Mornings

Yesterday I sauntered over to The Colony's Sanctuary and found a challenge. Not being one to pass on a challenge, I agreed to offer up a peek into my morning routine.

I diligently shot photo after photo of my morning. I painstakingly edited said photos. I agonized over what I would write (hello! linkage from The Women's Colony) the pressure was almost unbearable!


In the end it took me a whole day to prepare the blog post concerning my morning routine.

This morning however, as I was laboriously loading the much nurtured post into the draft window blogger decided to throw a fit. A full on tantrum would be a better description.

I am heart broken! I am so tired of issues with blogger.


So Jodi, I almost can't bear to post a photo free blog but here it is.

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Sunny mornings in the PAC NW are a rarity. Most often, the day breaks and I find myself ensconced in a dark blanket of fog. Unwilling to greet the day I loose myself in the land of blogs, Facebook and email. But when the day dawns and the sun bursts over the mountains, streaming through my bedroom window, I wake with a purpose.


It is on these brilliant, sunny mornings that I am at my best. I rise ready to greet the day.

I fetch myself a fat, steaming mug of coffee. I don my garden clogs, feeling the call of my waiting garden. Once there, I am transported through the looking glass. Coffee in hand, I stroll the rows of veggies first; searching for hungry marauders who threaten to steal my bounty. Next, I seek out the sanctity of the flower beds. Unlike Alice, I am on good terms with the roses.

By now I have drained my cup and make my way back down to the house. It is here I find the sleepy bodies of my children creeping from the warmth of their beds. Grumbling, they dress and do chores while I make them breakfast. Soon it will be time to start school.

For the rest of my morning I find myself surrounded by books, paper, pencils and the eager minds of my four children.

Maybe I will be able to sneak back through the looking glass before the day is done. For now I am content to play the Cheshire Cat. Sipping my coffee I contentedly watch the world open up before my children.

Yellow week: day 5

Yellow: Craft




Some of you might have gotten a sneak peek at this quilt a few weeks back, while it was still an infant. Well looky now, its grown into a full blown adolescent quilt! It still needs backing, binding and actual quilting but that will come. It might take me 10 years but....




This is a vintage Watkins Tea can. Anyone remember those? Way back when I was a wee girl my mom and I Tole painted a bunch of these for gifts. This one is a bit scratched and rough around the edges but I think that adds to the patina.





I dd not stitch this little number yet when I saw it at Goodwill (only a dollar!) I had to snatch it up. As I sighed at the utter cuteness of the embroidered flower adorning this seersucker sundress, I thought 'I could totally do that'! I am going to try my hand at adding a little stitching to the pillow case dresses I am making for Craft Hope. I'll let you know how that pans out.


I had a lovely time participating in Yellow Week (even if I was late to the party) a big thanks to Erin, Tracy and all the other participants.


If you would like to see more Yellow Week check out the Flickr pool here.

Yellow week: day 4

Yellow: Around the house.







This is our new baby Sweet Janie; she's a Golden Retriever. Isn't she sweet!

Always late to the party:

Last week as I was roaming around the blogosphere I found that Erin was hosting a Yellow Week. This inspired Tracy to join who in turn inspired me. I thought this would provide me some much needed blog fodder.

Well...

Umm, today would be Wednesday and I haven't even been on the computer since Valentine's Day. Sacrilege, I know!

Funny thing is that I don't even like yellow. In fact I have a long standing hatred for the color yellow. My first car was yellow; it blew up when I was driving it. The birthing room where I delivered my firstborn was decorated in the most garish yellow's; it made me ill to be in the room. When I was a girl we had a yellow lab who, every time she went into heat, bled all over my bedroom floor. Then there was the recent trauma of the Yellow Belt.

Yellow and I just don't get along.

So I thought maybe I should take the time to explore yellow. Wallow in the sunny goodness of yellow. Surround myself with yellow for a week.

As my husband says: How's that workin' for ya?

And as I say: Umm, not so much.

Walking around the farm this morning it became apparent to me that my sour relationship with yellow provides me no photographic opportunities other than the bunch of banana's sitting on my kitchen counter.


Yellow inspiration is elusive. This is going to be harder than I thought.

So I took off my glasses and let the colors blur and sought out just the golden tones of yellow. A-HAH! and Wa-la!


Here are my 'late to the party' yellow week pix.

A party fit for a Queen::

In honour of the birth of Marie Antoinette the Queen of France.

Today, I join together with many others in blogland to celebrate the birth of a world renowned historical figure. Today I celebrate life's luxuries and treasures.

::My little anniversaire tribute, inspired by Madame Marie::

If only I had cake, all would be right with the world!

Click the picture below and see some other creative sorts and their tributes to the Queen. It's going to be quite the Soiree! Be sure and thank our hostess, Joy, for putting on such an amazing party.


Adieu

Monday...monday

Well here we go. A typical Monday at Calamity farmstead:

Get up after hubby leaves. Stoke up fire. Make coffee.

Plop down in front of computer with coffee. Read blogs.

Yell at kids to turn off TV, it's time to go do morning chores.

I get the kids started on school, after a hearty breakfast of oatmeal or cereal.

Kids work till lunch time. I usually have lots of help with the prep.

Not so much help with the clean up.

I put kids down for rest and reading time and I read more blogs.

I will throw in some laundry. And maybe, just maybe it will magically get folded AND put away.

Get the kids up from rest, send them out to play. I start to prep dinner.

After dinner is over, I do as little clean up as possible and head straight for the jammies and blogs.

When I can keep my eyes open no longer or my hand goes numb, I head off to bed.

Sunday: Week in the Life

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5 October 08

• Feeling terrible. Darling let me sleep in.
• Kids made oatmeal.
• Fern brought me breakfast in bed. Feeling so loved.
• Miriam called to see if we would make it to church. Unfortunately, NO.
• Slept the morning away. Woke to find kids busily cleaning house.
• Darling got me a Dr. Pepper. What a sweetheart.
  
• Threw some Pork Carnitas in the Crockpot w/peppers, tomatoes and onions.
• Hung out with Fern, Head-Strong and Hubby, watched Iron Man. Good flick.
  
• Babies napped. Really should stop calling them babies they are 4 and 6.
  
• Hubby went out to work on his car.
• Played outside in the garden for a few minutes. Took some pictures.
  
• Fixed chicken fence again.
• Had hubby "take care of" a meat chick that must have had a stroke. She had just not moved for days but was totally alert. Sad.
  
• Served Pork over Rice for dinner.
• Filled Crockpot #2 w/tomatoes, onions and peppers for salsa.
• Family watched America’s Funniest Videos and Extreme Home Makeover.
• After the kids were tucked in I spent a minute on the computer but was too tired, so I gave up and headed to bed. While I was brushing my teeth I kept hearing voices. I thought it was the boys talking. Checked on them, fast asleep. Peeked in on the girls. Found them huddled on Fern’s bed with the portable DVD player and headphones on watching Little House. Told them to go to sleep as soon as it was over. Too cute.

Saturday: Week in the Life

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4 October 08

I must insert commentary here: This photo freaks me out in so many ways a) the size of my back side b) the size of the mess c) the amount of junk I posses. Ugh!

• Awakened at 4 by the sound of the rain. It’s pouring buckets outside.
• Hubby and oldest are out the door by 5:30 for hunting.
• Fidget hops into bed with me. Awake and ready for conversation, she tells me that the reason we (the kids) weren’t at our wedding was because they weren’t born yet, not because they weren’t invited. Hmm.
• It’s so dark and cold. Just want to stay in bed with coffee and good book.
• Make Applesauce Oatmeal~kids favourite.
• Fern, Fidget and Head-Long are snuggled on the couch with Saturday Morning Cartoons.
• Coffee in hand, I tackle my Craft Room. This is a daunting task. Turn an unfinished room into a place of imagination and expression. *sigh*
• Warmed soup for lunch
• Darling returned home from hunt. The boy shot at a buck, not sure if he hit it or not. Searched for hours, to no avail.
• Hubby built a fire. It feels so cozy inside.
• Torrential downpour continues.
• Head-Long has been begging daddy to go look upstairs (the attic) for the missing pieces of his Thomas Train Set.
• Daddy caved, took H-L upstairs ‘to have ‘a look around”. No train set.
• Called Miriam…whined about the rain
• Darling went out to hunt again returned wet and empty handed.
  
• Made Turkey Noodle soup for dinner.
• Everyone ate in the living room and watched TV.
• I am tired and feeling very sick.

Friday: Week in the Life

If you are wondering where my regular witty and mind blowing blog post have gone, don't dismay. I am participating in the Week in the Life Challenge, put on by Ali Edwards-scrapbook diva. If you would like to learn more check out Ali's site or see my explanation here. All regularly scheduled whining will resume on Monday.

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3 October 08

• Darling husband let me sleep in.
• Stuffiness still abounds.
• Still raining.
• Darling hubbs landed the Cessna plane that has been circling my computer for the last week.
• My darling declares he has hair envy. He says I have fabulous morning hair.
• Kiss hubby.
• Kids did morning chores, brought in 3 eggs. All is well in farm land.
• Darling dearest fixed internet connection problem. God love the man!
• Made sweet hubby extra large mug of coffee w/extra creamer
• Darling Dick Daring is my hero.
• Dick Daring blogs. Alert the masses.
• For school: made kids practice Geography Songs, Creative Writing, free reading.
• My brother took pity on our one computer family and built us a spare.
• Head to town to pick up computer. Yahooo!
• Made up new words to “I’ve got Peace like a River”
• Laughed hysterically.
• Ate lunch from the 99 cent heart attack menu at Burger King.
• My brother has acquired a new baby. Bro now has 2 turtles: Big Foot and Little Foot.
• Kids ogled turtles.
• Head-Strong Boy begged to play “Rockband2”
• Head-Strong's wish is granted. For 20 minutes HE was a Rock Star!
• Visited my Mom for a minute. She is sick with nasty cold too.
• Got Mom bottle of Blackberry Brandy.
• Stopped at Wal-Mart for Head-Strong’s hunting license. Rifle season starts tomorrow.
• Listened to Glen Beck. Loved his idea of the "sleepy time bill".
  
• Arrived home tired and road weary.
• Found the dog had broken through chicken fence again! DOG!!!
• Put everyone in jammies and plugged in ‘Bed knobs and Broomsticks’.
• Made tea and toast.
• Blogged.
• Ready for bed.

Thursday: Week in the Life

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2 October 08

• Shaken awake by cold toddler. “Let me in mama.’
• Coffee! Yippee!
• Ugh! Cereal again.
• Morning chores find one of the meat birds sluggish.
• It rained in the night, kids are eager to play in the mud.
• Kids chased each other around the house on bikes for hours.
• Fielded call from Web Academy. Meeting scheduled for next Tue.
• I worked on school stuff.
• Kids worked on school stuff: same as yesterday.
  
• Pay bills.
• Need to update budget.
• Blogged yesterdays Week in the life.
• Showered and dressed by noon! WhooHOO!
• Lunch: corn dogs.
• Run to grocery for said corn dogs.
• Torrential rains start upon our leaving said grocery.
• Kids stand in torrential rains, bewildered.
• Greasy, nitrate extravaganza consumed. Nap time.
• While kids rest, I tackle Craft Room.
• Crank up some Across the Universe and Mama Mia Soundtracks.
• Throw open windows to let in fresh rain scent.
• Wait ever so (NOT) patiently for Hubby to arrive home to move furniture into my Craft Room.
• Still waiting…..
• Hubby and Head-Strong fixed chicken fence AGAIN!
• Hubb’s made a guess as to why we aren’t getting any eggs. He thinks the dog is stealing eggs. Decides to bait the dog. Blasted dog snatched up the egg in a heart beat!
• oooooooooooooooooo7ytrrwq1111111111111111111234566677780-‘o8…..contributed by Head-Long.
• Furniture is in Craft Room! Tomorrow: sort & situate.
• Going to Farm Suite Farm for a girls night; movies, tea and from scratch brownies are in order.
• Movie Review: Winter Solstice
  

*Miriam: "It was like 'October Road' on Quaaludes" (who can top that, really?)
*Katie: "Like being poked in the eye....painful, but the brownies were good!"