ruby crowned kinglette

i have a new obsession....

ok, what else is new... i live my life hopping from one obsession to another.

let's see...

genealogy
birding
gocco
embroidery
gardening
photography
dieting (hahahaha, not really)
cooking - well, buying cookbooks anyway
sewing clothes
monitoring spending - but short lived, of course
and now....?
i want a beach cruiser

i won't go near a beach with it - maybe, but i would ride it to work, and back (which is why i need a 3 speed, so i can haul my ass home).  i only have 2 miles to go either way and i think it would be good for me... and the earth.  and! i want it to be orange. not all of the ones i am looking at come in orange, and i suspect that choosing one based on color alone might not be the smartest way to go.  but, my god, a tangerine colored bike with a pink or red basket?  i mean really, why would i consider anything but orange? 

am still considering streamers to fly from the handle bars... but i bet they would be stolen immediately.  streamer stealing bastards....
i have 6 decks of cards and some old clothes pins in the cupboard so i am set there.

this one is the single speed, i would need multiple speeds - you know, so i could make it home without killing myself, or my pride (ha, pride?)

this one, this one is at the tippy top of the list. you can see why, can't you?

this one is pink, i am not sure i can get it in orange, but i can get it in a vanilla color with a saddle brown seat - if i remember correctly. 

and this one is nifty too....

ohhhhhh, man..... thoughts?

book club, mario and advil

last night i hosted book club…  i was going to serve popcorn and beer, and looking back it might have been a better idea, but i would have missed learning a few things, and i always like to learn new things. in fact, sometimes i like to learn things i already know.

or should know.

or thought i knew...

new thing:  if i have read a book in the last year, and it is slated to be read for book club? i have learned that i won't remember to read it again, but do anything else that might look interesting instead. in the end, when there isn't time, wish i had read it... that last little part? i did know that of myself.  i believe that is called regret - i am intimately familiar with regret.

ok, moving on.

learning again thing:  it is very important to read, with some attention being paid to, the entire recipe of an item i am making for the first time...  case in point? mario batali's eggplant caponata.  the picture above are the first several ingredients cooking away in olive oil.  a generous amount of olive oil which is why everything is so shiny and pretty.  so pretty in fact that i became a bit distracted.

i kept adding ingredients, and it was still looking so darned good.  then i added the last three... and although it still looked good, when i tasted it... well, all i could wonder was 'did he really mean to add 3/4 cup of balsamic?', 'maybe it will mellow when it cools', 'maybe it needs to cook off that vinegary taste', and then again, 'did he really mean to add 3/4 cup of balsamic???'.  well, no. actually.  he meant i should add 1/3 cup.  ummmm.  those little eggplant sponges were in no way going to give up all that vinegar. so, i made it again.  it was tasty and really worth making it the second time...

learning again thing:  it is smart for me to make some recipes at least once before serving it to guests.  i didn't have as much success, i didn't think, with the orange tart, capri style.  i had nearly two cups of the custard that didn't fit into the tart shell.  wow!  my eggs were big but not goose eggs for crying out loud.  the custard that did fit to the very tippy top smelled quite good while it burned on the oven floor after slopping over and inbetween the shell and the pan.... nice.

new thing:  seven advil will make me goofy.  four were not doing the trick, so i took three more.  i seem to have hurt my upper back when i hit some golf balls at the driving range about six weeks ago. i keep waiting for it to get better, it keeps staying really tight.  apparently cooking in the kitchen didn't help so it was bothering me last night.  seven advils and a glass of wine helped... my back, not so much my brain.

thing i already knew:  my book club is full of great, wonderful women.  it was nice to be goofy with them, and have them eat my food and expose myself to the idea that i might be a little bit sylvie and have them still like me anyhow....

new thing:  it seems the recipes from my new mario batali's molto italiano cookbook are available through the food network... i don't know if it is all of them, but i wonder if i would have bought the book knowing that they were there?  probably, i love cookbooks, and the photography is so freaking great it almost makes you think you've eaten the dishes before you have prepared them.

new thing & thing i already knew:  jen wondered if it was strange that she had a little crush on mario batali... i said no. because.... if i could have one on kevin james, she could have one on mario batali...

sunshine and goodness

today is supposed to be real nice... maybe 75 degrees nice. that makes me a happy girl.

this morning i didn't sleep in.  it was too nice.  i did lie in bed and wonder what to wear to work though, and didn't come up with much.  i kind of feel i need to honor this first really nice day of the year with something a little bright and fun, but it turns out... i don't have that in my closet. or my drawers. or hanging on the rack by the washer downstairs.  i feel badly. i am feeling like i am letting this spring day down.

i will get over it.  this day is going to be too pretty to let something like that get in my way. 

so, i am off to see what brightness i can cobble together before i head out the door. 

and speaking of doors... this is mine this morning, with the sun shining through, bouncing off the art opposite and reflecting the tulip design in the leaded glass back onto the inside; sun shining where it was never expected to... pretty great, huh?

have a sun filled day, no matter what your weather.

this is what friendship looks like

it was 7:45{am} and i heard a knock on my door.  not a loud one, and i was asleep, so it took me a few moments to realize what i had heard.  i had to lie there and wonder who would be knocking on my door at 7:45{am}. eventually, i rolled out of bed and went to the door, peeked out and saw no one, so then had to stand there for several seconds wondering if i really did hear a knock at my door at 7:45{am}.  i finally opened the thing and there on my little table was a lovely piece of lemony surprise.  i looked up and down the street, and wrapped my robe a little tighter, thinking that, well.... i shouldn't get arrested this morning if i could help it. i grabbed the still warm plate and went inside to call jen and thank her for breakfast.

of course i ate it for breakfast.  i started at 8:00 exactly and it was gone before 8:04.  that might sound to you like i hardly had time to enjoy it, but you would be wrong... i enjoyed it a lot and am absolutely sure it is exactly what i needed.  it is, i am certain, the start to what is going to be a perfectly great day....  the weather is fantastic, and the dalai lama is in town... i mean, really... lemons, the lama and sunshine - how could you go wrong?

ok then, a few things.  first, i hesitate to let people, (you) know i was sleeping at 7:45{am}, seems a bit decadent to sleep in like that... but i am working tonight and worked last night, so i kind of deserved it? right?  second, i didn't actually call jen, i tried though, but didn't have her cell number and i knew she had to be within a half mile of me at the time, so i emailed her and while doing that she called me....  third, eating a lemon tart should be required every sunny friday morning.  jen?  i will plan to be up and have the tea ready next friday at 7:45{am}... just saying.

thanks ann

these will never see the light of day again.... thank you.

-steph

it is entirely possible i am all healed up....

and this is how i know....

• i am sick to death of the food channel* - and the amazing overt sexualization of said food. for crying out loud, i hadn't realized that i now need to buy plunging necklines and a push up bra along with my chicken stock and dutch process cocoa....

• and speaking of that dutch chocolate.... enough with the valentine's day crap already.

• my appetite is back and i am not interested in eating as well as i was hoping i would. we went to trader joe's yesterday and the chocolate covered pretzels are almost gone. i didn't even realize i liked chocolate covered pretzels...

• i took a shower, before 8am!!, and dressed in real clothes. ok, not fancy clothes, but real ones nonetheless, and that included a bra. not a push up bra however... see above.

• i am feeling guilty for all the waiting on me my mom has been doing....

• i am a tiny bit bored....

still looking for the lightening bolt of crafty creativity... it seems i am going to have to work at that with some conscious effort and not just hope it drops into my lap. i knew that, of course, but.... dammit. so tomorrow, i am going to work my way home, the long way. will spend a couple days with my sister and her fiance, hanging out and drinking some wine - because i am off the vicodin - and i want to.... and then home to resume my regularly scheduled programming. back to work again by the end of next week. i think that is doable, and it gives me time to start on some pigs...

i know, the pigs are going to be making a reappearance soon, excellent news, right?



* i don't have cable at home, only what the rabbit ears can grab out of the air - i know, kind of a luddite in that regard, but it keeps me off the far end of the sofa - for the most part....

i am going to miss the vicodin most...

i have been rewarded with the most detailed and interesting dreams because of that excellent drug.  time has seemed to slow down and the things i am dreaming are quite wonderful... very detailed, colorful events and stories - just lovely. 

today, though, i graduate to ibuprofen.  a very good thing really, but now i will have to dream really good dreams under my own power....  all told i have to say that i am doing amazingly well, so a little more dream work on my own seems a small price to pay... 

 

these photos are from my walk yesterday around my mom's neighborhood.  we took my longest yet and went up a couple of hills too.  the sun was shining for the first time in days and it was just beautiful.  today is even lovelier... this convalescing is excellent work.

things went very well....

will add more later, but wanted you to know i am doing great.
thank you, everyone, for your good wishes....

-steph

for corey...

my thoughts are with you....

-s

in 24 hours i have been around the world and back

last week i posted a picture of a cupcake... that quick photo i took, while in the car with jen after our meat meal, had a direct impact on a little girl in finland and i am sure she has no idea why and it doesn't matter.  what does matter is that what seemed fairly insignificant to me at the time made this little girl, through the generous and loving actions of her mother, beam with pride.... isn't that just the best reason in the world for these blogs of ours?

this is her.... isn't she beautiful, and so proud?  amazing that in some small way i contributed to that smile is just the greatest. of course, i could be attributing way too much credit for my contribution...

in the same 24 hour period that cupcakes were made in finland, my blog {and i, sort of} traveled quite a little distance....

usa
los angeles california, kingsport tennessee, lawrence kansas, valley stream new york, minnetonka beach minnesota, houston texas, orting washington, baton rouge louisiana, conroe texas, tempe arizona, minneapolis minnesota, jeffersonville ohio, koloa hawaii, champaign illinois, ravensdale washington, hampton virginia, lexington massachusettes, des moines iowa, medway maryland, new york new york, alexandria virginia, westminster maryland, st. louis missouri, austin texas, ashland kentucky, new orleans louisiana, portland oregon, belmont massachusettes, bothell washington, piscataway new jersey, bethesda maryland, columbus georgia, rochester new york, seattle washington, olympia washington, collierville tennessee, dorr michigan, geneseo new york, phoenix arizona, st paul minnesota, washington dc, pomona california, penryn california, felton california, jacksonville florida, sacramento california, scranton pennsylvania, san francisco california, sanford florida, bremerton washington, medford oregon, northfield minnesota, long beach california, huntington beach california, fremont california, dayton ohio

germany
ludwigshafen, oldenburg, cologne, eshborn, passau, bonn, kaiserslautern, hamburg

spain
barcelona, salamanca, madrid

uk
city of london, brighton, guildford, york, stirling, altrincham, worcester, rochdale, huddersfield, nottingham, liphook, blackburn

belguim
brussels

canada
truro  nova scotia, vancouver bc, toronto ontario, quebec, calgary alberta, quesnel bc, wildwood alberta, edmonton alberta

south africa
pretoria

norway
oslo

sweden
karlskrona, stockholm, mjlby

netherlands
den haag, utrecht, paterswolde, hazerswoude-rijndijk, beverwijk

new zealand
aukland

isreal
nehalim, tel aviv-yafo

russia
city of moscow

portugal
lisboa, braga

denmark
mirkerd

iceland
reykjavk

turkey
istanbul

france
torcy, lyon

australia
canberra, sydney, adelaide, melbourne

finland
turku, jyvskyl, rauma

saudi arabia
riyadh

hong kong

indonesia
surabaya

also pretty darned amazing..... both that i had readers from all over the globe and that i took the time to make these notes. it wasn't quick by the way, not a quick little exercise at all, but still kind of fun.

a futile note to the one person i am sure will never, ever, read my blog

dear person,

at what point in your life did you decide that if you see something you like - or admire - instead of being inspired by it and using it as the basis for creating something of your own ... you should steal it???

with very little love for you or your kind,

-stephanie

i am not even talking about ideas here - i am talking about my fairly inexpensive birdbath. a birdbath, incidentally, that very few birds ever bathed in...ha!
i came home monday after my walk around the neighborhood and realized it had gone missing.  probably over the weekend since there were no tracks in the snow to follow...  i think what really bothers me is that someone came so close to my home and took something which couldn't have been all that easy or quick to take. it had a rebar anchor pounded into the ground to hold it steady - pounded into pretty cold hard ground and between the dish, the stand and the glass flowers it seems it must have taken at least two trips to the get away car.

 

the second thing that i worried about was whether they took the chicken...

they did not take the chicken. if someone takes that chicken? well then, all bets are off. 

this here is the best part about that chicken. his 24" long rebar legs, with knees!....

i found the chicken* in sonoma at the sonoma salute to the arts a few years ago when i drove down with a friend, stayed in her condo there in town, sampled {understatement!} lovely wines and bought questionable art.  it was a great week.

last night while standing in front of our homes, i worried to my neighbor, saying i hoped no one would ever take my chicken. she looked at me with what could only be described as a blank stare.  of course, i realize i really am the only one in the world who loves the chicken - i know because people have told me exactly that.

you would be smart to wonder at this point, with all my love for that chicken, why i don't scrub him clean once in a while.... yep, can't answer that one.

 

*the chicken was sculpted by a kid named hopkiss... i can not find his card, but i know it is here.  while i was looking for it i found a card from a ceramics shop in london that i happened upon 15 years ago, and some business cards from a couple of great restaurants in the hudson river valley from a trip 7 years ago and loads of other stuff too important for me to throw away but what would look like a whole lot of meaningless paper to any one else. 
in the mean time, until i do find that card, here is a link to his mother's gallery.

pruning for spring...

i freaked out a little bit yesterday because we got our work schedules and i only have two days off in the next two weeks.... that means i have a lot to squeeze in, and i have not been very good about squeezing things in lately.

one of those things has been the pruning of the wisteria.  we only had two days of sunshine* last summer so it didn't grow as furiously as in years past. but, it was time to get out there and prune the thing so that all the energy could go to the flowers i want to bloom and not the wild branches that had sprouted all over the place.

there is quite a bit more that needs my attention in the garden, but i think it can wait for a while.  well, shoot, it is going to have to wait, because that is the only option.  besides, when i am ready to get out there again the ground - and air - won't be frozen so it will be easier to spend more than an hour fiddling around without having to shake some warmth back into my hands.

 

so then, the reason that the schedule freaked me out is due principally to the fact that i am going to have surgery on the 6th of february.
 
hysterectomy.
laparoscopic. 
leaving the ovaries.
i am a bit nervous. 
unsuccessfully masking nervousness by being glib.
i know i need it.
but still...

i am kind of hoping too, while i am in my deep sleep on the operating table, that something will trigger and i will wake up with all kinds of creative ideas and the energy to go at them.... i know, it's not advertised as one of the perks of anesthesia, but like i said, i am hoping. 

the plan right now will be to spend two weeks recovering at home. that should give me some time to consider crafting in 2008 as well, and, nothing but good can come of that. also considering convalescing at my mom's house where there will be cable tv, and birds to watch, and computer access, and someone to wait on me and cook for me... hmmm, i am not so certain why i am nervous.  all that sounds excellent, doesn't it?

i think i will go buy some lounging around jammies for the occasion - if i had some time - or energy - i would make some from the lovely tana lawn from liberty that purl soho has... did you see them? they are fantastic...

instead i am going to try to get some laundry done and a little project worked out before i need to go sell a sofa or two...

 

*it seemed like there were only two days..... maybe there were more?

i would not, could not, ever be... a vegetarian

'cause i like meats too much.

lunch today was mighty nice.  in keeping with my promise to take advantage of the city in which i live, i drove downtown and picked up jen on the street corner and headed to pioneer square where we both had ourselves a nice meat sandwich from salumi.
jen had the lamb sandwich, i had the cotecchino and they were good, real real good.

before i picked up jen - from the street corner* - i stopped here and picked up some dessert.  i got a lemon cupcake and a red velvet cupcake. now, i have to say, and i know this is going to hurt some of you... but i don't think i am a big fan of the red velvet.  sure, it looks damn fine, which is why i got it, because i didn't think that the chocolate with vanilla frosting was going to 'look good'** in the box with the lemon one - but, now? i kinda wish i got the chocolate with vanilla frosting because it would have been buttercream frosting and buttercream frosting is just about the best frosting in the whole wide world - especially eaten from the end of your index finger, especially when it is piled high on the end of that index finger.  but they were not serving buttercream from the end of index fingers today so i went with the red velvet.

if i had more self control there would be a photo of the lemon cupcake too, but i don't so there isn't.... enough said.

and for some non-meaty news.... this was on my doorstep this morning.

and look what begins on page 86...

many thanks go to staci dumoski - she contacted me and then kept contacting me because i was incredibly tardy in getting any kind of article to her.  thank you staci, for your patience and making my blog and photos look so great.  it is a lovely honor to be in your magazine. and the best part is that they used my pig tower picture - i love that pig tower picture....

*jen does not actually work the streets of down town seattle, it is just fun to pretend.... well, fun for me anyhow.

**it is real important to look good where cupcakes are concerned...

shadows • light

the morning light, filtered through 80 year old glass. glass with all the imperfections that come from the impurities and bubbles and unevenness inherent in building materials that old.  those imperfections are what make it difficult to see through in perfect clarity but also what make the light so beautiful as it glows against the plaster walls; movement in the stationary.

and then there is this, the transition between here and gone.  ice, cold and hard until warmed by the morning sun light then slowly melting away; the movement of the day.

a new season seemed only hours away on sunday afternoon. each day i lie in bed and listen to the robin and black-capped chickadee greet the morning, but not yet the spring.
maybe tomorrow.

steven brahy, thank you

this is how the story goes.

fifth grade was when we would learn geography for real. when we would learn where the important places lived on a map and i loved it. i was good at remembering where things were and nothing stayed put like a place on map.

so there it was, spring of 1971 and our job was geography, US geography. and not just the capitols either, but major cities and more. i remembered the 'more' part and it was to be key. there was going to be a contest and the prize was lunch at the huddle, wrangell's only burger joint - and on a school day too.  a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake were looming large on my horizon and i was determined....

i studied and remembered and made a point to note major mountains and rivers too.

so then, the day arrived, the quiz was given and everyone, EVERYONE expected steven brahy to be the big winner.  sure, he was the smartest in the class, always the top score, always expected to be the one that got the a's... certainly expected to outdo us all in US geography. except that he didn't.

i did.

by one point.

because i remembered the mississippi river.

 

it was perplexing to steven and the teacher most.  the teacher was steven's best friend's father. a man i remember as being fairly sexist, believing boys were smarter than girls; his son and steven especially.  it fell to this man to congratulate me on my win and take me to lunch. 

here is the crummy part, but the part that should have been expected. he invited steven too. it just wasn't in him to be fair and let me savor my accomplishment, or my burger.

but this is the more important part. i learned on that day that adults were not always fair and that teachers could disappoint. but above all i knew in my heart that girls were as smart as boys and on that particular spring day in a tiny little town in southeast alaska, it was me, and me alone that won that fifth grade geography contest.

and i still pretty much rock at the geography.

from the traveler iq challenge, go on now, go test yourself.

it's official...

apparently i am too hard on myself and i will, from now forward, be granting said self some slack.  thank you...

so then, part of going easy on myself will be to stop hanging around with only my thoughts - my thoughts are too loud and overrated besides - instead, i am going to take advantage of my town and what it has to offer...

already i have begun....

the view from the ferry as it came into seattle from bainbridge island on the first day of 2008.

why i feel nervous on the first day of this new year...

i think it is because of the possibilities... the whole world of possibilities out there and me, here, wondering if by the end of 2008 i will feel like i do right now; realizing another year has passed and those resolutions of 2007 are still waiting to be resolved... ok, all but three*, which i suppose is something. kinda.

the nervous part, the part that makes me want to cry really - and that i find a bit unsettling - is the part of me that doesn't feel i've lived up to my expectations of myself this last year.  i didn't really expect that feeling, and i sure don't like that feeling, but there is no denying it is there.

so then, maybe one two resolutions? to be a little easier on myself and to do instead of say... if i can resolve just that, then 2008 will be a year to celebrate.

 

*by this i mean.... i only achieved success with three of these resolutions. yep, just three.

i want to spend money somewhere other than my local drug store....

so then,

• three boxes of tissue (lotion infused, because if there was ever a better invention i am not aware of it...)

• two packages of ricola throat lozenges - original flavor

• one package halls throat lozenges - honey and something or other flavor

• one package of generic brand sudafed - over the counter formula to thwart the meth addicts...

• one package of official sudafed, from behind the counter - (the purchase of which made me feel like a meth addict for all the information they took....)

• one bottle of cough syrup - non codeine infused because, well, i was working and that seemed like a bad idea, and... i am not sure the pharmacist would have sold it to me anyhow....

• two boxes of theraflu - the new formulation, unattractive to meth cookers

• two envelopes of theraflu  - the old, meth cooker attractive variety that i found in my cupboard...

• vick's vapor rub one night, on my chest and under my nose - stung, boy did it sting, because even though i am using that lotioned tissue, i have been blowing my nose a lot...

• gargled with salt water - one time too salty as i was pretty sure my tongue was floating therefore making it more difficult to gargle very effectively

• lots of tea, hot water with orange, vitamin c tablets and advil....

• wine two nights, gin and tonics one other night, because - well, a girl has gotta live...

AND I AM STILL SICK!!!! with a wicked case of laryngitis which turns out to be more alarming than sexy....  i am hoping that time will cure this as nothing else has seemed to do the trick.

giving thanks, saying thanks and just plain being thankful

• thank you, to everyone who commented and emailed me about losing chettie - your thoughts were so sweet and so needed and so much appreciated.
• thank you, for thinking of me, even when i was too caught up in my own life to let you know i was thinking of you too - because i was.
• thank you, too, for not canceling your bloglines 'subscription' to my little spot here on earth

and then, more to be thankful for*...

•scrabble •csa boxes and a good friend to share it with •a wonderful friend who sends me apples in the mail •family who loves me, even when pushed •music played over and over and over again •neighbors who don't (seem to) mind •my sense of direction •an old boyfriend (but only because he taught me how to play cribbage) •friends •having a job no where near my refrigerator •sweaters •a good haircut •comets •the roto-rooter water jet guy who charges a lot but is good natured about it •the internet •birds •orthotics •my excellent sense of humor •medical insurance •open windows •joanne's pumpkin pie •pilot pens •green tea •dogs •cats, but not as much •possibilities

have a happy thanksgiving everyone.

*an incomplete list; obviously

reflection

i am starting to feel a little bit more relaxed.  still no crafts though, although that oyster shell with the rock attached is a candle i made several years ago... it has it's oyster shell lid on it too; one of many great treasures i have found on the beaches of lopez island, my head bent downward looking, looking....

the photo was taken a few nights back, after a $100 trip to the liquor store... made myself a very tasty margarita(s).... it was a day off the next day and i was celebrating my first sales - i think i will be just fine at my new job.

crafting? soon, i think, very soon.

 

yes, i am still here....

still kind of getting used to my new life, and working on finding the perfect shoes (i don't think those exist frankly...).  but, i do have two days off in a row so maybe i can get back on a blogging schedule - and a crafting schedule too because i haven't done any of that and i am missing it big time.

thursday • white/brown/black

today is supposed to be better.... i hope so because 98 degrees is not what i signed up for.

wednesday • green

morning light coming through just about the only opening to the outside world. 

it is hot, hot, hot and i have shut the house up in an effort to fight against the sun. this though is the light through the front door as i tried to encourage the cool morning to air run in and freshen the house before another warm day sets in.

a week of color....

another week of color inspired by andrea over at hula seventy.  i missed yesterday, yesterday was yellow.... today? today is turquoise (or blue), i chose turquoise.

i start a new job today. i am nervous, and excited and relieved; as you might imagine, being self-employed isn't all that easy. the stress of not being able to pay bills or have medical insurance is tiresome, and as a full blown, damned near, middle aged (if you accept that i will live until 91) adult it is just downright depressing. as of today, i am turning over the responsibility for marketing and scheduling and a timely paycheck to someone else in exchange for peace of mind and a full compliment of benefits.  i see some relief and good sleeps in my future.

that said, it will be a busy week getting used to the transition so a week of color seems expertly timed.  one day soon i will actually return to some crafts.... but this week i will be too busy, too tired and too hot.

cousin dating is, is not okay*

hi there.... i am still out here, but super busy.

i am leaving in 24 hours for a workation to the central oregon coast and i have lots to do before i go, and have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off doing things already - one of those things was not planning my schedule very effectively....

i want to thank each of you who responded to my 'blue' post, with the notion that the feeling wasn't all that foreign to most of you.  of anyone in the world i knew that this blog community would understand.  once i formulated my thoughts i couldn't not post about them and that action alone helped me relax a little and give myself some room.  i certainly owe many people personal emails and thanks; i am hoping that i will get to them while i am gone.

i am bringing my camera with me, the binoculars, the sewing machine, and a million other items including the dog and my first delivery from a local csa.  so much stuff, in fact, that i will be renting a bigger carbon footprint to drive it all down there. 

pictures to come over the next week or so, hopefully a few posts, some rest, beach combing, and lots of work too....

thank you to everyone who comes by to read about me and my little corner of the world. you are an amazingly wonderful community to be a part of and i am very grateful to you all.

those stacks of linens up there are from an amazingly wonderful woman, jude of spirit cloth. i am very late in posting about all the beautiful linen she sent about a month ago, i am taking this with me too because i think i might just have a little quilting in my future.  aren't they just the greatest piles of flax?  thank you again jude, it was incredibly generous of you and such a spectacular package to have received.

*this was the comment from a spammer this morning... i am toying with the idea of comment verification - i have had some spam lately, but i don't like the crazy verification either and if these are the gems that might be left for me then i would hate to miss them. and, it is good advice too.... just saying.

out of the blue

i can’t be anonymous. i am anxious to be noticed, to be taken seriously, to be counted.

i can’t be insignificant.  i have to offer what I know, i have to contribute. i don’t want to leave having not made a difference.

i am not content.  i am inspired by too many things, too many people, by what i haven’t yet imagined.

i feel inadequate. i feel overwhelmed. i feel simple, unoriginal, insecure and insincere.

i have ideas, thoughts, visions that i can feel, that i can almost touch. at the tip of my tongue, at the top of my head, at the front of my brain. but i can’t reach them. i don’t know how to get to them, i can't seem to let them out, to release them.

i want to accept that who i am is who i am, that what i do is what i do, that what i do is who i am.

i feel that i have lived half my life and i am just beginning.

i know there isn't a guide book, but there must be a path?

really? REALLY?

i don't know what the article says, i certainly don't know what it has to say about me.  what i do know is that the second i read this i rolled my eyes and got up to get myself another glass of wine...

i am considering a move.

from the current issue of o magazine, page whatever.

red friday

it's the last day of 'colour week'.  thanks julie.  i love these world wide participations... it is always so great to see how everyone interprets colors and themes.  these glass flowers showed up in my bird bath one week, the robins don't seem to mind... one day i will have to remember to ask amy and gary (my neighbors) if they offered them up.  and, these too are right by the steps up to the front door.

 

yellow thursday

more color within 5 feet of my front door... so far, everything this 'colour week' has been right around the steps into my house, who would have guessed? 

tomorrow? red.

pink wednesday

in honor of julie's 'colour week'.... this ranunculus also graces the entrance to my house this season.  such beautiful flowers with their dark, dark centers.

tomorrow? yellow.

green tuesday

it's another day of 'colour'.... today, the fresh, young green leaves of the japanese maple outside my front door.

tomorrow? pink.

turquoise monday

this week i will be taking part in julie's colour week. come and join in the fun.  if you don't have a blog you can still play, all you have to do see how many turquoise things you can spot today....

tomorrow? green.

and the winners are....

thank you so much for all the wonderful blog birthday wishes and for all the lovely things you said about me and my blog.  it really has been a great year.

so, without further ado. the winners are...

• the wonderful bethany at bitter betty blogs - one little pouch, coming your way!
• the very spirited sonya at knitsonya - one little pillow, coming your way!
    and....
• otis's very talented mother at shiso mama - the other little pillow, coming your way!

congratulations girls! and thank you again for a fantastic year.

celebrating one year!

well, how do you like that? it has been one year.  one year since i worried myself almost sick about whether i would fit in, have anything to contribute or be able to write anything anyone would want to read.  i am over that.  quite quickly, in fact. i decided, if i tried to make this blog beautifully written and have something pithy to say in every post then i wouldn't be posting very often.  and therefore, it is ........ me. just an online version of me, but really just plain old me.  i worried too, that i would run out of inspiration and get bored with the whole idea. that has not been the case, not even for a second.

and you all are the reason for that.

thank you everyone, who has come by to read, maybe even commented or become my friend this last year.  you have brought such great pleasure and inspired me in more ways than i can count.  so, in an effort to show my appreciation i have made a couple pillows and a zippered pouch out of this wonderful linen print and if you leave a comment i will throw your name in the ring. 

thank you again. i have met such wonderful, great, inspiring, and talented people because of this blog. if i had even a hint of what was to come i wouldn't have worried at all.

and oh yes.... sneaking in those extra two post worked beautifully and here we are at post number two hundred!!!!

two days at the beach

every time i go to visit debbie and tom on lopez i wonder why i don't do it more often....

this is why i need to do it more often.

 

some more photos here.  i of course gathered a bunch of rocks but since i walked on the ferry with chettie i decided to leave them on lopez for now and get them later.... and, one of those beach rocks was an agate.

wow, even the pig thinks i am not living up to my full potential...

this is going to be a very long year.

what if we had a paperless society?

well, it would be tragic.... that's what i think.

yesterday's mail had some very nice paper products in it.  first, there was a valentine card from debbie, who is the absolute best at sending cards to her friends.  i am the absolute worst, hands down, period. the worst. second was a little candy package from bethany, with a pretty glitter card.  i was walking out of the house last night on my way to drawing class, thinking to myself... 'i want some candy' and, voila!... there it was, waiting for me from bitter b herself. it was perfect.  then... some postcards i ordered.  i decided to test run an order to see if i would like the idea of a postcard.  well, i would have liked it a lot better if i had sent them the correct instructions.  the text on the back is upside down... so i consider it a bust in that regard, but otherwise i kind of like it.  i used one of my photos from risa's tea party. 

and then finally...

i got my moo cards!  there are more over here. i like them quite a bit; they are almost like little candies.

i love this kind of thing...

while looking at my stats. yes, i have obsessive tendencies....  ok, while looking at my stats i noticed this... isn't that lovely?  i also love it when the odometer reads numbers that are the same front to back and back to front.  but, usually i am a few miles off when i look, then i try really hard to remember to notice in say... 9 miles, but i always then remember in..... 12!  helps to keep driving interesting, and stats checking too...  imagine how i might celebrate in the next couple months when i hit 100,000 miles... or in the next couple of days when this rolls to 30,000 - wine will be involved in both cases...

obsessively obsessing is my new obsession

a couple things i have learned since beginning my blog... if you tell me i am funny you will have a friend for life, AND it will go straight to my head...  and then, THEN, i begin to believe everyone will enjoy my irreverent and self-deprecating sense of humor which is a hard one to pull off over the internets.  attempts like that, especially after a glass (or two) of wine, late in the evening are just plain dangerous.

i have been obsessing about a stupid comment i left on someone's blog, it was meant to be funny, but i called her neurotic!  NEUROTIC! how in god's name, since i don't know her, can that be funny? AND! she had said some very nice things about me!!!  i couldn't find an email address to send a note directly so thought this would serve a dual purpose; to apologize for my poorly conceived comment and to remind myself that it is smart, really smart, to think more than three seconds before sending a message.

Laurie, i am so sorry if my comment hurt your feelings in any way, i didn't mean for that, but i can certainly understand if it did... please accept my apology and know that i really like your blog, your writing and i am sure your projects should you ever find your camera.

 

and then, in a very tiny voice i say.....'birders rock!'.

chocolate makes my eyelids sweat...

and other things people searched for on the internets and found themselves at my site... i have bolded the ones that i thought funny in one way or another.  i think i'm going to have to make a little section about the ruby-crowned kinglet since there are quite a few people looking for information that come here and then don't find anything... and imagine this! since winning the enormous sum of one hundred million great britain pounds several people have come wondering.... 

‘stephanie’s plastic canvas’ • fancy feeling phlox • ruby crowned kinglet • vulture origami • photoshop tutorial paint "bird feathers" • orzo and scallion • origami vulture • Freshy's Blueberry Pie • "gave up coffee" • james james morrison morrison weatherby george mcgee • why does apple trees have so much blossoms and few apples • avocado orzo salad • stuff that grows on wines • espalier tree against porch • how to care for astors • how did mary emmerling get started • ruby-crowned kinglet song • david hasselhoff jacket with lights • orzo salad- appearance • "saw sade" -de -marat -marquis • "met the hoff" • oxiclean tablecloth stains • david hasselhoff, leather jacket with lights • hasselhoff jacket lights • stephanies baby photos • apples • feeling-PHLOX • FAMOUS DESIGNER RUBY • john hiatt • Peonies • how do you spell pollenate • akira blount sale • "akira blount" workshop • Coloring Page of a Ruby Crowned Kinglet • hiccup random • print gocco club • (What do Ruby- crowned Kinglet birds eat)? • looking for wool blankets • old woolen blankets • mary emmerling's chicken pot pie • paris france black and white • laurel hedge tennessee • thrifting • ruby kinglette • zilch • lucky number thirteen • *how much water does a Ruby crowned kinglet drink a day? • how much space does a ruby crowned kinglet need • where do ruby crowned kinglet find water • RUBY CROWNED KINGLET • craft idea using embroidery hoop as bin for sewing supplies• what does a ruby crowned kinglet eat • ceramic hippo • thrift shop blanket • color sly lash • "serious pie" tom douglas • "James James" took good care of his mother • ruby crowned kinglet autumn photographs • daschund gate • books, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet • chettie seattle • pose palm ubuntu â∫‘ÿ • suppliers Dream Big Pillow with Disappearing Ink Pen • gocco projects • black and white france • artists+who+drew+sweetie+wrappers • pink hydrangeas • ruby-crowned kinglet plush • felt crafting • animation of a ruby crowned kinglet bird • love birds • birdbath • Paperless Society • needle sculpting • apples • Flower zipper slides • Pistachios • birdbath garden • shame • birthday sister thoughts • felt birds • daschund tattoos • zippered wood turned vessels • philosophy blueberry pie • hop skip jump quilt • fireweed honey gift set • 4.5 zipper slides • spelling of stephanie in Italian • ruby crowned kinglet seattle blog • handbags "made of zippers" • pistachio nuts old spoil • secret button • bird hand stitched from wool felt • paper crafting for red hat society • koolhaas bag • ceramic hippo with birthday hat • poetry +"though he was only three" • stephanie sykes ruby crowned • cookie making • "fly like a sparrow" • sandrine in introducing • poly-fil old man pattern • yikes • christmasee  games • wendysquilt • rum soaked cherries • ruby glass coasters • sticky thimbles • eight original crowned reindeer • what do ribbon cookies look like? • lampshade dress embellishment cancan • is an apple ever too ripe for making a good pie • steph Blair • some of the things like and dont  like about my    neighborhood • store window rats trap paris, france • Kirkland (Costco brand) Detergent  ok? • what is chicken scratch drawing • anchorage snowfall record october 2006 • thrift blanket • ditty bag tutorial • felt reindeer pattern • lopez island wool felting needle • rickie lee jones torrents •:+44 (704) 570 0689 • ackord james blount • frustration test • felted bunnies • one million Great Britain pounds • Brockley, London United Kingdom+Microsoft and MSN • storage bin for dmc floss • 100,000.000.00 (One Hundred Million Great Britain Pounds) • Begining of the year lucky email selected draws • Pennies found • contests for the best parallel parker of cars • ruby, zip/zip not found • "new best recipe" • how to make a "button tree" buttons fabric cone • jeff hanks, lopez • stephanie rudolph • microsoft gives out millions of pounds • bessie craft blog • zilch nada • brake dust colors • forty three • marbling on wood • chocolate makes my eyelids sweat • "ice fog"

i really wanted to find the person wondering about using old apples for a pie... YES! the answer is YES! and about the parallel parking contest?  they shouldn't even bother entering... i would win in a heartbeat.

even a virtual tea party takes work

getting ready for a virtual tea party is no snap.  if you do it like i did, it will take you two days.
 

these are things i considered when planning to attend a virtual tea party...

    • what should i make?
    • what tea cup should i use?
    • what tea should i drink?
    • do i talk about tea? no, i like it, but i don't really know it.
    • do i show the tea pot i use everyday? i did that once already so i think i should use another...
    • do i use and feature more than one of my hotel silver tea pots? what ones?
    • where are they???
    • do i polish them? no, good god, no.
    • what food? cookies? a little cake? scones?
    • oh, tea sandwich would be good... egg salad for sure, that sounds so good...
    • do i have anything pretty to put on top? oh, wouldn't caviar be GREAT??
    • no! don't go buy caviar...
    • boil the eggs, and wonder why this carton of eggs has such pale yellow yolks...
    • where is there going to be good light to take pictures?
    • will it be weird to take my tea stuff outside to the snow?
    • it is cold, so this will have to be quick... ha!