Crunchy Peas

our TIME away

Time escapes me.  I just cannot seem to find more of it anywhere.  I am desperate for just a few extra hours each day.  Can't we all just vote to make the day 27 hours long instead of 24?  Wouldn't that be great? I know that you all feel the same way.

One place where time seems to stand still (or maybe just slow down a bit at least) is my Grandma's.  We had a lovely visit- very relaxing.  The weather was remarkably nice, meaning it didn't rain.

We lounged around in G'ma and G'pa's back yard.

There was lots of good food,

mashed potatoes with real gravy (as in the kind not from a packet or jar, and the kind that my daughter had 8 helpings of!)

Grandma made heavenly rolls and we slathered them with butter.  I'll share the recipe soon, they are so yummy.

Of course, once we arrived my Dad was never too far away from his girls.  I still include myself in that description :)  The marina was buzzing that day with the Farmer's Market open and an Art Walk downtown.  I fell in love with this little yellow boat.

I told my Dad that I would like to row out with it's owner and have him tell me tales of the sea.  Or maybe he could just share some of his crab catch of the day with me.

There was also a hike down to the beach where we lingered over every little sand creature and shell.  They are now smelling up my garage.  I always forget how much I miss the lush green foliage that I grew up with.  I think that there will always be a bit of moss growing somewhere in me.

Oh time...it was well spent while we were away.  Time?  TIME!  It is 5:20pm and I should be making dinner.  Okay, going now.

8am and its midday

So here is a sure sign that I was at a birth EARLY this morning:

Starbucks.  Blech!  I don't really like their coffee, but at 5am it was all that was available.  A soy chai did quite nicely actually.  Another sweet birth for the books.  What was particularly touching about this one was that the birthing mother had her sister there for support (her husband too).  I never had a sister (a crazy but wonderful younger brother instead)...and I am intrigued by the dynamics of female siblings.  Because I have three girls I often wonder how they will interact as adults. Will Emma be there to encourage her younger sisters during their labors?  Will they desire the comfort of each other's familiarity in a moment such as that?  I hope so.

So, already things are moving right along, in fact- I cannot believe that it is only 8am. It already feels like midday.

(aren't these great?  we found them at the thrift store yesterday!)

We are taking a long weekend and I may or may not squeak in another post before we leave.  If not, you'll know where I am.  We are off to visit my Dad and my Grandparents.  Grandma and Grandpa winter down south, and they have just arrived home after being gone for some time.  I am anxious to see them.

I am taking these with me:

With my grandma doting over the girls, I hope to have some time teach myself how to "knitting in the round."  Usually I crochet, but I really like the look of knitting better- especially these sweet little berets.  And, the way crafting has been going around here...I'd better start them now for next winter!  Any tips?  I can pretty much do the basics on regular needles.

Off to make myself a sandwich :) and dig out my umbrella- it's raining again!

ps. How's this for finished piles? Marathon folding session last night.

on being a mom

Nothing new to report.  Not a whole lot to say...except that I am just doing my thing ya know?

This mom gig is pretty time consuming. I am certainly not complaining just explaining my lack of great  stories to tell, or finished projects to show for.  There isn't really anything exciting coming from my kitchen or growing from my garden (it has been snowing!)  Just regular days with regular responsibilities, and regular stuff.

(every monday I am the recess monitor at school and jump rope is definitely in right now)

Do you ever look around you at the end of the day and say, "It looks like have I accomplished nothing today!"   Wouldn't it be great to have some tangible evidence of what you did all day long? Being a mom isn't really a task oriented job.  There isn't really any completed work to hand in at the end of the day. I find it more to be an ongoing process and sometimes that is hard for me. There are days when I would much rather see complete piles of time spent: reading books, snuggling, having heart to heart chats, helping with homework, taking walks, sharing cocoa, playing store, driving from here to there, etc.  It might make me feel as though I was making some headway to somewhere. 

I gain so much comfort and inspiration from this post.  I read it over and over again.  I especially like the last sentence.  It takes my focus off of "tasks" and redirects it to enjoying the process. Won't you enjoy it too?

A baby and a bag

Remember my friend Saci from Hungary?  Well, this morning at 6:40am she had her little baby boy.  I was so fortunate to be with her and husband for a second time as they welcomed this sweet peanut into their family.

Her labor was about 3 hours start to finish, Jared was born in two pushes! Sarah, their older daughter was not so accommodating...so I was glad this time was easier for her. "Easier" is of course a relative term.  Labors that are short tend to be fairly intense.  Saci did a beautiful job of staying calm and relaxed while her body did some major work in a short period of time!  I have been doing this doula thing long enough now that some of my moms are having baby #2 and that is so fun for me.  I was tickled to again be present at such special moment and, of course, had a few happy tears for them.

(left to right: Stephanie-birth assistant, Me-birth assistant/doula, Saci, and Dzahn-midwife)

I wasn't on call this morning but was glad to be invited.  And hey, these short little 3 hour in-and-out births are fun. I could get used to those. However long they last, it doesn't seem possible that I will ever tire of being a small part of such a miraculous event!

And, last night I finally snuck in some sewing.  I have still been carrying around this bag and the wool fabric was all wrong for spring. 

My new favorite color is yellow.  I was trying hard to find a color combination that allowed me to have some yellow without being too annoying.  I wanted the bag to be something that would go with almost anything.  I used the pattern for the Pleated Beauty Handbag from Bend the Rules Sewing.  I bought the fabric and then realized when I opened the book that it was very similar to the one in the picture.

I like the way it turned out and especially love the little button that I added for a closure at the top. (I like my bags to close...you never know what might fall out of it :)

Anyways, we are gearing up for a freezing cold weekend.  The weather was unseasonably warm last weekend and now tomorrow we may get snow.  I was planning to move my seedlings outside this weekend- but maybe I'd better wait.  No matter, there is more sewing to do!

where the rubber meets the road

It's 8:15am, girls dropped off at school (except for Laurel Baby), I have 2.5 hours of free time- what do I do next?

A.  Make a beeline to my favorite downtown coffee shop? (very tempting!)

B.  Go back home and do laundry? (not so tempting)

C.  Get real about getting in shape and exercise? (ugghhh)

D.  Kidnap my husband and fly a private jet to some lovely tropical island where we sip fruity drinks all day and sink our toes into the sand. (probably not a realistic option)

Answer: C

It wasn't all that bad.  I had a fun little friend with me.

We chatted (er- maybe it was more like I eeked out a few words between gasps of air) about the trees,

 

and made a pre-season visit to the "secret beach".

All the fruit trees are beginning to bloom and it is so, so pretty around here.

It is amazing what intricate theological discussions one can have with a two year old about The Maker of All Things when surrounded by such beauty. 

Me:  Laurel, who made that pretty tree?

Her: um, God.

Me: Laurel, who made those noisy geese?

Her: um, God.

Me: Laurel, who made the bright sunshine?

Her: um, God.

Me: Laurel, who made you?

Her:...thinks about it... "God did!" (with great enthusiasm)

Me: Why did God make you?

Her: love (spoken in a soft voice with her head tilted to one side)

Isn't that simple?  Just a one word answer summed it all up.  I was blessed.

May I suggest?

This for your next breakfast?

It is a pomegranate smoothie and boy was it yummy (recipe from Every Day Food 4/08 I think).  Here's how you make it:

1 C berries (I used a couple of frozen strawberries and the rest were frozen raspberries)

1/2 C Pomegranate juice (I used Langer's straight from the jug...fresh is not necessary)

1/3 C or 3 oz of silken tofu- yes, tofu...trust me it is really good!

2 T honey

1/4 C ice

Blend, drink, enjoy, feel healthy, wonder if you are really drinking tofu.

Also, there is this for your next afternoon snack:

Roasted Garlic Cheese

Late July Buttery crackers (or Ritz)

Slice, stack, devour, resist the temptation to break out the wine at 4pm.

And for your next movie viewing, please consider this:

North and South (TV series from BBC)

Join Netflix, stream all four episodes in a row, fall in love with Mr. Thornton, watch again and again.

The week is off and running!  I have a huge pile of fabric that I hope to attack sometime in the next few days.  Results coming soon!

**ps thank you for all your sweet comments about my hair.  I am no longer pouting about it- I may even learn to love it!!

Makeover

My dear sweet Tante spent her entire afternoon here yesterday. With just a hammer and some nails, she totally gave my living room a new look- rearranging what I already had.

I wish that we had taken a "before" picture because the difference is amazing.  I couldn't get the whole room in the shot-- I almost fell to my death from my perch on the ledge of the staircase.

Here are a few things that she taught me about decorating.

1. Always use odd numbers to group things (ie. pictures, knick knacks, etc)

2. Hang pictures low, at least down at eye level.

3. Vary heights.  Your eye should go up and down as you look around a room.

4. Keep the room interesting, create opportunities for your guests to discover surprises.

5. Old and out of shape women (I include myself) can move any piece of furniture when they get excited about decorating-- we know because we moved my huge, heavy armoire approximately 6 inches.

I am so grateful to her for coming.  I always enjoy my time with her, and my room looks so much better.  She promised to come back and tackle another one next time.

Also made over was my mop.  I am much less excited about this change.  Almost 8 hard earned inches hacked of my hair.  It is just a whole lot thinner and shorter that I had pictured.  Oh well, it is not like an arm or leg or something...it will grow back.

New shoes too.  Flats are becoming a compulsion for me.  Perhaps it is their resemblance to ballet shoes that makes them so endearing.  Good thing Old Navy makes them cute and CHEAP!  These were $11.70 online.

I must tell you what my husband did for me yesterday.  I left the house in a raging mess as I overslept and scurried to get the girls off to school on time.  After dropping them off and keeping an appt. I was to meet my Aunt back at the house for our afternoon of decorating.  I was feeling pretty overwhelmed and upset because the house was going to be so gross for my company and I wanted to make her a nice lunch too.  With dread I pulled into the driveway with only 30 minutes to attack the house before my Aunt was due.  I was strategizing about hiding dirty dishes and sweeping crumbs into a corner in order for everything to look somewhat presentable. As I walked inside, I couldn't believe what I saw.  A perfectly, PERFECTLY clean house.  My wonderful, handsome, thoughtful, considerate husband had some compassion on my plight and stayed behind us that morning to clean the house.  We're talking vacuuming, dishes and all!  Isn't that just the sweetest thing that you have ever heard?  It was such a treat for me.  Truly, I don't deserve him- well maybe a little.

Have a great weekend!

yo

I have been pretty preoccupied with the task of preparing for an infant resuscitation course that I took today.  Please, if I ever say that I want to go back to college- remind me of this post.  Man, it was so hard to study whilst being a mom!  My ability to retain information has really gone down the tubes.  I would almost venture to say that my brain in turning to mush.  Happy mush.  I love learning, but on my own terms...and yes, learning to help non-breathing babies is a valuable skill- but it wasn't my first pick in books to read or subject material.  Thankfully, I passed with flying colors (you would be amazed at what some of the Family Practitioners don't know, there were some in my class today).  Glad its over.

A few days ago I did manage to crank out a little bag for Hannah's best friend.  If it weren't for the accountability of all these birthdays...not sure any sewing would get done around here.

 

I used the pattern from Lotta Jansdotter's book for the Simple Tote, then just added some yo-yos.  I loved how it turned out.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that there will be several more of these made in the future.  We filled it with sticker books, nifty pens, and a fun little pair of flip flops. My children just bless me so much when they proudly offer handmade gifts to their friends.  When I suggested to Hannah that we make something for her friend, I expected her to roll her eyes and ask if we could buy her a pink Barbie with glitter eye shadow or something.  Instead, she lit up and said, "I was hoping you would have time!"  Sweet, sweet girls. Sweet bag too, no?

First and Last

Hi!  This is me:

And this is what I did Sunday:

My first time skiing in about 10 years on the last day of the season. I grew up skiing. I have mentioned that before.  I have also mentioned the correlation between the number of years it has been since I have skied and the number of years that I have been married.  My sabbatical is over now.  I am hooked again.  And, whether or not he likes it- I am hooking my husband in too.  The kids won't be far behind.  With free Free FREE season's passes for next year (Carl does the mountain's website) for the whole family...there are no longer any valid excuses.

I went with my friend Camille.

She shreds! (see, I picked up some lingo when I was up there.)  Her husband Brian also came along.

He shreds too, but seems to be better at plowing through his brown glass bottled beverages carried around in his backpack.  I was giggling all day at the amount of alcohol consumption I witnessed on the mountain (not just my friends).  I guess all those people don't really care about physical coordination when they are flying down the side of the mountain at high rates of speed.  Me...I needed all the strength I could muster. A lot has changed in the 10 years that I have be out of the loop.  For one, people wear helmets now? I still haven't figured out how to look cool in mine yet.  Also, I was pretty sure that the rental guy had me mixed up with someone a foot shorter than me when he handed me skis that I was much taller than.  They are so much shorter that the ones I grew up on!  And the tickets are now attached to your ski coat by a little zip tie...no more metal hangers.  Each time I skied up to the chair at the bottom of the mountain I was scanned like an item at the grocery counter.  Freaky.

I completed the rite of passage that each new skier to the mountain must complete...I touched the bomber wing of an airplane that crashed there years ago.  It is supposed to be good snow mojo or something like that.

I also ran into a sign that my peeps back home would appreciate :)

Great view huh?  That is the Columbia River in the background.  It looks like a painted backdrop.  The weather was fairly clear. It was a great day and I am not too regretful today.  I wasn't sure that I would make it out of bed this morning, but I am surprisingly not sore!  Maybe it'll hit me tomorrow?  So, I did make it up for the first time in a long time, on the last day of the season...can't wait until next year!

contentment

Another birth last night.  The call came just as I was getting out of the shower at 10:00pm last night.  My instructions were to get there as soon as I possibly could.  The adrenaline began flowing immediately.  I think that I toweled off, changed my clothes twice (I should just get some scrubs because trying to figure out what to wear to these deals is so stressful) slapped on some deodorant, brushed my teeth, kissed my husband (explaining where I was going whilst walking out the door) and made it to the birth center in about 17 minutes.  The baby was born at 10:37pm.  No joke.  A very quick birth.  I was home and in bed by 1:30am.  My confidence is starting to build and I am so thankful for the people who have been patient with me as I learn how to fit in as a birth assistant.  It has been (and this will sound corny with cheese on top) like a real dream of mine coming true. Told you.

The girls were home sick today.  Tough winter for us and germs.   I thought with the warmer weather upon us (sort of) that all this flu stuff would be over.  Not so much.  They were not miserable however, and if the truth were told- I loved having all 3 of them with me for the entire day.  The pace of life slows waaaay down when we are not rushing here and there around the school schedule.  Something that I desperately needed.  A slower pace. A pace slow enough for "dining room table forts" made from blankets- perfect for some reading.

A pace slow enough for elaborate train tracks and imaginary travels.

And cookies, cookies are always good (especially when most of the crew did not have much of an appetite- more for me!!)

I highly recommend Bob and his Little Red Mill- the yummiest stuff is made there.  This muesli mix is tasty on its own...but on the package there is also a super easy recipe for cookies using this cereal.  Throw in a few mini chocolate chips and you have a small bite of heaven.

We were in our pajamas until 4pm. Pretty sure that no one brushed their teeth before then either.  It was jus one of those days where I felt totally and completely content. Me, us...at home. No place I would rather be.