graceful designs

A scary bear

 

 

 

It was fun.

Fun  hasn't been a frequent word in my vocabulary lately. If you've talked to me lately, I've been using words like stressed. anxious. tense. frustrated.

This weekend was different though. I was more relaxed, and really enjoyed my time with family.
Gavin and I ran in our first race together, and we had a blast. The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, lots of family ran with us, and it was just fun. It felt so good to be outside and happy, with people I loved.

I am hoping to carry these good feelings over into the next few days.

For the locals, we plan to run the Lowes 5K and the  Kingston Classic. We would love to have more running partners.

Hi.

What I've been dealing with:

(with some pharmaceutical and therapeutic aid, I am feeling hopeful)

What I've been doing:

(zig-zag stitch and freehand quilting- not my specialty)

(I learned how to use the walking foot and quilting bar thingy. Yeah!)

Who I am spending my day with:

(he just cracks me up)

What I am avoiding

(stupid cats)

So...

There is an inverse relationship between the amount of stress in my life, and the amount of blogging that I do.

An interesting tidbit- I just looked at my blog stats, and this past week (the week with no posts) was a heavily visited week. Hmm...

Last Monday Braeden and I went swimming, and he fell and broke his finger. Just a hairline fracture, and he already seems to be completely recovered. But that mama guilt hit me full force, and I was feeling pretty down for a few days.

I have had some stressful interpersonal interactions this week. It seems that I needed to grow a backbone, and that process can be difficult. This certainly has been a week of personal growth for me.

I don't have any pictures because my camera is acting up.

If I was taking pictures I would show you all the fabric Laura and I bought yesterday. We had a lovely day shopping together, and I am completely in love with her wild tastes. Laura apparently has no inhibitions when it comes to fashion. And if she has her way, she will be attending Kindergarten in hot pink satiny evening gowns. I forsee some serious negotiations in the near future.

I miss crafting and blogging, and visiting my friends who inspire me so. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope your day is filled with hugs and kisses...

A Songwriters Debut

Laura wrote her first song yesterday.

Once a Day
I would be great
Never be bad
I would be very kind
Never put people down
I would help do chores
And be kind.

I might be a little biased, but I'm thinking this is quite possibly one of the best songs ever written.

It's ten degrees, and...

we're planning a garden. Our school garden, to be specific. The family garden will come next.

It still feels like winter will never end, but this week seems to be the official start of the growing season. There has been a flurry of e-mails regarding fresh food, composting, recycling, wellness committees...

When I went into the school today I heard teachers were requesting bluebird houses, and wondering what the plans for the garden would be this year. Some are looking to start planning their beds, so it's time to get everything in order.

Planning a school garden is different that a home garden for so many reasons. There are many different classes, some wanting to be more involved than others. There are many different people on our committee, and it takes time and a lot of communication to coordinate everything. And our growing season is pretty short, since school dismisses in June, so we need to plan accordingly.  Make sure there is food to be harvested before school lets out, and also plantings done so food and flowers can greet the students in the fall.

Then there is the final planning of the shed the high school is building for us, and the acquiring of rain barrels, and the actual ordering of seeds and starting supplies. And getting the gate built so the deer don't get in again.

And we have the nature trail to be built this spring, which requires planning and research, and then the supervision of the high school students who want to help out, and of course we need to establish our composting program in the cafeteria, and, and, and...

 
Last week was so simple, this week is simply overwhelming.

Disoriented

I woke up this morning completely confused. I didn't know where I was and I didn't know what day it was. I actually thought I was in a different country for a few seconds. I had to ask my husband for help figuring things out.

Today is one of those days that I am going to actively encourage a bit of illusion. I'll look at my wheat grass, and know that it is 85 degrees outside. Be thankful that there isn't even more snow coming tonight. Know that my children are in the other room getting ready for school cheerfully. Feel good that my Treasurer's report for tonight's PTA meeting is already completed. Have only happy e-mail in my inbox, not incredibly annoying notes from people who irk me to no end...

Yes. Today I am going to visit la la land.

Anyone want to join me?

It Freaked Me Out

We live in the boonies. Down a private dirt road, in the woods, up a mountain... Kind of secluded.

Last night I was asleep, and around 11 pm was woken by steps outside  on our stairs and a knock at the kitchen door. My husband answered the door, and there was a man and woman in black jackets, "lost". They were looking for a house that was not on our road, and were sorry to bother us so late at night. I watched from our bedroom window,  saw them walk up our driveway with a flashlight, onto our private road, and there was no car.

No headlights, no car engine, no vehicle anywhere, they just disappeared into the darkness. We didn't even see the flashlight after they hit the top of our driveway.

I suppose that there was a perfectly good explanation, but two strangers wandering through our neighborhood in the middle of the (freezing cold) night in black jackets with no car...weird.

We made sure the house was locked up well, called the police and asked them to do a drive through, and Daryl slept downstairs to keep watch. Were we overreacting? Most likely, but I sure felt good knowing Daryl was home, and that he was the one who answered the door. I am also thankful that he is home sick again, I'm not sure I would have felt comfortable home alone today.

And on a completely different note, I had some frozen berries in the freezer, and made a variation of  this muffin today.

Yum.

After the Storm

We had a couple of rough days around here. Two kids with 104 fevers, and a sick husband. A vomiting cat and dog.Throw in a snow/sleet storm, and a couple of sleepless nights, and you get one anxious mama.

Things are looking up today. The kids are getting better, and Daryl is too. I was pretty worried about them.

The sun is shining brilliantly. Everything outside is covered with an icy sheen, it is so very, very bright.

I love the way the sun is shining through our dollhouse windows.


And the daffodils I picked up at the grocery store earlier in the week are finally blooming. Just what I needed this morning.


I've got chili in the crockpot, the washing machine running, and a  shoveled driveway (I tried my hardest to get it done myself but it was sooo heavy. Daryl thankfully felt well enough to finish it up this morning.)

Once I wrap up a few more domestic tasks, I plan on parking myself at my desk and getting crafty. I am feeling the need to complete a few projects, so I can move on to something new.

I am a little surprised to say that this is my 300th post. Time flies when your having fun, eh?