one year wiser.

yesterday marked the day of my birth, another year of life lessons tucked under my belt, the beginning of yet another new and exciting year sure to be filled with lots more to learn.
my day was filled with lots of sunshine, beautiful blossoms, yummy treats, birthday wishes and time with family and friends. lovely, indeed.

today is once again bright with the sun. i can hear the sandhill cranes coming home after a long winter thru my open window. beautiful. they are one of my favorite signs of spring.

a good start to this new year of life.

oh...and i nearly forgot. a new year, a new do. as part of my day yesterday, i chopped my hair short and am loving it.

on another note~i'm afraid i'll be taking a vacation from this space for a yet to be determined amount of time. this computer of mine is old and finicky and i've been in constant fear lately that it will soon crash and i'll lose all of my important stuff...you know, music and pictures and the like. so, i will be shutting it down tonight until i can get some help figuring out how to back everything up(it's been uncooperative so far in this respect)or until someone takes pity on me and digs up an unused computer that needs some love. and so, until then, stay happy and healthy and well. i hope to be back soon!

early riser..

hazel woke me at 345am this morning because she had to go potty(tell me why we're so anxious to get them out of diapers?!) we tried really hard to sleep again but 'twas in vain. we got up and made coffee at 430am(which really felt a bit like 330am due to the ridiculous day light savings business~more on that another time). despite the early rising, it turned out to be an ok day. there were fabulous moments and really rough stretches but alright all in all.

we went for a wonderful walk with dear friends, spent lots of time outside and made it to swimming lessons. we had meltdowns and some yelling and a little bit of sass. all in a day. a typical day. all good.

but now i'm about ready to crash(right after i get this little haze to go to sleep! i mean, really, child!)and prepare for a day of celebration. :)

spring.

spring has definitely taken hold here in wisconsin. the snow is melting leaving dirty, disgusting piles of what was once beautiful, white snow in it's place. there's been alot of rain and a little sun. the trees and bushes are budding and the crocuses are peaking up thru the ground. the promise of thunderstorms, new growth, green grass and sweet smelling flowers is exciting. rather, it will be exciting as soon as i get over the fact that winter is over. no more snowshoes or sledding excursions or snowmen. yes, it's wisconsin and chances are, it'll snow again before the season is done for good. but it's not quite the same as the deep mounds of snow, the cold, crisp walks and the possibility of hunkering down for a snowstorm. i'm just a little disappointed every year to see it go(maybe a little bit more than just a little). but soon, i'm sure to accept it, stick my toes in the mud and embrace the new season. i'm just not quite there yet.

cluck.

i ate chicken tonight.

i've been a vegetarian for something like 19 years but starting tonight....no more. my reasons for being a vegetarian over the years have varied and changed from hardcore animal rights to the environment to health to simply not needing to eat animals to indifference(for years i endured my brothers and their friends mooing at me because they thought they were funny). but after reading this book a couple of years ago, my views began to change slightly. why am i eating fake meat from who knows where and has had to travel who knows how many miles when there's grass fed, organic beef raised in the next town over? and as i move toward a diet focused on whole, nutritious foods, i wonder why i'd eat processed soy products often containing things i don't even recognize instead of free range chicken from down the road. i've thought alot about this for quite sometime and have even heard of a number of cases where eating meat again after being a vegetarian has improved digestive health and well being(which, with my irritable belly, is something i'd be completely for!). and now there's the promise of fresh, local meat and chicken coming to the local farmers' market that i'm helping to organize and i know that this change is something i'm ready for. i feel extremely fortunate to have access to such good, whole foods raised by families so close to my community. but of course, once i have my mind made up, i'm not good at waiting. and so, rather than wait for the market to start, i found some free range, fairly local chicken at the grocery and decided to give it a go.

i make chicken dumpling soup alot. the kids love it and so do i. because, really, who doesn't love dumplings? normally, i make it with a vegetable stock and add the chicken to the kids' bowls instead of to the whole pot(my kids are not, nor have ever been vegetarians). not so tonight. i used an organic, free range chicken stock and added chicken right to the pot. now, i've been a vegetarian for 19 years. i'm aware that adding meat back into my diet needs to be a slow process so that my stomach gets used to digesting it again instead of making me completely sick. for this reason, i really didn't eat any chunks of chicken(ok...just one because luke insisted he wanted to see me eat chicken...it was ok. tasted like chicken :) )but rather picked around them or gave them to the kids. but it was chicken soup made with chicken stock and so far i still feel good. i'd say it's a pretty good start.

(i imagine my brothers may start mooing at me any day now...or perhaps i should i say clucking)

life lessons.

ahhh, my sweet, feisty little girl who is so confident and sure of herself that she'll put her name on it even when she's naughty(but then entirely blame her little sister for it). wouldn't it nice if this trend continued thru the teenage years and i wouldn't ever have to guess what mischief she were up to? but no, she'll learn quickly the tricks of the trade. she'll be a wily one, i can tell. a pro at the quiet, sneaky ways of a teenage girl. and that little sister of hers....talk about wily! i can't even begin to imagine the kind of trouble she'll get into. perhaps it's better that way. i probably won't want to know everything anyway.

biscuits.

this past weekend while at the cottage, my brother and i threw together some very last minute beer biscuits to have with dinner. i hopped online on my phone(craziness, i tell you!)and found a simple recipe. easy, right? they were edible(can anyone tell me why it's edible and not eatible?!?). just barely. since then, i've been craving a good batch. at breakfast, i wish i had some with jam, at dinner with my soup, with honey for a snack. but i just hadn't gotten around to actually making them. until tonight. i used the recipe off the back of this baking powder can. because i almost always love what happens when i use a recipe off the back of a package. they're tried and true. often times, they've been around for years and loved by many. (who doesn't love nestle tollhouse chocolate chip cookies, i ask you?) i substituted beer for the milk, though because, well, because i like beer. and i was not disappointed this time around. they turned out perfectly delicious! a little butter, a little honey and my craving has been thoroughly satisfied. except for the fact that i'm already anticipating having them lightly toasted with some homemade jam in the morning...yum!

sick days.

the past few days have been a jumbled mess of a nasty stomach bug, lots of baths, much needed naps, a ton of laundry and a whole lot of snuggling in an attempt to squish all those germs away. i've been quite literally up to my elbows in bodily functions and aching for my sweet girls toughing it out. the brightness in my day comes in the promise of a glass of wine, some yoga and a hot shower(that is, if there's any hot water left after the baths and laundry!)

also from a fabulous gift from a good friend to cheer a mama in need(thanks alicia!).
and a little girl who happily, immediately devoured and thoroughly enjoyed it.
plus just a little bit of work on a project for a friend in between mad dashes to the bathroom. note to self: wash this before gifting!

i'm crossing fingers, toes and anything else that can be crossed that this is the end of the line for all germs floating around this house(in fact, i have a window cracked on this beautiful day to let them all out!).

hoping you and yours are happy and healthy!

*i'll get to that snowboarding bit eventually!*

the weekend. (for real this time)

the weekend was awesome. really. we played hard and had so much fun. we went skiing, snowboarding(!), sledding and snowshoeing. there were first fishes thru the ice and first times up on skis and snowboards. there were falls and crashes and lots of laughter. there was time spent with cousins, siblings, grandkids and bamma & bampa. we watched the olympics, waited for a tsunami and played games. there were s'mores and homemade ice cream and hot cocoa and good meals. there was lots of sun, a little bit of wind and beautiful snowfall to send us on our way. we were tired and sore and so very happy. we were together(and missed a few, too). it was just what i needed. renewing, energizing, perfect.

more on the snowboarding and skiing tomorrow...with pictures to prove it :)

the weekend.

oh no! there are problems uploading my photos!!! weekending at the cottage will have to wait until tomorrow...

but we played hard, soaked it all up and squeezed in as much winter as we possibly could. more to come tomorrow(fingers crossed that my computer behaves!).

happy march!

the sky is blue. the snow is melting. the air is fresh.

what a beautiful way to start this month.

as much as i hate to say goodbye to winter, the promise of new growth, green grass and flowers beginning to poke thru the warming soil is starting to grow on me. besides, we got in a fabulous, full weekend of winter fun(more on this very soon!)and living here in wisconsin, i'd imagine we'll have a bit more winter yet to enjoy.

happy, beautiful march to you!

north bound.

we're all packed up and ready to head out to let the great northwoods and the sweet, sweet air work it's magic. the sun is shining, the kids are pumped(crossing fingers my little sick one improves as we head north)and i have a little somethin' special to take for my sisters, too.
i can breathe easier already. i'll be back here early next week with lots of goodness and beauty. (wish me luck i get home without any broken bones!)


have a fabulous weekend, my friends!

not yet.

last night, we walked out of swimming lessons to the night sky filled with big, fat, beautiful snowflakes(the photo doesn't do them justice!). they made us all smile. we are not yet ready to bid farewell to winter.

practice.

ok. so, i haven't been around as much as i'd like to. and i had hoped to be introducing my new and exciting etsy shop today, too. well, i'm sorry to say, not gonna happen. not today.

i've discovered that opening shop is overwhelming for me. postal rates and packaging. philosophy and creative process. returns and exchanges. delivery options and shop policies. and witty, creative wording to go along with it all. plus the photos of my products that need to be taken and the business cards that need to get made and on and on. i know that it doesn't have to happen all at once. and i know that it's going to take alot of trial and error. and i'm going to make mistakes and it will get better with time. but i just don't have it in me right now. give me a week or two. i'm working on it.

because here's the bigger picture. i'm having a hard time fitting this into my life. and my life is feeling rather rough right now to begin with. i'm having a hard time making this space a priority when there's so much going on. i wish that it were a priority. and not because i feel like it has to be but because i want it to be. i want to be excited to come here and process and create and communicate. i'm hoping that with practice, it will be. i need practice. practice fitting more into my already busy, crazy life. practice rearranging things to make life less stressful. practice making this work. it's just taking longer than i'd hoped(which, of course, is frustrating which, in turn, makes things more stressful which is frustrating and the cycle goes on...). i'm working on it.

the even bigger picture is that life has been just plain hard the past couple of weeks. but i'm trying really hard to see life in a better light. to see the good in it all. i'm working on letting go of things(both material and emotional)and moving forward. some days i feel as if i'm losing my mind. and some days i feel like giving up altogether. but i don't. i haven't quite lost my mind yet(although some might say that's negotiable)and i haven't given up. because i do have so much goodness and so much to be grateful for. it could be so much worse and it's not. and so i keep on keepin' on knowing that no matter how hard life gets, i have amazing, loving people to turn to and three wonderful, healthy children to love. so much good. so much thanks.

whirlwindy.

goodness, the past few days(ok...like 5 days!)have been a whirlwind of many things. some good, some not so good.

i had sick kids, some deep down, manic cleaning, a celebration of the start of the olympics and some crafting to go along with it. out of town family, in town for the weekend, lots of cooking(chicken dumpling soup and chili~yum!), more cleaning. valentines day and crafting to go along with it(thanks molly and rachel!)and welcoming the year of the tiger(honestly, all i did in celebration of this was a bowl of clementines on the table~for good luck. it's the thought that counts, right?). the weekend was followed by back to school, back to work, more cleaning and a really rough couple of days. and an amazingly supportive group of friends and family who i couldn't live without. how lucky am i?!(must be those clementines :) )

more details on the crafting and cooking to come...

a breather.

ummm...ok, i think i need to stop and breathe for just a second. i seem to be having a little bit of an ADD/OCD problem right now. in the past half hour or so, i've begun at least three different cleaning projects. i started cleaning the kitchen and moved on to cleaning out the fridge and then decluttering the countertops to cleaning out and reorganizing a closet. except i left each one unfinished when i got distracted by the next. all in a matter of a half an hour. does anyone else have this problem? i need a list, i think. i need to make a list and then focus on one thing at a time, right? that's what i'll do. ok...i'm ok now. thanks for listening to my crazy goings on.

is it really thursday already?

my goodness. it's thursday already and although i had many good intentions of being here more this week, i simply did not find the time. our house seems to be a revolving door of sickness this week(sounds as if many are). but i did want to share a couple of projects we've been working on lately.

luke made homemade valentine's for his class party this friday. it amazes me that he's never pushed for the pokeman or superman store bought ones. nope. he's cut and pasted and colored hearts every year and it makes this mama proud. this year he had a little extra help from mom. i remember seeing an idea similar to this last year at this time and can't for the life of me remember where i saw it(apologies to whoever i'm not giving credit to!).

for these super sweet little valentine's sketchbooks, we took sheets of red cardstock and cut them in half twice so that we had 4 pieces. for each piece of cardstock, i cut 5 sheets of plain white printer paper. first i cut 1/2 inch off of one long side and one short side making the full sheet 10 1/2 by 8in and then cut them in half twice. this gave us 4 sets of 5 sheets slightly smaller than the cardstock(tell me if i'm not making sense!).

putting the 5 white sheets centered on the red cardstock, i then stitched straight down the middle. after stitching them, they are easy for the kids to fold in half. meanwhile, luke was busy cutting hearts out of some cute paper which he then pasted on the front of each booklet. so sweet! he later added to's and from's and taped a pencil to the back of each. i think he and i both were quite happy with the outcome.

i've also been working on these but i cheated a bit. i'll admit that when it comes to projects, i sometimes get a little bit impatient. i skip steps and take shortcuts. sometimes i need a project to take up less of my time than it should and if i still am happy with the results, i'm totally cool with cutting out a step here and there. with these, i used felt glue instead of stitching them together. totally cheating but, it's worked so far. granted they're not quite done yet. i'm really hoping to finish them up today or tomorrow so that they're done for valentine's day. my girls have been very excited about them and are even more antsy than i to get them finished and in their hair(where i'm sure they will stay for a good 10 minutes or less!). i'll update once they're done and perhaps even put in a little tutorial on how to make them(the cheatin' way).

one other thing...i think i need to make these! lOve them!

for now though, i must get back to my little sicky girl. a long day ahead of movie watching and snuggling, i think. hope you all are healthy and happy!

the weekend.

ahhh, the weekend. there was some cleaning, some work, a little empanada making(yum!)with little hands helping. there was a walk in the cold, crisp air. a mama get away and a really good movie with really great music. there was time with wonderful friends and too much good food. there was not enough time. but time enough for lots of goodness. hope you all had a beautiful weekend too.

coming soon...a little crafting, valentine making and a new do.

looking forward.

there are days when i think it's going to be a crazy, hectic, give me a headache kind of day and instead it goes super smoothly and everyone listens and gets along. those days are awesome. they make me feel kind of like i really do have my shit together. kind of like i'm super-mom.

other things::
i'm looking forward to a productive but chill weekend at home. i have a long list of projects to get to, cleaning and organizing and a little bit of fun, too.

i want to try making some of these for the girls. so sweet.

because i have incredibly awesome friends, i get to go see this. and i get to see it here. (it's were all the cool people go, you know.) and although i'm not much of a movie goer...i've been so wanting to see this and can't wait!

i have plans to cook up some empanadas and perhaps a little something sweet(as soon as i decide what that might be)for hangin' with friends on sunday. a little superbowl get together of sorts, except we probably won't really watch the superbowl. maybe the commercials. that's what it's really all about anyway, right? well, that and the yummy food and cocktails and good people.

oooo...and maybe a snowshoe, too at some point. goodness, i'll need three weekends back to back to fit everything in! i'll let you know what actually gets done and what fun has been had as we go...:)

happy weekend!

hazey's little feet.

1243am. i couldn't sleep. my ears tuned in immediately when the nighttime silence was disrupted by my littlest one tossing about. i waited. she didn't cry or yell out. but i could hear her fervent search for a blanket and nuk. then the thUmp of her jump(this smallest child of mine never climbs down, only up. always she jumps). little feet pounding in a mad dash for the door as if she is expecting the monster under the bed to be waiting patiently for just this moment. a pause as the door swings open and gently closes(funny that she thinks to close it behind her). and another mad dash to mama's big bed. she climbs up in no time and snuggles in. chilly toes drawn to warm skin. safely wrapped in mama's arms, she's asleep within seconds. our nightly routine.