away

I really enjoyed your comments yesterday and the 'conversation' in the comments section about travel preparations. One of the fun things about blogging is the water cooler aspect it sometimes takes on. Those of you with small children know that the time and energy involved in preparing to travel sometimes seem to take up as much time as the trip itself. Despite this, it's all so worth it for the ways we're changed by what we see and do.

I'll be back in this space next week. Whatever your plans for the weekend I hope you experience something new!

Wednesday

I got little done yesterday aside from some dental work. We're going out of town tomorrow, and I'm feeling a bit stressed about all there is to do. Not only do I need to pack, I also, compulsively, like to leave the house clean (including sheets) and organized before traveling. Crazy, I know.

If you aren't already a reader of hers, be sure to check out Becky's blog. She was my first blogging friend. She's the funniest writer in the blogosphere, and she's facing and documenting a significant hardship with humor, courage and grace.

I keep thinking about Jenna's words about turning forty and what it is and is not.

(Oh and email readers, here's the link for yesterday's garden post. I inadvertently left it out when I initially published it, and fixed it later on the site.)

Happy Wednesday!

garden tour

Today I'm giving a garden tour over at The Stir - check it out! Are you planting a garden this spring?

Happy Tuesday!

forget-me-not

Good morning!

Yesterday I noticed forget-me-nots for the first time this spring. I love them. The forget-me-not is my home state, Alaska's, state flower and, more importantly, they remind me of my engagement. The day Alexi proposed (May 13, 2000) we rode a tandem bicycle on the Burke-Gilman trail to the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery; there were forget-me-nots in abundance on the trail that day.

Later today I'll be sharing a tour of my garden, so check back in if you have a minute.

Happy Tuesday to you!

something to think about

There are a number of quotes sprinkled in our family calendar; we move them ahead after reading them to contemplate again at some future point. Over the weekend I encountered 'hope is not a strategy'. I like this periodic reminder that hope doesn’t replace planning and hard work.

Something to think about for your Monday. xo

for your weekend

My friends, what are you up to this weekend? We're all about baseball - some hockey too - and time with friends.

A few links for your perusal:

I'd like one of each from the Mariners Supply Co (via Design Sponge).

I made this gardeners hand scrub - it's remarkably easy to make and works great!

Loving this book (via Shari).

Living in: On the Waterfront (you knew I'd love this, right?).

I hoping you have a wonderful weekend! xoxo

window shopping

Hello out there! Thank you so much for your nice comments this week.

Yesterday I was out doing errands, and stopped in at Lucca - such a pretty store.

A happy Friday to you!

Earth Day

I've been thinking about the many aspects of Earth Day all week. One of the times in which I felt most connected to the earth was in college; I spent summers working on a tour boat in Valdez, Alaska. From time to time I would sleep on a boat, and would invariably get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. At whatever hour there would still be a bit of light - one of the magical things about summer in Alaska. I felt alone in the world in a most wonderful way at those moments - alone in the perfect still and silence. A moment for me to gaze at the deep blue night sky, to breathe the salty air and take in the beauty. Fast forwarding to my life now; once again I live by the water. One of the main draws of my home for me is the constancy of the sound of the waves and seagulls, the smell of ocean air. It makes me feel more alive somehow, and more connected to and aware of the vastness of the universe.

Wishing you moments of connection with the earth amidst the rest of your day.

my husband's wisdom

This morning at breakfast Alexi and I were discussing a recent difficult interpersonal interaction. He turned to the boys and said, "Some people generate more heat than light...do your best to generate more light than heat."

making bagels

Mondays I tend to be really productive - I surprise myself sometimes. Yesterday was no exception. I got through a bunch of email and paperwork that needed my attention, washed all the sheets in the house, packaged up orders for the shop, and then decided to make bagels before working in the garden. I've been wanting to make them for some time now. I used the recipe found in artisan bread in five minutes a day; I plan to buy healthy bread in five minutes a day and make the whole grain version next. It took about a minute to mix the dough, then it rises for a couple of hours. After that it took about 30 minutes all told to complete them - 10 minutes or so of shaping and boiling them (very easy, even though it sounds daunting) and then 20 minutes of baking time. I brought them still warm to my boys for an after-school snack, much to their surprise and delight.

Have you tried anything new in your kitchen lately?

savoring

dandelion wishes * the scent of lilacs * first cones of 2010 * baseball * putting something new into the ground each day * sleeping with an open window * eating outside * lingering daylight

sweetness

I bought this donut yesterday when I went into Starbucks to get a cup of the free coffee they were offering because it was tax day. I really wasn't hungry, but it was just too pretty to pass up. I'm happy to report it tasted as good as it looks.

I hope your weekend is full of sweetness and spring loveliness. xoxo

once again

We seem to be entering the days of pink once again. I thought we were all done with blossoms, then these popped out all over town this week (can someone tell me what they are?).

While in the shower yesterday I saw one group of geese or ducks, I couldn't tell which, flying in V formation, followed by another group. I looked out seconds later, and one large V was flying the other direction. Just flying around Elliott Bay? Heading to Alaska or Canada? I wish I knew.

What's catching your eye these days in your corner of the world?

rhubarb love

We had the most lovely day in Seattle yesterday - rich smells of rain and the scent of the first of the lilacs. Why is it that sometimes rain has a smell, sometimes not?

As you may recall, rhubarb is a favorite of mine: roasted, as a soda, in a crumble, pretty much any way. I practically danced a jig when I saw that rhubarb is once again available locally here. I bought my first bunch yesterday and proceeded to make these muffins - a family favorite. (The jam you see is our second-to-last jar; hopefully the strawberries will be ripe a little early this year so we can hurry and make more...)

Last year after I wrote about rhubarb, my sister emailed me to say, "remember how we used to play with rhubarb as kids? I remember we used to turn them into 'umbrellas' with their big leaves and sing 'singing in the rain for ketchup'. :). The memory makes me smile." I don't remember it, but I love hearing about the memory via her.

I wish you a lovely Wednesday.

for your Tuesday

Thank you all for the great book recommendations on Friday - I'm set for a while now! I'm in the middle of Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese; so good that I'm finding it a tiny bit annoying to have to stop reading and take care of my family.

Remember the cat on the head episode? Well, on Sunday Cal said to Abbott 'jump over me while I roll down the hill' (top image); fortunately the timing worked out on this one.

This story left me teary; so sweet.

Check out the glee flashmob in Seattle; it's awesome.

I found Radiolab's "Lucy" quite thought provoking (via Molly).

I hope your Tuesday is going well. (Abbott never likes Tuesday as well as Monday, because he has art on Monday but not Tuesday.)

the babies

We were lucky indeed to get to see a few baby animals (and a few adult ones too) several days ago - one of the best things about spring!

As I was browsing through Flickr the other day and preparing to leave a comment on this photo, a comment that had already been left really made me pause. "Do you ever just have a moment where you realize how closely your reality is to your biggest dreams...I'm there! " (Madeline Bea) Just beautiful.

Happy Monday!

have a relaxing weekend