One year

Tomorrow is my big blog anniversary. One whole year of adventures in blogland. It's been a great year. Blogging has changed a lot about how I look at the world. I've discovered that I really enjoy photography. I've found that there are lots of people out there who love the exact things I do. I've made new friends from all around the globe. Blogging has helped me appreciate all the tiny details in life, the beauty in the mundane tasks, the hope in a tiny bud, the humor entwined with midlife frustrations. I'm grateful for this new perspective and I look forward to tapping away at the keyboard and posting my way through this next year too.

 ~

Things are slowly waking up here in Montana. Oh. So. Slowly. It takes a long time for winter to pack up and leave. There's a lot of deep thawing involved. But there are daffodils poking through the dirt and most days it's warm enough to put the bunnies out in the garden area and let them explore and roll in the grass. Opal put on too many pounds this winter and needs to do some serious hopping. She's sporting a triple chin.

I put a few bird feeders outside the windows by my desk and it's been fun watching the birds come and go. Mostly chickadees and nuthatches so far. Oh, and a squirrel I call Hazel who continually gets more and more brave. She spends half the day trying to tiptoe past the dogs before they spy her and run her back into the creek bed. I'm a little worried one of them will actually snag her — that wouldn't be pretty.

Despite the warmer days I bought myself a new winter toy — an electric wood stove. I'd been eyeing them all winter but never pulled the trigger. Then I happened to be in Lowe's the other day, saw them on clearance, and decided to go for it. We set it up in the little TV room off the kitchen and I love it so much. I was worried it would feel cheesy, fake flames and all, but it's wonderful. It even has an optional heat blower, which makes that room extra toasty. Man, I just love it.

Hope you all are enjoying your Friday and plotting fun adventures for your weekend.

Dreaming and other things

Last night I had one of my recurring bad dreams.

The constants are these: I am frantically trying to get to the airport to make my plane (usually an international flight), and I am running really late. Total chaos ensues.

The variables are the forms of chaos: get lost driving to the airport, can't find gate/ticket info/people I'm flying with, long line at ticket counter and the plane is minutes from take-off, my children are with me and I'm trying to keep track of them, their bags, my bags, etc. It's a very, very stressful dream and I'm always so relieved when I wake up.

In last night's exciting episode I was trying to find the ticket counter and then check a bunch of bags and boxes filled with random stuff. The flight was scheduled to leave in ten minutes and I was a disorganized mess. The boxes weren't sealed, some of my belongings were in plastic grocery bags and I was trying to stuff them into suitcases and duffel bags. There was so much STUFF! I'm talking little plastic toys and dolls, old books and papers, dollar-store trinkets — a bunch of crap, really. It wasn't working. Stuff was falling out everywhere and oodles of it didn't even fit in the bags. Aaaaak!

I woke up, thank goodness, and it was morning.

In the past this dream is all about the flying. I know why I have it — because I HATE flying. HATE! (Yes, I'm yelling.) But this time the part that felt like the bigger stress was all the crap I was carrying.

So I awoke with renewed enthusiasm for purging some of the stuff in my house.

Relinquishing some things is so easy for me, like clothes. I could whittle my wardrobe to a single loin cloth (and maybe a thick robe for winter) without batting an eye. Clothes aren't emotional for me. I don't love them or covet them. That's not to say that I don't enjoy dressing nicely or having nice clothes – I just don't feel attached.

Where my attachments lie are in the little things. Sadly, I now realize, I have a hard time purging all the exact crap I was trying to fit in my luggage — my childhood collection of paper dolls, baby clothes my daughters wore, a collection of tiny painted chairs, hoards of beautiful scrapbook paper, a gallon of shells. Things like that darling little mouse family in the photo above. I love their fuzziness and their little faces. I might miss them if they were gone.

Yikes. I fear there is a canyon-sized gap between me and people who live in those tiny homes.

~

That said, I do plan to make some headway on simplifying this coming week. I may try photographing some of my sentimental possessions, saving the photos and letting the actual items go. The important word there is may. I may part with some things and . . .  I may not. ;)

Happy

Cold and dreary here. Thank goodness for books, little reading lights, the new green growth on the rosemary plant in the kitchen window, and Izzy's little face, always looking up at me with such anticipation. "Where are you going? Can I come? Mind if I sleep under your desk while you work? Is it time for bed yet?"

I finished the book by Tammy Strobel on simplifying and it was wonderful. So much inspiration, good insight and encouragement. I recommend reading it if you're interested in decluttering, downsizing or possibly moving in to a "tiny house." She lives in an 8' x 16' house with her husband and loves the life they share in their itty-bitty home.

Along with reading Tammy's book I happened to watch an excellent documentary on Netflix called "Happy." It was AWESOME! You know how sometimes you feel like something comes along at the perfect time in your life? Like you were waiting to find it? That's how I feel about this movie. I loved it and it's made me think about a lot of things . . . yes, I think a lot. You can watch the trailer and read about the movie here.

Lots of work to do this week. Have I ever mentioned that I'm a freelance graphic designer? Maybe not? Well, that's what I do when I'm not rambling here or reading or crocheting or spending time with my girlies. I'm designing brochures and newsletters and book covers and event posters and logos . . . or annual reports, which is the case this week. Did you know that February is annual report season? Well it is, and I'm knee deep in it.

As always, many thanks for reading. Wherever you are — sitting in a coffee shop in New York, watching the rain fall in the UK, or relaxing on your patio in Austin, Texas — I wish you a happy week.

* I made the star in my kitchen window: directions here.

Buckeyes

When I was growing up my grandparents lived in Ohio, the Buckeye State, and I have vivid memories of my grandpa and I collecting Buckeyes (the large seeds) and playing games with them. Sometimes we'd plop them into the running water in the ditch, then race across the street and wait for them to journey through the pipe and come floating out the other side.

I had completely forgotten about Buckeyes until the other day when I came across hundreds scattered under a tree in the park (Who knew the tree can grow in the West?!). It was like seeing an old friend from 35+ years ago. I dropped to my knees and gathered as many as I could fit in my sweatshirt pocket. 

Back home I layered them in a glass hurricane vase with a candle. I'm going to go collect some more this weekend. They're so smooth and a fabulous reddish-brown color. Perfect for Fall decorating. And remembering my grandpa.

Bunting Bonanza/Garlands Galore

I've gone a little crazy with my needle and thread the last few days. Anything lying around that looks like it could be strung up is fair game. Felt scraps, festive paper bits, $1 craft leaves, fake fruits. Just try an' stop me. 

Little Red Table

Remember when I went to the Prairie Sisters Antique & Vintage Show in April? (I talk about it here.) Well, this is the little kitchen island that I fell in love with and had to bring home in the trunk of my car. Isn't it cheerful!? I love it so much. I'd been looking for something to put in that small spot and this is the perfect fit. Crazily, it was only $65 . . . practically a steal!

Tuesday Tip

Did you know that the lid from a Parmesan cheese container screws perfectly onto a glass canning jar? Well, I just found that out, and now I have this awesome sugar shaker. I love how it looks "casual country" and the handy flip top has a side with holes for shaking and a side with an opening large enough for a spoon. Perfect!

Late Bloomer!

This little gal seems to be taking her sweet time and is just now blooming, while the others are all spent and limp. What a sunny, independent little thing. Everywhere there's the hum of lawn mowers and the laughter of children playing in the afternoon sun. It's getting dark much later now – closer to 9 p.m. It's always tricky getting the kids to sleep this time of year. And it won't get any better for many months. By the end of June it can be 10:30 or so before it's finally dark. It's almost like having extra hours in the day! Yippee for more time!

It's a lonely evening for me tonight. Gary plays soccer until 8 and the girls both have plans for dinner with friends. I'm flying solo until 7:30 or so. This happens more and more now. Sometimes I enjoy the solitude and I'm never one to cry when I don't have to cook dinner, but sometimes it's just plain weird and sad.

In other news, you should see the disastrous condition of my office. I feel like one of those people on "Hoarders." There are piles of paper (all so beautiful and unused) and gobs of random craft supplies mixed with design books and project files and client folders. It's pure craziness.

See? I wasn't exaggerating. Maybe I should be doing a bit of tidying while the family's gone tonight. The problem is I don't even know where to begin.

And we've got ourselves a blanket!

I told myself that I wasn't allowed to start the embroidery project until I finished the blanket I've been working on, so I rushed through my day and finished the last three rows! Yippee! The pattern was one I made up myself and I like how it turned out. I thought I might call it my Fair Isle Throw because it reminded me of an Eddie Bauer "Fair Isle" sweater I had years ago. But then I Googled "fair isle" and although the pattern is somewhat stripey in nature it is a lot more fancy than this.

Izzy doesn't care what I call it as long as she can use it at nap time.

Lovely spaces

My friend Karin lives in the most beautiful, historic home in the cozy University area of Missoula. Not only does the house contain many of it's lovely original features (see the original wood floor above - it even matches her papillon, Petunia!), but Karin is one of those people who can make a space even more beautiful with her magic touch.

As I previously mentioned, Karin also knows how to sew and so on my Friday visit she set up her sewing machine on the dining room table and got to work showing me how to make a cover for a pillow form. They were so easy that she had covered a pillow for her daughter's room in a fun zebra print within a half hour! I need to recover some throw pillows for the basement couches and this new skill is going to come in handy! Plus, I can remove them and throw them in the wash after the next time I host ten 13-year-olds who decide to eat a bag of Cheetos.

Sadly we got so busy chatting as she worked that I did not take the promised photos of the process, but I plan to make one soon and will upload step-by-step instructions so you can make some too!