time for a list

{source}

i have so many thoughts & ideas
swirling around in my head.
instead of a well-composed post,
how about a super-fragmented list?
perfect.

marian 4 prez

marian has loved being freshman class president this year.

this weekend, she'll be busy making posters and writing her speech.

her campaign for sophomore class president begins wednesday.

positive thoughts are most welcome.

odd coincidence? 

i have been reading redwall to ned for weeks.

in it, there is a hedgehog named ambrose spike.

a few weeks ago, at the same time, i was reading the signature of all things.  in it, there is a man named ambrose pike.

what???

bloom

the baby orchid from this post has been living with my mom & dad in las vegas.  this week, my mom sent me a photo of its very first bloom.

anne lamott

i just finished reading stitches, and just starting reading traveling mercies.

waiting

weeks ago, i requested the goldfinch at my library.

i am now number 111 in line.

someday...

minor tweak

in the 6½ years we've lived in this house, we have rearranged the family room furniture {big couch, 2 big chairs, ottoman, coffee table, 2 end tables} several times, almost always putting it back the same way.  i have been craving something new, and we finally have a slightly new arrangement that everyone agrees is an improvement.

soup

i love making a big pot of soup, then having it feed us for days.

i've been making minestrone and my own version of this potato corn chowder.

irritating

my email server has randomly decided this week that all emails i send will now say they are from "centurylink customer."  awesome.

homeschooling

ned is in 3rd grade, and this is our first year of homeschooling.
needless to say, we have good days and bad days.  so far this year, he has read an astonishing number of chapter books, and has nearly memorized his times tables.  he has started doing a weekly p.e. class that has been really fun.  in february, we took a backyard beekeeping class and a stargazing class.

wardrobe

since last fall, i have really pared down my closet.  like everyone else, i had lots of things that i never wore.  after accidentally finding a few nearly perfect pieces, i started to really consider my "uniform."  this allowed me to let go of the less-perfect things and focus on what works for me.  my "new wardrobe" has yet to be finished, but i am beginning the process of making some linen dresses.  i'm finding inspiration here, here, here, here.

garage sale

last year's garage sale never happened.  as a result, our garage has been stuffed with stuff all winter long.  add to that, purging every closet & drawer, and we are ready for the mother of all garage sales this spring.

spring break

in a couple weeks, marian is flying to santa cruz to spend her spring break with emily.  the two of them will fly back home together and emily will spend her spring break here.  we are all looking forward to seeing emily, and you can imagine how excited marian is to fly out to california to spend a week with her.

other things on my mind

the princess & the pea

dryer balls

dog collars

the beekeeper's quilt

spoon butter

taxes

homemade deodorant

little dishes

daylight savings

furoshiki

♥♥♥

-giveaway-

i love this mini calendar from

the paris print shop.

they didn't make them last year, so i was

happy to see them back in their shop.

it is tiny

-the size of a business card-

perfect for propping on a stack of books.

snappy mailer

tiny calendar

beautiful paris photographs

to enter,

just leave a comment below.

{the giveaway is closed}
{the winner is emily}

i will choose a winner on friday, the 22nd.

if i don't already know your email address,

please leave it with your comment.

good luck!

♥

rainy night

tonight, my village feels like this.

{source}

today, i cleaned, sorted, let go.

and voted.

and cuddled this softie.

i found a few of my old blog posts that

are good enough to revisit:

= little neddy reading =

= a sweet one about me & missy =

= marian's stop motion movie =

= sweet summertime with emily & jay =

= the recipe for being really, really happy =

tomorrow we are making this.

and these.

and this.

mulling spices are on the stove.

there's a fire in the fireplace.

it's cozy here.

♥

treasure☼hunt

we had to trek to nampa today

for marian's student council conference.

the drive {with a stop for coffee}

took a full hour, so i decided to just stay put,

rather than spend an extra 2 hours in the car

driving home & back again to pick her up.

it was under such circumstances

{time on my hands + several thrift stores}

that i had a good day hunting for treasures.

i've been switching all my dishes to white.

my criteria:

~ white {or cream or tan}
~ sturdy restaurant ware

~ american or european made

i love finding exactly what i'm looking for:
today it was mugs and smaller plates.

i'm keeping & using the white dishes,

but the rest are things that

will be in my etsy shop someday soon:

square cups

ornate tins

a sweet cream & sugar set

oh, and i'm keeping the apron! 

♥

treasury

it's time to get

t o a s t y

come & warm up

☼here☼

♥

tomatoes for days

i have processed nearly ten flats

of these gorgeous tomatoes

from our csa, earthly delights farm

i core & chop the tomatoes,

then mix in some chopped onion, garlic,

salt, pepper, olive oil.

i roast them for hours.

first at 350°to get things cooking,

then turning down the heat to about 275°

for a s-l-o-w roast.

after the roasted tomato mixture has cooled,

i pour it into loaf pans & freeze

for gorgeous meals

{like this one} all winter long.

after they are frozen,

i remove the "bricks" from the pans.

i wrap them in parchment paper

and place them inside a plastic bag.

♥

treasury

blue jean baby

ballerina,

you must have seen her

dancin in the sand

have a closer look at hilary frazier,

who's on the front page all the time.

we are etsy friends.

she's expecting a baby very soon.

she knits the sweetest bow ties for boys.

that's her son, finn.

her blog is here.

♥

sunday, around here

kids snoozing

dogs snoozing

garage organizing

♥

p.s.

trying out vscocam.

do you use it?

-treasury-

not only does it feel

like life is just speeding ahead of me,

i am reminded constantly

of the need to

-hurry up-

-keep up-

-catch up-

i'll tell you what,

i've had it.

i am ready to have a new relationship

with time.
i will no longer tolerate the impatience
and the rushing around
and simply doing too much.

i am ready to

take my time.

my own sweet time.

my new treasury is called

drag your feet to slow the circles down

you'd better go have a closer look

☼right here☼

take your time.

take a deeeeep breath.

sleep in.

smell the roses.

lay an egg if you want to.

you can listen to joni sing it here

♥

some little details in my house right now

natural history, from near & far

{vintage french dishtowel from pam}

stones, agates, shells from here

good, old-fashioned communication

unlikely neighbors, living together in peace

a new way to tell old fortunes

kitchen window, spots & all

♥

treasury

late spring cottage

fresh & clean & cozy

see it on etsy

☼right here☼

♥

marian's presidential inauguration

tonight was the inauguration ceremony

for next year's

eagle high school student council.

♥

double duty "shaving cream"

half-empty, unloved shampoos & body washes

taking up precious real estate

on the edge of the tub

clutter up my zen bath vibe.

when it comes to bath products,

having the bare minimum suits me just fine.

sudsy potions must prove themselves worthy

to be included in my washy must-haves.

for shaving my legs, soap just doesn't cut it.

i have tried using conditioner, like they say

in the magazines, but it's too slippery.

i don't like buying a separate, single-purpose

shaving cream to just wash down the drain.

i have found that lotion
is my favorite shaving cream.

this one in particular:

after shaving with lotion,

your skin will be mighty moisturized.

of course, any lotion will work,
but nature's gate gets some serious bonus points:

-cruelty free & vegan

-made with wholesome, food-like ingredients 

-no parabens or other gross stuff

-fragrance free

-available at my grocery store {winco}

-under $5.00 {though the online price is $11.69}

double bonus points, since nature's gate

has a mission statement 

you can feel proud to support:

Our Mission:

To combine the power of natural ingredients with innovation and science to create affordable, safe, sustainable, performance and value driven products. 

We are committed to using pure, sustainably harvested herbs, fruits
and essential oils, without animal-derived ingredients, to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of our customers and our planet.

♥

my mess, my taxes, & some irish folksongs

does YOUR mess have a mustache?

  or its own music?

 raking through my beautiful mess

has been balanced lately

by this:

taxes.

it's nearly done.

now for some more music...

here is another lesser-known

van morrison album,

irish heartbeat {from 1988}.

these are traditional irish folksongs

recorded in collaboration with the chieftains.

very different from astral weeks,

but this album so sweet.

i have spent hours listening to these songs

and i love them.

♥

i can't get the first track to play.
if you are having the same problem, try this:

got candy?

it's been one week since halloween.

do you still have pounds of candy?

we do.

here's a trick for your treats...

have your kids sort it into like kinds

for your advent calendar.

i'll add some special things to the mix,

but, with 25 little doors on my advent cottage,

this gets us more than halfway there.

this way, they still get to enjoy it,

just in a deferred way that

helps to diffuse the sugar a bit.

and i think my kids like to "plan ahead"

when it comes to eating candy.

no advent calendar?

have your kids squirrel it away

to decorate their gingerbread house.

one other thing i like to do with the excess,
is pack some up to send to
my favorite college students.
{hi, emmy!}  {hi, annie!}

♥