99:almost there!!!!

Linda May 5th, 2009

  The weather here has been wonderful the last few days and it is all I can do to work in my studio and not run outside and play.  I got the veggie beds cleaned and planted with the early veggies.  The peas are already up about 1 and 1/2 inches.  And ofcourse so are the radishes, lettuces and spinach.  I trimmed and tied up the raspberries and we are going to have one of Scott’s spring favorites–rhubarb bars, yummy good.  Noel and I have been busy with his running start application/testing/meeting stuff…it is almost over, whew!!!  I have just finished up writing an article (with pictures) for Doll Crafter and Costuming magazine (hopefully it will be in the Oct. issue). Was requested by Art Doll Quarterly Editor to send off 2 dolls (yet another post office run–the lady there is now used to my weird shipping requests and questions ;0).  Gypsy doll was in the latest issue of ADQ (page 72 if interested). In the picture above you can see 2 jean skirts that I made for my daughter and I.  Hers is the blue-ish one and mine is the pink and orange one.  Scott donated the fabrics–I am not sure which line they are from but were decorator weight and washed up beautifully.  My 100th post is coming-up and I have added new goodies to the pile so stay tuned.      

96: miracles of nature

Linda April 9th, 2009

I was able to get out into my garden (finally) to do some cleaning up.  The entrance has an arbor on it and growing on the arbor is a wisteria that came from the next door neighbor.  It has been there for several years and has never bloomed till last year.  It is had  very pretty purple-ish blue flowers that  hung down in clusters like grapes.  The birds love to hide in it during the summer–so you just see flitting and rustling in the leaves.  Anyway, I ramble on..there were these very cool seed pods on it.  During the summer they looked like green banana’s hanging down.  These are the pods and the seeds that came from those–the seeds are smaller and smooth like someone polished them and the husks/pods twisted into these neat shapes–they are very hard and fuzzy.  I  thought they were so interesting..o.k. and then I had to put them on a head LOL.  They look like horns or funny rabbit ears to me.

thistles, pansies and birthdays

Linda July 31st, 2008

    

These are called “globe thistles”.  This flower/plant is just a bit taller than I am and I am 5′ 8″, so yes..they grow very big.  My husband is baffled why I have a lot of these in my yard and garden, so here are my reasons: they are pretty, the bees love them and bees are good (can you see the bees on the left pictures? Every time I was trying to get a shot of them they would move to the other side–very camera shy. LOL), they are easy to grow, the deer don’t like them, and the birds love the seeds.  In front of my kitchen window where I do dishes (by hand) is a big patch, when it is fall/winter the finches will do all sorts of funny acrobatics to eat the seeds right in front of me–very fun to watch.

         

These pansies are “volunteers”.  This phrase cracks my best friend up.  I have only planted these once and now years later they keep coming back.  It is neat to see all the color variations that appear.  Some I leave in the rocks or veggie patches, some I replant in other places.  My danish Grandfather loved pansies so when ever I see them I think of him–I suppose that is why I have a soft spot for him?  Do you have any flowers that remind you of someone??

Birthdays–I turned 49 (!?) on the 29thof this month.  July is always a stressful month for me.  I can ignore the dysfunctionin my family most of the time but when it comes to holidays then I am forced (!?) to deal with it.  This year my dad has forgotten my birthday, sigh.  He only has 2 children so there is really no excuse (and there is along list of other slights).  I don’t think his emotional distance has effected me much until I don’t hear from him and then I feel the rejection and hurt all over again.  I did have a good dinner with kids and husband–we went out for Thai food (oh so very yummy), Noel bought me (with his own money–he was VERY proud of himself) a big box of really good truffles (I am saving those for mommy quiet reading times), Max, Mimi and Scott bought me lots of batik fabric (I have a weakness for batiks) and my darling honey bought me a tattoo gift certif.  He says this is the last one–so he figured that he better bless it since he knew I had my heart set on it.  This one is to be a phoenix.  Ii is a  sign of death, rebirth and renewal (my role as a mother/homeschooler is coming to an end in a few years and I will embark on a new “career”, my daily walk with Christ (I am daily crucified with Christ and His renewing work on my mind and heart), and my continued healing of my past.) 

My daughter’s birthday is on the 30th and this day went much better…I took her on a surprise trip to the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art .  It was a very fun trip…the museum is next to the Bellevue library and she was most puzzled that I would take her to the library for her birthday.  We spent 3 hours there and could of stayed longer but we were getting hungry.  If you live in the area and like dolls I would highly recommend it.  The off to do lunch and some shopping with her birthday money.  Then home to have dinner with Grandpa and Grandma H and family.  She had a very good day and it was good to concentrate on making her day special (and  I had a good time too ;0)   

 

A place I call Haven

Linda June 23rd, 2008

 (I just added this for you city folk–I wake up several days a week with deer grazing in my back yard–now some of you might think this is cool but for those of us who garden…well let’s just say, I wish we had a dog to chase them off!!!)

 About 5 years ago Scott built me this garden.  It has an 8 foot fence (to keep the deer out, to stop my beloved kitty from pooping in the beds, and other creatures etc) and raised beds.  It is appprox 30 by 27 feet.  It is “my” garden, haven, and no one is allowed in unless “the mama” says so.  It is my own little spot to myself (I even have to share my studio space, sigh).  The wisteria bloomed this year for the first time.  It is purple and very fragrant.

      These are views from inside it.  I am growing:lettuce, spinach, rainbow swiss chard, 2 kinds of edible peas, cucumbers, zuccini, strawberries, blueberries, herbs, carrots, flowers, pumpkin starts, egg plant starts, basil starts, radishes, and rhubarb.  Whew!!!  It is all very compact.  I don’t use any chemicals except slug death (this is Washington you know)–I find that crop rotation works very well thank you.  And it gets regular doses of compost and chicken/rabbit manure. 

  A view of my raspberry patch. Not many make it inside–most end up inside me!!

  These are my peas–most of these end up inside my kids before they make it into the house.   

    This rose came from my grandmother Alma, and who knows where she got it–it was always in her garden.  It is not a very well behaved rose, but it brings back such fond memories.  It is a “cabbage” rose and give off such a heady scent.

 A view from the garden.  To the left is the garden shed-the one with the red door.  And the building next to that is Mimi’s play house.  Sadly she does not spend that much time in it–she spend most of her time running away from any flying creature because she believes it is a bee/yellow jacket.

Traumatic day

Linda June 19th, 2008

When I woke up yesterday the sun was just peeping out and it looked to be a nice day in Sultan, Wa.  Took my 15 1/2 year old to his drivers lessons…said a prayer for him and sent him off.  It was his first day driving in class.  Went home, ate a scone with yogurt, showered, dressed and told the other 2 kids that I was heading out to play in my yard.  I weeded some beds, put down bark mulch, replanted some seeds (that had rotted from the constant rain we had been having), inspected the veggie gardens progress..tra la la.  I was having so much fun and it was looking like a great day, then tragedy struck..in the form of my 15 1/2 year old.  He called and said he was done with his driving lesson and to pick him up.  Skipped off (ha–just kidding–too old for that kind of stuff!!) and picked him up.  Son proceeded to break down in the car…he had messed up driving and the instructor “reamed” him.  Told him, and the friend who is in the class/car with him, that he was going to be nice and not fail them on this drive…..etc.  My dear son’s self confidence was completely shattered by this man.  I have not seen him weep–out of anger, frustration, and fear for a long time.  It broke my heart.  What to do….he was only able to get his permit a week ago because he was not quit 15 1/2 and he was not enrolled in an “approved” drivers ed class till then.  He has very high standards and wants to do well.  He came home and shut himself in his room and did not eat till dinner and then only little–now if you know that my son is 6 foot 4, you can see that this is very unlike him..another sign of his sorrow.  

Then later that day #2 son comes to me and just stairs at me…I talk to him and notice that he has a cut on his forehead–how did you get that I say..he starts to tell me this loooooong story about his sister blah,blah, blah–the point was he was smacking a stick with another stick because he was angry at her and the stick broke and knocked him in the head.  It hits with such force that it gave him an “egg” on his head and a cut.  Give him an ice pack and send him off the sit in a chair.

And I had such high hopes for the day.  Talked to #1 son about his driving (what exactly did the instructor say etc)….and then took him out to practice, practice, practice.  He came home feeling better about his skills and his self.  It is so very hard to watch them go through such trying times….when to shield them and when to not.   (Personally I was ready to call the guy and do some personal damage of my own but know better.) 

I go to bed that night exhausted from all the flying emotions and “kissing emotional boo-boos”.  But #1 son went to bed feeling better, #2 son does not have a concussion and daughter is excited to go summer clothes shoppin’ with mom.  All is well with the world. Any body else have a day like this????