Happy Monday!

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Good morning! Happy Monday! I am so happy it's Monday, I know that might sound odd but all of my big events are complete and I can resume a normal level of activity again!

Saturday was the kick-off for the third and final event, a school-wide fundraising/awareness 170-mile relay race from our town to Sacramento. My boys ran in the first segment (Jeff ran, the Noodle scootered) and their segment was estimated to go 1.5 miles at a walking pace but their relay team burned through 4.2 miles! I was amazed Jaden and his little buddies went that far!

Here is a picture of us that night after I made the executive decision to go out for dinner instead of cooking:


Yesterday we were both still tired! I barely moved out of bed until 4 p.m. The Noodle fell asleep in the car and then slept in till 8:15 this morning. Today is the big rally in Sacramento but last night I made another executive decision to stay home. I did not think a four-hour drive was a wise idea. We need to slow things down around here.

Thank you for bearing with me during the past few weeks! Today it's grey outside but it's fine with me. I want to get my house back in order, restock my pantry and fridge and spend the afternoon reading Harry Potter to my sweet boy. We waited until he was 7 to begin the series and I have never read it so it's all quite exciting for us.

Lisa Mitchell: Neopolitan Dreams

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Happy Friday everyone! I'm off for the day to prepare for our big Buncotini party tonight. A team of 15 or so moms from school, a few dads as bartenders, 40+ guests, a Sex and the City theme and a chocolate martini for our signature drink. Yum!I needed a little cheer and energy this morning and I often turn to Lisa Mitchell in those moments. Gotta love a music video that kicks off with a Polaroid! Edited: Okay, I'm so sorry the video didn't actually embed! They might want to tell you that when they give the option to post to Blogger. Please do click over to YouTube to watch it, it's totally worth it.

Have a great weekend!

Daisies

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Hi friends, this is a quick little pretty for you as I'm in the midst of one of the busiest weeks ever! 

farmer's market daisies


Yesterday was the Noodle's class play, culminating three weeks of intense effort by me and tomorrow I'm part of a team hosting a bunco/martini party that was auctioned off for the school district in March. Then over the weekend is another fundraiser/relay race to Sacramento! Tuesday I can breathe and I can't wait!

Thanks for your patience, I can't wait to have some time and energy to devote to my blog friends, and my camera too. I miss everything!




Pin It Forward with sfgirlbybay

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In the comments on my Blog It Forward post, some people asked how they could get involved with the blogger mashup. Well here's your chance!



Today, Victoria of sfgirlbybay announced the next generation of the project, Pin It Forward. I've signed up for May 27th. Participants will be using a new image bookmarking software and the theme is "what home means to you."

Go sign up! :)

Ten Years

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Jeff and me in April 2002, 
at the Ride for the Roses finish line.

Ten years ago today, I was diagnosed with lymphoma. I was 29 years old.

Like the yellow sign says, I am a survivor. When this photo was taken, I had no idea how many times the beast would come back, although I was totally terrified of it recurring even once. I am now a four-time survivor. I'm even stronger than I could have possibly imagined at the end of that 42-mile bike ride in the Austin heat.


Jeff asked me, "How is this day for you?"

I have anticipated this day for months, but I don't have an easy answer. Ten years ago, I couldn't have possibly anticipated this day. When I think about the past decade, it's all so complicated and jumbled, yet simple and concise.

Kind of like life.

Seven

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The Noodle's 7th birthday weekend was a whirlwind. Friday was taken up with work on the class play, and a mama so exhausted that she took an accidental four-hour nap after school. Saturday featured a bake sale and paddle-boating with grandparents, auntie & uncle and cousins. Then we rushed home for pasta, ice cream cake and presents. Then the boys left for the camping trip to a site on the coast four hours south of home.

chocolate cake with chocolate/peanut butter ice cream


Somehow it makes sense that this is the year that I stood on the wrong side of the cake and didn't get a picture of him blowing out his candle.

Happy Mother's Day

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I'm not sure what I was thinking when I told my boys to go camping without me this weekend. I mean, I know what I was thinking: that they would have so much fun! But I miss them terribly and I'm sad to wake up alone on Mother's Day.


Absence makes the heart grow fonder...and my heart was already quite fond of my sweeties. I wish everyone who is a mom or a daughter happiness tomorrow. And if you are missing a mother or daughter, and this day is hard for you, I wish you peace and comfort. I know life is not all pretty in pink all the time, even if my camera wants to convince me otherwise.




100 Photos: No. 18

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Last night, our town's seasonal farmer's market opened! I was so happy. Jeff was able to join me and the Noodle for a little relaxing family time. I got kettle corn and some flowers. Next week I'll do real shopping there as I'm hoping life will settle down enough for me to meal plan and cook again.

No. 18, Happy Boy Farms

I have another happy boy in my life because today* is my Noodle's seventh birthday! I've crepe-papered the house, there's pancakes on the breakfast menu and I wrote happy birthday all over the place outside with sidewalk chalk. We've got his gift in the car with a big, red bow on it and the car fob wrapped up in a box with its own bow. 

I bet he'll wake up the entire neighborhood, you might even hear him squealing wherever you are! (I tested it out after Jeff assembled it tonight, whoa fun times!) 

Wishing you all a peaceful weekend. 



* I'm posting this at 12:40 a.m. because between the birthday festivities and working in the classroom tomorrow morning, followed by play rehearsals, I wouldn't have been able to post till midnight tomorrow probably.

100 Photos: No. 17

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This is my receipt file. I've reused it many years by writing the year on it, then covering the writing with stickers. Now I've gotten smart and covered it with a paper that I liked and I'll just toss the receipts at the end of the year and file the keepers elsewhere. Now I'm cooking with gas!

No. 17, Receipt File

I know it's overexposed, but if you squint, you might see the question mark in the upper left and the "5" in the middle on the bottom. :)

100 Photos: No. 16

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No. 16, Rakes.

They're handy in the fall, they're handy in the spring. They're handy in the viewfinder of my SX-70. And my SX-70? Quite handy at summoning shocked looks from local hardware store owners when asked for permission to photograph a pair of rakes.

Do you have a favorite or two to share with me so far from the Spring 'RoidWeek pool? I like this one! Weeeeeee!!!!


Cute Shop Alert: Max and Ellie

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I don't remember how I found Max and Ellie on Etsy, but I do know I fell instantly in love with their Itty-Bitty Boo Boo Kits. I mean, I have a little boy. We have daily boo boo drama around here.



At the time I discovered the shop though, we were having the "losing of the first tooth" kind of drama going on and I couldn't find the tooth fairy pillow that the Noodle had received as a gift when he was around three. I thought, "If Melissa and her sister can make such adorable boo boo kits, I bet they can make an adorable tooth fairy pillow." Soon enough a swap was arranged: one tooth fairy pillow for one sewing machine. Then I thought it would be fun to learn more about Melissa and the sweet children's shop she runs on Etsy with her sister Emily.



How do you and Emily split the duties of running an Etsy shop?

Very badly at the moment!  Emily is 8 1/2 months pregnant with her second little boy, so she has her hands pretty full these days.  I do all of the Etsy shop maintenance--adding new items, paying bills, etc--but we both make the items that we sell.  She's the mastermind behind all of those adorable felt boo-boo kits.

How old were you when you learned to sew and what was the first project you completed?

I took sewing lessons from a family friend when I was about 12-ish.  My first project was a skirt.  I think it even had a zipper--something I've never quite mastered!  The skirt was a big, knee-length, full circle skirt made from a hideous hunter green and pink rose print!  Totally ugly.  And I don't think it fit very well when it was finished.  I think it was too small in the waist!

What is your favorite advice to give to people new to sewing?

I'm not a master seamstress, so I feel funny imparting my "wisdom" to others, but I think you should definitely start small.  Don't decide that you're going to sew your kid's Halloween costume the night before!  Just make some napkins or place mats or something.  Straight lines are really hard to mess up!  And then, when you feel like you've mastered straight lines, you can start tackling scary things like buttons holes and gathered edges.

What is the hardest thing you've ever tackled sewing-wise?

I'm not super adventurous when it comes to sewing. I always see patterns that I want to try and then never get around to doing it.  But my daughters' Easter dresses this year were a lot of work.  Lots of ruffled tiers, a crazy neckline that I couldn't figure out, making two at once!  I had to call my mom and expert friends on more than one occasion to ask for advice.  



Also, my oldest daughter dances at the Scandinavian festival in our area every summer, and the first year she participated, I decided to make her costume...the night before.  This was before I had really gotten back into sewing, so it took forever!  I wasn't very familiar with my machine, the dress called for a zipper, I think I ran out of thread at one point -- it was a mess!  But I got it done in time for her to wear it, and if you don't look too closely, it is pretty cute!

Do you have any advice for teaching children to sew?

I have not tried to tackle that one yet!  My youngest loves to play with my machine; I always have to make sure all of the knobs are back in the right positions after she's been in the room.


I loved reading in her Blog It Forward post that Melissa once made a Pina Colada cake. Um, can I please be invited next time? And look what the girl can do with a plain jane sweater! Thank you Melissa for the interview!

Max and Ellie blog and shop.

Poem in Your Pocket Day

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Yesterday I mentioned that today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. I love this event and the Noodle's school does too, although they celebrated last week for some reason. In any case, I got this awesome book of poems for kids so the Noodle could choose something for his pocket and ended up finding a perfect one for me too.

I carried this poem in my pocket last week and I cannot tell you how giddy I felt when some of his classmates asked me if I had a poem in my pocket and I said, "YES!"






I had grand, grand I say, plans to get an oversized blazer at the thrift store and sew 32 pockets on it and fill them just as the poem described. I wanted to make a bee out of felt and get a little packet of honey from a restaurant. I was going to put a little container of water for melted snow. I had it all planned out! And then, I got sick. But, watch out 2011!

Sail Away

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Right now, I need calming images like this one spoon-fed into my brain. This simple serenity is what I am craving because I am currently in one of those crazybusy times of life.


Lists do not seem to be helping me achieve that state of calm. You know that feeling of "I have a lot to do but I can do it!" I haven't exercised in over a month. I'm not sleeping very well. What is your best advice for when life is crazybusy? Please help this blogger-in-distress. :)

100 Photos: No. 13

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Please forgive my sporadic posting last week. I will be back on track this week! We have had truly wonderful spring weather here lately. This weekend and this morning it is downright lovely, and the next three days promise rain. So I decided that the chores could wait and I headed out to photograph another tree that has caught my eye lately in my neighborhood.

No. 13, Sweet Springtime


What do we get from the flighty weather? We get trees like this one bursting with soft blossoms, the sound of birds chirping, and the promise of more warm, sunny days.

It is the sweetness of springtime.


P.S. I made it on the 100 Photos Group Features blog last week, hooray!

Earth Day

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Happy Earth Day! I'd like to get down to grass tacks (heh) and celebrate our beautiful planet with photos.






There is such glorious beauty to be found simply in a few blades of humble grass, sunlight and water droplets. This is a little reminder to myself of why we are working hard to protect our earth. How do you celebrate Earth Day?

Etsy Treasury Tuesday

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I was very happy to learn about the new Treasury East at Etsy, which is being beta tested right now. Unlike the prior Treasuries, these do not expire and there is no maximum number of active treasuries. This means that you can make a Treasury anytime! As long as they keep Treasury East around, I'm planning to make a Treasury every Tuesday for you. Here is my first one!