Finally Friday

OK, I've puttered and re-sized and noodled a bit. Now it's looking a bit tidier here. Off to the outlet stores tomorrow in search of shoes....then, mayhap, to clear off the desk and do a bit of crafting. Ideas for some creatures are dancing in my head; let's see if I can get them past the imagination stage.

More on these stories as they develop. Watch this space. (I'm not sure what it will look like when next you come to call, but please stop by again soon!)

Oh wow.

Ye Gods, what have I wrought?

I just wanted a new header, not one that would eat my entire title page.

Back later to fiddle.

smitten

I'm in love.

We met last year, shortly after I moved to this tiny house. It was a fairly quick infatuation on my part, fading somewhat as the days shortened and winter crept in.

Now it's spring again, and everyone knows just where a young woman's fancy turns lightly to in spring. As Charles Schultz says, oh-so-eloquently,

*sigh*.

Pacific Dogwood has captured my heart. Everywhere I look this month, those pale creamy or soft, rosy bracts are bobbing in the breeze, or bejeweled by the light rain, jostling and waving in an all-too-successful attempt to capture my eye. They are so compelling that I am stooping to deceitful behaviour. Last weekend in the early evening, I unabashedly lied to my dear husband. I told him that I was going to sit out on the patio with glass of wine to enjoy the lingering daylight. Hah! A likely story.

In fact, I was eager to spend more time gazing at the tall specimen in our yard. It's come into bloom (into bract?), and is beauteous to behold. I noticed last year that the crows were actually breaking off thinner branches; for nest building, I suppose. Our tree appears a bit slighter this year. Perhaps I'll need to shoo away those meddlesome corvids.

I was delighted to find that my 1990 World Book classifies my crush as Cornus Muttallii. A fitting moniker, I thought gleefully, for a Dogwood. Moments later, modern-day technology disabused me of this whimsical notion and gently corrected the species name to Cornus Nuttallii.

Drat. I think I'll stick with old book knowledge on this one. I prefer the prior designation.

bb makes me feel like Cary Grant in "To Catch A Thief"...the stuff she blogs is really tempting, and unlike him, I can't resist stealing it.

bb makes me feel like Cary Grant in "To Catch A Thief"...the stuff she blogs is really tempting, and unlike him, I can't resist stealing it.

That and the fact that I'm still coming out of a bad slump and am too lazy to be creative right now.

a meme from the Crazy Mom

1. Do you like bleu cheese? No.
   
2. Have you ever smoked? No.
   
3. Do you own a gun? No.
   
4. Favorite type of food? Crunchy things.
   
5. Favorite type of music? Lots-.
   
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Needs to be a well-done one with mustard and sauerkraut, please. (My dad has been known to eat them raw....ugh!)
   
7. Favorite Christmas movie? It's a Wonderful Life.
   
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Some form of coffee with 1/2 & 1/2.
9. Can you do push-ups? Can I ? Yes. Will I? I'd rather not.
   
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding rings.
    
11. Favorite hobby? words.
    
12. Do you have A. D. D.? Nope.
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Glasses.
    
14. Middle name? Ann.
    
15. Name three thoughts at this exact moment: I want Cheez-Its. We need to dye the eggs. It's cold.
    
16. Name three drinks you regularly drink: Water, milk, coffee.
    
17. Current worry? Long work week ahead.
    
18. Current hate right now? Now, as ever, lima beans.
    
19. Favorite place to be? Home.
    
20. How did you bring in the new year? Quietly.
    
21. Someplace you’d like to go? Ireland.
    
22. Name three people who will complete this. Liz....
23. Do you own slippers? Just uber-thick socks.
    
24. What color shirt are you wearing? Springy-green.
    
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No.
    
26. Can you whistle? Yes. With and without the use of fingers.
    
27. Where are you now? In the office.
    
28. Would you be a pirate? In a perfect pirate world, yes.
    
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? Can't recall the last time I did that.
    
30. Favorite Girl’s Name? Emma.
    
31. Favorite boy’s name? Sam.
    
32. What is in your pocket right now? Lint.
    
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Marion's morning joke.
    
34. What vehicle do you drive? A PT Cruiser.
    
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Bitten in the face by a dog. Don't like German Shepherds much.
    
36. Do you love where you live? Yes and no. It's an evolving relationship.
    
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 1.
    
38. How many computers do you have in your house? 3.5.
    
39. If you changed your job, what would it be? Baker.
    
40. If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? Stealing again from bb: Health, wealth and happiness.

old meme

Blog maintenance has turned up this one from last May.
Answers from now.


What are your current obsessions?
James May
chocolate
birds

Which item from your wardrobe do you wear the most often?
Work wardrobe: my red, insulated raincoat
Life wardrobe: my Lee Valley sweatshirt in a chocolatey-grey-brown
(check out the catalogs; you won't be sorry)

What's for dinner?
Hellifiknow. Steak?

What is your greatest fear at the moment?
Anything happening to my family

What are you listening to?
ELO "Showdown" (thanks, Pandora)

If you were a god/goddess what would you be?
Unemployed and fairly unfettered, Zeus willing

What are your favourite holiday
Halloween

What is your guilty pleasure?
HGTV shows
James May fan website

Who or what makes you laugh?
My Dad, my dear husband, my girlie, my old dog, Hazel my !amazing! co-worker

What is your favourite spring thing to do?
Revel in flowers, especially bulbs here in the NW-daffodils, crocus, hyacinths

Where are you planning to travel next?
YES!
Maybe Europe this summer?

What is the best thing you ate or drank lately?
An icy Rolling Rock beer and a slice of rosemary bread, although I had
a crab cake last night that was yummy, too

Who was your first ever crush?
Craig in 4th grade in Glenview, Ill. Dark hair and glasses. Mmmmm.

What is you favourite ever film?
tough question
don't tell anyone, but one of them is
Valley Girl
(it was before Nicholas Cage got his teeth fixed, and he was gorgeous....)

What is the biggest life lesson you've learned from your kids?
Be flexible, and make sure they've slept, eaten and pooped recently

What song can't you get out of your head?
Pretty much anything ELO

What book do you know you should read but refuse to?
Silent Spring

What is your physical abnormality/abnormal physical ability?
Hmmmm.. I can cross just my left eye...

What is your favourite color?
grey

DISCLAIMER: I am not tagging. Do it if you want. Don't if you don't. Whatever.
The rules of this meme are as follows:- Respond to and rework the meme.- Answer the questions on your own blog.- Replace one question and add one question.- Tag 8 people.

Birthday panda

panda again
Originally uploaded by kamsarmer

Keychain/luggage tag for my friend Hazel.

Turned out pretty well!

stolen from bb

things I like:
crisp weather outdoors calling for big sweaters
my dog looking like a bear in his curly winter coat
Irish whiskey, neat
James May

not so much:
the new moon movie
folding laundry
some parts of work

things I saw yesterday:
puddles
a sweet smile on a bus-riding friend
my favorite yogurt

things that are wearing out quickly:
my work pants
darkness at 4PM

my radio stations on Pandora:
ELO
The Kinks
The Hawaiian War Chant
The Beatles (for the girlie)
Careless Love
Brad Paisley
Harry Connick Jr

electronic gifts I might not refuse:
a Wii
an iPod
an iPhone

problems my car is having:
I think it misses me as I'm walking to the bus lately

things to be happy about:
rain boots
roast potatoes
steady work with benefits and paychecks
my dear redhead and girlie

It's cold and it's damp

The suet feeder was lying in the yard next to the front porch when we came to look at the house. I'd always wondered what kinds of birds were drawn to a suet feeder, so of course, I took it as a sign that we ought to rent the place. We did.

Flickers, chickadees, juncos, and nuthatches. The crow who tried it out this last weekend was dark and glossy and incredibly suave, save the leaf caught on his back left claw. As he tried to look cool hanging from the feeder, it flapped quite garishly, like toilet paper caught on a lady's high heel. Silly crow.

Here is proof of some knitting, my dog, the wall over my desk and a link to other photos of things in my backyard, if you're interested.

Something

Figured I'd better have one of George's songs as the title to this post. After much wrangling, we've wrested photos from her phone (my camera battery died just before the big day).

I think she makes a smashing mop-top, how about you? I made the guitar and have firmly decided that cardboard is my new medium. I love that she still lets me participate in her costumes.

Her George mimicry and the batch of perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds were the crowning delight of my Halloween this year.

I have some fall photos to post and will try to do so soon. That includes *GASP* knitting which will be blocking tomorrow as I very happily take a Friday off.

Hope all is well with you!

Thanks, Lizzie!

What Would Happen Then

A bird, bright and quick, blue with livid streaks,

would arrive on the windowsill, as official harbinger, and then.

The low would be raised up,

the sneers crushed under their own bricks,

the teeter-totter would cease to choose sides

and sit in peaceful sway on its fulcrum

The kiss that had been held back

all those years at last would release

into the mouth in flood.

And why not would replace all other dicta,

but gently, as a sunlit nudge.

By April Bernard from Swan Electric

"..sometimes, you get what you need..."

Ever since I started crafting, I gazed in admiration at the walls of cool stuff others had in their work areas. Mind you, I loved using my kitchen table, but it wasn't MY space ( and I know that you know what I mean.)

Well, my dear redhead has disassembled a corner desk that we had and made a long, "L" shaped desk that we can both use. He has the bottom of the "L" and I have the long area. I'm still sorting my craft boxes (read "crap" boxes in DH-speak), and I have pared down, but I'm getting to the home stretch. I had a few dollaroons left on a Michael's card, and I splurged on some cork wall squares for my wall.

More photos to come in better light showing how they look with some of the beginning stuff in place!

Here's where we went

sand
Originally uploaded by kamsarmer

Moclips beach. Nice.

a little list

It's Saturday. Here's why I haz a happy right now:

*cello practice happening in the living room
*chocolate zucchini muffins cooling in the kitchen
*first day of vacation..WHEEE!
*off to ocean tommorow
*back from ocean for home-time for part of vacation...YAY!
*Mr. Smartypants sitting beside me
*birds who have FINALLY figured out that there's more than one feeder in the backyard
*lovely neighbor to watch the Welshie while we're away
*new craft desk built by Mr. Fix-It (one of Mr. Smartypants' multiple personalities)
*this lovely pattern which I think I'm going to noodle with for beach knitting
*an end in sight to boxes from the move

more later!

Chocolate Maths

Nicked from Norma:


YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH


DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!

It takes less than a minute .



Work this out as you read .

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1759 ..
If you haven't, add 1758..

6... Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number

The first digit of this was your original number
(i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).





The next two numbers are ...........






YOUR AGE!

Well, I'm peeking out from behind boxes to see if anyone's still there.

Hello-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!

We are making the final push tomorrow; heading back to old rental house to clean and tidy so that we can get all of our $$$$$ back. Then we can really start settling into new casita. It is a true casita, tiny and very sweet. The backyard is still uber-dreamy to me.

We've even had our first houseguest, sorta-kinda. He visited from the sun-baked desert-lands, and though he slept at Seth's folks' place, we had lots of fun showing him the town while he was here. Hoping he'll be back soon on a more permanent basis.

Work is busybusybusy, and the best boss in the world gave me tomorrow off for the big cleaning. Whatta doll.

Hope all is well in your corner, whoever is still reading this.

Crafting will resume once I have a flat surface to work on.

Ooh, my kind of game!

Go play!

What's up?

Last Thursday, I volunteered as a chaperone for an overnight zoo trip with about 42 6th graders. Very cool. We entered the zoo as they closed for the night, and did some behind the scenes tours. Between the girls texting late into the night and the boys ostensible water-fountain trips (actual reconnaissance missions to check out the girls), not much sleep was had. One of the teachers and I got fed up around 1 AM and wandered over to the boys area and just LOOKED at them. She whispered to me, "You know, if these kids were smart, they could be meeting up in the bathrooms". I like her. More tours in the early AM before general opening. We had great folks leading the tours, and I got the marshmallow group to chaperone--they were fabulous kids.

I have proof that my husband actually does listen to me at times; he found our new house! It was a brand-new listing, we were the first people to see it, and it's terrific. Smaller than where we are, but with a back yard that reminds me of every lovely park I've ever seen. It's ginormous, and the house is very, very welcoming and cozy. So happy.

shadows and a bit of my new red front door

new backyard

Centraal Station Antwerpen gaat uit zijn dak!

Wow.

Saturday

We had a good time at Kelsey park Farm.

April catch-up post

Oh my, time does fly. We've just found out that we will be moving and so are house-hunting. Yay.
Finally got tired of seeing the same page pop up when I go on-line so here is a mish-mash of:

Easter food
crafty mess
Dog Mountain Farm visit

More details when I have regained my will to blog (and blab).