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Saturday, August 23, 2014

SIMPLE SUMMER MEMORIES


Summer seems to be quickly winding down. The light is softening and the leaves are changing. Where has it gone. It seems that we waited so long for it to appear and in the blink of an eye it is disappearing. 

 Taking with it the memories of fresh tomatoes.

of baskets overflowing with tree ripened sweet peaches,


of roadsides decorated with colorful wildflowers,

of children with bare feet and sunglasses,

of precious time with family,

and of lazy walks down country lanes.

They are after all only simple memories, but they are memories that can be pulled out and dusted off when the melancholy of fall sets in. To be relived in my imagination as I make new memories.

 Enjoy your day.

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Saturday, August 16, 2014

life is real




There is nothing like spending a week with children to make you see what life is really about. You fall down and skin your knee, you cry for a few minutes, a bandaid is put on (preferably one with a cartoon character) accompanied by a kiss, and you get on with life. You enjoy the moment. Walking and swimming aren't seen as exercise. They are seen as times of exploration and fun. 

You are constantly learning and embracing new ideas. You ask intriguing questions and when answers are given you often come up with better answers of your own. Life is new. Life is fresh. You cry. You play. You move on to the next exciting moment. Life is real.

Life is not really about seeing a beautiful home on the internet and wishing it was yours. It is not about comparing yourself to others. Yes, we all like to see pretty homes, but the reality is that people just like us live in those homes. They may have more stuff, they may live in a bigger space, they may take more exotic vacations, they may have bigger paychecks, but the reality is they are real people, and my guess is that their homes aren't perfect. They have children who make messes. They have marital problems. They have illnesses. No one can really shut their eyes to the realities of life, because life is real.


While putting on a bandaid won't solve all of life problems, the loving of yourself when you apply the bandaid is a perfect start. Tapping into the wonder of who you are can help to bring peace into your life. Life is real.

Sometimes I just feel the need to go outside and stand on the earth in my bare feet. It helps to bring back memories of childhood. It grounds me. As I stand there I picture my worries going back into the earth. I look around and know that
Life Is Real

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Friday, August 8, 2014

big important event

I was a bit AWOL yesterday from the blogging world, because it was a big day for my mom.

 A day for three daughters to take their mom to a fancy downtown restaurant.

A day to pick out a perfect meal (mom had quinoa for the first time)

A day to laugh and reminisce with sisters.

A day for mom to truck around the florist where she grew up. The same paths where she rode her tricycle as a little girl. Pretending to go to far away places. Many of those places she did visit while travelling around the world with my dad 

a day for a special birthday treat. 

After all turning ninety is a pretty big occasion. So mom says she is milking it for all it is worth. We are taking her to Berea for lunch today. It will be her third birthday lunch and tomorrow we are having her party. My daughters and grandchildren are coming up and will be here for a week. (I may be a little scarce for the next week)

 Happy ninetieth birthday mom. I hope you have many more. We love you.

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Saturday, August 2, 2014

bits and pieces

Life is all about bits and pieces. All the little moments that add up to living. Most days are made up of little things. We string them together and call them life. Every once in a while something momentous happens, but on the whole it's the day to day little things that keep us going.

 A simple meal made from fresh summer ingredients.

Stopping to enjoy a simple flower here,

and a simple flower there.

Following a path on a foggy morning, just to see where it takes you.

Wanting so badly to open that gate and walk through,

so that you can walk through fields of wildflowers.

Yes, it's the bits and pieces of everyday living that give us a simple and serene life.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

so many projects...so little time

I have a board on Pinterest called Yes You Can Projects. You can see that here. It is full of projects I would love to do now or in the future. Currently I have 182 pins on my board. 

 There is the how to make your own wool dryer balls. Love these. They are not only cute to look at, but really functional.
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I have been wanting to make a rag rug since the 1970's. (That might tell you how far behind I am on my projects) But, now I have absolutely no excuse not to do it with this wonderful tutorial (This is where the so little time excuse comes in)
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Look at these gorgeous watercolor flowers. I would love to have a vase full of these. (This could be a hint to my artist daughter, Katy who paints fabric flowers so I don't have to do it). 
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Okay, this is something I could actually do. I really can sew, and I can just picture these blowing gently in my open windows.
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Country Living has 46 craft ideas for recycling. We all know how much I love to reuse and recycle.
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This is one that I am definitely going to try. Believe it or not, I actually just made a rag wreath (I know, hard to believe) and want to add roses. When I get that done, I will share it with you. (How long is it until the next millinneum?)
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I seem to be a lot better at picking out cool projects than I am at getting them done, but I know a lot of you actually do them. So you may want to visit my Pinterest board because I'm sure that 182 project number will just keep going up. SIGH!!!
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Friday, July 18, 2014

FRIED CHICKEN MEMORIES

Summer always reminds me of fried chicken. Hot sunny Sunday afternoons out in the backyard with the smell of fried chicken sneaking out the back screened door.



Mama would be standing over what had to be an unbearably hot stove frying up chicken in her two cast iron skillets. Fresh snapped green beans seasoned with country ham bubbled on one burner and potatoes for mashing on another, while fresh homemade biscuits baked in the oven. 


As soon as the chicken frying was done Daddy would step in to make his secret recipe of southern milk gravy. I was twelve before he passed that secret on to me. It was one of the proudest days of my life. Mama's chicken and Daddy's gravy put Colonel Sanders to shame here in Kentucky. 
Every summer Sunday I would sit on my swing lazily swinging back and forth while my bare toes trailed a line in the dust just waiting for that chicken dinner. For Mama to call out that supper was ready. 



I was a child who didn't eat much. A child, who when Daddy came home from work at six o'clock would be sitting at the dining room table, and when he asked why I was at the table before supper was ready I would answer that I was still sitting there from lunch because I refused to eat. But you would never catch me not eating that fried chicken supper.

When I was nine we moved to Canada, away from my little southern home. We moved into a big house and my parents did a lot of entertaining of my father's clients from all over the world. My mother was a gourmet cook and served some amazing dinners, but her fried chicken with Daddy's gravy was a favorite. 

I'll never forget the man from Australia, who at the end of the meal one night asked if anyone else wanted more potatoes and gravy. When the answer came back as no, he took the big serving bowl of potatoes, covered them with gravy, and proceeded to finish them off, wiping the remaining gravy from the bowl with a leftover biscuit.

 I have many memories of wonderful meals from over the years, but whenever I catch the smell of chicken frying I am transported back to our first little house and summer Sundays. Of Mama and Daddy in that small hot kitchen cooking up the best meal ever. 


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