i have nothing to say

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perhaps i should not have set forth the royal proclamation that i would write more, & babble less. since doing so i have been struck mute. even now, in just telling you that i cannot write, the words do not come.

i do want to share this play-mat with you, so until i have become unmutificated (real word), i shall indulge in a bit of babble.

elfling was given a set of cars squinkies for christmas. watching him play with them, i remembered this wee map on pinterest. the original source can be found on spoonflower. in their words: a scale(ish) map of paris sized to use with toy cars. you can purchase the fabric by the yard, or a small test swatch.  i hope to by some later this year, to make elfling a blanket. i digress.

how i made this play-mat:

*print the spoonflower image onto card stock.
*cut away the excess paper.
*cover both sides of the map with clear contact paper.
*smooth away bubbles & round the corners. (leave an edge all the way around)
*add one toddler & a handful of squinkies.

elfling loves his new map, & has played with it many times since i made it. this play-mat would make an excellent toy for restaurants & other places you want to enjoy a bit of quiet toddler time. not for my toddler, however, as he tends to announce the end of squinky play by throwing them across the room. sigh.

said squinky-thrower is currently running amok, so i am bringing today's babble to a close. hopefully i shall have something to say soon. have a lovely day, do!

~peace.

ps. i also printed this radiator springs set, which is too cute for words.

notes of note :: i do not own the rights to the map image, so please, do not make play-mats from it to sell. i doubt you would do such a thing, but it had to be said. i know you understand. also, please buy the fabric, if you are able. spoonflower rocks!

in memoriam

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jar filled with bits & bobs from many huell-inspired road trips. pebbles, sea glass, shells, pottery, etc.

huell howser,  you truly were california's gold.

~peace.

change is on the wind

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like so many others this time of year, my thoughts turn inward. what do i want this new year to bring me? to be filled with? what ever shall i do with myself? no matter where my mind drifts, it always comes back to one word: change.

oldies will recall that change & i do not do well together; i am a creature of habit. in fact, there was talk of crowning me queen of habitton. or was that hobbiton? i can never recall which. at any rate, i know that as difficult as change is for me, it is something that i want. something that i need. it is the what that has me stumped.

i do know some of what i want to change. last year was one of health woes; both body & mind. i am determined that twenty-thirteen will see me well. no. not just well - i want to thrive. much easier to type than do, but as thirteen is my lucky number, this is the year for it.

the rest is fuzzy. i know that i want to move across town, but that requires more money than we currently have on hand. so how to earn that money?

i want to write. i want to re-open kats in the belfry. i want to finally open the hogwarts homeschool shop. i want to design & sew vintage-styled clothing. i want to learn photography. i want to get my farm back on track. i want, i want, i want, & there are only so many hours in a day that is already filled with a teen & a toddler, both of whom homeschool, & only one me.

ye olde blogge needs a change, most definitely. i want to write more in this space, to really write. the other day i was searching for something, & came across a post that i wrote shortly after my mother died. reading that post made me cry. not just for the loss of my mother, but because somewhere along the way i forgot that i was a writer. do not mistake me, i enjoy sharing photos, & babbling about my day, but it is not who i am. rather, not only who i am. for now i think i shall post less, & write more. or not. honestly, i do not know. sigh.

until i do better know what i most want to change, & how, i am concentrating on what is easily managed without much thought. like moving my vintage camera collection, i shall move me about & see what looks best. change is on the wind, my one & only reader. but to where will it blow?

~peace.

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happy new year!

~peace.