This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Finally!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

PLEASE NOTE:  Blogger is having issues with posting comments. I apologize for any problems and greatly appreciate your visit! The problem appears to be fixed! Have a great weekend!

Ode to a Frying Pan...

First, please note the gratuitous butter shot....Alrighty then...on to more serious matters...my frying pan.  More specifically, my cast iron skillet.  How many of you out there use one of these bad boys?  Show of hands works nicely...thank you.  Mine was a wedding gift from my Sainted Mother along with my Deviled Egg Plate...two things every self respecting southern woman should own...but that's another post altogether.

I so totally love my skillet.  It usually resides on my stove top, just waiting for it's next job.  Once seasoned properly, it's the best "non-stick" skillet out there.  Everyone know what I mean by seasoned?  Well that's when you've cook enough food in it that it starts looking like that one up there. It will get this nice sheen to it.  Never...and I mean NEVER...put a cast iron skillet in the dishwasher. This can cause rust and basically ruin the pan.   I wash my in the sink with really hot water and scrubbing it with good old table salt. Then I immediately dry it off. And there it is...Ready to cook again.

Mmmm....see...nothing like a little fried goodness. Oh wait...Sorry that's another southern thing - We fry everything. However, you can stir fry in this bad boy and make great spaghetti sauce in it.  Frittatas fry/bake beautifully in them and breads, from Irish Brown to Cornbread, are heavenly when this skillet is used.  It's one of the best, even heat conductors out there and how many other skillets do you have that can actually be used on the stove top and in the oven without causing any damage to the skillet?

So I strongly suggest you give one of these a try.  You won't be sorry.....This concludes this public service announcement....now what needs to be fried up today......

It's Alive!

Well, not really.  But it has grown an arm...sort of. Do you know how difficult it is to photograph a grey sweater? Not that this is the greatest picture. I'm about three quarters done with the first sleeve of my cardigan.  I feel like I'm at that point where I keep knitting around and around and it doesn't seem to be getting any longer. I'm beginning to think that knitting garments is not my strong suit...can you say no patience?

Not that I've been working on it religiously.  Most of the sleeve was done while sitting in the waiting room Sunday evening waiting on Car Guy to get checked out by the doctor. Please tell me how a 49 (almost 50) year old man manages to get a raging case of pink eye in BOTH eyes?  The kids didn't bring it home.  Nobody else has it.  Just him...and he was miserable all weekend.  He was like a vampire sitting in the dark because even the smallest bit of light hurt his eyes.  He was given some antibiotic ointment for this and is much better. Needless to say there has been a great deal of hand washing going on in our house.

I did complete one thing this weekend...actually three things.  I was sucked in and I finally read all three of the Hunger Games Series. I have to admit, it was a little more gritty than I expected.  Obviously, I enjoyed them because I started reading The Hunger Games Thursday evening and finished Mockingjay last night. Since I was relegated to the dark all weekend, I was able to read them all on my iPad without disturbing the pathetic old man that Car Guy became....OK, so I didn't read them all in one weekend, but close enough.  For some crazy reason the people in my house expected me to stop reading and fix them food....Excuse me?

Speaking of food....just another one of my clever little segues...I have been having this horrible craving for homemade potato chips. Don't they look terrible?  So easy and so bad.  Especially with a little garlic salt thrown on there.  I just had to put that out there so that everyone else will be craving them for the rest of the day with me because those bad boys on that plate are long gone...but they were so good.

OK.  I'm off to find a substitute for those chips - hopefully something a little healthier.  Dinner with the Biscuits tonight.  Should be fun. Have a good one!

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

Oh dear....isn't she the cutest? There is absolutely nothing mundane about my adorable niece Piper...And how about the rainbow bright outfit?  Nothing mundane about that either, if I do say so myself.  I made that little outfit for her for Christmas...not that she really cares.  She's a baby. It's just something to keep her covered and warm.  Not much else. In fact, I bet if she had things her way, she wouldn't have anything on at all because, let's face it, babies do love to be naked. So to her, it's very mundane.  This type of thing doesn't take on any importance until we're older and other people teach us the importance of our appearance and "being cute."  And at some point, she might even look at that picture and think "What in the world was my mother thinking, putting that outfit on me...I look like a deranged fairy,."  But later...when she's older...maybe when she's pregnant with her own child...she'll hold this little outfit in her hands and remember the crazy aunt that made it for her and then she'll remember other things - Like the hugs and kisses; the family beach trips; the loud, older cousins that adored her; and possibly so much more.  And then, suddenly that outfit won't seem so crazy or mundane and maybe she'll even put it on her little girl and carry the love forward...Just a little family magic.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Good Earth Living - Good stuff in the mail!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Thankfulness

I wish I had taken my camera and had pictures to show you.  I can see it all so clearly in my head and it warms my heart and soul. It was just one of those moments that will stay with me forever and remind me of how wonderful life can really be.

Last night was "Biscuit Night."  This means that I met with all my girls for a little hook and needle time.  Only last night we met at Annie's house so that we could enjoy some wine and food and we didn't have to worry about offending the other patrons at Panera's.  And there we sat, around Annie's kitchen table.  Several conversations going on at the same time.  I can still see the mischievous sparkle in Mel's eyes as she discussed her upcoming plans for this weekend...and  the flush on Chelsey's face as she told the story of her first evening spent with "C"....ahh, new love.  I can still hear the laughter over definitions on Urban Dictionary....I DO NOT HAVE THAT!...and the tears coming down Jen's face as she snorted with laughter. I can still smell the fresh chocolate chip cookies that Nicole made...and the sausage and cheese wantons that Annie made...deliciousness. I can still feel the delight of having Deb join us after a long absence (since Christmas!?!)....and the pleasure on Dawn's face as she opened her birthday gifts (Happy Birthday Sweet Lady!)

It was one of those special evenings that makes me so thankful for these wonderful ladies.  We are unique and different, but still true friend with no judgement.  Just knowing that they "have my back," should I ever need them, warms and sustains me.  We all met in odd ways...noticing yarn in a stranger's bag at the gym....commenting on a photo of a mutual friend on facebook...but somehow it was meant to be...we like minded ladies were supposed meet and while some were missing because they live too far away, they are always with us in spirit.  There is something so special about that chemistry between real friends. As I said last night...We are better than family. We picked each other. That's pretty dang special! Thank you ladies!


P.S.  My sincerest apologies to Andrew, Annie's husband, who was upstairs trying to study for school....I hope you were able to get something accomplished with all that racket in your kitchen!

See....

Photo Credit: The kind soul at the restaurant that took the picture
 that I then pilfered from Mom's Facebook

See that group of ladies?  They've been friends for over 20 years. I went to school with the children of a couple of them. I dated the son of another one. They are my Sainted Mother's friends.  They have been there with her through everything.  Her divorce.  Her Cancer.  My wedding. Becoming a Grandmother.  All of it.

See that lady in the pink shirt? The one on the left, front row...That's my Sainted Mother.  It's her birthday today.  I'm not going to tell you how old she is.  For two reasons....1. It's rude and 2. She might hurt me :) She's been there with me through everything.  My birth, my life, my wedding, becoming a mom. All of it. She's shown me the kind of person I want to be when I grow up.  The quiet strength.  The generous heart.  I owe so much of who I am (only the good stuff, mind you) to her. She is truly an AMAZING lady.  So....

Happy Birthday Mom.  I love you!

Getting There

Guess what came in the mail? That's my very own edition of Taproot!  I am slowly pouring of the pages trying to take in all the goodness it contains. It is truly a beautiful publication.  There are several pages that I want to frame and hang in my kitchen for inspiration. There is so much wonderfulness going on in between that I can't wait until this weekend, so I can find a quiet spot and soak it all in without interruption...who am I kidding?  OK, minimal interruption.

I don't know if the spring bug is biting anyone else, but my sinuses are telling me it's really here and I am anxious to get my garden planted.  This is my first garden (as an adult) and I'm really excited about it.  I've been picking the brain of a family friend who is an amazing gardener and my brain is over flowing with information and ideas.  I just have to wait until after Easter. We have a tendency to get a late frost around here and I don't want to move too quickly.

Speaking of moving quickly....Ha!  My sweater is not. I was able to bind off the body last night.  Now I just have to go round and round on the sleeves.... who's bright idea was it that this thing needed sleeves?  Oh yeah, me.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow evening. The girls are meeting at Annie's house for craft night instead of the normal knit/crochet evening at Panera's.  Who knows what we'll get into.  One of the girls is even bringing her sewing machine.  Annie has this AWESOME craft room and then there is Ratchet....he's such a sweet puppy and loves to share. What are looking forward to?

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

Today I am celebrating that couple up there.  That's me and Car Guy. What I'm celebrating is the mundane day to day life that we share....the laundry, the dishes, the bills.  You see, that man and I will celebrate 19 years of marriage next month and a little over 21 years of being a couple.  By some standards, we've been together for a looong time and by others, not so much.  But we keep plugging along.  I'm so fortunate to find a man that is so committed to us and our family.  I'm not trying to paint a rosy picture.  It hasn't always been easy, but he's always there.

On paper, we might not make a lot of sense.  I'm that dorky, hippie chick and he's...well, he's my Car Guy.  He loves cars, mechanical thing, video games, etc.  Me, not so much.  I prefer quiet, reading, crochet and knitting.  Where we meet is that our family is everything to us.  We'd prefer to be at home with our family than out and about.  We are both homebodies.  We love our friends and love entertaining....at home. We make it work and try not to let the small stuff get to us. We don't give up on each other and in this day and age, that's magic.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

A little homework help.

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Curiosity

So, if you haven't figured out, I'm a pretty curious person.  I look at my blog stats fairly regularly.  I don't think I'm obsessive about it because I have no delusions of my blog becoming anything thing like those "famous" blogs out there.  But I do find my stats interesting and here's why....you knew I'd give you the reason...I find it so interesting where it is being read.  By that, I don't mean where as in the house, on a boat, in car....I mean the countries.....

This here is my all time map...most of my readers are in America and that makes total sense to me since I am an American blogger....but seriously, look what else has color....Russia, India, France....what?

And this month, there has been a great deal of activity in the Philippines, Argentina and Brazil.  Should I add a translator widget?

Just this week, people in the Ukraine and Spain have decided to visit...Cool!  Why?

I think, for the most part, I lead a pretty normal - if not boring - life. So I can't imagine what could possibly be so interesting...but I wonder about that with readers here in the States.  Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE that you come visit and leave me comments (which I absolutely adore).  I've gained so much from these bloggy friendships - support, caring, commiseration, acknowledgement....it's awesome. But it really does baffle me.

So where are your visitors from? Do they leave you comments? There are several of you that I would love to actually meet, so how many of you out there have actually met any of your blog friends?  I'm just curious :)

Fugitive Update

As many of you know, I had a fun ride in a police car back in January....see original story here.  Not an experience I'd like to repeat.  That being said, I finally had my day in court. I hired an attorney because the whole situation was a comedy of errors and I wanted to make sure that it was corrected....translates to "Make sure the system was worked properly."  The attorney I hired works at a law firm that I was employed by many moons ago...and I am so glad that I did hire him.

Robb met me at the court house and while I waited outside of the courtroom, he went in and spoke to the DA.  I really do wish I had a picture of the grin on his face when he came back out....can you say Cheshire cat? He was grinning from ear to ear. In my family we call that a "s#%t eating grin." Robb said "I'd like to tell you that I'm just that good and I can work magic in a courtroom, but even I'm not this good." It turns out that the DA was a former paralegal at the same firm.  She worked there for about the first week of my employment there and was leaving to attend law school.  She remembered Robb and evidently thought highly of him because she put us in the bonus program and DISMISSED EVERYTHING!!! Can you believe that?!?!  I'm a free woman!  Robb said that he was done for the day because nothing else he would do could top that and I have to say that I totally agree.  It just goes to show that the old adage is true:  It's not what you know, it's who you know.  I strongly recommend befriending some attorneys....especially the ones of the DA variety.

And Then There Was Food....

This is a carry over post from last Friday's "This Moment." I was chopping lots of veggies. I LOVE fresh veggies and I can't wait to grow my own...but until then, I go to the farmer's market and co-op and get what I can.

What isn't pictured here are the bell peppers, garlic and ginger that was also chopped or minced.  All of it went into an Asian sauce that was put on some pork.....

 This is what the boys got....lots of roasted potatoes (one of our favs), some peas and the Asian pork.  They said it was quite tasty.  I personally think that what Car Guy and I ate was much better....

Oh my goodness!  Look at that salad!  I totally ruined all healthy benefits by putting that pork on there.  And then, I was really bad. Since I cooked the pork before I put the glaze on it, I dribbled the left over glaze on the salad instead of using dressing.  It was so delicious, but the glaze is made with melted plum jam, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and several other items...yum.  I'm sure the calorie count was way off there but it was so worth it.

What's your weakness now that spring is coming?

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

The picture is because I just couldn't resist.  I mean, come on, let's face it -  that is just too dang cute!  I couldn't get those cats to do that again if I tried! What I'm celebrating today is you - my readers, my followers and my friends - because you are so wonderful and understanding.  I try to keep this a pretty positive place.  I try to take the not so great and find a funny spin to it.  I try, but sometimes my optimism escapes me and I just get plain ol' frustrated. You allow me those moments.  No judgement, just support and understanding.  You know that at some point every mama has to "get it out" and you let me. So thank you for that.  Thank you for the support, the kind comments and for being there.  Thanks for being the magic that keeps me coming back and making all this feel worth while.  Have a great week!

I'm Tired

I'm tired of blame.
I'm tired of anger.
I'm tired of labels.
I'm tired of yelling.
I'm tired of arguing.
I'm tired of distrust.
I'm tired of excuses.
I'm tired of sarcasm.
I'm tired of ignorance.
I'm tired of superiority.
I'm tired of mediocrity.
I'm tired of resentment.
I'm tired of accusations.
I'm tired of hurt feelings.
I'm tired of expectations.
I'm tired of the imbalance.
I'm tired of descrimination.
I'm tired of the word wrong.
I'm tired of miscommunication.
I'm tired of being in the middle.
I'm tired of trying to keep the peace.
I'm tired of trying to please everyone else.
I'm tired of having the past thrown in my face.
I'm tired of trying to be nice when I don't feel nice.
I'm tired of spinning my wheels and getting no where.
I'm tired of not understanding, but no one will explain.
I'm tired of jumping through hoops, only to land on my head.
I'm tired of people worrying more about appearance than worth.
I'm tired of being the last one told, but the first one expected to do.
I'm tired of trying for those that don't notice how much is really done.
I'm tired of talking when no one is listening to what I'm actually saying.
I'm tired of being considerate of others, when they don't think about me.
I'm tired of giving all that I have when no one is willing to reciprocate.
I'm tired of the little things that don't matter, but are all that is seen.
But most of all, I'm just tired.

Let me start by saying that everything is fine. Contrary to what you might think after reading the above, my world is NOT in upheaval.  My marriage is NOT in shambles.  My family is NOT in trouble.  It's just that there are some days where the irritation levels get so high, that I have to let them out somehow. This past week has been an exercise in frustration.  Not one big thing, but a lot of little things that compound and irritate, and I remember telling Car Guy that I was just bone dead tired. Sometimes, my sense of humor abandons me and I can't "find the funny" anymore. So I decided to list the things that I was tired of.  I'm sure if I put more thought into, the list would be much longer, but since I already feel better, why belabor the point? It's a great little trick for getting out what ails at the moment. Try it sometime.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Back and Forth....S l o w l y

Hello!!  I'm so happy that you all like Esmeralda!  She needs a little work...a bath will do wonders.  She might need a new band, we'll see. And Car Guy has to work a little magic on her wheel.  I'm afraid that with age, one of her joins has separated so he'll have to perform a little surgery with some wood glue and a band...I like to think that one of her knees needs a little reconstruction work.

My poor Lady Kina has been sitting mostly to the side while I learn to spin.  She's been very patient, but every time I see her sitting over there, I feel a bit guilty, so I decided I'd better pick her up and give her a little attention.  Look at her.  I really don't have a lot left to do....just 19 cm on the body and then the sleeves. But seriously, it's moving so S L O W L Y.  I know that I'll love her when she's finished and I've been trying to remind myself that all good things are worth waiting for...right?

It's Wednesday, so that means I get to go hang out with the Biscuits tonight....I am so looking forward to a little girl time. Hope your day goes well!

Ta Da.....

How is everyone?  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and aren't having any trouble of getting into the groove of the week.  I've been practicing my spinning and there are good moments and not so good moments...just like with any new endeavor.  I have realized that if I'm particularly tired or irritated, I need to stay away because all I end up doing is further frustrating myself.

Because I can't keep Natalie's wheel that she so generously loaned me forever, Car Guy and I have been combing through Craig's List and EBay to see what we could find.  We actually found a wheel fairly close by and after a lengthy email conversation with the seller, we went an hour and a half away to look at it.  Success!  Here it is....

Isn't she pretty?  I'm such a dork, that I've already named her...Esmeralda.  It suits her, don't you think?  By the way, I have a long history of naming things, cars, machines, whatever.  She needs a little work, but for the cost, she's well worth it.  However, there are some members of the household that aren't too sure about her.

Oreo had to check her out...give her a good sniff and look over.

 He thought it might be a cool place to sit....until she moved on him.  I wish I had gotten a few more pictures, but once the treadle moved, he was out of there. I guess he's not destined to be a spinner.

{Magic of the Mundane}

Today, I am joining Sofia over at Sofia's Ideas for Magic of the Mundane. I so love this idea because it totally falls in line with my desire to get back to simple. It can be a picture, a poem or song, a short video or anything else that celebrates the Magic. So often, we get caught up in "where we're going" that we forget to look at the beauty of "where we are."

This is about as mundane as you can get.  The morning ritual of coffee.  The mug is Car Guy's.  The coffee is from Ecuador. What makes this so special is that Car Guy bought me the coffee....he didn't go to our local grocery store to get it.  He actually had to go to Ecuador for business.  He's been gone for a week.  He came home safely and brought me delicious rich coffee and some amazingly decadent dark chocolate...Having him home after a week and sharing a cup of coffee with him yesterday morning was definitely magic.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!!

Inspired by Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.