belle of the ball

With everything else going on in my life, I must confess to still wanting to indulge my children, especially when they ask me to sew for them. Princess #1 shocked me by requesting a dress for her Junior Prom. I confess to a dislike for this color, but she had it locked in her mind. "I want to look like Belle Mom."


A closeup of this golden confection better shows the rhinestone details on the straps and under the empire waist. This dress could not have been simpler really, and it only took about four hours. Fitting would have been more efficient, however, had she remembered to bring her bra... and shoes (ahem).


As it turned out, she loved it, and that's all that counts. I only wish I'd been there to iron it for her.

santa cruz

Those of you who actually have been reading my blog for awhile will know: I *heart* the Boardwalk. Isn't this picture cool? ... it's currently my screen saver as well. Luckily we had a gorgeous, clear (tho chilly) happy day for Horsey Girl's sweet fourteenth.


There was some scullduggery afoot, especially after nd and I exchanged words and he split.

But before that we has us some fun...


Just a few small moments in the arcade, and we had many many tickets from playing all the silly games (half which refused to work.) Here we get our aggressions out on wack - a - mole! Pore lil varmints.


You could not pay me to go on half the rides that the girls enjoyed this day. Tilt O Whirl? Not so much.


They were completely soaked after the fourth go on this one.

Good thing we got season passes. = )

it's here Laura

I've been anticipating this package for some weeks now! How excited I was when it showed up in my mailbox yesterday. All the way from Canada.


This gorgeous, wonderful little art quilt is from a swap with Laura. The detail is exquisite, and this is such a work of love! I am entranced.


The more I look, the more details I discover.... the theme here is True Love. All the lovely handwork makes it sparkle with buttons and beads. I love the cupcake with the "real" buttercream rose.


But my all time favorite part is this little Angel of Love. I sure hope she has some mojo in her sweet little bag.... things are getting sour around here in the love department (again). It's frustrating.

But I have my sweet quilt, and the love of my good friends. Thanks so much Laura!

bees

Here are the bees nd brought home from Chico last week. They seemed happy to bee here. I liked watching them and thinking about the collective brain.


Calm and self assured, little P. treated them like ladybugs. She talked softly to them as she picked them up and let them crawl on her hands and they were calm.


I think Grandmother Apple Tree is happy to see them. Her buds are particularly robust this year.



Fun to ride around our property in the back of the truck too. We really live in paradise. The forest is fresh and cool.

We're off to the Boardwalk for Horsey Girl's Birthday!

these days

Can you find a balance each day between doing things you have to do and doing things you want to do? I find the secret is to elevate needs to preferences. Staying in the moment you can find something you want, even if you're doing something you wouldn't prefer.

We don't know why she likes her bra so much that she wore it under her bathing suit. And I don't know why I bought her a bra either... except it was 5 cents at some thrift store.


The weather has been positively unpredictable. Very very warm, and then very very cold quickly. Yesterday a t shirt, this weekend sweaters and fingerless gloves again. Seems that way everywhere out in blogland.


The perfect day is when you can just enjoy every minute as it comes, and if you're not enjoying it, to pay attention and change your attitude.

Or change what you're doing. Be sure to do things for yourself in equal portion to what you do for others.

pancakes

Little P. made her first solo batch of pancakes on Saturday. Mean Mommy told her, "No pancakes." Nice Daddy (hereby know as nd) said, "OK honey," and we both agreed it would be a valuable skill for her to learn being as how she loves them SO much.


Experimentation with ladling batter and aiming for the pan revealed some interesting shapes. Can you see the bird? She ate ALL of these, with syrup...my vision is to eat another batch again soon with our own honey.


I'm in love with the Melanine plates we bought in Noe Valley. I have them in a neat stack by the stove, ready for more.

They look good with grilled cheese too.

boys and their toys

Today dh bought a new truck.  All you can say is.... wow, oh wow.

Well he certainly looks happy.  This thing is bigger than our house.

And some day, one word:  biodiesel.

Do you smell french fries?

my grotto

Observe my favorite escape. When we first moved into this house this room was a complete disaster. Plywood haphazardly created a step up in the middle as some kind of tub had been planned for the spot; a crumbling pottery sink and plenty of spiders completed the ambiance. For a couple of years I hated even going in there. It was pretty creepy.


When I got pregnant there was no way I was going to have the baby at home with no tub. So we salvaged this one from a neighbor's yard - I paid $200 for it and it has paid for itself over and over again. When it was installed the floor was evened out and I painted it with grey deck paint. A little hutch from Kmart and a really nice pedestal sink gave me comfort without affording too much space.


I have a tendency to build altars whereever I go, so the display above is sacred as well as sweet...loops of prayer beads and goddess necklace's, horsey girl's first blood talisman, a jangly shell belt from Maui. The painting was done for me by P. #1 for Christmas, she's great with tropical scenes. And a few angels and Mary thrown in for good guardian energy.


The smallest Princess was indeed born right here, though we did drain the water first. I labored about three hours in the water, and it was ecstatic and memorable. And the birth? Well, easy to clean up I guess.

Now it's my favorite retreat...I can't wait to jump in here as soon as I get home. Ah, the luxury.

motivation

Sometimes we need a little kick in the pants to get going.  Here at my school we are getting ready for the JOGATHON and if you haven't started your program you are probably in trouble.

Have no fear, motivation is here!  Brandi Chastaine came to talk about her success, how she did it, and the importance of being fit.  She is a soccer star extraordinaire, most famous for whipping off her jersey after a winning Olympic kick.

Well, if nothing else, I'm motivated to use more sunscreen.  She is 39 but looks 25.

Being active means I can indulge more in my favorite treats....I'm also a lot less tired and hardly ever stressed.  The trick is to get where you are looking forward to exercise.  I am definitely there and have been kicking my walks up a notch this week since I have Spring Break - doing my old one hour switchback at Fall Creek.  It's a beautiful meditation.