Sunday Happy

Hey friends, how are we doing? Good good I hope, if not a little wobbly and wonky, but that’s ok. At least it is spring. SPRING!!! I have been loving the weather so hard this past week. Not to cold, not to hot, not to sunny. Just right. So that is good.

Besides stellar weather this week, it has been another week. Started out with a nice long hike with Megan and the gang for her birthday. Muddy as heck yes, but really fun and good to spend some time with her and the kiddos. Then after that, the days just blurred from one thing to the next but things were done and happened and all that.

The frost froze in our fridge and it was this whole thing that took a entire day to fix with the steamer. That was fun (not really, but my fridge is so so CELAN). We also spent time with the littles, tried to figure out school work but then ended up making smoothies. I made a handful of face masks and cleaned out all my garden beds. We went for a walk with Shannon. Did a few little hikes, a few bike rides, and lots of walks. I wore my sandals on my feet for a day, and Barb and I went for a bike ride together just yesterday. So basically I spend most of my time either cleaning, hanging with the littles, or running, walking, biking, or hiking. Life is weird right now but I am embracing it and am more then happy to spend all my time outside.

Oh and the mr. He went and got himself a freaking scooter. I don’t even know so we will circle back round to this some other time.

And today, Easter Sunday. We usually do something as a family on easter, like hide eggs for the littles and eat food together, but not this year. We are going to go eat lunch with the littles and maybe do a little egg hunt thing with them. Then we are going to go for a walk with my mom. After that, well I don’t know. Probably come home and make a giant list of food that I need to get tomorrow. My chest freezer is basically emptied of frozen veggies, farm share isn’t until Thursday, and I am running dangerously low on me food. (there is more then enough food in the house to feed the mr for months, I just don’t eat any of it.) I might have enough frozen broccoli and one beet that I have been hoarding for dinner tonight and I know I have at least 2 onions and the spinach that I saved especially for tonight so just as long as the grocery store had some veggies tomorrow, i'‘ll be alright.

Internet from the week.

-Are your days melting together? IT is not just you. Time Is Meaningless Now

-Have you made bread yet? And are you wondering how the heck it does it thing wit the yeast? No for Real, What Is Yeast Exactly

-Hundreds of Rainbow Glass Panels Emit a Rotating Kaleidoscope in a Playful Kindergarten. What a place to go to school!

-This has NEVER been a problem for me, but it might be for you. I Bought Too Many Vegetables

-How do we know what dinosaurs looked like? Yeah, really, how do we know?

-I have been running every morning but man, are my ankles super sore. I think I screwed up my Achilles tendons. What is the best surface to run on to avoid getting injured?

-The toilet paper shortage is more complicated than you think. I haven’t had to buy toilet paper yet, but now and going to be keeping my eyes open for some next time I go shopping.

-As soon as it is warm enough outside I plan on it, for just me and the mr, and then for the littles.. Throw Your Kids a Quarantine Campout

-How Stories Connect And Persuade Us: Unleashing The Brain Power Of Narrative. This is why I read.

-Some good things are happening. Lockdown Effect: Impossible View of the Himalayas Captured by Photographers in India After 30 Years

-

Pictures from the week

Sunday Happy

Hip hip Hooray! Spring is here and the weather is fine, fine fine! Things in the world may be cray cray at the moment, but can you deny how amazing it is to leave the house without hats, mittens, and three layers? I have all but put one jacket and one set of mittens away for the year. The heat is off (actually has been for a few weeks) and the sandals are there, by the door, waiting for whenever the moment hits. So sure, life is a little strange but spring guys. SPRING!

The week. Well the week was a week. It started off with my moms birthday. Sad that we didn’t get to have the party we had all planned for her, but nice because we didn’t have to have a big party. I made her her favorite cake then the mr, Barb, and I went over and stood on the side porch for a couple hours and talked to her through the door while she ate cake. It was actually really nice and quality and not overwhelming. She got to see us, and all of my other siblings at different points in the day, at a very safe distance. So yeah, no party, but I think she enjoyed it, maybe even more then having 25 people smooshed in her house, trashing it. Heck, this just might be the new way we celebrate birthdays.

As for the rest of the week, well not to much. Stayed away from everyone not in our quarantine bubble as usual. We went over to help out with the littles almost everyday, making sure they get outside, eat something food wise that doesn’t come in a box, and have brushed their teeth or hair (one or the other is good enough for now). I did a FaceTime cookie making tutorial with Barb and So which was actually so freaking fun. I taught them how to make chocolate chip cookies, watched them struggle while I laughed and chopped up beets and cabbage, and didn’t have to do any of the dishes! Later that day the mr and I went for a walk with them and he got to eat a few of the cookies they made, for testing purpose of course. Again, it was pretty great. And because it went so great, Barb asked me to to do a bread tutorial on the FaceTime later this weekI That one is going to be very interesting for sure. We also did our weekly food run (I HATE going to the grocery store now) and I picked up farm share which I am so freaking grateful for, even more then usual. Sure my farmer friends are now forced to pre pack shares (in plastic. BLAH) but they are still making it happen for us. And sure they are making the majority of the people really happy by packing it full of the popular veggies that people usually get, like potatoes and carrots but I am not going to lie, I was really sad when I didn’t get any celeriac or turnips (the less popular veggies). Hopefully next pick up. I think I might even give them a shot and tell them to give me all the things people don’t really want. That’s usually what I like anyway.

Other then that, well not a lot of excitement. I go for a run every morning and then a few long walks or a hike throughout the day. I spend a few hours in the basement studio working on stuff almost everyday (I need to get a freaking kiln! Greenware is piling up!). I am baking the same amount as usual. Maybe cleaning a bit more and going through stuff more then normal. I am thinking about maybe thinking about the taxes again soon, and I have been wearing a clean sweater from the closet every day. That has been the weirdest thing so far. My desire for a new sweater everyday is not normal. I usually wear the same one for at least half a week before changing it. (strange strange times.) The mr and I went for our first real bike ride of the year (!!!), and I am now and have been spending whatever decent weather time trying to clean up the back yard and get the garden beds in order. Is is kind of a hot mess back there what with the huge amount of rock breaking apart of the stone bulk head and digging up massive amounts of dirt that the mr did last fall. Don’t get em wrong, having basement access and light from from the outside is going to be amazing, but damn, I want the mess to be gone! Oh well, just another fun project that we (more like the mr) are going to start up again soon. 😬

Today, Sunday for all of those who need a reminder, is Megans birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!) and so the plan is, at some point, meet up with her to go for a hike. Other then that, more yard work, transplant my tomato seedlings into bigger pots, make some soup for dinner. Basically the normal, just with a side of apocalyptic feelings.

Internet links from the week

-So masks, I guess that is where we are at. At least I have a shit ton of fabric and am pretty good at sewing. Think I am going make a shit ton. No one else sews in my family.🤦‍♀️. Here is one pattern and here is another. Going to make a some of both and maybe a a few of these too. Might make own pattern as well, one where the wearing can’t speck.. for those who talk to much! HA

-April Horoscopes: Which Bean Are You? (Yes, Beans) I am an Aquarius and this is spot on bean wise.

-Sacred of the grocery store? Me too. Thank goodness for farmshare, even if it we have had to adapt to how we are getting it for the time being. Is This the Start of a CSA Boom?

-All the plastic I am seeing, all the disposable containers and shit. It is freaking me OUT! The plastic industry is using the coronavirus to fight plastic bag bans

-I am looking at flooring again. For what? Well I don’t rally know. But this flooring company. Swoon.

-Covid-19’s Impact on Libraries Goes Beyond Books. Goodness I miss my libraries.

-Gardens and chickens. A little back yard homesteading. 'We Are Swamped': Coronavirus Propels Interest In Raising Backyard Chickens For Eggs

-Currently reading this and this. Both are good.

-Drake, Quarantined In Style, Makes Social Isolation A Public Spectacle. At least we have Drake.

-Just Be Kind to the People Who Ensure You Get to Eat. Seriously for reals real. Smile, tell them thank you, and keep your distance!

Some pictures as well.

Sunday Happy

Wholly Guacamole is it really March? The passing of time can really mess with my brain. I swear it’s still like 1998 and I should be wearing baggy jeans with my portable CD player, listening to Hanson, on my way to soccer practice. But no. Now I am sitting here, looking at pictures of all the littles who are growing oh so fast, waiting for the coffee to be brewed so I can go on being a functioning adult and shit. And now it’s a new month with new bills and taxes are due soon so I better get on that. But hey, that is life right?

The past week. It came and it went. We were busy busy with all the normal stuff. The littles are all out of school for vacation so we saw them a good amount, had a couple sleep overs, did the usual there. We had dinner with Mom, had coffee over at Barbs, I finally took the Christmas lights down off the front porch, and now I want to rip my entire house apart, repaint, and put to all back together. (I am getting the spring cleaning bug.) I spent a lot of my time working on pieces here at home and at the studio that will be for sale soon and yes, the website is done, just not live yet. I just need to figure out the glitchy PayPal crap (I am such a slow poke), so by Wednesday, by Wednesday for sure it will be up and running?!!!

Anyway, how was your week? Did you enjoy your extra day of the year or did you not even realize that we had that extra day this month? Me, I didn’t take the day as anything extra, but I did think a lot about how when I was a little kid I wished that I was born on leap day and that those people who were born on leap day were somehow extra special. I mean, how cool would it be to have a birthday once every four years? If it were me, I would totally have the best birthday celebrations on those years. Then the other years when the day doesn’t exist, I could just pretend I don’t have a birthday and I could just hide away as usual. HA.

Today both the mr and I have a few things we need to do but then we are going to take off for a few hours, find a place to eat lunch out in the wild and try to go for a hike of some sort. I am craving solitude and trees and by dang it, I will find it. Also I think today calls for a lot of coffee because I am just want to drink all the coffee in the world,all the time. I woke up with my mouth watering just thinking about it.

Internet to brows at your leisure.

-Do you know why we leap year? Why leap years exist. Apparently shit would go crazy If we didn’t.

-This is how much exercise you need to get to see a benefit to your brain. Every little bit counts!

-I think I have to watch this. Martha Stewart’s New TV Show Sounds Like a Cross Between “The Great British Baking Show” and “Survivor”

-Everyone and there mom either has or wants a Kitchenaid. Not going to lie, I had one for a little while but had the mr sell it. I didn't use it. But I still think they are pretty. How the KitchenAid Stand Mixer Achieved Icon Status

-Never Deep-Cleaned Your Mattress? Now Is the Time. I usually do a deep clean ever 2 months. If you have any dust allergies at all, it really is a must.

-Tiny Habits' Are The Key To Behavioral Change. WE have to start somewhere and all those tiny things add up.

-I hate drones but I love a good aerial photo. Aerial Photographs of Vast Ocean Landscapes by Tobias Hägg Observe Earth’s Propensity for Change

-4 Surprising Reasons People Love Not Having Laundry in Their Apartments. Don’t get me wrong, I will never go back to not having a washer and dryer again, but the mr and I used to have so much fun at laundromats.

-So whats your take on this? There’s a fly in my waffle! Scientists experiment with larva fat to replace butter.

-I have wondered about this before so it was interesting to read this article. Do Butterfly Wings Overheat Under the Sun?

And pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

I have two questions. Is it crazy that we still have or Christmas tree up? It is just so nice and still looking as fresh as the day we cut it so I am having hard time saying goodbye to it. I did take all the ornaments off, just left on the lights, so it is kind of like a big house plant right? That is what I am telling myself because that it what it is. Once it start dropping needles or most likely, just after this week, to the goat farm. But as of now, it stays.

Anyway, my other question is, where the hell is winter? For real. When I went to bed Friday night there was a few inches of snow on the ground and when I woke up Saturday morning, it felt like freaking late spring and I barely needed to wear clothes, much less a jacket. And everyone I talked to was all, “Oooh, so nice. Love it love it , blah blah blah”. Me, I hate it. This overly warm winter shit has got to stop. It is making me sad. I need winter, real winter. And that is global warming for ya. Fuck!

Yup, that and everything else this week. I stole (but not really) a new batch of balloons from the gym (the heart finally went down). Went for a nice pre snow melt, snow hike with the mr. Made lunch for Anthony and fixed his fancy pants. But a big part of the week has been spent over at the loft, packing, cleaning, and fixing things because as of this past Friday, little miss Barb is staying there. And now my back porch is full of all the stuff I brought home that I have been meaning to bring over here for the past 3 years. Mostly books, which we have no good shelves for yet (build shelves are on my list of things to do), and a good amount if shit I have to go through again and get rid of. Agh, I hate stuff. I might just stick it all on the curb with a free sign and walk away.

I also have been trying to get into my studio as much as possible. I threw some more mugs, glazed hearts, cleaned tools. Spent time with myself and my goals for selling more pots more seriously which then kind of turned into spending time with all the paperwork that seems to be flowing in from all the other thing in the rest of our life. Because who could forget, new year means new taxes. Oh taxes. I am going to stop there and not think to much more about them for at least another couple weeks, then I will start stressing. The usual way I do it. Ha.

And now its Sunday. Currently raining and still to freaking warm but is getting colder as the day goes on which means a nice layer of ice on everything making for a crap shoot of any outdoor activities today. I really wanted to try and go or a hike but it’s not gonna happen so I will probably just go to the gym, maybe stop in and see the littles ( I haven’t anyone really this week because everyone is back at school and I have been so busy) and then veg out on the couch with my books (recurrently ready 3), coffee, and a sketch pad. Need to get these book shelves designed and built before the momnuent for the need dies and the books stay in boxes an the porch forever.

Links to things I spent time looking at on the internet.

-Feeling Artsy? Here's How Making Art Helps Your Brain. Art is life, or my life at least.

-I am a hand eater, or I mean, I eat with my hands, a lot. It is much easier then getting a sharp fork into my mouth with our stabbing myself in the face. HA. Why Food Tastes Better When You Eat With Your Hands.

-Plant based is the new buzz word. What Does ‘Plant-Based’ Actually Mean?

The Germantown Laundromat: An Eco-Minded Gathering Spot in the Hudson Valley, Mending Services IncludedI love everything about this so much!

-Me and the mr.? Meet the couple who sailed across Mongolia in a handmade cart. Yeah, I think so.

-Genius. I would totally be into this if it didn’t mean I had to interact with people. Maybe set it up blog style? Why Cookbook Clubs Should Be the New Way We Entertain

-Every time I start to bitch about the crowds of all the new people in the gym these days I stop myself because really, good for them for being there. Stop Complaining About the Gym Being Packed, Because It's More Damaging Than You Think

-Planting Trees Is Good. Eliminating Deforestation Is Better. So lets stop cutting down the trees. Yeah, thats a good idea.

-Oh shit, you never know, you might be getting some new next door neighbors. HA. Meghan And Harry 'Step Back' As Royals — What Does That Mean, Exactly?

-Oh hell no. Do Bathtubs Belong in Bedrooms? But I guess a lot op people think its a good idea..? And sure, it looks cool, but wet water in the bedroom, just seems wrong to me.

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

Holly, jolly, fa la la. It’s all the holidays and are we all just so excited and happy? It’s ok if you are not, but don’t tell me not to be and listen to Christmas music and bake all the cookies. I am gonna do it and really try to just enjoy it all and be happy. Easier said then done for sure, but I am committed this year. I will not get grouchy. No, that will come after the holidays when the family leaves and I find food crushed into my couch cushions or pieces of candy in my plants. Then my friends, all bets are off.

The week has been fast and plentiful of plenty. Besides the stuff of normal life as usual, we did a quick dinner at Moms. Ryan came over too to bake cookies with my mom which was just to funny. (He was able to dirty up more measuring cups then I knew my mom even owned.) I have also been to the studio a few times over the week, trying to get last minute things done, sold a few rainbows, loaded a kiln. At home we have dutifully watched the amaryllis bloom, decorated the Christmas tree (about time, only took us 2 weeks), and baked things that needed baking (cookies and cakes. duh). And I picked up the last farm share of the year which has already got me dipping hard into the freezer stock of produce so I can stretch out the fresh stuff that I got. No farm pick up for 3 weeks… There is gonna be a lot of frozen zucchini happening around for sure.

And yay for us, we finally sent out all of our Christmas cards that needed to be sent and dropped off the ones that could be dropped off. There was a lot of chatting and catching up with old friends and neighbors and we got to see some pretty fantastical Christmas trees along the way. Best card drop off happened when we stopped over at Erins to hang with the littles and give them there card. Coco took it upon himself to use the card as a hat. That kid. Too freaking cute and practical to boot.

Then the rest of the week has been just same old with a little extra this and that. Yup, just living the life and trying to be present and just enjoy.

Sunday. Already and finally. The mr and I are going to get a few more things done that need doing before Christmas and the family descends.. I am going to do all the grocery shopping for actual Christmas Day, which could possible turn into a mental melt down (I have to go go Costco and I am scared of the potential for crowds of crazy people). The mr is still finishing up the build on the new stairs at the loft so my dad doesn’t fall and die when he is over there, and I think we both have a thing or two we need to do without each other. I actually am all set, just waiting to pick up the ONE freaking package that I ordered online 3 weeks ago that was suppose to be shipped to the store a week ago and it is no where to be found. I order one thing, ONE THING, from the internet and it went badly. So frustrating, but oh well, what can you do. Other then that, I am going to the gym, maybe hit the library, defiantly a long ass walk either around here or preferably in some woods. And after dinner tonight, I think the plan is for a little Christmas lights drive. Got to see the lights!

Happiest Happy Merry Holidays to you all!!! Have all the relaxing and fun you possibly can.

Internet for your enjoyment.

-The $100 billion reason not to return gifts this holiday season. Or reasons to not buy anything at all!

-Dying food with food just makes sense. How to Make Natural Food Dyes

-Yes I still call them snow tires and probably always will. But this is some good information for the next time I buy snow, I mean, winter tires. Everything you thought you knew about winter tires but didn’t.

-I want to live here. A Tiny Cabin in the Woods For Creative Homesteaders In Vermont

-How to Flake Gracefully. Or go a step further and just never make plans, but then you risk not having friends……🤷🏻‍♀️

-Handmade gifts wrapped in old newspaper. Best way to go. Here’s Why Messily Wrapped Presents Are Sometimes Better Than Neat Ones

-Barack Obama Says Women Could Solve Many Of World's Problems — Which Men Have Caused. He really is a smart guy. Oh how I miss him.

-I know my house is going to be getting trashed a lot this week so I am going to chill on the cleaning and do a crazy deep clean after all the holiday crazy. I already have a list going of things I want to do. 29 Things You Don’t Have to Clean Until January 6

-I don’t eat candy, but the mr does and he is all about sour candy, especially sour patch kids. I don’t really get it, but whatever floats his (or your) boat. A formal taxonomy of sour candies

-The healing powders of food are real.15 Kitchen Herbs and Spices with Powerful Health Benefits.

Pictures from the week.

-C