turkey feathers

Rainbows

Apparently old man winter's not giving up without a fight.  As a result, the weekend has been a crazy mix of wild weather so far.  This morning we woke up to snow.  Not earth shattering amounts, but uncommon for April. 

Yesterday, we all went into town for lunch, and on the way back to the car we got caught in a hail storm the likes of which we'd never seen.  Hence lots flailing of arms and high stepping as ice pellets the size of frozen peas shot down the backs of our shirts.  The noise inside the car was unbelievable.  Both from our giggly-wiggly screams and from the hail pummeling the roof.  I squirmed around in the backseat with my eyes closed and somehow we managed to get back home without hitting a tree. 

There has also been a little birthday celebrating going on for a certain, much adored Mister man around here.  Some covert activities happening in the kitchen (resulting in a beautiful and delicious chocolate-chip cake courtesy of Grace).  Complete with lovely (purchased) hand-dipped rainbow candles.  There have been rainbows appearing between the April showers and storms here too.                   What a gift that is. 

Speaking of gifts, there were a few, and here's another one.  Miss Lily puddin' here.  Who simply loves being in the middle of things.  Especially if there's wrapping paper involved.  She's going on eight, but her kitten-side comes out whenever there's a rustle of paper around.  It makes her so happy!  See that smile?  And that makes me happy.

Snowbound

Brrr...I just came in from outside. We had a little snow last night and the girls couldn't wait to "hit the slopes" in the front yard this morning.  I've left them to their fun and I'm back inside where its warm.  I've been sitting here, reading the comments from the last post and cracking up.  I'm really surprised at how many people not only remember Thumbelina, but actually still have their dollies!  I felt such camaraderie with you guys knowing that for some reason.  Oh I really did!  (Maybe we're not ALL so nutty afterall?)  Mine no longer has any of the movement capabilities.  I'd almost forgotten about that feature because when she stopped working (years ago) I'd done a little 'gentle surgery' and removed all the mechanical parts.  Then I re-stuffed her so she's been soft and cuddly for quite awhile.   Anyway, thank you for the bonnet love!  I've filled in a few more details and answered some questions here, and since there's interest in the pattern I've shared the source for it too. 

Rain Rain Go Away

When I wrote that last post I wasn't aware that parts of Oregon and Washington actually WERE flooding with houses floating away! Oh my, what a disaster.  The Interstate had to be closed and many roads are still cut off in places due to landslides, fallen trees, and high water.  Many lost their homes and business's, and folks are still without power.  We've been hearing stories from friends who found themselves in crazy situations too.  That particular storm has moved on, but I can only imagine it's going to be trouble wherever it goes.    

If you have a few dollars to spare, or a pair of willing hands I know the Red Cross can always use them, along with your prayers. 

Celebrating the Temporary

A long bath in the afternoon with magazines and hot cocoa. 

A visit from family. The joy of bean tee-pees!  Small hands and chipmunk voices.  Hugs and kisses.

Rainy weather. An outing to shop for warm clothes. Homemade soup simmering, bread baking.  Quilt sewing.  Beautiful fall leaves drifting.  Friends gathered around.  The perfect pie pumpkins from a friend's garden... (thanks John!)  Pulling out sweaters and heavy quilts.  A dining room table covered with drying sunflowers from the garden.  .  .

Last Hurrah of Summer

Let's see now.  What day is it?  Thursday...already?  I always seem to lose track of time whenever I leave home.  We've been over on the coast since Sunday, soaking up the last golden days of summer.  There was a mix of good weather.  Long walks on the beach.  Some stitching in the evenings. 

Lovely people, and animal-watching from the deck. 

A few surprises ::  like deer trotting around on the beach.

All of it, bittersweet.  The end of a season.  We've returned home sunkissed and completely ready to embrace fall now, though looking at these pictures again, it suddenly seems too quiet around here.  Missing the sound of the sea rushing in and out. 

No hook-up or WiFi at the beach house,  so I'm just now getting back to answering many emails, returning phone calls, and printing up the PatternBee orders that were placed after Saturday.  These will be on their way very soon, pinky promise! *Thank You* stitching friends, I really appreciate your business and your patience.   And I really appreciate the renewed enthusiasm for Finish What You Have too, so let's go forward with it and see how much we can all get accomplished. 

Talk of the Town

Exciting things are happening about a mile down the road!  About a thousand people blew into our quiet, little town over the weekend, and are currently in demo-mode,  kicking up dust and making this reality TV show (which will air later in the year), to help a family here.  We drove by it all on our way home from the coast yesterday, and got a glimpse of everything.  The road is closed now to thru traffic, but my friend Missy lives just a few doors down from all this ruckus and has been a spectator from her front yard, keeping us informed of all the latest happenings.   I'm posting today because she asked me to mention that she's added the last of her wonderful handmade soap to her Etsy shop before closing down for awhile.   She's sold her farm and is moving back to the Midwest, so head on over and help her lighten her load if you can. 

   

Yes, I said moving back to the Midwest.  I've had plenty of time to digest the news, but it's still going to be hard to say goodbye when the time comes for them to pack up and head out at the end of summer.  We've come to know Missy and her family well, our girls are close friends, and they've been a vital part of our homeschooling community.   Naturally, we're sad they're leaving but do understand.  It was a hard decision to give up the lifestyle here, and they'd been wrestling with the pros and cons for quite awhile.  When they pulled up roots and moved three years ago, they didn't realize the kind of family connections that would be broken;  namely grandparents, and have since longed for those family ties.  I think things just sort of pointed them back in that direction because it was meant to be.  Things just won't be the same without them though, and they will truly be missed. (sniffle) Moving on here... cuz I don't want to think about that until I have to.  I like to cross my bridges when I get to them.

Our latest adventure...

Visiting the Oregon coast can be a crap-shoot, it's either breath-taking beautiful or foul-weathered, rarely anything in between, but we were lucky yesterday and "Mr. Toad's wild ride" over the twisty mountain road paid off.   

Not too breezy...just right. 

A picnic on the beach.  Sketching.  Splashing.  Sandcastles.  Sweets.  We had a great time!

 

We're off to pick berries this morning before things really start to heat up.  Looking ahead at a few days of triple-digit heat starting tomorrow.   Hope Ty remembers his sunscreen.

Strawberry Fields Forever

I fully intended to post the last FAQ  for awhile, but that plan just sort of slipped away after I caught wind that the strawberry fields were open and berries were ripe for picking.   After hearing that, it didn't take long before the girls and I had jumped in the car and were heading south on the old highway with our large containers and straw hats in hand.  Between the three of us, we picked almost 8 pounds of berries in just under thirty minutes.  At a cost of about $5.  (Now I ask you, how much fun can you have for $5?)

My blog pal, Mrs. Staggs, was discussing how smells can transport us to another place and time and how she wished she could share the scent of her roses with her readers, and I have to say, I wish I could share the taste of these strawberries with mine.  I'm terribly sorry if the sight of these are making you drool into your keyboards.  If I could figure out how to create a virtual food to share via the blog, this would surely be it.  There's just nothing like the explosion of flavor from a strawberry (or anything else grown organically for that matter), that's picked fresh from the field.  I know this.  But for some reason it always surprises me and I have to exclaim it all over again.

It was nearly two years ago that I started keeping this blog, and I just realized that my very first blog post was about the process of making strawberry jam.  And making jam is what I intend to do again, just as soon as we finish gorging ourselves on these.   (There are usually several trips back to the farm to gather more berries, before we actually reach the jam making stage however.)  And as it turns out, the exceptional warm weather we're currently having will soon turn to June gloom by next week, with the possibility of rain, which will make boiling things so much more tolerable.  So the timing will be perfect.  I need to find and gather up all my empty jelly jars now and get them ready beforehand.  Buy new seals and cute labels.

But Ginger just reminded me, that first we need to make strawberry milkshakes, strawberry ice cream, strawberry gelato, strawberry sorbet, strawberry shortcake with whipped cream and strawberries dipped in chocolate.  Oh My.  All that?  Apparently, we must.  So I guess I'd better trot back to the kitchen and deal with these very important matters. 

Before I do that though, I have a book give-away.  Just finished reading this lovely story and would love to pass it on (within U. S. only) , so if you're interested, leave a comment and I'll choose someone at random to send it to. 

Updated 6/4 to add:  Comments are closed, thanks everyone, a winner will be announced soon!

Feast for the Eyes

We are having some seriously nice weather here for May making it VERY hard to be inside for any length of time, because who knows how long it will last.   The girls and I got out yesterday though, and met friends at one of our favorite nurseries, this little oasis tucked away out in the hills about twenty or so miles from home.   First of all, don't even ask me what the names of all these plants and flowers are.  There were hundreds of varieties, and most were tagged but after awhile I couldn't see straight.  So much to take in.  Made my head spin and my eyeballs twirl.  All I can tell you is, we just marched around making exclamatory noises like a gaggle of geese.   I was so overwhelmed that I came home empty-handed (which is probably a good thing; remembered my resolve to think things through before I plant more stuff).   Grace bought Lady's Mantle, and Ginger bought a carnivorous plant, that she's since been feeding little green "spittle bugs" to, with maniacal glee.  (hey. you're only a kid once and besides, the plant does need to eat.) 

Anyway, the Peonies are in season now and they had some beauties.  Hard to tell the actual scale from this picture, but this was nearly a foot across.   I kid you not, it was huge.  Like a dinner plate.

The color glowed on this one, causing everyone to gasp. 

More eye candy and more drooling.

Pretty pinks and squeals of delight.

I wonder if deer would eat these? I know I wanted to.

Speaking of that...update:  The deer still haven't touched any of my roses (or any other flowers for that matter) after spraying them with the magic concoction.   Isn't that just the best news?  Just look how they're taking over that bench outside.  No one around here has the heart to trim them back either now that they've finally made it this far.  It looks like they're headed for the back door though, so I might re-think this at some point.  Especially because the red and white roses behind the pinks are also starting to wake up and blossom.  I can't remember the last time I saw those in bloom either.  It's all so pretty and exciting around here!  Dawn made the pretty banner bunting from old quilt blocks, appropriately called, Grandmother's Flower Garden.  How perfect is that?

Good Day Sunshine

Thank you for the Mother's Day wishes!  Hope everyone had a lovely day of it.  My happy-go-lucky weekend was just over way too fast.   Imagine visiting inspiring places, having quiet time for crafty sewing, good weather for garden puttering, with other thoughtful little presents scattered throughout, including phone calls from wonderful grown children living near and far; delicious food (cooked by someone else), including chocolate cupcakes baked by Grace, (the real kind you can actually sink your teeth into), and that would be the sum of my weekend.  The fun actually began on Friday with this bouquet of flowers from the Mister and an afternoon trip out to a sweet little shop in the woods that opens its doors just a few times a year. 

I blogged more about it here last fall.  Grace and I went together this time, and I credit her for this picture.  The bird was perched on the sign above an amazing patio structure made from old branches and twigs, along the path, that lead to the little cottage of sweet treasures.  We're talking homemade pies, jams, and baked goods; garden things, potted flowers, bird houses, scrumptiously sewn smocks with sparkly buttons; collectible china and dishes.

And handmade things like pillows, jewelry, and other pretties like these. The heart is filled with dried lavender and smells wonderful.   I could've made these myself, I know, but sometimes it's nice to support the local crafting efforts.  Besides, I couldn't resist these colors.  Anyway, a funny thing happened when I was over there poking around.  The lady who runs the shop recognized me from my blog and we started chatting.   It's funny, because I tend to think that I'm quite obscure in my own neck of the woods, outside of close friends knowing what I do, but I'm telling ya, this blog has taken me around the world and back again, several times now.  I have to admit, I love that about it.  That moment when a connection is made and suddenly you realize that you share common ground.  It's been amazing too, that I keep crossing paths with people that live in the old neighborhoods where I grew up or graduated from the same high school, but neither of us knew it until the blog.  Gotta love the Internet for that. 

So...back to the adventures...we took two garden tours on Saturday.  Both were having 'plant sales' and opened their backyards to the public.  This neighborhood backyard was small but it felt huge because every inch of space was utilized to the max with lots of smaller garden areas within it; steps leading to arbors and benches and lovely paths throughout.  When the owner's two sons grew up and left home a few years ago, the transformation from grass to garden began.  We left with a pot of blue geranium for a hanging basket, which I was able to get planted and hung up, out on the patio already.  I told ya it was a great weekend!  I'm running out of time, so will continue the garden tour all week long with another FAQ Friday.  And for all you farmgirls out there, don't forget today is 'national wear an apron' day! 

Like Choosing Wallpaper

Somehow, we never made it out to the grand tulip festival this year, too many busy or rainy weekends, but we did manage to swing by a local family-owned  farm yesterday, where these beauties were putting on the last show of the season.  My pictures are from Cynthia's organic garden, which explains some of the grass and what some might consider weeds.  I think it all looks quite lovely and natural though.  She was holding a pre-Mother's Day event with a few artisans.  Missy was there selling her wonderful handmade soaps, and there were farm animals on display for the kids.  Which I unfortunately didn't get any pictures of, because we were too busy cooing over newly hatched ducklings and baby bunnies, and a broody hen hiding behind pots of flowers on her nest of eggs.   And their was a pony, and a friendly cow.   So sweet to see that.  Back on the "homestead", our fortress building continues, but we're also (still) in the process of re-hauling our front yard.  Just haven't quite settled on the final plan yet.  So on the way home yesterday, we stopped by a Rhodie farm and looked around.   An exercise in self-restraint, I tell ya.  Because when I see things like this and this and this, I just want to load up the car trunk and worry about where everything gets planted, later.   (Not always a wise move.  As former experience has taught me.  Too many times.) So we just roamed around and inhaled the sweet intoxicating fragrance that was floating through the air, and enjoyed pleasantries with other Rhodie-lovers. Sharing our appreciation for the showiest bloomers.  Rhododendrons haven't always been my top choice of flower-shrubs, but as the deer don't seem to care for them, I've grown to appreciate them more and more.  And I rather like the permanent structure they bring to the perennial garden beds too.   The front yard is vast and somewhat vacant at this point, and I'm looking at it like a really BIG home decorating project.  Like starting with an empty room.  First plant trees, the "key furniture", then add accessories, the "flowers".   These types of foundation plantings may not be all that exciting, but like carpet and paint, are necessary before I can move forward with the prettier "decorations".    Also, planting is a whole lot easier than tearing stuff out,  so we really REALLY want to make sure we've covered all the bases.  There's nothing worse than planting a beautiful tree, only to find out later that it drops a bazillion seed pods everywhere that grow into a bazillion saplings, or it's roots invade the plumbing, or crack the driveway or the house foundation.  Or way too much upkeep.   Important to consider those things.  I've also found, that it's not always easy to tell a whole lot about trees when they're small or stuck in a pot at the nursery either.  Those tags are no help.   They usually only give an estimated height and width, which still leaves me wondering.  So, I've been looking at a few trees that have actually been in the ground awhile, scouting the neighborhoods for possible specimens, observing their habits, viewing each with a critical eye and so far, I have yet to find a tree that wins hands down.   Anyway, the new lawn is in, and bark has been spread everywhere else to hold down the weeds while we make up our minds, but so far, that's all we've had done.  I'm meeting with my landscaper tomorrow though, so maybe he'll help me get moving on it. 

UPDATE:  Although I do appreciate the sentiment behind being nominated for the BCA,  I've requested that my blog be withdrawn from the contest.  After reading the fine print,  I don't quite agree with what's behind this and have chosen not to participate.   I would also like to add, that any endorsements of products and people on my blog are genuine and not paid for by sponsers.   Having said that, I thank those who innocently voted, and for those who clued me in.