don't be jealous of my entertainment system.

4 things I love in this picture:

1. Clint Eastwood. We don't have cable so we are borrowing movies from everyone we know. I don't know what this movie was about, but I love Clint Eastwood

2. Olivia. She looks a little frumpy in this picture.

3. Lilly. Lilly is getting really spoiled living with us. She is the sweetest dog in the world and she knows it. What Lilly wants, Lilly gets.

4. Hunter. Hunts. Hunterbone. I love you big boy.

i'm alright

There is something very right about listening to Madeleine Peyroux on a rainy office day.

Happy Thursday!

it is fall.

sights
around
the
farm.

(we love you molly. please come back.)

rain boots

This is what I should have looked like this morning:

Hungry and pissed because I didn't have time for breakfast.
On a mission to get Monday morning over and done with.
Oh, you say it's muddy outside?
No worries. I have my rain boots on and a cup of coffee, now get out of my way.

There was one thing Kate and I had in common this morning:

I was hungry and pissed because I didn't have time for breakfast either. (or in her case, food in general)

I did NOT however, have rain boots & a cup of steaming joe.

I did have black flats on and a yellow raincoat. I just didn't think about our fresh top soil and lack of stepping stones from the trailer to the car.

"ANDREW, COME HELP ME! I'M SINKING!" I realized I couldn't take a step left or right without piling more mud onto my ballet flats.

My dream man rescued me. Well, let's re-phrase that.

I made my dream man get out of bed, pick me up and place me in the car. I didn't have time to wait on new shoes so I went to school with mud on my shoes and cleaned them in the gutter by the sidewalk. I literally stood in the gutter with the rain water rushing by, wiping the mud away from my somewhat ruined flats.

Did I mention I had not had a single droplet of roasted coffee beans at that point in the morning?


I DID however, score the permission to go buy rain boots from my dream man.
That's progress for a Monday.

and we'll all float on, okay.

thanks for showing me this song Eric.

This is a perfect, rainy, chilly day in Virginia.

Happy Sunday.

a mel gibson equation.

+

=

emotional disaster.

there was a man at the watah spout.

Guess who I ran into on my drive to work today?

Some young farmer getting water at the spring.

I asked him for directions and then puckered up....

And stole a kiss on my way into town.

mushy gushy, huh?
it's my blog and I'll do what I want. ;)

it's baby time.

May I introduce to this big beautiful world,

He is so chubby. I am one of those people that say things like, "Oh, I could just eat that baby up for breakfast". This is a baby that I could eat for breakfast. How chubby and cute is he? I love babies. I'm slightly obsessed with babies. I can't wait to get my hands on this one.

spooky aunt.

I love my new nephew

I now have 2, count them 2, men in my life named Andrew----okay that's a lie. My Andrew's real name is Glenn. Glenn Andrew, after his Dad and Grandad. I love calling him "Guh-len" in my deepest SW Virginia accent when I am in the mood to pick.

Back to the babies.

I love my new nep-hew magically and equally the same as Mr. Benjamin Noah McQueen, the other nep-hew (that's how my aunt cindy says nephew, nep-hew......it always makes us laugh).

They are both as perfect as they can be.

love, aunt val

love overwhelms

(image source unknown)

I have felt overwhelmed by love lately. But not overwhelmed in a bad way, a good way, the best way.

I felt overwhelmed by the feeling of love when I was able to spend time with some of my best friends this weekend.

I felt overwhelmed with love when I sang on Saturday night and the sweetness that came from stranger's mouths.

I felt overwhelmed with love when I sat under the almost full moon last night, staring straight into it's bright face.

I felt overwhelmed with love this morning as I sat sipping coffee with Andrew, both snuggled under my Mamaw's blue butterfly quilt, watching the sun slowly fill our woods.

He asked me to read to him this morning and so I picked out one my favorite poems (see sidebar) and I felt overwhelmed by it's simple message,

love.

Desiderata

GO PLACIDLY AMID THE NOISE AND THE HASTE, AND REMEMBER WHAT PEACE THERE MAY BE IN SILENCE.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they, too, have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in you own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you for what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere live is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the council of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, 1927

Weekend Visitors

One of the things that I dreamed of when I had my very own home was having visitors over! I love entertaining (although I don't know how good I am at it) but nevertheless I love having friends and family come over and hang out!

Last weekend my Mom came and stayed the entire weekend! It was heaven. She fixed everything. She made it feel like home. I can't thank her enough for all that she did for us. Moms have a way of doing that, don't they?

Here are some pictures to highlight our weekend:

Me and mom hanging outside with Lily, the sweetest farm dog in existence.

A little family portrait. (my, oh my, I think he's cute)


Vegetables & fruit from our garden. Probably the last big pick of the season.


Mom showed me how to can (well....not the real deal canning process...but enought to freeze and get by with )

And this may have been the best present of the weekend:

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing in a SQUIRT BOTTLE.

Warning: If you have a problem controlling Ranch consumption, you should not put it in a squirt bottle.
I should follow my own warning. This is how America has gotten itself into trouble, ranch in a squirt bottle.

This weekend I have some dear friends coming to visit (and we may or may not be going wedding dress shopping!! ahhhhh it's for reallllll)

Happy Weekend to you!

man in the moon

Remember this movie?

If you haven't ever seen this Reece Witherspoon classic, you should.
It is one of my favorite movies.

Except, and I won't give it away, but the really bad part in the movie.

You know that one? I just can't spoil it for everyone but....you will cry at some point.

Anyways. Andrew called me with a "tractor" story a few hours ago that about made my heart sink. It made me immediately think of this movie. He is okay. But...oh my.

Have I ruined it for you yet? I hope not.

Go rent this movie. Pretend you are engaged to a farmer and watch your heart crumble.

Giveaway!

My long lost soul sister friend is having her first blog giveaway!

Click here to enter for a chance to win this goooorgeous necklace (i love) and to read about her beautiful life!

Peter Bradley Adams

Guess what?

I am opening for Peter Bradley Adams Saturday night at Mockingbird, in Staunton VA.

woo hooo! I "won" this spot from the All Star Open Mic Night. Remember? Sure you do.

Here is a lil' video of Mr. Adams.

He's pretty darn cute, huh?

Oh. And if you DO happen to be able to make it, you should come a little early and have dinner. Mockingbird uses local farmers and has deeeelicious food.

You can find more information here.

I'm just pluggin' away aren't I?

a no good day

But I found this picture from last weekend in my Photobucket account and it made me happy...even if we are all squinty from the sun.

I still have half of a day to turn it around. Let's see what happens.....

p.s. For those of you concerned/amused about my head, Head and Shoulders has worked miracles.

:)

scratchin' makes it worse...

So we have a cistern tank. It was a really affordable & environmentally safe route instead of drilling a well. (Who are we kidding, it was TONS cheaper and that's the reason we did it)
But, for reals, it is much more environmentally friendly. When you know that you have to fill a tank up with water you really watch how much you use.

But I also have sensitive skin. Skin that doesn't adjust well to water change. So the other day when the skin on my pits (yeah..i mean armpits) started to peel, I thought to myself, "hrm...this is weird". And then I proceeded to sit in this position on the couch and try and peel it off while Andrew looked at me like, "so this is the girl I am going to marry".


Well, then the other morning at work, I found a patch of poison ivy on my ankle. This is not related to the water, but is to the story. So I sat at my desk resisting the urge to scratch my ankle to the bone until it bled and scabbed over and created new, non-poison ivy skin.

Then, something started happening. My head started itching. Like, burning itching all over the back of it. I sat and poked at it with a pencil for awhile until it became too much.
And then it clicked. I bet it's lice. I KNOW it's lice. I've never had lice before but this has to be what it feels like. Oh my god I can feel them running around my scalp having a party in my dirty hair!
So, I did what anyone does when they are in trouble. I went to see the school nurse. (good thing i work in a school)

I went in, closed the door and confessed.

"I have poison ivy on my ankle and I think I have lice in my head."

She gave me the comb through and I sat in the chair waiting for her to say, "yes. Valerie. You are dirty and have lice. Leave my office immediately, trailer trash girl"

But all she commented on was my dry scalp.

I had Andrew give me a check last night and yup, the diagnosis is in: DRY SCALP SYNDROME.

So, there is my story. I have peeling pits, itchy ankles and a dry scalp.

I am irresistible right now. Simply irresistible.

grateful

I think I've pinched myself 3 or 4 times since the move. I can't believe it finally happened. We have been dreaming of this for years. Last night, I sat on the computer as Andrew watched a movie on the couch and I looked around at our home. I still can't believe it!

There were some really rough bumps in the road this past 9 months. Andrew and I both lost a grandparent....and not just a grandparent. A Mamaw that meant the world & more to me and a Grandad that Andrew considered to be his best friend--all within the same week.

We had one of the worst winters that Virginia has seen in a looooong time, smack dab in the middle of us trying to clear our woods. Andrew put up with me while I was on the job search and I put up with Andrew changing dirty work clothes 3 times a day.

We smushed ourselves in a tiny spare room in his parents house with our little baby cat and his two farm dogs at night, all safe and sound.

We went on drive after drive to have "alone time".

We dealt with set backs, failed inspections, government building offices, uncooperative weather, & pinching pennies month after month.

We sat up at night dreaming about what our lives would be like when we would have our own home.

Every bump was worth it. Our hearts are so happy and so full of gratitude. AND to top it all off with chocolate and sprinkles, I am engaged to the love of my life.

life is good.

new couches: a defining moment

I thought I was going to get new couches yesterday.

But in a weird twist of events and maybe a hateful sales lady that hurt my feelings, I convinced myself that it was a bit of a rash decision.

So we got a free couch from a family member and bought a slip cover.

And it looks really good and we saved a ton of money in the process.

But I was still really cranky. I might have stuck my bottom lip out for awhile and ate my feelings in a Japanese restaurant which I regretted later. I had those thoughts like, "I just feel like I should be old enough to deserve _____ "(insert material item).

Do you ever do that? I just feel irrational but justified at the same time.

But last night while I was trying to go to sleep, I thought about all of the things that I do have and that list got very long. And I thought about living within my means and how I can look at it as saving a ton of money that would have been financed for stupid new, beautiful, olive green-ish, quality made, stain resistant, non-slip covered couches.

I'm okay with it. Really I am.

it's like, the best camp site ever.

We are in love with our home. It is so private and quiet and calming. Andrew built us a fire outside of our doorsteps a few days ago. It smelled and felt like fall in Virginia. I could just bottle that smell up.

Yes. We wear crocs. I never thought I would venture into crock land...but they come in handy on a farm. So there.

We had such a long weekend filled with music, horse shows, furniture shopping adventures gone bad and more.

hope you had a great one too! (minus the awful furniture shopping adventure)

xoxo

a wildly happy situation (written this morning)

I'm sitting in my living room (so maybe I'm in a fold up outdoor chair).

I'm watching my favorite movie in the world, "Fried Green Tomatoes".

Getting ready to sing here.

Blogging.

Eating Frosted Flakes.

and hanging out with my baby cat Olivia,

I think she has adjusted from the move.

little things make it home.

Andrew and I finally got some time in our schedule to put away some boxes and make this trailer look like a home rather than a homeless shelter with a layer of dirt on everything.

Bookshelves! Oh, I loved opening boxes of my favorite books! And I realized that I have wayyyyyyyyy to many self-helpers. Hey, if you have to learn how to put your own oxygen mask on first, right?

I placed all of my little odds and ends back where they belong. Mr. Pig has been chillin' out in a box for way to long.

And my beloved Fridge pictures! This was really the icing on the trailer cake.

My little kitchen table is in place. I have super cool floors right now with lightening bulb blue streaks going through them. Try and not be jealous, just try it.

And of course this picture was placed exactly where it need to be.

love.

pictureless post

I'm sitting on the floor of my HOME, listening to music, WITH THE LIGHTS ON!

And I have running water.

It's been a long 9 months.

I kinda feel like I gave birth to this home. (poor choice of descrition but let's just go with it...) It was 9 months of pain but I knew in the end, baby trailer would be worth it.

much more to say...but
sleep needs to come.