Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Team Teal Tuesday ~ The Strawberry Project

Hello, friends!

By the time this post is published, Carrie and I will be in the middle of our vacation trip in England. I wanted to have this post go live while we are there, and also to honor Team Teal on this Tuesday. Here's the story of our strawberry project.


I've mentioned before that part of the reason Carrie and I are able to travel to England this spring is because of the gift my mom left for us. Mom loved to travel, and she wanted my siblings and me to use her life insurance money to take a trip somewhere.


In the months before Mom's passing we talked about it, and she was thrilled to know that Carrie and I had plans to travel to England. She was even more happy to know that we would be meeting some members of Team Teal who had supported her so lovingly during her battle with ovarian cancer. I had specific instructions to give each Team Teal member that we met an extra hug on Mom's behalf.


When we really got down to the business of planning our trip, Carrie had an idea to take something that had belonged to Grandma Marti and leave little bits here and there along our journey. I had made some small stuffed strawberries years ago for my mom, and I looked for them while I was there in January helping sort through her things but couldn't find them. What my sister and I did find were some red cloth napkins that my mom had made herself, so I decided I'd bring those home with me and make some more strawberries to take with us.


Oh, friends, it was really tough taking that first cut into my mom's red napkin! It started when I unfolded it and spread it out on my craft table. I was struck by the thought that the last time it was folded it had been done with my mother's hand, and then, there I sat, scissors in hand, ready to cut it apart. I had to take a moment. I had a good cry, thought about how pleased Mom would be with our plan, and quickly took the first cut.


These little berries will be left along our journey in special places that we know my mom would love. I feel happy thinking of the person who will randomly find these little pieces of my mom, and I hope it brightens their day. {I also hope we don't get arrested for littering strawberries along the way!} Of course we'll take photos, and I'll have a blog post all about that when we return from our trip.

To read more about The Strawberry Project and to see where Carrie and I left them, click here.

Monday, March 18, 2013

This was my weekend...

It's Monday morning, friends.

It was a bit of a puny weekend for me, as I have been sick for about a week now. I didn't leave the house at all this weekend, and didn't have a whole lot of energy for photography and blogging. Therefore, my plans to create blog posts to publish while Carrie and I are in England didn't happen, and I just may be forced to be ok with that. No sense fretting over something like that, right?


I will make sure that the information on our strawberry project posts next week - most likely for Team Teal Tuesday, but other than that, this little blog will be on vacation while I travel half-way around our great planet to meet some sweet friends and enjoy 10 glorious days with my girl C.


And with that I'm off to get myself ready for work. Don't you hate when co-workers bring their germs to work and share them with everyone? I know that's how I got into this mess in the first place, but I'm going in anyway as I have things that need taking care of prior to my departure.
Wishing each of you a happy and healthy week,
and I'll catch you on the flip side.

Friday, March 15, 2013

A Simple Moment in Time


Raindrops drizzle down the outside of my craft room window as I cut and sew small fabric strawberries for Carrie and I to take to England next week. My mother's strawberry wind chime randomly makes a sweet tinking sound on occasion, and I wonder what's causing that to happen. Our heater isn't blowing, and the ceiling fan remains in the off position, but still, there is occasional movement and the sweet sound of my mom filling the room.

I smile to myself when I hear Mom's wind chime, and I imagine she is very pleased with our strawberry plans.
Today I'm linking up with my friend, Alexa
and other blog friends who are recording their
Check it out...

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Look up! Look Down! Look all around...

When we were kids there was this silly little thing we'd say to one another:
Look up.
Look down.
Look all around.
Gee, you're a clown.

And there was also the version that ended with "Look at my thumb, gee you're dumb" but we weren't allowed to use that one. Haha, oh Mother...

Anyway! Today I'm linking up with my sweet friend Helena who came up with a fun idea to photograph something looking up, and then looking down. I was standing in my craft room the other day, camera in hand, when I looked up to the top shelf and snapped a photo. One of my favorite things is this jar of wooden thread spools which is a mixture of spools found in my great-grandmother's sewing machine drawers, and also from my dear mother-in-law's sewing supplies after she left.

And then looking down at a lower shelf,
my collection of sketch books and journals
and, of course, a turtle.

So, look up! Look down! Look all around...
;o}

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Our Four Pets

We our pets.

I've had a few questions about how Whiskers Jay is handling the addition of a dog to our household, so I thought I would give you a little update on his kitty-attitude, and also share a bit about the rest of our critters.


The look on his face in the photo above pretty much sums it up. Whiskers has been slightly annoyed about having a dog as a roommate, but we've actually seen glimpses of a possible friendship being fostered. Lucky the Dog is curious and playful, Whiskers the Cat is cautious and bossy. It will be interesting to see how these two critters do in the long run. Lucky is here to stay.

And then there's our Rexy boy - the box turtle who refused to completely hibernate this past winter. Either that, or he's a sleep-walker! We adopted Rex last spring and grew quite fond of him as the months passed. Then, when winter approached, we watched and waited {and worried} as he refused to burrow and go to sleep. His original turtle-mom reported that all of her turtles were down for the winter. Not Rex. We actually saw him out and about on NEW YEAR'S EVE!!! ~sigh~ Anyway, we hadn't seen him for a while, but last weekend he was out with a vengeance. And, he gobbled down a big chunk of hard-boiled-egg like he hadn't eaten in...well...months!

When we adopted two baby turtles back in November, Doug suggested that we name this one Casper because we never saw "him" {get it? like Casper the ghost?} This one always burrowed and hid anytime we had to do anything with their environment. We've since determined that this one is a female, and I have visions hopes of her and Rexy mating one day and then we'll change her name to Mama Cas. :o) Cute. No?

Anyway, our other baby turtle died {I think in December?} and I didn't mention it on my blog because... really? My mom. And my cat. And a baby turtle? It was all too much loss for one little blog! We have no idea how he/she died - just went into the food bowl one day and never came out. Sad!

Then, when you're sad, what makes you super happy? A dog. Lucky is doing well after his first couple of weeks of residence. Turns out that this pup loves to dig which is not conducive to growing basil or pretty flowers, so we'll need to figure that one out. Any helpful tips on how to train a dog not to dig?

And that's the rundown.
Four pets in our house.
{five if you count Douglas} ;o) 
How many in yours?

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Team Teal Tuesday ~ The Night I Made Stoup for Dinner

I sat across the dinner table from my brother and my sister, both visiting from California, and we talked about our mom. Somehow we got on the subject of food Mom used to make, and I asked, “Remember stoup?”

Their reaction was one that still makes me smile as I type this story – we all had good memories of that yummy concoction that wasn’t quite stew, wasn’t quite soup – and even though we were never allowed to use the word “stupid” – we called that stuff stoup.

It was a basic mix of a half of a pound of ground beef, one grated carrot, one grated potato, a small can of tomato sauce and some water. In hindsight, I realize what a frugal meal this must have been for our mom who, at the time, was struggling financially as the single mother of four children.


In the weeks following our conversation about stoup, I craved it. I decided I’d make a batch of it for dinner one night, and I’d proudly present Doug with a meal that my siblings and I had enjoyed so much, so long ago.
Well, I made stoup. And it was awful.
When I put the first spoonful into my mouth, I spontaneously made an “Mmmmm…” sound. It tasted just like Mom’s stoup had, but mine was thicker {I used two grated carrots and a large potato – because I could}. I was amazed at how that one taste took me back to that little kitchen in Dos Palos, California – how I remembered having enough for a second bowl for each of us, but none leftover when dinner was done.
The second bite was more telling. And by then Doug had tasted it and innocently compared it to gruel. I asked, “What is gruel exactly?” and his answer hit me hard.
“It’s what they serve in orphanages,” he said, “when they have to stretch what they have in order to feed everyone.”
He hadn’t meant to hurt my feelings, I knew, and he had no way of knowing what memories and feelings I would be flooded with – over a bowl of stoup!
In that moment I felt embarrassed – ashamed of our poverty and that I had exposed that to Doug. Those childhood feelings of shame and embarrassment over our lack of funds washed over me, but suddenly none of that mattered anymore.
What mattered was the deep realization and understanding of what our mom had done for us. How she had prepared a meal that cost so little, but served it in a way that we still have fond memories of it to this day. We always loved when what-was-for-dinner was stoup!
Our mom set so many good examples for us. And even though I never plan to make stoup again, I'm really glad I did - just once - so I could fully appreciate the meal like I had never done before.
Gosh, she was such a great mom.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Rain and Shine ~ Weekend Recap

 Good Monday morning, blog friends.

I'm typing with a bit of a NyQuil hangover this morning, having muddled my way through a weekend with a stupid head cold. It was a perfect weekend to snuggle up inside and take it easy. This morning I'm giving you just a few photos from our weekend.


We had a good amount of rain this weekend, and I know that it will be great for Arizona wildflowers! I thought about going out for a walk in this - just to practice for our upcoming trip to England - but decided to stay inside where things were warm and dry.

This boy, on the other hand, was out and about in full force - Rex loves the rain!  
And speaking of Rexy, Doug and I have worried about him all winter, as it seemed like he never completely hibernated. We'd see him once in a while during the winter months, out of his hut moving verrrry slowly and never eating anything we offered. But this weekend he was out and about, looking healthy as can be, and with an appetite to match. Looks like he'll have to become more familiar with a camera once again!

Saturday, more rain and dark clouds - all day. We've just about decided that this poor little tree is going to have to be removed. It's been struggling since we moved in here, and we've been nursing it the best we can. However, we think this past winter's freeze was the final straw. Sad.


We had all of Doug's family over for a backyard breakfast yesterday morning, and our weather was amazing for the occasion! Our backyard looks so much better wrapped in sunshine!


It's been so long since our group has gone camping, and I was really missing a good ol' camping breakfast, so my three SIL's and I made camping-breakfast-food {potatoes, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, fruit salad, and biscuits}. One word: yum!


It's always a fun time when we get together with our family. Oh, and speaking of family, this was Lucky's debut with my in-laws and he did so well. There was no begging for food or jumping or barking. Good doggy!


Ok, well, this feels like a very disjointed weekend recap, but that's about par for the course here. And with that I'm off to blow my nose again {ew, I know...} and take on the week ahead. It's hard to believe that Carrie and I leave for England ONE WEEK from Wednesday. {Yikes and yay all rolled in to one!} :o)

Here's hoping spring is springing on your piece of the planet.
Enjoy the upcoming week, sweet friends!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Just a Quote for Friday

{keeping a close eye on the dog...}

"Life is accepting what is
and working from that."
~ Gloria Naylor

Thursday, March 7, 2013

How My Garden Grows ~ Spring 2013

I know, I know, the calendar doesn't say it's spring yet,
but when you live in Arizona, an early spring is a nice bonus.

It's been a while since I shared photos of my little garden - it actually hasn't been very photo worthy these past few months. It's a small and humble piece of the planet, but I love this little space.


One of the things I love about my garden are the little do-dad's that embellish it. My heart-shaped rocks and little turtle stepping stones are among my favorites. :o)

These tomato plants are going to produce some amazing fruit. I just know it!!!


I'm not nearly as confident about the cilantro and jalapeƱo producing a good crop. My cilantro always goes to seed, and the peppers took for.EVer to produce last year.


See that little basil plant in the next photo? One adorable little pup fancied digging it up the day after it was planted. {argh!} The portion of the plant that survived has been re-dirted, and measures have been taken to avoid another mishap. {I know, that flimsy looking fence doesn't look like much, but so far it seems to be enough of a deterrent that Lucky isn't digging here. For now. Oh, and another section was added to the front of this space after this photo was taken...}


In other backyard news, this year's sunflower crop is beginning to sprout, our orange trees have new green growth, and some rose bushes that Doug planted in January are starting to perk up. Oh - and the poppies in our front yard look like a big mound of weeds at the moment, but we're hoping for lots of orange flowers within the next week.

I've loved living in this house over the past year and a half. When
we moved in the outside was a blank slate, and it's been so fun to
have little spots of dirt to play with and plants to nurture.
I'll keep you posted on our progress!
PS: Any advice on cilantro and peppers?

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Currently, I am...


Thinking about my mom.

Losing sleep over an upcoming trip out of the country, and work junk.

Sewing little strawberries to take to England – Carrie and I have a plan.

Dealing with abrasive and cranky people. {Really, planet alignment? What the…?}

Trying to not let the aforementioned rub off on me and being semi-successful at it.

Learning to live with a dog and really loving it.

Deciding which camera to bring on a big trip. I really don’t want to lug my big camera around, but I’m afraid I’ll regret it if I don’t have it with me. {What to do…what to do…}

Waiting for the weather app on my phone to show a current view of London as warm and sunshiny. {Hey, a girl can dream…}

Planning what to pack and being confused with “pack light” versus “dress warmly.”

Catching up on Project Life this week.

Missing my girl C and needing some catch-up time.

Hoping said girl C and I can wing our way through England and come home still friends. {I know we will, but 10 days is a long time to expect pure bliss…}

Looking forward to meeting a few sweet blog friends in real life at the end of this month.

What are you currently up to?

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Team Teal Tuesday ~ and Project Life

I fussed over my 2012 Project Life and found myself in constant ridicule of myself. There wasn't enough journaling, next-to-no-embellishments, didn't have a week-to-week consistency... Instead, it was a whole bunch of photos of a whole bunch of family time ~ spent together as a result of my mom's battle with ovarian cancer.

That's not to say that it isn't sprinkled with our life around our home and some road trips we've been on. It's just a random collection, and one that I figured would be cool to look back on. Someday.

And then my nieces came over.

When I caught a glimpse of my nieces through the atrium window,*
hunched over my Project Life and soaking up the memories,
time stood still for a moment.

They were taking it all in. My trips to California to be with my mom {their grandmother}, the 4th of July, a 92nd birthday, a 4th birthday, a first communion, a funeral, a wedding, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. A book filled with photos of the people they love, and photos of themselves here and there ~ smiling faces of the people we connect with in this project called life.

In that moment when I saw my nieces through the window,
I had no doubt that my 2012 Project Life was exactly how it was
meant to be. And I love that I didn't have to wait 20 years to know
it was worth the effort to preserve some of those memories.

* Right. So. I realize that taking these photos of my nieces through
the window of my craft room borders on creeper. Our house has an atrium
in the center, so it's a bit of a fish-bowl-existence sometimes.
Anyway! How could I resist? All things considered.

Monday, March 4, 2013

The Next Best Thing to Being an Aunt

...being a great-aunt.

Last year at this time, two of our nieces became mommies for the first time. This whole past year I have referred to their babies as "our niece's son/daughter" but that changed for me this past weekend.


As I made cupcakes for K & JJ's first birthday celebration, I was struck by how much I love these little kids, and I finally allowed myself to embrace the fact that I am their great-aunt.



And it was so much fun to celebrate their first birthday this past weekend.

These little sweeties have made family life a lot sweeter this past year.
Happy first birthday, K and JJ!
Your {great-} aunt Deb loves you very much.
♥ ♥

Friday, March 1, 2013

Just a Quote for Friday


"Count your age by friends, not years.
Count your life by smiles, not tears."

~ John Lennon
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