Wednesday, April 29

Pure Bliss

when I can escape from the world outside my home's walls and set my mind totally on my children and my responsibilities to take care of them...solely them, I find myself in a very good place.

Even when it includes chores and things like scrubbing garbage cans and toilets. I still find bliss. You know, the feeling when everything else slips away and it is only you and what is happening in that moment?

Life can draw us away from the simple things that matter in the life of a child and our life too, but if we stop and listen we can regain it as quick as a snap...

being present::

*listening to my youngest child read to me from her reader all snuggled up together on the couch. watching her face so intent on the words and as she gets them that same face turning to me with the brightest smile.

*petting the best cats on earth...very slowly to maximize the purr.

*stepping out on the back deck into a night world full of damp air and twinkly night sky.

*pulling hot clothes straight from the dryer and folding them....ahhhhh.

*smelling sweet children as they get done bathing before bed.

*cooking spaghetti for 5 children...my houseful.

*talking on the phone with a loved one.

*sitting in my fat chair by the woodstove and watching all that is going on in this home.

*waiting til all of the kids have gone to bed and scrubbing a dirty kitchen floor with hot, hot water and murphys oil soap. Satisfaction.

What is giving you bliss today?

Monday, April 27

caught

I have wondered frequently if the cats get up on the counters and table in the night. A sort of kitty party. A few nights ago some buttered bread was left out after Spaghetti dinner.

Do you think the cats get on the table in the night?

My word.

Sunday, April 26

weekend

Our city became a "Tree City USA" this weekend. At our local Public Market there was tree planting and dignitaries. We have a great local market alongside the river.

There was also some bunny snuggling going on.



And some recycling of glass. We have a glass recycling center by the grocery store.

We cleaned out the van too. Must be the sunshine around here giving more energy.

Friday, April 24

Etsy day

I just found out on the forums over at Etsy.

Today is
Etsy Day

Etsians everywhere are getting the word out about Etsy.



I found out that the Uptown Bag was added to a treasury ....


and another treasury on Etsy! WEEEEEE!

Both of the treasuries are made by a SHE Team member. The SHE Team is Schooling at Home Etsians.



What a great group of artists and mom's! (Don't know if there are any Dad's in it)






Have great week end!

Thursday, April 23

Robots

Robots show up everywhere....

Like....

in a Treasury....

TO MY DELIGHT!


I woke up to a convo from all these things this morning telling me she added my Robot Clutch to her treasury. Thanks Cheryl!

Sweetness!

Monday, April 20

Earth Day

For the past three years we have had a clean up day with my kids and neighborhood kids. It didn't fall on Earth Day but this year I got my act together to make it coincide...and sunshine helped too!

It has been pretty simple:
1. holler for all of the kids
2. hand out grocery sized bags to kids
3. tell kids what a great job they are doing
4. pick up trash with kids
5. give popsicles to kids
6. remind kids where popsicle wrappers go so we don't have to get right back out there for clean up again so soon.

The clean-up gang with their reward..these kids had the best attitude.
The fruit of our hands--A clean street

Give a hoot!--Don't Pollute!
We miss you Woodsy the Owl.

Sunday, April 19

being still

I decided to take a little rest today under this tree today, what a view it was.

I lay there looking up through the budding Japanese Cherry Tree limbs while listening to birds sing their spring song and smelling fresh cut grass I sorted through things I should be doing in my head.

sure was a soft clump of grass to lay on...and not a bit wet!

my serenader..well, one of them. I also saw a black capped chickadee up there singing his heart out.
nothing got done here...my hands are just a itchin' to get some seed planted and fencing up...but not right now. Time will come soon enough, right?

Later on in the afternoon I did manage to get some photos of some bags that I have made. Aliss and her friend Leslie jumped at the words models and photo shoot.
What sweeties!
They were the best models too.

The patchwork bag was so fun to make. I started out laying out these little pieces of leather that were given to me from a furniture showroom. I love the idea that these fabrics were destined to nothing but instead became a bag.

I love the colors of these little pieces of leather. Once I got the main part of the front done I built the rest of the bag around it...then added a sweet removable leather flower pin too.Some cute purses and clutches...my kids call the clutches robot clutches with the grommets being the eyes and the flap the mouth.
Too cute!
The bags even made it into listings in my shop.

Lori

Thursday, April 16

keeping house

I love moments when I am reminded of pleasant childhood memories...no bullies or skinned knees but of my grand imagination of days to come. I remember one house we lived in when I was young that my sister Wendy and I made a house in the back yard and cooked.


In reality it was a sheet or two draped over a line and secured at the bottom with big rocks. The food was blackberries smooshed til just the right consistency and heaped and stirred and heaped again with sugar. We were making jam, you know?

Oh those little girl dreams of our own homes and children...even children of the furry variety.


Do you remember playing house...did you have a child or two, three, four, five.... ? :o)

Tuesday, April 14

Luna Island

We enjoyed some time at the beach today. The kids ran up and down the waters edge finding all kinds of treasures, yelling back and forth to each other, petting other's dogs that were there for the same reason as we. This beach is only 5 minutes from our house. There is a bird sanctuary real close to it and a small airport too. It doesn't have all of the sand as the large beach that is abou 25 minutes away but has other stuff that is interesting. Cement pilings, old tires, lots of cool trees that have washed up (we are in the pacific northwest afterall) to climb on too.



So you see the little buds on the pussy willows? Oh, I can just feel spring in the air!

It was difficult to lay down all of the things we needed to do around here today while the sun was out. There's always so much to do.

"Come on Mama, let's go to the beach" said by the children.
"Okay, babies" said by the Mama.

So good for the kids to scramble along the waters shore and enjoy the fresh air.
along the road there is different cement things that the city has put there as a barrier I suppose; I was delighted to see that someone had dumped a pile of brick. We want to put in a brick windy sort of path to our back deck soon. I am thinking a call to the city will be written down in my planner about some brick perhaps.

Monday, April 13

birthday jealousy

I turned 39 this past week...and I am okay with that. No hiding my age for this girl. My kids spoil me...well, we spoil whoever's birthday it is just because we can. It feels just as good for us to be on the giving end as it is to be on the receiving end. If you have been reading my blog for long you already know the breakfast in bed is a tradition at our house....along with presents.

Each of the kids made something on the tray. I was seriously stuffed! It was all delicious...ham and cheese omelet by Tessa, orange juice by Zack, fruit smoothie topped with hand whipped whip cream by Sophie, homemade pancakes with fresh strawberries and hand whipped whip cream by Hannah and bagels with cream cheese and jam by Aliss.

There was a bit of the green eyed monster at my present unwrapping though. Tessa's baby Milkshake just had to have the limelight...Look at her trying to overtake my beautiful hand made frame and photo from Hannah.
i LOVE it!

There's Milkshake again trying to peek in my presents before I could get em out of the bag.
Just a bit angry don't ya think? She was a riot!
I am one spoiled Mama...that's for sure.

Sunday, April 12

Weekend + Easter

Over Spring Break I had high expectations to get some projects around the house done and also get some r&r time too. I don't feel like it happened then, so this weekend was such a joy because both of those things happened. I feel like I really had a weekend. I got a project done with the wheelbarrow garden and had some Easter R&R.

The wheelbarrow garden got a thorough weeding, rabbit poo compost adding and planting of new flowers to it. Tessa asked me what I would like for my birthday and I told her flowers to brighten up the wheelbarrow garden. The garden is right outside the entrance to the back porch that we come and go from. It is a great place to have cheery flowers.
It looks a little sparse right now because the plants need to grow in, but I am already cheered when seeing it. The plants in the middle and front are all from Tessa, the little seedlings in the far back left corner are Sophie's and the front side corners are some lemon verbena that looked a little tired in the church landscaping that we take care of as a family, so I brought it home for some tlc. It should perk up by this summer and smell wonderful by our back door.
The kids's Bompa (Grampa) brought them 5 dozen eggs for coloring. Way to go Bompa!
More fun was had in filling plastic eggs for 5 children. Lots of yummy candies at the Dollar Tree also made it affordable.

We have a system that each child gets a color and the green are a free for all. Even Tessa still finds eggs....we know no age limits here at our house.
Hope your weekend was a very pleasant one!
Lori