Practice makes...

pictures!? Well, I have been working on taking pics with this fancier camera. I downloaded a huge bunch, sorted and deleted about half of them (not too bad!) and now, I'll share a few.

Multi-grain bread, right after it comes out of the oven. And yes, I'm back at baking bread, which includes grinding the grain first, of course. ;) This is something I've always enjoyed and now, with a lighter work load and in an effort to save money, I'm back at it. Oh sorrow! LOL! NO ONE is complaining, trust me.

When I was getting ready to bake again, I noticed that my bread pans were SADLY in need of being replaced. They only safe thing that I could think to use them for is to catch the excess water under my house plants. (I have a serious green thumb)  NO more bread in these pans.

So, I went looking for new ones. Yikes! They looked toxic or were horribly expensive. Not good. Then I remembered... Momma use to use juice cans as bread pans!

Someone suggested that when these cans are manufactured, they use lead to seal the seams. AURGH! Did some Googleling and... nope. They use to, but they do NOT any more.

So, I collected some juice cans and here you have it! Neat little round loaves. It makes the coolest little round sandwiches, the kids love them. Love it!

These next few are some foto-noodlin' that I was doing the other night
when I was practicing with the camera.

Stuff around my computer. Happy clutter.

 Shots of a couple of my favorite peeps!

It's impossible for this sleeping son to get enough sleep. Too cute. And the daughter's reflection in the mirror... it's blurry, but I LOVE it. It's a keeper. (the daughter, of course! LOL! But also the pic.)

 

A snap out of Daughter's room. The mannequins were kidnapped from my studio...

But it's okay. I know where to find them. ;)

These last to head shots are of a couple Tuesday Bowlers. The gal was passing by

my van and I snapped the pic through the rainy windshield. I like the effect. 

What a great smile. This guy really likes Tuesday Bowling.

I really enjoy Tuesday Bowling, too. It's lots of fun. I rarely play, but I visit with my clients, the other staff and providers and their clients. It's relaxed. Easy. I always bring something to do, usually knitting.

Today I watched my 2nd son bowl with a former client (who moved into a group home and no longer required my services. My other clients and I miss her so we try to see her every Tuesday. A lunch and bowling date,) and I helped another client so some of her paper work.

AND!!! And I doodled on a canvas bag with pencil. The plan is to paint the bag this weekend and I wanted to get a design plan penciled in... so, here you have it. I'm starting the design... and then later, the ends and one side are pretty much done. I've got the other side to work on and some more filler, I think, but it's coming right along and making me VERY happy. Every time I look at it I GRIN! I'm excited!
Can't wait to work on it again.

And I'm getting tired. Seems logical, it's 1am. Insanity! LOL! G'nite!

The Thing I Love Most About My Favorite Blogs

Yes, there is ONE thing that makes or breaks a good blog. Well, one thing that catches my attention and keeps me there. That one thing is pictures. I love the pictures. Close-ups of life-as-it's-happening. The little stories they tell. The tid-bits of inspiration... I love pictures.

I'm not a photographer. I rarely pick up one of our two cameras and shoot off pictures. I appreciate good photos. My parents were professional photographers during my first 14+ years of life but...me? And the cameras we have are so technical. I squirm and duck. I'm not smart enough to... it'll take to long to learn...

Well, pooh on that! Today I pulled out the manual for our best camera and... I'm on page 40 of 139. I WILL figure this out.

So, expect pictures and soon. ;)

Huh!? =)

The question of common sense is always what is art good for? A question which would abolish the rose and be answered triumphantly by the cabbage. ~James Russell Lowell

Quotes

I've always been drawn to quotes. Quotes about all sorts of things. In fact, in college I spent a ton on a big huge thick book of quotes, just for the pleasure of having it available.

This year I have a desktop calendar that, among other things, has a new quote for each day. This morning's quote was quite profound, especially for me at this point in my life.

"Noise is an imposition on sanity, and we live in very noisy times." - Joan Baez

Well put, Joan!

Now THAT is what I'm talkin' about!

This morning I woke up at 7:20am and stayed in bed reading until 8:20am. I'm usually awake before 4:30am, even on the weekends.

Sid says I haven't snored for the last few nights.

I feel calmer and less tired. More energy, but not using it except for puttering around.

THIS is vacation. Renewal. Rest.

ONWARD!
A

"Vacation" Days

This week I declared "Vacation" for myself from Tues. until this coming Monday. Well... Okay a modified vacation? Something close? LOL!

Defining my "vacation" is in order. I'm still working with my clients in the afternoons, going out and doing what I need to do with and for them but when I'm home... I do whatever I feel like doing. Period.

So, Tuesday morning, after everyone left for school and work, I crawled into the hot tub and didn't get out for an hour. In fact, I floated on my back for a full twenty minutes straight. Thinking... "Relax. Listen to your heart beat. Relax. Breath in and out slowly." I even closed my eyes for most of that 20 min.

Now, I know that doesn't seem astounding. But let me explain. Up until this week, it's been hard for me to sit still in the hot tub and hard to stay in there for more than 30 min. LOL! Too keyed up, too much going on between my ears. So, this hour with 20 min. of it being a float... that's really something for me.

Vacation. Rest. Catch my breath and slow it down.

Wednesday morning I dipped pretzels and baked cookies for a friend's birthday. All alone in the house. No other humans, just the dogs and the cat. No music, no extra unnecessary sounds. My brain quieted down a bit more.

Wednesday evening is Knit Night. My favorite evening of the week. LOVE IT! I meet up with my knitterly friends and we have a fabulous time together. This group has been meeting for a couple years or more. Very diverse in every possible way.

Within just the spectrum of knitting, we've even got the entire level represented. Beginners to Master Knitters. It's great because I know that no matter what I attempt in my knitting adventures, I'll be okay! I get stuck, someone at Knit Night can help bail me out and/or show me how to do it. It's lovely. No fear. Onward! LOL!

Thursday morning I watched "Phantom of the Opera" and knitted. After that was over, I puttered around the house. Did a bit of this and a bit of that... quietly in solitude. Delicious.

This morning I had planned to putter around the house again but with a bit more focus and speed. My plants were needing attention and water, the blankets over the couch needed taken off and washed, the floors... And I did have to go out and work for an hour. Something came up that was unavoidable. But that was finished quickly, I got grocery shopping done (alone!) and then came home to fix a lunch.

Lunch was stir-fry. And the way we do that is like at one of those buffet grill places. All the veggies, etc. are prepared and in seperate container. Each of us took our bowl and filled it with whatever veggies, etc. that we wanted in our stir-fry and the each is cooked individually. With ramen or brown rice. Jess decided both. (one for healthy, the other for fun) Yummy and very healthy. Win win.

After lunch I set up the "barbershop" and cut Sid's hair. He was looking rather shaggy. For once, I didn't scalp him. LOL! Amazing!

Then back to the puttering and cleaning.

Lovely vacation, so far! Doesn't it sound like a vacation to you?

I guess thing elements that I long for the most would be -
     Solitude sprinkled liberally with long overdue and much desired phone visits with friends.
    Quiet puttering around the house, doing whatever.
    Sleep is very important, but my desire to make the most of my alone time has the sleep looking more like going to bed early and sleeping in an hour or so. No naps, but I may get one in tomorrow.
    Being at home, amazingly is a big part of it. Not running around in town or going some place. No, I just love being in my own home space alone. It's delicious and something I crave. So...vacation = home alone.
    Good food is a must. LOL! This time I'm thinking in terms of good for me, rather than the "fun" and fattening. So it's been lots of fresh fruit, whole grains, veggies and legumes. YUMMMMM!!!! Have you had a little Clementine or Mandarin yet this year? They are SO good and sweet. And Fuji apples? Is it possible to ever get tired of those? Snappy crisp and sweet juicy... it drips down your chin, better have a napkin handy! And pomeagrates? OhhhMY! I went online and figured out how to open them. Very easy! I polished one off for breakfast this morning. ;)

That about covers it, I think. The essential elements for my favorite vacations.

Don't get me wrong, I reallyREALLY enjoy traveling. I really do. I've enjoyed the conference type vacation where you go, take classes, shop... I enjoy traveling with my family! I like camping, even sleeping in a tent! Well, okay packing for camping sucks but once that's over it's fun!

I wonder... I wonder if someday I might be able to schedule in literal vacation time, away from work entirely AND sent my family off on a camping trip or something so that I could have an entire week of this vacation bliss? Hmmmm... I need to think about that one. Maybe it could be done! Just maybe! Even a few days!?

Stand by! The creative and motivated mind is at work! LOL!!!!

And while I'm thinking on that... I'm going to go have a couple "baby oranges" as my kids call them and then sit and knit.

What am I knitting now? HA! Dishclothes. 38 stitches across, cast on and stitch away for about 62 little rows, bind off, weave in the beginning and end tails... Quick & easy. In and out in a day. Knitting candy. And it's helping restock my gift cupboard! Love that!

Okay, off of here. I've got a really FINE vacation to plan, yummys to eat and stitches to stitch.

ONWARD!

HAPPY 2010!

(The New Years Pretties gifted to me by Sid ;)! )

I wonder how long it will take me before I finally and easily remember that 2010 number when I write it on something? LOL! One time I caught myself writing 1980-something and totally cracked up. My levels of blissful insanity never cease to amaze me. HA!

So, it's a NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Our family kicked off our New Years celebration with a fun meal of fancy artesian breads, cheeses (vegan, brie and havarti) and yummy fresh fruits (two kinds of pears and fuji apples).

When we had that cleaned up and cleared off, out came the games. Sid and the teens played Quad, a tick-tack-toe game on steroids, that Sid's had since he was a kid. The teens had a blast trying to beat their dad. They did, too! You should have heard the them. It was a show unto itself.

Ben and I opted for Dominoes and Uno, his two favorites. (And I like them much better than Quad, let me tell you. LOL!)

(He's putting them away in these two pics. We were ready for Uno!)

(I made the cardboard card holder years ago...makes playing Uno much easier for Ben. And he LOVES playing Uno!)

After the games... well... honestly? I went downstairs, flopped across our bed sideways with the intent to rest and read a bit and POOF! I was out. HA! After a while of peaceful zzzzzzz stacking, I was tortured awake by Jessie. "Let's go out to the hot tub, Mommy!", "Come on, MOM! You can't sleep thru the New Year. Wake up!" On and on it went, the endless lines of torment laced with liberal mix of guilt and temptation. LOL!!! And yes, I got up.

Into the swimsuits and out to the hot tub. (What a GOOD idea that hot tub has proven to be. It's a family thing that we all enjoy and can share... well, all that is except Ben. He hasn't been in there yet and isn't about to start now. Okay?!)

We shouted and whistled in the New Year from the hot tub. What FUN!!!

Back inside for some home made sparkly, (a can of concentrated fruit juice, I used white grape and raspberry this time ) using club soda instead of water...YUMMM!!!

(my new fav...straight and on the rocks)

The rest of the family finished up their celebrating with funny late night TV and I finished it up by going to bed "early". HA! I had to work this morning.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
May this year be filled with lovely and happy memories of times spent with those you love.
May it be spent doing something fun and creative, just because you can.
Be well.

BIG HUGS!