missing this heavenly kitchen...

I am missing this view... It was such a wonderful sight to catch while I was in the kitchen during our week in Maine. Heavenly. A nice breeze coming through the door was one of the perks. Although if the back door of the kitchen, opening to the clothesline area, then the cross breeze blows put the flame on the gas stove... Kind of a pain, but tolerable. The accoutrements in the kitchen are, at times, lacking. Who really needs a baking pan not crusted with years of food anyway? That said, I love cooking there... Many people, always clamoring for what I've made.... Figuring out how to make do with the things we have... Fun, good energy. I miss it all year. What a wonderful kitchen to be blessed with.

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away too long.... and back from Maine

I miss blogging. It has been too long, and I need to start writing again, and taking good photos. I have just come back from a week in Maine that was glorious. The weather was exactly what I needed. The weather in CT has been unbearable for me this summer: mostly over 90°F for weeks, and very humid. Ugh. I must be part polar bear, as this type of weather makes me miserable, unproductive, and wanting to be indoors all the time where it is cooler.

So, Maine, where the days are warm, and the nights are cool for good sleeping.... wonderful. A large group of people gathered, that I can make food for... happiness. A kitchen where the view out the door is  beyond compare. The scenery and backdrop for photos is spectacular, and makes one appreciate the natural beauty around us, and keep fresh in our minds that which is truly important in the scheme of things.

the view from the house... standing on the back deck

I took many photos, as usual, but this time relied on my new-ish phone to take the photos. An 8 mega-pixel camera... they look pretty good, but now that I have loaded them all onto my Mac, I see that they are not up to snuff at all. They are grainy, and the definition and lighting isn't quite right. So, never again, will I rely on that for quality photos. But, alas, I must live with the consequences of my actions, and settle for the only photos I took.

Wonderful Wisteria

I walked out of the barn today and was confronted with the most heavenly scent! I turned to the right, and found that it was coming from the beautiful vines that drape and envelop the little seating structure next to the entrance to the barn. It is so rustically beautiful. It always seems very grounding. I love this little, almost hidden, treasure at the barn.. which is so impeccably appointed This seems so incongruous....

I love it, and snapped off a few tendrils to enjoy the scent on my drive home.

Almost 2 years later....

It's been almost 2 years since my bunion surgery. I am so glad I had the surgery! I find it interesting that many of the hits I get on this blog are from people hunting things about bunion surgery.

People had told me it hurt (or asked me if it did)... well of course it did!!! They cut my foot open, hacked away at bone, did things to it that I don't want to know details about, and sewed it back up again. It hurt like mad! but, that said... I was hobbling on it within a week, and putting enough weight on it and walking well enough, to have the other done 3 weeks later. And yes, I used meds to keep from being in pain. Pain meds were my friends. They got me through and now my feet are great.

I don't regret it for a minute. And more than that, I am soooooo happy that I did it! My feet look like normal feet, I have no pain, and I can wear great shoes without any problem. I don't have full range of motion in my right toe, but that was the second foot that I did, and I ran out of patience with doing physical therapy. Hindsight, I would have been more vigilant about it.

Anybody debating whether or not to have the surgery? Do it!!! don't wait any longer! I have had other friends use my same doctor, and they have been happy too. The foot surgeon I used was wonderful. His office does about 300 bunion surgeries a year. They know their stuff! Ask questions about that to your doctor. How many they do a year. Are they a podiatrist? or a surgeon? 

And then get it done! One foot at a time. Your recovery will be easier, and you won't ever be totally incapacitated by not being able to walk at all. At least with one at a time, you can hop when it is really painful in the beginning. And you can put weight on the other foot, and gradually put more on the 'new' foot :)

You won't regret it!

Visit for days....

My old friend came to visit. We hadn't seen each other in 18 years. We had a huge fight back then, and hadn't spoken to each other since. She lives in Florida now, and has 3 kids. Facebook brought us back together, and she and her 3 kids came and stayed with us for 6 days!
Amazingly... 5 kids who have never met, in the same house, for 6 days, only one tiff! fantastic! we went sledding, they did video games, went to the movies, saw fireworks downtown on New Years Eve, and more... was so much fun! Emmett was so sad when they were leaving. He wanted them to stay!

they had so much fun in the snow. when you live in florida... snow is a blast!

Reading

 I love that he has started reading on his own finally. Both of my kids just didn't want to, until they were ready... and now he is!!! love it!!! lying in bed at night, a good book..... yay!!!

writing

I'm trying to write for an article about personal organizing, which I happen to be REALLY good at. Why is the writing part so hard for me when I've been doing it here for so long? I can go into someone's home and help them overhaul and organize, and move furniture around to make it work much better. So why is it so hard for me to write about?

I just did it over the weekend at my parents cottage, (which they don't use, but instead mostly just store things in it). The bedroom was virtually unusable, and had twin beds piled high with boxes and more. When you walked in the door, all you could see were beds with boxes, bags and boxes filled with "stuff" all around the room, and basically utter chaos. (ok, and I forgot to take a "before" photo... again)

Now there is one corner that now has boxes piled high in it, but is hidden from view when you first walk in. So when you first approach the room, and enter it, you see a beautiful king-sized bed, a comfy chair for reading, a "tiny tim" piano in the corner with a table and chair beside it. There are a few prints on the walls, and some treasured items creatively placed around the room to enhance it. There is a sense of peace now in the room, and it is enjoyable to sleep in!

I know I am good at this, why can't I figure out how to make money at it? I know I do better with "company" so it would be great to have a business partner. I need an income. I need to work and feel useful other than what I do in my own house. I seem to always struggle with this.

I have an opportunity to apply for a job writing articles about organizing. I am struggling with writing the one to apply for the job! Aargghhhh. I will keep trying, now that I have vented about it here.

O-AT-KA weekend

We went up to Friends weekend at Eli’s camp. Every year, Labor Day Weekend, they have the camp open to people who are affiliated with the camp in some way. You book it ahead, and each family, or group, has their own cabin. Many activities are open, the waterfront is open, and there is good food. A fun weekend. You bring your own bedding and pay only $30 per person for each of the 2 weekend days. So for $60, you stay Friday through Monday, and have fun.

We brought a friend of Eli’s with us this year, so there were more bodies in our cabin. We had a waterfront cabin this year, which meant my bunk was about 20′ from the water. Heaven.

We did alot of riflery, some swimming, kayaking, woodworking (making pens), and I hennaed for about 4 hours. There was kareoke one night, and a hike one day to Douglas Mountain, where the views are fantastic!

Eli and Cameron on top of Douglas Mountain

Cameron making a pen on the lathe

me making a pen on the lathe

Eli at the riflery range

chai and homemade cinnamon bun!!!

Emmett sleeps like a rock.... even the morning sunshine didn't wake him!

Basically, we had fantastic weather and everyone had alot of fun. We drove home on Monday, and we were exhausted!

Wordle... totally fun to make!

This was so much fun to make! go to wordle.net and create one!

horses in Virginia

I was lucky enough to visit my friend Sarah, from college. She lives in Virginia about an hour west of Alexandria. It is BEAUTIFUL horse country there. rolling hills, miles of fenced pastures, many horses and barns. heaven.

It was summery weather, and we rode through the trails along the properties, where there is a right of way..... for miles! we galloped and went through streams, swam in the pond with the horses, rode at the 'community barn and rings, and jumping field'. so much fun. I could be there in a heartbeat. I just am so happy when I am around and on horses!

red velvet cake, and a drive

Had the treat of having a fabulous Red Velvet Cake from Magnolia Bakery in New York City! It was Trish's birthday, so we had a feast in the clubhouse at the barn. Tyra, who rides at the barn a few days a week, owns the bakery..... so every now and then we get treats. Trish requested this cake for the party. I couldn't believe how fantastic it looked when she cut into it!


It looked amazing in the sunlight in the kitchen.....


Then Trish drove me all over the place on the way to her house for the night. I love driving with Trish. It is always an adventure. We drove around Dutchess county where the scenery is mind boggling!

pizza adventures

Over vacation with the boys, I wanted to do something fun with them. They were tired of alot of stuff though, since they had just come back from DC visiting Adam's mom with him. We went for pizza the first day back, and I thought it might be fun to go to some fun pizza places... so we decided to have "Pizza Adventures"

Bohemian Pizza in Litchfield...

this kept us busy while waiting...
Emmett wanted to play 'hangman'

amazing pizza at Randy's Wooster Street Pizza....

this one was soooo good!
believe it or not... white pizza with mashed potato, ham, garlic, and olive oil! amazing!

beautiful view

this stunning view is in New York on the way from the barn to the grocery store! simply stunning! I had to pull over.

(click it to see it bigger... it is so beautiful!)

and this is just a little up the road from that!

Trish's Frog

I am staying at Trish's house ...
and she honored me with reciting her first poem from when she was in 3rd grade (or so)

Apparently it is no longer on paper, so I decided it should be posted here to have others enjoy such wonderful child's prose.

My Frog

my frog is green with spots of brown,
he learned to swim so he would not drown.
to my surprise it is his wish,
to swim around with my goldfish.
in Africa where they are found,
you will not find them on the ground,
but in a pool real deep and cool.
will you stop in and see him soon?
I got him when he was just new,
and if you like him, like he likes you,
you might like him, like I do.

Trish Helmer
1961

herding sheep

I had the opportunity to go watch some sheep herding the other day. I jumped at it! I had never been, and thought it sounded fun. Trish has an Australian Sheep Dog that is about 2 years old. The breeder lives nearby and has a beautiful (and huge) farm with many sheep, fabulous horses, etc. So, the other day after my riding lesson, Trish and I went to the farm, and I watched her practice with her dog to herd the sheep.....


By the time we left, the sun was going down and the sky was glowing behind the trees. It was wonderful fiery fall colors, that the camera did not even come close to doing justice.

moving on

My parents are moving to a retirement community. What a huge project. I have gone down several times to help them, which I know they need and appreciate. It is tiring for me, so I know it is exhausting for them!

They live an hour away, and are moving to a place that is another 1/2 hour from them. It is alot of moving, which is the least of the undertaking. They have so much stuff, that it is an overwhelming task. They need to part with soooo many things, which is very hard for them. My mom wants to find loving homes for each and every item, which on one hand I understand, but on the other, just be done. I have had to take on alot of it, as, of the four siblings, it is me that the task is falling on mostly for several reasons.

That said, it is inspiring me to rethink my house, and 'things' and life. Yes, I am going through that mid-life thing anyway, but this has made me open my eyes even more. I need change on many levels. I need income on a larger level for so many reasons. I need horses to stay back in my life. I need to do a better job at not keeping 'things'. I need to be more free of all of the clutter of my life. Need a catharsis. ( the tag sale I had today helped alot with that!)



I don't want to end up with my possessions possessing me. I went down to their house last Saturday morning, expecting to be a few hours. Mom wanted me to look at silver, silverware, and linens. I ended up not leaving until the following evening... so much to do!

I loved sleeping on the big old velvet couch... and decided that I really DO want to have that after all as a result of sleeping on it! There is very little that I want to keep from their 'things'. Apparently now the big velvet couch is one of them. And I have no idea how I will get it into my house!

Halloween costume

Emmett got invited to a halloween party early, which means he needs a costume ready way before the actual date. We don't buy costumes. We make them and get creative. I allow them each to have $10 to get anything necessary for them.
Emmett is Anakin Skywalker this year. The one from the episode where it is just before he becomes Darth Vader.

After we made it and he was dressed for the party, I found a costume like it online for $60. go me!!!
He has on... my brown sweater over his black shirt, and black long underwear. Funky leatherette fabric ($8) that I cut up the front and hot glued back into place (about 5 minutes worth of work). On his belt are silver spray-painted wine bottle corks and a camera case... hot-glued into place. A pair of Adam's black socks, and a fingerless ragg wool glove. I used face paint for his scar.

scary......

I just can't even imagine.
I just went to the CNN website and looked at the polling map of who is ahead in which states.... as of last week.... scary as anything!

McCain looks like he has alot of states. I can't imagine what this country will be if he is the president. I can't imagine this country and what the implications will be for that. And what it will be for women if Sarah Palin is in even the slightest bit of control. yuck.
I will want to move to a new country.

Best blueberry pie

Luz Zulema, my little niece, decided she was going to be my helper to make a killer yummy blueberry pie for dessert. She became my constant sidekick from then on, and was so cute! She chose the pattern we cut for the top of the pie.

It's the best damn blueberry pie.... not too sweet... just right, and fabulous with fresh whipped cream.

Blueberry Pie
From the Wilson Farm Cookbook. The absolute best blueberry pie recipe!

1 qt. blueberries, (4-5 cups)
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1 pie crust- for top and bottom

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Mix berries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
3. Spoon into bottom pie crust and dot with butter. Cover with top crust and seal carefully. Cut vents.
4. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until top is brown and juice starts to bubble through vents. Serve warm.

mom to boys

why is it they can't just smile for a photo? they seem to need to be gross too. I had to take about 15 photos to get one of them smiling!

Glad I am a "boy mom" though... not sure if I'd be as good a "girl mom". I can handle all of their 'boy-ness' and things they do better than I think I would deal with girls being catty, and also glad our house isn't overrun with dolls and stuff. Doesn't really matter though. I am a mom to two boys. It is what it is, and I like it... most of the time. :)