A Little Late Link Love

So, the joke in my house is that DH loves BIG things. I once asked him for a big frying pan for Christmas, and he took me very seriously. I can’t use any of the other burners when that thing comes out. His wheelbarrow is legendary in this neighborhood for being bigger than a compact car. So, how loud do you think I laughed when I saw this in one of my favorite catalogs?!!

As for me, I’ll take a rocker with a little whimsy.

I’d love to make a set of these blocks.

I love flip flops, so of course this caught my eye.

Everywhere I turn of late, salted caramel seems to be popping up. These sound mighty good!

These are adorable! And who cares about accuracy?!

I’d love to try my hand at one of these for one of my girls. Seems too good (easy) to be true.

Sorry for the late post and a smaller than usual list. Lots going on around here this week.

For Today

Outside my window…..  is a clean palette.  Thanks to my good friend and neighbor Mr. Al, I was connected with a wonderful handyman who cleaned up and weeded all of my flower beds on Saturday.  It makes a huge difference in how I feel when I pull up to this house! Now to find the time to plant my seed!

I am  thinking...about tomorrow- K’s Senior Awards Ceremony.  How on earth can this be?!  I’m happy that both of of my other kids will be able to be here to attend with me.

I am thankful for...my lovely weekend away, and the sweet way the girls had looked after things at the house to make my homecoming pleasant.

From the kitchen….the cast iron skillets are being re-seasoned after making these which were to die for!!!!

I am wearing.. comfy black pants, green shirt that is my “uniform”- I think almost every time I’ve had my picture taken in the last two years I am wearing this shirt!!

I am going...to miss The Biggest Loser!  It had become our little family ritual- the one tv show per week that I watched.

I am reading...  nothing!  Finished and in between books.  I was about to start on something from my pile, but heard today that Little Bee is our book group book for next month so I think I will hold out for that one.

I am hoping...to live in the moment over these next couple of weeks as I have many many things to accomplish.  I don’t want to miss any of it by thinking about the next thing.

I am hearing...my son cheering for a ballgame in the living room.  Nice to have him home!

Around the house...things are stacked everywhere for K’s graduation party on Sunday.  Just a simple open house, but my memory is so poor that I am setting things out as I get them or remember them and it’s piling up!

One of my favorite things...is about to end- attending functions at the Brown School.  What a wonderful experience we have had there, and it is odd to think that our functions there are winding down.  So many good memories there.

A few plans for the rest of the week…Taking C to his summer job at Camp Loucon on Saturday.  Sunday is the Open House for K.  And then Tuesday!!! is the big graduation day. 

Here’s a picture for thought I am sharing-

Check out all of those pretty purples!  The radishes are called Easter Eggs,  the spring onions are sweet, even the kale stalks looked pretty today.

Today I have joined with other women who are choosing to linger on the simple things on Tuesdays through The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Vacation from myself

Feeling Sorry for Myself -- Charles Harper Webb
I start with a groan, swelling to a moan,
rising to a keen, ascending
to a shriek that tapers off in a thin wail.
I hug myself and, whimpering,
rock back and forth on my heels.
No one has ever known such sadness.
No one can grasp how I feel.
I smash an egg over each eye.
I smear my face with coal and pepper.
I wear a paper bag soaked through
with spoiled watermelon and pork grease.
I shred my happy past - my books,
pictures, and poems, published or not.
I'll never fly fish again.
I'll never make love again.
I'll never sit outside and watch night
stretch its starry tent over the sky.
There will be no more metaphors.
I am more sorrowful than a sorrowing man.
Life has no more meaning to me
than a life without meaning.
My heart slows. My blood congeals
to brown, vein-clogging mush.
My stomach goes on strike; my colon
bars its door. People assume
I'm terminal. They imagine what
would make them feel the way I look,
and project their paltry problems onto me.
As if they could fathom my misery
by waterwinging over its abyss!
My pain is too heavy to lift,
too vast to measure, too ineffable to name,
and incalculably too precious to share.
I dig my grave in a landfill, and topple in.
I rub dirt and dog droppings in my hair.
I've sunk so low its funny; so I start to giggle.
Then to chortle. Then to roar. Mothers
clutch their bleating kids, and rush away.
Gangbangers dash to the far side of the street.
I crawl out of my grave, strip, and shower
with a gunk-filled water hose. 
shake and shiver, grinning, in the filthy air.
~ Charles Harper Webb ~

So, this past week I was so tired and so stressed out and felt so overworked and unappreciated that I had to build an escape route or I was going to self-destruct.  I had to make a trip to Berea anyway to bring the sweet boy home, so I added in a couple extra days to retreat and rest.  By yesterday when the above poem came across my desk I had regained my sense of humor enough to laugh at the pieces of myself I saw in it.  And today by the time I got to Waddy and had played Oh God Our Help In Ages Past very loudly several times, I was really restored and could have gone on home right then.  By the time I got to Berea, I was so in love with my family and my life at home I could hardly stand it.  Just those hours of alone time in the car were the good medicine that my weary spirit needed.  How wise my family is to know that time alone is what fuels me to love them more.  Wonder what else I will learn about myself this weekend? 

Urban Goatwalker Coffee House

Many thanks to my friend Dan for faithfully catching great moments on video.    This is a collection of snippets from last week’s Urban Goatwalker which is an open mic coffee house held at Jeff Street Baptist Community at Liberty on the second Saturday of every month.  Started over 18 years ago, each month vans go out to the homeless shelters to bring our friends to join us for a nice night out.  It’s all candle-lit, tablecloths, and homemade deserts served by a volunteer wait staff.  Once there, you really don’t know if the other folks seated around you are homeless, neighborhood residents, or just folks from all over the community who stop in most months for a night of great entertainment. An open mic is not without it’s awkward moments from time to time, but for the most part the talent is amazing.

The first good looking fellow on this video is my son.  Isn’t he great?!  I’m headed to bring him home this weekend, and I still totally fall in love anew with that boy each time I’m around him.

Wednesday Link Love

Grilling swiss chard?  I must learn to light the grill this year…..

Wondering what wisdom my friends would impart to my graduating daughter?  This What a great idea Patti had.

These pictures are pure delight and make me want my own fairy party.

I love this tablecloth, almost enough to try again to learn to thread the sewing machine.  I mean, I really love it.

Looks like if you have 10 bucks and a lot of patience, you could make something very cool.

So, what do you want to do with YOUR life?  This is worth a listen.

A couple of good reads, both of them speaking to where I’m at this week…a sort of harried and less than pleasant mom, and this one that made me weepy at the the thought of my great love for the Mean Moms and the 4 Seasons Friends, and all of my other little women friend groups in real life, and my friends in the blogging community as well.  Kumbaya!

For Today

Outside my window…..  would be the perfect night for the fire bowl.  Not so often in May that one wants a fire!

I am  thinking...constantly of late.  When I try to get to sleep my mind is racing.  I’m thinking and making lists all of the time.  I have a lot going on and am so afraid that I’ll forget something so I just keep going over all of it in my head.  Stop already!

I am thankful for...my co-workers at the church.  Tonight was church staff meeting and I left feeling this great big love thing for all of them.

From the kitchen….nary a crumb resides on the counter.  I didn’t get home from a meeting until almost 10:00 and the kids had outdone themselves in cleaning up after dinner.

I am wearing.. what can only be described as……black pants and a fuschia shirt that I Love. 

I am going...to sleep in my clothes tonight, I swear it.  I am feeling so so so sleepy and I am about to go fall into that bed any moment.

I am reading...  All The Living….but I will have that finished in time for book group on Saturday.

I am hoping...to run away to Berea this weekend and start bringing my baby boy home.

I am hearing...As The World Turns playing in the background as I surf  the net and sort of scan the soap.

Around the house...most folks are cutting me a pretty broad path these days as I have been over tired and less than happy.

One of my favorite things...is spending the night in Berea.    When C  leaves Berea, I will have no real excuse to go, but I bet I still will anyway!

A few plans for the rest of the week…Book group!  And the much mentioned trip to Berea.  Just me, all alone, no other voices, some reading, some scrapping, some listening to my iPod in the dark- Heaven.  I’m going to see if I have enough points to stay a second night!

Yesterday

Thought it might be fun to look at some of Marc and Angel’s 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind on Sunday nights as a way for me to focus on something besides the Sunday Night Blues.   Tonight’s question is, “Five years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday?”.

I will.  No, I won’t remember March 15, 2010.  But I will remember the Deacons Retreat in Waddy, the one where we used the host’s house.  It’s in my retreat journal, and in that journal I read an entry from my last time to go there on retreat- 6-28-08. 

The wonderful couple who own the property live in a beautiful home, built by hand with mostly provisions from their own land.   On the same property they have a large retreat building, but they had other guests in that building and just threw open the door of their own house for us to retreat in.  They had 6 or 7 of the sweetest dogs in the world.  I was struck over and over with one word- generosity.  There was the obvious generosity of the land, all green and gorgeous and the generosity of dogs who love us whether we deserve it or not and who knew how to make a person feel important.  Then there is the  generosity of my fellow deacons, all busy folks, all setting aside  this day for time together.  Most of all, the generosity of the amazing hosts and their wide open hands and hearts that welcomed us in.

So, I may not remember the dates, but Ill remember the event that happened yesterday, and I bet I sigh a contented sigh when I even think about it.

Wednesday Link Love

I’m thoroughly captivated by Dottie Angel, and this post makes me happy.

This book has been mentioned on a couple of my favorite blogs, and I think I must read it too.  Someday.  Like whenever I start reading more than one book a month like I’ve been doing lately…

All this time I’ve floundered, longing to know this secret…….

Has anyone been to one of these?  Looks like great fun to me!  I might need to go to Franklin, TN to do some research….

For as long as I’ve been reading Britt-Arnhild, I’ve felt this kindred spirit with her.

I’m feeling the need to give these a try!

And these too.  I do love some treats on a stick!

Follow my friend Amy as she is doing such interesting and valuable work in Kenya.

So, if you were trying to think of some way to kill a whole lot of time and/or spend a whole lot of money, have I got the site for you!

For Today

Outside my window…..  It’s cool, and there is a tension in the air suggesting that a storm may blow up during the night.

I am  thinking...about how fast K’s last days of school are going!

I am thankful for...DH cooking dinner tonight and giving me time for a little nap!  About this time of night, I really am grateful for a 30 minute nap that buys me a good hour in the evening.

From the kitchen….it still smells like bacon and the cast iron skillet is sitting on the countertop curing a bit before I put it away. 

I am wearing.. what can only be described as……a mumu.   One of my kids said I look like Betty Butterfield in it…..but it’s comfortable!

I am creating...a little baby scrapbook for a newborn baby girl.

I am going...to get a haircut on Friday.  Not more than 3 weeks to a month past when I really started needing it!

I am reading...dare I say it-  All The Living….

I am hoping...to feel refreshed and energized after a deacon retreat on Saturday.

I am hearing...my 17 year old pug snoring in the next room.

Around the house...we’ve managed to absorb all of S’s things that she brought home from college  last week.

One of my favorite things...is hanging out on my front porch with neighbors, and tonight was a good night for that.

A few plans for the rest of the week…sadly, the haircut and the deacon retreat are the highlights of my upcoming week!

Here’s a picture for thought I am sharing-

It all goes too fast.

Mother’s Day

I had a truly wonderful Mother’s Day, and it lasted all weekend.  It was soooooo wonderful to have all three of my chicks in the nest.  I’ve said it before- nothing makes me feel more at peace than to be able to hear each of them breathing as they sleep.  They gave me a wonderful gift- a stand mixer!!!  Yay!!!  I’ve been using a 20 year old hand mixer for all these years, and am oh so happy that my youngest paid such close attention when I showed her how I sign up for every contest I can find to win a stand mixer.  More importantly, they each wrote me a letter which they know is what I always tell them I want for Mother’s Day.

It was wonderful too because I got to spend part of it with my own mother and my aunt, and with my sister’s family.  I feel very very blessed tonight.

I don’t know that I have ever heard about the origin of Mother’s Day but in reading about it tonight I stumbled upon this video. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers around the world.

Girl Power

Loving this video of Louisville Girl’s Leadership that features my niece.  I feel like this group has really helped her find her voice.  Hey, even her rappin’ voice…..

Well….

(If only someone had left this simple note)

So, I was out talking to my next door neighbor tonight.  He was showing me a huge dent in his car put there one night this week by some kids who were fighting in the street.  He showed me the weather stripping that is permanently pulled out from where someone once tried to break into his car.  We discussed various “keying” jobs and scratches and he was just saying to me that he just chalks it up to battle wounds for those of us who choose urban life.  So, that sentence wasn’t out of his mouth until DH comes out the front door and screams as he points to our car.  Not sure WHY I didn’t notice that someone had written in Sharpie across my door BITCH.   But look- there it was.  DH ran in and got the infamous Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (what on earth did we ever do without those?) and proceeded to scrub it off. 

As I was driving to the store a thought crossed my mind.  So, what if I had left it on there as sort of an introductory statement.  I noted last week at the parade that while some of the “celebrities”  were not instantly recognizable, there was a sign on the car door to tip you off as to who the person was and why they got to ride on the back of a car in the parade.  One even said Professional Black Jack Player.

So, I’m wondering how differently I might be treated if I were driving around town with my own sort of ghetto version of a vanity plate scrawled across my car door.  Would folks just go ahead and let me cut into traffic here and there, save the best parking space for me, do just about anything to keep me happy?  Would my kids feel justified, sort like, “See, I told you….and she’s not even embarrassed about it.”?

I’ll never know thanks to that amazing Magic Eraser. 

Wednesday Link Love

Unbelievable!  Does this give anyone else the shivers?  I guess it’s just way too soon for me to revisit this era.

This would work for more than just Teacher Appreciation gifts, and actually looks pretty easy.

Probably for the best that I don’t have money……I would go way over budget here.  While there, check out the custom projects.

The poppy garland was what sent me to this site, but then I fell in love with all of her stuff.

I’m going to hunt up my hook and some yarn and give these a try.

A year of garlands!!  What a great idea!

I only wish I had thought of this.  And could ride a bike.  Wouldn’t this be so much nicer to send to someone than flowers?

Oh My!!!!!

When I was a child I had a fascination with things that folded up or down to make a different function for a room.  I used to imagine I lived in the bathroom with something that folded over the tub to make a bed, and cook stove that would pull down over the counter.  I loved our camper where a table folded down to make a bed. 

So…..you can imagine how much I love this!!!

For Today

Outside my window…..  everything is green and growing after all the rain.  And I have a new hanging plant- a nice coleus- from the market today.

I am  thinking...about my niece and nephew in Columbus who are celebrating their 14th anniversary today, and spent their anniversary at a neurology appointment with their little boy.  They are wonderful parents,  and have a lot on their plate with three kids and one of those with special needs, and they handle it all so so well.

I am thankful for...my kids.  Even on my worst day, I never ever ever regret becoming their mom.   Now THEY may regret it and may end up in therapy over it all, but as for me- it’s my highest calling.  And I”m thankful for my mother on this Mother’s Day week and the many wonderful treasures she packed into my life over all these years.  And I’m thankful for my Aunt Elaine who  has loved me and cared for me my whole life with love equal to that of a mother.

From the kitchen...there seems to be this contented sigh emanating from there following a lovely Tuesday dinner that included a new recipe for sweet and sour meatballs and an amazing salad and hot rolls with Beth’s Blueberry Verbena jam fresh from the market today.

I am wearing...brown.  Wait- has this become my Tuesday uniform?!!  Not the same shirt though.

I am creating...cards for Teacher Appreciation Week.  K has a couple of teachers that I know she will be eternally grateful for because of the level of work they have called out of her during high school. 

I am going...to bed very soon.  I’ve been actually enjoying my sleep over this past week which is a bit of a rarity for me.

I am reading...All the Living by C. E. Morgan.  Yes, basically on or close to the same page as last week.

I am hoping...to be able to do a little makeover to the girls room this summer.  I think of it all of the time lately.

I am hearing...As The World Turns which is playing while I type  this.  I DO love ATWT!

Around the house...the seams are about to stretch back out a bit as we bring S home from college this week for the summer.  This house has become “elastic”!

One of my favorite things...is the Phoenix Hill Farmer’s Market and today was opening day!  I looked forward to it all day and visualized all of the things I wanted to get.

A few plans for the rest of the week……..I’m almost afraid to say this again for fear that once again it will not happen, but I think all three of my kids will be under roof this weekend!

Here’s a picture for thought I am sharing….

Radishes from Argyle Farms, salad greens from Finger Pickin’ Farms, and wonderful arugula from Groce Family Farms

Today I have joined with other women who are choosing to linger on the simple things on Tuesdays through The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Music Monday

All these years later, I still love every song in this movie! Who can’t sing along to this one?

A wing, a torch, a promise

 

"I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which comes to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which comes to me as blossom, goes on as fruit."
-Dawna Markova

This quote was at the end of an absolutely gorgeous delicious post from Kelle’s blog and I want want want want it to be true for me.  I just forget sometimes.   I need this to frame up my new week.

8 Things That Made This Day Great

1.  Of course, seeing S and BF walk through that door.  S always gets a HUGE welcome from Willow- she wiggles and jumps and barks and wiggles some more.  (Willow, not S)

2.  Dinner out- all of us- at Shiraz.  The hummus and kabobs and fatoosh were plentiful, as was the chatter.

3.  One of our favorite acts from the Urban Goatwalker was performing at Shiraz tonight.  That boy can sing and is as pretty as angel!

4.  Going downtown and counting limos. There was one whole parking lot of them by the Frazier Museum. 

5.  Bardstown Road-  Quite the people watching experience tonight.  I guess my favorite sight was two little boys, probably 10 or 11, who had put down their skateboards and were dancing to some live music on the street. 

6.  Our tradition- getting ourselves into the limo line headed to the big Barnstable Brown party.  They set up big fenced off “gawking” areas which are always packed with folks clamoring to see who gets out of each limo.  A spotlight is turned to the door of the limo and an announcer says, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome…….” and tonight the person who got out of the limo in front of us?  JOHN MICHAEL MONTGOMERY!!!  Yes!  So, yeah.  We are sitting right there with the fans crushing in on both sides of the car and John Michael Montgomery in the car in front of us.  Then of course the scowling police officers moved us along. Sorely missed at that party this year was Dixie Carter.  She and Hal Holbrook were always faithful to walk across the street to say hello to the gawkers and sign some autographs and pose for some pictures.

7.  Seeing my friend Marc inflating the hot air balloon he works with on the grounds of the BB party.  We could not figure out from looking what the theme of this years party was, but they most always have the balloon in the front yard tethered but inflated.    The  irony is that a good 20 years ago (another lifetime) a work friend and I went to stand in the gawking section, but got to go onto the actual grounds because his friend Marc was going to be inflating a hot air balloon there.  Who knew that all these years Marc and I would cross paths and become friends?  

8.  That hot Krispy Kreme doughnut was the crowning point of a very fun evening.   

From the sounds of the weather forecast, Derby Eve may well have been the best part of the whole event.  Lots of bad weather predicted for tomorrow.  High winds and tons of rain.  And I’m supposed to work at a party that is benefiting the clinic I work in from midnight to 3 a.m.     In a tent…..