Gratitude - Take 2

This week I am grateful...
for the first Christmas card of the season!!!! (Thank you Nicole!)
for working heat
for my new orange beanie
that my nieces and nephew think I'm cool enough to be friends on Facebook
to all the people who supported me at yesterday's bazaar
that my Christmas shopping is nearly complete
for my cactus that puts forth gorgeous pink blooms in the middle of winter
for my health
for the birds that visit my feeders every day
for technology that makes it easy to maintain contact with old friends

Gratitude - Take 1

In keeping with the season (and in a concerted attempt to regularly acknowledge the good things in my life), here is the first of what I hope to be many "I am grateful for..." lists. Yes, some of the items are superficial, but they are balanced by the not-so-superficial. Deal with it.

This week I am grateful...
-to know so many talented cooks
-that it's scarf-wearing weather
-to be part of two loving families
-for my public library and the way it so aptly fits my budget
-for a dog that is excited to see me whether I've been gone five minutes or five hours
-that Brett gets as excited about the Christmas season as I do!
-for online Christmas shopping
-for the regular text messages I get from my little sister, Jaylyn. Even the one that came at five in the morning

Creative Endeavors 101

Call me crazy, but I'm signed up to participate in three holiday bazaars - two elementary schools and a church. Can you believe it? I might add a fourth, but haven't quite decided about that one, yet. I've never done anything like this before, but believe I have something to add to the crafting scene. I'm really excited and energized about the endeavor and trying not to give too much attention to the nerves and second-guessing. Like I told a close friend, if it doesn't work out and no one likes my cards, then at least I know I won't have to buy another greeting card for some time to come! I'm concentrating on Christmas cards, general greeting cards, bookmarks, gift tags, small gift cards, etc. The first one is next month. Wish me luck! Please.

I love jam!

When Mom and Dad give you fresh raspberries from their backyard, make jam!!! How delicious is this going to be in the dead of winter? Thanks to my Ps for sharing their bounty.

Green Thumb

I've been remiss in posting pictures of my garden this year. We had an unusually cold, wet spring so it took awhile for my plants to really get up and going. I've been taking pictures, but haven't taken time to post them. Some of these pictures are at least a month old, so the plants are even more impressive today. Anyway, without further ado....my 2010 garden.

I planted more seeds this year than I normally do. I started from seed radishes, carrots, beans, sweet peas, nasturtiums, chives, mint, Anaheim peppers, broccoli, and onions.

And this years tomatoes include Sun Gold (my favorite cherry size), Early Girl, Arkansas Traveler, Mortgage Lifter, Polish Linguisa, Big Rainbow, and Purple Cherokee. All the plants have tomatoes, but only the Sun Gold has had fruit ripe enough to eat. My fingers are crossed that the warm weather won't vanish before we've been able to enjoy more of the garden's offerings.


Columbine














Nasturtiums















This poppy keeps blooming but sometimes the flower comes out white and sometimes it comes out orange.




















Beans














Honeysuckle















Broccoli



















Sweet peas - so incredibly fragrant!















Never have I had such a big Lantana!















The tomato lineup















Carrots















Anaheim Pepper



















Jalapenos















Orange Bell Pepper















Hot Chili!



















Dahlias















The lovely blossoms of a Thai Basil plant (very licorice-y)















And what's a garden without herbs??

Seashells by the Seashore

I recently spent a fun couple of days in Cannon Beach, OR with some of my family. Despite my sunburn, I had a fantastic time!

We made sand castles.














We tried skim-boarding - some had more luck than others.





























We ran from the waves





















and were reminded again of just how beautiful Oregon can
be.
















We went for a hike, Kohler-style...
















...with beautiful scenery along the way and a big payoff of a view at the end.
















Wish you could have been there!

Why Me?

Hello! This news has been coming for awhile now, but I had no idea just how soon it would happen. I - along with nearly my entire department - was laid-off this morning. Or, as the British say, "made redundant". Basically my company is out-sourcing to India where the work can be done much cheaper. Darn them and their cheap labor! Like I said, I knew lay-offs were on the horizon but had no idea that I was on the front line. The four people in my department who did not lose their jobs outright are only being kept for two more months.

Yes, there's a severance package so I do have some breathing room to find a new job. It's just going to be strange to not have to be somewhere everyday. It hasn't entirely sunk in yet.

I'm trying to view this as an opportunity to find something that makes me happier and a place to which I enjoy going. It has been a long time since I've been able to say that about this particular job.

That's all I know! Commence job-search.

My new neighbor

Is the Doctor In?

Ach! I am a bundle of nerves today. Brett is in Boston where he had an admissions interview with Tufts University School of Medicine today. We didn't have much heads up or I would have gone along with him. The day was completely scheduled so he'll be one tired guy when he gets done today. I hate waiting for the phone to ring!!

Typical Interview Itinerary:
9:45 AM - 10:00 AM Arrival and Registration of Applicants
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Presentations about Tufts University School of Medicine: Curriculum, Student Life, and Financial Aid
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Lunch with current TUSM students
1:00 PM - 4:15 PM Interviews, Tour and Q&A: During this time all applicants will have two interviews, a Campus Tour and the opportunity to ask questions of current students and faculty.You will be given the names of your two (2) interviewers and your interview times at Registration. This itinerary is subject to change. You will be notified of your final schedule the morning you arrive for your Interview Day.

And so this year's garden begins!

Really????

This is coming back in style? Don't give me the bit about how everything comes around again...this should never come back. Some things aren't meant to have a second life.

I Think You're Wonderful

Last night my six-year-old nephew, Keaton, had his first-grade school program – Hearts and Hands. These school programs are entertaining in a way entirely unique to themselves. In fact, at one point, Brett – who is diabetic - leaned over to me and said he was going to have to take more insulin as there was so much sweetness going on. Where else does one hear songs with titles such as “Making Valentines”, “Love is the Magic Word” and “I Think You’re Wonderful”? The best song, though, was one called “A Different Beat” that basically taught there are many people on the street and each moves to a different beat and really that’s okay. While most of the songs had hand motions, this particular one had such gems as disco moves, hip rolls, shoulder shimmies and fist-pumping. The little girl on the riser behind Keaton left me with tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks. She was so exuberant and so very into her dance moves and was obviously having SUCH a great time that I wish I had video of it to play when I could use a laugh.

So if you ever need to be reminded of how simple and fun life can be, find a grade-school program to attend. But preferably one in which you actually know one of the participants. Otherwise it might be a bit creepy.

Urban Farmers

I read the most interesting book this weekend. It is titled Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter. I am a total back-to-the-earth hippie at heart (though I shower regularly and shun patchouli) and daydream about the day I can have a gigantic garden and honey bees and farm birds and would love to be completely self-sufficient. I know the complete self-sufficiency is a long-shot, though, because I draw the line at raising and butchering my own meat and I will never be anything other than an omnivore. The author of this book, however, draws no such line. She lives in urban Oakland and turns the abandoned lot next to her apartment into a big garden and raises everything from chickens and geese to pigs, rabbits and goats in her backyard with the intent of eating the meat birds and animals. I totally geeked out reading this book - imagine how excited I was when i found her blog online! (novellacarpenter.com) I love the idea of growing all my own produce. Right now my garlic crop is coming in and I check it every day as though I expect it to grow inches overnight. I am planning this year's garden already, deciding what food I want to grow and what the ratio of ornamentals to edibles should be. I will grow flowers to attract the hummingbirds and bees so am researching which varieties will draw the biggest crowds. I am totally itching to get my fingers dirty and it's still January!

Happy New Year

Yes, six days late, but Happy New Year nonetheless. I haven't set any official NY resolutions. There are definite things I wish to do/accomplish this year, but generally I'm just planning on making it the best year possible. I would like to blog more. But if I make it an actual resolution it won't happen. Other goals I won't make official are to exercise regularly (such a cliche), increase my creative projects, see things with a glass-half-full mentality, and spend more time fortifying my personal relationships with family and friends. Easy peasy, right?