what the?

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is this hell? by hell i mean did my windy little hill get moved into the very bowels of hell? they are saying that yesterday was a record high for los angeles: triple digits in the first week of autumn! there aren't words to describe how hot it was. today is, so far, vastly cooler, but to that i say, whatever. once the mercury rises above 75 85 i am just a puddle of sweaty misery, whimpering in the corner.

today we are playing hooky. i know you shall think me a wimp (& perhaps you're right), but i just cannot function in weather such as this. we are skipping classes, putting off errands, doing no chores. today we sit still, & try not to snap at one another. much. um. as much as we did yesterday.

so, what is with the unrelated photo of feet? nothing. i know how you are about photoless posts, so i took one of my newly painted toes. you're welcome!

i am off to wipe sweat from various places.

~peace.

note :: this is the first polish i've worn in 7 years! it's a less toxic brand, color: brandon burgandy.

a boy with two mamas to love

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my wee boy is happiest out of doors. he loves most everything about it, is at one moment made giddy by it, the next, is made peaceful.

his favorite thing is to sit alone on the grass. he quietly runs his hands over it, picks at it, pulls up longer strands, tears them to teeny bits, & begins again. it's as though he is trying to know the very essence of the grass.

usually we'll find a lovely bit of grass, or a teensy stick, clutched tightly in his hand long after we've come indoors.



the day i took these photos he wanted nothing to do with me & my pesky camera. i was trying to get some good shots of his face, for far-away relatives, but he would have none of it. we were intruders, my camera & i.

finally i gave up trying, & left him to indulge his love of mother nature. i wasn't the least bit jealous that he preferred her to me. well, perhaps a bit...

~peace.

drat!

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well i had planned to write more, but then a certain someone; hiding his face in shame no doubt; caught his brother's pestilence. a sick 12yo is sad, but a sick 13mo is sad & exhausting.

when the boys are well, i shall be back with fabulosities (real word) galore.

~peace.

thursday things - pestilence

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mama's medicine

pestilence has hit the belfry. nothing serious, just the common cold, in various stages of coldosity (real word). still, it's enough to keep us home. elfling & i are thrilled to for the respite from adventuring, but a certain hobbit would rather be running wild with friends at the park. i decided he was in need of a bit of pampering. this brings us to this month's week's thursday things: pestilence pampering of the pouting preteen.

* iced tea pops. sucking on popsicles is good for easing throat & belly pains, as well as for bringing down a fever. we've even used them for keeping hydrated when unable to keep anything down (the small amount of liquid ingested with each suck doesn't usually trigger vomiting). i've found that juice pops don't soothe as well as pops made from tea. or it could be that thehobbit & i just aren't juice drinkers.

it's simple really, all you need do is freeze tea in popsicle molds. chamomile is a good choice for all pestilence, & especially so when there is nausea. no need to sweeten these pops, by the way. we've used all sors of herbal & fruity teas, even green tea. i've got hibiscus tea pops freezing as i type.

we have this mold. look at these, & scroll down for the description of this set!

* a good book. kids this age can get lost for hours in a book, which is good when feeling crummy. if your pestilenced preteen is not feeling well enough to read, he/she can listen to the book on tape. here is a hobbit-approved list:
- harry potter (series). we highly recommend listening to these. jim dale is the reader, & will blow your mind.
- percy jackson (series). do not judge these books by the mediocre film. the books are clever & fun.
- the red pyramid. the same author as the percy jackson series, same idea, but with ancient egyptian gods, instead of greek.
- theodosia (series). set in 1902 england, with a girl as the main character!
- nathaniel fludd (series). the same author as the theodosia books. we've yet to read these, so can't say if they are good. they are on thehobbit's wish list though.

* entertaining "tv". we haven't cable or satellite, so rely on netflix ("instant watch" on my laptop) when diversion is needed. if your preteen is faint if heart, do not go with either of our recommendations. thehobbit is an odd duck.
- man vs food. he travels the country, taking on the most insane food challenges. insane as in a 12lb burger, or a 72oz steak. yes, we are still vegetarians, we just aren't offended by others eating meat.
- man vs wild. bear grylls in a looney, but my menfolk love him. it's a how to survive show.

* coloring in real books. many years ago thehobbit pointed out that shel silverstein's books looked like coloring books for bigger guys. when he was recovering from surgery a few years later, he received his own copy of a light in the attic. i handed him a box of colored pencils, & he spent a few days healing & coloring. he was also given castle, but said it was no fun coloring so much gray. 3 years later & he still loves coloring in real books. at this very moment he is in bed, working on one of my old calvin & hobbes.

that's all i have for now. i hope you don't have any pestilence ruining your adventures.
~peace.

honey, i'm home!

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did you miss me? did you even notice i was away? no? NO? & you call yourself my one & only reader. dreadful.

we have been up to our ears in busy these days, & i'm afraid i've not quite gotten the hang of balancing it all. not to mention, mercury has been in retrograde in the most fiercest of fashion! most years i can get the whole way through with only the most casual oh, is it in retrograde? not so this time, not so.

do not fret that this shall be the way of things. i've purchased two calendars to keep me on schedule, dropped a few (some temporarily, others permanently) have-tos, & let thebelfry slip into complete & utter chaos.

with my mind less flabbergasted, it is my hope to be back to regular posting this week! hurrah!

so what's with the photo, you ask? nothing. elfling got hold of my harry potter specs, & i happened to be near my camera. he truly is an odd thing - cannot abide hats on his head, but adored having those on his face.

though, speaking of monsieur potter: i am working on new (free) pdfs for hogwarts homeschool, as well as sets(not free) for the soon-to-be-open hh shop! more about that last bit later :)

alas, our visit has come to an end. the wee one is now awake, & i must go snuggle him. see you tomorrow.

~peace.

lavender blue, dilly dilly

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poorly lit photo of a birthday crown wip

last night i was working on a birthday crown, when i realized i hadn't any lavender floss. this crown has to match a capelet made by the talented pin pon, so my palette is set: orange, light orange, white, & lavender.

i knew that the color i needed was in the box of floss i'd brought back from my mother's home. until now though, i had not even considered using any of it. as it was, it took me a goodly bit of time to convince myself that it was ok to use a length of lavender.

you see, when i was in oregon, i only took a small box of her gigantic collection of embroidery floss. i honestly don't know why i didn't take it all; it just seemed right at the time, to take a bit as a remembrance. of course i'm kicking myself now. so, the floss has taken on a sort of sacred aura - to be fondled & hoarded. yes, i know i am being silly, but i imagine it's all part of dealing with the loss of my mother.

short story made long; i used a bit if her lavender floss on the crown. it did feel strange to do so. i remembered the countless times i saw her embroider, the gorgeous works of art she created, as well as the silly. my brother & i each had pillow made from our little jeans, with tush, stitched onto the pocket. & no, i don't still have mine :)

some of these memories brought with them a feeling of peace as i worked, others brought immeasurable sadness. i'm told by the (too many) friends who've lost mothers, that this will be the way of it. how ever does one get used to such things?

another poorly lit photo of the birthday crown wip

once i finished, the lavender floss went back into its box, & the whole was placed on its shelf in my sewing nook. that's her writing: 211. i miss her all the more when i see it.

a favorite song from my childhood, that is stuck in my head:

~peace.