Sunday Happy

How excited are you about Valentines Day tomorrow? I know some people think it is a stupid holiday, and I get that if you think of it as purely a day of having to prove shit to someone and buy stupid crap, then yes, I agree. But if you think of it as a day to be happy and loving to everyone and decorate with all the pink and glittery hearts and keep it simple with no expectations other then to be nice and appreciate the ones you love, yourself included…How could you not like it? That later is our Valentines Day. The mr and always spend the day together, nothing fancy, no dinner out, no lavish gifts. Just quality time with no bickering aloud. HAHA! (for real) .

The week. It started off a happy kid at breakfast. Want to put a big ass smile on a littles face? Make them there very own sheet pan pancake (It was a half sheet). Yes I made Judah a giant ass baked pancake for breakfast on Sunday and he freaking loved. He even ate just about the entire things (he was trying for sure) and after putting him in a food coma we let hi hang out for a while then dropped him off and went about the day. And lets be clear here, I am for sure the best aunt ever!

The rest of the week felt productive altought I don’t know if it really was. I spent a lot of time throwing pots, I made a few new stamps, tested some glaze, and made a big mess. Basically did what I usually do but I am getting really excited about a new collection of pots that I am working on. They are pretty voluptuous and lovely and I just love them. What else? I went to Megs and hung out with her and So and then had Barb come over to eat food and be awesome. I changed up my running route. (Instead of running in the woods I run to the woods but then have to turn around. The trails are so icy so I have to run the streets until the trails are safer.) And that is about it so as I write it out its doesn't seem as productive as I thought. Hum. Maybe the weather has something to do with it. The serious warm up, all the snow started melt, me walking around the house with no socks and only wearing sweater on walks. It does something to my mind. I personally didn't have a hand in the weather but that is probably why I feel like I was so productive. HAHA!

And update on the mr. He has been walking around the house without his cast on and can ever so slightly move his thumb so he is slowly but surely getting more, or maybe getting less? He is getting there or somewhere is what I am saying.

Sunday. Well today the mr and I are both going to do some work. He is getting ready to start a job next week and I am going to do all my chores that I usually do Mondays, like grocery shopping, all the laundry, clean my studio and wedge clay for the week. I can’t goto the post or the bank, but that’s fine by me. I am also going to pop into the studio for a little bit and maybe mix up a few new test batches of glaze. Really trying to pack it all in. We are spending today doing this so we can spend tomorrow, Valentines Day, together. We are planning on skipping town early and going for a nice hike and then spending the rest of the day on the couch doing nothing but chilling and drinking all the coffee. He will probably order takeout for dinner and I will eat soup. And no bickering allowed! I am excited.

Some internet for your pleasure.

-Toyota Tacoma Tacozilla Camper. Yes please.

I don’t know who came up with these other names but it is called a Greenbar. The 8 Best Regional Terms for the Strip Between the Road and Sidewalk, Ranked

-What science still can’t explain about love. I am a firm believer that Love is Chaos.

-These are the types of questions I ask myself all the time! Why Are Letters Shaped the Way They Are?

-The 5 Essential Types of Chocolate and What to Do with Them.

-Long read but very informative and interesting. The search for carbon-neutral protein

-My aunt is an organic grain farmer and she is super badass. Flour Trip. One woman’s journey into the heart of grain and how our flour is made.

-Canada so much better at health care. A new program in Canada gives doctors the option of prescribing national park visits

-Oh I like this kitchen very much. DEVOL’S SWAN COTTAGE KITCHEN.

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

What a week. Not going to lie, hasn't been my most favorite week for sure. I have been in a mood, a not a good one.

Not much happened out of the usual. We got a nice snow at the very beginning of the week but then it all melted and I think that was when I started to feel blah. The mr and I did a nice hike in that snow though and it was really freaking great. I did a bit work in my studio, cleaned the inside of my oven, (I must note here that it took my 15 minutes tops. No meat means no grease) put up some Christmas decorations (helped lift the mood a bit) and walked around a lot. We didn't have a normal Thanksgivings, no big family gathering at our house, no sibling fighting, no dance party so there was little to have tp plan or do. It was a little sad but very much necessary. And honestly miss everyone but it was kind of nice not to have ta clean turkey gravy or mashed potatoes off my couch.

Thanksgiving day I went for a little hike with Megan, Justin, and kids and then the mr and I just went to my moms. I helped cook, the mr and Barb did some deep cleaning around the house and the boys came out of there rooms long enough to eat. (Paul helped clean before he crawled back into he dark hole) And that was that.

And all through everything I have been cranky Maybe it is pandemic fatigue, maybe it is that it is so freaking warm out and I just want it to be cold and snowy, or maybe it is that I have opened and started 3 different books this week and none of them are sticking. I feel bookless and lost. If I can’t get into a book soon I am going to freak out! It’s probably all of the above and then some but I am okay with being not great. Just going to lean into it, feel my feelings and so on and so forth. (I sound so healthy and smart. HA!)

I am hoping today brings some shift in my demeanor. The mr and I are going to go get our Christmas tree!!! We are going a week earlier then usually but whatever, I want it and need some happy. So as per tradition, we are heading out into the Green Mountain National Forest to hike in, find our tree, cut it down, and drag it out. This my friends it the most bestest part of Christmas. A real live tree, covered in light, right in my living room.

Alright, feeling better already.

Some interneting I interneted this week.

-Sad but happy and of course she is. Cher Is Escorting “World's Loneliest Elephant” From Pakistan To Cambodia

-How Tall Is Mount Everest? Hint: It's Changing It might just not be as tall as anymore.

-Dump it all in my mouth! The Umami-Rich Science of Nutritional Yeast, Marmite & Vegemite

-I thought twice about showing this to the mr and Barb cause I am pretty sure they would want to buy it. Cat Hoodie

-Scotland Becomes 1st Country To Make Period Products Free. ABOUT TIME! Now we just need the rest of the world to do it too.

-Floating sink, cool toilet, and this ceilings… What a home.

-Did or do you do advent calendars? We did as kids, the ones where you opened a door and got a chocolate. I remember being so excited when it was my turn. Those where the days. Advent, explained.

-Word find failure… Happens to me all the time. Why you lose words on the tip of your tongue

And some pictures from the week

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