Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Lots to say


I have lots to say about my weekend trip back home to visit my kin folk.   

There were adventures
Wax museums
Mimosas
Mountains
Moonshine
Family Q.T.
Driving woes
Pools
Sunburns
Great music
and lots more to report about

But in the meantime can I recommend this song to you?  Of course I can.  
We bought Allison Krauss & Union Station's new album and it is fab. 
Girlfriend is like a fine wine....she is getting better and better with age!


Monday, May 23, 2011

thoughts on a Monday morning



It was a splendid and busy weekend.  One of those weekends where you have a lot of extra work related events to go to---which is a little soul sucking---but the extra wonderful weather made it up to me.  

AND

I had my first wedding dress fitting.  On Friday I rushed to the shop after work to pick up my dress and then drove home going 25 mph with my precious cargo.  I kept catching myself glancing into the rear view mirror thinking "Oh my gosh.  I have my wedding dress in the back seat of my car".  It was one of those moments where you feel like life is really happening.  (which, of course it is happening....this was a slow motion movie moment though & maybe got me a little teary and then this song came on the radio and I sang it as loud as I could in a grammy winning performance.  It was movie soundtrack perfect)

I scooped up my girl P on Saturday morning and off we went to the seamstress.  She was nothing like my worst nightmare imagined.  She was so sweet, loved my dress, and said all of the right things.  We then celebrated this alteration success at chik-fil-a for breakfast.  It was quite scrumptious and the people that work there are just so darn friendly and nice.  

The rest of the weekend was a blur of sunshine and friends (& rainbows?  what did I take this morning)
Andrew spent the weekend working on the fields.  I am so proud of him.  He is going all organic this year in the fields & gardens.  Chemical free.  But that also means that hours are dedicated to weeding.   


 I was bored at the house and decided to come down to the field to supervise/complain about being lonely.  

Small children, cover your eyes.  A vampire with hippy shoes is on the loose.  

I have given up on trying to be a bronze goddess in this life.  Maybe the next one.  For now, it is SPF 70 baby all the way.  Keeping my freckles in check.  My version of a tan will slowly take effect in the upcoming months (while andrew already has a deep farmers tan from just a few days.  Let's hope the kiddos get his mountain skin and not my Irish genes).  AH, there are worse things in life---try telling that to my 15 year old self.  I thought it was one of lifes great tragedy's that I could not get tan like my friends.  The pain, the hurt, the sadness in it all.  *Sigh*   
 
I hope you have a great day!  Here are some pretty pictures of Andrew's mom's famous rose bushes!  Comin' right atcha. 







Friday, May 20, 2011

lister lester


  1.  My first rose blossomed the other day!  I was very excited to see that it is yellow--one of my favorite colors.  

2.  We got straaaawwwwwwwbabies.  They are in full bloom in our backyard.  mmmmm delicious, organic strawbabies.  


 Do not be fooled.  That is not Olivia.  It is her boyfriend, Hank (Hankerpants--who I caught yesterday in an attempt of murder of one of my bunny rabbit friends.  I stopped the car dead in its tracks and ran around chasing Hank screaming, "STAY AWAY FROM MY BUNNY!".  I'm sure it didn't look strange at all). 



He was probably trying to swoon Olivia from inside this morning.  That devil.  That tramp.


3.  I am picking up my wedding dress after work in preparation of my first fitting consultation in the morning!  wooooooo hoooooo!  I am nervous.  The woman has a thick Eastern European accent and probably no patience for picky brides.  I got my dress on a super sale rack & got a deal of a lifetime---but it is also about 3 sizes to big for me.  We shall see how it goes. 



4.  I dreamed last night that I was on a trip with random people and ended up in a guest room overlooking the ocean in Thailand.  Then I was awoken to my alarm radio blasting Elton John's song "Daniel".  What does all of this mean?  What is the universe trying to tell me?   

5.  Worried about the end of the world tomorrow and what will happen to your pets when you are floating up to heaven and everyone else is burning in a fire ball?  No need to worry!  Click here and all your furry friends can be taken care of.  (i think this is for reals?  crazy.people.crazy)

Happy Weekend Loves!!!!!!!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Humpty Dumpty Wednesday


 There are times during a work day that I have to remind myself that there is light at the end of the road. 

(pic taken yesterday during a crazy storm)


and knowing that I can come home to this love-bug helps too.  

Happy hump day (now let's wrap it up)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

happy place


Sometimes you just need someone to help set up your happy place and light a few candles along the way. 

Monday, May 16, 2011

a most perfect weekend

I tried to take a cue from Mother Nature this weekend.  Equal parts relaxation and celebration!

It was my soul sisters 30th birthday party on Saturday night and we couldn't have had a better time with friends! They put on such an amazing bash!

(me and the birthday girl...I'm so happy we found each other!!!)

We stayed up late underneath the stars & eventually Andrew pulled me away and said it was way past our bedtime and time to go home.  Boo.  Hiss.  Let a girl party.

On Sunday we woke up and I made biscuits, gravy, bacon and fresh farm eggs for Andrew & our bff friend Eric!  Mmmmmmm.  I am a good hostess folks.  I'll treat you right.  

Eric grew up with Andrew in Mt. Sidney, down the road on his family's Dairy Farm.  Eric and I went to college together.  We became the three musketeers when Eric played matchmaker.  It usually just feels like 3 old friends hanging out when Eric is around...and that's perfectly fine with me.  We keep each other laughing at life.  I love having him over. 

eric & andrew having coffee out in the forest garden

We took a walk down our trail in the morning and then after an emergency Slurpee trip was made we stopped by the Wampler farm to walk through the woods.  

Eric has some pretty cows.  That's a fact.  

His farm is absolutely beautiful.  A real treasure in these times.  :)  Look at those mountains.  


(did I mention I absolutely love where I live?  Because I do.  Can't imagine being anywhere else.)


Scraggle-muffins

A storm rolled in as soon as we finished our walk and we watched it pour down the most beautiful spring shower while sitting on the front porch.  

AHhhhhhhhhh.  yes.  It was a most perfect weekend.  

 


Friday, May 13, 2011

summer jam

TGIF
for reals

this will be my new pre-summer jam.
(except they look like babies in this video....babies)

have a fabulous weekend. 

Thursday, May 12, 2011

wedding update

So we are starting to plan.  Like really plan.  Booking things, making decisions all leading up for our October wedding.  :)

(that makes me smile just thinking about it)

It's comes in waves.  Some days I don't even think about it, others its the only thing that I can imagine.  I try not to stay too long in imaginary world because I feel like it can lead down a road of stress if you let it.  I have images of something that I want and then I try to freeze frame it and go write it down or send an email to my LOVELY bridesmaids who have made this entire process so far feel like a magical conversation between little girls.  

I love that part. It will no doubt be in my top 5 favorite wedding memories--all these emails chit chatting with wedding excitement. 

I went back and forth on what to do on THE wedding night. (don't read into that...)  Should we just stay at home?  Do we dare have our bags packed and peace out after the wedding?  Is it worth the money to spend for one night down the street where we will probably only spend 7 hours tops?  

We talked it through and YES it is worth it.  Andrew's exact words were "money?  Who's worried about money?" ---love him and his utter denial to the fact that we live a VERY simple life.  So we booked a room down the street at The Inn at Old Virginia in Staunton, VA. 

We will be staying at the William H. Harman II suite.  


Fancy.  And here is an insiders tip.  The lace canopy definitly matches a theme throughout my wedding.  It's all in the details.  :)

I'm so excited.  Things are starting to feel real.  We are still figuring out the honeymoon, but the prospects are looking high.  
This is #1 on our list:


Can you even imagine?  Minutes of my life have been wasted trying to figure out how they get in the champagne hot tub

  Amazing.  Simply amazing.  

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

true story

I was walking down the brick stairs from work, chattin' away with my co-worker.  I thought I had landed the last step--I was wrong.  My foot skidded down on the pavement and a shock went up my body.  Ouch.  I stubbed my toe.  


If you haven't stubbed your toe in awhile, I'll let you know that it hurts really bad.  I got in my car and let out a yelp.  And maybe a few dirty words.  And then I tried to call Andrew to tell him about my toe, maybe receive a little pity over the phone.  It went straight to voicemail.  He refuses to get a new phone.  He's perfectly happy with the one that just decides to power off whenever it wants to. 

So things became very clear in my state of pain.  This was all Andrew's fault. 

This is a wonderful gift that women seem to have & use in opportunities like this--like when the shelf above the laundry machine falls.  His fault.  

When I got home and THEN saw that he had not vacuumed, I not only had a stubbed toe & a fiance who won't answer his phone but now I had a messy house.  Life was starting to swirl in front of my face like a tornado (that's how things look in my world when I fall into these places).

When he walked in the door a few minutes later, I laid down the law.  Thankfully, Andrew did not lose his cool on his slightly off centered fiance and he just let me vent.  Then we laughed, as we usually do when I get my panties in a wad over the tiny things.  I made him kiss my toe and then I told him that I would start on dinner.  

Except in my toe pain & phone rage I forgot to stop by the grocery store.  After opening the fridge I realized there was only one option---possibly the best option:  BREAKFAST FOR DINNER.  It was biscuits and gravy time.

I put on my new apron that I found in a thrift store and started to work.  (ps.  this is the best apron EVER.  It has a towel sewed into it for easy wiping.  How genius!)


After making some DANK (it's my new cool word to use) gravy and hockey puck biscuits we went to feed the chickens some left over scraps--mainly my hard as a rock biscuits.  I wondered whether they would hurt if I threw them at Andrew, so naturally I threw a biscuit at Andrew's head while he was tying is shoe.  It thudded and I got yelled at.  Sorta.  But then we laughed it off.  (or at least I did)
Our 30 chicks & 1 rooster!  Andrew & his brother in law made the coop themselves. :) 

After feeding the chickens we came inside and I started making up words to a song.  A song about biscuits & gravy.  I kept coming up with verse after verse.  Folks, I haven't written a full song like that in a looooooooong time.  I have been waiting and praying for patience and then BOOM I get a vision and it turns out to be about biscuits and gravy.  Go figure.  But I can't be picky-prayers were answered.

In the middle of busting out my new tune for Andrew we heard a crash.  Our eyes locked and we knew what it was.  Our baby birds*.

We flew out of the door and found the box on the back porch floor and Andrew screamed "GET OLIVIA!!!".  She was about to attack a baby bird on the side of the house.  Now, we all know how much I love (obsess over) my cat but I threw that child away from the bird and then scooped her chubby butt up and threw her into a car.  I went back to see the baby bird, fearing the worst.  It was so dark out it was hard to make her out but then I saw her on the ground.  I got all Nat Geo and scooped her up with my hands.  Her little heart was going a million miles an hour--and so was mine. 

One baby bird had stayed in the nest and I sat their sister (or I guess it could be a brother) in the nest with him.  We were still missing one bird.  Andrew had seen it flop to the other side of the porch.  We searched and searched and then feared the worst.  But then a flop on the side of the hill caught out attention.  We found her!!!!!!!!  

All birdies were safe and sound in the nest.  I felt like I had just been in a war zone and poured a stiff drink.  We prayed that momma bird would come back & googled every scenario possible (what did we do before the internet machine?).  

This morning, as soon as I woke up, I ran to the back porch.  All babies were in the nest in the right position and Mama bird had just flown up with a worm in her mouth.  It felt like Christmas morning.  I jumped on Andrew in bed to tell him the news.  In his sleepy slur he smiled and said yay and then promptly asked me to turn the coffee on for him. 

The morning after:  scene of the crime

He called later this morning to tell me that it looks like Mom and Dad are teaching the babes how to fly.  They were out in the yard practicing.  I wonder what their conversation was after last night to prompt this first flight class.  

I had many waves of emotions yesterday.  Call it hormones, call it life.  It's amazing what can happen in the span of a few hours. 

And that is my true story.  :)
 

*I was wrong about the number of birds--there were really only 3

Friday, May 6, 2011

Baby Birds


I thought we only had 3 baby birds in our shoe caddy nest but I was wrong.  I walked up my back stairs yesterday to lots of "peeping" and I stole a look.  Five baby birds had their little mouths WIDE open ready for some food.  It was an amazing sight.  I was so busy looking at them that I was completely startled when I came eye to eye with mom who was dropping off some food.  I quickly ran inside and waited for her to come back for feeding. 


and she did!  I'm excited to watch these babes grow.  

On another note, it is FRIIIIDAYYYY (said in my best Oprah voice)

This week seemed extra long.  I'm ready for my weekend which will include the farms annual Kentucky Derby Celebration!  I celebrated Mother's Day with my momma last weekend (in truth, she just spoiled me all weekend with bananna pudding, peanut butter pie and biscuits and gravy) BUT I will miss her just the same.  

Happy Mother's Day to all of the great Moms out there that I know!

xoxo Have a great weekend!!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

healing



This video moved me at my core. Perhaps it is because I have had my own battles. Perhaps you have too. Let your story out, even if it is to a tiny flower in a field...somehow, someway, so we can stop the poison and start the healing.  

love.

(thank you Patti Digh for sharing)

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

So fresh and so clean, clean.


I saw this snail on my way into work this morning.  I think snails are pretty amazing. 
I also found a toad a.k.a Mr. Toad under our back porch the other night.  I am OBSESSED with toads.  I love them.  I pet them and talk to them and they become members of my family.  Mr. Toad is a little frightened of me right now...but he will come to love me in due time.  

This post isn't really going anywhere and that's okay.  It's spring and there's life blooming everywhere.  Baby birds just hatched in our shoe caddy on the back porch.  Three little babies open their mouths crying for their mom every time I look in.  Our forest trail looks like the amazon (to me) because I have never been down there before in the summer.  This is the first year we have a trail going to the bottom of the property.  It is magical.  

Strawberry plants have blooms all over them and our peas and lettuce are poppin' up everywhere.

Life feels fresh. 

Do you?  
I do.
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