Sunday Happy

Yes I am alive as some of you have asked. And I swear I am not being lazy,I have just been super ass busy because you know life and all that.

So what have I been up to? Just a whole lot of clay business. Right after the crazy holiday rush in December I kinda crashed a little for a week or so and then signed up for another market that was just last week. If you do any type of ceramics, especially selling of ceramics, you know that a few weeks is not a whole lot of time to get a bunch of shit made so that is what I have been doing. Making shit. HA!

And ok, I did do some other stuff. There was more birthdays celebrated (the mr turned the big 40!), tattoos were gotten (by me and the mr.), family gatherings, sledding and snow ball fights with the littles. (Side note. They are not so little anymore. Judah is now officially taller then me and the mr. is teaching Miley to drive. Coco is Coco and has always been an old man, and So, well she started a book club at school and is bacsilly a cooler, younger version of me so yeah, they are all getting old and I can’t even.), the holiday madness of markets. It was a lot. Other than that, not to much else. I am still running through the woods every day and we go hiking or snowshoeing as much as we can. Has the winter weather been great for outdoor winter fun? Not really. It’s been way to freaking warm and there definitely has not been enough snow but what can I do besides bitch about it? Move to Alaska, that is what.

So yeah, hopefully now that this last market is behind me (it was a couple nights ago) I can slow down this week and gather my bearing before the madness of the spring and summer markets really hit. I am trying to be proactive and do more life planning, like garden planning stuff (is it really that time?) and have more pots made so I am not rushing like a mad lady in between markets. We will see how well I do, but first things first. Start the god damn taxes. Every freaking year.

Here are a few internet links from the week. And I don’t have many pictures that are not pots and you can just see those on my instagram (@stemandnode). I’l be better next week, maybe. And hopefully I’ll post a new recipe because I have been making some A+ shit. (SO much soup. Duh.)

-Take your date to the grocery store. This is 100% a great idea. The mr and I LOVE a new grocery store experience. Especially while traveling in other countries. Highly recommend.

-A Gua Sha Technique For Easing Jaw Tension In A Minute Or Less. Has anyone had luck with this? I need to do something because I am constantly clenching my teeth and my TMJ is killing me.

-A bit of a hoarder’: woodpeckers stash 700lbs of nuts in California home. That is a lot of nuts.

-Is Bathroom Carpet Due for a Comeback? Fuck no.

-C

Sunday Happy

Ok so it’s been a couple weeks and WHOA has it been a couple weeks. There was Thanksgiving, which was chill. We had the littles over, made snowflakes, and did a dinner. The mr got a rotisserie chicken, I made bread and potatoes, and the boys wrote dirty works with fridge magnets all night. Duh.

After that it has just been a blur. Markets started up and I am basically either living in my studio or the commuity studio loading and unloading kilns (I am in charge of the whole community studio firing schedule right now which is basically me saying over and over “Yeah dude I get it, it is close to christmas and you want your piece fired but you need to get off my balls!” ) or I am at a market. I and freaking tired as all hell and it is kinda crazy town in my head right now. Two more weeks of this and then I am going to crash. Until then…

Even though I am all out we did go chop our tree down last week. We hiked into the forest with a saw and came out a good time later with the cutest, tall but skinny and slightly bare on the back, tree. It is perfectly imperfect and fits perfectly in the living room. I didn’t even have to move a single piece of furniture!!! And now the lights are on the tree and the lights are up on the house ( I think I threw those up on thanksgiving?), the Christmas music has commenced, and I am drinking all the holiday peppermint tea I can. Living it up!

So yeah, basically that is it. Well that and all the birthdays. Shannon, Erin, Justin. Then So beans last night (the big 10!) and next is the mr’s. This one is a big one too, 40, and not going to lie, I am sick of hearing about it. HA! But that is not for a few more days so until then I will just be hiding away in the basement covered in clay like a little troll.

December is wild right?

A few links.

-End of year NPR Book list. This is the only end of year list I like.

-This a a pretty wild green house. I’m into it. A Kinetic Glass Greenhouse Blossoms into a Massive Open-Air Terrarium

-When should you put up Christmas lights? A new survey illuminates an evergreen debate. I say whenever the heck you want. In this house it s the week after Thanksgiving but I also have lights around the windows in the kitchen all year long because really, they are just nice to use as lighting.

-But do we want the kids to eat them? This Designer Created Kid-Safe, Edible Crayons Out of Vegetables

-Big windows ans a shit ton of boo. I am here for this A Frame Cabin.

And some pictures of the past couple weeks.

Monday Happy

The days are short, it’s been cold and we got a good little dump of snow that has stuck around a bit. This is when I thrive in life. Seriously though, the morning it snowed I felt the happiest, most grounded in life that I have felt in a while. I was so excited that I ran a few extra miles on my run just to be out in the snow. It was super fantastic and I don’t want to hear anyone bitching about winter right now, mainly cause I don’t want to hear anyone bitch about anything period. HA!

So it’s Monday and not Sunday but we are ok here, just kinda super busy. Sure I have spent more time in the studio then not and I am wildly stressed but really it is all good and I actually love it. (Not that I am not looking forward to a few weeks off once all the markets are over). Besides that we had the family Thanksgiving over the weekend so 25ish people packed into the house. It was everyone eating food all over, talking to my face while I was maneuvering hot dishes, small children running around, everyone asking all the question about the dikon radishes, and talk about Christmas… Whoa was that great but all a bit much. I love my family and love that we do the holidays here at my house but man are those butt holes messy! I spent half of my day yesterday wiping, vacuuming, moping and re-vacuuming every surface in the house. It was nasty, especially the bathroom. I think sometimes people forget that pee goes INTO the toilet and not all over it.

Yup, that is about it. And it is Monday which means that I have less then a week to get all my pots finished, packed, and ready to go to market this weekend. I am gonna be wild and have already informed the mr to just let me be and maybe not get to close or else I might bite.

He can]t say I didn’t warn him.

A few links.

-People here live in complete darkness for 2.5 months. Here's how they do it. Could you do it? I so could.

-Snacking Is the Best Part of Thanksgiving. I agree, mostly because I only really get to snack during family Thanksgiving because I am in the kitchen making, serving, and cleaning all the food while everyone else is eating.

-Shannon was late to family Thanksgiving because she was getting her Christmas tree… Is it to early? Maybe. For me the tree is the best part of Christmas but I still wait until afterThanksgiving to get one but hey, you do you. Is It Too Early to Put Up Your Christmas Tree?

-So cool. Flickering fireflies pulse to a beat that mathematicians have long been seeking

And a few pictures.

Sunday Happy

First week into Daylight Savings and I got to tell you, I am so into it. I love when it gets dark out early. I love being able to see the sunrise when I got for runs in the morning. It works for me. What I do not love, better yet hate right now is how warm it has been. It is making me sad and cranky. Mind body and mind crave those crisp, cold, snow filled days where everything seems quiet and all the people are tucked away and the outside world seems to be all mine. I guess I am a true Ice Queen.

Besides shitty weather the past couple weeks things were good good. Lots of studio time. Lots. And a few nice hikes through the sticks. The mr, Judah, and I cleaned the yard and moved all the leaves to the garden beds. I made fire cider, the mr carved a many spoons. I picked up the first winter farm share, voted, watched the lunar eclipse and cleaned the car. Not like super exciting but exciting enough. That is my life. Ha!

Today the mr and I are going somewhere for a hike. Now that we aren’t camping every weekend we go for a good hike on Sundays instead. It is good to have something to look forward to. And if I have time I should probably go grocery shopping, I have a long list and a shit ton of bread I need to make…The family is descending on the house this weekend for our family Thanksgiving. 23-26 people. Yeah, I am in charge of all bread. We need lots of bread.

Oh and it’s Shannon’s birthday today so yeah, Happy Birthday!

A couple links from the internet.

- I use all my flours so fast that I just keep in in the pantry but this is good info. The Best Way to Store Flour Isn't What You Think.

-Christmas Weather Forecast (2022): Will It Be White, Or What? I sure hope this is wrong.

-Why Prehistoric Herders Didn’t Spit Out Their Watermelon Seeds. I don’t spit them out cause I like them plus they are super good for you.

-This is what’s happening to your brain in the middle of a conflict. I do not like conflict because most conflict could be solved if people just listened to everything I say. For real.

-The Age of Social Media Is Ending. Yeah, I kinda hope so.

Pictures from the weeks.

Monday Happy

First off, Happy Halloween! I hope the day is filled with all the thrills and candy you could want. OR that people leave you alone and you can go on your way without the bother if that’s you speed. Me, I like it fine, just don’t like when teenagers start knocking on my door way past my bedtime (and theirs) looking for candy. Bro, my lights are off. HA!

Secondly, yeah I know its Monday. Yesterday kind of got away from me. It was the first sunday in months that we weren’t camping and my routine was off. I didn’t really realize what the day was until the mr said something to me during our hike. My head also feels like it is only half screwed on and my thoughts are leaking, whatever that means, and so here we are on a Monday.

Anyway, the week was good. We did our last camp which was excellent and sad (because it was the last), but also kind of weird. Every year last camp ends with at least a snow flake if not full on snow but this year I hiked in shorts, sat far from the fire, and woke up sweating. Sure some people might think of that as a win but I was actually kind of pissed. I love snow camping.

After that it was back to business. I pretty much spent everyday at the studio. A couple more weeks of crazy making, then the markets and then I will slow down. But for now it is go time.

I also picked up the last summer farm share of the year (winter starts in a week or so), the mr and I cleaned the shit out of the basement (it only took 6 years), we tuned on the heat for a little bit cause we needed to check the new system out plus it actually did get pretty frekaing cold, and I harvested the last of my drying beans from the garden. All in all, pretty good.

Last night, after the mr and I went for a good hike, we took Erin and the kids to our downtown pumpkin display and walked around making all sorts of inappropriate jokes about the pumpkins (Coco was out of ear shot). It is crazy how old those littles are getting. Also crazy the shit that now comes out of their mouths. They are definitely not little anymore.

So today being Monday and all, I am going into the studio early and trying to get a good amount of glazing done before any people show up and annoy me. Then it is errands and other not fun activities (bills) but after that the mr ans I are going to take Coco and Judah out trick or treating. This I am looking forward to. If Coco is anything like he was last year, it will be a hoot. (If he doesn't like your candy choice he will let you know and might try to enter your house. HA!)

Have fun!

A couple links from the week.

-I would very much like my own vegetable processing room. It make so much sense! An English Country Kitchen for a Vegan Family, Vegetable Processing Plant Included

-I don’t know why but I think I might think this. Actually, Spaghetti Is the Scariest Food

-An Oral History of Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton. Do you have one?

-Stop raking your leaves. Instead of raking, change your perspective. Five ways to use leaves to help your lawn and garden.

Some pictures from the week.