So this stands to be a long Blah blah.  Lots to cover. 

First lets just recap Easter.
 We rushed off on Good Friday to Atlanta to celebrate Coulson's birthday at the Tut exhibit. An amazing time if you are into ancient Egypt and not under 5. Simon and Ry enjoyed the wide, empty hall much more than the exhibit.  But it wasn't for them. Coulson had a thrilling time. Upon finding out that when he walked out he would never be able to see it again. That this was a once in a lifetime experience he said, "I never want to leave".  
Birthday joy achieved. 

So that was all well and good but as you know very shortly after good Friday comes Easter Sunday. We had not even boiled one egg much less dyed any or even bought dye. I had the eggs and was able to sell the kids on white eggs being just fine. The Easter bunny won't mind I'm sure. 
So we get home after a 7 hour drive at nine ish. Michael tosses the flat of eggs into two pots of water and sets um boiling.  I being a genius and not really wanting white eggs, think quickly and toss a handful of frozen spinach in one pot and a handful of frozen blueberries in the other. Something will happen right. Pretty blue and yellow eggs will miraculously appear. Cool Muddy! 
 
Okay so natural dyes take alot of natural product to get the job done. 
We got the prettiest pale yellow eggs and the most horrifying, spoiled looking grey eggs. 
Yuck.  
So below you have a side by side comparison. 
White, spinach and blueberry(?)

Not very Eastery is it. 
I will say this though the grey eggs hid very well! When you are the color of dirt and bark you blend. Next year though maybe a color that doesn't take a leap of faith to eat. I think I will need a couple of these every year from now on for posterity.  I'm sentimental like that. 

So moving on. The kitchen is done. Well not painted or anything like that. But the carpenter is gone. I'm sure I won't have it it finished this year so if your coming for a visit bring a paint brush.  I'll try to get some pictures up this weekend. 

Of course, I could just give my graffiti artists some permanent makers and set them lose in there. Did I not mention that two of my lovely children wrote on the neighbors stucco house.  In black permanent marker. AGHHH.  Nothing vile or evil no they wrote XXOO I love Ryalnd and I love Coulson.  In big bold letters about 4 in tall and dark. On the house of people we love. In moment of 1950's I'm not dealing with this style I put the call in to Big guy. Oh yes we will deal with this when your daddy gets home. Now go scrub.  It took them about an hour of scrubing to get it off and it is still not all gone.
 The next day they wrote and delivered (without me) apologies to John and K. 
Spring has sprung and brains everywhere are putty I get that but c'mon. My job is hard enough with out down right stupidity running through the house. Good grief at least write something about the people who live in the house.  Like we love you John and K. 

The flower seeds are sprouting in the garden. This is the moment every year that I regret using seeds. Is that a weed or cosmos? Dang.
Hope your day is a calm one. 
It's cool and cloudy here.  
The coffee is  hot.
The kids are playing nice
 Love'n it. 


Posted in: on Thursday, April 30, 2009 at at 8:07 AM 1 comments  



Earth Day and the children are in the garden planting our flower seeds.
 Also known as the  mommy  doesn't care if they grow or nots.   
Sorry about the bad shot but I didn't want to be discovered. 


Simon is busy being 20 months old. 
Potty and home wrecking training are the order of the day.

At least he cleans sometimes. 
Even if he has to do it half naked.
Hmmm I better skedaddle his crocs are squeaking.
Happy Earth Day!

Posted in: on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 at at 3:47 PM 3 comments  

 This being Tuesday and all it was another hectic nutty day. In the midst of the running and doing I found myself with a moment to race to Costco with only two children. It's important to note I have not been to the store in over two weeks.  Of course it was 7:30 and we all needed to pee, but you grab your moments when you can right. Anyway as we pull up to our turn into the lot we find it blocked by three police cars and a tow truck. I'm thinking drag I have to drive around to the other entrance ( a whole what 500ft away), when from the way back I hear the tired voice of my little league girl say 
"Mom you know what bad guys do at night"   

Wanting to reassure my girl that there are no bad guys anywhere ever!! I say 
 "Oh honey these aren't bad guys it's just a fender bender. I'm sure everything's okay" 

"Yes, but Mud, DO YOU know what bad guys do at night?" 

 "No dear....( think happy thoughts think happy thoughts) what"

"Well after dinner they go to bed with out brushing their teeth! And then in the morning when they wake up they don't brush them then either!"

Sweet dreamy child of mine. 
Thank you, child's eye view of the world, for that moment of zen. 

We bust a move through Costco and leave with only what we went for. Yeah  me!!  --four loaves of bread, a dozen bagels, 3lbs of cream cheese and 2lbs of cheddar. Oh yes bread and cheese the life giving forces in this house. As I am loading the van she leans over the back seats and asks 
"Mud, what if people could walk from here to Mississippi. " 

"That's a long way babe"

" Yeah but they could walk and go really fast stopping at fill-up stations that would fill them up with air. You could pump air into peoples mouths and then they would speed along really fast. Like faster than cars or bikes even."

Delighted with the way she thinks --- "Well it would certainly better for the environment"  

She is a challenge to raise that one is. I forget sometimes, how amazing her mind is and how much I enjoy her way of looking at things. She draws me back to my own imagination. My own whimsy, which gets lost in this busy life, is tickled and I am reminded I used to write stories, I used to sing made up songs. When will I find that again? I don't have the answer that. But occasionally I am shown the window through which I can see my old self and know she isn't lost.  Just busy. I must stop creating busy. And find a way to create more of that other thing. 

 Joy 

Posted in: on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at at 9:43 PM 1 comments  

All of the hope of spring is now evident in the garden. 
Freshly tilled and planted to the brim, it is  a glorious 
sign of the season.  
We rush out to visit it in the morning , cradling 
our coffee to warm us against the still cool spring air.  
We admire our work and contemplate all of the food we will reap.  
This year a real effort for flowers is being made.
A 14ft row of sunflowers has been sowed from last years crop. 

Hope. You can feel it in the air. 

Baseball season is in full swing. 
Saturday morning games are played in the generous sunshine
 and Friday night games are cool and leisurely.  
No one minds sweating and sun kissed faces.  It is all too perfect.  

We can't seem to be outside enough.  
I hope it is spring in your neck of the woods.  
I'll be in the garden. 

Posted in: on Monday, April 20, 2009 at at 3:08 PM 1 comments  

I am crazy busy with a kitchen remodel and Coulson's Birthday. 
But I had to take a minute and share a couple of things. 
Watch the first immediatly. Save the second for when you have the time. 
Hope your day is filled with joy. 

Posted in: on Thursday, April 16, 2009 at at 7:44 AM 0 comments  

Spring has absolutely exploded here.  
The Dogwoods are blooming the red buds have "painted" my driveway. The children are muddy all the live long day. I am searching out ways to get rid of everything we own and start over. You know it's bad when you think you smell something burning and you think, 
well if the kids and I got out then I could see it as all right 
(don't worry mom I'll grab the Welty's). 
Seriously what is it about spring that makes all things seem reasonable. Like, the way too large garden, the over stuffed weekend of outside events.  
Thinking I could dabble in ceramics again. 

The children's cheeks are flush with the new sun. They too are touched by springs rush of hopefulness.  Tee Pees are springing up across the yard. (wish I could show you still no batteries long story more on that later) Frogs and snakes are captured, i.d.'d and reluctantly set free. Owls have been heard and spotted nesting where the hawks did last year.  School projects have suddenly grown grand and expansive.  
A rock in the yard is a gem the hand.
 A one eyed frog a species rescue.

It is this time of year that being a home body pays me in spades and hoes. 
I am so glad I have nowhere to go. Because I want to putter and pick at my yard until the mosquito's over take us and hasten our desire for fall. 
It's all swimming and baseball around here. 
New shoes for Mud (me) and bare butts for babes. 

 Hope may spring eternal but more likely spring brings hope. The neglected garden that you plowed under in a weedy, wire and twine twisted frenzy in Oct, that will not happen this season. 
Instead neat little rows of carefully considered 
organic home grown plants will reach for the stars. 
Producing a bounty your neighbors will not even be able to consume.   
You will read all of Thoreau's works and not skip even the most repetitive passages.  
Your fabric stash, magnificent quilt. 
Easter baskets will be lined in grass grown right in basket. 
This will be your finest season yet. 

Spring has come and we are alive and able.
 
Luckily for my family this is a temporary frenzy. A killing frost is the rumor for tomorrow night. It will somehow reset me just a bit. Enough to ground me and slow me down. Remind me that this is but a brief season. 
 Ahhhh but today a glorious, glorious Sunday.  And that will hold me through the dead azaleas that dared poke their buds out before tax day.  After all here in NC it could be 97 and miserable next week. 

Posted in: on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at at 8:38 PM 2 comments  

I hate to say this but there is poop on my shoes. The batteries to my camera won't charge anymore. I have a raging cold and my husbands alarm woke me up at 5:00. This also woke up the baby who complained until he finally got to nurse at 6:30. I feel awful. But the day has to go on. So I've pumped myself full of coffee and motrin. I sent the kids outside and I am hoping for some peace so that I can get this new egg pattern I found on a friends blog  onegirlsshop.com. She found it here  lolanovablog.blogspot.com.    You should also take a moment and check out Lizzy's stuff on Etsy. 

Yummy fun! 
Hope your day is a good one. 

Over heard in the car yesterday:
Ryland(5),  "Coulson I am so glad you didn't get angry with me today"


Posted in: on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at at 9:02 AM 1 comments  

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