I need some thoughts...

Can you guys comment on the music thingy that I have up? I haven't had that for a long time and I put it on there when I was needing to convey more than just the words, but the feel of what we were going through. That post is now on page two and I think I can remove the music player... but I wanted opinions on whether you guys liked it, or not. I am totally ok either way as the service it was to me is now complete... so please, give honest comments. Thanks so much!

DITL

Yesterday was the day of our yearly Day in the Life of Us slideshow. It was the most boring one yet! lol! We pretty much went no where, and just played and cooked all day long.

Enjoy!

Some light (and not so light) reading...

I have been looking for light reading lately. Really light. I am a die hard 'good book' fan and I do not partake in romance novels or anything like them. But I have needed some simple soul healing lately, and so I turned to more light reading for my weekly library choosing. This last two weeks it has been the Journeys Beyond Pemberly by Sharon Lathan. These books, if you get past the smutty parts, they are really pretty good. Simple, easy reads, but still, decent books with a neat premise of following the Darcy's into their new life at Pemberly and all of the other places rich people go in England in the 1800's. I have thoroughly enjoyed them as a diversion from my usual reading.

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery is an amazing book. . I hadn't read this book in about 15 years. All I remembered was that it was sad. As a 'grown up' I was able to see so much more. The ideas that were common place to me as a child are now extraordinary and deep. Which is the exact phenomenon that he speaks of in the book. About 'grown ups'.

A friend of mine has a tattoo of the Boa Constrictor from the outside:

And from the inside.

One on each of her forearms. I found this out only last week as I had never seen her in short sleeves before. The next day, I was enjoying a morning of happy thrifting and saw this book on the second hand book shelf. I sat on the floor and read it until I was finished right there in the thrift store. Then I bought it, brought it home, and read it again. It has been in my head for the last two days... I don't feel that I can explain the story very well... it is just a book that everyone should read. Especially if you have not read it in a very long while.

It looks like a children's book. Don't be fooled. This book is not really for children, but for the grown ups that children have grown into. It has ideas that are brilliant in their simplicity and I feel the need to incorporate more into my life.

Beach Trip (ie: my husband got another wild hair)

My husband loves the beach. The sand, the ocean, the large open spaces of nothing... it makes him very happy. The last wild hair he got, it didn't work out so well. It was a good trip, but it was 3 hours of driving, to play for an hour because we were completely unprepared for the weather. This one worked out much better. Armed with coats, hats, and lunches, we set out, on a day where we had no time limit and headed in the direction of the ocean.

We stopped a couple times along the way and had a relaxed drive out there. We ended up getting there about noon to a warm 57* and sun. Because it is February, we had planned for a MUCH colder beach trip and we were blissfully surprised when it was warmer than it was in August!

We spent a wonderful day at the beach, sitting, playing, and drawing in the sunshine as the beach quietly roared and tumbled close by.

We have made a tradition of ending our beach trips by getting a treat at a little local ice cream parlor.

I had put some grass fed beef into the crock pot before we left, and so we came home close to dark with a warm meal waiting for us.

After that it was baths and bed time, and we all fell blissfuly to sleep. As The Man said many times yesterday, it was one of his better ideas.

Crafty inspiration

This is my 101st crafty post and I thought I would celebrate with some crafty inspiration!

Here is a bunch of my favorite crafts that I have made. Some I plan on making again soon, like the tea light holders out of recycled art, or the butterfly mobile. Mmmmmm... crafts.

Kids Art Candle Holders

No Plastic Wrap Bowl Covers

Smocked Pillow Case Top

Gift bags out of old calendars

Craft Notebooks ~ How I keep all the ideas straight.

Creating pretty Canning Labels

Making an Eye-Spy Bottle

Building a beautiful Spring Butterfly Moible

And here is some things I found while looking around today for inspiration from other sites:

Bustle and Sew

Making Pottery Barn robins egg knock offs from Dollar Store Crafts

And my newest crafty obsession, Knock Off Wood

If those don't inspire you, just look at One Pretty Thing... always a wealth of ideas there.

Happy crafting!!

The first daffodil

I have never owned a patch of daffodils. These beauties that grace my table came with the house in their own bed under one of the giant Fir trees. They were a surprize because we moved last June and have spent a Spring here. My children have always wanted them. I have thought many times in the last few years that when I got my own yard, I would plant daffodils... but not in beds... in the grass... so while the grass is still new and patchy, and before the mowing season starts, they would pop up, and bring light to the last of the dark months with their cheery faces. Now I am even more convinced and when this season is over, I will start my winter by planting a bunch of daffodils in my grass. I am sure, that by the time it is warm enough to mow, they will be gone... but wouldn't that be a beautiful sight!?! These beautiful yellow faces, popping up throughout a frost bitten yard...

The weatherman says this is our last sunny day for a while. I am going to get outside and build my first garden bed today.

It's a bright and beautiful day!

I woke up this morning to the sun shining in my window. My kids were stirring, Logan wanting breakfast and the other two quietly listening to audiobooks. This last week has been busy. Filled with meetings for Don, and restful afternoons, field trips, get togethers with friends wishing us well, and lots of little dates with my husband where we talk, or not, and enjoy being together.

I cannot say that life will be the same after these last three months. It just won't. But I can say that we are still happy, and that my heart does not break at the idea of sending him back to work. But to say that those first few days were hard is a massive understatment. My mind was in a very dark place. Darker than I have been in a long while. It speaks volumes that I didn't craft or clean much. When I am stressed, that is what I do, I make things pretty and it pulls me out of the darkness I am in... and I was beyond that for a while. I am in a much better emotional place this morning and I thought it was time I did some Sponanteous Gratitude. And a post.

Thank you all again for your love and support! And for my friends here too. They have been so wonderful in just being there for us. I am very grateful to have all of you!

My spontaneous gratitude for this bright and beautiful morning:

New little friends.

What the glorious sun is doing to my new yard! (My first Spring in the Yellow House is boasting to be a VERY colorful one!)

Wonderful reasons to be out and about. (Seattle Aquarium Octopus Week)

That my husband is here for Daddy Daughter Dance 2010.

My heart is very full.

The history of Spontaneous Gratitude.

Here...

We have another few days of leave, but I am slowly coming out of the darkness into a bight and beautiful day. I will say that I am forever changed by this last few months, and I don't know what the future holds. I feel deeper somehow... less false. That wasn't something I was expecting.

He is here. He is the love of my life, and I will cherish as much time as I can with him. I really do adore him. Every bit of him... even the bits that make him imperfect... because those bits make him perfect for me.

Moving back to the light slowly... the beautiful days are helping. The sun has been out, we have been out too; playing, planning, enjoying. I'll be back soon my friends.... I have a few crafts up my sleeve. ;)

Popping in to say thank you...

I have been beautifully overwhelmed with supportive emails and kind words about what we are going through over the last few days. Thank you all so much for your understanding. I don't know where this is all going for me... but...

We are doing ok.

We hold hands a lot.

Last night we stayed up late and made Valentine's for our children. I cut out hearts and we wrote down good things about each of our kids and 'sneak attacked' their rooms with them. They woke up to messages of love.

We are so grateful.

He got the plumber to come and fix the bathroom. He fixed the printer for me.

He does not think of the 'whatifs' or the 'maybes' as I do. He holds me when the 'whatifs' overtake me, and tells me everything is good.

He is here.

I make him good food, snuggle with him while watching movies, and write "I love you" in his cocoa.

We are all here, loving each other. And so very grateful.

Happy Valentine's Day my wonderfully supportive, understanding friends.

Taking a little blog break

'Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed, where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, laid dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, “How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him,” he accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything and you let their cow die.”

“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I told him to take the cow instead.

Things aren’t always what they seem.” '

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are many things that have broken in my house recently. Tools that I use daily like my printer; which will not load paper, for no reason. Or my bathroom sink and bath tub; that whole bathroom needs to be re plumbed and is out of commission except for the toilet. My cabinet doors are all falling off; we have lost 3 already and 3 more are breaking. Even my blessed espresso machine (which I now only use to froth milk), has broken in the last week. I have been having a really hard time with this. This week has been very hard on me and I kinda felt like the whole world was crashing down. My house is my solace.... I spend all my time here. When I get stressed, I clean and organize my space and it makes that little part of the world feel better. Even if it is just beautifully printed things in my notebooks or a newly organized closet. It gives me peace... and you can't get that same type of peace if the tools you use to get it are broken. So I have been having a very hard time.

But then, the other night, my husband was in a shooting. His car got shot... his car, which he was standing in front of... and he did not. They took the shooter down without issue and all of them went home safe. With the track record recently, that seems like an almost unimaginable blessing. None of the officers involved were harmed in any way.

My house is falling down around my ears. But my husband is here and safe.

"Things are not always what they seem."

Take the house, sweet angels. Take the house.

I'll be back... but now, I need to take a little break.

Hug your husbands.

Sweet on you ~ a Valentine's How-to

I am off for a wonderful birthday with my family today... but first, I just wanted to post this tutorial before the 'last minute Valentine's rush' ensued for school parties on Friday. Have a fabulous day!

Sweet on you ~ A Valentine's How-to

My friend Rebbecca made these Valentine's last year. I thought it was absolutely brilliant! I filled it away in my Late Winter notebook so I could do them this year, and I love how they turned out! They end up being great last minute Valentine's because they are super fast to do.

What you need:

A digital camera

A sucker bouquet (I found mine at Target)

An exacto knife

A self healing mat

Directions:

1. Talk your little one into punching at the camera. What you are looking for is the fist to be in focus and the child slightly out of focus. It also causes a great many giggles... which are also great to catch on film. Do not be afraid to take lots of pictures. You will only be using one or two, but you will want your choice because the hand placement is kinda important.

See if the child can turn their fist with their thumb tucked under or to the side.

As much as possible, you want this:

Not this:

This picture will make the thumb look like it's floating next to the sucker, or that it's cut off. Not exactly the warm fuzzy valentine we're looking for.

2. Print out your pictures at a one-hour photo place. If you have one that does cute boarders then add that too... preferably matching the color of the sucker because that would pull the whole thing together even more. (I didn't think of that until I was writing this out.)

3. Now cut a small slit in the picture just above the hand, and then another just below the hand (above). The darker the area around the slit is, the more it will blend with the background and look like your child is holding the sucker.

4. Separate the sucker bouquet into individual suckers. I chose this sucker bouquet for two reasons. #1 Because they all have extra-long, thin sticks. and #2 the suckers are wrapped in small, clear wrappers so they don't cover up any of the picture. Added bonus; they kinda look like balloons! How cute!

5. Carefully slide the sucker (pictures can rip) into the slits in the picture and your done!

Happy Valentine's Day!

How cute is that?

Spontaneous Gratitude for this blissful day.

Getting up to surprize my children with heartshaped WW blueberry pancakes.

Finally putting my fruit trees in the ground.

Beautiful mail.

(A set of Sulamith Wulfing postcards from my Aunt Pat for my birthday tomorrow.)

Breaking in new Chucks.

And the top of my day: I put on jeans I bought in 1999..... and they still fit. *glee*

The history of Spontaneous Gratutude.