Sing With Me

Tomorrow,
Tomorrow,
I LOVE Ya Tomorrow....
You're only a Day Away!

The phone call that will change our lives forever will happen tomorrow.

Totally.

Fifty One

Its been Fifty One Months since our dossier was logged in.

That's a long time.

(Ahem) That's a Long-Ass Time!

And we are completely on the Brink. On the Brink of everything that I've hoped for and held dear about this new beginning. Of becoming a mother. Of becoming a Family. Of coming into this place whereupon we're meant to be.

Our child is literally waiting for us as we have waited for her. Soon we will come together.

All signs point to Tuesday next week. That's August 17th.

51 months and 2 days.

Winding and Wondering

About four and a half years ago I last had my hands upon the paperwork that would make our dreams real.


And, today I can say that I'm starting to remember the girl that once was so hope and dream filled as the one in this photograph.

She (and her dear husband) sent off the package of documents to this austere and somewhat mysterious place...


to be maintained, accounted for and clasped in a promising holding pattern until its time came due.

All of these months...years, actually, I have wondered: What color was our dossier cover? Were we on the top shelf - or somewhere shuffled in the middle?

How many shelves...


or desks has it touched?




What did the people who work in this building...


think of us? Did they find us interesting, cute, prosperous, charming, ordinary...kind?

According to the rumor-trackers and modern day soothsayers...matching has begun.

Will we hear our long-awaited news this week or next? Or will it be longer?

Trying to put words to it all...with the help of some images

In spite of the fact that I have had over four years to prepare...I haven't read this:


I never finished this:


I haven't researched this:


I still need to do this:


And, although it would REALLY come in handy about now - I never got around to doing this:


Yeah, yeah...sure, sure - I've been busy. Working full time, sewing up a storm, traveling a bit, returning to exercise, learning to be an Auntie. Although life has been pretty good and fairly full - I still feel a bit like this guy:


Actually I should say that I felt like that guy. I have felt suspended, lifeless, disengaged. Comatose.

Many, many, many years of waiting might do that to a person.

And, now I feel jolted awake.
I feel foggy and surprised that I need to function responsibly.
Although utterly unprepared, I feel excited and stoked and fired up for motherhood to enter my life.

Its time to wake up.

Starting to Feel Lightheaded and Giddy

Willy Wonka: But Charlie, don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he he always wanted.
Charlie Bucket: What happened?
Willy Wonka: He lived happily ever after.

Rumor Queen shares this Rumor about referrals today
(We are LID 5/15)

Could this actually be happening?

Casey Kasem Would be Proud

I've got a new Spin instructor - who plays some GREAT workout music. There is nothing like an energizing jam that is so fun it makes you forget how hard you are working.

Here's the one he played last weekend:



Try to listen through the explicit words - if that sort of thing bothers you.

The tune was perfect for Spinning class - a fast run it was. And, it worked its magic on me. Not only was I immersed in the workout, but the little melody that the artists sampled into the song really caught my attention. I couldn't put my finger on it - but it was SOOO familiar. The instructor told me about Bone Thugs n' Harmony but was clueless about that background beat. (He's a little young & I just knew that it was something from the 70's).

Name That Tune is one of my favorite games. Most of the time, I can "Name that Tune" in just a few notes. This tune, however, was going to take a bit more research. Even jzboy couldn't put his finger on it.

Eventually we did - thanks to the internet & youtube. And here it is:



Now I can't say that I remember the band Jigsaw - but I definitely remember the song. Brings me back to the good ol' days when we would just have to wait until songs were played on the radio to hear them. When we would listen for hours to Casey Kasem run through the Top 40. Back when Eddie Rabbit and Juice Newton were hot and all we needed was an AM/FM radio and Teen Beat magazine to stay up to date with pop trends.

I just love that these bad ass hip hoppers found this random tune, mixed it up and repurposed it into such a great jam...and I sure would have loved to be a fly on the wall when they did it.

Virgo/Libra Cusp

Virgo: Well organized, eye for detail, discriminating mind.
Libra: Anything that clashes upsets you, whether it's people or a colour scheme.



Virgo: Likes order in all things. Neat, clean and precise in her habits.
Libra: Likes harmony in her relationships and surroundings.


Virgo: The perfectionists of the zodiac.
Libra: Appreciates beauty in all its forms & has a keen eye to color and symmetry.


Yep. That's me.

Taste of Summertime Blues

Inspired by this:


Photo found on Sara? via IndieFixx blog

I made these:


There's really nothing quite like a fat, juicy summer blueberry. They pair nicely with the cream cheese frosting on these cupcakes...which happen to make a lovely breakfast with a cup of coffee!

This weekend is shaping up nicely. Happy Independence Day! Happy Summer. xo

It Just Goes to Show You...

...that there's something for everyone.


Case in point - this grass green gingham pimp hat. It was made for me. I stopped in my tracks when it caught my eye as I passed the beauty supply shop window. I'm pretty sure it winked at me. We engaged in this charade several times before I went inside the store and walked out with it on my head.

Hello Summer!


Makes me want to plan a road trip and listen to the play list below. Its a mix I made for one of the graduating seniors I worked with last year. He had a penchant for "retro" 80's style and sound...and it just so happens that I majored in that.

As I broke out the playlist today, I found that these tunes matched my mood. Energized, playful, bright and lighthearted.

This may end up being my best Summer ever!

Working on my Summer 2010 Soundtrack

And this one is going on it!



Couldn't find the video - but wanted to share the tune. Totally fun.

I'll also add this one:



For Those Kinds of Days. Ludacris is good for that. And, speaking of Luda, what's up with this?



I know its all about the Benjamins, but c'mon. Completely ludicrous.

Check in

Hello!

Been a little busy, a little nutty, a little excited and very preoccupied.

So I returned to old habits and over Memorial Day weekend and......on top of my primary goal to whip the garden into shape, I cut


and pinned


a stack of buttercupbloom hoot owls for my etsy shop. The end result was 26 new pieces - all stitched up and ready to go.

It was satisfying work in more ways than one and got me through an anxious time with bunch of unknowns. It quelled my desire to be in the drivers seat because I could channel those impulses into stitches.

It ended up being a great week with the best outcome.


This weekend I rest.

Cuckoo for Coconut

Inspired by the Birthday Fiesta in this cute gal's blog, I was moved to buy sweetened flaked coconut, buttermilk and break out the sifter. My parents were on their way to visit and, well, what a better time to hang out and eat cake?

Cast of Characters:


This is what happens when one has been dieting for far too long


Buttery whipped-ness!


The AGA succeeds once again!


Voila!


And, it tasted sooooooo good. Dense, decadent, creamy....just perfect.


I'd be lying if I said I wasn't considering just a wee little small sliver for breakfast. Mmmm, coffee cake.

Here's the recipe if you are as inspired as I was to re-embrace your love for coconut! xo

Five Fifteen

Its been Four long years since we gathered all the paperwork together and began this pathway to parenthood.


Finally it is starting feel as though we are in the final stretch of the longest of Ultra Marathons. Tired, thirsty, calloused and maybe hallucinating a bit, we keep looking forward. Because, as long as we keep putting one foot in front of the other, we will make it to the end.


Which, really, is only the beginning.

(buttercup polaroid pendant is made by The Tiny Fig - and is adorable! And, yes, I have one!)

Amazing Grand-Mother

My grandmother, my father's mother, was the woman who tapped into my creative energies. One of the first things that we would do once my folks dropped me off at her home for my week-long summer visit (back when Olivia Newton John was a regular on Dick Clark's Top 40) was to hit the craft store. Decoupaged paperweights? Knitted clothing hangers? Painted Mrs. Butterworth bottles? We had them all covered...and well.

In between trips to the roller rink and the drive in, we drank many cups of sweet coffee and went through our fair share of Mod Podge! It was a sticky, fun time.

So, when I hugged her that day...just about a week ago, in fact.....all of that special-ness and all of that love was a little dizzying. The fact that I get to hug my nearly 95 year-old grandmother so tightly and so dearly is overwhelmingly fortunate and, well, dizzying.

What could possibly be better? If my beloved grandmother could hold my daughter so dearly, so tightly, so loveingly.

I will hope with all of my heart.

Happy Mother's Day. Full of hope. Full of love. xoxoxxoo

Drumroll Please...

Thanks SO much to all of you who decided to play along with my giveaway this past week. It made my Tax-Time just a little bit more fun. And, I needed that.

Most guessers were pretty much in the ballpark of reality. Some of the numbers that were thrown out, however, kinda cracked me up. I've been quite busy this year but couldn't imagine being busy enough to crank out 1999, 762 or 817 handmade plushies in a year's time. Maybe if I were able to sew and build full time I could hit those sorts of stats, but not on top of my full time day job. It is food for thought, though. Your confidence in me is much appreciated - and I hope that I haven't let you down.

Here's how some of the 2009 numbers shook out:


Etsy.Com (195)


Donations and Gifts (29)


Bizarre Bazaar/Maker Faire (25)


Renegade San Francisco (89)

That's a lot of this:


A lot of this:


A BUNCH of this:



And a little bit of this:


There were some other numbers including stock left at the end of the year and things sent to brick and mortar shops. The final-final number is probably slightly under reported but my best guesstimate based upon the numbers that I had.

So my big number is: 368


Which means that the Big Winner is: Alyssa of AlliesAdornments - the maker of absolutely beautiful jewelry that she creates from upcycled and repurposed to-die-for vintage buttons. (She guessed 367).

Thanks again to EVERYONE for playing along with this little contest and most importantly for supporting me with such heart as I pursued this creative endeavor over the past couple of years.

Its been real. And, it has been fun.

Now? Now it is time to clear off that baby changing table and make room for the next great adventure!

Not to fear, the shop does not have a closing date - but things are slowing down. We are hoping for news of our adoption hopes and dreams becoming a reality by the end of the summer this year. So, we'll see what happens between then and now. Probably a lot more gardening, maybe some quilt making and definitely some projects around the house!!

xo

Don't Forget!!

My contest ends tomorrow - at midnight.

Click here for the Full-On Deets about the contest!!!

I still have not added up the numbers, so even I couldn't guess accurately.

If you guess well, this wee guy could be yours!


Thanks for playing along! xoxo

my buttercup garden

Jzboy built me a raised garden bed a good 5 or so years ago.

I love it. Actually, maybe I should say that I loved it.

The past two gardening seasons have been a bit difficult for me. I lost my motivation & the garden suffered. California summers, although incredibly sunny & beautiful - are very, very, very dry. Most times I couldn't even go out there to look, let alone attempt to harvest anything - it was too depressing. Everything seemed so leggy, dry and unloved. And I blamed myself.

Thank goodness for Fall and Winter because those seasons manage to provide just enough time to dull my sad memories of the previous years woebegon veggie patch. Spring arrives along with my renewed energy and hope for the garden. And, Spring Break always ends up being the week when it all goes down. Here's a pic of the clean, pitchfork tilled and fresh compost amended bed.


In the weeks leading up to this endeavor, I did a lot of thinking about what was going to go in the dirt. Typically I choose a theme for the garden bed. One year it was a French garden - that year I planted tarragon and haricots verts, another year it was a Rainbow garden - with yellow, orange and green tomatoes and then there was the "International" garden year - cilantro, japanese eggplant, bok choy and Thai basil.

This year I decided to plant a Hope Garden patch. Unsure what would grow within a Hope Garden, I ventured to my favorite spot for inspiration - Berkeley Hort. I knew I would find what I needed to make the veggie patch exactly what it was meant to be for 2010. Here it is all planted up:


Jzboy and I agreed that this years garden would provide some of our favorites such as green beans, lettuces, pattypan squash, maybe some carrots and definitely cucumbers. The tomato factor was an issue, though. Conventional wisdom advises against planting tomatoes in the same place over successive years. The dirt, apparently, must recover.

((insert gardeners confession))

We pretty much plant tomatoes in the same place each and every year. Multiple plants. Year after year after year. We simply can not help ourselves. I thought that if I simply amended the soil generously, it would be fine. The gardener guy disagrees and suggests that our persistent tomato planting may very well be the root of the garden bed problem. Reluctantly, Jzboy & I agreed to either go tomato-free in 2010 or mayyyybe one wee tomato. Maybe.

Berkeley Hort did not disappoint. Although I kick myself for leaving without the dinosaur kale that I meant to grab (I'll be back!), I left with a good few prospects including this singular tomato plant:


Its a cherry tomato. Prolific and sweet. Hearty and lush. Bountiful. "Scrumptious", even. And when I read the name of this little seedling, the Sweet Baby Girl I knew that it belonged in our little optimistic veggie patch.

Plus it needed its own, special buttercup-yellow tomato cage. For support.

Here's hoping for a very fruitful Summer.