a bit of earth

the weather here has been stunning - so warm, so clear. after too many weeks of bone-chilling cold, the warmth has made me so very happy. we've spent a good deal of time sitting in the sun, baking away the dregs of the pestilence, & watching the crows fly.

we've also begun getting the farm ready for spring. yesterday thehobbit & i spent the first half of the day tending the beds, & making notes of what we'll want to grow where. i couldn't stand the bareness, so we drove to the nursery to see what was to be had.

not much unfortunately; but we did get an artichoke, 9 strawberries, and a small flat of lettuce. i'm already dreaming of freshly picked strawberries, dipped in whipped cream mmmmmmm.

***

poking around the internet for inspiration, i came across this photo:

ooooh i want this garden for my very own. i want it bad. i came across the photo quite by accident, & haven't been able to trace it back to post the owner's info for you. for now i'm content to pretend this bit of earth is all mine.

what about you? do you have an urban farm? a flower garden? a bunch of things in containers? what's growing?

~peace.

life is funny that way

why is it that whenever i announce to the universe (or blogosphere) that i am going to do xyz, i suddenly find my plans thwarted?

the playroom is no closer to getting sorted through than it was when i posted my tbooan post the other day. instead i am miserable with the first pestilence of the year. very funny life, ha ha ha.


i thought we could easily slide back into our post-holiday just being, but thehobbit is no longer content. he is ready for the next adventure.

rats & fleas.

***

these are more jars filled with treasures. the top photo's jar is filled with things found in the ocean: pottery, shells, rocks. the next shows a jar of sea glass, & another with stones from our holidays. that tradition began years ago, when we hadn't enough money to buy souvenirs. we'd just find a smooth stone, & write the place & year on it. our collection of holiday stones long ago outgrew the apothecary jar, but that won't stop us from bringing them home.

so that's where i am right now: miserable with a cold, stuck staring at things in jars, & thinking that life has a naughty sense of humor. please tell me you're having more fun.
~peace.

tbooan

i've begun the long process of getting the house in order. not content to merely deep clean, i'm trying to figure out how our home can be changed to better suit our lifestyle.

when thehobbit was younger, a playroom was a wonderful thing. he could spend hours in there playing with toys, or engaging in complex games of make-believe. unfortunately he's spent little time in his playroom the last 6 months, so the room morphed into a dumping ground.

we discussed moving his bed in there; many of his friends now sleep on their own; but he's still happy sleeping in our room. what we need is an in-between room - not quite a playroom, but not yet a bedroom.


i also need to transform the studio. it's so far removed from the main part of our home, that i don't like working back there. a few months ago thehobbit gave up his nook (the little sun room off the kitchen), so i could move my sewing machine there. that has worked out wonderfully well. it's not a large enough area for anything but the basics, but not so far from the studio where the rest is stored.

having moved the sewing machine, & always having crafted at the dining table, i rarely have a reason to go into the studio. my studio is now a dumping ground - like mama like son. what i need back there is a wall of shelves. i like those ugly, metal garage units, because they are sturdy, & deep. they can hold stacks of fabric, & bins of art supplies. once we get those, i'm sure i can figure out what to do with the rest of that room.



i'm not comfortable living in a home that has unused areas - i find myself stressed by them. not to mention how easy it is to let an unused room get stacked with crud, & dusty beyond belief.

so what shall be henceforth known as the belfry overhaul of aught-nine (tbooan) starts this week. thehobbit & i are going to fill bags of unwanted toys for donation, & pack away beloved, but no longer played with toys for visiting. he likes to occasionally visit things he loves too much to give away in their garage bins. if you have a softie kid too, i recommend this practice.

once we are left with just the basics, we'll figure out what to do with his room. i think deep shelving is the answer in there as well, but i'd love something enclosed instead. with his dust mite allergy, it makes more sense. perhaps a desk as well. he fell in love with an ancient roll-top at a thrift shop last month, but it was much too rickety.

if you have any fabulous ideas for me, please share!!!
~peace.
** the jars shown house some of my favorite treasures: pottery bits smoothed by years in the ocean, tiny shells from various vacations, & old wooden alphabet beads. **

my rose-colored world

the past few days have been spent at home, just being. few chores have been done, even fewer homeschool projects, & absolutely no crafting of any kind. it's been lovely.

at first thehobbit flopped about the belfry, complaining of boredom. after i lovingly pointed out the room filled with stuff i could get rid of to make way for my very own dressing room reminded him of all the wonderful things he could do, he set about creating his own entertainment.

he's been wearing a groove into the sidewalk with his new scooter, drawing pictures of slightly steampunked submarines, jamming with elvis on his guitar, watching documentaries & science programs, & reading stories to mo (pet betta).

i have been quietly watching him, marvelling in who he is. i wish i could bottle his passion, his curiosity, & his hunger for knowledge & adventure. he fascinates me, this little man of mine.

right now he's at the stove, cooking his lunch. if you could see the concentration on his face, the serious eyes, the pride in his stance - it's beautiful, but as his mama i get to admit it's a little funny as well. after all, this is the same person who thinks that top hats are appropriate (& at times necessary) when going poops.

other than enjoying my child, i've done little more than warming my chilled bones in the brief spurts of sunshine. how have you been spending your time?

~peace.

** the photos are of flowers waiting to be added to the rose parade floats. **