whom I now realize haunts me whenever I am feeling under the weather) was on repeat singing, Look what you made me do, in my head. All. Day. Long. I will probably boot if I ever hear that song again. And food. Whenever I am trapped in my head I start thinking about food. Well that was horrifying and made me want to kill myself. Food was the enemy and I was convinced that I would never eat again.

 I don't get sick like that ever. The last time I was sick like that was in college, so like a long time ago. A whole day of my life, gone. I didn't get to any of my to do list. I didn't start taxes. The tree was still up and I I missed farm share. (now I am left having to ration what little food I have left until next week) It was just the worst. But bight side, at least it was during some super cold ass snow bomb apocolype weather so it wasn't like I was missing much of the cold outside world. 

Luckily when I woke up on Friday I was not feeling quit like death. I actually got out of bed at 6 (I usually wake at 430 so this was late) and watched the news. When the mr woke up I had a cup of coffee and was even starting to think that tI could possible eat something. I boiled myself a carrot in cups of water and tried that out on myself. It turned out ok so I made soup (yesterdays post). While it was cooking I  took down the Christmas tree and all the decorations, then ate the soup. Then we gave the cat a bath and then I went back to bed. I was able to watch a movie and check my email and stuff and lucky me did I find an article about lettuce recall and e coli. Spent another hour in bed searching e coli symptoms, pretty much convinced I had (maybe have) it before passing out again. 

I woke up yesterday feeling ok, but still kind of crummy and grumpy. And that's when the cranks comes out and I can sometimes get a little mean. Ask the mr. I have a magical mouth when I am not feeling good. I think it's just the stress of being sick and not getting things done that need to be which is not an excuse, but that's how I am so , well sorry. I guess. Anyway, I had some coffee, the mr threw boiling hot water into the air and made it snow (I have a video but don't know how to upload it, but there is a picture) and I started to clean the house a bit. But then I kind of crashed again. I managed to eat some soup for lunch, go to the post office, buy a bunch of kale that froze from store to car, and start a load of laundry.(I am washing it all, even the pillows on the couch. No way am I getting sick again)  Then it was couch time for a while. Soup for dinner, a crazy bundled up walk around the block, and bed by 8. 

So the beginning of the year has not started off exactly the way I would hope for. 

Hoping today goes better. I am awake, I feel ok. My body hurts a little but I feel like that it because I haven't been to the gym in 3 days and only out of the house for brief excursions. I am determined to set us up for a good week. I think if I am feeling up to it a little later I am gong to try the gym for a little, maybe make another big batch of soup, maybe get outside for longer then 5 minutes even though it is currently -19 (without windchill), but the temperature is suppose to get above freezing today. Whoop whoop!! Maybe I'll even get a little paperwork in order and and just start to think better thoughts about life. And keep my magical mouth shut for a while. I know the mr would appreciate that. Hey, what can I say other then, I am a stable genius. Hahaha. Crazy Motherfucker. 

Internet links from some of my week.

-I blame all of my grumpy's on "sickness behavior" It's a real thing and I really get it, we all do. 

-And this is the reason I think I have e coli. Food-Safety Experts Say Avoid Romaine Lettuce If You’re Not Into E. Coli

- Photographs of Waves Crashing Against the Setting Sun Soothing when you think you have e coli. 

-Thinking about a trip the the city soon and am eyeing the exhibitions at the American Museum of Natural History.  I really want to go the planetarium.

-We need to call American breakfast what it often is: dessert. For reals, sugar and sugar and more sugar. It is kind of crazy. 

-About time. Vermont House Votes to Legalize Marijuana

-Do you know you can be face blind, like not be able to recognize people by there face? I didn't until I read the book Holding up the Universe (great book). What is face blindness? 

- I actually really like this (this being chatbooks) and am toying with the idea of getting some books made. It's almost as cheap as getting photos printed out at any store. And the covers are really cute.

-Not usually a fan of neon lights but these are some pretty sweet lights Explosive Light-Based Installations

-Very interesting. Should American books have more underlying issues? It's funny that they seem to stress happiness and Americans not necessarily seem to be the happiest people. Huh?  What's The Difference Between Children's Books In China And The U.S.? 

And some pictures from the week.

Have a great week. Enjoy the thaw to come!

-C

Sunday Happy

You Burnt out yet? I am. 

Holy shit the past week has been crazy. Christmas, multiple birthday parties, (Happy Birthday Cameron, Anthony, and Judah!!) Cake baking, food making, present wrapping, house cleaning, farm walking, bad driving, freezing as fuck temperature. It has been a lot (A LOT!) but it has been good  even though I am exhausted and desperately in need of a hole to crawl in.

It started with  Christmas with Mom and the whole family.. All piled into the house, shoes and jackets left on the back porch, we did secret Santa, food, cookies and all the stuff. Then after Christmas we did a  little Cameron birthday party with the best ever ice-cream cake that I have ever made and anyone has ever eaten (no joke). Then they left and I cleaned for hours. The next day the mr and I set off early for the NEK and spent a little time with some of his family and took a quick (not really, the roads were terrible) jaunt up to his sisters farm where we checked out plumbing and oohed and aahed at all the work the lady has done. Then back home for Anthony's Birthday party.

Jeff Dad was now in town so we did some visiting and food eating with him in-between the mr running around checking pipes for all the apartments and the tiny bits of work we could and were willing to do in this crazy cold weather. So far so good, neither of us have turned into a popsicle but another weeks of highs near or bellow 0 gives us plenty of more chances it to happen. Just as long as the none of our or our tenants pipes freeze, we should be all set. 

Miley and Judah slept over on Friday night where we had a preemptive birthday for the boy.  The mr and the littles filled up water ballons and  blew bubbles in the -10 weather . Then we had  pizzas  in the shape of an 8 and watched  Beethoven with popcorn that ended up all over the house.  Woke the littles to purple and green birthday pancakes, frozen water balls, and Barbara with her new purple hair.  Then we had the last Christmas celebration for a little while (until next week there is one more  xmas thing and another bday party, but that's small potatoes) Jeff Dad and the family all come over for a Christmas celebration of breakfast tacos, hash browns, and more wrapping paper for me to get ride of. Honestly, my back porch has turned into a compost and recycling station. I need to deal with it but the cold and the transfer station isn't open and it's just madness.  Anyway, after the Christmas celebration I kicked everyone out so I could clean up the mess and decorate the boys birthday cake. The x box controller that he has been telling me  for the past year that he wanted, all in cake form and ready for his face. It came out pretty good if I do say so my self. (The boy was so very happy). And then everyone left and I crashed.  My house is still a mess, and there are soccer balls everywhere (The mr and Judah can't help themselves) not to mention the balloons and pine needles and all my broken xmas ornaments ......But I survived.  

New Years Eve, whoop whoop. I say it like there is something that I am excited about but for reals, I am just excited to have a little space, clean the fuck out of my house, relax with the mr, and just be. Good bye 2017, it was real.

Internet from the week

-When I heard what he tweeted I busted out laughing then started swearing at the tv.  I mean, really. REALLY. Trump thinks climate change isn't real because it's cold out. This map proves him wrong.

-Say goodbye to this year. Say hello to next year. Some good questions for a little self reflections. 

-I am really looking forward ro going to this exhibit. Might even take the a few littles with me, I know there is a humongous ring pop on display. Sweet Tooth: The Art of Dessert

- Call me intrigued. They are not trying to make a meat substitute that tastes like real meat but has a lot of the texture that people are missing and is nutritious and familiar. COULD FINLAND'S 'PULLED OATS' HOLD THE 100-PERCENT VEGETARIAN ANSWER TO YOUR MEAT CRAVINGS?

-When Harry Met Barack: Obama Tells Prince About Life After White House. To be in the room with these two... dreams. 

-Maybe I will start a spice farm Yes, that is it. Thats what I need to do with my life.. Americans Love Spices. So Why Don't We Grow Them?

-Hell to the no would I pay that $58 for a freaking watermelon. THIS ALASKAN SUPERMARKET MAY BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE IN AMERICA. 

-I am in such of a good rug punch needle myself. Nature-Based Textiles by Vanessa Barragão Highlight Ecosystems Above and Below the Sea

-Should I Forking Force Myself to Swear More? Um, yes. But not really cause I have a pretty bad potty mouth as it is. 

-I think I really need this. Or maybe even this one. We always have a lot of jackets to hang up. 

Pictures from the week. 

Happy New Year Everyone!

-C